Author: KMIZ

Matthew Sanders

The USDA said Wednesday that it had approved Missouri’s request for a waiver from Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program rules, allowing the state to exclude sugary food and drinks from the program.

SNAP helps low-income Missourians pay for food. Starting next year, they won’t be able to use SNAP funds to buy prepackaged sweets, candy, soda, sugary juices and certain other items.

The move is drawing praise for its healthy focus. Others say it’s a way to target the poor.

What do you think? Let us know by voting in the poll.

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Ryan Shiner

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

A 39-year-old Columbia man was seriously injured in a Wednesday morning crash on Route PP at Starling Road in Boone County, according to a crash report from the Missouri State Highway Patrol.

The report says a 2011 Toyota Scion – driven by a 42-year-old Columbia man – was heading northbound when it turned into the path of a 2003 Nissan Frontier that was going in the opposite direction. The 39-year-old man was the driver of the Nissan, according to the report.

The driver of the Toyota had minor injuries and was brought to University Hospital in a private vehicle while his passenger – a 40-year-old woman from Columbia – had moderate injuries and was brought to the same hospital by ambulance, the report says. Both people in the Toyota wore seatbelts, the report says.

The 39-year-old man did not wear a seatbelt and was brought to University Hospital by ambulance, the report says. Both vehicles were totaled.

MSHP reports do not name those involved in crashes.

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Ryan Shiner

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

A Sedalia man was arrested and charged after he allegedly told law enforcement that he was a private investigator while he broke into multiple vehicles on Monday evening.

Ethan Jones, 22, was charged on Tuesday with second-degree burglary, armed criminal action and misdemeanor stealing. An arraignment was scheduled for Wednesday morning.  

The probable cause statement says Sedalia police were called to the intersection of 6th Street and Moniteau Avenue for a report of burglaries in unlocked vehicles. Jones was found by officers and he allegedly claimed he was a private investigator for a business named “TOMO,” which he was not able to spell and ended up being the name of a drug testing facility, police wrote.

Two people saw Jones go into several unlocked vehicles and take a plethora of items, the statement says. He allegedly told one person he was a private investigator before changing his story and claimed he worked for the Drug Enforcement Administration and was trying to “stop drugs,” the statement says.

Law enforcement recovered several stolen items that were found on Jones while at the Pettis County Jail, including a passport, cellphone, headphones and more, the statement says.

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Ryan Shiner

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

A school bus from Fulton Public Schools was involved in a crash on Wednesday, according to an email sent to parents by the school district.

No injuries were reported in the crash. The email says another bus picked up the remaining students and a 10-minute delay for drop-offs was expected.

“This message is to inform you that while on its afternoon route, Bus 15 was involved in a minor vehicular accident; there were no student or staff injuries,” the email says. “Another bus was dispatched to resume transporting students home. Students will be arriving at their respective drop off locations approximately 10 minutes behind schedule.”

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Nia Hinson

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

Editor’s Note: A source error regarding the time firefighters responded has been corrected.

No one was injured after a home caught fire Wednesday on Trillium Lane, according to a press release from the Lake Ozark Fire Protection District.

The release says firefighters were called at 1:23 p.m. and arriving first-responders saw a home with “heavy fire” coming from the back of the building. The fire “rapidly advanced” because of strong winds, according the release. Wind gusts were around 30-35 miles per hour in the area at the time of the fire, according to the ABC 17 News Stormtrack Weather Team.

Deputy Chief George Creamer said the home is considered a total loss.

Additional fires were caused in the area and two more homes had minor damage, the release says.

The fire at the initial home started on the lower level, but the cause is under investigation, the release says. Both residents at that home were able to get out without being injured, according to the release.

An ABC 17 News reporter on scene saw at least two fire trucks in the area on scene around 5 p.m. and crews working to put out hotspots.

David Loyd said he and his wife live just across the lake in Rocky Mountain, but said the view of his home allows him to see directly toward across the main channel toward where the home caught fire. Loyd said he had just finished editing at home, when he looked outside of his living room and saw what he initially thought was smoke coming from a pile of leaves.

However, Loyd said he quickly realized he was looking at flames coming from the corner of the home, prompting him to yell to his wife to call 911. What happened next happened very quickly, he said.

“The smoke was really dense. The flames had to have been 60-foot high coming out of the side of the house,” Loyd said. “The smoke was just so thick it was hard to see if it was just contained to that piece of property or if it was really spreading.”

Loyd said within 10 minutes, the back corner of the home was engulfed in flames and said firefighters were on scene minutes later. Loyd said while he doesn’t directly know the family involved, hearing stories like this always hit close to home.

“Every once in a while you hear of somebody’s lake house or somebody’s home catching fire and it always kind of hits home because you know we’re all susceptible to accidents or something bad like this happening,” Loyd said. “It’s just really sad to see something like this happen to anybody. I was just hoping that everybody was safe and no body got hurt. You can always buy another house.”

A neighbor in the area told ABC 17 News the window of the home was damaged in the fire, but said the extent of the damage was minor. She said her roof also briefly caught fire but was able to be quickly put out.

Crews remained on scene until around 9 p.m.

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Ryan Shiner

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

An elderly fisherman at the Lake of the Ozarks was found on Tuesday evening after a roughly hour-and-a-half search, according to a Wednesday social media post from the Gravois Fire Protection District.

The post says the Gravois Fire Protection District was called at 6:07 p.m. to the Gravois Arm of the Lake of the Ozarks to help the Missouri State Highway Patrol.

The man had called his family at 7:45 p.m. and was able to give them a location where he could be found and he required no medical attention, the post says.

“According to information gathered on scene, the fisherman experienced a mechanical failure when his primary motor would not start,” the post says. “He attempted to return using his trolling motor, but wind conditions pushed him across the arm, leading him to a dock on the opposite shoreline. Without a cell phone, he sought help from nearby homeowners, who provided shelter and assisted him in contacting his family.”

Three fire boats, an MSHP water patrol unit, MSHP helicopter, a thermal drone, one squad, three chief officers and one command unit were utilized at the scene, the post says.

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Jessica Hafner

The ABC 17 Stormtrack Weather Team has issued a Weather Alert Day for the potential of dangerously cold temperatures and subsequent wind chills between Saturday night and Sunday morning.

A fast moving Alberta clipper system will slide by just to our northeast on Saturday, bringing the potential for some light snow across far northeastern Missouri into Illinois and Indiana.

Some of these snow showers may clip areas from Kirksville to Mexico with light accumulation. There may also be enough moisture present under cloudy skies through early evening for some patchy freezing drizzle, although the window looks fairly short for impacts at this time.

As the clipper exits to the east, a strong arctic air mass will center over the upper Midwest over the weekend, with high pressure allowing skies to clear through Sunday morning. Even with a light breeze, air temperatures will be cold enough for wind chills to drop below zero. Morning low temperatures will range from about 3 to 10 degrees from north to south, with wind chills between -5 and -15 to start Sunday.

These forecasted wind chills have resulted in a Cold Weather Advisory being issued for some of Central Missouri this evening, lasting until noon Sunday.

Frostbite can occur after about 30 minutes of exposure in these conditions. Take care to keep pets indoors in a warm shelter, and make sure to let faucets drip on Saturday night with the cabinets open to avoid freezing pipes.

Sunday afternoon will be quite chilly despite sunshine, with highs in the upper teens.

As the winter season gets into full swing, make sure to have the free ABC 17 Stormtrack Weather App downloaded to your device to get the hourly forecast and latest alerts on closings and delays.

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Nia Hinson

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

Missouri Senate President Pro Tem Cindy O’Laughlin (R-Shelbina) will partake in a town hall on Wednesday night about artificial intelligence within the state.

Zimmer Communications is hosting the event at its Columbia office. The event will consist of O’Laughlin and Tim Marczewski, who is the state’s director of AI and Innovation at the Missouri Office of Administration. The two will discuss whether Missouri is prepared, as well as how it will impact Missourians, according to a press release.

The meeting comes as President Donald Trump looks to block states from creating their own regulations for AI.

The discussion also comes as companies pour money into AI–which need data centers to operate– that led to heated conversations during a town hall in Montgomery County on Monday night. Several residents voiced concerns over increasing electric bills and environmental impacts, while those who support it say it can help bring jobs to the area.

The event will be held at 6 p.m. at Zimmer Communications on Lemone Industrial Boulevard.

Check back for updates.

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Ryan Shiner

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

A Stover man has been accused of several child sex crimes in Morgan County.

Christopher Riggs was charged on Tuesday with one count of third-degree child molestation, one count of a sexual misconduct with a child younger than 15 years old and two counts of first-degree child molestation. A warrant was issued for his arrest and a $500,000 bond was set. He is not listed on the Morgan County Jail roster.

A woman, Carrie Riggs, is accused in court documents of protecting Christopher Riggs and she is charged with first-degree endangering the welfare of a child and tampering with a victim. A warrant was issued for her on Tuesday and a $500,000 bond was set. She was also not listed on the Morgan County Jail roster on Wednesday afternoon.

The probable cause statement says law enforcement was called on Sept. 15 about a prior sexual assault and the victim was interviewed later that month at Kids’ Harbor House.

The victim lived on the same property with Christopher Riggs and described multiple instances of sexual abuse and inappropriate touching, the statement says. Another interview was conducted in October and more instances of abuse were described.

One of the statements say the victim told Carrie Riggs about the abuse but she did not tell anyone in order to protect Christopher Riggs.

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Olivia Hayes

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

Columbia-based Equipment Share Inc. is looking to take its business to the stock market with an initial public stock offering.

The registration statement has been filed with the United States Securities and Exchange Commission, but is waiting for regulatory approval. Stocks and shares may not be sold until the company’s request becomes effective.

Equipment Share is looking to list on the Nasdaq Global Select Market under the symbol EQPT.

“The idea of going from a privately owned company to going on to the stock market, typically what that looks like, is a business deciding that they’re going to grow exponentially pretty quickly,” Interim President and CEO for the Columbia Chamber of Commerce Lily White Boyd said.

Equipment Share’s revenues are primarily through equipment rental and related services, sales of new or used rental equipment, sales of equipment parts, supplies and services, according to regulatory paperwork.

The share price has not been decided.

Equipment Share was founded in 2015 by Jabbok and William Schlacks. The Schlacks will represent a significant portion of the total voting power, making Equipment Share a “controlled company” under Nasdaq market standards, the company told the SEC.

Equipment Share had 342 full-service rental locations, 22 building materials locations and nine dealerships across 45 states as of Sept. 30. Through going public the company wants to nearly double their number of locations to 700.

“This is only the second company that is based here in Columbia to go through this process,” White Boyd said.

American Outdoor Brands, based in Columbia, went through the IPO process in 2020. Boyd White said a third company in the Mid-Missouri area started its IPO process last year.

“Central Bank, they’re actually headquartered down in Jeff City,” Boyd White said. “So it’s not considered a Columbia publicly traded company, but their first stocks were traded in November.”

In 2024, the company generated approximately $3.8 billion in revenue, an increase from $1.7 billion in 2022.

In its request, Equipment Share noted risks that could come with investing in Class A common stock. The construction equipment rental industry carries significant risks due to high competition and reliance on supplier relationships.

Disruptions in supply chains could also negatively impact the company’s ability to meet customer demand.

Seasonality can impact business operations, with lower levels of business typically experienced from December until late spring.

Equipment Share’s aging rental equipment fleet poses a significant financial risk to the company, as increased maintenance and repair costs could affect its financial condition and operations, the filing states. As the company’s rental equipment fleet ages, the costs associated with maintenance and repairs are expected to rise.

The average age of the fleet was approximately 30 months as of Sept. 30.

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