Author: KMIZ

Ryan Shiner

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

Gov. Mike Kehoe on Tuesday ordered flags at government buildings around the state to fly at half-staff for former Vice President Dick Cheney, according to a press release from the governor’s office.

Cheney, 84, served as vice president during President George W. Bush’s tenure from 2001-09. Cheney’s passing was announced on Tuesday. He died on Monday from complications from pneumonia and cardiac and vascular disease, according to press releases and reporting from national media.

“Vice President Cheney devoted his life to serving our nation with honor and distinction,” Kehoe said in the release. “Throughout his decades of public service, he exemplified unwavering commitment to the United States’ security and prosperity. In recognition of his long and distinguished career, we honor his life of service by lowering the flags across Missouri.”

The release says flags will be flown beginning Tuesday until Cheney’s internment, which has not yet been announced.

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Ryan Shiner

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

Veterans Day is next week and it will affect trash pickup in a couple of Mid-Missouri cities.

The Solid Waste calendar in Fulton shows refuse will not be picked up on Tuesday, Nov. 11. Those who have their trash picked up on Tuesdays will have it picked up on Wednesday. The Legends Rec-Plex will be closed, but “member keycard access remains available,” according to the city’s website

A press release from the City of Columbia says curbside trash and recycling will also not be picked up on Tuesday, Nov. 11. All trash pickup will be delayed by one day for the rest of the week. The landfill will also be closed that day, the release says.

Parking enforcement in Columbia will be suspended and the Activity and Recreation Center will operate from 9 a.m.-3 p.m., the release says.

The Columbia/Boone County Department of Public Health and Human Services will be closed on Veterans Day. Administrative offices will be closed.

Emergency services will not be affected in either city.

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Marie Moyer

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

The former Jefferson City Police Detective took the stand Tuesday during the bench trial for suspected killer Sergio Sayles.

“When I said she was dead and then murdered, there was no follow-up of how or anything like that and through my experience of death notifications, through all the different reactions, that’s a very common response,” said Jeremy Bowman, a former JCPD detective on Sayles’ case and administrator of the critical investigations unit in the Department of social services Children’s division.

During the prosecution’s video of the interrogation, Sayles claimed he and the victim, Jasmine King were no longer in a relationship at the time of the murder, only communicating due to having shared custody of their child.

“I don’t even understand why I’m here, honestly,” Sayles said. “I don’t have much love for her after everything that’s gone on over the years, but I don’t hate her.”

He added during the interrogation that his DNA wouldn’t be found mixed with blood at the scene. Bowman testified that he confiscated a ring from Sayles following his arrest. The ring, which had King’s blood on it, was later documented as evidence.

Bowman also reported from phone records that Sayles sent King a text the morning of the murder, saying he was going to a park. The text was delivered but never read by King. When cross-examined by the defense, Bowman confirmed the presence of a music-producing program on Sayles’ phone. The defense later clarified that the program had activity on it at around 8:30 a.m., around the time of the murder.

Dr. Keith Norton, deputy medical examiner for Boone and Callaway counties, testified that King had defensive wounds on her hands, adding that fingernail samples are always collected for those injuries.

During testimony Monday, defense attorneys questioned the investigative work of the Jefferson City Police Department after fingernail and fingerprint samples from the scene were not processed by the department’s lab.

“Yes, we try to collect nail clippings in each homicide,” Norton said.

Bowman later reported that the lab already had samples of evidence that contained Sayles’ and King’s DNA together, as well as Sayles’ fingerprints in a database and denied the samples.

Norton also said the victim had more than 25 stab wounds on her face, head, neck, torso and back. He also noted that she had life-threatening wounds on her upper right chest, neck and on her torso that struck her aorta and carotid artery.

In April 2023, police found Jasmine King dead from multiple stab wounds in her home on West Ashley Street in Jefferson City. Witness statements and surveillance video reportedly connected Sayles to the crime scene.

Officers also reported seeing Sayles going into a nearby park’s bathroom holding an unknown item in his hand and walking out without it. The bathroom was later searched twice following Sayles’ arrest, where police found a plastic bag in the trash can of the women’s restroom. Inside the bag, police found a bloody knife, clothing that was seen on Sayles’ YouTube channel with Jasmine’s blood on it, a white shirt with Sayles’ DNA and a piece of paper that had Sayles’ phone number written on it.

King had previously reported harassment and stalking by Sayles, including a complaint in 2021 where she alleged that Sayles threatened to shoot her.

Defense witnesses are expected to testify on Wednesday.

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Matthew Sanders

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (KMIZ)

Police have released the name of the man killed Saturday in a shooting outside the Jefferson City Old Navy store.

Jefferson City Police said in a news release Tuesday that Erik Spencer was the shooting victim. Two of Spencer’s family members confirmed his identity to ABC 17 News. Spencer was a graduate of Lincoln University, according to his social media profile. He died on the university’s 100th homecoming weekend.

Police were called to the scene a little before 8 p.m. Saturday. The Jefferson City Police Department has not released details about how Spencer was shot or who shot him.

Tuesday’s news release said only that investigators know the shooter’s identity and the person will not be named until the Cole County prosecuting attorney makes a decision about criminal charges.

Bullets went through the windows of the Old Navy store, which reopened Sunday.

Sarah Buitrago said she and Spencer became friends through working at the AT&T store, which is located in the same shopping plaza as the Old Navy.

Buitrago eventually left AT&T, but she and Spencer stayed close.

“We became really good friends, and I consider him to be like a brother to me,” Buitrago said.

She said she’s feeling frustrated with the lack of information on what happened, and even though more information was released Tuesday, she still has unanswered questions.

“He needs justice. Erik Spencer II deserves so much better than that, and anybody that knows him is to love him and want better for him,” Buitrago said.

On Saturday morning, Spencer was at a Lincoln University tailgate for homecoming at his alma mater the day he was killed, according to Buitrago.

“He had just went to the tailgate and was having a good time, and just trying to continue the fun with his friends,” she said. “Unfortunately, people took that from him.”

Buitrago and Spencer’s two sisters are planning a press conference for 10 a.m. Wednesday at the Cole County Courthouse. Buitrago said it’s one way to get answers and to let people know Spencer’s friends and family want justice.

Buitrago said Spencer was kind-hearted and would give anyone the shirt off his back.

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Matthew Sanders

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

The No. 19 Mizzou Tigers are coming off a bye week and getting ready to jump back into SEC play against Texas A&M.

The game kicks off at 2:30 p.m. Saturday at Faurot Field. Watch a news conference about preparation for the game here.

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Ryan Shiner

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

The City of Columbia Public Works crews will partake in its annual dry snow run Wednesday, according to a Monday evening press release from the city.

Crews will review safety procedures and rehearse snow routes for the upcoming winter season.

The release states a majority of the participants of the exercise will leave between 10-10:30 a.m. from the Grissum Building on 1313 Lakeview Ave.

Residents may see city snowplows throughout the rest of the day.

The release says the Street Division maintains about 1,465 lane miles of roads and 1,100 cul de sacs each winter. Priority routes make up more than 691 lane miles, the release says.

The release also says five new “snow-capable trucks” will be added to the city’s fleet this winter, with two expected to arrive this month and three being added in January.  

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Sam Roe

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

Retired Lt. Col. Anthony Aguilar, a 25-year army veteran and humanitarian aid worker, spoke on Monday night about his experience in Gaza.

The event was sponsored by Missourians for Justice in Palestine and was hosted at United Methodist Church in Columbia.

Aguilar spent time earlier this year delivering aid as part of the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation and has spent the past few months as a self-described “whistleblower.” He has been speaking out against what he sees as a lack of aid and its poor administration.

“It was very apparent to me in the very beginning that the distribution of aid was not being done in line with humanitarian principles,” Aguilar said to the crowd. “The amount of aid that was bringing, that was being brought in was far, far below what was sufficient to feed the population.”

Aguilar claimed in some cases, there were only 20 people responsible for distributing aid to groups that numbered in the tens of thousands. He described the scene as being similar to “The Hunger Games” as they would drop off the food while the people fought over it.

“And the more that I, as each day went on of me being there, it became clearly apparent to me that it was an intentional design to further starve the population,” Aguilar said.

“To displace the population for militarized objectives [and] to essentially weaponize food to a starving population.”

The discussion also focused on the current ceasefire deal in Gaza, which Aguilar sees as ineffective, saying leaders need to step up, as there are still people dying in the conflict.

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Alison Patton

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (KMIZ)

The Jefferson City Council approved a resolution at Monday’s meeting allowing the Missouri Association of Counties to preserve another portion of the historic Buescher Memorial Home.

The front part of the former funeral was known to be in good condition to renovate and preserve, but MAC Executive Director Steve Hobbs said he thought the additional building on the back side — which was added to the original building — would need to be torn down and rebuilt.

“When the architect first said, ‘I think we can save that back building.’ I said, ‘No, no, no, no, we’re not going to,'” Hobbs said.

Saving the back building will actually give MAC more space to work with for its headquarters, office space and training center.

“This is historically better for the community because that building has been there for 50 years,” Hobbs said.

Renovations and work on the former funeral home begin in January, Hobbs said. The $5 million project is expected to take 18-24 months to complete and open sometime in 2028.

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Erika McGuire

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

Thousands of federal workers are feeling the financial strain as the government shutdown stretches past a month, leaving many furloughed or working without pay in what is expected to become the longest shutdown in U.S. history.

The shutdown began Oct. 1 as lawmakers in Washington D.C. are in a stalemate over a federal budget bill. The record for the longest shutdown is expected to be tied on Tuesday evening after 35 days have passed, matching the mark set during President Donald Trump’s first term in 2019.

That stalemate, has caused Daniel Scharpenburg, first Vice President of the NTEU Chapter 66 for the Internal Revenue Service in Kansas City, to be furloughed and face financial uncertainty.

Scharpenburg said there are approximately 6,000 employees that work at the IRS building in Kansas City, with many being furloughed. He works in the collections department where he has processed payment plan requests for 16 years. He was put into furlough status on Oct. 6, five days after the shutdown began.

“I really felt disrespected, like the work we do doesn’t matter, Scharpenburg said. “It was really stressful to not get paid on that day, when we count on these checks to come every two weeks, it was still a shocked to look at the bank account and have that not be there,”

“I did exhaust all the savings that I had. I’ve been building up savings for a little while,” Scharpenburg said. “My bills are going to start coming due, so I had to get something.”

Without a source of income for the past month, Scharpenburg has relied on food banks such as KC Eats, which was established last month, and the organization Harvesters, which provides personal hygiene products.

With his savings nearly gone, Scharpenburg has been forced to look for ways to stay financially stable.

“I have gone to every one of my bills and asked them to defer payments. Some of them have and other ones have not,” He said. “Thankfully, I don’t have to pay rent right now. That is deferred until the end of the shutdown, but some of those other ones are not going to do that for me,”

His credit card and phone bill are two bills he says have been deferred, but his car payment was not because he cannot get a hold of the company, making it his biggest stressor.

For a temporary source of income, Scharpenburg has been hired to work in a warehouse for a company he did not want to name. He says unemployment wasn’t an option, due to not wanting to pay it back to the state and having a debt. His coworkers have also found other ways to make ends meet.

“I know one person that’s going and selling plasma twice a week.” I kind of worry about health implications of doing that all the time, but we got to do whatever we got to do,” Scharpenburg said.

When asked about the possibility of losing his job permanently if the shutdown continues, Scharpenburg said he’s not sure what he would do.

“I’m trying not to think about htat because I don’t know what I’m doing to do. I have a 16-year career, that’s a pretty good sizes career, right?” Scharpenburg said. “I’m middle-aged, I don’t know that I’m equipped to learn how to do anything else, I don’t want to start over.”

Scharpenburg says the responsibility lies with Congress, and he hopes lawmakers will act soon so federal employees can return to work.

“I feel like Congress has a duty to avoid this kind of thing happening. I think they have a duty to get us reopened,” he said. “I feel like we’re disrespected, devalued, and scapegoated right now by various angles, and it’s inappropriate and unacceptable.”

If you are a federal worker in Mid-Missouri, there are several resources available for help.

The Food Bank for Central and Northeast Missouri provides groceries and other essential items to individuals and families in need.

The Central Missouri Community Action Agency, a nonprofit that supports low-income families, told ABC 17 News in a Monday email it is offering support to anyone in need.

City of Columbia Utilities does not have specific program for government workers, but the city says it continues to work with residents who may have difficulties paying their utility bills, including setting up payment plans for qualified customers.

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Mitchell Kaminski

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) 

The Columbia City Council on Monday night unanimously approved a $58,000 consultant agreement with Avenu Insights and Analytics to help track and enforce the city’s new short-term rental regulations.

Between February and July, the city passed a series of ordinances establishing land use, business license, and tax rules for short-term rentals, such as Airbnbs or VRBOs. As those regulations took effect, city staff said a specialized vendor would be needed to help monitor compliance.

According to a council memo, Avenu’s software will track listings across 80 different rental platforms, identifying properties used as short-term rentals and flagging those operating without a license. The system will also collect data on occupancy rates and estimated revenue to help ensure the city collects the required 5% accommodation tax.

Development Services Manager Patrick Zenner said the city currently reviews listings on only a handful of major platforms when an application is submitted, which means some rentals can go undetected.

“Without having the vendor’s services, the City’s ability to identify operators and bring them into licensure compliance is significantly curtailed which results in less ability to collect the accommodations taxes that are regulatorily required to be paid by each operator,” Zenner said in an email.

During Monday’s meeting, Ward 1 Councilwoman Valerie Carroll described the process of tracking those rentals as “labor-intensive and onerous” on city staff. A large selling point of the contract was the cost, with Community Development Director Clinton Smith adding that the contract costs about half the amount of hiring a full-time employee to do the same work.

The proposed five-year contract includes a $5,000 setup fee and an annual maintenance cost starting at $26,250, with small increases each year. The agreement could be extended for up to 10 years at a total cost of about $312,000. The contract allows the city to terminate the agreement at any time without cause.

City staff estimates there are about 475 active short-term rentals in Columbia, but only 125 applications have been submitted, resulting in a compliance rate of less than 25%. If all were licensed and taxed, the city projects annual revenue of roughly $818,000—well above the contract’s cost.

Zenner said the vendor will also operate a 24-hour complaint hotline and assist with enforcement efforts, acting as “an extension of the city’s staff” in monitoring short-term rental activity. Zenner added a major factor in picking Avenu was they were one of only a few vendors that offered live U.S.-based customer service.

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