Month: October 2026

Euphenie Andre

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

The City of Columbia said public safety is a top priority as the University of Missouri’s homecoming parade is set to begin at 9 a.m. Saturday.

According to city spokesman Christopher Ave, Columbia police will increase their presence downtown during the parade.

“The Columbia Police Department plans to call in officers on overtime and to shift some officers from other parts of the city to provide expanded staffing downtown this weekend,” Ave wrote in an email.

During last year’s Homecoming weekend, a woman was shot and killed in downtown Columbia. Since then, the city and university have taken several steps aimed at improving safety downtown.

According to the Mizzou Alumni Association, the parade will begin at the intersection of Tiger Avenue and Rollins Street. Participants will travel along Hitt Street, University Avenue, Ninth Street and Broadway before ending at Cherry Street.

This year’s theme is “Celebrating Black and Gold.”

“We are actively preparing for the Homecoming Parade and are working closely with the City of Columbia and Missouri State Highway Patrol to support a safe and enjoyable experience for everyone,” University spokesman Travis Zimpfer said in an email.

The university is also warning attendees and drivers to expect traffic delays during the parade.

Zimpfer said no parade entries were denied this year, and the university will not release the preliminary roster for the groups that will participate Saturday.

Last year, the university was required to release its parade entry list after Mizzou Students for Justice in Palestine sued MU President Mun Choi.

According to court documents, 10 organizations were not approved to participate last year. The parade included 28 invited guests, 15 sponsors, 26 community organizations and 43 student organizations. Seven bands also participated, while two groups withdrew their applications.

The university said the 10 denied entries that year were rejected for several reasons, including safety concerns, failing to explain how the entry supported the parade’s theme and missed payment deadlines.

Choi continues to face a legal battle involving MSJP.

The group was removed from last year’s Homecoming parade and later argued that the university violated its First Amendment rights by preventing it from participating.

The university said the decision was based on safety concerns. At the time, officials pointed to disturbances involving Students for Justice in Palestine demonstrations at other colleges across the country.

A federal judge later ordered Mizzou to allow the group to participate in the 2025 Homecoming parade, as long as it followed the university’s updated parade policies.

Last week, both sides presented oral arguments in the case.

The Council on American-Islamic Relations is representing MSJP and argues that the university violated the group’s free speech rights.

The university is asking an appeals court to overturn several lower-court decisions, including the ruling that allowed SJP to participate in last year’s parade and the finding that the university violated the group’s First Amendment rights.

Mizzou’s homecoming football game against the Florida Gators will kick off at 2:30 p.m. Saturday.

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abc17news-Newsroom

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

The Osage Beach Board of Aldermen is reviewing a bill that would allow the creation of entertainment districts.     

The bill would create procedures to apply for a special license for an entertainment district and set out regulations. Osage Beach Mayor Richard Ross told ABC 17 News that the bill would enable legislation for the Oasis at the Lake of the Ozarks project.     

Regulations would include when and where alcohol can be served. 

The Missouri General Assembly authorized the creation of entertainment districts. People can walk freely with open containers of alcohol in these districts. 

Ross said entertainment districts are a valuable tool to grow the city’s tourism industry.   

The ordinance will be subject to a second reading at a future meeting.

 

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Ryan Shiner

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

The University of Missouri’s annual security and fire safety report showed that reports of rape and domestic violence went up from 2024.  

The report was shared by the university on Thursday. The 2026 annual safety report – which shows data from 2023-25 – shows that 11 reports of rape were made in 2025. Eight were reported the year before. The data set says two of the reported rapes in 2025 occurred in 2014 and 2024.

One case of statutory rape was reported on campus in 2025. None were reported the two previous years.

There were 21 reports of domestic violence at MU in 2025, compared to 15 the year before. Reports of stalking declined from 22 in 2024 to 15 in 2025, per the report.

There were 14 hazing cases reported to the university, five of which occurred on campus. It’s the first year of schools reporting hazing incidents, which is now required because of the Stop Hazing Act.

 Liquor law arrests declined from 207 in 2024 to 174 in 2025, but liquor law violations referred for disciplinary action increased from 219 to 256. Drug law arrests went down from 101 to 69, but drug law violations referred for disciplinary action increased from seven to 12.

Annual-Security-Report-2026_a11yDownload

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Ryan Shiner

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

A man who was seen on his vehicle with a knife and hatchet outside of Commerce Bank in downtown Columbia has been charged with three felonies.

Nicholas Francis, 36, of Kansas City, was charged on Thursday with two counts of unlawful use of a weapon and second-degree making a terroristic threat. He is being held at the Boone County Jail without bond. A court date has not been scheduled.

The probable cause statement says someone at the bank on East Broadway saw Francis around 1 p.m. Wednesday throwing items from his own vehicle before stabbing it with a hatchet and knife. The branch manager then locked down the bank, according to court documents.

Another person in the bank was not able to leave the business from its front door because of seeing Francis’ behavior, the statement says. Francis had allegedly started banging the hatchet against concrete, court documents say. Another person gave police video of the incident.

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Melissa Houston

COLUMBIA. Mo. (KMIZ)

Reign Bar’s lawyer sent a response letter to the Missouri Attorney General’s Office after Attorney General Catherine Hanaway described the bar as having “persistent nuisance conditions.”

The letter, sent by Jermaine Wooten, disputed claims of nuisance activity on and around the bar’s owned premises, stating that no violent incidents have occurred in those areas.

“The incidents referenced occurred beyond Reign’s property line and involved patrons ofneighboring establishments — not Reign patrons,” wrote Wooten in the letter. “Describing an event as occurring ‘directly outside Reign’ does not establish that it occurred on Reign-controlled property, involved Reign customers, or resulted from Reign’s conduct.”

Reign ResponseDownload

Wooten said the purpose of the letter was not to challenge the AG’s office, but rather to get on the same page.

“We were under the impression that the AG’s office had some misinformation. So we wanted to find out what information they had, specifically the incident reports, and provide us with the police reports,” said Wooten. “Once we get a police report, so we know what incidents the AG’s office is referring to as it relates to any criminal activity that’s occurring inside or outside of Reign’s doors. So we can all sit down and address those issues just based on the information we were privy to.”

Because Reign Bar has not received any reports of incidents happening inside the bar or directly outside on their property line, Wooten said he is hoping to get clarity on what violent activities the AG’s office is referring to, because right now there is no factual evidence for the claims made.

“And of course Reign believes that it’s a bit, not irresponsible, but unfair to hold them responsible for the criminal activity that takes place downtown Columbia simply because they have a nightclub in that area,” said Wooten.

The letter is requesting clarity on the following:

Reports for each event attributed to Reign Bar. Evidence supporting a patron participating in nuisance activity was admitted, served, or departing from Reign Bar. Documents used to decide that an event occurred on Reign Bar’s property. Data showing support that Reign Bar increased violent crime while the bar was open. Evidence to support the statement that Reign Bar resisted operational changes requested by law enforcement.

In the letter, Reign Bar states that it will continue the “good-faith safety measures” it previously implemented. Measures include security guards, capacity limits, conduct rules, camera coverage, coordination with law enforcement, neighborhood coordination and reviews of Reign’s premises.

The letter from Hanaway stated that Reign had 14 days to respond or the office would “pursue all available legal action against Reign Bar.” Hanaway published the letter to the bar online last month, accusing Reign of causing a “noticeable uptick in unruly activity that interferes with public safety, peace, and comfort in downtown Columbia.”

Wooten said he is hoping the next steps can be a conversation with the AG’s office to address the concerns with factual evidence.

“I think it would be a bit premature to file any kind of lawsuit when we’re willing to come to the table and say, ‘Hey, tell us what you have and let us know what we can address’,” said Wooten. “We can have a conversation because, bottom line, the facts do matter. I understand, she, the AG, responded, and said it just didn’t really matter; factually, it didn’t matter what was going on. Reign was the problem downtown.”

Reign Bar’s patrons are not the people causing downtown safety concerns, according to Wooten. He said Reign Bar makes sure its customers are safe.

“They make sure their patrons leave peacefully, make it to their cars, don’t cause any type of issues on the streets of Columbia downtown,” said Wooten.

Wooten said everyone in Columbia wants a safer downtown, including Reign Bar, and unless factual evidence can be provided, there is little the bar can do.

“I’m asking for it I’ve asked for it in writing, I’ve asked for it verbally yesterday, and I’m asking for it again today. So that’s all we’re asking for,” said Wooten. “If there are any issues that we need to address at Reign Club, they will be addressed because, like I say, safety is a priority for the citizens of Columbia who want to go out and try to enjoy a good time downtown.”

The AG’s office confirmed it received the letter from Reign Bar and is still reviewing it. A spokesperson for Hanaway said that if no resolution comes from the letters and communication between the office and the bar, then the AG will take legal action.

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