Author: KMIZ

Ryan Shiner

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

An 81-year-old woman from Oak Grove, Missouri, died Thursday in a crash on Highway 50 in Pettis County at Chevalier Road, according to a crash report from the Missouri State Highway Patrol.

The report says the woman was heading northbound and failed to stop at a stop sign with her 2021 Lexus QX. The vehicle went into the path of a 2023 GMC Yukon – driven by a 29-year-old man from Warsaw, Missouri – and was hit by the GMC in its side, the report says.

The GMC ended up in the median, while the Lexus went off the right side of the road, according to the report. The woman was pronounced dead at the scene and her body was brought to Heckart Funeral Home in Sedalia, the report says.

The report does not say if the woman wore a seatbelt, but the driver of the GMC did not wear one. The Lexus was totaled, while the GMC had extensive damage, according to the report. The driver of the GMC had no reported injuries.

MSHP reports do not name those involved in crashes.

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Sam Roe

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (KMIZ)

The Jefferson City Budget Committee passed the budget for fiscal year 2026 at its meeting on Thursday evening.

The budget will now be presented to the Jefferson City Council. They will vote on it at the next meeting on Monday, Oct. 6.

The committee made three changes to the budget at the meeting. About $74,000 was added to the parks and recreation budget and two errors in the original budget were also fixed. The fiscal year for Jefferson City will begin on Nov. 1.

Officials introduced the nearly $87 million budget during a meeting in August.

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Olivia Hayes

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

A legal expert claims the removal of “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” by ABC Network executives is not a violation of his First Amendment rights.

Kimmel’s show was pulled after he made comments about supporters of President Donald Trump in the opening of his show on Monday. Kimmel called them the “MAGA Gang” and said they were trying to “score political points” from the death of Charlie Kirk. The decision by the network to preempt the show was made on Wednesday.

Jared Schroeder, an associate professor at the University of Missouri, claims Kimmel’s rights were not violated because the government didn’t make the final call and that FCC Chairman Brendan Carr only applied pressure to the network with comments he made on a podcast. Still, it’s the course of action that Schroeder says is a threat to democracy.

“You look at any authoritarian country, one of the first things they’re going to do is shut down voices,” Schroeder said.

Public pressure from media companies Nexstar Media Group and Sinclair Broadcasting also played a role. Nexstar said in a statement that continuing to give Kimmel a platform is not in the public interest of the communities that they serve. Sinclair called on Kimmel to apologize to Kirk’s family and make a personal donation to Turning Point USA.

Nexstar was the first group to announce it would preempt Kimmel’s late night show before ABC made the decision to suspend the program indefinitely.

Nexstar is currently seeking FCC approval for its planned $6.2 billion merger with media group Tegna.

Gregg Skall, a communications lawyer, said these actions are not out of the blue for the FCC.

“The FCC has used a variety of types of pressure to bring its regulatees to do things that it thought was appropriate or ought to be done,” Skall said.

The network’s move notably praised by the Trump and U.S. Sen. Josh Hawley (R-MO).

“Jimmy Kimmel is not a talented person. He had very bad ratings, and they should have fired him a long time ago,” Trump was quoted in national media.

“I thought them saying listen we think that this is gross and we’re not gonna have it on our air. I thought that was a good choice,” Hawley said.

However, Anna Gomes, an FCC Commissioner, called ABC’s move “cowardly” and said it puts the foundation of the first amendment in danger.

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Ryan Shiner

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

Nearly 1,400 electricity customers around Mid-Missouri were without power on Thursday night as thunderstorms entered the area.

According to the Association of Missouri Electric Cooperatives’ map, there were nearly 600 consumers without electricity, with 587 coming around Southwest Electric Cooperative and 10 coming from Co-Mo Electric Cooperative, Inc.

Benton County had nearly 300 households without power, with 287 coming from Southwest Electric, six coming from Co-Mo Electric and one being an Osage Valley Electric Cooperative customer.

There were 162 consumers of Central Missouri Electric Cooperative in Pettis County who had no power, while Howard County had 92 with no power – 86 of which came from Howard Electric Cooperative.

Boone Electric in Boone County had 97 with no power, while the City of Columbia’s map showed 79 without power near Fairview Elementary School and Cooper County had 38 Co-Mo Electric customers without power.

Ameren’s outage map showed 40 consumers in Cole County without power.

Check back for updates.

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Ryan Shiner

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

A Columbia man who was wanted in an assault case from Ashland was charged for evading law enforcement earlier this week.

Michael Garrett, 47, was charged with resisting arrest on Thursday. Last month, he was charged with second-degree assault, armed criminal action and misdemeanor second-degree property damage.

He is being held at the Boone County Jail without bond. An initial court appearance was held on Thursday afternoon. He was wanted for alleged parole violations in various Boone County cases.

According to the probable cause statement filed on Thursday, he allegedly tried to drive away from a deputy who tried to conduct a traffic stop in southern Columbia. At a point in the chase, Garrett allegedly got out of the car and told his passenger to drive away, the statement says.

He is also accused of assaulting a man with a metal pipe on July 1 in Ashland after he an argument, the statement says. He allegedly fractured a man’s skull and broke the windshield of the victim’s vehicle, court documents say.

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Ryan Shiner

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

Two people were injured – one seriously – in a crash Thursday on Highway 52 in Miller County, east of Admire Road, a crash report from the Missouri State Highway Patrol says.

The report says three vehicles – a 2017 Nissan Armada, 2024 Genesis GV70 and 2001 Chevrolet Silverado – were stopped, in sequential order, in westbound traffic on Highway 52. A 2016 Ford F-550 – driven by a 38-year-old man from Eugene – rear-ended the Chevrolet, causing each vehicle to be hit from behind and take damage, the report says.

The driver of the Genesis, a 67-year-old man from Centerville, Iowa, had moderate injuries and was brought to Lake Regional Hospital by ambulance, the report says.

A 69-year-old man from Stover was the driver of the Chevrolet. He suffered serious injuries and had to be flown to University Hospital, the report says. The report indicates he was the only driver who did not wear a seatbelt.

The report says the Chevrolet and Ford were totaled, the Genesis had extensive damage and the Nissan had minor damage.

MSHP reports do not name those involved in crashes.

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Erika McGuire

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

Gov. Mike Kehoe and U.S. Sens. Josh Hawley and Eric Schmitt are united in their drive to get the Trump administration to designate Fort Leonard Wood in Pulaski County as a training center for ICE agents.

On Thursday, Schmitt sent a letter to Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth highlighting that the military base has thousands of acres of training grounds, robot barracks and classroom infrastructure to train ICE agents.

“I urge you to work proactively with the Department of Homeland Security and ICE to make Fort Leonard Wood available for this mission,” Schmitt wrote. “Leveraging synergies between our military law enforcement schools and civilian federal law enforcement is precisely the kind of coordination that enhances overall national security. It will strengthen border enforcement, make prudent use of existing Defense resources, and demonstrate the Department of War’s ability to adapt to pressing national priorities.”

Last week, Kehoe and Hawley sent letters to Hegseth and Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem with a similar request.

In his letter, Kehoe said he is pleased to support the effort to establish a non-Army federal law enforcement training program at Fort Leonard Wood. He said the initiative offers a timely and strategic solution to help address critical training capacity shortfalls faced by ICE and other federal agencies.

“ICE is under increased demand to recruit and train thousands of new agents in the next months. Current federal training centers are stretched to capacity, and ICE has already shortened training courses to keep pace with hiring demands. This is not a sustainable solution for ensuring readiness and effectiveness of our federal law enforcement workforce,” Kehoe wrote.

Kehoe letter on Fort Leonard WoodDownload

In an interview with ABC 17 News on Thursday, Hawley said the fort has the capacity and “tremendous facilities.”

“It would be great for the base, it would bring additional funding to the base, it would make sure that we keep all of our facilities top-notch, and it would also be good for the country, to be honest,” Hawley said. “We need more ICE agents, we need to train those agents, why go build some new facility somewhere when we have all of the facilities we need at Fort Leonard Wood?”

He noted that military police and the Marine Corps already train at the fort, and adding ICE would be a “great addition” that supports the base’s long-term health.

ICE has ramped up its work to detain illegal immigrants since Trump’s election, and the agency is offering lucrative signing bonuses for recruits. The Washington Post reported Thursday that ICE is also seeking office space around the country as it expands.

Hawley said the request is not about immigration in Missouri specifically, but said the effects of illegal immigration have been felt here, citing a December 2023 St. Louis crash involving an illegal immigrant that killed a 12-year-old boy.

“She was about to be deported afterwards, and we made sure that she was first able to stand trial. She pled guilty, and now she’s going to be sentenced, and after that, it’s all over. Get deported,” Hawley said.

Hawley said training ICE agents is a good way to ensure Fort Leonard Wood gets funding to keeps its facilities updated.

“I don’t want to see that base downgraded in any way. I don’t want to see its funding reduced in any way,” Hawley said. “I don’t want to see its facilities shrunk in any way, and this is about keeping the base strong and, of course, doing right by the servicemen and women who live there.”

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Ryan Shiner

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

The Missouri State Highway Patrol in a Thursday press release announced that it will continue its use of planes for traffic enforcement.

The release says the patrol formed the Strategic Traffic Operations and Rapid Mobilization team on Sept. 1. Storm is made up of 23 troopers and is expected to “aggressively enforce criminal activity and hazardous driving behaviors throughout Missouri,” the release says.

The first “large scale operation” occurred Tuesday in Jackson County and results in 72 traffic stops, 89 warnings, five speeding tickets, 14 “hazardous moving citations,” 27 “non-moving citations,” 18 misdemeanor arrests, 12 felony arrest and one gun taken.

The release says STORM will be used throughout Missouri. MSHP used planes last month to crack down on speeding through a construction zone on Interstate 70 between Columbia and Kingdom City.

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Alison Patton

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

Fatal crashes in Missouri decreased by 2% in 2025 compared to this time last year, according to the Missouri State Highway Patrol.

Deadly crashes are down by 8% across the nation, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. More than 17,000 people died in a car crash between January and June 2025. This time last year, more than 18,500 people had died in a car crash.

Missouri State Highway Patrol Troop F has reported 39 deaths on the roads so far for 2025. The agency reported 69 fatal crashes for 2024.

“We continue to encourage everyone to slow down, avoid distractions like cellphones, have a sober driver and always buckle up,” MSHP Sgt. Kyle Green wrote in a statement.

Troop F, which covers mid-Missouri, is down 15% in fatal crashes compared to this time last year.

Two men died in a crash in Cooper County, and another man died in a crash in Howard County on Wednesday. Two other people died in a crash on Tuesday in Morgan County.

The Missouri Department of Transportation reiterated much of what Green said. MODOT’s Jon Nelson, state highway safety and traffic engineer, added do the speed limit.

“Always drive the appropriate speed, sometimes that’s not the speed limit,” Nelson said.

He continued with examples of when the going the speed limit isn’t safe, like when it’s raining or the roadway is conjested.

“We would we would bring these numbers down significantly if we could just address those different problem behaviors,” said Joe Young, the media relations director for the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety.

Young and Nelson noted the same things for drivers to stay safe while on the road.

IIHS researches to find the best way to keep drivers safe on the road. The organization even does crash tests of cars to monitor how the safety system.

“Over time, we’ve added new crash test scenarios that are more challenging for vehicles and that have pushed safety even further,” Young

Young said safety features in cars can also prevent crashes.

“If anyone has purchased a vehicle recently, it might have automatic emergency braking on board that vehicle, and that’s a proven technology that helps to cut rear-end crashes,” Young said. “Things like blind spot monitoring, lane departure warning, are all proven technologies that are cutting crashes.”

2025 deadly crash data could change as the year goes on.

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