Author: KMIZ

Alison Patton

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (KMIZ)

The Missouri Department of Transportation addressed construction and traffic Thursday ahead of Memorial Day Weekend, as lawmakers consider suspending the gas tax — a crucial funding source for Missouri roads.

About 39.1 million travelers will hit the road between Thursday and Monday, which is a 0.1% increase nationally, according to AAA.

MoDOT and MSHP leaders urged caution in work zones over the weekend and said speeds won’t be reduced in work zones that don’t have barriers and lane shifts in place.

MoDOT’s Highway Safety & Traffic Engineer Jon Nelson said the goal is to have zero fatal crashes over the weekend.

“Summer is often a time where we unfortunately see an increased number in traffic incidents, fatalities and injuries. We would like for nothing more than for the summer of 2026 to have a different outcome,” Nelson said.

To do that, drivers are encouraged to slow down, put the phone down, driver sober and buckle up.

“Putting this all together we’re simply asking that everyone makes safe decisions that protect themselves, their passengers and everyone else on the roadways,” Nelson said.

Chief safety and operations director Becky Allmeroth said 24 people were killed and over 110 people were injured last year in work zones. There will be over 1,000 work zones this year.

“No matter where you travel this weekend, you should expect to encounter roadwork,” Allmeroth said. “We need drivers to slow down, stay alert and help protect our crews and each other.”

Safety isn’t the only thing on drivers’ minds this summer.

Gas prices in Missouri are over $1.30 more expensive now compared to last year, when the state average was $2.87, according to AAA. About 800,000 Missourians are packing the car this weekend, down 0.1% statewide compared to last year.

State Rep. Tricia Byrnes (R-Wentzville) has offered a potential solution to temporarily lower gas prices –temporarily suspending the gas tax.

“Missouri families are paying more than $1.30 extra on every gallon compared to this time last year. The legislature raised this tax without a public vote in 2021. We can pause it without a public vote. I’m drafting a bill and I’m asking Governor Kehoe to call us back to Jefferson City to pass it,” Byrnes said in a news release.

The tax takes over 29 cents per gallon at the pump, and more than 21 cents goes to MoDOT. The department receives $2.2 billion a year in total from its user fee, which includes the fuel tax, registration and licensing fees and motor vehicle sales taxes. The gas tax brings in the highest amount of revenue from the user fee.

“The Missouri Department of Transportation is aware of the discussions taking place among lawmakers regarding the motor fuel tax, which funds transportation work in our state. At this time, it would be premature for the department to comment or speculate on potential legislative actions or their impacts,” MoDOT spokesperson Jacob Luecke said via email.

MoDOT Director Ed Hassinger reiterated that sentiment at the press conference.

“We’re aware of the efforts, but until we know what that really looks like, it’s pretty premature to comment on that,” Hassinger said.

Byrnes sent Gov. Mike Kehoe a letter Tuesday, asking him to call a special session to move forward with suspending the gas tax.

Click here to follow the original article.

Jessica Hafner

JOPLIN, Mo. (KMIZ)

Friday marks 15 years since a deadly EF-5 tornado packing winds in excess of 200 mph slammed into the heart of Joplin, killing 161 people and destroying hundreds of homes and buildings, including St. John’s Regional Medical Center.

The hospital suffered severe structural damage as windows were blown out across most of the building, the roof collapsed, stairwells crumbled and utilities were demolished, leaving the facility without power.

Of the 180 patients, visitors and healthcare workers, six people died in the hospital. Last Sunday, I took you inside the new Mercy Joplin, which set the standard for how new medical facilities are built to withstand natural disasters, including tornadoes.

Lessons learned from the storm were put into practice across the country and implemented in new hospitals.

“There were things that we were really the industry pioneers of that had never been done before,” said Charis Trost, Mercy Health System’s director of planning and design. “No Midwest hospital was really incorporating hurricane-proof, high-performance windows into their facilities.”

SSM St. Mary’s in Jefferson City was one of the first Mid-Missouri hospitals to adopt new storm-hardening techniques when it opened in 2014.

Emergency Preparedness Specialist Nicki Newton said SSM took those Joplin lessons into consideration when planning the new hospital.

“We talked to people who lived in Joplin, and administrators of those hospitals, as well as other sister facilities and organizations in the area, and those hospitals that are directly in that tornado alley even though it’s shifting more northeast every year, so we are starting to be in the heart of it,” Newton said. “I’m glad that we’ve planned the way that we have but using those other resources for best practices really helped us get ahead of the building codes that have since been implemented.”

St. Mary’s has hurricane-proof glass in the windows surrounding the emergency department, and the stairwells are made of concrete blocks after it was found that the drywall crumbled at St. John’s in Joplin, blocking exits for trapped healthcare workers and patients.

Maintaining power post-storm was one of the top lessons learned following the tornado. Hospitals, including University Hospital in Columbia, have several generators that are tested often and have redundancies in the event of power failure due to a storm.

“They will start and run with the slightest interruption, and we can have all emergency power within, say, 8 seconds is the maximum amount of time, but generally it’s a little quicker than that,” said William Moore, the MU Health Care manager of engineering services.

Situational awareness around dangerous weather has improved since 2011. Hospitals nationwide have developed a critical incident command structure that involves local and state-level emergency response partners.

“It is something that across the country, everybody uses something very similar, and it meets those national standards. It’s easy to communicate not only internally but externally as well. We all speak the same language, so to speak,” said Dale Chambers, MU Health Care emergency management coordinator.

Rapidly evolving communications technology has made emergency response faster and smoother in the last decade.

“We used to have binders with quick reference guides or help guides, and now we’ve gone to where we have apps on our phones that allow employees to look quickly to see this is quick reference guide if we have a tornado or winter weather, or any type of emergency,” said Joe Bayer, director of support services for Boone Hospital.

St. John’s in Joplin moved to electronic patient records just before the tornado, reinforcing the need for quickly accessible information after a storm.

“Without that, when you’re on a fully paper system, you lose all of your patients medical records. So I can’t stress enough the importance of technology just from a caregiving standpoint,” said Trost.

All three Mid-Missouri hospitals I sat down with stressed the importance of preparation ahead of severe weather, including regular practice drills and training, and testing of generators to keep everything running smoothly.

Click here to follow the original article.

Madison Stuerman

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

The Boone County Sheriff’s Office says the body found in the Perche Creek on Sunday has been identified.

However, the person’s name was not released. The agency did share that she was a 47-year-old woman from Columbia.

“We are deferring to friends and family of the victim to decide as to whether the victim’s name is publicly released, and we will not be releasing her name at this time,” a spokesperson said in the social media post.

Andrew B. Acton, 53, of Columbia, was arrested Monday evening during a traffic stop after law enforcement used Flock cameras to identify his vehicle. The truck was seen in footage carrying a City of Columbia trash bin that matched the one pulled from the creek.

The trash can was initially recovered on Sunday by a fisherman at the Providence boat access who reported seeing a human leg wrapped in a blanket inside.

Acton’s initial hearing was rescheduled for May 26 at 1 p.m. in the Boone County Courthouse after he failed to appear in court on Wednesday.

Click here to follow the original article.

Matthew Sanders

Gov. Mike Kehoe joined executives from Google on Wednesday in High Hill to celebrate the company’s plan to build a data center near New Florence in Montgomery County.

Part of the message emphasized the benefits of such projects for local communities. In this case, Kehoe said Google plans to invest $15 billion, including infrastructure upgrades. The project will also bring jobs, according to Kehoe and Google.

And, Kehoe said, welcoming such projects helps position Missouri for the future.

But data center plans have also drawn intense opposition in Montgomery County — as have plans for data centers across Missouri and the country.

Do you think communities should welcome data centers? Let us know by voting in the poll.

Click here to follow the original article.

Ryan Shiner

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

Nearly 1,400 Columbia Public Schools students will graduate this weekend.

CPS is holding four graduation ceremonies for its high schools on Saturday and Sunday.

An email from a district spokeswoman says Battle High School will graduate 345 students, Douglass High School will graduate 58, Hickman High School will see 477 students walk the stage and Rock Bridge High School will see 513 students receive their diploma.

Douglass High School’s graduation is scheduled for 10 a.m. Friday at the Missouri Theatre. Hickman’s graduation is set for 6 p.m. Friday at Mizzou Arena.

Battle’s is scheduled for 11 a.m. Saturday at Mizzou Arena, while Rock Bridge’s is set for 4 p.m. Saturday at the same location.

Ceremonies will also be streamed online.

Click here to follow the original article.

Ryan Shiner

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

A Silver Alert has been canceled after a 90-year-old woman who has dementia was found safe.

The Columbia Police Department said on Facebook that Nancy Thrower was home safe in Columbia on Thursday afternoon.

The department thanked the public and other agencies for their help.

“We would also like to thank BCSD, MUPD, Ashland PD, MSHP and Boone County Fire for their assistance in the search,” the post stated.

A social media post from CPD says Nancy Thrower, of Columbia, was last seen at noon Wednesday in the 1000 block of Westwinds Court. A Missouri State Highway Patrol press release says she walked away from her residence “in an unknown direction.

Police say she was wearing a blue blouse and a black jacket. The MSHP release says she is 5-feet tall, weighs 120 pounds, has gray hair and blue eyes.

An emergency alert that was sent to smartphones in the area says she was also wearing shorts and black shoes. She has a cane and was last seen hiding in bushes, the alert says.

A CPD spokesman told an ABC 17 News reporter after 8 p.m. that police were asking for residents to check any cameras they may have outside their home, including surveillance cameras and RING doorbell cameras. The spokesman cited the lack of daylight as it gets later.

Click here to follow the original article.

Ryan Shiner

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

A man was charged with a couple of felonies after he was accused of leading a deputy on a high-speed chase Monday in southern Columbia.

Arthur James Hill, 38, was charged with aggravated fleeing and driving while revoked. He is being held at the Boone County Jail on a $10,000 bond.

The probable cause statement says Hill fell asleep at the wheel around 4:30 p.m. Monday while at the intersection of Providence Road and Stadium Boulevard, and his vehicle started rolling through a red light at the intersection.

A deputy turned on his emergency lights and Hill stopped in the intersection before heading south, the statement says. The chase then went to the Green Meadows Road intersection at a speed of 91 miles per hour, the statement says. The chase made its way to Southampton Drive, where Hill eventually stopped, court documents say.

Hill allegedly got out of the vehicle, but then ignored the deputy’s commands as he searched for a “roach,” court documents allege.

Click here to follow the original article.

Erika McGuire

HIGH HILL, Mo. (KMIZ)

Gov. Mike Kehoe and leaders from Google unveiled a data center project Wednesday that includes a $15 billion infrastructure investment from the tech giant.

Kehoe joined local officials and Google executives at the Laborers and Contractors Training Center in High Hill on Wednesday afternoon. Speakers touted the jobs the project will bring and sought to dismiss concerns about data centers’ use of electricity and water resources.

“This data center will create thousands of construction jobs as it is being built and hundreds of full-time jobs once it is operational,” said Ruth Porat, Alphabet and Google president and chief investment officer. Each of those hundreds of jobs will create nine others, she said.

The new investment comes as residents in Montgomery County have expressed concerns over data centers since they are known to use a large amount of energy and water.

However, state leaders say the facility will operate differently than others.

“This is an air cooled facility so the only water usage will be from kitchens and bathrooms,” Public of Affairs Manager for the state of Missouri Trystine Payfer said.

Kehoe said the investment came with a commitment from Google to build up local infrastructure and expand energy affordability programs.

Google also announced a $20 million energy impact fund to support programs to drive down monthly energy bills to households in Missouri.

“Not only are we paying for own infrastructure and services we need to fund this facility we are paying a premium on top of that to put down pressure on peoples rates to make sure we are negativity affecting any rate payer,” Payfer added.

The $15 billion announcement comes as construction is underway on an Amazon Web Services Data Center on Hudson Road near New Florence. The Google Data Center Campus is off Interstate 70 on Tree Farm Road.

Google’s data center will be about 900 acres and will have to buildings along with a hub.

Payfer says Montgomery County was picked as a location due to several factors.

“Cost, effectiveness, reliability and community fit and this region is situated perfectly, we have a great talent pool, strong community partners and a excited community,” She said.

“Project Spade” is expected to bring in over 2,000 construction jobs and hundreds of full-time position once the facility is complete.

Kehoe said the project is about connectivity and creating jobs for Missouri families.

“The county has done a great job addressing those concerns, there has been a lot of misinformation, google is committed to making sure they understand faces go with these jobs, people and families go with these investments,” Kehoe said.

Project Spade, a codename for the Google data center campus, obtained two permits under Kinetic Site Ventures LLC that were issued in February of this year.

The permits are for data center complexes, with additional permits expected as the project continues.

The project is currently in the pre-construction phase and is set to be completed in the next two years.

 

Click here to follow the original article.

Ryan Shiner

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

No charges will be filed against Columbia Police Department officers who shot a man on Christmas Day.

Audrain County Prosecutor Jacob Shellabarger – who was named the special prosecutor in the case — wrote in a letter to the Boone County Circuit Court that he will not file charges against the officers.

“I have reviewed all reports, evidence and information regarding the December 25, 2025, shooting of Marc Lucas by the Columbia Police Department. I have found that the shooting was justified and proper under Missouri law, and although tragic, will not result in any criminal charges or further proceedings,” the May 15 letter says.

The names of the officers were not revealed. Shellabarger confirmed that two officers fired shots.

Lucas was charged in Boone County with first-degree arson, misdemeanor first-degree trespassing, two counts of unlawful use of a weapon and a pair of misdemeanor fourth-degree assault counts. Boone County Prosecutor Roger Johnson confirmed Lucas died and his charges have since been dropped.

Court documents in previous reporting say Lucas allegedly set a couch on fire at the Courtyard by Marriott hotel at Grindstone Parkway and Highway 63.

He then allegedly got into a fight with Holiday Inn Express employees after he was denied a room at that hotel, previous reporting indicates. He had also allegedly pulled out a knife during some point in the encounter.

Lucas then allegedly walked to a nearby Break Time gas station, pulled out the knife and threatened to assault someone while officers were there, the statement says.

Officers allegedly tried to use a stun gun while detaining Lucas, but Lucas then allegedly tried to attack one of the officers with a knife and he was shot, police wrote in a December press release.

Lucas was put into hospice care earlier this year.

Check back for updates.  

Lucas Marc OIS – SPA for CPD – Decline to Court 5-11-26Download

Click here to follow the original article.

Ryan Shiner

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

A Jefferson City man was charged on Tuesday with second-degree statutory rape in Cole County.

Page Guss, 22, is being held at the Cole County Jail without bond. An arraignment was scheduled for Wednesday afternoon.

The probable cause statement says the victim’s mother called Columbia police on May 16 to say their 16-year-old daughter had “sexual relations” with Guss at a Jefferson City hotel.

Guss allegedly picked up the girl from her parents’ residence and the mother called the victim’s phone and allegedly told Guss the girl was not an adult, the statement says. Guss allegedly said curse words at the mother and hung up the phone, the statement says.

Guss and the minor were unable to get a hotel room in Columbia, but were able to in Jefferson City, the statement says.

The victim allegedly told police Guss added her on the social media application Snapchat on May 15 and that they had sex in a Jefferson City hotel room the next day, the statement says.

Guss allegedly told police that after the phone call with the victim’s mother, the victim allegedly told him the mother lied and claimed she was 19 years old, court documents say.

Click here to follow the original article.