Author: KMIZ

Alison Patton

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

The Secretary of State’s Office backs the claim that the “Missouri First” map is in effect, but the Boone County clerk said Friday she can’t change district lines for voters until after the April election.

“Right now in the voter registration system that’s maintained by the Secretary of State’s Office, there’s not actually an option for us to assign people to the new congressional districts,” Boone County Clerk Brianna Lennon said. “So, we can’t do anything.”

The county clerk’s office oversees elections, including determining in which district a voter resides. But Missouri’s congressional district lines are at the center of a legal battle, Lennon said. Voters are still in the 2022 districts at least until after the April election.

Meanwhile, filing for the seats begins on Tuesday.

The Republican-dominated General Assembly last year approved a new congressional map that would effectively eliminate a safely Democratic seat in Kansas City. The map was immediately challenged in court.

Congressional maps are usually drawn every 10 years after the census, but Republicans and Democrats alike have pushed mid-decade redistricting to gain an advantage in the 2026 midterms and 2028 general elections.

A referendum backed by the group People Not Politicians is trying to get the 2025 map on the November ballot, but there’s also debate on whether the referendum freezes the map’s implementation until after the November election.

Lennon said there is a narrow window between the end of the April election and the beginning of the August election for county clerks to adjust congressional, which is late April and early May. Once an election is opened, clerks can’t adjust anything.

“That’s really going to be the absolute latest that we would be able to update district lines in order to impact the 2026 midterms,” Lennon said.

Lennon said her office has received a lot of questions from people wondering what district they’re in, and created an interactive map to outline the two different districts.

The heavy black line shows the boundary between the new Fifth and Third House districts, while the green and blue show the current Third and Fourth House districts. (Boone County Clerk’s Office)

The lower half of the county is in and will stay in U.S. House District 3, which is represented by Bob Onder (R-Augusta). The upper half of the county changes based on the map.

In the 2022 map, the county is roughly split along Interstate 70 and is in Republican Rep. Mark Alford’s District 4. The 2025 map splits the county above I-70, putting much of the northern, rural part of the county in District 5, which would stretch into Kansas City.

Rep. Alford said he intends to file for candidacy in the 2025 version of District 4, which no longer includes Boone County.

“I’m equally as comfortable in the urban core of Kansas City as I am by the lake in Camden County or in a corn field in Hickory County. That, in addition to the fact that I am the only declared candidate with the resources to run a competitive race, makes me uniquely qualified to represent the new Fourth District,” Alford told ABC 17 News in an email.

Rep. Emanuel Cleaver (D-Kansas City) has already filed federally to rerun for District 5, which, under the 2025 map, covers the upper half of Boone County.

The 2025 map is likely to cut Cleaver out of the U.S. House and flip his seat to Republican. In an email to ABC 17 News, Cleaver said the race is about connecting with voters across the new district.

“The race will be in the 5th District regardless of final court decisions on the constitutionality of the mid-decade redrawing of the Congressional maps, absent a current Census or a determination that the citizens lead referendum pauses the proposed new map until there is a statewide vote,” Cleaver wrote.

Cleaver testified in front of a Missouri Senate committee during the special session on redistricting, asking them not to pass the map as it now stands.

Former Boone County Clerk Taylor Burks (R) also announced his intent to run in District 5.

“I think that mid-Missourians need a strong voice and an opportunity to send a congressman to Washington, D.C. that shares our values,” Burks told ABC 17 News on Friday. “I don’t think that Emanuel Cleaver would be that voice for us here in mid-Missouri.”

Burks is from Boone County and could be in a different district if courts knock down the 2025 map. He said that’s a concern for another time.

“At some future date, things may change. But for right now, the people who are in charge of establishing maps, running elections under these maps, they have said the Missouri First Map is here to stay,” Burks said.

A spokesperson for the Secretary of State said that if the map is changed and candidates need to switch districts, they have until May 19 to do so. There’s also potential for a judge to allow for changes.

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Matthew Sanders

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

President Donald Trump held a news conference in the White House on Friday after the U.S. Supreme Court struck down his emergency tariffs.

Trump also announced an executive order to implement 10% tariffs globally.

Watch the news conference in the media player.

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Jazsmin Halliburton

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

Commercial real estate firms have until 5 p.m. Friday to submit bids to the City of Columbia for downtown economic development and redevelopment consulting.

The city is seeking proposals from firms to provide the Economic Development Department with business retention, expansion and attraction services.

The firms must have a broad range of experience in commercial real estate.

According to the city, the submitted proposals must include several specific components. These requirements include:

Market and economic analysis

Redevelopment and revitalization support

Public-private partnerships and incentives guidance

Economic development advisory services

Stakeholder engagement and communication

The chosen firm will evaluate and oversee projects in various sectors. These are expected to include mixed-use, commercial and industrial development and redevelopment.

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Ryan Shiner

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

The Columbia Planning and Zoning Commission on Thursday night recommended a definition of “data center” to the City Council.

The Commission unanimously recommended to revise definitions in the Unified Development Code to include “data center.”

The building and inclusion of data centers have been highly contested around the country, including Mid-Missouri.

Amazon has sought to build a data center in Montgomery County and saw intense pushback from its residents at several public meetings, which culminated in a lawsuit to attempt to block it from happening. Critics of data centers typically point to excess water usage and increased use of electricity.

Columbia’s commission started the discussion over local definitions last month. According to meeting documents, the new definition is:

“Data Center. A building, facility, or premise used for the storage, management, processing and/or transmission of digital data that typically contains computers, network equipment, systems, servers, appliances, and other accessory components necessary for digital data operations. A facility may also include air handlers, power generators, water cooling and storage facilities, utility substations, and other associated utility infrastructure to support the operation. This definition does not include facilities in which data storage, management, processing and/or transmission is incidental to the primary use.”

Commission OK with new townhomes near existing complex

Lake Broadway Townhomes and Burlington Street LLC are looking to add more townhomes next to their existing buildings.

The Planning and Zoning Commission recommended the new development near the corner of Pershing Street and Gary Street in west Columbia on the condition that a 6-foot-high fence is placed between the new building and the doctor’s office near it.

Owners are looking to build 13 units at the 2.27-acre site. Lake Broadway Townhomes are in the 1100 block of West Broadway and are just east of the newly suggested building site.

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Ryan Shiner

EDITOR’S NOTE: This story has been corrected to remove an incorrect reference to a vote.

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (KMIZ)

A bill that would require Lyme disease and Alpha-gal syndrome to be reported to the Department of Health and Senior Services had a public hearing before a House committee hearing on Thursday.

The bill would require contracted diseases to be reported within seven days.

Alpha-gal syndrome creates a life-threatening allergy to red meat after a person is bit by the Lone Star Tick, according to information from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. It can also trigger allergic reactions to other animal byproducts like daiy.

Missouri House Bill 1855 – sponsored by Re. Matt Overcast (R-Ava) also requires other sampling, surveillance and reporting to the CDC.    

One person who testified at the hearing said this bill would allow experts to know the number of people with this disease and can open the door for funding requests at the federal level.

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Olivia Hayes

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

The Columbia Police Department is still on track to relaunch its full-time dedicated downtown unit this summer.

Police Chief Jill Schlude told ABC 17 News back in October that once the January 2026 academy graduates completed field training, the department would have staffing levels to support the unit.

Lt. Clint Sinclair said on Thursday the 14 graduates are preparing to enter Phase 2 of their field training. The change includes being paired with a training officer and being put onto a shift.

CPD field training is a 16-week process. Sinclair said by the beginning to middle of May the officers will be ready to go solo.

“If there are calls that require more officers, more violent crimes or high priority calls, we’ll have those bodies available,” Sinclair said. “It also means reduced response times for the community and they’ll see more police officers out on the street. They’ll get a police officer sooner if they need it, just because we have the numbers.”

Sinclair said CPD’s next academy class will include two more weeks of training than usual. The recruit group will have between 12-14 members.

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Ryan Shiner

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

Former Boone County Clerk Taylor Burks announced his bid for Missouri’s newly drawn Fifth District House seat in a Thursday press release.

Burks, a Republican, has ran for congressional seats earlier this decade, including in the Third and Fourth districts. Filing for the Aug.4 primary opens Feb. 24.

“Missouri deserves a representative who understands our communities, our economy, and our way of life,” Burks was quoted in the release. “In Congress, I will stand strong for Mid-Missouri, defend our values, protect our freedoms, and fight for economic policies that grow our way of life here in Missouri.”

Burks was appointed in 2017 by former Gov. Eric Greitens to serve as Boone County’s clerk, but lost the seat in 2018 to Brianna Lennon. He owns a business in the area and has served with the Navy and Navy Reserves for 19 years and is currently ranked as a commander, according to Thursday’s press release. The release also lists a number of medals he earned for his service.

He is listed as a member of Truman State University’s Board of Governor’s on the school’s website and the release mentions work he did with Big Brothers Big Sisters and the YMCA.

The release includes a slew of endorsements of current and former government officials from the Mid-Missouri area, including Cole County Prosecutor Locke Thompson, former Boone County Southern District Commissioner Fred Parry, former state Rep. Chuck Bayse and former US Rep. Blaine Luetkemeyer.

The Fifth District is currently represented by Democrat Emanuel Cleaver and he is the only candidate who has a committee filed with the Federal Election Commission

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Matthew Sanders

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

The Stephens Stars will host the Columbia College Cougars women’s basketball team at Silverthorne Arena for a 5:30 p.m. tipoff Thursday.

The game is a special Coaches Vs. Cancer event. Watch the game live in the media player.

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Ryan Shiner

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

A Moberly woman has been charged after a child died last month in an accidental shooting.

Jo Timmons, 37, was charged on Thursday with five counts of first-degree endangering the welfare of a child. She is being held at the Randolph County Jail without bond. A court date has not been scheduled.

Randolph County Prosecutor Stephanie Luntsford said because one count resulted in the death of a child, Timmons faces a sentencing range of 10 years to life in prison, including the possibility of a 30-year sentence in the Missouri Department of Corrections, if found guilty. The remaining counts are Class D felonies, each punishable up to seven years in prison.

The probable cause statement says authorities were called on Jan. 18 for a report of an 11-year-old having a gunshot wound. The child later died from their injuries, law enforcement wrote. Previous reporting indicates a fifth-grade student from Moberly had died in a gun accident the same weekend.

The statement says a 12-year-old helped deputies find the handgun in a dresser. Timmons allegedly told deputies that she left three children – a 10-year-old and two 7-year-olds – alone while she went to collect a paycheck that day, the statement says.

She had allegedly received a phone call indicating a vehicle the children did not know had entered the driveway, the statement says. She then received a phone call minutes later from a girl claiming she shot someone, the heavily redacted court documents say.

Law enforcement took statements from the children, who also claimed an unknown vehicle entered the driveway, they hid in a bedroom and a handgun accidentally went off when a child grabbed the gun, the statement says.

One of the children claimed the safety for the gun was on, but they did not know there was a bullet loaded in the chamber, court documents say.

The probable cause statement also notes that “[REDACTED] were placed in a different home.” However, when asked if the children were all belonged to Timmons, Luntsford said she could not go into detail due to the nature of the case. 

“All I can really probably say at this time is that there either have been or were several children residing in this home,” Luntsdorsford said.  

Deputies noted poor living conditions for the children, including smell of feces and urine being persistent throughout the home, as well as various trash, including loose pills and used condoms, being found.

A cockroach-infested shotgun was also found on the wall of Timmons’ bedroom, the deputy wrote. Interviewers with witnesses also claimed the handgun was “not always kept secure,” court documents say.

Luntsford said the living conditions factored into the child endangerment charges. 

“All of us might have a different standard on what’s acceptable as how we should keep our house clean,” Luntsford said. “But if it rises above a level where it seems to be very unsanitary to the point that it is probably posing a danger to the child either because it’s very unhealthy or the situation in which they are living may be unsafe in some way, then we would look at charging endangering.” 

Luntsford added there are no other current suspects at this time. 

“My office has received information regarding this defendant. So we have addressed that,” Luntsford said. “I am uncertain at this time if there will be any further reports regarding  any other potential defendants.”

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Ryan Shiner

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

A Pilot Grove man was charged with multiple felonies after authorities claim he got a victim younger than 21 years old drunk and sexually assaulted them.

Kale Weber, 26, was charged in Cooper County with two counts of first-degree sodomy, one count of first-degree sexual abuse and misdemeanor giving alcohol to a minor. He is being held at the Cooper County Jail without bond and a court date has not been scheduled.

The probable cause statement says the victim called authorities from a Casey’s location on Sunday after they ran from Weber’s home. The victim claimed they were raped by Weber while the victim was drunk and eventually “blacked out,” the statement says. A sexual assault forensic examination report was taken at University Hospital.

A Cooper County deputy spoke with Weber, who allegedly admitted to parts of the assault, but not all of it, claiming he would “never cheat” on his wife, the statement says.

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