Month: December 2025

Ryan Shiner

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

A 20-year-old man from Tipton, Missouri, died Wednesday in a crash on Route B in Cooper County at Elkstown Road near Bunceton, according to a crash report from the Missouri State Highway Patrol.

The report says the 2007 Ford Mustang was heading northbound went it went off the right side of the road, became airborne and hit several trees.

The man was pronounced dead at the scene by a Cooper County paramedic, the report says. The man was wearing a seatbelt at the time of the crash, according to the report.

The vehicle was totaled.

MSHP reports do not name those involved in crashes.

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Mitchell Kaminski

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

The City of Columbia is working on a major update of its building codes, proposing to adopt the 2024 International Building Codes that govern residential and commercial construction, safety, energy efficiency and plumbing standards.

The city currently operates under the 2018 codes.

On Wednesday, the city’s Community Development department hosted a public forum, in which more than 20 people attended. The forum offered attendees an opportunity to ask questions about the proposed changes. The Building Code Adoption is currently in a 90-day public comment and review period, which ends Feb. 17. 

Columbia’s Building Regulation Supervisor Aaron Decker said the department did not know what to expect heading into the meeting, but was pleased with the turnout. 

“I think it was a very enlightening meeting as a lot of our commissioners had said in the past that, as we go through the review of these codes, we don’t get a lot of outside participation or we haven’t in the past. And this was a new endeavor, something that we haven’t tried before,” Decker said. “I thought it was a great opportunity to  get the  individuals that are dealing with this stuff daily out in the field  in here  to give their feedback and to give their input.” 

City officials say the updated codes are designed to improve building safety, fire prevention, energy efficiency and long-term resilience. The 2024 standards cover a wide range of areas, including structural design, plumbing, mechanical systems, fuel gas installation, electrical wiring, property maintenance and requirements for renovations to existing buildings. Energy conservation standards are also updated, with the goal of reducing energy use and lowering long-term utility costs for building occupants.

Several city departments — including Community Development, the Office of Neighborhood Services, the Fire Marshal’s Office and the Building and Construction Codes Commission — have spent months reviewing the changes and drafting local amendments. The process includes multiple public meetings, a formal recommendation from the commission and a minimum 90-day public comment period before the City Council considers final adoption.

Decker said the review of the codes started in November 2024, with the community development department going through 21 reviews of the codes section by section. 

“The codes are reactionary, so there are things that happen and that trigger a code revision to go into place. One of the examples I gave in the meeting, and one of the examples that I like to stand behind, is the lithium battery situation, previous renditions 2018, 2015, there’s not a lot of lithium battery guidance in the fire code or in the building code,” Decker said. “However, with where things have gone with electrification and the risk associated with high-volume lithium batteries, there is an inherent risk to protect occupants of a building and or occupants of a structure that is within. And so, the building codes continue to evolve and it’s important that a community continues to evolve with them so that they can stay up to speed and up to availability with the materials, the products, everything that’s out there in the economy that’s moving forward.” 

One of the primary concerns raised by property owners and property builders during Wednesday’s meeting revolved around the energy code. 

One concern raised: The code will require industrial and retail properties to have solar panels, which one man argued will force companies to move to neighboring communities. 

“I would agree with that statement that the energy code has been a kind of the hot topic of all the changes, and it’s going to continue to be as things move forward because it does drastically impact building,” Decker said. 

Industry concerns raised 

As part of the public comment period, the Home Builders Association of Columbia submitted a detailed letter to Ward 1 Councilwoman Valerie Carroll to pause the adoption of the 2024 codes until further analysis is completed.

In the letter, Executive Officer Jami Clevenger raised concerns about increased construction costs tied to updated energy efficiency standards, particularly for residential housing. The association estimates the changes could add thousands of dollars to the cost of new homes, disproportionately affecting starter homes and first-time buyers. The letter argues that projected energy savings would not offset the upfront costs for many families.

Clevinger argues the 2024 residential energy codes will increase building costs by $8,000-$12,000 while only saving $10 per month in utility savings.

Clevenger also highlighted provisions in the 2024 International Energy Conservation Code that would require on-site renewable energy systems, such as solar panels, for certain commercial buildings. The association warned those mandates could significantly increase costs for small businesses, developers and renters.

The group called for independent, university-led research to evaluate the true cost-benefit impact of the proposed codes on housing affordability, commercial development and economic growth. It also questioned how national building codes are developed, citing concerns about industry influence and the lack of localized economic analysis.

The association asked city leaders to delay implementation while conducting further study, arguing the long-term impacts on affordability and development warrant additional review.

Decker said that once their review and data collection are finished, they will send a summary to the council, but added there is no set date for when that will take place.

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Marie Moyer

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

Health officials are expecting a busy flu season following the discovery of H3N2 subclade K, a variant of the Influenza A strain.

According to the CDC, of the 91 Influenza A virus samples collected since Sept. 28, almost 87% belonged to subclade K.

The genetic mutation of subclade K makes it only partially covered by this year’s flu shot. While experts haven’t found data of an increased severity of symptoms, an increased rate of spread is expected.

“Most flu viruses that affect people are the influenza A and B varieties and every year we have a different mixture of those things circulating,” Boone Health Chief Medical Officer Dr. Lana Zerrer said. “The flu vaccine was already decided upon with four different varieties of flu strains in them before a subclade K even showed up.”

The CDC says flu rates begin to peak in December. The Columbia/Boone County Department of Public Health and Human Services has already seen a surge with flu cases jumping from 16 to 40 between the end of November and the beginning of December.

The Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services has also reported a state-wide increase in flu cases, rising from 181 at the start of November to 519 at the start of December.

Medical experts still recommend people get the flu vaccine, adding that it’s not to late as flu season runs through April.

“If you’re going to be around family, friends, people at Christmas who either are not at high risk or are at high risk for flu, it’s still the best thing to do to go ahead and get that vaccine as soon as you can,” MU Health Care Infectious Disease Physician Dr. Taylor Nelson said.

According to the CDC, United Kingdom data on this year’s vaccine found that hospitalization due to the flu remained 70-75% for children and 30-40% for adults, suggesting that influenza vaccination remains an effective tool in preventing flu-related hospitalizations.

Vulnerable groups to the flu include people who are immunocompromised, children and the elderly.

Experts recommend common flu precautions, including handwashing, sanitizing work areas, covering coughs and sneezes, wearing masks and staying home when feeling sick.

Both Zerrer and Nelson said if a high-risk group begins to feel flu symptoms, it’s recommended to check in with urgent care or a local physician.

“There are treatments now that can be given that can reduce the risk of hospitalization,” Zerrer said.

“There are also other respiratory viruses that we may find such as COVID, Bacterial infections like pertussis, which we’re also seeing an increased number,” Nelson said. “There are other things we might need to figure out outside of influenza.”

Flu-shot appointments are available locally through the Boone/Columbia Health Department, Boone Health and MU Health Care.

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Steven Lambson

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

A Boone County judge ruled Wednesday in favor of numerous defendants named in a wrongful death lawsuit over the death of MU student Riley Strain.

Strain went missing in March 2024 during a Delta Chi fraternity trip to Nashville. His body was found days later in the Cumberland River; his death was ruled a drowning, with a toxicology report finding alcohol and other substances in his system.

Strain’s family filed a lawsuit in March 2025 against the fraternity chapter and others, saying they failed to follow safety protocols during the event in Nashville. The lawsuit claimed Strain’s fraternity brothers “abandoned him” by not accompanying him back to the hotel when he was kicked out of a bar, and didn’t check on him until later.

In his ruling Wednesday, Judge Joshua Devine ruled in favor of Delta Chi, Barrister Capital Corporation — which manages the Delta Chi house at MU –and 18 fraternity members named as defendants.

The judgement from Devine said “while the Court has great sympathy for the profound and tragic loss suffered by [the Strain family], it is unaware of any court in the United States which has recognized the existence of a so-called ‘special relationship’ that might give rise to a claim for damages based on a duty owed by one adult fraternity member to another due to their shared status as ‘fraternity brothers’.”

Devine also said he is unaware of exceptions to the laws in Missouri and Tennessee that establish drinking alcohol is the cause of injuries for intoxicated people, “not the furnishing of alcoholic beverages.”

Riley Strain lawsuit judgmentDownload

Claims against nine other defendants are still pending.

A university spokesman said the school had no comment on the matter.

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