Author: KMIZ

Ryan Shiner

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

“Chariot races” will be discussed at Monday night’s Columbia City Council meeting.

New business on the council agenda shows that the energy drink company Red Bull filed an application with the city to hold the 2026 Red Bull Chariot Races on Saturday, April 11 in downtown Columbia.

Meeting documents say President of Throwing Star Collective, Inc. Joshua Green filed the application with the city’s special events committee on Dec. 17.

Information from the city indicates the “chariot races” may look a bit different than what some may have seen in “Ben-Hur” and other popular media.

Races will consist of four-person teams that “that design and construct themed, two-wheeled, human-powered chariots measuring approximately 4 feet by 3 feet,” meeting documents say. Up to 24 teams will be allowed to participate and 12 heats will occur throughout the day.

The race course would begin at the corner of Cherry and Hitts streets, head west to Tenth and Cherry streets and head north on Tenth Street, with the finish line being at East Broadway, the agenda says.

Set up for the event would begin at 5 a.m. April 11 and teardown would be completed by 9 p.m. the same day, according to meeting documents. The day would also have events including an opening ceremony, parade; and closing ceremonies and awards will be at 5 p.m.

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Ryan Shiner

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

A man who was accused of raping someone in 2008-09 was sentenced this week.

Roger Allen Curtis, of Mexico, Missouri, was initially charged in 2024 in Audrain County with first-degree rape. He pleaded guilty on Nov. 10 to incest and was sentenced on Monday to five years of probation, along with a seven-year suspended sentence.

According to court documents in previous reporting, the victim told law enforcement that she was raped by Curtis several times. She allegedly told law enforcement that the first sexual assault occurred after Curtis threatened to shoot her, court documents say. He allegedly told the victim that if she told anyone of the assault, he would kill her, court documents say.

Law enforcement talked to several witnesses who were told about the sexual assault by the victim, and they stated details that were consistent with what the victim told law enforcement, according to the probable cause statement.

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Ryan Shiner

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

The Columbia Parks and Recreation Commission will discuss a recently approved family reunification agreement at its Thursday night meeting.

The City of Columbia approved the agreement with Columbia Public Schools at its Jan. 5 City Council meeting.

The agreement – which runs through June 30 – stats that students can go to two locations in the city in the event of an emergency in order to meet their families. Those locations are the Columbia Sports Field House and the Northeast Event Center.

The agreement renews on July 1 for the next two years.

In the event of an emergency, students will be bussed to the reunification locations. Once staff have a head count of students, their parents or guardians will be notified where to pick up their child.

Parents will be handed a card that asks for their identification and the student’s identification. From there, a staff member will go get that student and bring them to the parent or guardian.

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Ryan Shiner

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

A portion of the driving lane of eastbound Interstate 70 in Columbia will be closed until 3 p.m. Friday, according to a Thursday press release from the Missouri Department of Transportation.

Emergency repairs are occurring at St. Charles Road.

MoDOT crews temporarily reduced that portion of eastbound I-70 on Wednesday evening to one lane to make a temporary repair, and both lanes will be open during peak traffic hours on Thursday, the release says.

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Olivia Hayes

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

A Columbia man has been charged with multiple felonies and a misdemeanor after leading police on a chase that ended with a crash Wednesday night at a Columbia intersection.

Daylon Logan, 21, is charged with driving without a license, kidnapping, stealing a car, fleeing a traffic stop and leaving the scene of a crash.

A Columbia Police officer tried to pull over Logan around 7 p.m. Wednesday as he left a parking lot near Nebraska Avenue after a computer check showed Logan had no driver’s license and previous drug and gun convictions, according to a probable cause statement.

Police allege Logan cut off another driver and blew through a stop sign at Providence Road and Nebraska Avenue before the officer tried to stop his vehicle.

A chase ensued on eastbound Interstate 70, with Logan driving his vehicle “from shoulder to shoulder, across both lanes of traffic, weaving between many other vehicles.” Police suspected Logan of drug or gun activity because they had previously found fentanyl in the car he was driving, a second probable cause statement says.

The chase ended when Logan crashed into a truck at Brickton and Trimble roads. He ran, briefly hiding in a car to evade an officer before running again, court documents state.

Officers caught up to Logan in the parking lot of Slim Chickens in the 2600 block of Trimble Road.

Documents say that after being read his Miranda rights, Logan admitted to fleeing from police and not having a valid license. A passenger who was in Logan’s car during the crash and was treated at a hospital for injuries told officers that Logan was driving when the crash happened, documents say.

The passenger allegedly told officers that he asked Logan to stop the car five times and feared for his life.

Logan was being held in the Boone County jail on no bond. Logan was on probation for drug trafficking, resisting arrest and illegal gun possession. He was given a suspended sentence in December 2025 after being charged with stealing a U-Haul and leading Columbia police on a chase in June 2025.

No court date has been scheduled.

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Ryan Shiner

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

A portion of the eastbound lane of East Walnut Street in downtown Columbia will be closed until Wednesday, according to a Thursday press release from the City of Columbia.

The release says the lane between North Eighth and Ninth streets near the Guitar Building closed Thursday morning and will reopen by 5 p.m. Wednesday, Jan. 21.

“The closure will allow contractor crews to repair the full length of the parapet wall on the north side of the building and secure the exterior,” the release says.

The sidewalks will stay open and detour signs will be posted. The first phase of the work was completed on Wednesday.

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Ryan Shiner

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

A man who was arrested on Wednesday after he allegedly stole a gun and got into a chase with law enforcement has been charged with six felonies.

Devin Taylor, 25, of Columbia, was charged with aggravated fleeing, armed criminal action, first-degree property damage, second-degree burglary, stealing a gun and tampering with evidence. He is being held at the Boone County Jail without bond and a court date has not been scheduled.

Probation violations were also filed in two of his other court cases.

Two probable cause statements were filed in the case. They say that authorities were called at 8:45 a.m. to the 5200 block of East St. Charles Road after a business owner learned their business was burglarized the night before.

A rifle, two gaming consoles and a stack of checkbooks totaling $2,800 were stolen, according to the court documents. Two vehicles at the business were also broken into, the statement says. Security footage allegedly showed a masked man that officers were able to identify as Taylor “due to many interactions” the officer had, the statement says.  

Taylor was allegedly in a white Dodge Ram at the scene, which was later spotted by a deputy at the intersection of Buttonwood Drive and Nifong Boulevard, the statement says. The deputy tried to pull over the vehicle and a chase ensued where speeds topped 85 miles per hour, the statement says.

Taylor eventually crashed the truck into another vehicle near Veterans United’s south Columbia campus, according to the statement and previous reporting. He then ran into the woods and was eventually detained and the rifle was found later, the statements show.

Taylor allegedly denied driving the truck and claimed he had been walking in a field when officers started chasing him, the statement says. Law enforcement wrote that it had received a “hit” from a Flock camera just before the chase that apparently showed someone matching Taylor’s description driving the truck, the statement says.

Deputies also found a glass breaker and several car keys that belonged to the burglarized business, the statement says.

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Madison Stuerman

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

Seasonal influenza activity levels remain very high in Missouri.

According to the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services, there have been 33,681 flu cases reported this season.

For the week ending on Jan. 3, the department reported 7,582 new cases. 89% of those cases were Influenza A cases.

MU Health Care pediatric infectious diseases specialist, Dr. Amruta Padhye, said the state has not hit the peak of cases.

Padhye said clinics and hospitals in the MU Health Care system are seeing an increase in flu cases along with other viruses like RSV, strep throat and ear infections.

MU Health Care has reported an increase in emergency room visits due to flu and respiratory illness, increasing wait times. Even if you get the flu once this season, you can still get sick again, according to Padhye.

“I still recommend the influenza vaccine after recovery from that current illness, because we also see influenza B this time of the year,” Padhye said. “You can still get influenza, whether it’s the same type or the other type later in the season.”

According to guidance from MU Health Care, anyone with severe symptoms should get emergency care. This includes difficulty breathing, severe dehydration, confusion, or chest pain with the flu.

“We have a list of symptoms for which to seek care in a quick care versus urgent care or versus emergency care,” Padhye said. “I would recommend looking at that list, kind of to help yourself, to help guide where to seek care.”

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Alison Patton

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

Missouri Speaker of the House Jonathon Patterson (R-Lees Summit) has introduced the framework of the governor’s tax elimination plan, and Representative Mark Boyko (D-Kirkwood) from across the aisle filed an alternate plan.

Governor Mike Kehoe has been a long-standing proponent of eliminating the state’s income tax. The bill Patterson filed would do that without increasing the sales tax rate, but it would expand the sales tax base to include services.

“For the purpose of reducing and eliminating the state individual income tax, state and local sales and use taxes or any similar transaction-based tax may be expanded by legislation to impose taxes on transactions involving any goods and services,” the House Joint Resolution 165 reads.

During his State of the State Address on Tuesday, Kehoe said this might mean local governments will have to adjust their property tax rates to compensate for the sales tax expansion.

Cole County Commissioner Harry Otto told ABC 17 News that county sales, property and use taxes were the biggest revenue streams for the county.

On Wednesday, Otto said adjusting the tax base while also adjusting property taxes isn’t what’s best for the budget.

“What sounds good for the county is an expansion of the sales tax base,” Otto said. “What doesn’t sound good for the county is some kind of contraction on the property tax.”

Patterson’s tax plan, if passed, would either need to be put before the voters in November or be passed during a special election.

Voters would only need to give an OK for lawmakers to adjust their taxes because of the Hancock amendment, which requires tax rate adjustments to be passed by the voters, Otto said.

The bill text says “any tax or revenue increase resulting from legislation enacted for the purpose of reducing and eliminating state individual income tax” is exempt from the Hancock Amendment.

An official, detailed income tax elimination plan hasn’t been announced.

On the opening day of the regular session, Democrats announced that they would file alternative legislation, and they did.

Boyko filed House Bill 2975, which would adjust Missouri’s tax brackets.

boyko tax planDownload

Currently, anyone with a taxable income in Missouri who makes over $9,191 is pays a base rate of $256 plus 6% on income over the base income. For example, if a person makes $10,000, they would be taxed 6% on $809.

Starting in 2027, Boyko wants to adjust taxes for people who make over $30,000 and increase taxes for people who make over $1 million.

According to Boyko’s plan, people who make over $30,000 would be pay a base tax of $1,183.25 plus 4.7% on excess–the current rate. The highest earners would pay a base of $46,773 plus 5.9% on excess over $1 million.

People who make less than $30,000 would receive a tax break:

Earners between $7,500 and $30,000 have a base pay of $159 and excess tax rate of 4.55%.

Earners between $2,000 and $7,500 don’t have a base pay but are taxed 2.9%.

Earners that make less than $2,000 aren’t taxed.

Missouri currently has a tiered tax system. If the state hits a certain amount of revenue each fiscal year, then it triggers a new tax rate.

The state has already hit a few of the triggers since 2023, which can be found in the income tax law. Boyko’s proposed plan would take out that tiered system.

Both proposed bills need to be placed with a committee, and it’s up to Patterson to do that.

“If the speaker (Speaker of the House Jon Patterson) gives my plan the same shot the Speaker will give his own plan, in terms of assigning it to a committee, I look forward to having a debate and explaining to my colleagues that this is the plan that would actually lower taxes and reduce costs on Missourians,” Boyko said.

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Ryan Shiner

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

The Department of Homeland Security confirmed in a social media post that a federal agent has again shot someone in the city if Minneapolis.

The Department of Homeland Security said federal agents were conducting a “targeted traffic stop” when the man, a Venezuelan national, was shot in the leg after he began to resist arrest and “violently assault” one of its officers.

The city later confirmed that a man was shot in the leg and was brought to an area hospital with non-life-threatening injuries. The city asked the public to remain calm while once again demanding ICE to leave the city and the state.

This evening, one adult male was shot by federal immigration enforcement agents in the 600 block of 24th Avenue North. He was transferred to a local hospital with apparent non-life-threatening injuries.

We understand there is anger. We ask the public to remain calm. https://t.co/dTHsb8faqV

— City of Minneapolis (@CityMinneapolis) January 15, 2026

The DHS tweet alleges that a “targeted traffic stop” a 6:50 p.m. involved a Venezuelan national and that when officers tried to arrest them, they were attacked by two people and was hit with a shovel and a broom stick.

“Fearing for his life and safety as he was being ambushed by three individuals, the officer fired a defensive shot to defend his life. The initial subject was hit in the leg,” the post says. “All three subjects ran back into the apartment and barricaded themselves inside. The attacked officer and subject are both in the hospital. Both attackers are in custody.”

At 6:50 PM CT, federal law enforcement officers were conducting a targeted traffic stop in Minneapolis of an illegal alien from Venezuela who was released into the country by Joe Biden in 2022.

In an attempt to evade arrest, the subject fled the scene in his vehicle and crashed…

— Homeland Security (@DHSgov) January 15, 2026

Police Chief Bryan O’Hara told reporters at a press conference that he understood there was possibly just one attacker. He also said the incident involved someone driving a vehicle that was spotted on 94th Street and began driving toward the residence where the shooting occurred.

Minneapolis leaders are asking the city to remain calm and are demanding that ICE leave the city again.

“ICE can leave and this massive deployment can come to an end,” says Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey. “We have filed litigation to hopefully make it so. And at the same time I’m deeply concerned that we don’t have that kind of time. This is already the 2nd shooting that we’ve had in a week. People are scared. The atmosphere is tense, but again, there is another option. We can stop going down this route together.”

The incident comes as the city continues to reel in the aftermath of the fatal shooting of Renee Good by an Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer, which sparked nationwide protests and exacerbated tensions in a community already on edge over a surge in federal agents.

Check back for updates.

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