Month: May 2026

Ryan Shiner

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

The Columbia City Council on Monday will introduce a bill aiming to delay any application for data centers within the city.

City documents say the city is looking to delay “the acceptance or processing” of data center applications for a full year.

Documents note the council passed an ordinance at its previous meeting that created a new zoning definition.

“During the discussion of the proposed text amendments, staff reported that in addition to the current proposed amendments to define and make data center a conditional use, staff was also continuing work on evaluating the need for appropriate use-specific standards for data center uses,” city documents say.

The building and inclusion of data centers have been highly contested around the country, including Mid-Missouri.

Amazon has sought to build a data center in Montgomery County and saw intense pushback from its residents at several public meetings, which culminated in a lawsuit to attempt to block it from happening. Critics of data centers typically point to excess water usage and increased use of electricity.

The planning and zoning commission had recommended a definition of a data center to the council earlier this year.

Data center delay memoDownload

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Steven Lambson

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

The University of Missouri has received criticism of job postings for which it wants to hire foreign professionals.

The university has eight job postings on the website of its International Student and Scholar Services program. The postings included Labor Condition Applications “in support of an H-1B status petition” as required by Department of Labor regulations.

According to the Department of Labor’s website, employers use the H-1B program hire nonimmigrant foreign professionals “as workers in specialty occupations,” among other reasons.

On Thursday, state Sen. Rick Brattin (R-Cass County) posted on X calling the job postings “outrageous.”

“Public universities getting American tax dollars should hire qualified Americans, not shop around for H1B visa workers,” Brattin wrote in his post.

This is OUTRAGEOUS! Public universities getting American tax dollars should hire qualified Americans, not shop around for H1B visa workers.Mizzou posting a comms job for foreign applicants is just wrong. Fire the H1B Advisor (if hired) and hire Missouri talent. America First… https://t.co/Go6vdQtIm0

— Rick Brattin (@RickBrattin) April 30, 2026

Jesus Osete, Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General with the Department of Justice, also reacted to the posting on social media, saying, “We want to hear from you.” Osete previously worked in the Missouri Attorney General’s Office as deputy attorney general and deputy solicitor general.

We want to hear from you. https://t.co/Ie07uxaRUO https://t.co/tTwfsFsyI6

— Jesus A. Osete (@JesusOseteDOJ) April 30, 2026

MU spokesperson Christopher Ave told ABC 17 News the university is reviewing the matter.

“The university attempts to hire U.S. citizens and permanent residents through competitive recruiting processes. On occasion, the university hires highly qualified individuals that require an H-1B visa,” Ave said. “The university follows the federal rules and regulations in petitioning for these visas, including making the required postings. On the rare occasions that we request these visas, they are for highly specialized positions for which a doctorate or master’s degree is required. For these positions, we exhaust our efforts to hire a qualified U.S. individual. After we file the petition, the federal government will determine if the application is accepted.”

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Steven Lambson

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

A man accused in the January 2026 stabbing death of his wife in Jefferson City was deemed “incompetent to proceed,” according to a court filing Thursday.

Malang Akbari faces charges of first-degree murder, armed criminal action and endangering the welfare of a child after he allegedly stabbed his wife to death.

In February, Judge Joseph Shetler ordered a mental evaluation for Akbari. The suspect claimed in January said he had a mental defect when he pleaded not guilty.

A case review has been scheduled for May 12.

According to court documents, Akbari told police he suspected his wife had been cheating on him. An AMBER alert was issued for their two children after the stabbing, but was canceled after the children were found safe.

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Ryan Shiner

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

Someone jumped from the parking garage in downtown Columbia at Fifth and Walnut streets, according to a Columbia Police Department spokesman.

Police are investigating an apparent suicide after one person was found dead, according to CPD spokesman Colin Imhoff.

ABC 17 News typically does not report on suicides; but it will here due to the public nature of the death and repeated pattern, with several people having jumped to their deaths at the garage in past years.

The top level of the garage had been closed for two years beginning in 2021 as the city worked to put barriers on that level after calls to do so from community members, according to previous reporting.

The $911,000 project was finished in March 2023, which included a 10.5-feet-tall fencing added around the top floor and panels being installed on the fifth through eighth floors.

The city has closed the top floor of the garage for large events like the University of Missouri’s homecoming the past two years.

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