Month: September 2026

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

An appeals court has thrown a wrench in the ongoing saga over which congressional map should be used in Missouri for the November election.

The Eighth District Court of Appeals ruled on Monday that the state’s current plans to use the 2022 congressional map in November violate the U.S. Constitution.

“This Court holds that Missouri’s current plan to use the 2022 map in the November 2026 general election violates the Constitution. Only use of the 2025 map complies with the Constitution and federal law. We affirm the district court and remand for entry of a permanent injunction,” the ruling states.

The Missouri Supreme Court upheld the 2022 map at the beginning of Sept. and Secretary of State Denny Hoskins also ordered county clerks to align ballots with the 2022 map in order to purge himself of contempt.

State Sen. Rick Brattin (R-Cass County) and candidate for Missouri’s Fifth Congressional district Rick Brattin called the MOSCO ruling “egregious.”

“This is the map we ran on and the people voted in just about a month and a half ago,” Brattin said. “This is why redrawing maps was solely given from the U.S. Constitution to the Missouri Constitution to the legislature to do this because these courts are unelected, they’re appointed to to just have no forethought as to what they were doing in their ruling.”

The 2025 map was approved by Republicans in the General Assembly at the urging of the White House to squeeze another GOP House seat into the Missouri congressional map. The 2025 map splits up Kansas City’s Fifth District into three other districts which extend into rural Missouri.

The group People Not Politicians, which sued and led a petition drive to keep the 2025 map from going into effect, vowed to file an emergency appeal with the U.S. Supreme Court.

“We technically have to go through the Eighth Circuit first and then go to the Supreme Court, but we’ll get that done,” said Richard von Glahn, Executive Director for PNP.

Last week, county clerks warned that it is too late to change the ballots to anything else. Military and overseas ballots have already been sent out, while absentee voting starts Tuesday.

Monday’s ruling also states that the district court “should administratively stay its permanent injunction until September 28, 2026, at 5 p.m. Central Daylight Time. Without any stay, Secretary Hoskins and local election authorities would be required to immediately begin implementing the 2025 map before the Supreme Court receives or decides any appeal.”

Boone County Clerk Brianna Lennon told ABC 17 News that her office is still printing ballots based on the 2022 map and is awaiting a ruling from the Supreme Court.

The 2025 Missouri First Map is up for a vote in November under Proposition A. Von Glahn said voters can make a big statement to lawmakers by voting no.

“If voters want rigged elections that benefit politicians in D.C. and make it harder to hold them accountable, for rising prices and terrible trade policies, we can vote to give politicians a blank check and vote yes on Prop A, but I don’t think that’s what Missourians are going to do,” von Glahn said.

Brattin recommended voters wait to cast their ballot until the legal back and forth resolves.

“Maybe hold off on before you’re casting your ballot when you’re seeing this turmoil and maybe pick another time in a week or two to go and do your absentee,” Brattin said. “That way this can get remedied and we can get clarity from the court.”

ABC 17 News is working to learn more information.

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

A man is in the Boone County Jail after investigators claim he molested a child at a Bonnie View Park in Columbia on Sept. 14.

Matthew McCoy, 30, of Columbia, is charged in Boone County with second-degree child molestation of a youth younger than 12 years old. He is being held at the Boone County Jail without bond. A hearing was held on Monday.

The probable cause statement says the victim was riding their bike at the park after 4 p.m. Monday, Sept. 14 when McCoy went up to them, put his arm around the victim and molested them. The victim yelled out for a friend who was riding bikes with them and McCoy allegedly tried to say he “fell,” the statement says.

McCoy had allegedly been staring at the victim just prior to the attack. The victim alleged then ran to a soccer goal to hide from McCoy, the statement says.

The mother of the victim told police they saw McCoy back at the park on Thursday, Sept. 17 and had received a photo of him, the statement says. The mother told police residents and parents in the area had shared information through a Facebook group chat.

McCoy was allegedly seen at the Columbia library on the day of the attack, police wrote. The victim was able to identify McCoy from a photo lineup provided by police.

Police wrote in the statement that McCoy had been reported before in April 2025 for following someone at Fairview Park and he allegedly chased someone at Bonnie View Park on June 11.

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

An employee at a Jefferson City Walgreen’s has been charged after she allegedly stole $7,822.61 from the business over multiple months.

DeBreana Daniels, of Jefferson City, was charged in Cole County with stealing more than $750. She posted a $5,000 bond on Aug. 11. A criminal summons was issued for Daniels on Thursday and a court date is scheduled for 9 a.m. Tuesday, Oct. 20.

The probable cause statement says Daniels worked at the Walgreens on Eastland Drive as an evening lead shift. She was responsible for the nightly deposit that went into the safe in the manager’s office and allegedly “shorted” the deposit from May 18-July 26.

A loss-prevention agent determined cash shortages only occurred when Daniels worked, the statement says. Management asked Daniels to show up for an interview on Aug. 6 and she allegedly never showed, court documents state.