Author: KMIZ

Ryan Shiner

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

Monday was the first day of summer school for Columbia Public Schools, and a press release from a district spokeswoman says more than 9,400 students are attending class.

The release says that figure represents more than half of the district’ regular school year enrollment.

Students in kindergarten through eighth grade can enter a variety of programs “that includes enrichment and advancement opportunities for students,” the release says. The two largest programs are Summer Sunsations for K-8 students and credit advancement for high school students. Driver’s education is included among the high school courses.

The summer session runs through June 26. Bus routes are available to K-8 students who live more than a mile from their “home school” and high school students who live more than two miles away.

More information can be found on the summer school page on CPS’ website.

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Ryan Shiner

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

A man who was arrested last week in Jefferson City in connection with an April 26 shots-fired scene at a Waffle House on the north side of Columbia has been charged with two felonies.

D’Monte Lee, 19, of Jefferson City, was charged on Monday in Boone County with unlawful use of a weapon and armed criminal action. He is being held at the Cole County Jail. A court date has not been scheduled.

Damonte Jones, of Jefferson City, received the same charges last week. He is not currently listed on a jail roster.

The probable cause statement says the men were at the Waffle House on Vandiver Drive at 2:53 a.m.

Lee allegedly got out of a Ford, stood between two vehicles, pulled out a gun and shot at a vehicle on Range Line Street, police wrote that they saw from video in the area. Police wrote a second man also fired shots at the vehicle.  

A witness allegedly identified Jones as the second shooter while Jefferson City police investigated another case on April 30 that allegedly involved Jones pointing a gun at someone, the statement says. Police wrote that there was a National Integrated Ballistic Information Network match for Jones’ gun and shell casings found at the scene.

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Matthew Sanders

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

A Moberly man was charged last week with first-degree assault, shooting from a vehicle and armed criminal action after he allegedly fired shots during a road rage incident in a Home Depot parking lot.

Columbia Police reported Robert Neese Jr.’s arrest Friday, in concert with Moberly officers. Charges were filed Thursday, but the case remained sealed until Monday.

Neese, 49, allegedly followed another person into the parking lot of the Home Depot in Columbia on Tuesday and fired a shot from his Kia Sorento.

Police say the victim provided video evidence from a dashboard camera, and a muzzle flash was visible in the recording, followed by a loud bang, according to a probable cause statement.

Investigators also identified Neese by a neck tattoo that was visible on the dashcam video.

Neese remained in the Randolph County Jail on Monday with no bond.

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Matthew Sanders

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

A southeast Columbia road was closed for about an hour Monday morning after a bomb threat was made against a hotel.

Columbia Police officers were sent to a reported bomb threat at the Courtyard by Marriott on Lemone Industrial Drive at about 10 a.m., Columbia Police Department spokesmanBrian McNeil said. Police cleared the scene a little over an hour later after finding no explosives.

The threat and response led to the hotel’s evacuation, and part of Lemone Industrial Boulevard was closed.

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Jazsmin Halliburton

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

A Jefferson City man is dead after a crash in Cole County Sunday evening.

According to the Missouri State Highway Patrol crash report, a 46-year-old man was driving a 2015 Jeep Wrangler on Route CC south of South Fox Moor Court just after 4:30 p.m. in Cole County. The man traveled off the road, overcorrected and then overturned. He was thrown from the Jeep and was pronounced dead at the scene.

The man was not wearing a seat belt.

This is Troop F’s 8th traffic death in May and 25th in 2026.

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Jazsmin Halliburton

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

EDITOR’S NOTE: A Columbia firefighter’s rank has been corrected.

Emergency crews in Columbia rescued two people from a car that was stuck in water Monday after early morning storms.

Columbia Fire crews responded to a car trapped in flooded waters on Creasy Springs. Columbia Fire Department Battalion Chief Roger Mertensmeyer told ABC 17 News crews on scene that two people were stuck, but there were no injuries. A rescue boat was not needed, and the rescue took less than five minutes.

Mertensmeyer said he wanted to remind the public to be careful and turn around, don’t drown.

Boone County Joint Communication sent an alert at 4:50 a.m. that Creasy Springs near Bear Creek was flooded.

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Jazsmin Halliburton

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

Hundreds of customers are without power Monday morning after heavy rain, hail and strong winds ripped through Mid-Missouri.

According to the Missouri Electric Cooperative’s statewide outage map, 403 customers are without power in Howard County as of 7:16 a.m. This is an improvement after over 700 were without power earlier Monday morning.

However, there are 630 customers without power in Osage County, 111 without power in Gasconade County and 166 customers in Callaway County without power.

In Camden County, 305 members are without power and 60 customers are without power in Boone County.

There are 110 members without power in Cole County.

As of 7:19 a.m., there are now 228 customers without power in the Jefferson City area, according to Ameren. Power in Moberly has been restored.

A flash flood warning has been issued for Mid-Missouri until 9 a.m. from the National Weather Service.

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ABC 17 News Team

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

A member of ABC 17’s news staff has been arrested on suspicion of driving while intoxicated.

A Boone County Sheriff’s deputy stopped news anchor Erika McGuire early Sunday while she was driving on South Providence Road in Columbia. She’s also facing a possible charge of careless and imprudent driving.

McGuire was booked into the Boone County jail just after 4 a.m. Sunday, and was released after posting a $500 bond.

McGuire has been an employee of KMIZ since 2021 and currently co-anchors the evening news.

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Alison Patton

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

A law that Missouri politicians passed last year to prevent utility companies from turning off air conditioning for people with unpaid bills during hot weather kicks in Monday.

The “hot weather” law will go into effect every year starting June 1 through Sept. 30, according to the Missouri Public Service Commission. The law prohibits disconnecting services when the National Weather Service predicts that the following day’s temperature will be over 95 degrees Fahrenheit or the heat index is over 105 degrees Fahrenheit.

The ABC 17 News Stormtrack Weather Team isn’t predicting temperatures to break the mid-80s this week.

The Boone County Office of Emergency Management posted summer heat preparedness tips from the National Weather Service on Sunday.

According to the NWS, heat-related deaths are preventable, and some people are more susceptible to heat-related illnesses than others, including infants and children, older adults, people with medical conditions and pregnant people.

The NWS suggests friends or family members of people who fall into these categories should check in on them, especially if they don’t have AC.

Staying hydrated, taking breaks and limiting strenuous activities while outside are other ways to stay safe in the heat.

Last year, 32 children died across the U.S. from being in hot cars, according to the No Heat Stroke campaign. Five have died in 2026.

According to the NWS, it’s not safe to leave children in cars, even for as short as 10 minutes.

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Euphenie Andre

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

A bridge in Columbia is officially gone after crews spent the weekend demolishing the Providence Road Bridge over Interstate 70.

The bridge project is part of the Improve I-70 project from Rocheport to Columbia. Missouri Department of Transportation expects the larger project to be completed by late 2029.

According to MoDOT officials, crews finished demolition work Sunday night, earlier than expected. The work was originally scheduled to wrap up Monday morning.

MoDOT’s Project Director Spencer Robinson said the Providence Road Bridge is one of seven bridges being demolished along I-70 across Missouri this year.

“If you live, work, or travel in this area, you have no doubt experienced an I-70 work zone in some capacity,” Robinson said. “This project is one of five Improve I-70 projects that will be underway across the state this summer.”

MoDOT said some drivers experienced delays of up to an hour on I-70 during the demolition process over the weekend.

However, by Sunday night, crews had reopened two lanes of traffic in both directions of I-70, and ramps reopened before 11 p.m.

MoDOT spokeswoman Aj Shurr said crews are now shifting their focus to building the new bridge.

For the next five months, drivers will not be able to cross I-70 using Providence Road. Detours will be posted throughout construction. The westbound I-70 ramp to Providence Road will also remain closed during construction. Other ramps on Providence Road are currently open, but MoDOT said some could temporarily close later in the project.

“Occasional off-peak hour lane closures are anticipated in the area,” Robinson said. “Construction of the new overpass bridge is expected to continue through early November 2026. We encourage motorists to plan ahead and allow extra travel time during this closure.”

This marks the second bridge demolition in Mid-Missouri in the past few months. In April, crews demolished the St. Charles Road Bridge in Kingdom City.

The Providence Road Bridge project is part of the Improve I-70 project from Rocheport to Columbia. MODOT expects the larger project to be completed by late 2029.

The new bridge will be built to accommodate three lanes of traffic on I-70 and include a higher vertical clearance.

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