Author: KMIZ

Matthew Sanders

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (KMIZ)

A water tower that has been up since the late 19th century will soon be demolished in Jefferson City.

Missouri American Water is tearing down a “standpipe” style water tower that was built in the 1890s, along with an old water filtration building that has been replaced with a new one, a company spokesperson said.

The demolition will take about a week.

Brooks Street from West Main to West High streets will be closed for the demolition at Missouri American Water’s facility until Christmas Eve.

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Nia Hinson

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

Members of Columbia’s youth advisory council said they want to take action to help prevent youth violence in the city, and they hope that starts with the leader of the city’s Office of Violence Prevention.

D’Markus Thomas-Brown met with the council on Tuesday night, explaining some of the work his office has done to help prevent youth violence. Much of that work focuses on addressing the root cause of violence in the community by emphasizing the importance of collaborative efforts.

Thomas-Brown said giving children in the community a voice is crucial.

“If people keep talking at the youth and not allowing the youth to tell us, allowing y’all to tell us what’s going on, we’re bailing water at our own detriment,” Thomas-Brown said during his presentation.

Chair of the Youth Advisory Council and Hickman High School senior Grace Harris said the group came up with three focus areas this year: Sustainability, wellness, and safety and security. They decided to reach out to Thomas-Brown to help get a better understanding of the work that’s being done.

“We want to have this expert who’s really working in this area to come talk to us about what he’s doing to prevent violence in the youth community and how YAC (youth advisory council) can get involved to also partner with him and prevent that violence,” Harris said.

Harris praised the work Thomas-Brown and his office has already done in his roughly nine months in the position, saying she believes he has focused on the holistic aspect of violence, rather than violence itself.

Rockbridge High School Junior Emily Crumbliss also commended his efforts to be willing to give everyone a voice.

“Seeing him come out (to the meeting) means a lot because we are a smaller commission,” Crumbliss said. “Seeing people in our community actually come in to help us and want to listen to what we have to say means a lot because as he was saying, youth aren’t the only ones responsible for violence, so actually talking to the youth, not just blaming it on them really helps.”

While Harris said she believes Thomas-Brown has done plenty to help drive down violence, she also wants to see more of an emphasis on making downtown safer.

“Especially with the youth and going out at night, like you should be able to feel safe and comfortable in your own city,” Harris said. “And then obviously preventing violence within the school is a really big issue.”

School safety was something many students said they wanted to see an emphasis on Tuesday night.

During his presentation, Thomas-Brown took a poll of the room, asking if they feel safe at their schools. Several students said yes, but say they still witness scary moments at time.

“We have a weapons detection system at Hickman that I think is working pretty well this year but because of our location, we often do have incidents of violence outside of the Hickman community. Not necessarily in our school, but in the surrounding areas,” Harris said.

Harris said she believes Thomas-Brown’s continued efforts of meeting with groups within the city, rather than looking at data and statistics to figure out the root cause of violence could help.

Crumbliss said while she feels safe at school, it took her a while to get there, and said she fears for the younger children in the district whose schools don’t have weapons detection systems.

“I went to an elementary school downtown and I did witness a drive-by shooting growing up,” Crumbliss said. “I do fear a little bit for the younger kids because I don’t know how easy it is to break into a school but I would also like to see weapons detection systems not just in the high schools because I think they’re doing good things.”

Crumbliss and Harris said they believe both Rockbridge and Hickman High Schools have done a good job of ramping up efforts within the school to prevent violence that might eventually lead to violence outside of school.

The council also suggested that Thomas-Brown’s office create social media pages that people can view to see some of the work and progress being made in the city. Suggestions also included his office possibly getting involved in Columbia Public School’s safe gun storage awareness.

The council had previously planned to invite Thomas-Brown to one of its meetings, according to an agenda. Thomas-Brown had told ABC 17 News at the time that he would be open to the idea.

Thomas-Brown told ABC 17 News on Monday that his office is hoping to conduct a gun violence problem analysis to examine drivers of youth violence during the past 12-24 months, after several instances of youth violence this year. The plan still needs to be approved by the Columbia City Council.

Thomas-Brown also said his office is working a violence reduction landscape analysis, aimed at focusing on who is connecting with at-risk youth in the community.

Columbia MO Office of Violence Prevention YACDownload

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Matthew Sanders

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (KMIZ)

The president of the Jefferson City Board of Education has resigned, effective at the start of December.

The board will review Erika Leonard’s resignation letter and talk about the potential board vacancy at its meeting on Wednesday.

Leonard, in a letter posted with the meeting agenda, writes that she decided to resign because she wants to devote more time to her job and family.

“Balancing these commitments alongside board service has become increasingly difficult,” she wrote. “Resigning is the most responsible choice to honor my professional commitments and be present for my children’s activities.”

Leonard was first elected in 2022. Her term was set to expire in 2028.

Three board seats, not including Leonard’s, are up for election in April.

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Matthew Sanders

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

Columbia police found more than a pound of fentanyl and three handguns while serving a search warrant Monday.

Frazier D. Pratt Jr., 61, was charged Monday with first-degree drug trafficking and two counts each of armed criminal action and unlawful use of a weapon after a search Monday at his Huntridge Drive home.

According to a probable cause statement, officers found 26 grams of fentanyl in separate baggies along with more than $2,000 in cash when they searched Pratt and his Jeep during a traffic stop on East St. Charles Road. When they searched his residence, they found 1.43 pounds of fentanyl, two 9mm handguns and a .40-caliber handgun, the statement says.

Pratt allegedly admitted to police that he was trafficking fentanyl and that he was a felon who illegally possessed guns.

He remained in the Boone County Jail on Tuesday on no bond.

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Matthew Sanders

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

Investigators claim that a Columbia man stole more than $26,000 from his employer between October 2021 and June 2024.

William A. Sheets was charged with one count of stealing $25,000 or more on Monday. A probable cause statement alleges Sheets used his access to Show-Me Shortline’s finances to divert money to a bank account associated with his Apple Card.

Show-Me Shortline is a farm equipment wholesaler in Centralia.

An investigation uncovered more than $5,000 in “reimbursed expenses” without supporting documentation. Another $21,000 was moved into his bank account, the statement says, in transfers ranging from about $120 to $5,000.

A warrant was issued for Sheets’ arrest with a $10,000 bond. He was not in the Boone County Jail on Tuesday afternoon.

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Marie Moyer

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (KMIZ)

The Missouri Secretary of State’s Office started scanning and counting more than 305,000 signatures on a petition to put a new congressional map to a vote. The group People Not Politicians delivered the signatures Tuesday after collecting them over several months.

If approved, the signatures would put Missouri’s new congressional map on the November 2026 ballot for voter approval.

“Missourians resorted to a right to a referendum that we have had as part of our Constitution for over 150 years,” Richard von Glahn, executive director for People Not Politicians said.

According to the Secretary of State’s Office, the elections division has two weeks to review signatures before sending them to local election authorities for verification. The final deadline for local authorities is set for this summer.

The new map was initially signed into law by Gov. Mike Kehoe in September. The maps are typically redrawn every decade after the census, but the White House has pushed for Republicans in several states to redraw maps now to give them an electoral advantage.

The map splits Democratic U.S. Rep. Emanuel Cleaver’s Fifth District in Kansas City into three. This will merge it with more rural and Republican areas, likely removing Cleaver’s seat and giving the Republican Party a boost in the next election.

The signature submission comes as a federal judge on Monday dismissed the Missouri attorney general’s lawsuit against People Not Politicians and other groups who claimed the referendum is unconstitutional and infringes on lawmakers’ constitutional right to draw the congressional map.

“All a referendum does is allow people to be the final deciders on the issue,” von Glahn said. “What seems very clear to me is the proponents of this map, our opponents on this campaign, what they fear the most is the voters’ verdict.”

The judge ruled that Secretary of State Denny Hoskins can reject the referendum during post-submission review.

The Missouri Attorney General’s Office said in a statement that the judge’s decision won’t stop them from filing the lawsuit again if the referendum makes it onto the ballot.

“The Attorney General looks forward to an orderly review process to determine whether the proposed referendum can qualify for a vote,” the office said in a statement.

Until Hoskins certifies the signatures as sufficient or insufficient, the new district map remains frozen. The Secretary of State’s Office declined to comment on litigation.

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Josie Anglin

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

 

A climate survey from Columbia Public Schools shows some students are worried about equality.

About 65% of students who completed the survey say bullying is not tolerated, but that enforcement was not consistent. That opinion came up again in the discipline category.

Only 53% of students feel that the district’s rules are fair, and would like enforcement to be more consistent. And 63% of the students said their school atmosphere was mostly encouraging, but would like more inclusiveness and fairness.

According to the survey, 86% said they have opportunities to succeed and 66% said they get help when they are struggling. 

Staff satisfaction fell in a couple of categories: the percentage who say the district makes classrooms a positive learning environment fell from about 78% to 74%, and the number saying students were well-behaved fell from 54% to 51%

The Columbia Board of Education heard the results of the survey Monday night.

 

cps surveyDownload

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Alison Patton

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

A federal judge on Monday dismissed a lawsuit filed by the state asking the judge to reject the referendum that would put Missouri’s new congressional map on the ballot.

The state sued “People Not Politicians” in an effort to prevent the group from getting a question about a redrawn congressional map on the ballot. Lawmakers recently pushed forward a map that would redraw lines determining who would represent the state in the U.S. House of Representatives.

According to Judge Zachary Bluestone’s decision, the lawsuit doesn’t have standing in federal court, noting that Secretary of State Denny Hoskins can reject the referendum during post-submission review.

 “Critically, PNP concedes that Plaintiff Denny Hoskins has the authority as Secretary of State to reject their petition as unconstitutional during postsubmission review and to defend that decision based on the very same constitutional arguments the State advances in this case,” Bluestone wrote in his decision. “Moreover, PNP agrees that, absent a successful court challenge, this determination would obviate the need for signature verification, publication, or a vote, and it also would prevent the displacement of the new map—the only redressable harms the State identifies.”

Once People Not Politicians — the group backing the referendum — submits its final petition, Hoskins must review the legality and verify signatures, Bluestone writes. If approved, Hoskins will have to hold a public hearing and take comments, prepare the ballot initiative and publicize the referendum.

Bluestone also wrote in his decision that the governor’s “Missouri First” Map is frozen until after the referendum, “which could significantly disrupt the 2026 elections.”

This decision also comes three days before the deadline for People Not Politicians to submit signatures.

Republican lawmakers had suggested redrawing lines sooner than the state’s typical period of every 10 years after it was requested by President Donald Trump ahead of the 2026 midterm elections.

Critics of the map have called it gerrymandering and it is expected to give Republicans an additional lawmaker to represent the state. The area at the center of the discussion is currently represented by Democratic Rep. Emmanuel Cleaver.

This comes hours after a Cole County judge heard arguments in another court case People Not Politicians filed against the state. The group argues the state violated Sunshine Law because Hoskins didn’t approve the referendum for circulation until after the governor signed it.

107112395944Download

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Ryan Shiner

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

A woman recently spent $60 on lottery tickets and ended up taking home a $2 million prize.

A press release from the Missouri Lottery says the scratcher ticket was bought at the Casey’s location at 326 Morely St. in Moberly.

The lottery winner – who was not named in the release – won $60 on a scratcher previously and used that money to buy the winning ticket.

She played the ticket while in her vehicle at the station and brought it back into the store to have the cashier double-check if she did win, the release says.

“He turned the screen around and showed me the $2 million, and I just started shaking and crying!” the unidentified winner was quoted in the release.

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Marie Moyer

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

The Columbia City Council during a Monday work session called into question the value of recent public safety meetings with University of Missouri System President Mun Choi.

During the discussion, City Council officials confirmed meeting with Choi in two prior meetings. However, members voiced concerns at the meeting structure that barred the public and limited contact with the council to only a few members.

Members also allege that leaders from Stephens and Columbia College have also not been at the meetings. Choi also met with Gov. Mike Kehoe last week to discuss public safety and a number of city leaders noted they were not invited.  

“They are at the beck and call of Mun Choi, we aren’t able to make them open, we aren’t able to have counsel there, which means the vast majority of us have no idea what’s going on,” Ward 2 Councilwoman Vera Elwood said. “He is making claims about my ward and then I’m not getting an invite to the table.”

Tensions over public safety in Columbia began after Choi started asked city leaders to crack down on crime after a Stephens College student was shot and killed in late September. With Choi then sent an 11-step action plan to officials.

City officials during Monday’s meeting added that no council action has been made to adopt the 11 suggestions.

“They are things that have been happening for a long time and now there is suddenly an idea that it’s only happening because he stepped into the conversation,” Elwood said. “That power is being taken away from our staff and the efforts that they’re putting into it.”

“We need to find a way to get him in our circle and be collaborative, but he’s not reciprocating that,” Ward 3 Council Member Jacque Sample said.

According to City Manager De’Carlon Seewood, public safety has been the highest priority for the city with more than 50% of the city’s general fund going to police and fire operations. The city will also fully staff the Columbia Police Department at the graduation of the upcoming class.

“We have additional police officers downtown, in addition to that, they’re doing more proactive work,” Mayor Barbara Buffaloe said. “We have more officers issuing like Class B misdemeanors citations for things.”

The Columbia Police Department’s Crime Trends Dashboard has reported crime has gone up by nearly 50% since 2024, however the city says the upward trend is due to heavier police police presence and not increased offenses.

“We start driving the doggone bus instead of it being driven over us, because that’s (what) I think (is) three-quarters of the frustration in this room, because we feel like somebody else is driving the bus,” Ward 5 Councilman Donald Waterman said.

Other public safety suggestions brought up Monday include closing off major streets to traffic and parking and implementing metal detectors on Friday and Saturday nights, banning sales of $1 alcohol shots and implementing a curfew.

Seewood added that the alcohol restrictions were something the city could do. Members of the city as said CPD Chief Jill Schlude was opposed to a curfew.

“She couldn’t enforce it, there’s no way to enforce it, I mean the kids aren’t willing to do it and the parents aren’t willing to support it,” Ward 6 Councilwoman Betsy Peters said.

During the meeting, the city leaders shared that Choi voiced interest in a January meeting but no formal request has been made. Buffaloe is also scheduled to meet with Kehoe in January.

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