Author: KMIZ

Matthew Sanders

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (KMIZ)

Missouri’s attorney general filed a lawsuit Wednesday to stop a vote on a new congressional map passed by the Republican supermajority during a summer special session.

Attorney General Catherine Hanaway filed the lawsuit on Wednesday in federal court for the Eastern District of Missouri that lists Secretary of State Denny Hoskins as the plaintiff. The lawsuit was filed against People Not Politicians, a group that has raised more than $1.7 million in contributions since forming.

The group’s leadership said in a news release Wednesday it has collected more than 100,000 signatures on its petition to get a question repealing the new map on a statewide ballot. The group’s initial petition forms were rejected, but Missouri Secretary of State Denny Hoskins gave them the go-ahead Wednesday to start collecting signatures.

In a release, Hoskins said signatures collected before Wednesday could not be used. Hanaway’s lawsuit came just hours later.

Lawsuit against People Not PoliticiansDownload

In the lawsuit, Hanaway asserts that the effort to get the map before voters is unconstitutional because the Missouri and U.S. constitutions give the power to redraw districts explicitly to the legislature.

Hanaway says in a statement the lawsuit “is about protecting Missouri’s constitutional authority from being hijacked by out-of-state dark money groups.” Missouri Republicans have long complained that Missouri’s initiative petition process allows for groups that don’t report their donations to have an outsized impact on the process.

People Not Politicians Director Richard von Glahn said he won’t be throwing out the signatures the group has been collecting since Missouri lawmakers sent the map to the governor in September. von Glahn cited a Missouri law that allows signatures to start being collected once the “sample sheet” is submitted, which he said it was.

“It is, of course, politicians who are grasping at straws and are desperate to make sure that Missourians don’t get the final say on this, but that’s too bad. Missourians are signing this at record rates,” von Glahn said.

People Not Politicians filed a lawsuit against Hoskins, claiming he violated Sunshine laws by not posting the group’s referendum within the deadline set by the law.

He also said any issues with signatures collected before the referendum was approved could be debated at the next court hearing on Nov. 4.

“I don’t expect that that is going to be the final spot of that lawsuit,” von Glahn said. “I expect it would get appealed to the Western District and ultimately to the Missouri Supreme Court.”

von Glahn spoke with ABC 17 News prior to the attorney general announcing the latest lawsuit. The team reached back out von Glahn, and he declined to comment on the issue and said there’s a press conference Thursday morning.

Republican lawmakers passed the new map, which eliminates one of two Democrat-friendly districts in the U.S. House, during a special September session. The map splits up the Kansas City area and the current Fifth District, a seat held by Democratic Rep. Emanuel Cleaver.

Several lawsuits have been filed to challenge the new map, claiming maps can only be redrawn every 10 years after the census.

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Matthew Sanders

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

Leadership of Missouri’s Young Republicans organization has issued a statement condemning comments reportedly made by their YR peers in other states.

Politico published an article on Tuesday highlighting offensive language used by some members of the Young Republicans in a private group chat on Discord. The story reports on messages sent by members from New York, Arizona, Vermont and Kansas.

The article quotes a message reportedly sent by William Hendrix, an officer with the Kansas Young Republicans, saying “he’s drawn to the Missouri Young Republicans because ‘Missouri doesn’t like f——ts.'”

“To be absolutely clear: the Missouri Young Republicans’ delegation did not support, vote for, or endorse any of the individuals cited in the article,” the Missouri group says in the statement. “Their actions do not represent the views, principles, or leadership of our state federation or our members.”

The statement goes on to “call for the immediate resignation of every individual who participated in or condoned such behavior.”

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Ryan Shiner

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

A former sports information director at a Fulton college has sued the school in federal court.

A lawsuit was filed on Tuesday in the Western District Court of Missouri accuses William Woods University of disability discrimination and retaliation.

The petition alleges John Roushkolb was hired as a sports information director for the school on July 17, 2023, and that he was diagnosed with attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder.

“On or about February 21, 2024, Plaintiff discussed his ADHD and accompanying struggles and requests for accommodation with his superior, Steve Wilson, who said to Plaintiff, ‘I just don’t understand that and I’m not sure that I ever will,’” the petition says.

Roushkolb was placed on an improvement plan, where he “asked for regular meetings with his superiors to discuss meeting work quality and timeliness expectations,” the lawsuit alleges. But, meetings about the plan allegedly stopped in May 2024, the lawsuit alleges.

The petition claims Roushkolb was mocked by coworkers for his disability in August 2024 and was fired a month later. The lawsuit alleges Roushkolb was fired “as a result of his disability and in retaliation for his complaints regarding the discriminatory treatment.”

ABC 17 News has reached out to WWU.

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Matthew Sanders

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

A Jefferson City man suffered serious injuries and three children were hurt Wednesday morning in a crash on Highway 54 in Callaway County.

The 35-year-old driver was not wearing a seatbelt when his Jeep Compass ran off the road, went up an embankment and hit a tree at about 6 a.m., according to a Missouri State Highway Patrol crash report. Ambulances took the driver and two passengers with moderate injuries — a 6-year-old boy and an 8-year-old girl — to University Hospital.

A third passenger, a 4-year-old girl, was taken to University Hospital by private vehicle for minor injuries, the report says.

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Olivia Hayes

EDITOR’S NOTE: AI contributed to background research for this article.

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

Boone County launched a new Youth Substance Use Prevention Coalition on Wednesday afternoon at the Columbia/Boone County Health Department.

This meeting marks the start of a collaborative effort to tackle youth substance use and promote community-driven change, organizers say. The coalition aims to address youth substance use by bringing together parents, school leaders, health care providers, law enforcement, businesses, and youth leaders.

The coalition was formed through the county’s Community Health Assessment and Community Health Improvement Plan. During this process, surveys and focus groups were conducted with residents to identify the community’s biggest health needs. Youth substance use was identified as a top concern based on input from nearly 1,800 Boone County residents, leading to the formation of the coalition to address the issue, according to the assessment.

“So if they experiment with alcohol, tobacco and other drugs before the age of 18, they have a 1 in 4 chance of developing a substance use disorder,” said Heather Harlan, the Boone County Health Department’s Health Program Coordinator. “If they wait until after the age of 21, it’s one and 25. I like those odds a lot better.”

The CHA showed that from 2022 to 2024 the number of students using electronic cigarettes in the 30 days leading up to the survey doubled, from 7.6% to 15.5%. The use of marijuana nearly tripled from 4.6% in 2022 to 11.3% in 2024.

The group is focusing its scope on four main goals:

Bringing Boone County together to prevent youth substance use.

Aligning its work in a proven public health approach.

Understanding the problems and opportunities that exist in the county.

Developing a strategic plan.

“Will we end substance use disorders? No, but we can make the numbers go down and that’s what we’re setting out to do,” Harlan said.

According to the National College Attainment Network, building a coalition to deal with public policy offers advantages, including increased influence through strength in numbers and the ability to draw on diverse skills and knowledge. It also minimizes the workload for individual members.

The coalition will utilize local data and develop strategies to address the root causes of substance use.

The group will meet again on Nov. 12 at 1:30 at the Compass Health Children’s Network Center, anyone is welcome to attend.

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Jazsmin Halliburton

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

Two women made their first appearance in court on Wednesday in connection with a deadly officer-involved shooting in Paris, Missouri, last weekend.

Lois Armour, 78, and Patty Armour, 51, both of Paris, Missouri, were charged with hindering a felony prosecution and are currently booked in the Randolph County Jail. They are being held on $100,000 bonds.

The two women are accused of lying to officers about not knowing where a suspect was, which led to an incident in which a Randolph County deputy was shot.

Patty Armour asked by be released on recognizance, saying she would like to arrange for her husband’s funeral. A judge denied the request, but set a bond hearing for 2 p.m. Monday. Lois Armour is applying for a public defender to represent her and wanted to wait until she had an attorney to speak on a possible bond.

On Sunday, law enforcement was investigating a homicide in Ralls County, leading them to Charles Armour, 57, as a person of interest. Officers found a home in Paris where they believed Charles Armour would be. They went inside, and that’s when gunfire was exchanged. A deputy was shot, and Armour was killed.

MSHP later wrote that Jonathan Floyd, of Perry, Missouri, was the victim in the homicide investigation and that he was shot on Sunday. He was 55.

According to court documents, police went to the home where Patty and Lois Armour allegedly told officers that Charles was not inside. Law enforcement was given permission to search the home and found Charles Armour in a bathroom with a handgun, the statement says. He then fired at the responding officers and hit a Randolph County deputy, the statement says.

Residents gathered in Moberly on Tuesday to welcome home the deputy who was hit by gunfire.

A social media post from the Moberly Police Department showed dozens of people gathered to welcome the deputy as he returned home from the hospital.

“I am forever grateful that this deputy returned home to his family. This community supports its law enforcement, and it showed today,” Randolph County Sheriff Andy Boggs told ABC 17 News in a text message.

MSHP’s Division of Drug and Crime Control is investigating the shooting

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Matthew Sanders

The Mizzou Tigers are looking to return to their winning ways on the road this coming weekend.

Fresh off a 27-24 loss in a nail-biting finish to Alabama, the No. 16 Missouri Tigers will now head south to — you got it — Alabama to play a different SEC foe: Auburn.

Kickoff is set for 6:45 p.m. at Jordan-Hare Stadium.

Auburn is 3-3 with an 0-3 record in the SEC. Missouri is 5-1 with a 1-1 record in the SEC.

Do you think Mizzou will get a win on the road? Let us know by voting in the poll.

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Nia Hinson

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

Some Columbia City Council members are responding to University of Missouri System President Mun Choi’s push for the city to better address crime.

Councilwomen from wards 1, 2 and 3 sent a joint letter to Choi on Tuesday, outlining the current action plans the city has taken to address the issue of crime, as well as what the city hopes to achieve.

The letter follows a recent continued push from Choi for the city to utilize a joint crime-reduction strategy after Stephens College student Aiyanna Williams was shot and killed downtown last month. Since then, Choi has held a press conference, a downtown walk and sent a letter to several city leaders, including Mayor Barbara Buffaloe about the issue.

“President Choi has sent council members multiple emails over the last several days and the three of us who wrote that message back wanted to take some time and make sure we were responding to his most recent email and have a well-developed thought out response to that,” Ward 3 Councilwoman Jacque Sample said.

Valerie Carroll (Ward 1) and Vera Elwood (Ward 2) were the other two councilwomen listed on the letter.

The letter outlines efforts the city has taken toward addressing crime, including allocating 50% of the city’s general fund to public safety, chipping away at vacancies within the police department and utilizing Flock cameras.

The goal in sending the letter was also to ensure context of the data was being relayed to the public, according to Sample. The letter states that crimes against society– which includes crimes such as drug use, trespassing, weapons offenses without a victim and liquor law violations are up about 36%, making up the main driver for the city’s total crime rate.

However, the letter states that increase reflects the increased police presence in the downtown area that the Columbia Police Department has utilized.

“The data makes clear that while we’re reporting a crime increase, it is largely the product of officers being more active and total staffing improvements that have allowed for more enforcement,” the letter says.

The letter also places an emphasis on separating the issue of homelessness in the city and downtown area from crime, saying the two aren’t always related. In a September press conference, Choi urged city leaders to consider a loitering ordinance, and called on leaders to also address the issue of homelessness and clean up encampments.

“The crimes that are being talked about right now are issues of gun violence downtown,” Elwood said. “None of the main stories that are making the news right now have been perpetrated by our unhoused neighbors. We absolutely do have a housing crisis. We have a homeless crisis in Columbia that is separate from the gun violence issue.”

Carroll represents the downtown area. She said she’s heard varied responses from both business owners and people who live downtown. Some say they want to ensure the city isn’t criminalizing the homeless population, as well as from those who are not comfortable interacting with homeless people.

Carroll said she believes the city needs to engage in public health, social services and law enforcement to reduce both gun violence and homelessness, but believes those are different teams.

Carroll also wants to remind people that solutions to complex problems take time.

“We have put solutions in process for the past several years. Some of them are already having positive effects,” Carroll said. “We’ve decreased gun violence, reported shootings downtown by 50% over the last year, that’s a positive trend but those trends take time to build.”

Ward 5 Councilman Don Waterman also sent a separate letter to Choi on Tuesday.

According to Sample and Elwood, the three chose to send a letter separately due to conversations they had about the issue, and did not include a fourth person because four is considered a quorum.

Waterman said the purpose of his letter was to show his support for the police department, but continuing to increase the police presence is going to come at a cost. Waterman ended his letter asking Choi if he would support a tax increase in the city to help fund the police department.

“Chief Schlude has said, and it’s been out there before that she thinks we need 50 additional officers and there’s going to be a cost for that and we’e trying to recruit businesses and expand our sales tax base that way,” Waterman said.

Waterman said the council has had discussions about a possible increase but it has not come up for a formal discussion.

ABC 17 News reached out to Ward 4 Councilman Nick Foster and Ward 6 Councilwoman Betsy Peters. A spokesman from the University of Missouri declined to comment.

You can read the full letters below.

Mun Choi response 10_12_25 (1)Download

Letter to President Choi (Rev 1)- 10.14.25Download

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Mitchell Kaminski

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

Columbia Public Schools is considering how to use a one-time $9 million payment it received from Boone County after a property-tax settlement with Ameren Missouri.

Boone County Commissioner Kip Kendrick said the county reached a resolution earlier this year in a long-running dispute before the Missouri State Tax Commission. The agreement resolved litigation over property taxes owed by Ameren from 2019-24, releasing impounded funds that were distributed to local taxing entities, including the school district.

“The distribution was of impounded property taxes dating from 2019-2024, and was a one-time special distribution made in August,” Kendrick told ABC 17 News in an email. “There is an agreed-upon methodology where these funds will not be impounded in future years.”

The settlement funds were distributed in the same manner as regular property tax payments. Columbia Public Schools officials said it is still in the early stages of deciding how to spend the money.

During a Finance Committee meeting on Oct. 7, district administrators presented preliminary ideas for the one-time funds, focusing on facility improvements, safety and instructional support. 

During the meeting, officials emphasized that the money will be used for one-time needs rather than ongoing expenses, given its unique nature.

“These are only preliminary options provided by district administrators and have not been synthesized or prioritized to date,” Heather McArthur, Chief Financial Officer for CPS, told ABC 17 News in an email. “We plan to have additional discussions at finance committee in the upcoming months and any final decisions would be made during the budget process next spring.” 

Among the potential projects discussed were:

Upgrading walkie-talkies and radio systems;

Repair water fountains and high school bathrooms;

Replacing turf fields and scoreboards;

Upgrading classroom furniture; and

Addressing deferred maintenance projects.

District officials are now working on gathering estimates to determine the next steps. 

The finance committee also discussed looking into the district’s behavior support programs. 

“We hear so much about how behaviors are affecting classroom learning. They’re affecting teacher retention. And honestly, they’re affecting, in my opinion, how we are perceived by the community when behaviors go awry,” Columbia Board of Education Member Suzette Water said during the Oct. 7 meeting.  “I feel like that’s something that needs our attention. My question about that is, it’s not a new problem.  And by investing more money in the same types of mitigation strategies or resolutions we’ve attempted in the past, are we going to be fixing anything? Or do we need to invest in a little bit more of like systemic once-and-for-all approach that’s going to be district-wide?” 

Waters also pointed out the district’s current instructional mentors are spread thin between multiple buildings. However, the district wants to look into possible solutions further before throwing more money at the problem.

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Erika McGuire

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

The City of Columbia and CBB Transportation Solutions conducted a walk-through safety audit on Tuesday afternoon to survey the Business Loop 70 corridor between the roundabout near Creasy Springs Road and Stadium Boulevard.

The audit focused on identifying safety improvements aimed at eliminating traffic-related deaths and serious injuries. The project prioritizes safer conditions for pedestrians, cyclists, seniors, motorcyclists and school-aged children.

“The purpose of these two days is to try to be on the ground, observing from a number of different perspectives and try to categorize all those things,” CBB Engineering Project Lead Shawn Leight said.

From 2019-25, Leight says, there were four deadly crashes all involving motorcyclists, making safety improvements a significant need. One occurred on May 16.

The findings from the audit highlighted specific areas along the corridor where targeted safety improvements are needed, including adjusting the signal timing at Business Loop 70 and Stadium Boulevard on Saturdays during sporting events at Cosmo Park.

“Look at the signal timing at the north out road and stadium so thats one” Leight said. “The signal isn’t timed for that traffic to flush out of the park,”

The audit also found adding crosswalks to parts of the corridor for pedestrians but also students who attend Hickman High School.

“There’s pockets of residential in here that are within a two mile radius, so one of things we’re going to go back and look at where are their residential areas,” Leight said. “What is the path that those kids take to walk to school, I think that’s important to know.”

“If I am walking the corridor, we’re safe, we’re fine. If I have to cross where do I cross safely?” Leight said. “Part of it is infrastructure, part of it’s behavior , if we’ve got somebody drive 70 miles per hour, that’s not safe,”

Filling in gaps in the sidewalk along the south side of the corridor was also identified as a necessary improvement. The north side has a full stretch of sidewalk.

According to Allison Anderson with the City of Columbia, the project is estimated to cost more than $2 million and will be funded through a Safe Streets grant. Federal funding for the project was canceled twice before finally being approved.

Additional walk-throughs along other parts of Business Loop 70 are scheduled for Wednesday. After that, a full report will outline the recommended safety improvements.

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