Month: February 2026

Mitchell Kaminski

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) 

As prediction markets continue to gain traction across the United States, major political events like the State of the Union are increasingly becoming opportunities for people to place bets and turn a profit.

President Donald Trump’s nearly two-hour State of the Union speech, the longest on record, generated more than $12 million in wagers on prediction markets such as Kalshi and Polymarket, with bets ranging from the length of the speech to whether he would mention specific words or phrases.

“The further down you got started getting a little stranger,” Geoff Zochodne, senior news analyst and predictions market expert at Covers.com said. “I think the one that was the least likely he was going to say was mentioning the word ‘Ethereum,’ that had to do with that cryptocurrency.” 

The rise of prediction markets accelerated in 2024, largely driven by interest in wagering on the presidential election, an option not available through most state-regulated sportsbooks. Zochodne noted the odds on those platforms painted a “bit more bullish” picture of Trump’s reelection chances, allowing operators to take a “bit of a victory lap” after the outcome matched their projections.

“In late 2024, we saw one prediction market come forward through this process called self-certification, where it self-certified a contract for trading that had to do with the Super Bowl and that was a very big shift,” Zochodne said. “Then the new administration was sworn in. There’s a new CFTC now, and under that CFTC, these prediction markets have certified more and more sports-related event contracts.”

The Commodity Futures Trading Commission is tasked with regulating prediction markets. Under the Trump administration, the CFTC has allowed platforms to operate nationwide, even in states that have yet to legalize sports betting. 

As a result, Zochodne said the prediction market industry blew up during the past year, especially during football season.

That rapid expansion has created tension within the gambling industry and among regulators. According to Zochodne, some brick-and-mortar casino operators like Bet MGM or Caesars have pushed back, while online-first companies such as FanDuel and DraftKings have entered the space through partnerships and acquisitions. 

“What they’re trying to do is ensure that [prediction markets] don’t run afoul of states where they possess online sports betting licenses,” Zochodne said. “They don’t want to tick off those regulators. So they’re trying to keep those types of contracts out of those types of states while still trying to gain access to the states that have not yet legalized and regulated sports betting. So they’re walking a very fine line.” 

However, there have been growing concerns over insider trading. Kalshi has said that it has opened 200 investigations into suspicious trading during the past year, with more than a dozen investigations leading to active cases. 

“It’s definitely something that people are becoming and have been concerned about for a while,” Zochodne said. 

While no state has enacted a blanket ban specifically targeting prediction markets, roughly a dozen states have taken enforcement actions or filed lawsuits challenging certain contracts. 

States such as Nevada, Massachusetts, and New York have pursued lawsuits, injunctions or orders to halt certain operations, while others — including Connecticut, Tennessee, Arizona, Maryland, New Jersey, Illinois and California- have issued cease-and-desist letters or faced related court challenges. 

Missouri has not taken that step yet. 

“I don’t think Missouri or Missouri regulators have taken any kind of legal or regulatory stance yet,” Zochodne said. “They’re still kind of in that wait-and-see process. The [sports betting] market just got off the ground, but it’s one to keep an eye on because ultimately you want to kind of protect what you’ve created here.”

Mike Leara, executive director of the Missouri Gaming Commission, confirmed with ABC 17 News in a statement that the commission is awaiting the outcome of several court cases before deciding on its next steps.

“At this point, the Missouri Gaming Commission considers prediction markets sports betting.  The MGC will await the outcome of several court cases at the federal and state levels to help determine action or nonaction by the agency in the future,” Leara said.

Missouri lawmakers have filed four gaming-related house bills incldung a proposal to establish a “Missouri Gaming Bureau” to assist the Gaming Commission in regulatory investigations. However, none of them makes any mention of prediction markets. 

Rep. Jeff Myers (R-Montgomery County) sponsored one of those bills (HB 1947) in an effort to provide a vehicle for an enforcement mechanism to regulate the industry. The bill has since been tabled, but Myers tells ABC 17 that lawmakers are still monitoring prediction markets.

“In regards to the prediction markets, it does appear to be taking on a gambling aspect,” Myers told ABC 17 in an email. “If it holds true to form in areas like this, (hemp, slot machines in gas stations) it will grow and we, as law makers, will eventually get around to taking up the issue. My personal opinion, I believe the federal government is the appropriate body to regulate that sector. ”

The issue is also reaching college campuses. The Southeastern Conference requires member schools to use ProhiBet, a monitoring service designed to flag potentially improper wagering activity. 

In January 2026, ProhiBet partners, including the University of Missouri, were notified that Kalshi had begun processing ProhiBet checks, raising new compliance questions as prediction markets expand into sports-related contracts.

ProhiBet MUDownload

Click here to follow the original article.

Erika McGuire

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

Nearly two years after a rescue boat capsized in Bear Creek in Columbia, officials say a rope throw bag on the rescue boat wasn’t properly secured and that the cause of the boat’s sudden power loss may never be known.

Boone County Fire Protection District Assistant Chief Matthew Tobben, 42, responded to the area of Range Line Street and Bear Creek in the early morning hours on July 8, 2024, after Columbia Fire requested mutual aid to rescue two people because the department’s boat could not make it upstream. Columbia had seen heavy rainfall overnight, leading to flash flooding in several parts of the city.

Tobben, a CFD firefighter, and the two people being rescued were on a Boone County water rescue boat when the boat lost power and overturned, throwing all four overboard. The three others survived, but an autopsy report confirmed Tobben drowned.

A report authored by the Boone County Fire Protection District says the boat, an inflatable with a 40-horsepower engine, drifted downstream with the current. Boone County Assistant Chief Gale Blomenkamp said BCFPD and a marine specialist evaluated the boat after the event, and it mechanically checked out fine, according to the report. There was no definitive cause of engine failure, the report said.

“The motor started, it ran just fine. So we don’t know why it lost power, we’re not going to,” Blomenkamp said. ‘We’re not going to speculate in the report as to why it lost power; it lost power and was not able to be restarted.”

Blomenkamp said Tobben was the captain of the boat and the county controlled the rescue, while a CFD firefighters was also in the boat as a rescue technician. Blomenkamp said the boat was making its way upstream when it lost power. If it hadn’t, he says the outcome of the rescue may have played out differently.

“They had recovered those people that were stranded, and they were working their way upstream when that boat lost power,” he said. “So had they been able to reach their destination, they would have got those people out of that boat, they would have pulled the boat out of the water at that location instead of returning to where we initially launched, and we would have had people out on the water very, very quickly.”

Tobben’s rescue boat in Bear Creek after it lost power during the water rescue that claimed his life (KMIZ).

The rope throw bag

BCFPD’s report states that a Mustang Survival rescue rope throw bag was attached to the rescue boat, securing the working end to the inside of the boat with a carabiner.

An analysis done by the Columbia Fire Department says personnel on shore retrieved a throw bag from a CFD boat and tossed it to the BCFPD boat crew, and they started upstream.

During the rescue, Tobben’s ankle became entangled in the rope, which had one end attached inside the boat, contributing to his death, according to the report.

“The bag itself was attached or got attached to the bow of the boat. Not sure who did that,” Blomenkamp said. “Not sure how that happened, but it was attached to the bow of the boat, and then the rope itself played out of that bag. So that is what entangled Chief Tobben’s ankle. When he bailed out, when that boat actually got entangled and trapped, caught by that tension diagonal.”

Blomenkamp said nothing should ever be placed inside the boat.

Tobben reportDownload

“No loose objects, no loose ropes, no ropes attached to the inside of a boat because of this foot entrapment possibility,” Blomenkamp said. “You’re not going to break that, and you’re not going to be able to force your way from the current to release that, from around your ankle, like Chief Tobben got caught by just the force of the water, which is just too much.”

According to the report, the bag lacked the proper closure or control method, creating a risk that the rope could deploy accidentally during a rescue. If not properly secured, the rope may entangle rescue personnel.

As the boat moved downstream, a secondary throw rope was used from short distance an attempt to stop it. The rescue boat then became caught in the first rope, and all occupants bailed out of the boat into the water.

The report said another rope, the tension diagonal rope system, wasn’t elevated quickly enough to prevent boat entanglement.

At the time of the incident, Tobben was wearing a properly secured flotation device along with a tactical helmet. The report says both items were later found downstream, both still strapped and zipped appropriately.

“We know that the safety equipment that he was issued and should have been wearing was properly fitted and was properly being worn, at the time, the force of the water when he got caught by his ankle entrapment,” Blomenkamp said.

A helmet, rope bag, and flotation device similar to the gear Assistant Chief Matthew Tobben wore during the Bear Creek water rescue (KMIZ).

Weather conditions

The report also found that weather conditions played a factor in the rescue and Tobben’s death:

Heavy rainfall before the incident

Elevated water levels with swift current

Approximately 9-10 feet of water depth near the bridge over Bear Creek on Range Line Street, just north of Elleta Boulevard

Limited bank access due to steep terrain and vegetation

Low-light/ early morning conditions

“I think the conditions was the reason for the incident. I’ve been around long enough to know that these conditions were probably changing rapidly,” Blomenkamp said. “It was dark, it’s hard to get light on that portion of the creek. A lot of things going on, a lot of noise, a lot of heavy moving water,”

Lessons learned and recommendations

BCFPD’s report highlighted six lessons learned intended to improve safety and prevent similar incidents from happening in future rescue operations:

Securing a rope bag with an inadequate closure mechanism.

Downstream safety system requires continuous control

Operations must anticipate a sudden loss of propulsion

Personal protective equipment improves survivability but does not eliminate entrapment risk

Mutual aid requires unified tactical understanding

Risk assessment must be continuous

The report recommends enhanced training on propulsion failure and uncontrolled drift scenarios, along with CFD and BCFPD conducting joint swift-water rescue training and standardization. This would allow shared expectations, terminology and safety practices. In addition, the report emphasizes that pre-incident coordination and effective communication are critical to safe mutual-aid operations.

Since Tobben’s death, the two agencies have not begun training together, though Blomenkamp said that needs to change to benefit the community. He said BCFPD Chief Doug Westoff and CFD Chief Brian Schaeffer are set to meet soon to discuss improving cooperation between the department.

Schaeffer was not with CFD at the time of Tobben’s drowning.

“This is a time as soon as that event occured, it was the time for the two organizations to become closer, not further apart. And I worry that we haven’t got there yet,” Blomenkamp said. “I worry that the two agencies, Columbia Fire and Boone County Fire, are not as close as we should be, because we should be able to lean on each other, especially in times like that.”

Blomenkamp said he’s unsure what it would take for the two agencies to be close and work together.

In a prepared statement, CFD Fire Chief Brian Schaeffer said his department has implemented most of the recommendations from the report.

“We remain committed to continuous improvement and to strengthening our working relationships with the diverse agencies we support across the region,” Schaeffer wrote.

Who was Matthew Tobben?

Tobben and his wife (courtesy).

Before joining BCFPD, Tobben served with Missouri Task Force 1 for 12 years and was previously with the fire department in Union, Missouri, for 19 years. He remained active on the task force and was teaching swift water rescues for the task force and the county when he drowned.

Tobben filled the position of Assistant Chief Bryant Gladney, who was killed in December 2021 while at the scene of a crash on Interstate 70 when a tractor-trailer hit Gladney’s truck at a high speed.

“He was the right guy to fill that role for our training spot. He had the certifications, had the experience, had all that stuff,” Blomenkamp said. “Could have been a guy that could have spent the next 20 years here, and unfortunately, a couple months after he started here, this tragedy occurred. So we had the right guy. I didn’t know him real well, but I knew him well enough to know that he was a special individual.”

Tobben was a husband and father.

A memorial plaque at the Boone County Fire Protection District headquarters honors Firefighter Tobben and Assistant Fire Chief Bryant Gladney, who died in a crash in December 2021 (KMIZ).

Click here to follow the original article.

Alison Patton

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

President Donald Trump addressed the nation Tuesday night in the annual State of the Union Address, and the ABC 17 News team is fact-checking and adding context to some of the economic claims he made.

“In one year, we have lifted 2.4 million Americans, a record, off of food stamps,” Trump said in his address to a joint session of Congress, which the full transcript can be found on CNN.

According to the USDA, 2.6 million Americans were lifted from the program between November 2024-2025. That includes more than 27,000 Missourians who exited the program in the same timeframe.

These numbers follow the Big Beautiful Bill Act, which made work requirements for people who are 65 years old or older; parents or guardians with children who are 14 years old or older; homeless individuals; veterans; and young people who aged out of foster care, according to the USDA.

The Center on Budget and Policy Priorities’ chief economist Gbenga Ajilore told ABC 17 News that individuals were kicked out of the SNAP program.

“These people are still struggling to put food on the table,” Ajilore said.

Trump also cited lower grocery bills since taking office.

“The cost of chicken, butter, fruit, hotels, automobiles, rent is lower today than when I took office, by a lot. And even beef, which was very high, is starting to come down significantly,” Trump said during the speech.

According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, overall consumer food prices have gone up 2.9% from January 2025 to January 2026, with most categories of food rising except for dairy products, which decreased by 0.3%.

The USDA released a report based on the Consumer Price Index that details how certain food industries are pricing products.

Poultry prices decreased by 0.1% from December 2025 to January 2026, but it was still 1.6% higher in January 2026 than in January 2025. Poultry is expected to become pricier this year, with the USDA predicting a 0.1% increase in price.

Eggs have seen a significant price decrease of around 5%, largely because the Bird Flu ravaged flocks last year, and chickens are recovering from the disease. Beef prices have decreased by 0.9% from December 2025 to January, but 2026 prices are 15% higher than the same period last year, and that number is expected to increase by about 5.5% this year, as predicted by the USDA.

Even though Trump has claimed to lower prices since being in office, Ajilore said affordability hasn’t improved.

“Look at some of the data, prices overall are still going back up,” he said.

Ajilore also claims tariffs are driving prices up, another topic that Trump is invested in.

“I believe the tariffs, paid for by foreign countries, will, like in the past, substantially replace the modern-day system of income tax, taking a great financial burden off the people that I love,” Trump said during the nationally televised speech.

The U.S. Supreme Court struck down Trump’s tariffs last week, and he has since pledged to work around the courts to keep the policy up, according to CNN.

Missouri State University economics professor David Mitchell said replacing income tax with tariff revenue could work in theory, but Trump would need to impose high tariffs to make up the income tax revenue. High tariffs could also stop consumers from buying.

“It’s the exact same thing with the tax on cigarettes,” Mitchell said. “You want to raise income by taxing cigarettes, so you raise the tax on cigarettes, but if that dissuades people from smoking, then you don’t get any of the tax revenue at the lower rate or the higher rate. So it actually is possible that your tax revenue goes down.”

Ajilore said it’s not possible for tariffs to replace income tax.

“To get rid of income taxes altogether, replace them with tariff revenue is going to be very difficult, and it’s going to be regressive. That’s going to fall on low- and middle-income families,” Ajilore said.

Charles Zug, a political science professor at the University of Missouri, said the speech was typical for politicians.

“Presidents and States of the Union to do it to sort of trumpet, to extract as much positive value out of what’s going on as possible, while diminishing the negatives as much as possible,”  Zug said.

While the president’s party faces a long-standing statistic that the incumbent party does poorly in the midterm elections, Zug said the president’s speech isn’t expected to sway voters going into November.

“One way of thinking about it is that the State of the Union Address doesn’t really matter that much because people don’t seem to be persuaded that much,” Zug said. “There’s not that much room in which to persuade large margins of unconvinced voters one way or the other.”

Click here to follow the original article.

Nia Hinson

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

The City of Columbia has not had communication with the attorney general’s office regarding an investigation into the city’s diversity, equity and inclusion policies in months, according to a city spokesperson.

Former Attorney General Andrew Bailey launched the investigation into the city’s practices in July 2025. A press release from Bailey’s office stated at the time that the investigation would focus on “decision-making in city programs, hiring and funding,” according to previous reporting.

Bailey had submitted a request for public records and electronic communication for terms related to DEI from the city from March 1-July 1 2025. The city had been given three days to submit those records or report a delay, previous reporting says.

According to City of Columbia Spokeswoman Sydney Olsen, the city released responsive records in August 2025 to the attorney general’s office. However, Olsen said the city has not received any communications from the office in response to those records.

“The City cooperated fully in releasing records requested by the Attorney General’s Office which prove that the City is not utilizing demographics such as race in practices such as hiring, firing or admittance to participate in programs. The City’s work is centered around ensuring that everyone has equal access to jobs and programs, no matter their race or beliefs,” Olsen wrote via text.

A release from Bailey’s office at the time also stated that Bailey had received “multiple reports” from Columbia residents alleging discrimination in city programs.

Gov. Mike Kehoe appointed Catherine Hanaway as the state’s new attorney general in August 2025, after Bailey accepted a job as FBI co-deputy director.

ABC 17 News made a records request to the attorney general’s office for the complaints it received. Records showed the first complaint was made on June 18, followed by a second the next day.

The first complaint questions whether or not the city legally used funding for a minority scholarship program through the CoMo Cooks Commercial Kitchen. According to The Loop’s website, two scholarships were being offered to applicants through funding from the City of Columbia.

The resident pointed out the part of the application stating, these scholarships are available for individuals in historically excluded groups interested in starting a food based business.”

The second resident wrote to Bailey claiming that the City of Columbia and Mayor Barbara Buffaloe had “fully adopted the Biden administration DEI policy.” The resident also added the city hired a DEI manager to “implement the policy and ideology throughout city government.”

The city hired D’Andre Thompson as its first diversity, equity and inclusion officer in 2023. The city had said at the time that Thompson would lead “the development and implementation of DEI initiatives that help support the City’s Strategic Plan.”

The city also voted in June 2025 against striking DEI-related language from the city’s mission and vision statements. The vote meant that the city would keep its vision statement as, “Columbia is the best place for everyone to live, work, learn and play,” and its mission statement to say, “To serve the public equitably through democratic, transparent and efficient government.”

The city also voted to keep its definition of “equity” the same, reading “we will ensure all residents have fair access to services, opportunities, and resources regardless of their background, neighborhood, income, or identity.” The vote came after President Donald Trump signed an executive order that targeted the language used, alleging it promotes discrimination.

City leaders at the time interpreted Trump’s executive order as meaning it could impact funding to municipalities. The resident also pointed the city’s decision in their note to Bailey.

Bailey also told ABC 17 News at the time he launched the investigation that DEI practices outside of quotas also violated the law, and pointed out the city’s plan to adopt a racial equity tool kit.

Bailey had also threatened to sue the city and get in contact with the White House if the city was found in violation of DEI compliance.

ABC 17 News reached out to Attorney General Hanaway’s Office and Thompson, who was not available on Wednesday for an interview.

Bailey dei recordsDownload

Click here to follow the original article.