Author: KMIZ

Matthew Sanders

Israel launched its newest ground operation, “Gideon’s Chariots,” over the weekend in Gaza.

The start of the attack was bloody, with scores killed on the first night. Reports on the ground say many of the dead are women and children.

Israel and Hamas started indirect talks over the weekend, as well, but they didn’t appear to hold much promise.

The war in Gaza has killed thousands of civilians, and observers are warning that the new operation could lead to many more deaths through an aid crisis and military action. Meanwhile, Israeli leaders have suggested support for President Donald Trump’s suggestion of emptying the enclave of its Palestinian residents.

Do you think Israel should intensify its war? Vote in the poll to let us know your opinion.

Click here to follow the original article.

Euphenie Andre

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

Missouri Task Force One returned to Columbia on Sunday afternoon following a two-day deployment to north St. Louis Friday in response to deadly storms.

The 88-member emergency response team was sent to assist with recovery efforts after severe weather caused widespread damage across parts of the city. Team members were stationed in impacted zones and at a designated St. Louis Fire Department staging area to help coordinate recovery operations.

According to Cathryn Shaw, Executive Director of All Among Us, a nonprofit that serves women and families in need, several neighborhoods in north St. Louis were left uninhabitable.

“I think we have a couple neighborhoods here that the majority of the homes in these neighborhood are going to be condemned,” she said.

An ABC 17 News reporter saw extensive destruction in both north St. Louis and the Central West End, including homes leveled, trees uprooted, and power lines barely intact.

“These people have lived in their homes for over 50 years and their roofs are gone. You know, their yards that they have built these beautiful like sitting areas and areas to welcome their family. It’s gone,” Shaw added.

Shaw, whose organization typically provides groceries and basic essentials, said the scope of this disaster has shifted the city’s needs dramatically. Shaw emphasized the urgent need for outside assistance.

“Well (they need) money. They need volunteers to come down. They certainly need tree removal,” Shaw said. “They need counselors. They need people to come just to sit with people and talk and listen to them and let them process their trauma.”

Missouri Task Force One members utilized technology such as drones to assess the damage from above, with three to four drones deployed to map and monitor the affected areas.

One member described the storm’s impact as particularly severe due to the dense population of the areas hit. Many neighborhoods remained without power Sunday, while others have only limited service restored.

Despite the devastation, Shaw said the response from residents, first responders, and volunteers has been nothing short of inspiring.

“Yesterday, what was so rewarding was to see everybody in St. Louis who literally had cooked all night to be on the street at six o’clock yesterday morning serving hot meals to people and not just the volunteers, but all the pole in the community,” Shaw said. “They could get a hot meal. Every third block had a hot meal going on. It was really inspiring and humbling to see yesterday… to see the city of St. Louis coming together.”

Click here to follow the original article.

Nia Hinson

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

A 32-year-old man has died after he was shot near the McDonald’s on Nifong Blvd. in south Columbia Sunday afternoon.

The Columbia Police Department announced that Derek Gonzalez, 32, of Columbia, died at a local hospital after he was shot on Sunday in the 500 block of East Nifong Blvd.

Police said in a news release that officers found two people shot and both were taken to a hospital.

A CPD police officer on scene told ABC 17 News a man and a woman were shot. Police said the woman suffered serious injuries but is now in stable condition.

A person was detained at the scene but was released from custody without charges.

According to a social media post from CPD, there are no outstanding suspects.

An ABC 17 News reporter saw at least 10 Columbia Police Department vehicles, three Boone County Sheriff’s Office vehicles and several ambulances around 12:50 p.m. in the McDonald’s parking lot on Nifong Blvd.

Several evidence markers were also seen in the parking lot of the McDonald’s.

Check back for updates to this developing story.

Click here to follow the original article.

Marie Moyer

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

More than 30 items are on the agenda for Monday’s Columbia City Council meeting, ranging from million-dollar infrastructure projects to DEI initiatives.

The items are under the “consent agenda” section of the meeting, meaning that the City Council members will not discuss the items and instead either vote on them or move them to a later date for discussion.

According to meeting memos, the majority of the projects fall under infrastructure and public works. The most expensive project being considered Monday is the Henderson Branch extension, a $5.4 million construction plan to add a sewer line west of town. While expensive, supporters argue that it would help with future expansion.

The City is also considering constructing another salt dome on the south side of town. The project costs $4.7 million and plans to help with snow-clearing in the winter by giving salt trucks a second location on the other side of town to refill. Construction would be complete for the 2026-27 winter season, if approved.

A cost-share agreement with MoDOT is also up for vote. If passed, the little over $1 million plan will add pedestrian safety features like sidewalks and signals around the Interstate 70 and Route 63 connector.

Two paid studies are also on the table, one with Black & Veatch for $133 thousand to review costs for a South Side power line project. The review will be used for plans to improve the power line system to prevent blackouts.

The second study would come out of federal grant funding and hires Great Rivers Engineering for $500 thousand to review Business Loop 70 for transportation needs and opportunities.

Also on the docket is an item that would assure that whenever a federal grant is accepted, the City would file “assurances and certifications.” This means the City complies with government-wide requirements. While the bill does mention age, race, and disability, and sex discrimination, critics worry that modern DEI practices will be pushed aside.

Another notable item would make the city a Blue Shield City, an initiative launched by Gov. Kehoe in March that would give state grants to cities for law enforcement training and equipment.

The meeting is scheduled for 7 p.m. on Monday at Columbia’s City Hall.

Click here to follow the original article.

Nia Hinson

CAMDEN COUNTY, Mo. (KMIZ)

A St. Ann man was seriously injured when his van crashed in Camden County Saturday morning.

According to a Missouri State Highway Patrol crash report, the 60-year-old man was driving a 2013 Ford Transit on St. Croix drive just after 5 a.m. The crash happened when his van crossed the center line– went off the left side of the road– and hit two trees.

He was transported by ambulance to Lake Regional Hospital with serious injuriess.

The report states he was wearing a seatbelt during the time of the crash.

Click here to follow the original article.

Euphenie Andre

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

Saturday marked the second day of commencement ceremonies on the University of Missouri’s campus, celebrating the accomplishments of students in multiple fields.

Roughly 6,000 students are expected to graduate from the university this weekend. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the national unemployment rate held steady at 4.2% in April. While unchanged from previous months, it is slightly higher than it was in May of last year.

Among this year’s graduates is first-generation student Noe Damia, who says the workforce can be intimidating, but he’s ready for it.

“I think it’s really scary, but I think it’s also really exciting to finally, like, get into the real work after, like all these 14 years of studying and all that,” Damia said. “So, I think it’s pretty, pretty overwhelming, but pretty rewarding as well.” He plans to begin an internship after graduation.

The unemployment rate for recent college graduates with a bachelor’s degree currently sits at 15.3%, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. However, several Mizzou graduates already have plans in place.

Jordyn Gegg, a graduate from the Trulaske College of Business with an emphasis in Finance and Real Estate, is launching his professional journey close to home.

“After graduation, I’m happy to be working on my real estate investing business here in Columbia,” he said.

Some graduates are continuing their education. Madelyn Williams, who earned her degree in Agriculture, plans to attend the University of Missouri College of Veterinary Medicine and hopes to pursue a career in equine medicine.

Others are headed abroad.

Audrey Cousins, a Communications graduate, said that she will be moving to the Philippines for the next three years to join the staff team of a ministry organization.

The healthcare industry added 51,000 jobs in April, closely aligning with its monthly average of 52,000 over the past year. The federal government employment continued to decline, dropping by 9,000 jobs last month and down 26,000 since January.

Out of the 1.2 million graduates aged 20 to 29 who earned their bachelor’s between January and October last year, nearly 70% had secured employment by October 2024.

The unemployment rate for recent college graduates with a bachelor’s degree is at 15.3%, and 8.4% for those with advanced degrees.

The number of people who have been jobless for 27 weeks or more increased from 179,000 to 1.7 million. Long-term unemployment now accounts for 23.5% of all unemployed people.

The highest unemployment rate in the past 20 years was recorded in April 2020 at 14.8%, during the early stages of the COVID-19 pandemic, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Graduation ceremonies at MU are expected to wrap up by Sunday afternoon.

Click here to follow the original article.

Marie Moyer

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

Three honorary degree recipients received Doctorates of Science from the University of Missouri this spring.

This year’s recipients are Harriet Haynes, James Nave, and Stuart Wesbury.

Haynes graduated from the University of Missouri with a bachelor’s in Nursing and focused on psychology and mental health professionally. She served as Director of the University of Minnesota’s Counseling and Consulting Services for 15 years and president of the Minnesota Psychological Association.

Nave is also a University of Missouri alumnus, receiving a Doctorate of Veterinary Medicine. Nave served in the Vietnam War as a captain after receiving his degree and earned a Bronze Star. He was president of the Nevada Veterinary Medical Association and the American Veterinary Medical Association.

Wesbury studied at Temple University, the University of Michigan, and the University of Florida, pursuing health care administration. He served as a commissioned officer in the U.S. Public Health Service and as director and professor in MU’s graduate program for health services management.

Saturday’s commencement ceremonies cover Arts and Sciences, Health and Medicine, Law and Agriculture.

College of Arts & Sciences (divided by major) – 8:30 a.m. and noon at Mizzou Arena

School of Medicine – 11 a.m. at Jesse Auditorium

School of Law – 2 p.m. at Jesse Auditorium

College of Health Sciences – 3:30 p.m. at Mizzou Arena

College of Agriculture, Food and Natural Resources – 7 p.m. at Mizzou Arena

According to the university, 6,428 degrees will be awarded this weekend. Around 4,500 will be bachelor’s degrees, around 1,000 will be master’s and education specialist’s degrees, and a little under 700 will be doctoral and professional degrees.

Traffic is expected to be heavy and guests are asked to follow graduation policies during ceremonies.

Click here to follow the original article.

Ryan Shiner

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

A Sedalia man was charged with several felonies after he allegedly shot into a home while trying to shoot a man who was driving.

Jubyris Jordan, 30, was charged with first-degree assault, two counts of armed criminal action, one count of unlawful use of a weapon, illegal gun possession, misdemeanor illegally shooting a gun and misdemeanor second-degree property damage. An arraignment was held on Friday.

The probable cause statement says that Jordan got into an argument with the victim at an apartment building and hit the victim’s truck with a pole as he drove away. Witnesses heard yelling before seeing Jordan hit the truck with a pole, the statement says.

The man then noticed Jordan driving behind him on West Broadway Boulevard in Sedalia, the statement says. Jordan allegedly followed him for several blocks before firing two or three shots, the statement says.

Two bullets hit a nearby house occupied by a family, with one going through the wall of the home and into the living room, the statement says.

Click here to follow the original article.

Ryan Shiner

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

Eighty members of Missouri Task Force 1 are heading to St. Louis to help with storm damage recovery.

Boone County Fire Protection District Assistant Chief Gale Blomenkamp confirmed through text message that Task Force 1 will soon head out to St. Louis, which saw significant damage from storms.

St. Louis officials had confirmed during a press conference that at least five people were dead and more than 5,000 homes were damaged after severe storms hit the area on Friday.

Task Force 1 is based at the Boone County Fire Protection District Headquarters. The task force had been deployed within the state twice last month after flooding and tornadoes damaged a southeastern Missouri town and Pilot Grove in Cooper County.

Task Fore 1 later stated in a press release that members who are already based in the St. Louis region are on scene “conducting advanced area reconnaissance in the hardest-hit neighborhoods.”

The remainder of the 80-person team, including a four-member the Disaster Situation Awareness and Reconnaissance team will leave Boone County by 10 p.m. and are expected to arrive by midnight.

“This deployment prioritizes search and rescue operations in North Saint Louis City, where the tornado caused the most severe damage. The advanced element will respond directly to the impacted zones, while the main body of the team will report to a designated City of Saint Louis Fire Department staging location,” the release says.

Included in this deployment are six live-find K-9 units, four human remains detection K-9s, task force leadership and structural engineers and more than 100,000 pounds of equipment.

Ameren’s outage map shows a significant number of people without power in the St. Louis areas, with St. Louis County seeing 45,342 customers without power; St. Louis City having 40,103 and Jefferson County totaling 11,568.

Check back for updates.

Click here to follow the original article.