Author: KMIZ

Sutton Parker

COLUMBIA, MO (KMIZ)

Data centers took the spotlight in Jefferson City on Wednesday as groups met to discuss the controversial topic.

One of those groups met at the Capitol to voice their concerns about the proposed data centers being built in rural communities.

Though a press conference-style meeting in the rotunda, multiple speakers took to the stage to share their views on the centers being built.

Henry Iwenofu, a candidate for the Missouri House District 73, said his main concerns were centered around the economy and individual health.

“We will be exposed to not only economic cost but also health cost. The economic cost in the sense of water, high utility costs, and the health cost is for every chemical that will be involved, cancer. Asthma and all kinds of diseases that will affect the young and the older population,” he said.

In addition to being concerned over health and safety, Iwenofu said transparency is important when it comes to the issue.

“Transparency is important irrespective of the data center. It’s important so that people understand what is really happening and then give them the opportunity to make a choice. By the time we realize what’s going on, it’s too late,” he said.

Beyond health and safety, critics also raised alarms over the impact on farmland and wildlife.

Tom Westoff, a member of Reserve Montgomery County, said the data centers displace wildlife.

“Montgomery County is very fortunate to have a lot of wildlife, deer, turkeys, rabbits, quail, songbirds, everything, and this is 2,000 acres in our area that will essentially be wiped out of all natural habitat that is there,” he said.

Westoff also added that he is frustrated with the transparency when it comes to local leadership.

“The public needs to be aware of what is going on and have input, in Montgomery County, we have three county commissioners whose job is to serve the people. They never took a vote from the people or surveyed the people; they just went with what they were convinced by the state and others that it was a good deal, ” he said.

The group meeting to discuss the topic held a closed-door Data Center Summit led by a coalition of government associations, open only to members of the Missouri School Board Association, the Missouri Association of Counties, and the Missouri Municipal League. Residents pushed back at the board during multiple public meetings discussing the topic.

Laura Holloway, the Executive Director of the Missouri Municipal League, said that this meeting centered around educating local leaders on the facilities.

“Today was about bringing multiple perspectives in and educating our members because they are receiving so many questions from all angles,” she said.

When asked about strengthening transparency between local government and community members, she said local leaders want what is best for their citizens.

“You know, they have other jobs, their own families in the community, they are absolutely closest to that community, so they want what is best and to be transparent.”

Holloway noted that sometimes there are circumstances where they may not be able to share information, such as real estate deals, where they cannot fully share information at that time.

When it comes to addressing health, safety and environmental concerns, she said those were part of the reason for today’s summit. Holloway said during Wednesday’s gathering there were panel discussions on energy, water, infrastructure and impact incentives.

When it comes to why the meeting was held behind closed doors, Halloway said it all had to do with capacity.

Holloway added that the main goal of Wednesday’s meeting was to educate as many local leaders as they could, and with that, they just could not open up the doors to the public.

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Ryan Shiner

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

A Columbia man was sentenced to five years of probation on Monday after pleading guilty to a pair of felonies.

Kieran Piersee, 19, pleaded guilty to second-degree assault and unlawful use of a weapon. He was also faces a seven-year sentence in prison if he violates his probation, court filings show.

He was originally charged with first-degree assault, armed criminal action and unlawful use of a weapon.

Piersee was accused of shooting someone who cut through the 900 block of Moss Street in May 2025.

The man allegedly lived in an apartment building next to the one Piersee resided and was shot in his legs, previous reporting indicates.

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Marie Moyer

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

The City of Columbia is taking a new angle in public safety downtown, with five safety ambassadors patrolling the city in the evenings starting Wednesday.

The ambassador program is a partnership between the city, the District and the University of Missouri. City documents in previous reporting say it will cost all three parties a roughly combined $500,000 per year.

Five ambassadors will roam downtown Columbia on Wednesday, Friday and Saturday evenings from 4:30 p.m.-2:30 a.m. One full-time outreach ambassador will also work in downtown Columbia during the daytime.

The safety ambassadors will help with monitoring the area, checking in with unhoused individuals and help escort residents to their vehicles or safe locations throughout the night.

The ambassadors are not law enforcement officers, but will have a direct line to the Columbia Police Department in case of emergencies. Ambassadors are also trained in deescalation and support services. They will also be wearing an orange uniform with “safety ambassador” on the shirt.

“They are there to make sure people are having fun in a safe way,” The District’s Executive Director Nickie Davis said. “We’ll be able to call them [CPD] in, if something is getting a little too rowdy, they’ll also help make sure that our street lights are working downtown, that our food vendors that are out late at night have proper permitting and are in the right locations.”

The outreach ambassador will focus on interacting with unhoused individuals, those with mental health challenges and substance use disorders. This includes daily check-ins to build relationships and providing a direct link to community crisis resources.

The ambassadors were brought in through the Block by Block private security company. The company has previously provided street cleaners to the city.

“We use their clean teams, so that is a different arm that they have,” Davis said. “So this is their safety arm that we have seen in action in other downtowns, we know block by block does great work in downtowns, that is their focus.”

City leaders began exploring the program after attending the Columbia Chamber of Commerce Leadership visit in Columbia, South Carolina, in October 2025, touting the success of the city’s long-term success.

The city’s portion of the ambassador program will cost a little over $168,000 per year, with plans to renew the program through March 3031.

The District works closely with the City, with operations being funded by a half-cent sales tax and property tax from businesses that live within its boundaries downtown.

Davis said the ambassadors are not a pilot program and are set to work in the city indefinitely.

“We started in the summer, so that they could get the lay of the land, kind of understand what it looks like a little bit before the students are here,” Davis said. “Ideally, yes, if this program goes well and we are able to invest more to bring more ambassadors down, we would love to see that.”

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Ryan Shiner

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

The Missouri Department of Conservation is looking to cut 106 positions by March 31, 2027, according to Deputy Director Aaron Jeffries.

Jeffries told ABC 17 News on Wednesday that 262 employees have been told that they will have to interview for their current or new positions.

Jeffries said cuts are affecting all areas of the MDC, including its headquarters and operations to field work. The department is taking a look at revenue and spending because of the increasing costs of benefits and inflation, according to Jeffries.

“MDC is working to consolidate the agency structure as revenues have flattened and operating costs are squeezed in many areas,” according to a statement from the department. “We continue to see rising costs because of inflation and personnel service costs (e.g. health insurance and retirement benefits). The reduction is across the agency and involves all levels of the Department.”

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Ryan Shiner

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

A Columbia man has been charged with a pair of felonies after authorities claim he possessed child sex abuse files and drugs.

Daniel Haase, 42, was charged on Wednesday in Boone County with possessing child sex abuse material and drug possession. He is being held at the Boone County Jail without bond. An arraignment was scheduled for Wednesday afternoon.  

Two probable cause statements were filed in the case, with the first saying authorities received a cybertip on Nov. 27 about child sex abuse materials being stored in cloud-based storage platform. An IP address was associated with a cellphone and data provided by an internet provider on Dec. 22 traced it to Haase’s address, the statement says.

Additional data from March 18-May 7 determined that 75 videos and 400 images, which included an image of Haase’ driver’s license, were saved to the platform, the statement says.

A second probable cause statement says deputies found 10 grams of psilocybin mushrooms on Haase’s kitchen counter while they served the warrant for child sex abuse materials on Tuesday.

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Olivia Hayes

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

MU Health Care on Wednesday announced that it has laid off 74 employees as part of an “organizational redesign.”

In a Wednesday afternoon press release, MU Health Care claimed the reduction in workforce, along with an adjustment of benefits, will “help strengthen the health system’s long-term financial sustainability, improve operational performance and position the organization to meet the evolving needs of patients and communities across Missouri.”

Four Hy-Vee Quick Care locations will also be closing, claiming a decline in demand over time. However, the release says the demand for urgent care and primary care services has continued to grow. A slideshow presentation also shows that it plans to add walk-in services to primary care clinics and expand urgent care at Keene Street Medical Center.

The job losses are concentrated primarily in nonclinical and administrative areas, which MU Health claims in the release will minimize the impact on frontline caregivers and clinical staff.

The release says laid-off employees received “individualized support,” including information about transition resources, benefits continuation and other internal job opportunities. The release claims more than 500 positions are open at MU Health Care.

The release says MU Health is proposing changes to its employee benefit programs, including retirement contributions, holidays and paid time off. Juneteenth and Veterans Day will now be regular clinic days, instead of being closed, according to a slideshow presentation. Changes are subject to approval by the University of Missouri Board of Curators.

The slideshow presentation also says vacation time and other PTO will be combined into one pool “reducing total paid days off by 3.”

Retirement contribution will also see a reduction in matching, from up to 8% to matching up to 6%, according to information sent by employees. 

Some enhancements MU Health Care noted include dependent care assistance, expanded counseling services and new fertility and adoption benefits.

MU Health also laid out initiatives as well. Those included:

Reducing wait times and improving patient flow.

Aligning staffing and resources to better serve patients.

Increasing appointment availability.

3_061832026_HAC Meeting_MUHC Organizational Update Slides_FinalDownload

Check back for updates.

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Matthew Sanders

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

A 30-year-old Sedalia man died late Tuesday in a crash in Pettis County.

The man was driving a 2018 Dodge Challenger on Route M north of Whiteman Road when he ran off the side of the road, hit a tree and a fence and rolled the vehicle, according to a Missouri State Highway Patrol report. The man, who was wearing a seat belt, was pronounced dead at the scene by a Cole Camp medic.

A 26-year-old woman in the car was taken to Bothwell Regional Health Center by private vehicle with minor injuries, according to the report.

She was wearing a seat belt.

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Mitchell Kaminski

FULTON, Mo. (KMIZ)

The front of a building in downtown Fulton collapsed Wednesday, revealing an apartment in the top floor of the two-story building.

No injuries were reported, but the collapse displaced tenants, delayed a planned business opening and forced neighboring storefronts to close.

Police and fire crews were called around 10:40 a.m. to 505 Nichols St. in The Brick District after receiving reports that part of the building had collapsed.

Fulton Fire Chief Russell Sing said first responders focused first on making sure everyone got out safely.

“We arrive and upon our arrival, first thing we do is make sure all occupants were safe and had been evacuated. Utilities were shut off. It was confirmed that, no injuries,” Sing said.

Among those affected was Audra Grey, who had only been at work for about 15 minutes when her manager told her something had happened near her apartment. Grey stepped outside and immediately realized the building that collapsed was hers.

“I run outside and I’m like, ‘Oh, that’s my apartment.’ And then I see my dog standing outside the wall on my bed about looking like he’s going to jump,” Grey said.

Grey said she ran back into the damaged building to rescue her dog.

“I took a look at the floor, and it was very much so sloping down towards where it had fallen… A lot of adrenaline was running through my body while trying to get my dog safe and free from harm. So I’m just glad he’s okay,” Grey said.

The collapse left part of Grey’s apartment exposed and damaged a coffee shop underneath that had been preparing to open next week.

The lower floor was occupied by a coffee shop getting ready for a grand opening, Hitchin’ Java. The coffee shop posted on Facebook that an espresso machine and generator were inside, so a planned opening this week will not take place.

The impact extended beyond the collapsed storefront.

Next door, Jazzy’s Sweets N Treats was boarded up on Wednesday afternoon. The owner told ABC 17 News the building had been condemned, and they did not know when the business would be able to reopen.

As dust and debris spread across downtown, police shut down Nichols Street and began evacuating nearby buildings.

“Every officer, detective that we had, on, which was several, immediately responded to assess the situation. They informed me of what was happening, and I asked them to evacuate every business on that block on that side of the street,” Fulton Police Chief Bill Ladwig said.

With storms moving into the area later in the day, crews began demolishing portions of the exposed second story to prevent loose debris from being blown from the structure.

The cause of the collapse remains under investigation.

“It’s under investigation,” Sing said. “We are waiting for engineers and other people to arrive and take care of the rest.”

Ladwig said there had been no prior indication the building was unsafe.

“They are older. We had no indication that there was an issue here. But things happen. Things do degrade over time,” Ladwig said.

The Callaway Historical Society told ABC 17 News the building dates back to the late 1800s.

While no official cause has been identified, Grey as well as one nearby business owner, said workers had recently been repairing a brick facade inside the building.

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Matthew Sanders

The World Cup is in full swing, with games kicking off in Kansas City this week.

The U.S. Men’s National Team also began play, beating Paraguay in its opening game.

Interest in professional soccer, or football as it’s known to most of the rest of the world, continues to lag behind the big sports like Major League Baseball, the NBA and the NFL. However, the sport is gaining popularity fast, as evidenced by multiple professional soccer teams in Missouri and the World Cup coming to the U.S.

Do you think soccer’s popularity will keep growing? Let us know by voting in the poll.

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Ryan Shiner

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

A road to a pair of lakes will remain closed as crews work to lower the water level at one of them.

Because of significant rainfall, Peters Lake was closed on June 1, while D.C. Rogers Lake closed on June 4. A Tuesday morning social media post from the City of Fayette says the Department of Natural Resources

The post says Peters Lake empties into D.C. Rogers Lake and that D.C. Rogers Lake needs to be lowered by 5-7 inches.

“Thank you to the Army Core of Engineers for providing two, 16″ pumps which pull 7,000 gallons per minute to assist in strategically meeting the requested water levels,” the post says. “The pumps are operating on the west side of the dam, with two 16″ pipes lying across the road. They are releasing excess water around and beyond the wingwall outfall repair project.”

The road to the recreation area is closed because of the placement of the lines, the post says. The water level is being lowered “to prevent further erosion of the wing wall outlet repair project. The erosion was caused by the massive release of storm water on June 1st,” the post says.

The wing wall project was about 45% done before the rain started, the post says. The city says water levels at the lake are decreasing.

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