Author: KMIZ

Ryan Shiner

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (KMIZ)

A market study regarding the new conference center was presented to the Jefferson City Council on Monday during a special work session.  

Renderings of the new conference center hotel were shown during a presentation. The hotel is expected to be open by June 1, 2028, according to presentation documents.

It will be located at the city block between East Capitol Avenue, Monroe Street, Commercial Way and Madison Street. Crews have been clearing out the area for the past couple of years, with the Madison Street Parking Garage being the most-recent demolition. The council last month approved the creation of a downtown conference center transportation development district.

The market study by CBRE Valuation & Advisory Services shows the 203-hotel room should expect roughly 70% occupancy (of 74,0925 expected rooms) through its first five years. The net income over that period is expected to be around $5.5 million, the study shows.

Rooms will range in sizes between 320 square feet through 600 square feet and the building will have a 15,000-square-foot ballroom that could hold 1,000 people.  

“The CVB has indicated more than 50 groups have held their meetings in Jefferson City in the past but have been pushed out due to lack of quality facilities,” the study says.

The study claims there is a market need to host 1,000-person events annually or biannually that need at least 400 hotel rooms. There are currently 560 rooms available at Jefferson City hotels, the study claims.

“In conjunction with this market study, a parking study is being performed to create a shared parking model which will determine the optimal size of the new parking structure based on existing parking demand, increased demand due to the conference center & hotel, as well as increased demand due to induced downtown redevelopment,” the study says.

Financing is coming from hotel and incentive revenue bonds, lodging Tax revenue bonds, parking revenue bonds, non-ARPA grants, parking fund contributions, state appropriations, lodging tax contributions, MDFB tax credits and project fund interest earnings totaling $121.7 million.

2026-02-23 work session packetDownload

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Haley Swaino

TAOS, Mo. (KMIZ)

About two months after a deadly pedestrian crash in Cole County, solutions are in the works to make crosswalks safer.

On Dec. 24, a 16-year-old driver hit an 85-year-old man and an 86-year-old woman crossing Route M in Taos near St. Francis Xavier Catholic Church just before Mass. The man was pronounced dead at a hospital and the woman was seriously hurt.

The crash happened in an area where Mayor Ronald Walker said speed has always been a problem.

The speed limit is 55 miles per hour coming into the city on either side and quickly drops to 30 miles per hour just before drivers approach more pedestrian-heavy areas like the Catholic church and school. The highway is essentially Taos’ main street.

“Route M was like an evolution of local community roads that was adopted into the state supplementary routes and they were hard paved,” Walker said. So it’s a pretty main connector between Route 50 on the east side of Jeff City, around Wardsville and the communities in southern Cole County.”

The amount of drivers taking Route M through Taos has grown, according to Walker. On average, 824 vehicles used the stretch of highway in 2024. ABC 17 News saw many drivers going at least 10 miles per hour over the limit on Monday.

“You get that reduction for people coming in from a 50 to a 30 and then going through this area. So speed is always a concern,” Walker said.

Before he was elected mayor in 2022, Walker worked for the Missouri State Highway Patrol. While MSHP and the Missouri Department of Transportation did not share what caused the deadly December crash, he said a number of factors could have played a part.

“This day and age, distracted driving is a huge concern. There’s people coming out of private driveways. There’s always activity around the church and the school. There’s pulling in, parking on either side up here that I think can play a part in congestion and people getting in and out of those parking spots,” Walker said. “So I think there’s a lot of different things that could play into a real bad sequence of events.”

One factor he said the city can work to improve is speeding.

“The board [Taos Board of Aldermen] felt like we could maybe gain some extra awareness for drivers coming through if we had what they [MoDOT] call a driver feedback sign on either side of this general part of the community that just announces your speed,” Walker said.

The hope is having a speed reader on each side of the city will alert drivers if they’re going too fast and encourage them to slow down. MoDOT is also exploring other pedestrian safety features along Route M, such as lighting.

“There’s a certain standard for lighting,” Walker said. “You don’t want to have intensity of light enough that you distract a driver with artificial lighting when it’s too dark.”

The Dec. 24 crash happened around 8:20 p.m., according to an MSHP crash report. While costs are still being estimated, Taos will front the bill for whatever safety features are installed. MoDOT does not typically pay for pedestrian improvements.

“I’m not sure how you put a cost on safety. I mean, there’s always a balance, but I think good safety is just a great investment for every community,” Walker said.

A MoDOT engineer is set to meet Walker in Taos next week and look at where speed readers might be placed.

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Marie Moyer

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

With the U.S. Senate reviewing House amendments in the Safeguard American Voter Eligibility Act, the bill needs Senate approval to be moved to President Donald Trump’s desk.

If approved, the SAVE Act would require those registering to vote to have proof of citizenship. Supporters argue the bill strengthens election integrity, while opponents argue it adds unnecessary bureaucracy to the voting process and disenfranchises eligible voters.

Sen. John Hawley (R-MO) praised the bill in a statement.

“We ought to pass the SAVE Act,” Hawley said. “I think we ought to have it nationwide. We ought to make national elections safe and secure and fair, and the best way to restore confidence in our national elections is to pass these commonsense rules.”

It is currently illegal for non-citizens to cast ballots, with applicants required to self-report their citizenship in applications. Current safeguards also compare registrations with data from the Social Security Administration, the Department of Health, Department of Revenue and sometimes the Department of Corrections.

The SAVE Act also applies to those re-registering to vote after moving or changing their name.

Valid documents to prove citizenship include a passport, a birth certificate and military identification cards.

“It’s checking for eligibility on a variety of areas on the voter registration form,” Boone County Clerk Brianna Lennon said. “When we’re looking at the voter registration application that comes in, the voter checks off that they are a citizen and then they’re also attesting under penalty of law that they are a citizen.”

Opponents claim citizens would be affected by the bill.

“Senior citizens whose IDs may be expired, voters with disabilities who may not drive, young people who may move frequently, low-income and low-wage workers who may not have the fees necessary to get those underlying documents because they’re not free,” said Denise Lieberman, who is the director and general counsel of the Missouri Voter Protection Coalition.

Lieberman added that citizens with out-of-state birth records, records with possible errors and victims of natural disasters also may run into issues with accessing valid documents.

“These measures would simply impose additional burdens on the voters themselves, United States citizens who have a fundamental right to participate and make them prove they are a citizen, even though they’ve already proved they are who they say they are,” Lieberman said.

Critics have also voiced concern for women who recently married and have a name different from their birth certificate.

“This isn’t just about women who have changed their name, this is about any person who’s ever changed their name,” Karen Sicheneder with When She Votes said. “I think it’s disingenuous when you hear arguments that, ‘Well, everyone has an ID,’ no, they don’t.”

According to ABC, noncitizens voting in elections is uncommon. A 2024 audit of Georgia voter rolls found that out of 8.2 million registered voters, 20 non-citizens were registered to vote. Only nine ended up casting a ballot.

Lennon added that some invalid registrations also come from application mistakes.

“When people are filling out these forms, if they make a mistake, if they fill one out and they’re not supposed to or they think they’re supposed to, or they think that they’re eligible, those kinds of things do happen very rarely,” Lennon said. “But in an instance of actually voting, very, very uncommon.”

Lennon added that until the bill is passed, prospective voters should continue to head to the polls.

“We do have an April 7 election that’s coming up. We want people to get out and vote, make their voice heard, “Lennon said.

The Missouri House Special Committee on Redistricting is also hosting a public hearing on Wednesday at 4 p.m. in House Hearing Room 1 for House Concurrent Resolution 48. The bill voices the Missouri General Assembly’s support for the SAVE Act and urges the United States Senate to approve the bill.

Citizens can also submit testimonies for the hearing.

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Ryan Shiner

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

An area union has announced its endorsements for Columbia’s upcoming City Council elections.

LiUNA Local 955 – which represents a large number of workers in the area, including some city and University of Missouri employees – held a candidate forum on Saturday and announced its endorsements in a Monday morning press release.

In the Ward 5 race, the union endorsed challenger Christina Hartman over incumbent Don Waterman. It also endorsed Ward 1 Councilwoman Valerie Carroll, who is running unopposed.

The spring election will be held on Tuesday, April 7. The last day residents are able to register to vote is March 11.  

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Ryan Shiner

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

The two deputies who were killed by a suspect in southwest Missouri on Monday were U.S. Army veterans, the Christian County Sheriff’s Office said Tuesday.

The sheriff’s office identified the men as Gabriel Ramirez, 30, and Michael Hislope, 40. They were killed during encounters with Richard D. Bird, 45, who later died, as well, according to the sheriff’s office.

According to Christian County Sheriff Brian Cole, Bird was killed after he opened fire on deputies as they tried to arrest him. Deputies returned fire after Bird shot at them.

A deputy from Webster County was also injured, according to Cole, but those injuries were not life-threatening.

Bird allegedly shot Ramirez in a separate incident Monday afternoon in Ozark.

The Missouri State Highway Patrol issued a “Blue Alert” on Monday afternoon as it searched for a vehicle near a town south of Springfield after the shooting.

A “Blue Alert” is issued when authorities are looking for someone who either injured or killed a law enforcement officer or is looking for someone who plans to hurt officers.

A second alert was sent at 4:36 p.m., indicating a Christian County deputy was killed in a shooting.

Gov. Mike Kehoe posted on social media following the shooting and asked for prayer for the Christian County Sheriff’s Office.

I have spoken with Sheriff Brad Cole and we continue to pray for the Christian County Sheriff’s Office and the loved ones of the deputy involved in today’s horrific incident in Christian County.

If you have any information that could assist authorities in locating the suspect,… https://t.co/F8ogFB7SxD

— Governor Mike Kehoe (@GovMikeKehoe) February 24, 2026

The Missouri Law Enforcement Funeral Assistance Team wrote on its social media named Ramirez publicly on Monday.

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Ryan Shiner

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

A Cole County man was charged over the weekend with second-degree rape.

Charles Jacobs Jr., 41, of Henley, is being held at the Cole County Jail without bond. A court date has not been scheduled.

The probable cause statement says the alleged victim accused Jacobs of raping her Friday morning at her residence. The statement claims the alleged victim told him she did not want to have sex, but invited him to her residence. The victim accused Jacobs of dragging her to the bedroom and assaulting her, the statement says.

Text messages afterwards allegedly showed Jacobs acknowledge intercourse occurred where the victim said “no,” court documents say.

Jacobs was interviewed by law enforcement and claimed the victim told him “if you don’t care that I’m sweaty,” and interpreted it as consent, the statement says. The woman was interviewed by police against and claimed she did say that to discourage intercourse from happening, the statement says.

She then alleged Jacobs forced himself on her and “the sex lasted only a few seconds,” the statement says.

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Ryan Shiner

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

Three adults accused of felony murder in the shooting death of Michael Burke were indicted by a Boone County grand jury on Friday.

Joseph Crane, Kobe Aust and Alexis Baumann, all 18, are each charged with first-degree robbery, two counts of armed criminal action and solo counts of felony murder. Crane and Aust, both of Columbia, are being held at the Boone County Jail without bond. Baumann, of Hallsville, bonded out of jail on Feb. 10.

Crane and Aust were scheduled be arraigned on Monday afternoon, while Baumann’s arraignment is set for 9 a.m. Monday, March 30.

A juvenile is accused of shooting Burke during a Jan. 18 cellphone sale that was organized through Facebook Marketplace. The juvenile has not been publicly identified by authorities, but is accused of being the shooter in court documents.

Court documents in previous reporting say Baumann allegedly told officers the juvenile suspect shot Burke, took his iPhone and then sold it at an ecoATM at the Walmart on Conley Road.

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Erika McGuire

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

Nearly two years after the line-of-duty death of Boone County Fire Protection Assistant Fire Chief Matthew Tobben, the two fire agencies involved in the response say they’re working to implement recommendations from a follow-up report.

Tobben, 42, died during a swift-water rescue on July 8, 2024, when his boat lost power and capsized near Bear Creek. Columbia firefighter Derek Abbott and the two people rescued were thrown into the water, but Tobben never resurfaced. An autopsy report showed Tobben drowned.

Columbia Fire initially responded to the call, with a team trying to launch a boat upstream, but the high currents were too powerful for the 30-horsepower boat engine. CFD then called Boone County for help.

A report by the Boone County Fire Protection District recommends that Columbia Fire and BCFPD conduct joint swift water rescue training and standardize procedures.

The report emphasizes that effective mutual aid requires shared expectations, terminology and safety practices. In addition to joint training, pre-incident coordination and clear communications are critical to safe and effective mutual aid operations, according to the report.

BCFPD Assistant Fire Chief Gale Blomenkamp said Tobben’s death hit both organizations hard. He says the event was a reminder that both agencies need to be working together to better serve the community.

Boone County Fire Protection District report on Tobben line-of-duty deathDownload

“This is a time as soon as that event occurred, it was the time for the two organizations to become closer, not further apart,” Blomenkamp said. “I worry that we haven’t gotten there yet. I worry that the two agencies, Columbia Fire and Boone County Fire, are not as close as we should be. Because we should be able to lean on each other, especially in times like that,”

While discussions about joint training began early, collaboration is slow. Blomenkamp hopes upcoming meetings between CFD Chief Brian Schaeffer and new BCFPD Chief Doug Westoff will get the two agencies working together.

“I think it’s going to take some understanding on everybody’s part. It’s hard sometimes to swallow pride and say, ‘Yeah, we can do things better, we know that we can.'” Blomenkamp said. “There’s no doubt about that. We can do things better, and we should do better. Again, this is an event that I don’t think there’s blame to be laid anywhere,”

An internal CFD review was released on June 25, 2025. The review calls for more powerful boats and more frequent training.

The report also calls for joint training programs with mutual aid partners and agencies that will operate together.

“The fire district’s very good at what we do. We don’t do it the same,” Blomenkmap said. “When it comes to working together, we have to train together so we can understand that, and we can do those high-risk things the same, and we can do them safely and effectively. Our community does that. I think they should demand the two agencies working together.”

Schaeffer said in a statement that CFD has implemented most of the reports recommendations, and the remaining items are equipment-related.

“We remain committed to continuous improvement and to strengthening our working relationships with the diverse agencies we support across the region,” Schaeffer wrote.

Watch ABC 17 News at 10 on Wednesday for a special report on the lessons learned from Tobben’s death.

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Ryan Shiner

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (KMIZ)

One person is dead and another has been detained after a “weapons offense” was reported early Monday in Jefferson City, according to a Monday afternoon press release from the Jefferson City Police Department.

Police described the event as a homicide. The release says officers were called at 1:09 a.m. to the 800 block of Fairmont Boulevard.

Lincoln University confirmed in an email to ABC 17 News that one of its students was killed in the off-campus incident. Fairmount Boulevard is next to LU’s campus.

A male was found injured in a residence and later died from his injuries, the report says. Another person was arrested and brought to the Cole County Jail.

“Our thoughts are with family, friends, faculty, staff, and all who have been impacted by this tragic situation. The well-being of our University community is our greatest priority. Students and employees are reminded of counseling and other support services for those who need them,” LU’s statement says.

The name of the person detained or the victim were not released on Monday afternoon. The type of weapon was also not described by police. Spokesman Jason Payne told ABC 17 News that he could not release that information at this time, citing the ongoing investigation.

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Matthew Sanders

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (KMIZ)

The state senator who serves Callaway and Montgomery counties said Monday that he will not seek reelection, instead taking a job with a public-private economic development partnership.

Sen. Travis Fitzwater (R-Holts Summit), announced on his Facebook page Monday — the day before filing for the August primary begins — that he is taking a job as director of the Missouri Technology Corporation. The MTC is a public-private business development partnership with a focus on biosciences.

“To everyone in District 10 — Callaway, Lincoln, Montgomery, Pike, and our beloved slice of St. Charles County — and to all of you who’ve backed me along the way: Thank you from the bottom of my heart. Your encouragement, your prayers, your trust — they’ve meant the world to me and my family,” Fitzwater wrote.

Fitzwater was first elected to the General Assembly in 2014 and served eight years in the House before his election to the Senate in 2022.

One other Republican has filed paperwork to raise money in District 10 — Wentzville municipal judge Mike Carter. No Democrat has filed fundraising paperwork.

Fitzwater says he will serve out the remainder of his term, which ends in January 2027.

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