Author: KMIZ

Ryan Shiner

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

An 18-year-old man was charged with several crimes after he allegedly broke into several cars on the University of Missouri’s campus.

Larron Brown was charged with first-degree tampering with a motor vehicle, five counts of second-degree burglary, two counts of misdemeanor stealing and five counts of first-degree property damage.  He is being held at the Boone County Jail on a $50,000 bond

The probable cause statement says police at 11:30 p.m. Saturday night were called to Mark Twain Hall for a report of a theft. One of the victims claimed they only parked the car in the past few hours and one of the back windows was busted out and $20 and small items were stolen, the statement says.

The statement describes at least four other vehicles that had one of its back windows destroyed and several of those had items and money stolen. Video allegedly showed the vehicle Brown was driving, the statement says.

Brown was stopped by deputies near the corner of College Avenue and Paris Road on Sunday morning, the statement says. The vehicle driven by Brown was reported stolen from Boonville, the statement says.  

Click here to follow the original article.

Matthew Sanders

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

Two congressmen representing parts of Missouri have released statements about their votes to release the Epstein files.

U.S. Rep. Mark Alford (R-Raytown) and U.S. Rep. Emanuel (D-Kansas City) were among the 427 House members to vote Tuesday afternoon to compel the Justice Department to release files related to the investigation of convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. Epstein killed himself while in jail, and his death has sparked speculation about which powerful figures knew about his crimes.

“On my last day as a television news anchor and from the very beginning of the Epstein Files saga, I’ve said the only thing that matters is the truth,” Alford said in a news release. “Time and again, I have advocated for any files in the Justice Department’s possession to be responsibly released, while protecting victims’ identities. Transparency is not a partisan issue — it’s a moral one.

“The public has a right to know who enabled these heinous acts, and we must ensure the full scope of Epstein’s criminal network is exposed. The Epstein case has cast a long shadow over our institutions and fueled distrust among Americans. By releasing the files, we can begin to restore faith in our justice system.”

Cleaver lamented House Republicans’ foot-dragging over releasing the files. He called on the Senate to immediately pass the bill, which came just a few hours later.

“The crimes committed by Jeffrey Epstein and his associates were disgusting, deplorable, and devastatingly damaging to dozens, if not hundreds, of young and vulnerable girls across the country,” Cleaver said. “While it is deeply disappointing that the president and the Speaker of the House fought to prevent this bill from ever coming to the House floor, a bipartisan coalition of lawmakers came together to force a vote that will bring us another step closer toward providing justice to the victims and transparency to the American people.”

Only one House member, Louisiana Republican Clay Higgins, voted against releasing the files.

President Donald Trump, whose relationship with Epstein has been a source of speculation, had initially opposed the release of the files, but he reversed course over the weekend with a vote in the House looming.

The measure now heads to the president’s desk.

Click here to follow the original article.

Ryan Shiner

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

A Moberly man was charged with a felony after he allegedly pointed a gun at another man during a drunken road rage incident on Monday evening.

Roben Teter Jr., 29, was charged in Randolph County with unlawful use of a weapon. An arraignment is scheduled for 8:45 a.m. Wednesday.

The probable cause statement says Teter pulled out a gun and waved it at the victim’s face in the area of North Morley and Coates streets. Teter’s eyes were bloodshot and watery when police met with him and he smelled like alcohol, the statement says.

Teter allegedly told police that the other vehicle cut him off, but alleged he did not have a gun, the statement says. The victim allegedly told police that his vehicle is “slow to shift” and believed Teter was driving erratic because the victim’s vehicle was not going fast enough, the statement says.

Both vehicles ended up in the same parking lot and Teter allegedly got out of the vehicle and started waving the gun at the victim’s head, the statement says.

Police found a loaded gun in Teter’s vehicle and claimed Teter gave a breath test that resulted in a .106, which is higher than the legal limit to drive, the statement says.

Click here to follow the original article.

Ryan Shiner

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

A Columbia man who currently teaches lessons to children at his home was charged on Friday with having child pornography.

David McGowan, 62, was charged in Boone County with five counts of child porn possession. He is being held at the Boone County Jail without bond and an initial court appearance was held on Tuesday afternoon.

The probable cause statement says law enforcement received a tip on Aug. 14 from a CyberTip about child porn being stored in an online platform. A search warrant was conducted on Sept. 30 and law enforcement took multiple electronic devices.

The statement says several hundred images of child porn were found on the devices.

Court documents did not describe what kind of lessons McGowan provided youth.

Click here to follow the original article.

Marie Moyer

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

City of Columbia residents are now having their cardboard curbside recycling recycled, instead of being diverted to a landfill.

The recycling center has resumed processing residential paper and cardboard, according to Columbia Utilities. That service hasn’t been available since spring, when a tornado destroyed the recycling center.

In an email, Utilities spokesman Jason West said there are some limitations to paper processing due to weather. The processing center currently does not have a roof or walls, leaving both machinery and stored paper material vulnerable to rot and damage.

“When it is not too windy and not rainy, we will be able to bale the material,” West said. “However, if the wind is blowing too much or if the material is already wet when collected, we will not be able to bale every day until the area is at least covered.”

“Extremely low temperatures could also cause us not to be able to use the machinery because it is just sitting outside and we don’t have a heat source down here,” Recovery Superintendent for Solid Waste Tom Elliott said.

According to Elliott, crews collect around three bales worth of fiber recycling every recycling route, with three to four routes run per day. One storage container that is shipped off holds 28 bales.

Elliott added there are no immediate plans to reopen drop-off recycling centers in the city. Residents can continue separating paper waste from other recyclables and leaving them either in another container or alongside the recycling during curb-side pickup. Residents in complexes with recycling dumpsters should also continue separating materials. Wax and plastic-covered paper is also not accepted.

“We are bailing and selling this material, so the cleaner, the material, the better,” Elliott said. “If we can remove the contaminants in the waste from both the containers, the mixed containers, and the mixed fiber, that would help us tremendously.”

The Material Recovery Facility in Columbia was destroyed by an EF-1 tornado on April 20.

Columbia resident Samantha Harrison hopes for the city to start accepting other items, like glass. However, she said this is a step in the right direction.

“Recycling is a great thing for the earth, I think we need to do as much as we can right now,” Harrison said. “Anything that the city can put towards it is incredible.”

Click here to follow the original article.

Olivia Hayes

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

Boone County plans to spend more than $20 million in its 2026 budget for upgrades to equipment, vehicles, and radio systems for first responders.

The Boone County Commission introduced its proposed budget for 2026 at its Tuesday commission meeting.

Total spending for the budget adds up to $143,956,629, a 3% increase over the 2025 budget. The 2026 total revenue projection is estimated at $133.8 million, a 12.9% increase over 2025. A chunk of that is unspent American Rescue Plan Act money, which must be spent by the end of 2026.

The budget is centered around five priorities:

Improving workforce retention and reducing workforce turnover and vacancies.

Addressing priority staffing and space needs

Providing new and replacement equipment, vehicles, technology and infrastructure.

Providing public safety improvements through training and retention.

And more financial stability and transparency of the county’s operating funds.

However, reduced reimbursements from the state government for prisoner expenses, juvenile detention expenses, public health initiatives and various grant opportunities are creating new challenges, county commissioners say.

Revenue from use and sales tax collections is anticipated to remain flat.

To improve workforce retention and reduce job turnover and vacancies,

The county government hopes to improve worker retention and reduce turnover and vacancies with a new county-wide pay plan and compensation structure. Since the pandemic, the county has reported unexpectedly high employee turnover and longer job vacancy rates. Since 2023, the county has been working with an outside consultant on employee salary increases and reducing workforce turnover.

The new pay plan moves the county from an open range model on a single pay grid to a hybrid step and range model with positions placed on pay grades.

The cost to implement the study and the 2026 pay plan is $3.9 million.

To address staffing and space needs, the county is in the final stages of construction on the Regional Law Enforcement Training Center and Public Safety Childcare Center on its Public Safety Campus. The proposed budget includes 26.4 full-time equivalent employees to staff the campus.

The $18.3 million Regional Law Enforcement Training Center is anticipated to open by Jan. 1. The Regional Law Enforcement Training Center will partner with more than 25 other law enforcement agencies in the area. The Boone County Sheriff’s Office will conduct academy training for recruits and continuing education credit training for certified peace officers.

The $5 million Boone County Public Safety Child Care Center also has an anticipated completion date in 2026. The Childcare Center will provide extended access to childcare for first responders who work forBoone County. The budget includes $1.1 million for initial operations.

The budget includes approximately $9.2 million to replace and buy new equipment. This includes $2.1 million for portable and mobile radios, more than $500,000 for vehicle replacements, $150,000 for new vehicles, $400,000 to replace machinery and equipment, more than $120,000 for new machinery and equipment and more than $500,000 for computer hardware replacements and new computer hardware.

Joint Communications is also expected to go live with a radio system in 2027 that will improve county-wide communication among first responders. In preparation, the 2026 budget includes funding for mobile and portable radios at $10.8 million and $2 million for a radio tower.

The Boone County Jail has reached its 200-bed capacity due to overcrowding. When at capacity, Boone County contracts with other counties in Missouri to hold inmates while they wait for a trial or mental evaluation. The budget assumes that the cost will increase by $1.3 million over last year, for a total of $2.1 million.

Click here to follow the original article.

Matthew Sanders

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

The House on Tuesday afternoon approved a bill to release files related to the Epstein sex abuse investigation.

Watch the debate and vote in the player.

Click here to follow the original article.

Jazsmin Halliburton

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

Columbia Regional Airport will be adding new flights to and from Florida with Allegiant Airlines.

According to Allegiant Airlines’ website, Columbia will be one of the airline’s new destinations starting in June 2026. It will have two destinations in Florida, to and from Destin-Fort Walton Beach Airport and Orlando Sanford International Airport.

This announcement comes after a record number of passengers for COU, according to a press release. Total passenger traffic exceeded 28,000, with arrivals and departures combined.

Mayor Barbara Buffaloe said that when people are not flying out of COU, they are losing people who would rather drive to the St. Louis Airport to get to vacation destinations like Florida.

“We know people are driving to Saint Louis to fly to Florida with the I-70 construction,” said Buffaloe. “I very much expect that we’ll see more people using COU because no one wants to drive down I-70 during those shoots. They would much rather be home safer.”

Vice President of Revenue and Planning for Allegiant Airlines Kristen Schilling-Gonzales, tells ABC 17 News that the airlines and COU have been trying for more than a decade to get this deal done in Columbia. “The fine folks of central Missouri are looking for nonstop flights for favorite leisure vacation destinations,” said Schilling-Gonzales. “And honestly, one of the more recent changes has been I’ve heard a lot about construction on I-70, making it a little more difficult”

The expansion of the airport parking lot continues with the west lot across from Airport Drive, which is expected to be finished by the start of December, and design for the north lot has begun. Airport Manager Mike Parks said that the airport restaurant will be finished around the time Allegiant starts its flight.

Travelers will have the opportunity to access the restaurant on both the public side and the secure side of the airport. “If you are flying out, you’re already past security, you could order a hamburger or a chicken sandwich or whatever that might be needed on the secure side,” said Parks. “But you could also have things on the public side. And I think this timing works out really, really well.”

In September, United Airlines returned to COU after four years with two daily flights to Chicago O’Hare and Denver. United plans to have three daily flights to Chicago O’Hare in December.

Click here to follow the original article.

Ryan Shiner

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

A man was arrested on Sunday evening after he allegedly threatened to stab the owner of Southside Pizza in Columbia and an employee at the business.

Danial Knott, 22, was charged in Boone County on Monday with second-degree assault, unlawful use of a weapon, armed criminal action and two counts of fourth-degree assault.

He is being held at the Boone County Jail on a $50,000 bond. Court filings say he is from St. Petersburg, Florida, while jail records say he is from Columbia. A court date has not been scheduled.

The probable cause statement says police were called at 10:24 p.m. Sunday to Southside Pizza on Peachtree Drive and when they arrived, saw Knott sitting inside the restaurant with blood on his shirt. Police were given a knife recovered by staff.

The statement says Knott walked into the bathroom and turned off the lights. When the owner of the business went to turn the lights back on, he saw Knott urinating on the floor and told him to leave, the statement says. The owner then grabbed Knott and Knott pulled out a knife, court documents say.

The owner allegedly had a cut on his thumb and told police he may have been cut by Knott, the statement says.

Two other people had saw Knott pull out a knife as the owner called police, court documents say. Two people allegedly saw Knott holding the knife while walking toward the counter of the business and he allegedly threatened to stab the owner and an employee if he did not receive a speaker, the statement says.

Knott allegedly slurred his speech while talking with police and claimed he pulled out a knife when someone tried to fight him, court documents say. Knott told police that the blood seen on his shirt was his own.

Click here to follow the original article.

Mitchell Kaminski

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. 

The Jefferson City Council voted 7-2 in favor of a 48-unit apartment project on East Elm Street, which has received pushback from nearby residents. 

The proposal would be for a Preliminary Planned Unit Development Plan for property at 1740 East Elm St. The project calls for 12 apartment buildings, each containing four, one-bedroom units, that are each two-stories tall. 

Concerns raised by about a half-dozen opponents during the public comment portion of the meeting included increased traffic, roadway capacity, stormwater runoff, potential declines in nearby property values, resident demographics and the level of on-site supervision. Several commenters also questioned whether the project would function as low-income housing.

Brian McMillian, one of the project’s developers, told the council that although the area is busy, most future residents would not be driving, so increased traffic should not be an issue. He added the trees and vegetation planned for the site would make the property “barely visible” to nearby residents, addressing concerns about potential negative effects on the neighborhood’s character.

“It’s just a matter of time before one of these individuals gets killed by a car. I live on that road,” one man said during the public meeting in response. “There is a miles per hour speed limit,  a little bit less, 30 miles (per hour), I can tell you, I’ve come around late at night and there’s been a deer right in the middle of the road and I barely had time to stop.” 

The Planning and Zoning Commission reviewed the proposal Oct. 9 and voted 6-0 to recommend approval.

The plan proposes one parking space per unit, fewer than the city’s standard requirement of 1.5 spaces per unit for apartment developments. Access would come from two driveway entrances on East Elm Street. According to planning documents, new tree rows along both sides of the development and the preservation of trees at the rear of the property would help buffer the site from surrounding homes.

“They said at the zoning meeting that they did they only anticipated staffing there during the weekdays,” one man said during Monday’s public hearing. We think that’s that’s also a concern if they would have a mental illness episode.” 

“I feel like this could be a detriment to our neighborhood if they refuse to take the medications,” another woman added during the hearing. “I appreciate the fact that low-income housing is important,  but my husband and I  have worked hard to get what we got, and we can’t afford for the property value to go down.” 

Andrea Cheung, a CJCA Development representative, said the organization has operated in Jefferson City for 50 years, serving people with mental health challenges, and many of their experienced managers have more than 20 years of experience working in the field.

“After five decades of serving in this community,  we’ve seen firsthand how hard it is to find quality one-bedroom units. For people, it’s just almost impossible,” Cheung said during the meeting. “We understand that change always brings anxiety and uncertainty, but we’re really confident that this will be an asset to Jefferson City.”

Click here to follow the original article.