Author: KMIZ

Jazsmin Halliburton

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

Missouri’s annual back-to-school sales tax holiday began at midnight on Friday and will remain in effect until midnight on Sunday.

The Back-to-School Sales Tax Holiday exempts all state and local sales or use tax on qualifying items during the exemption period. During this time, certain back-to-school purchases, such as school supplies, computers, clothing and other qualifying items, are exempt from all state and local sales tax.

According to the Missouri Department of Revenue, there are some stipulations for certain back-to-school items, such as:

Clothing – any article having a taxable value of $100 or less

School supplies – not to exceed $50 per purchase

Computer software – taxable value of $350 or less

Personal computers – not to exceed $1,500

Computer peripheral devices – not to exceed $1,500

Graphing calculators – not to exceed $150

Anyone who makes a qualified purchase may participate in the holiday. You do not have to be a Missouri resident or student to participate.

Several back-to-school shoppers have done their shopping earlier than usual. According to the National Retail Federation, 67% of people started their back-to-school shopping in July. That is 55% higher than in 2024 and just over half got their shopping done out of concern that prices will rise due to Friday’s tariff deadline.

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Ryan Shiner

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

Law enforcement agencies in Randolph County responded to what ended up being a pair of “swatting” calls on Friday morning. .

“Swatting” occurs when someone makes a prank call or message to draw a surprise emergency response to an address. A similar call was made to the residence of former Secretary of State Jay Ashcroft last year. Other areas of Mid-Missouri have seen instances of swatting, including a Columbia neighborhood in June.

The Randolph County Sheriff’s Office wrote on its social media Friday morning that it – along with Moberly police and Randolph County EMS – responded to an alleged report of an active shooter at a residence in Moberly and an alleged bomb threat at Huntsville City Hall. Neither of the calls ended up being true.

“Personnel from all agencies responded and after a thorough investigation determined the call came from an untraceable phone and none of the reported accusations were true,” the post says. “This incident will be investigated but it is important to note all accusations were unsubstantiated and all personnel have cleared the scenes.”

Randolph County Sheriff Andy Boggs told ABC 17 News no one is in custody for the call, but he was given some information by federal officials as to who could’ve made the calls.

“The people that I talked to said it was a person, it was a male, they did not believe it was automated,” Boggs said. “As far as we know, this came from somewhere that’s not in our state, you know, and maybe not even in the nation.”

Boggs added that both calls came from a California area code.

The City of Moberly wrote in a press release that it has been in contact with the Department of Homeland Security and that similar events have occurred around the country on Friday.

“The City is aware that other locations in Missouri and across the United States received similar false reports today. The Department of Homeland Security has been in contact with City officials and is coordinating with local and state agencies in response to this event,” the release says.

Swatting calls in Missouri can result in both a misdemeanor or a felony depending on the claims and the outcome following the false call. At its most serious a person can face up to 15 years in prison

Randolph County Sheriff’s Office launched a new app Friday that helped alert the community about threats that turned out to be a swatting call.

“We were able to send out push notifications to people that have downloaded the app. They get a real time notification so they can be ready for it or they at least know what’s going on,” Boggs said.

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Erika McGuire

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

The Conley Avenue parking garage reopened Friday, nearly a year after it was shut down for repairs.

The structure at 511 Conley Ave. closed on Aug. 17, 2024, for maintenance. But just two months later, the university announced it would remain closed until fall 2025 to address serious repair needs.

Records show the university was warned about the deteriorating condition in July 2024. The garage — which can hold more than 700 vehicles — was found to have significant issues following a walkthrough inspection by Braun Intertec in September 2024.

MU_Conley_Ave_Parking_Structure_-_Post-Tensioned_Slabs_Investigations_Testing_and_Evaluation_Executive_SummaryDownload

The engineering report revealed severe cracking on the west side of Level 2, possibly caused by movement from a broken sprinkler pipe under Level 1. The inspection also noted a “badly cracked and spalled: south foundation wall, along with damaged slab tendons and anchors on Level 2 either due to poor construction or decades of wear from heavy use.”

It was then recommended that the University of Missouri to close the garage for needed repairs.

The University of Missouri said in a press release Wednesday, “The Conley reopening follows the successful on-time completion of a $5.5 million maintenance and repair project, designed to preserve and extend the life of one of our most used parking facilities,”

Other records obtained by ABC 17 News show no violations were found in the University Avenue and Tiger Avenue garages.

UMC_University_Ave_Condition_ReportDownload

CP252312_TAPS_Priority_Repairs_Inspect_ReportDownload

The university is also launching its new parking program that includes pricing tiers based on location demand for staff, faculty and all students.

A spokesperson said the new program was created after the campus community was not satisfied with the limited flexibility of the previous parking model.

A new shuttle route, the MU Health Care loop, will also be added starting Friday.

The route loops between Champions Drive and Providence Point with stops near Missouri Orthopedic Institute and University Hospital.

According to the university, the route will run weekdays from 6 a.m.-9 a.m. and again from 3 p.m.-6 p.m.

The Conley Avenue parking garage was built in 1987.

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Ryan Shiner

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

A former worker at the prison in Tipton pleaded guilty on Friday to having sex with an inmate.

Jessica Baird, of Versailles, will be sentenced at 9 a.m. Friday, Oct. 3. She is accused of having sex with a male prisoner on Oct. 21, 2024, when she worked at Tipton Correctional Center, according to court documents in previous reporting.

The prisoner admitted on a recording to having sex with Baird and Baird confirmed the story to investigators, according to the probable cause statement. The acts happened in an employee restroom, the prisoner allegedly said.

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Ryan Shiner

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

Several firefighters had to be treated for heat-related issues at the scene of a house fire in Camdenton on Wednesday, according to a social media post from the Mid-County Fire Protection District.

The post says none of the firefighters needed to be brought to a hospital. No additional injuries were reported.

Crews were called at 1:41 p.m. to a house fire in the 200 block of Blair Avenue in Camdenton and brought it under control within 15 minutes, the post says. The home and its contents were considered a total loss, the post says.

The cause of the fire is under investigation. The post says crews left at 3:34 p.m.

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Ryan Shiner

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

A Columbia man was charged with two felonies and a misdemeanor after he allegedly admitted to stealing from 20 vehicles in the past two months, court documents say.

Nikolaus Harvey, 26, was charged with misdemeanor stealing and two felonies: Stealing a gun and stealing drugs. He was also charged in another case with first-degree burglary, stealing more than $750 and possessing burglary tools after he allegedly took two bikes from a garage in a neighborhood near the Columbia Library.

He is being held without bond at the Boone County Jail. A confined docket hearing is scheduled for 1 p.m. Thursday in the burglary case.

A probable cause statement says that a number of items were stolen from three cars parked near each other on July 9. The stolen items included a gun, a knife, credit and debit cards, Social Security cards, prescription medication and more.

Harvey was allegedly seen looking through vehicles on multiple Ring cameras, the statement says. Police went to his mother’s residence, who allegedly said he stays in his car outside of the residence, the statement says. Police allegedly found the clothes he was allegedly seen wearing in the videos, the statement says.

Harvey allegedly admitted to police that he stole items from about 20 vehicles during the past two months, court documents say.

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Nia Hinson

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (KMIZ)

Leaders in Jefferson City say they’re still on track to open a new conference center downtown.

That’s despite a loss of $20 million that was supposed to help pay for the project after state lawmakers cut the funds during its special session. Leaders in Jefferson City met Wednesday night about the financial aspects of the center, which is being built on Capitol Avenue between Madison Street and Monroe Street.

The city is aiming to have it built by June 2028.

President of the Jefferson City Regional Economic Partnership Luke Holtschneider said the city is hoping to try again in the future.

“The state is a partner, and just based on proximity and the use of the parking garage as part of this overall development, continue and engage with the state and see if there can be some partnership,” Holtschneider said.

The center will hold roughly 29,000 square feet of conference space and 204 hotel rooms, according to Jefferson City Regional Economic Partnership’s website. Holtschneider said the city is still having discussions about what the hotel will be, but it’s been narrowed down to Marriott, Hilton and Hyatt, who have all expressed interest.

Mayor Ron Fitzwater called the news regarding losing state funding a “gut punch.” However, Fitzwater said the city wont give up on the project because of it.

“We’re going to rally around it,” Fitzwater said. “Hopefully, we can go back to the legislature next year, make our case again, work with the governor’s office and hopefully this time get in the initial governor’s budget…. We need this conference center in the capital city and we’re staying laser-focused on that effort.”

Fitzwater said the center is slated to cost $130 million, but could change throughout the design phase of the project. He also said the city is considering other ways to make up for the loss, including “squeezing the project” to try and close the gap, or having good luck with interest rates falling over the next few years.

“There are other things we have not looked at yet and we didn’t want to put it in the financing,” Fitzwater said. “We’ve not looked at naming rights and some other revenue sources. They’re not going to close the entire $20 million but they’ll help us close it a little, so every additional thing we do can will help the project.”

As part of the construction of the center, the capital city will also lose out on 400 parking spaces due to the demolition of the Madison Street parking garage. Holtschneider said the city is working with a private parking operator to try and come up with a plan.

“They would look at developing a displacement plan that would ultimately help the city mitigate some of the downtime during the demolition and construction of the new project…utilizing existing parking assets within the city, and potentially some private parking lots to accommodate those that would be displaced during the demolition of the existing garage.”

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Ryan Shiner

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

A man who was accused of murder in a shooting death in Moberly earlier this year has been arrested.

A Wednesday press release from the Moberly Police Department says Todd Turner, 38, was arrested in Cahokia Heights, Illinois, on suspicion of first-degree murder in the death of Donald Hickem. He was charged with the crime in Randolph County on Wednesday afternoon. Turner is currently being held in the St. Clair County Jail in Illinois and waiting to be extradited back to Randolph County, the release says.

The release says Hickem, 37, was found dead with gunshot wounds in the 500 block of North Moulton Street on Feb. 1. Charges including first-degree murder and armed criminal action were initially filed against  Timothy Turner, 37, of Columbia.

Timothy Turner was shot and killed by Columbia police after a standoff in the 1500 block of Raleigh Drive in Columbia. Charges were not filed against the officers said to be involved. Timothy Turner allegedly had a knife and started swinging while police were at the residence, previous reporting shows.

Court documents in previous reporting say a phone registered to Timothy Turner was found at the Moberly residence, court documents say. A witness who knew Timothy Turner allegedly told police that the Turners entered an alley near the home and Todd Turner had told Timothy to put his gun away, court documents say.

The witness walked down the alley and heard four-to-five shots, the statement in previous reporting says. The witness went inside a home and came back out to see the Turners in a vehicle, with Timothy Turner pointing a gun at the witness, the statement says.

The witness claimed in a probable cause statement filed on Wednesday that they left with the Turners in Timothy Turner’s vehicle and they planned on driving to Illinois.

The statement says that lab results from June 18 determined the bullets recovered from Hickem’s body were fired from two different guns. Additional information from cellphones and video allegedly showed the Turners at a gas station in Wright City later in the day on Feb. 1.

Check back for updates.

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Haley Swaino

SEDALIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

Sedalia city officials are seeking to demolish a 95-year-old downtown building as it continues to deteriorate since a storm rolled through the area Thursday.

In support of public understanding and being transparent, the city released documents about the property at 207 W. Main Street.

The city said it’s received many inquiries about the ongoing situation.

“We understand the concern,” the city said in a social media post Tuesday. “This property raises important questions about safety, accountability, and preservation.”

A hearing was scheduled for 10 a.m. Tuesday and summons were issued for the building’s owners, Dana Melton and Travis Dixon.

The city filed a petition to have a court declare the vacant property an immediate danger and requested to have it demolished on July 23, according to previous reporting.

The city said in the post that the process to demolish it dates back to 2012, when the neighboring building was demolished.

After the former interior wall of 207 West Main St. was exposed, the city paid to have a coating applied to protect the masonry, according to the city.

In 2017, the city said early warnings of failing masonry, water infiltration, and other structural red flags by Wallace Engineering were ignored.

Wallace Assessment Report 2017Download

“Their report called for further evaluation, but the necessary repairs never came,” the city stated.

Three years later, an old coal shaft was discovered during a sidewalk replacement project outside the property. Documents state the shaft is located beneath the front of the already unstable building.

Credit: City of Sedalia

Credit: City of Sedalia

Credit: City of Sedalia

“Construction paused while engineers developed a stabilization plan,” documents state. “The city and its contractors took time to properly fill and reinforce the area to ensure safety. Despite these efforts, no repairs were initiated by the property owners themselves.”

It is stated that the condition of the building had visibly continued to deteriorate by 2023.

“Missing bricks, crumbling mortar, and structural separation at the foundation and parapet were noted in official violation notices,” the city said. “Still, no substantial action was taken.”

Code Violations 69-108Download

Records show 207 West Main St. was transferred to Dana Melton and David Dixon in October 2024. The property was transferred to new owners despite an active code case and an open violation notice.

“According to City Ordinance 10-460, it is illegal to transfer a property deemed dangerous unless violations are first corrected or a formal compliance agreement is in place,” the city said. “Neither condition was met.”

The city said it issued a “fresh” round of notices and tried to work with Melton and Dixon to get the property into compliance. The condition of the building continued to worsen and suffered more damage after a storm in June 2024.

Currently, the City of Sedalia says it’s committed to transparency and safety when it comes to how to move forward with 207 West Main St.

“The City of Sedalia understands that building demolitions–especially downtown–come with emotion, history, and concern,” the city said in a post Tuesday. “The City’s preference, from the beginning, was for the building to be repaired. Code Enforcement staff worked for years to prompt action and provide opportunities for compliance. But no amount of reminders, warnings, or engineering reports can substitute for responsible ownership.”

The city said it is now unavoidable that the building must be demolished.

Court proceedings are scheduled to resume Thursday at 10:00 a.m. Judge Jeff Mittelhauser has asked the city to provide additional information.

ABC 17 News has reached out to the attorney representing Melton and Dixon.

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Erika McGuire

NEW BLOOMFIELD, Mo. (KMIZ)

For the first time, the New Bloomfield Fire Protection District is asking district voters for assistance on Aug. 5.

The district is asking voters to approve general obligation bonds for $3 million that would be used for a new fire station and other improvements.

The ballot question reads: “Shall the New Bloomfield Fire Protection District issue its general obligation bonds in the amount of $3,000,000 for the purpose of acquiring real property; constructing, furnishing and equipping a new fire station; renovating, improving and expanding existing fire station; and acquiring fire trucks, vehicles and other firefighting emergency apparatus and equipment?”

In a Facebook Post earlier this month, the fire district clarified that the planned project will be less than $3 million.

“The cost of our new building and expansion of our existing station to be significantly lower. We are asking for $3,000,000 so we can plan for the next decade (or two) for the equipment needs. Our repayment will be only on the amount we borrow,” the post said.

The project would be funded through a general obligation bond, which the district says allows it to borrow money at the lowest possible interest rate. While the district can borrow funds without voter approval, doing so would come at a higher cost, officials say.

If approved, the bond would be repaid through a property tax levy of about 11¢.

The fire district estimates that, for the average homeowner, approval of the bond measure would increase property taxes by about 8 a day, which is about $2.30 a month.

According to the district, the funding would allow for expanded and updated facilities, along with the purchase of new emergency equipment, enhancing firefighter safety, improving response times, and strengthening protection in the New Bloomfield community.

Callaway sample ballotDownload

This is the only question on the special election ballot in Callaway County.

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