Author: KMIZ

Melissa Houston

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

Race Matters, Friends (RMF) will address downtown public safety governance, municipal accountability, and recent state and local scrutiny facing Reign Bar at a Monday press conference.

The briefing is scheduled for 1 p.m. via Zoom. According to a press release, the conference will focus on two main topics: commercial boundaries and public safety standards, and historical context and systemic erasure.

RMF Vice President Traci Wilson-Kleekamp said the group plans to address what she describes as a misdirected focus on businesses near Eighth, Ninth, and Walnut streets.

“I think a big part of it will be to bring up the false narrative about Ninth and Walnut and Eighth and Walnut,” said Wilson-Kleekamp. “They’re still targeting that area where there are Black businesses, and so businesses haven’t gotten any complaints or anything like that. They haven’t been cited by the police for any, you know, for doing anything wrong.”

Wilson-Kleekamp expressed concern that focus on specific downtown establishments is connected to broader economic goals for the area.

“We think that they’re targeting this business. It’s a distraction while they work on their own economic development plans to redevelop downtown, which is to us that’s really the question and that’s really the thing that we should be talking about and we’re not,” said Wilson-Kleekamp.

Wilson-Kleekamp also questioned the involvement of University of Missouri System President Mun Choi and state officials in local downtown safety conversations.

“Like Mun Choi, they have their own agenda about public safety that isn’t coming to the public. They’re doing whatever they want,” said Wilson-Kleekamp.

While the virtual briefing is open to the public via Zoom, Wilson-Kleekamp noted that Choi was not formally invited by the organization.

In response to a recent letter from the Missouri Attorney General’s office sent to Reign Bar, Wilson-Kleekamp criticized the lack of supporting documentation provided.

“If she were a good attorney, she would come with receipts, and I see none,” said Wilson-Kleekamp. “This is an abuse of power in my mind.”

The press release states that private venues manage internal operations and immediate property lines, while the City of Columbia governs public streets, sidewalks, and parking lots.

RMF advocates for universal public safety standards applied equally across all downtown establishments, based on transparent police call logs and incident reports.

The press release said that other downtown bars like Harpo’s, Field House/Willie’s, and the Blue Note are being treated as “general downtown nightlife activity” by officials when they generate “significant police calls and incidents” in their respective locations.

Wilson-Kleekamp also called for clearer communication and action from city leadership regarding public safety oversight.

“Those are all part of a larger part of the conversation about public safety, but they’re not having that conversation with us,” said Wilson-Kleekamp. “They may talk to us and tell us what they want to know, but they’re not having a two-way, community-oriented conversation with us about public safety.”

According to the press release, RMF is asking the Columbia City Council and City Manager De’Carlon Seewood to pause selective nuisance declarations, establish uniform public safety policies, and refuse to cooperate with selective state nuisance proceedings.

Christopher Ave, spokesperson with the City of Columbia, said in a statement that “the city is not conducting ‘nuisance actions’ and treats all bars fairly.”

ABC 17 News reached out to representatives for University of Missouri System President Mun Choi and Missouri Attorney General Catherine Hanaway for comment ahead of Monday’s press conference.

Click here to follow the original article.

Euphenie Andre

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

A Boone County judge has temporarily blocked Boone Health and CHAS Physician Services from interfering with PulsePoint Cardiovascular’s ability to operate its private cardiology practice.

The judge issued the temporary restraining order Wednesday after a request from PulsePoint, PulsePoint Missouri MSO, Dr. Martin Tibuakuu and Dr. James Fairlamb.

The order stems from a larger legal dispute over noncompete agreements involving Boone Health and physicians who previously provided cardiology services for the health system.

According to court documents, Missouri Cardiovascular Specialists LLP, also known as Missouri Heart Center or MO Heart, provided cardiology services to Boone Health for more than a decade. The parties entered into a renewed agreement in 2021 that included noncompete and confidentiality provisions.

Boone Health alleged the cardiology group violated those agreements by preparing to launch a competing practice in the Columbia area after the agreement ended May 6, 2026, according to court documents.

Boone Health filed to dismiss its lawsuit against Missouri Heart Center without prejudice on July 21.

Tibuakuu and Fairlamb now operate PulsePoint, which provides general cardiology services.

PulsePoint alleges Boone Health and CHAS Physician Services violated the agreement by trying to prevent or interfere with its operation.

The judge found PulsePoint demonstrated an immediate and irreparable risk of harm and that its application met the requirements for a temporary restraining order.

The order prohibits Boone Health and CHAS Physician Services from conduct that interferes with, restricts, prevents or limits PulsePoint’s ability to operate.

 “We are aware of the temporary restraining order and intend to defend against the unlawful restrictions on Boone Health’s ability to operate and care for patients.” Boone Health spokesman Christian Basi told ABC 17 in an email. “We are committed to caring for every patient, and Boone Health is not changing its operations in any way.”

The temporary restraining order took effect immediately and remains in place until a preliminary hearing scheduled at 9 a.m. on Oct. 22, where the court is expected to consider whether the restrictions should continue while the case moves forward.

Check back for updates.

Click here to follow the original article.

Haley Swaino

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

No injuries were reported after a Sunday morning house fire in north Columbia.

According to Boone County Joint Communications, the 2504 block of Oakland Gravel Road was closed around 7 a.m. for a “fire incident.”

An ABC 17 News reporter arrived on scene around 7:15 a.m. and saw four Columbia Fire Department engines. No lingering smoke could be seen from the home.

CFD Captain Wayne Cummins said that crews arrived on scene shortly after 6:30 a.m. and put out a small fire within five minutes of arriving.

The cause of the fire is under investigation, Cummins said. The road reopened around 7:30 a.m.

ABC 17 News has reached out to CFD for more information.

Check back for updates.

Click here to follow the original article.

Alison Patton

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

Missouri voters will see Amendment 6 on the ballot this November, after the group Respect Missouri Voters fought legal battles to place it there. If approved, it reserves citizens’ right to initiative petitions and referendums in the Missouri Constitution.

Respect Missouri Voters collected signatures for Amendment 6, which started as an initiative petition, but Secretary of State Denny Hoskins rejected it in early August. He claimed the ballot title, which he approved, violated the single-subject rule. However, the Missouri Supreme Court decided it was sufficient.

Amendment 6 prohibits the legislature from changing laws passed by an initiative petition without approval by 80% of both the House of Representatives and the Senate.

The full ballot title listed on the Secretary of Stat’s website reads:

Shall the Missouri Constitution be amended to:

expand the initiative and referendum petition process by making it a fundamental right; allow courts to revise ballot summaries through lawsuits; prohibit the legislature from weakening initiative or referendum powers; prohibit the legislature from changing or repealing laws enacted through the initiative process, or passing laws similar to those rejected by referendum, without approval from at least 80% of both chambers; and preserve existing majority vote and signature requirements for initiative and referendum petitions?

A vote ‘yes’ would approve the bullet points listed above, and a vote ‘no’ would reject them.

In August, voters overwhelmingly rejected Amendment 4, which would have made it harder to pass an initiative petition.

Click here to follow the original article.

Melissa Houston

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

Columbia’s MidMo PrideFest weekend began on Saturday and will continue through Sunday night until 10 p.m., and staff said they are anticipating 8,000 people to attend.

The emergency plans for the event were made by festival president Janet Davis, and went through a line of approval from the City of Columbia to law enforcement.

Each day, there will be 20 to 25 staff members, including bartenders, security, and event organizers, as well as 75 volunteers, according to the festival’s emergency action plan documents.

The documents include an emergency plan for disruptive and threatening behavior.

This plan is a nine-step process and walks staff through de-escalation, which includes being sympathetic and letting the person speak, being communicative, and utilizing teamwork in a threatening situation.

“The escalation is a super huge component of what we do,” said Davis. “And if you’re just able to talk to people, people can talk back.”

Most fairgoers don’t realize how much planning and coordination goes into the weekend to keep the festival running smoothly and attendees safe, according to Davis.

“I think that it’s really important, and it’s become a really big part of our event that people may not realize it’s part of our event because we’ve built it into our plan,” said Davis. If you think ahead of time that nothing is not solvable, everything can be fixed, everything can be worked out. It makes things so much more relaxed and so much better handled.”

There have not been any instances of protests towards the PrideFest, but Davis said if a situation were to happen, as long as protesters are doing it safely and not inside the fairgrounds, it is their legal right.

“They have every right to be there and have their thoughts as the same as we have our right to be here and have our thoughts,” said Davis. “As long as they are abiding by the law, we will do the same, and they’re welcome to protest however they like.”

Davis said the festival hired its own security team to patrol the event and its entrances and exits, but local law enforcement will also stop by occasionally to check in on the festival. She said that with the fire department’s location being just a few blocks away the festival grounds feel safe.

“They actually come through for their lunch and check on us while they have a free moment,” said Davis. “We never feel like we’re not well taken care of, they are so good to us.”

At previous festivals, Davis said there has never been an incident that required law enforcement involvement.

We are in such a lovely area. We’re very protected by the district here,” said Davis. “I think we’re very lucky to have a festival; we don’t have a lot of instances where we might need something like that.”

If an emergency were to happen, every staff member would be in communication via email chain, text chain, and walkie-talkie chain messages.

Staff members are assigned to a specific street and area, and are in close communication for the safety of the fairgoers, according to Davis.

Davis said the reason they host PrideFest in September is because of the opportunity for more people to come. She said a survey was conducted to ask people how they felt about moving PrideFest later in the year, and it was widely accepted.

University of Missouri organizations and groups had booths set up at the event, and Davis said that without the date change, not only would the festival have fewer people, but over 35,000 students who attend MU would not be able to go.

“We want to wait every year so the students get acclimated and have the opportunity to find out where we are when we are and come and be a part of our festival,” said Davis.

Davis adds that the festival also gives students a chance to attend a festival safely, especially if they don’t have that option in their home.

“20 minutes outside of Columbia. We’re not so diverse, we’re not so lucky, and we’re not so safe,” said Davis. “So every student that comes through this city or through these gates knows that where they may not be able to be out free and welcome where they’re from 20, 30, 40 minutes or even an hour, they are definitely welcome here.”

Click here to follow the original article.

Marie Moyer

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

The Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office Silver Advisory Alert was cancelled Saturday afternoon for 81-year-old Timothy John Friedel, who reportedly went missing early Saturday morning.

At around 4:30 p.m., the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office announced Friedel was found safe by law enforcement.

Friedel was last seen between midnight and 6 a.m. at the 6200 block of Highway PP in High Ridge, Mo. He reportedly left his home in a red 2021 Ford Focus with a Missouri license plate, EC6Y5K. Friedel also left a note stating that he would be traveling to Wisconsin. Friedel has dementia and is without medication.

Friedel is five feet eight inches tall and weighs 199 pounds. He was last seen wearing a camouflage hoodie.

Click here to follow the original article.

Euphenie Andre

COLE COUNTY, Mo. (KMIZ)

Cole County is working on new guidelines for how employees can use artificial intelligence, particularly when it comes to protecting sensitive county information and ensuring AI-generated information is accurate.

Cole County Presiding Commissioner Sam Bushman told ABC 17 the county is still in the “premature stages” of developing guidelines for AI use.

Information Systems Director Brian Ridenhour presented the commission with a rough draft last week outlining several principles for the county to consider, including transparency, explainability, accountability and human oversight.

That human oversight would be especially important when AI is used for decisions that could significantly affect a person, Ridenhour said. He emphasized that AI should not be responsible for making critical decisions.

The goal is to establish clear expectations for employees as AI technology continues to develop.

Ridenhour said he has not seen a problem with the county’s current use of AI, but he wants to put guidelines in place before potential issues arise.

One area of concern is what information employees enter into AI systems.

“It’s our responsibility as county employees and elected officials that we use that properly and that we don’t put anything within an OpenAI model that could be used for private information,” Ridenhour said.

AI can be useful for everyday tasks, such as formatting emails and memos. But Ridenhour said employees need to be more cautious when using county data, particularly with publicly available AI systems such as Google Gemini.

Employees should not enter proprietary or sensitive county information into those systems.

“We don’t want to put HIPAA-related information in there or PII.”

Protecting information is not the only issue the county is considering. Officials also want employees to understand that AI-generated responses may not always be accurate.

“You might be able to drop something into there, and it gives you some results. But if you don’t vet those results, then that could be inaccurate.”

According to Ridenhour, the next step is to create a committee made up of county staff members to help oversee how the technology is used.

“The makeup of it is different departments, and one individual from each department that represents them. That way, we have a better-rounded idea of how it’s going to influence the overall county.”

Ridenhour also pointed to AI disclosures used by social media platforms as an example of how the county could identify AI-generated content.

He said he would like the county to consider a similar disclaimer when AI is used to create content released by the county.

The county is also transitioning toward using Microsoft Copilot through Microsoft 365. Ridenhour said the county is still working through the licensing process.

County officials have not announced a timeline for when the new AI guidelines will be finalized.

Check back for updates.

Click here to follow the original article.

Haley Swaino

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

A 60-year-old woman was killed in a UTV crash in Audrain County on Friday night.

According to a Missouri State Highway Patrol crash report, the Thompson woman was driving a 2019 Polaris General 1000 southbound on Audrain Road 209. Around 8:50 p.m., she swerved to avoid a deer in the road north of Audrain Road 259.

The UTV went off the left side of the road, flipped and went airborne before landing back on the road, the report says. The woman was thrown from the vehicle and pronounced dead on scene.

She was not wearing a seatbelt or helmet, according to the report. Her body was brought to Arnold Funeral Home.

MSHP does not name victims in its reports.

Click here to follow the original article.

Melissa Houston

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

A Flock camera that had surveilled an area of Parkside Drive in Cosmo Park has apparently been removed.

The pole where the camera was located appeared to be sheared off near ground level when seen Friday. It wasn’t clear when the pole came down.

Flock cameras are automatic license plate readers that collect data as vehicles drive by. They are designed to help law enforcement find evidence in investigations without compromising safety, according to the FlockSafety website.

Local police and sheriff’s deputies use the data from the camera system extensively. The Columbia Police Department said Friday that the cameras helped them find two burglary and carjacking suspects.

Based on Google Street View, which was last updated in April 2026, a Flock camera was located at the end of the roundabout on Parkside Drive, and now all that’s left is a small part of the pole.

On the DeFlock website, which shows the locations of every Flock camera installed in the United States, pinpoints an ALPR Camera in the same spot.

A CPD spokesperson declined to confirm the location of any Flock cameras that have been cut down, but confirmed it has happened multiple times.

“We are still investigating the vandalism cases of the Flock cameras that have been cut down,” Colin Imhoff wrote in an email response to questions.

Boone County Assistant Prosecuting Attorney Melissa Buchanan said her office has not received any referrals related to damage to Flock cameras.

Buchanan explained that if a suspect was charged with tampering with or damaging a Flock camera, the charges would most likely be property damage. She said the class or offense would depend on the value of the property and could potentially reach an E felony charge if the value exceeds $750.

The maximum punishment for such a felony is four years in prison and up to a $10,000 fine.

This isn’t the first Flock camera that has been taken down in Columbia.

Another camera that used to be at Scott Boulevard and the MKT Trail is now also down to just the base of the pole.

Click here to follow the original article.

ABC 17 News Team

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

Week 5 of the Missouri high school football season kicked off on Friday night.

You can find scores from all of your Mid-Missouri teams below, as well as highlights in the video player above.

Click here to follow the original article.