Suspects in deadly shooting, originally charged with murder, get probation

KMIZ on June 18, 2026

Matthew Sanders

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

Two men received probation in a deadly shooting case Thursday after pleading guilty to reduced charges.

Tavion Johnson, 21, and Daevion McCray, 22, were originally charged with felony murder in the 2024 shooting death of Orrion Moody, 28. They each pleaded guilty in April to two counts of second-degree assault and a count of unlawful use of a weapon.

Circuit Judge Joshua Devine sentenced Johnson and McCray each to five years of supervised probation with a suspended imposition of sentence.

Cellphone information had allegedly tracked them to the location of the Oct. 20, 2024, shooting in the 3900 block of Clark Lane.

Court documents say one person admitted to firing a gun after being fired at from another residence and that Johnson was one of the shooters. Investigators used Instagram videos showing Johnson waving guns at the scene before the shooting to corroborate the identification.

“We are really thankful for Judge Devine’s decision today,” said Jeffrey Hillbrenner, defense attorney for Johnson. “Boone County is fortunate to have judges who take the time to look at the whole person, the entire case, and all of the facts. Judge Devine did exactly that today, and we are grateful for it.

“Tavion has been through an extraordinary amount of pain. The tragic death in this case was his own brother — the only father figure he ever had. Tavion was present during a chaotic, violent event and watched his brother get shot and die. He will carry that loss for the rest of his life.”

Court records say several factors went into Johnson’s sentencing, including the fact that no evidence showed that he fired a gun on the night of Moody’s death. Records also noted that Johnson has been jailed for about 20 months.

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Tracking a cool Thursday, mild holiday weekend

KEYT on June 18, 2026

Mackenzie Lake

Happy Thursday! Clouds hover over the coastline this morning and will be stubborn to clear. Many areas will dip in temperatures as high pressure moves further away from the Central Coast. Expect highs into the 60s by the beaches 70s for inland valleys and 80s for the far interior. The Beach Hazard Statement has been extended through Thursday evening. Dangerous rip currents and 2-5FT waves are projected for the Santa Barbara south coastline and through Ventura.

Temperatures ease further Friday into the weekend. Expect a degree or so of cooling each day. Clouds will hold stubborn for many beach areas, some places may only see an hour or so of sun. Summer Solstice and the Santa Ynez Rodeo kick off this weekend. Weather will be perfect for any and all outdoor activities. Winds may be breezy by the late evening, but minimal impacts expected.

Father’s Day weather looks picture perfect. We start the morning with some clouds but can expect a fast clearing trend. Mostly sunny skies prevail into the start of next week with a warming trend on board.

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Yuma man arrested for drug possession

KYMA on June 18, 2026

Dillon Fuhrman

YUMA, Ariz. (KYMA) – The Yuma County Sheriff’s Office (YCSO) says a man was arrested for drug possession.

YCSO says last Friday, at around 1:40 p.m., they served a search warrant at a home in the area S. Helen Drive and E. 37th Place.

After serving a search warrant, YCSO says deputies found nearly 83 grams of methamphetamine worth $1,658.60 as well as “various items of paraphernalia indicative of street sales,” prompting the Yuma County Narcotics Task Force to take over the investigation.

However, the suspect, identified as a 52-year-old man from Yuma, ran away at that time, but YCSO says they, along with the U.S. Marshals, found and arrested the suspect Wednesday in the area of E. 32nd Street, near the Circle K.

YCSO says the suspect was then booked into the Yuma County Detention Center on the following charges: Possession of dangerous drugs for sale, possession of dangerous drugs and numerous counts of possession of drug paraphernalia.

The investigation is ongoing. If anyone has information regarding the case, call YCSO at 928-783-4427, call 78-CRIME to remain anonymous, or visit YCSO’s website to submit an anonymous tip.

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World Cup highlights local pride in Mexican culture and identity

KESQ on June 18, 2026

Luis Avila

COACHELLA VALLEY, Calif. (KESQ) – As Mexico prepares to face South Korea in the FIFA World Cup match tonight, fans across the Coachella Valley are gearing up to cheer them on.

For many Mexican Americans, the World Cup is about more than soccer. It’s a celebration of culture, family, and identity. Across the valley, fans are expected to gather at homes, restaurants, and watch parties to support Mexico on the international stage.

With the World Cup being co-hosted by Mexico, many fans say this year’s tournament feels especially meaningful — bringing together their American lives and Mexican heritage on soccer’s biggest stage.

Stay with News Channel 3 for more.

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Boy, 7, dead after crashing UTV in Morgan County

KMIZ on June 18, 2026

Matthew Sanders

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

A 7-year-old boy was pronounced dead at University Hospital after he crashed a side-by-side Wednesday on a gravel road in Morgan County near Proctor.

The Stover boy was driving the vehicle on Blackbird Road near Birch Road at about 5:30 p.m. when the UTV skidded on the gravel, went off the left side of the road and overturned, according to a Missouri State Highway Patrol crash report. The boy and a 42-year-old passenger, who had minor injuries, were each taken by ambulance to the hospital.

The death was the seventh traffic-related death this month in the Patrol’s Troop F region.

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Man guilty of Hermann cop’s murder gets death penalty

KMIZ on June 18, 2026

Alison Patton

UNION, Mo. (KMIZ)

A judge imposed the death penalty Thursday on a man who was found guilty of murdering a Hermann police officer and injuring another in a Casey’s gas station

A jury found Kenneth Simpson guilty of first-degree murder, armed criminal action, assault, drug possession and other charges in January. Jurors also recommended a death sentence for Simpson, according to previous reporting.

Judge Craig Hellman sentenced Simpson to death after hearing victim statements, including from Officer Adam Sullentrup, who is still recovering from that night at Casey’s. Hellman also heard new evidence in the form of texts, voice messages and video calls from Simpon’s time in jail.

One voice recording is Simpson talking to another person about guns. In the recording, he mentioned a specific type of gun and said “That’s what I used to kill the cop with,” and followed that with, “It’ll go through a vest, ‘cuz I proved that.”

The hearing began at 1 p.m., with the sentence coming down at about 3:30 p.m.

During that time, family and friends of Sullentrup and Sgt. Mason Griffith, who was killed, spoke about how Simpson’s actions were intentional and continue to follow them.

One of Sullentrup’s aunts said she didn’t recognize him when she visited him in the hospital after he was shot. She said her nephew was permanently and catastrophically injured.

Many of Sullentrup’s family spoke, and detailed how he had to relearn basic tasks, like how to walk and talk.

In his own testimony, Sullentrup spoke in a whisper with a hoarse voice and told the courtroom he misses his independence and his friend Griffith.

Simpson was accused of shooting and killing Sgt. Mason Griffith and injuring Officer Adam Sullentrup in March 2023. Sullentrup testified at the sentencing hearing.

Check back for updates.

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American Idol Finalist Julian Kalel Returns Home to El Paso for Special Thank-You Concert

KVIA on June 18, 2026

Marcel Clarke

EL PASO, Texas (KVIA) — After capturing the attention of viewers across the country on the latest season of American Idol, El Paso native Julian Kalel is performing on July 4th at the Convention Center Plaza Downtown for a free community event.

Kalel will return to El Paso for a special hometown performance aimed at thanking the community that supported him throughout his journey on the national stage.

Destination El Paso said the concert will take place at 1 Civic Center Plaza.

Throughout the competition, El Pasoans rallied behind Kalel, voting week after week and celebrating each milestone as he advanced through the competition. His performances earned praise from the three iconic judges, while bringing national attention to ending the stigma surrounding mental health.

Join ABC-7’s Marcel Clarke this Thursday on ABC-7 at 6 p.m. as she talks with Julian Kalel about life after the show, his future plans and his upcoming free hometown concert.

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Socorro ISD approves balanced budget, state conservator delays departure over special education data reporting

KVIA on June 18, 2026

El Paso Matters

by Claudia Lorena Silva

The Socorro Independent District adopted a balanced budget for the second year in a row and is looking to start rebuilding its savings next year after a decade of spending more than it generated in revenue. 

The SISD board voted unanimously Wednesday to adopt a $462.1 million general fund budget with a $550,000 surplus that will pay for the operating costs of the district’s aquatic center.

The budget is a nearly 2% increase over the previous year and does not include pay raises.

SISD Chief Financial Officer David Solis said that even though the district’s budget is balanced, it is still facing challenges, including declining enrollment and limits on payroll spending.

“While we’re proud of the work that we’ve been able to accomplish, we still know that there’s still so much more that we need to do,” Solis told El Paso Matters.

Solis said he expects to finish the fiscal year, which ends June 30, with a 1% to 2% surplus budget, which would come out to about $4 to $8 million.

Texas Education Agency conservator Michael Hinojosa, who has been overseeing SISD for the last two years, said he may delay his exit from the district by another month due to unspecified special education reporting issues he said were not part of the state’s original exit criteria.

“There is an opportunity that by the end of July, it could be removed. Part of this is that the special ed data lags, and until they have significant data to clear to you, it may not happen,” Hinojosa said, referring to the conservatorship.

Some board members, including trustees Ryan Woodcraft and Marivel Macias, expressed concern that the conservatorship would be extended over a metric they were unaware of.

“I feel last night that the rug was pulled out from underneath us. In the 13 months I’ve sat on this board, not one point was the criteria presented to us from TEA,” Woodcraft said. “Now, it’s almost like we’re being punished for something that wasn’t communicated properly to us from the state.”

Hinojosa said the district won’t face any repercussions after an El Paso Matters report prompted the discovery that Superintendent James Vasquez didn’t complete the legally required evaluations for his cabinet members in 2025, when the district laid off dozens of employees.

SISD acknowledged that Vasquez hadn’t evaluated his cabinet members in the past two years in response to questions from El Paso Matters. The news organization reported on an El Paso Independent School District audit that found that its two previous superintendents, Juan Cabrera and Diana Sayavedra, skipped legally required evaluations for their top cabinet members for more than a decade.  

Hinojosa said Vasquez took accountability for failing to complete the evaluations and is confident he will complete them in the future. He was critical of EPISD’s failures, which included a request from Sayavedra after she left the district that her direct reports complete and sign evaluations for the three previous years.

“The difference with the two districts, one was egregious, and it went back and they asked people to falsify information. I think this one was just the fact that you had an inexperienced superintendent, there was a transition, they asked for a waiver, and they were so focused on getting the year done that it was just sloppy. And being sloppy is different than having people change documents,” Hinojosa told El Paso Matters.

Hinojosa was appointed to oversee the district, along with Andrew Kim, after a state investigation found the district was inundated with leadership issues and had improperly graduated students in 2019.

Kim attended his final board meeting in March, as he and Hinojosa prepared to recommend the end of their conservatorship in June, which would have needed to be approved by the state education commissioner.

Two years ago, SISD officials were concerned that operating on budget deficits for nearly a decade had almost depleted the district’s savings, which it uses to pay employees in between state funding disbursements. That has forced the district to take out short-term loans to make payroll.

Now, the district plans to start approving surplus budgets next year, under a multi-year plan to rebuild its savings.

SISD plans to adopt a budget with a $2 million surplus for the 2027-28 school year and a $3 million surplus for the following year. 

SISD ended the 2024-24 school year with enough reserves to keep the district running for 29 days in an emergency. He said he is unsure how the current school year will end until he finds out if the district will have a surplus next month.

SISD policy requires the district to have enough savings to operate for 75 days. The highest score a school district can get under the state’s financial rating system is a B if it has less than 75 days’ worth of savings.

The district estimates it will have 800 fewer students compared to last year, which is nearly a 2% enrollment reduction.

Despite the anticipated decreases in enrollment, SISD expects to get a 5% increase in state funding compared to the budget adopted last year and plans to spend 5% more on instruction, which is primarily made up of teachers’ salaries.

Solis said this is because the board adopted a budget that did not include funding increases from the 2025 Texas Legislature. 

SISD is also preparing to call for a voter-approval tax ratification election, or VATRE, that would bring in more funding to the district.

The board expects to vote on its tax rate in August and decide whether to call for a tax ratification election.

SISD voters narrowly rejected a VATRE proposal last year that would have shifted a portion of the tax rate used to pay its debt to pay for operations, known as a penny swap, which would have generated over $49 million in revenue.

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Gov. Kehoe discusses future of AI and data centers at Rolla conference

KMIZ on June 18, 2026

Euphenie Andre

ROLLA, Mo. (KMIZ)

State leaders, industry experts, researchers and business stakeholders gathered in Rolla on Thursday to discuss the future of artificial intelligence and data center development in Missouri.

Gov. Mike Kehoe hosted the conference at Missouri S&T’s new Proto-Plex building, bringing together leaders from across the state to explore how Missouri can position itself as artificial intelligence technology continues to grow.

The event began at 9 a.m. and is scheduled to run through 3:30 p.m.

Gov. Mike Kehoe was joined by Tim Marczewski of the Missouri Office of Administration, as well as Missouri S&T faculty members Dr. Amaury Lendasse and Dr. Genda Chen.

As AI technology becomes increasingly integrated into daily life and business operations, researchers and engineers said data centers play a critical role in supporting those systems. Data centers provide the computing power and infrastructure needed to keep AI programs operating around the clock.

According to AI experts, the five key components of a data center are computing, cooling, power, security and operations.

Dr. Chen said that a data center building could last decades years, while IT equipment needed to be refreshed multiple times:

Servers: 3-7 years

Storage Systems: 3-8 years

Network Equipment: 5-10 years

UPS Systems: 10-20 years

Cooling Systems: 15-25 years

Generators: 20-30+ yeas

Building Structure: 30-60+ years

The conference drew a large crowd of industry leaders, researchers, educators and community members interested in the technology’s future and its potential economic impact on Missouri.

However, not everyone supported the state’s efforts to encourage additional AI and data center development.

A group of protesters gathered outside the conference with posters, raising concerns about the environmental, economic and community impacts of large-scale data centers.

Marsha Snodgrass, who is running for Missouri House District 143, said residents she hopes to represent have concerns about the potential impact data centers could have on utility costs, water resources and quality of life.

“They’re concerned about their electric prices going up,” Snodgrass said. “They feel that these data centers are like a runaway train, that they’re just plowing into their communities.”

Supporters of the projects argue that data centers could bring significant economic benefits to Missouri. Organizers said each facility could create hundreds of jobs, including positions for engineers, researchers, electricians, construction workers and other skilled trades.

They also pointed to Missouri’s available land and existing energy infrastructure as advantages that make the state attractive for future development.

But for some rural residents, those same factors have become a source of concern.

“They’re worried about the effect that the light and noise is going to have on their neighborhood,” Snodgrass said. “There’s a reason why people live in rural Missouri, because Missouri is beautiful and we love it that way.”

Franklin County resident Jeff Hayden said he is concerned that two proposed data centers near his home could negatively affect his property and quality of life.

“Things have been going really poorly for the public due to non-disclosure agreements by commissioners and people in power not listening to the public,” Hayden said.

State leaders and researchers sought to address many of those concerns during the event.

Gov. Kehoe said Missouri intends to pursue data center development while balancing economic growth and community interests.

“But we’re going to do it the Missouri way with common sense responsibility and with a focus on making sure this technology serves people and not the other way around,” Kehoe said.

Dr. Genda Chen, a researcher at Missouri S&T, said Amazon’s planned $10 billion investment in Missouri would help fund the energy infrastructure upgrades needed to support the facilities, rather than placing those costs directly on residents.

Chen also pushed back on concerns about water usage, saying Missouri has abundant water resources that can support future development.

Kehoe acknowledged that energy prices are expected to rise over time because of growing demand, regardless of whether the proposed data centers move forward.

The governor also connected the projects to broader President Donald Trump’s national efforts to strengthen the country’s technological competitiveness.

“Just like generations before us stepped up to meet big moments in history, it’s our opportunity to step up and secure America’s leadership in this next generation of innovation,” Kehoe said.

Snodgrass said she still feels Thursday’s press conference was informational but believes residents are not receiving full transparency about the projects.

According to the presentation, more than half of recent job postings now require AI-related skills. Those skills also command higher pay, with workers earning an average of 28% more, roughly $18,000 annually.

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Redmond’s Mayor Ed Fitch announces re-election campaign

KTVZ on June 18, 2026

Kelsey Merison

REDMOND, Ore. (KTVZ) — On Thursday, June 18th, Redmond’s current mayor, Ed Fitch, announced on KTVZ News at Sunrise during ‘Ask the Mayor’ that he will be seeking re-election.

This follows the city’s recent announcement that residents interested in serving their community through elected office may obtain candidate election packets from the City Recorder’s Office, Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. The filing deadline is 5:00 p.m. on August 25, 2026. The city is seeking candidates for mayor and three city council seats.

“Redmond has been my home for 40 years now and there is no other place I would rather live,” states Fitch in his Redmond City Council biography.

Ed Fitch has been serving as the mayor of Redmond continuously since he was first elected to his current stint in November 2022. He previously served as the city’s mayor from 1999 to 2001 and as City Attorney from 1979 to 1996.

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