Author: KMIZ

Euphenie Andre

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

Drivers in Columbia should prepare for several road closures starting Monday, with some expected to last nearly a year.

The longest closure will impact I-70 Southeast Drive from just west of Woodridge Drive to Glenstone Drive. The road is scheduled to close at 7 a.m. Monday. Officials said the closure is expected to last about 300 days, with the project timeline currently extending into Dec. 2026.

Some residents said the project may create short-term challenges for drivers.

“I figured they’re going to have to do it,” said Columbia resident Lindell Crane. “You’ve got to do it to get what you want done. There’s going to be an inconvenience to a lot of people.”

During that time, drivers will be detoured around the closure using Keene Street and St. Charles Road.

Crane added that traffic could increase on nearby streets as drivers adjust to the detour.

“It’s going to have to be enforced a lot on speed because there’s going to be a lot of accidents that way,” Crane said. “They can’t drive on those roads like they drive on 70.”

Another closure will impact New Haven Road, which will shut down east of the U.S. Route 63 northbound on- and off-ramps and extend to Lenoir Street. As part of the project, a portion of Lemone Industrial Boulevard where it connects with New Haven Road will also be closed.

Resident Julian Tro said while the work may be inconvenient in the short term, he believes improvements to local roads are necessary.

“Some roads in Columbia are in bad shape, so as long as it’s to make it better and improve things, I think it’s worth it,” Tro said.

Officials said that work on New Haven is expected to be completed by Apr. 7.

Another temporary closure will take place on South Smith Hatchery Road while crews remove a tree. The work will be completed by Boone County Resource Management and Braik Tree Service.

Tree removal will take place on Smith Hatchery Road between W. Dothage Road and the Little Bonne Femme Creek Bridge. Work is scheduled to begin Monday and is expected to finish by Friday, Mar. 27, weather permitting.

During that time, the road may be fully closed from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. on working days, and drivers are encouraged to allow extra travel time and use alternate routes.

Local business Cooper’s Landing also posted on social media Friday alerting visitors about the upcoming closure.

Another project scheduled later this month will impact Conley Road. Starting Mar. 23, the county plans to close Conley Road at the intersection of East Business Loop 70 for 60 days as crews continue work on a new roundabout.

During the closure, business entrances on both sides of the intersection will remain open and accessible. The roundabout is expected to open to all traffic by the end of May.

The Missouri Department of Transportation and Boone County said weather conditions could delay some of the scheduled work and encourage drivers to plan ahead and allow extra travel time.

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Haley Swaino

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

A man accused of shooting at a door-to-door salesman in Boone County was arrested on Friday night.

Capt. Brian Leer, of the Boone County Sheriff’s Office told ABC 17 News in an email Mark Q. Streeter was arrested on suspicion of unlawful use of a weapon.

Around 6:30 p.m. Friday, deputies were called to the 6000 block of East State Road HH near Columbia, to investigate a shots-fired incident.

Streeter was allegedly intoxicated and confronted a salesman with a shotgun. As the man walked away, Streeter allegedly followed him and fired multiple shots.

Leer said no one was hit by the gunfire, and no property damage was reported.

The Boone County Jail roster showed Streeter had bonded out by Saturday night.

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Euphenie Andre

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

In honor of International Women’s Month, ABC 17 News looked into women’s health trends in mid-Missouri.

Missouri ranks 42nd in the country for women and children’s health, according to America’s Health Rankings.

Dr. Elizabeth Wilson, an OB-GYN at Boone Health with 30 years of experience, said she has seen several changes in women’s health throughout her career. Wilson primarily works with patients typically ranging in age from their 30s to their 70s. As many women approach menopause, she said they often experience symptoms including brain fog, mood changes, fatigue and weight gain.

“People are always curious why they’re starting to gain weight when they didn’t gain before without making any changes, or they’re working harder and it’s not working like it used to,” Wilson said.

Dr. Wilson said metabolic health and the mitochondria are factors in the changes women often deal with.

“I think across medicine, we’re also recognizing that our mitochondria take care of ourselves. Our cells actually help prevent diseases all throughout our body,” Dr. Wilson said.

According to the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services, 451.6 women per 100,000 in Missouri are diagnosed with invasive cancer in 2022. The report also breaks down rates by race, though it does not separate men and women: 478.3 per 100,000 for white residents, 459.9 for Black residents, 261.6 for Hispanic residents, 304.1 for Pacific Islanders, and 166.6 for Native American residents.

Wilson said one trend she has noticed is an increase in certain cancers among younger women.

“I do feel like we’re seeing more breast cancer in younger women,” Wilson said. “I feel like I hear more about colon cancer and lung cancer, and I feel like lung cancer is now in non-smokers.”

Research also shows health conditions can affect women differently across racial groups.

A 2017 study found higher rates of diabetes among Black women compared to white women. Researchers tracked participants for 30 years, collecting data on diabetes risk factors, including medical history, weight, lifestyle habits, and social factors like education, finances, and neighborhood conditions.

According to the DHSS, 10.1% of white women have reported being told by a doctor that they have diabetes. The percentages increases to 14.7% for Black women.

Wilson said research helps doctors remain aware of conditions that may affect patients differently.

“I don’t know if I can tell you that more of my black patients have pre-eclampsia than my white patients, but I do know to be more aware of it and look for it more closely,” Dr. Wilson said.

Dr. Wilson added that her OB patient population has decreased over the past five years, so she doesn’t have enough cases to draw firm conclusions, but it remains a trend that doctors are trained to watch closely.

Jackquline Pribble, a Columbia native, said the biggest difference in her health now compared to her 20s is how her bodies feel as she ages.

“More body aches. As you get older you get worn out,” she said.

Columbia resident Dr. Mary Dohrmann said she is purposeful in maintaining a good health by being intentional about lifestyle choices.

Wilson said there are several ways women can improve their overall health, including getting enough sleep, managing stress, maintaining a balanced diet and spending time outside.

“I’ve been interested in the whole circadian health.” Dr. Wilson said. “This idea that maybe one of the reasons we don’t sleep as we get older and older is just that we are not in sync with our environment. We’re inside under artificial lights all day long, we’re not touching the ground,”

Missouri also ranks 48th in the country for high-risk behaviors associated with HIV among women, according to the report. The report also shows mental distress among women ages 18 to 44 increased by 20% between 2019 and 2022, highlighting growing health concerns nationwide.

Dr. Wilson said patient education and involvement in health care is crucial.

“But because they have a lot of choices, they don’t have to all do all the same things to feel better. They more they educate themselves, the more they help me figure out where to go next with them,” she said. “I think the idea that a patient comes to the office and in 15 minutes she get an easy answer. I don’t think patients want that anymore,”

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Matthew Sanders

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

Electrical arcing that sparked small fires throughout a home forced Columbia firefighters to evacuate Thursday night until utility crews could turn off the power.

Firefighters were called to a report of a tree falling onto a home in the 2900 block of Bray Avenue in west Columbia, but found that the tree had fallen in the backyard and brought down conductors for the home’s electrical service, according to a Columbia Fire Department news release. Firefighters found a fire in the basement coming from tubing that feeds gas into a furnace.

After firefighters shut off the gas line and extinguished the fire, electricity began arcing throughout the home, setting several small fires, because of the damage to the electrical service, CFD says.

“Although crews had turned off the main electric breaker to the home, various components remained energized and were considered extremely dangerous,” the release states.

Firefighters evacuated the home while utility workers cut off the power. No one was hurt.

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Matthew Sanders

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

A Rolla man was charged Thursday with rape, sodomy and sexual abuse after a jailhouse phone call led to a new investigation.

Anthony Delgado, 26, is accused of raping a woman at a Rolla residence in September 2024. According to a probable cause statement, Delgado forced himself on the woman as she was changing into a hoodie, and continued despite her begging him to stop.

The rape came to light during a jailhouse phone call with a woman after Delgado was jailed on suspicion of another sexual assault on March 9, according to a probable cause statement. Delgado was charged last week with attempted rape and domestic assault in a March 2 incident at his apartment.

That phone call led investigators to speak to the victim of the 2024 rape, the statement says.

Delgado was jailed without bond, according to court records. A hearing on the new charges is scheduled for Monday morning.

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Matthew Sanders

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

A 2-year-old who was reported missing from a babysitter’s home Friday afternoon in Callaway County was found playing nearby, the sheriff’s office said.

The child was reported missing at about 2:15 p.m. from an address on County Road 326 near Fulton, the Callaway County Sheriff’s Office said in a statement posted to social media. A search was mounted that included a Highway Patrol helicopter, the sheriff’s office said.

The toddler was found playing in a yard about 1,200 feet away, approximately 50 minutes later, by a Missouri State Highway Patrol trooper.

Medics evaluated the child, who was released to a parent.

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Mitchell Kaminski

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) 

Missouri saw a drop in sports betting activity in its second month of legalization, and once again, no tax revenue went toward education.

After bringing in more than $543 million in wagers in December, sportsbooks handled just over $385 million in January.

However, after accounting for payouts, voided wagers, and promotional credits, the state once again finished in the red. Missouri books reported a net loss of $6.7 million for the month, an improvement from the $20.8 million loss recorded in December.

And no profit means no tax revenue.

“As for the January numbers, they were not too surprising,” Mike Leara, executive director of the Missouri Gaming Commission, told ABC 17 News in a statement.   “We do expect an increase this month from March Madness, and we also look for sports wagering to see a spike for the upcoming World Cup.” 

Many of the losses were once again driven by promotional bets, a common strategy sportsbooks use to lure in new customers. 

Sam Pack, a sophomore at the University of Missouri, said he has been gambling since he was 18, when it became legal for him in Illinois. Pack said that once sports betting became legal in Missouri, he was quick to take advantage of the promotional offers.

“I like it when you sign up for apps, you get the bonus bets,” Pack said. “Be smart with your picks. If you can do a protected play, do that, and then if you lose that, you can use bonus bets to win more money.” 

However, with many Missourians already creating accounts during the first month, those numbers were expected to gradually decline.

“It’s one of the larger concerns where you look at it, where when you have such operator-friendly numbers early on, where they’re allowed to get rid of these free bets so heavily, it does cause a tax thing,” said Ryan Butler, a senior news analyst at Covers.com. “This isn’t terribly uncommon. And in states where they are, if they’re allowed to do this and they’re taking full advantage of it, so still stand by it. Once we get a little further in, this is going to level out.” 

GeoComply’s geolocation services recorded more than 18.5 million login attempts from over 520,000 accounts during the first week of legalized sports betting alone.

After writing off $125.1 million in free-play wagers in December, sportsbooks wrote off $33 million in February. FanDuel wrote off $33 million in February, a $20 million drop from the first month, while DraftKings wrote off $9.2 million, down from $39.3 million in December. 

According to the Missouri Gaming Commission, sportsbooks were able to apply negative adjusted gross receipts carried forward from promotional costs in the previous month, which also affect those totals. 

Impact on local schools

When Amendment 2, which legalized sports betting in Missouri, appeared on the ballot, one of its most vocal supporters was the group Winning for Missouri Education. The group estimated the measure would generate about $100 million in tax revenue over five years.

Under the amendment, a 10% tax is applied to sports betting revenue and directed toward education. However, operators are allowed to deduct certain expenses and must also contribute to the compulsive gambling prevention fund before any tax revenue is calculated. The ballot language also allows for the possibility that no money would go to schools if taxable revenue is too low.

According to Butler, the amount of money sports betting will actually send to schools is often overstated.

“The impact is going to be really unnoticeable to even people in education,” Butler said. “It’s always part of the campaign, and I think sportsbooks overall got a little bit better at it going, ‘Guys, this is just an opportunity. It’s a little bit of money. It’s something, this isn’t going to make or break Missouri schools.’” 

Any money from sports betting generated for public schools goes into a general pot and is distributed through the Missouri school funding formula known as the foundation formula. However, Heather McArthur, chief financial officer at Columbia Public Schools, says those funds are not materializing to meet the funding target that was set by the state legislature last spring

“We were conservative in budgeting for the foundation formula funding last spring because the decisions were made very late in the budgeting process, and we had doubts that the funds would actually be distributed as appropriated,” McArthur told ABC 17 News in a statement. 

But with Gov. Mike Kehoe recommending the foundation formula remain flat in this year’s fiscal budget and transportation funding expected to decline, CPS says any additional revenue from the state could help offset shortfalls in other funding sources.

“Fortunately, the district is highly locally funded and has built up reserves in recent years, but the outlook does not look great,” McArthur said. “We will have to continue to look for internal efficiencies and additional revenue sources in future years to make up for the deficit spending.” 

University of Missouri issues warning as March Madness approaches 

While March Madness could boost the state’s tax revenue, the University of Missouri is raising concerns about its potential impact on student-athletes.

On Thursday, UM System President Mun Choi issued a statement reminding students, faculty, and staff about expectations surrounding sports wagering and the protection of student-athletes.

Since sports betting became legal in Missouri on Dec. 1, 2025, NCAA and SEC schools like MU have faced new challenges in ensuring the integrity of competition and the welfare of student-athletes. 

In Thursday’s statement, Choi outlined prohibited behavior for students and employees, including attempting to influence or compromise the outcome of athletic events, sharing confidential information about MU athletes and harassing players.

Violations may breach federal or state law as well as university policies.

According to the University of Missouri, students found to harass athletes or engage in betting-related misconduct are subject to discipline under the university’s Standard of Conduct, which can include warnings, probation, suspension or expulsion. 

“Maybe people joke about it in comment sections of Instagram posts, but I’ve never seen anyone seriously threaten a player,” Pack said.

Faculty and staff who violate the Standards of Faculty Conduct or MU’s Code of Conduct may face reprimands, suspension or termination. Student-athletes are encouraged to report any harassment so the university can monitor and address potential threats.

According to Butler, March typically ranks as the sixth-most active betting month, with September, October, November and December usually seeing the highest betting activity, due to being in the heart of football season. 

Nationally, concerns about harassment and manipulation have grown as betting on individual college athletes, including prop bets, has expanded. Surveys indicate 36% of Division I men’s basketball players reported harassment linked to betting, and NCAA investigations have found cases of athletes wagering on their own performances or sharing insider information.

Butler noted that while sportsbooks are pushing to keep these bets legal, losing player props would not be a major blow. 

“These individual college player props are less than 1% of their handle. It’s just not a huge deal for them,” he said. “They’re still fighting to keep them.”

Missouri officials are closely monitoring the issue. MU Athletics Director Laid Veatch warned that when student-athletes are paid, and sports betting is legal, player prop bets make it easier for athletes to become involved. Choi also said in January that the university tracks social media to watch for harassment and continues to evaluate policies in line with other institutions.

While only four states currently ban individual college athlete prop bets, Missouri officials say they may revisit the issue as more data becomes available.

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Jessica Hafner

UPDATE:

Cold air has filled the region, dropping wind chills into the near-to-below zero range. Winds slowly relax through the day, allowing for less extreme wind chills by the afternoon.

The ABC 17 Stormtrack Weather Team has issued a Weather Alert Day ahead of the potential for a few strong storms, accumulating snow, strong non-thunderstorm winds, and wind chills near or just below zero between Sunday and Monday.

Severe thunderstorms have ramped up along the cold front approaching St. Louis, with the severe threat ending for Mid-Missouri. Attention will now turn to snow showers, rapid temperature drop, and strong non-thunderstorm gusts to 50 mph tonight into Monday morning.

SETUP & TIMING:

Temperatures have already begun to plummet to the 50s where the cold front has moved through, and storms have fired up along the cold front. Strong winds will pick up behind the front in addition to snow showers wrapping around low pressure. Snow chances look to linger through the first half of the overnight before clearing Monday morning, when cold and wind will be the big story.

IMPACTS:

Impact potential is becoming clearer as the timing of the cold front is becoming more consistent, as well as the moisture behind the front. This gives us a better idea of the type of severe threat that will be present in Missouri ahead of the front, as well as when the transition to snow will occur. There also remains high confidence that we stand to be quite windy and cold Sunday night into Monday morning.

SNOW:

The snow chance is questionable as well. We are uncertain exactly how much moisture makes it into the wrap-around portion of this low. The northwest side of this will surge in cold air at the low levels and try to take advantage of what moisture is available, creating snow showers overnight. The potency of this snow is greatest in the northeast, nearest this low that passes by. We are also quite warm leading into the event. The soils are warm and still wet in spots, which may make ground temperatures slow to cool. It’s possible that warm ground temperatures could contribute to more of a slushy accumulation at first. Still, winds will be dropping temperatures into the 30s and 20s while the snow falls, and eventually into the teens by Monday morning. This will eventually freeze anything that is initially slushy, but early warmth could greatly cut down on accumulations.

Snow accumulations currently look limited, with chances highest across the region for less than 2 inches of snow. It’s entirely possible we only record trace to 1 inch amounts in the northeast. A less likely scenario does exist where we end up with such little snow that accumulation is avoided, but it still looks likely for some at the moment.

COLD & WIND:

Due to the confidence in high winds throughout this entire period, a wind advisory has been issued for the entirety of Central Missouri until Monday afternoon.

The aforementioned cold will be less uncertain as winds rush in Sunday night. Wind gusts as high as 40-50 mph at times, with winds sustained around 20-30 mph will drop temperatures well into the teens by Monday morning.

Wind chills could drop a few degrees below zero by Monday and continue to stay bitterly cold throughout the day.

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Matthew Sanders

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

A Columbia man was charged Thursday with three felonies after leading police on a chase through busy city streets, according to court documents.

Dejon M. Woltkamp-Linzie, 29, was charged with aggravated fleeing, second-degree kidnapping and armed criminal action after the chase that started Wednesday afternoon on West Worley Street. An officer tried to pull Woltkamp-Linzie over at Worley and Lasalle Place for running a stop sign and having no registration, according to a probable cause statement.

Woltkamp-Linzie drove through a red light at Worley and Providence Road and went into oncoming traffic to go around cars at a stop sign at Rogers Street and Fifth Street, the statement says. The chase reached speeds higher than 70 mph on Washington Avenue and continued at high speeds on Wilkes Boulevard, police say.

The vehicle, a Nissan Sentra, also passed a school bus and then went airborne, almost losing control, according to the statement. The suspect eventually crashed into two utility poles.

Woltkamp-Linzie ran a short distance before giving up, and told police that a passenger in the vehicle had been driving, according to the statement. He also allegedly said he ran because the passenger had a warrant for her arrest.

Woltkamp-Linzie remained in the Boone County Jail on Friday on no bond. His initial arraignment was set for Friday afternoon.

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Camryn Payne

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

The Jefferson City Board of Education approved a contract for door locks at the Jefferson City Academic Center, a pricing amendment for substitute teachers and other staff and heard the preliminary budget at its meeting Thursday.

The board approved a $65,783.70 contract with Riverside Technologies Inc. to put in new door locks at the Jefferson City Academic Center. The district is renovating the Southwest Early Childhood Center to house the new academic center. The facility will serve as an alternative high school and is expected to reopen for the 2026-2027 school year.

The new pricing amendment between the district and Penmac Education Staffing will give substitute teachers and other staff a raise. The new rate is a 28% increase over what the district currently pays. The new rate will go into effect in July.

The board was presented with the preliminary budget for 2026-27. The district is projecting more than $138 million in revenue, an 0.8% increase from this year’s budget. Expenditures are projected to be over $135 million, a 6% increase.

The district says the increased cost is largely due to teacher and staff pay raises, increased benefits and adding new staff to the Jefferson City Academic Center.

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