WATCH: Trump addresses United Nations
Matthew Sanders
COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)
President Donald Trump addressed the United Nations on Tuesday for the first time during his second presidential term.
Watch his remarks in the media player.
Governor Kehoe to award the state’s highest honors to selected Mid-Missouri first responders
Jazsmin Halliburton
JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (KMIZ)
Governor Mike Kehoe will be awarding Missouri’s highest public safety honors Tuesday to a select few responders and people for their heroic acts made in 2024, including some first responders from Mid-Missouri.
According to a press release, the awards include:
15 Missouri Medals of Valor for exceptional courage and heroism in an attempt to protect or save human life.
13 Governor’s Medals for heroic acts performed by a team of first responders.
Four Red, White and Blue Heart Awards for first responders seriously or fatally injured in the line of duty (the Red, White and Blue Heart awards will be bestowed posthumously).
Six Public Safety Civilian Partnership Awards for civilians who provided valuable or courageous assistance to first responders or the public.
Kehoe will give a Red, White and Blue Heart Award to Assistant Chief Matt Tobben of the Boone County Fire Protection District. Tobben was killed when her was operating a boat while rescuing two people from a flash flood in Bear Creek in Columbia last July.
Two Callaway County deputies will be awarded the Medal of Valor. Sergeant Justin Bax and Corporal Gardner Pottorff were shot during a traffic stop last October. Both deputies exchanged gunfire with the suspects before the suspect was shot by the deputies.
Former Chief Lana Karhoff from the North Callaway Fire Protection District will also receive the Medal of Valor. Karhoff responded to an active shooting scene and personally transported a wounded deputy sheriff to immediate medical attention in order to save his life.
Governor Kehoe will be joined by Public Safety Director Mark James to award the medals at the Missouri State Highway Patrol’s law enforcement training academy gymnasium at 1:30 p.m. Tuesday.
QUESTION OF THE DAY: Can Mizzou make the College Football Playoff?
Matthew Sanders
The buzz is starting to build around this year’s football Tigers.
Mizzou stayed undefeated after its SEC opener Saturday, downing South Carolina 29-20. The win also moved them up a couple of spots in the Top 25.
Quarterback Beau Pribula and running back Ahmad Hardy have already drawn a lot of attention from college football aficionados. But the toughest tests are yet to come — Mizzou has a bye week following the homecoming game against UMass, then SEC play resumes.
Do you think these Tigers can land a spot in the College Football Playoff? Let us know by voting in the poll.
Columbia city leaders talk biggest safety concerns downtown, consider researching other cities
Nia Hinson
COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)
Downtown Columbia businesses are experiencing issues and are asking for the city’s help to solve them.
“It’s a very frustrating time for a lot of the businesses,” Executive Director of The District Nickie Davis said. “We have seemingly a rotation of of people in different stages of crisis sometimes coming into businesses or being out on the sidewalks, and our businesses not really knowing what to do with that and feeling like they’re on the front lines and nobody behind them.”
To help address that, a group of city leaders and downtown business owners gathered Monday afternoon at The Blue Note to discuss resources available in the city. Leaders from the Columbia Police Department, Columbia’s city manager, Office of Violence Prevention leader, Boone County’s prosecutor office and Burrell and local shelter leaders all attended the meeting.
Davis said most of the problems businesses are experiencing are feelings of discomfort. She said she hoped the meeting will help everyone in the city be on the same page.
“It seems like a lot of us are doing amazing things but not necessarily in the same circle, talking in the same circle so that we can build upon what each of us are doing,” Davis said.
The meeting consisted of a group of city leaders sitting at a table, discussing what resources they have available that could potentially help frustrated business owners. One of the sessions included during the two-hour discussion included a portion from CPD on how owners can work to deescalate situations, or what to do when they encounter someone who may turn violent.
Assistant Chief Mark Fitzgerald provided tips including:
Presenting options, not ultimatums;
Being mindful of your body language;
Create store policies;
Be consistent when enforcing policies.
Police Chief Jill Schlude also urged businesses to be mindful of the lighting around their businesses.
City Manager De’Carlon Seewood said the city works hard to ensure people feel safe, and viewed Monday’s meeting as a time to show people the things the city is doing to do so.
“We created the hot team (Homeless Outreach Team.) We created the divert program. We created programs to help address those issues so that we can be quick to respond to the needs of our residents,” Seewood said.
Some business owners, like Keisha Edwards who owns 50 Yard Line Sports Bar and Grill downtown said the meeting was a good first step, but said there’s still work to do to address what she called a “growth issue.”
“Most of the businesses that came here wanted to be heard. You cannot sit here for two hours and listen to what the city thinks the issues are,” Edwards said. “I think this is more of a growth issue. What the business owners in the downtown area see is overpopulation. We have way more student housing. We have way more of a homeless population and I think that because of this first meeting, it opened the eyes of the business owners in Columbia to be more vocal with the city about some solutions.”
Fitzgerald told ABC 17 News that he believes the biggest areas of concern for business owners currently is the homeless population and the amount of violent crime seen downtown during the past 18-24 months.
According to Fitzgerald, there have been 11 shootings downtown since March 2024. Eight of those shootings occurred between 1:30-4 a.m. The last reported shooting downtown happened on June 8.
“I think everybody’s kind of pretty aware that the Columbia Police Department is aggressively trying to enforce the misdemeanor crimes that are preceding some of those violent encounters and I think that we’ve put a giant lever on that over the last four or five months,” Fitzgerald said. “We’ve put another lever on the conflicts between the business and the unhoused community. There’s still room to improve and a lot of that has to do with the capacity from the police department.
Fitzgerald said CPD is still understaffed, but is chipping away.
Sixteen people started the police academy on Sept. 2 and another eight or nine are in field training. According to Chief Jill Schlude, the department currently has five vacancies.
Fitzgerald said CPD is having discussions about bringing back its downtown unit.
Fitzgerald also mentioned to business owners the possibility of exploring the city of Lawrence, Kansas, to see what works for them. President of the University of Missouri Mun Choi pushed leaders to take a trip to the area.
“Let’s find out what they did so we can improve the situation in Columbia, a city that we all love,” Choi said.
That’s something Davis said she hopes the city continues.
“There’s a lot of other cities doing really cool, exciting things and it seems like they’re (The City of Columbia) starting to do that, going to look at other cities of what they’re doing, their policies, their ordinances so I hope they take a lot away from that,” Davis said.
According to Davis, the city still has grant money left for businesses that want outdoor cameras.
Tariffs, drought put Missouri soybean farmers under pressure
Mitchell Kaminski
COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)
During a town hall in Harrisburg on Aug. 27, Troy Douglass went to the microphone to address Rep. Mark Alford (R-MO).
Douglass — a lifelong farmer with farms in Boone, Howard and Randolph counties — was concerned about the future of his business. Missouri ranks seventh in the U.S in soybean production with more than 22,000 farms across the state, the sixth highest in the nation.
On April 2, President Donald Trump levied a 34% tariff on all Chinese goods. Two days later, China responded with a retaliatory tariff on all US imports.
The retaliatory tariffs have placed U.S soybean farmers at a 20% disadvantage compared to South American competitors. As a result, China has begun buying soybeans from Brazil, which shipped nearly 16 million tons of soybeans to China in March, its largest monthly volume ever.
But with the U.S. harvest season approaching, China, once America’s top soybean customer, hasn’t placed a single order.
“This tariff deal really affects my world. I feel like you’re skirting the issue of China. They are the number one buyer of soybeans, number three buyer of corn,” Douglass said at the time. “Trump says two weeks ago he wants to triple China’s buying of soybeans. Well, zero times three is still zero.”
But that wasn’t the only issue Douglass was concerned about. Tariffs from Trump’s “liberation day” have driven up the cost of fertilizer and farm materials. Douglass argued that most of the fertilizer he purchased comes from Canada, with some of it coming from Russia. However in the last year prices have doubled.
Douglass pointed to the cost of anhydrous, which is used to help improve nutrients in soil.
“Usually, you can buy your anhydrous in the fall for about $450 to $650 in the fall. It’s not even fall and it’s $650 today,” Douglass said at the time. “It takes about $850 to plant an acre of soybeans if you do it right. The tariff affects the farmer both ways. You can call it a revenue stream. You can say that it is passed on or the companies eat it, I’m telling you, fertilizer, chemical, seed, all that stuff is manufactured and grown, most of it overseas.”
Douglass later added that many tractor suppliers are struggling to buy parts.
Douglass is facing an issue that many farmers across the country are facing. On Aug. 19, Caleb Ragland, president of the American Soybean Association, sent a letter to Trump warning U.S soybean farmers were standing at a “trade and financial precipice.”
“Soybean farmers are under extreme financial stress. Prices continue to drop, and at the same time, our farmers are paying significantly more for inputs and equipment. U.S. soybean farmers cannot survive a prolonged trade dispute with our largest customer,” Ragland wrote.
The issue isn’t new. During the 2018 U.S.–China trade war, American farmers lost an estimated $9.4 billion, according to the USDA.
In Missouri, the concerns come as soybean yield forecasts are projected to drop. A September report from the University of Missouri projects yields averaging 3-to-6 bushels per acre lower than the previous estimate.
According to MU Extension soybean agronomy specialist Andre Reis, this comes despite expecting higher yields than normal early in the growing season.
“We were expecting to have higher yields than normal. But then in August, August was the second-driest year in Missouri since we started to record weather data,” Reis said. “During August and in early September, this is the phase when soybeans are using the maximum amount of water per day, the maximum demand and we didn’t have rains, so the drought affected the soybean crop.”
According to Reis, two components that decide what the soybean yield will be are the number of seeds per area and seed size. The size of the seeds is usually determined in August. Due to the lack of rains, Reis believes the yields will be lower this year than the historical average.
“We can all agree that the price commodity is not great at this point. And part of it is because of the trade war with other countries,” Reis explained. “And then when we have the perspective of not having enough yield, that really puts the farmers in a difficult situation to invest or prepare themselves for the next season. So it’s very hard to tell what’s going to be the impact for the next two seasons. At this point, there is no clarity if there will be any impact, but it’s going to be a perfect storm brewing.”
2 dogs die as home burns down in Phelps County
Ryan Shiner
COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)
Two dogs died after a home burned down in Phelps County, according to a Monday social media post from the Doolittle Fire Protection District.
Crews were called to the Sportshaven area at the end of Private Drive at 3:30 p.m., but the two-story home already collapsed by the time crews arrived.
No injuries were reported for any people at the scene.
Sedalia seeks bids to demolish buildings on West Main Street
Ryan Shiner
COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)
The City of Sedalia is seeking bids to demolish buildings at 207 and 209 West Main Street.
A press release from the city says bids open on Tuesday and must be submitted to the city clerk’s office by 4 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 29. The City Council is expected to approve a bid at its Nov. 3 meeting, the release says.
A judge in July ruled the city has the ability to order a building to be demolished within its city limits.
Chief Building Official Bryan Kopp had determined the building at 207 West Main St. needed to be demolished to “protect the public,” court documents say. The building is owned by Dana Melton and Travis Dixon. The city has described the building as being in “a state of collapse.”
The city looked at the nearby 209 West Main St. location last month. The city is looking to preserve other buildings that could be damaged in the event of a collapse, it previously stated.
A release from the city says the owners of the buildings claimed an engineer determined the buildings are not in danger of collaposing and the visibly damaged wall is not the “main support wall.” The release also says the building’s owners accused the city of damaging the building during sidewalk repairs that occurred three years ago.
Benton County man charged in Pettis County after high-speed chase
Ryan Shiner
COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)
A man from Warsaw, Missouri, was charged with multiple felonies this weekend after he led law enforcement on a high-speed chase in Pettis County on Sept. 16.
Michael Muldoon, 31, was charged in Pettis County on Saturday with first-degree tampering with a vehicle, drug possession, tampering with evidence and resisting arrest. An arraignment was held on Monday and a counsel status hearing is scheduled for 1:30 p.m. Tuesday.
The probable cause statement says a deputy on Sept. 16 tried to stop a vehicle that was reported stolen out of Henry County. Muldoon then sped away in the 1998 Ford Crown Victoria at 100 miles per hour on Highway 50 and began driving into oncoming traffic, the statement says.
Muldoon allegedly crashed the car in a field and was arrested after trying to run away, the statement says.
Muldoon allegedly told law enforcement that he threw methamphetamine into a field during the chase and that he used a stolen vehicle to transport meth from Kansas City to Pettis County, the statement says.
Man charged with rape, domestic assault in Morgan County
Ryan Shiner
COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)
A man was charged with several felonies after authorities say he raped a woman and pointed a gun at her head on Friday night.
Danny Eugene Miles, 53, was charged in Morgan County with first-degree rape, two counts of armed criminal action and a single count of first-degree domestic assault. He is being held at the Morgan County Jail on a $250,000 bond. An arraignment is scheduled for 9 a.m. Tuesday at the Morgan County Courthouse.
The probable cause statement says the victim contacted law enforcement on Saturday morning about a sexual assault that allegedly occurred the night before.
The victim allegedly told law enforcement that Miles first threw an ashtray at her and the victim had bruising all around her body, the statement says. He then allegedly pulled out a gun and threatened to kill the victim before raping her, the statement says. He then allegedly threatened to kill her again if she went to law enforcement, court documents say.
The victim told law enforcement that a gun would be in the bedroom of Miles’ residence. Deputies asked if Miles had a gun when they arrived to his residence, he allegedly said “no” and deputies found the gun in the bedroom, the statement says.
Miles allegedly claimed the intercourse was consensual, but gave conflicting details leading up to the alleged sexual assault, including claiming the victim pointed the gun at him, the statement says.
White House links Tylenol use among pregnant women to increased risk of autism
Erika McGuire
COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)
The Trump Administration on Monday linked the use of acetaminophen among pregnant women may be linked to an increased risk of autism.
Tylenol is a popular form of acetaminophen, and has been the only pain medicine recommended for pregnant women. The medicine can be used to reduce fevers. Critics have made a number of unfounded claims over the years over what directly leads to autism in children, as diagnoses have risen over the past several decades.
“Effective immediately, the FDA will be notifying physicians that the use of acetaminophen can be associated with a very increased risk of autism,” Trump said during a televised news conference.. “For this reason, they are strongly recommending that women limit Tylenol used during pregnancy unless medically necessary.”
The Illinois Kids Development Study found about 70% of pregnant women take Tylenol at least once during their pregnancy.
During Monday’s press conference, Trump and Secretary of Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. said they have been working to link the root cause of autism for 20 years.
However, studies done over the years have shown there is no direct link between autism and acetaminophen.
A study done by JAMA in April 2024, found the active ingredient in Tylenol during pregnancy was not associated with the increased risk of autism, ADHA or intellectual disability in children.
Dr. Steven Fleischman with the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists pushed back against the administration’s claims online.
“Suggestions that acetaminophen use in pregnancy causes autism are not only highly concerning to clinicians but also irresponsible when considering the harmful and confusing message they send to pregnant patients, including those who may need to rely on this beneficial medicine during pregnancy,” Fleischman said.
Kennedy said during the conference that the FDA will begin the process of updating the Tylenol label to include warnings about potential increased risks of autism.
Data from the Missouri Autism and Development Monitoring, collected in 2022 found one-and-31 8-year-olds have autism in Missouri. The data was collected in the St. Louis area.
MADM found IQ data for nearly 65% of 8-year-old children identified with autism, of those children 32.5% had an intellectual disability.
By race, the amount 8-year-olds, it found 55% of Pacific Island children and 35% of black children in the study were more likely to be identified with autism compared to 28% of white children in the same age group.