Author: KMIZ

Alison Patton

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

Missouri lawmakers come back to session Monday to pick up where they left off and the Senate is expected to review some House Bills that representatives squeezed through before break.

The bill that would phase out the income tax, HJR 173, was sent to the Senate just before the legislature paused business and Senators were able to give it a first read. Eliminating the state income tax is a legislative priority for Governor Mike Kehoe and many Republican lawmakers.

House members also approved House Bill 3146, which would give the Secretary of State the authority to rewrite ballot language that is challenged in court and deemed unfair up to three times. This bill was also given a first read in the Senate.

HB 3146 closely replicates a bill passed in the 2025 legislative session. Senate Bill 22 was struck down by the Missouri Supreme Court earlier this year because it contained language relating to the Attorney General.

House Bill 3491 is waiting to be assigned to the House calendar after being passed out of the Special Committee on Intergovernmental Affairs on March 12th–the week before the break started. This bill would tighten English-proficiency laws for CDL drivers. It comes after a semi-truck driver who drove miles in the wrong direction last month on Missouri Highway 61.

Lawmakers are also considering House Bill 2003, which would tie state funding for public universities and colleges to student enrollment. Big universities, like the University of Missouri and Missouri State University, would receive millions more dollars, according to previous reporting. However, small universities in Missouri like Lincoln University and Truman State University could see funding cuts. HB 2003 was passed out of the budget committee before break.

Senators might debate on the floor whether public school students can transfer to a school district that they don’t live in. Senate Bill 971 was passed out of the education committee in February and is now on the informal Senate calendar. If passed, the bill would unlock millions of dollars in additional state funding for public schools that accept transfer students.

The 2026 legislative session ends on May 16th, and lawmakers have filed more than 2,000 bills in the House.

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Marie Moyer

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

The Missouri Department of Transportation is scheduled to close the intersection of Conley Road and Business Loop 70 for about 60 days while the crossing is replaced with a roundabout.

According to MoDOT, the businesses near the closure will remain open, but the roads near the intersection, like Conley Road, Business Loop 70 and Conley Road off the I-70 Connector, will be closed.

Courtesy: MoDOT

Alternate routes include East Walnut Street and northbound on Trimble Road.

MoDOT adds that the roundabout will help make the intersection safer and more efficient.

“Roundabouts have fewer conflict points, which, along with slower speeds and calmer traffic, can translate into as much as 76 percent fewer crashes and fewer crash-related injuries,” a MoDOT press release says.

Board_Conley_Road_Roundabout_1Download

The roundabout is part of the Improve I-70: Columbia to Kingdom City project. The overall project costs $405 million and will include new pavement on all lanes of I-70 and improvements to the I-70 interchanges in Columbia and Kingdom City.

Construction is expected to end in May, weather permitting.

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Alison Patton

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

The group People Not Politicians is considering appealing a decision by a Cole County judge to rewrite ballot language that would ask voters to approve the 2025 congressional map, known as House Bill 1.

People Not Politicians challenged the ballot summary that Missouri Secretary of State Denny Hoskins wrote, arguing the language was unfair and biased.

Judge Brian Stumpe agreed that some, but not all, of the language Hoskins used was unfair after the Hoskins admitted to writing unfair language that he originally approved.

The original language reads:

“Do the people of the state of Missouri approve the act of the General Assembly entitled ‘House Bill No. 1 (2025 Second Extraordinary Session),’ which repeals Missouri’s existing gerrymandered congressional plan that protects incumbent politicians, and replaces it with new congressional boundaries that keep more cities and counties intact, are more compact, and better reflects statewide voting patterns?

In the new summary that Stumpe wrote, he took out the words “gerrymandered,” “that protects incumbent politicians,” and “better reflects statewide voting patterns.”

Attorney General Catherine Hanaway posted on X a few hours after the decision, saying it’s “GREAT” for Missourians.

Today’s ruling by Judge Stumpe regarding the Missouri FIRST Map is a GREAT win for Missourians. Although certification has yet to be determined, the court rightly recognized that the Missouri FIRST Map splits fewer counties and municipalities, and is thus more compact than the…

— Attorney General Catherine L. Hanaway (@AGCHanaway) March 21, 2026

ABC 17 News reached out to Hoskins’ office for comment, but he was not immediately available.

The new ballot summary now reads:

“Do the people of the state of Missouri approve the act of the General Assembly entitled ‘House Bill No. 1 (2025 Second Extraordinary Session),’ which repeals Missouri’s congressional plan, and replaces it with new congressional boundaries that keep more cities and counties intact, and are more compact?”

Richard von Glahn, Executive Director of People Not Politicians, said he disagrees with calling the 2025 congressional districts compact.

“You can’t have something that says every district is more compact because that would mean the entire state has shrunk, and to my knowledge, that hasn’t happened,” von Glahn said. “I think that the language is still inaccurate, and as I mentioned, we haven’t made a decision as to whether or not we will appeal.”

Stumpe didn’t indicate which map is currently in effect or if the referendum freezes the 2022 map in place until voters can decide.

Stumpe is also currently considering a different case filed by plaintiffs Jake Maggard and Gregg Lombardi that would provide an answer.

von Glahn said Stumpe’s decision in the People Not Politicians case could be a tell for how the Maggard case might play out.

“The state has been arguing that the gerrymandered map, House Bill 1, is already in effect, but this language says a ‘yes’ vote on House Bill 1 would repeal Missouri’s congressional map and replace it with new congressional boundaries,” von Glahn said.

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Euphenie Andre

FAYETTE, Mo. (KMIZ)

The Fayette community held a balloon release Saturday at Paige-Liberty Park to honor Zyairah Barney, a seventh grader at Fayette R-3’s Clark Middle School who died by suicide.

Family members said Barney, who was biracial, had been dealing with ongoing bullying, which they claim was rooted in racism.

Now, they are mourning her loss and demanding answers.

Family and friends said while they were aware of the bullying, it never appeared to be deeply affecting her at least not on the surface.

“She really didn’t talk about it much. She had been bullied for so long that she started to internalize it and tried to figure out how to deal with it on her own,” said her mother, Devon Barney.

One of her best friends, Brielle Padilla, shared a similar experience, stating Zyariah rarely spoke about the bullying. Padilla also said she has faced racist remarks from other students.

According to her mother, Barney left school early Wednesday, stating she wasn’t feeling well. Hours later, her absence from track practice raised concern.

Her sister Adrianna Barney noticed something was wrong and called their mother to check on her.

“Her sister told me to go and check if she was asleep… so I went in the room, and she was hanging in the closet,” said Barney’s mother.

Family allege that students reported the behavior to school staff multiple times, but no action was taken. Barney’s mother also reportedly raised concerns with the school.

“The same people are allowed to do this over and over again, and nothing is done,” her mother said. “Something needs to change. I lost my daughter because of it.”

Fayette R-3 Superintendent Brent Doolin released a statement following Barney’s death:

“Our hearts are with the family as they face this loss. We are keeping them in our thoughts and are providing additional support for students and staff as our school community grieves. Out of respect for the family, we are not able to share specific details about this situation,” the statement read.

Doolin said the well-being and safety of our students is the district’s highest priority.

“When concerns are brought forward, they are carefully reviewed and investigated, and appropriate action is taken to support student safety and well-being. In addition, students receive ongoing guidance and support on how to recognize, report, and respond to bullying,” the statement read.

Family members said Barney had been on antidepressants and had struggled with self-harm.

“One particular boy bullied her so much that she felt the need to physically defend herself,” her mother said. “But when she did, she was the one who got in trouble. She was expelled from school like she had done something wrong.”

Family and friends said this tragedy is not isolated. They point to another student in the community who died by suicide years ago after being bullied about his race. According to community members, that student’s family has since moved out of town.

Daniel Edwards came to show his support for the Barney family on Saturday. He said he lived in Fayette for about a year but ultimately left because the racism became too much to handle.

“This is something that’s been happening for years — parents going to schools and raising concerns about bullying,” he said. “That’s part of the reason I moved away. My trust in the school and the administration was completely broken.”

Family and friends are urging school leaders and the community to take stronger action to prevent future tragedies.

Fayette police said they are investigating the circumstances surrounding the student’s death.

Officials have not released the number of students who may have been involved but are asking anyone with information to come forward. At the same time, they are urging the public to avoid speculation so the investigation can proceed without interference.

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Haley Swaino

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

Firefighters were called to the Russellville/Lohman Fire District headquarters early Saturday morning after a vehicle caught fire inside one of the station’s bays.

According to a social media post from the district, crews arrived just before 5:30 a.m. to Fire Station 1, located at 5423 Route AA in Russellville, to find heavy smoke and flames coming from a brush truck parking inside the building.

Due to the intensity of the fire and smoke, several pieces of apparatus inside the station were not immediately accessible, the post says. Firefighters were able to bring the fire under control in about 15 minutes.

While no injuries were reported, district officials say all equipment housed in the building will undergo thorough inspections before being returned to service. The station houses multiple fire apparatus, including engines, tankers, and brush units, as well as training and administrative areas.

The post says automatic aid was requested at Saturday morning’s fire. The Cole County Fire Protection District, Cole County EMS, Cole County Sheriff’s Department and Regional West Fire Protection District assisted at the scene.

“Due to the current situation, automatic aid is in place from surrounding fire departments to help cover the district with emergency calls,” the post states.

An investigation into the cause is underway.

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Marie Moyer

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

A 26-year-old man from Linn was seriously injured in a crash on Highway 63 in Osage County on Saturday morning.

According to a Missouri State Highway Patrol crash report, around 5:11 a.m., the man was headed south in a 2012 Cadillac CTS when he drove off the right side of the road just north of Route 133.

The report says the car hit a driveway and went airborne before hitting the ground upside-down.

The man was taken to University Hospital by ambulance, the report says. The car was totaled, and he was wearing a seatbelt.

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Marie Moyer

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

A 29-year-old Versailles man was seriously injured Friday in a motorcycle crash in Morgan County.

According to a Missouri State Highway Patrol crash report, it occurred around 7:50 p.m. on Old Five Road, north of Leatherman Road.

An 85-year-old Versailles woman was headed south in a 2016 Ford Explorer when she drove across the center of the road and hit the motorcyclist headed north on a 1991 Kawasaki ZG 1200.

The man was airlifted to University Hospital with serious injuries, the report says. He was not wearing a helmet. The woman was not reported to be hurt and was wearing a seatbelt. The motorcycle was totaled, and the car had extensive damage.

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Marie Moyer

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

EDITOR’S NOTE: The bill’s sponsor has been corrected.

A Missouri house bill joining the national initiative to remove pennies from circulation is set to be read for a second time in the Missouri Senate on Monday.

House Bill 2819, sponsored by Brenda Shields (R-St. Joseph), will allow vendors to round the total cost of transactions to the nearest five cents. According to the bill text, this will only apply to the final total of cash transactions after all discounts and taxes have been calculated.

The bill adds that totals ending in $0.01, $0.02, $0.06, or $0.07 may be rounded down while totals ending in $0.03, $0.04, $0.08, or $0.09 may be rounded up, leaving totals ending in either $0.05 or $0.00.

According to the U.S. Treasury, they do not expect the overall cost of products to be affected.

“For cash transactions, as final transaction prices will be rounded down just as often as they will be rounded up, so there should be no overall effect on consumer prices,” they said in a statement.

President Donald Trump announced the end of penny production early last year, calling it wasteful. According to ABC News, the U.S. Mint reported in 2024 it cost 3.7 cents to make each 1-cent coin.

Around 114 billion pennies are still in circulation.

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Collin Anderson

ST. LOUIS (KMIZ)

Mizzou men’s basketball was sent home by seventh seeded Miami, 80-66 despite senior guard Jayden Stone putting up a season-high 21 points.

The Tigers led 54-52 with 7 minutes, 50 seconds left in the game, but a 13-3 run by the Hurricanes over the next four minutes gave Miami just what it needed. Senior forward Malik Reneau came up with seven of his game-high 24 points during the stretch along and an assist to help give Miami the final lead.

The opening stint of action was ruled by defense. Just seven total points were scored before the first media timeout. Mizzou slowly started to find a rhythm with junior guard Anthony Robinson and Stone knocking down back-to-back 3s.

You can watch the full postgame interview with Robinson, as well as guard T.O. Barrett in the video players below.

Miami’s defense strengthened after that, holding Mizzou to a five minute scoreless stretch near the end of the first half. But in the final two minutes, Robinson came alive once again, helping the Tigers to a 7-0 run to get back within one at the half, 27-26.

Both sides struggled from the field in the first both shooting just above 30% from the field at the break. Robinson was the top scorer out of all players through one, with eight points, and three assists to go with it.

Going into the second half, Stone was the catalyst for the Tigers’ offense with 11 of the team’s first 15 points. Mizzou managed to tie the game with just under 10 minutes remaining at 49 a piece, and took the lead outright one possession later.

You can watch the full postgame interview with Stone, as well as forward Trent Pierce in the video players below.

Missouri went 35%(20-of-57) from the field, while going 36% (10-of-28) from 3. Mitchell scored 19 points for the Tigers.

You can watch the full postgame interview with Mitchell, as well as forward Jacob Crews in the video players below.

Miami went 43% (26-of-60) from the floor as freshman forward Shelton Henderson tallied 15 points. Senior center Ernest Udeh Jr. pulled down a game-high 10 rebounds, helping Miami take a 46-30 advantage on the boards.

Miami plays Purdue on Sunday.

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Euphenie Andre

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

Columbia is down one animal hospital Friday.

The closure was announced last week and many pet owners say the sudden shutdown is unfortunate and concerning. A reason for the closure has not been provided.

Jada Sievers, a veterinary student and with two dogs, doesn’t use Columbia Animal Hospital herself but she understands the impact of its closure.

“Even in a city like Columbia, where we’re lucky enough to have more than one hospital, the loss of a single one is harmful to the whole community,” she said.

Sievers added with the hospital permanently closed, it could leave longtime clients without the providers they’ve come to trust.

“It’s a big loss” Sievers said. “Especially for people who have a relationship with that doctor or clinic. There’s trust built, and now they have to start from scratch.”

Another pet owner Katie Gilbane who was not a customer at the hospital said the closure could have ripple effects across the community.

“Less services available for those that need them,” Gilbane said. “Different price points at different places are nice for people in the community, so I think that’s sad.”

The hospital is owned by CareVet LLC, which is registered to a Jefferson City address and describes itself as a partnership with more than 500 licensed veterinarians. Staff members said they were given about two weeks’ notice before the closure by corporate leadership. According to employees, eight staff members are affected.

“Veterinarians have a very important role in communities, and the loss of more veterinarians is a really big hit,” Sievers added.

Despite the closure, there are still 24-hour emergency care options in Columbia, including the MU Veterinary Health Center and Horton Animal Hospital–Discovery.

Gilbane recently got her new dog, Luna, a Lab Hound mix, about a week ago. She has been a dog owner for many years, though her previous dog passed away a few years ago.

Gilbane said she makes it a point to take her pets for regular checkups.

“At least yearly, but sometimes more than once a year for checkups,” she said. “Any time there’s an injury or an illness, I take them in.”

Gilbane said she usually brings her pets to Horton for care.

There is now a “For Sale” sign posted outside the property. ABC 17 News has reached out to the realty company for more information about the site’s future, but has not yet received a response.

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