Author: KMIZ

Steven Lambson

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

The U.S. Supreme Court granted a stay on injections granted by the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Missouri on Friday, ensuring the 2022 congressional map will be used for the November 2026 election.

The order from the Justice Brett Kavanaugh will remain in effect “pending any further order of [the] court lifting such stays.” The court further ordered the District Court and Court of Appeals “should not enjoin or otherwise prohibit the use of the 2022 map in the 2026 congressional election in Missouri.”

It further said the courts should not order or require Missouri to use the 2025 map in the election.

This comes after Missouri held its August primary under the 2025 congressional map, despite the map not being approved by voters.

In its ruling, SCOTUS uses Purcell–a legal principle that federal courts shouldn’t alter state election rules close to an election–to justify its decision. This argument was also used in lower-court arguments by interested parties, and it was used in federal court decisions to justify using the 2025 map.

“At this late date, ordering a reversion to the 2025 map in the midst of an ongoing election would usher electoral chaos,” the Supreme Court wrote in its decision.

When the referendum to put the 2025 map on the November ballot was before the Missouri Supreme Court in early September, three top Republican groups jumped in on the state’s side. The groups, including the Republican National Committee, used the Purcell principle to argue that a change to the maps between elections would cause voter confusion. A similar argument was presented to SCOTUS when this case was heard on appeal, which was denied.

A federal court also used the Purcell principle in its decision to justify using the 2025 map. However, SCOTUS said in its decision that it was the wrong application.

“At this late date, ordering reversion to the 2025 map in the midst of an ongoing election would usher in electoral chaos. Purcell protects against such disorder. The Eighth Circuit panel dealt with Purcell by casting blame on the Missouri Supreme Court for its September 3 decision prohibiting use of the 2025 map,” the Supreme Court wrote in its decision.

This is the sixth decision on which map Missouri will use for November, with the Supreme Court issuing three of those.

In its order, the U.S. Supreme Court said Secretary of State Denny Hoskins was aware of the “significant risks” of holding the primary under the new map, but “nonetheless chose to proceed.”

The Missouri Supreme Court warned Hoskins in May that if the referendum on the 2025 congressional map was sufficient, then it would freeze Missouri’s congressional districts under the 2022 map until voters could decide. That referendum was determined to be sufficient by a Missouri Supreme Court ruling, and it will be on the November ballot as Proposition A.

In a press release, Hoskins said the Supreme Court’s ruling was disappointing, calling it a blow to representative democracy, but said he appreciates having clarity on how the November election will proceed.

He said his office will comply with the ruling and expressed confidence in local election authorities to administer a seamless general election.

Hoskin also defended his efforts to uphold what he described as the principles of the U.S. Constitution, saying he “left nothing on the field” and will continue fighting for Missourians and what he called the American way of life.

Gov. Mike Kehoe shared his disappointment over the decision on social media.

State Sen. Rick Brattin said Friday’s decision is a “travesty for Missouri voters”.

He does add that he is grateful the Eighth Circuit addressed the case, arguing that voters should not select their nominees under one congressional map and then vote in different districts during the general election.

Brattin said the decision reflects what he believes the Constitution and common sense require.

U.S. Representative Emanuel Cleaver had a different reaction to Friday’s ruling.

Cleaver called the decision an act of democracy and recognized the people who protested the congressional map, including those who demonstrated during the cold winter months.

“If there’s ever been a time when we could honestly declare power to the people, it is right now; people, not politicians, did this,” Cleaver said.

The legal battle over the map began last summer, when Republican Gov. Mike Kehoe signed the “Missouri First” congressional map into law.

Cleaver also criticized state officials, saying they spent more than a year and public resources trying to silence Missouri voters and gain a congressional seat.

Gillian Wilcox, director of litigation and policy for the ACLU of Missouri, called the decision the latest example of what she described as “unnecessary but intentional chaos” for Missouri voters.

“Politicians and elected officials have unleashed unnecessary but intentional chaos on Missouri voters, not for the benefit of their constituents but for themselves and the state actors in D.C. who designed and demanded these maps solely for partisan power grab,” Wilcox said in a press release. “Voting has already begun and today’s decision closes the door on the politicians’ shenanigans.”

Boone County Clerk Brianna Lennon said the decision is “very relieving,” because the county will not have to reprint ballots or reprogram voting machines.

Lennon said the county has updated its website and social media pages to notify voters no changes will be made to their ballots.

“Please feel free to come in and absentee vote, especially during that two-week period of time before the election. But it is incredibly relieving to know that we don’t need to redo the work that we’ve already done,” Lennon said.

The ruling is the latest in a series of legal maneuvers between Missouri Republicans, who redrew the state’s congressional district boundaries in 2025 to turn Kansas City from a Democratic seat to a Republican one, and People Not Politicians, who opposed the redistricting.

Missouri used the 2025 map in the August primaries, but since then, questions have persisted about what using the older 2022 map in November would mean for voters.

In his ruling, Kavanaugh noted that “ballots using the 2022 map have been printed and mailed. Absentee voting has already begun, as has military and overseas voting.”

“At this late date, ordering reversion to the 2025 map in the midst of an ongoing election would usher in electoral chaos,” Kavanaugh said in his order.

SCOTUS Map Order 9-25-2026Download

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Ellyse Edwards

COLUMBIA, Mo.(KMIZ)

Missouri diesel prices stayed at near-record high levels Friday, raising costs for trucking companies and independent drivers as the holiday shipping season approaches.

AAA listed Missouri’s average diesel price at $6.31 a gallon Friday, up from $3.41 a year ago. The national average was $6.50, up from $3.69 a year ago. Both averages are just below records set Sept. 22.

“Fuel is probably one of the top, if not the top, expenses that a trucking company has,” said Tom Crawford, president of the Missouri Trucking Association. “It’s generally number two. But when it gets this high, sometimes it dives into being number one.”

Crawford said the association has heard about longtime carriers shutting down, including one Mid-Missouri company that had been in business for decades.

“We heard like two weeks ago on Thursday that they were shutting down Friday,” Crawford said. “And you’re like, whoa, okay…I know there’s a lot of them across the country.”

Crawford said he couldn’t say how many companies had closed or whether diesel costs were the reason in each case. Dustin Kallmeyer, chief operating officer of Hermann-based Kallmeyer Bros. Enterprises, Inc., said he didn’t know of companies in his area that had shut down specifically because of fuel costs. He said trucking companies were also dealing with a freight slowdown.

Kallmeyer said higher fuel costs are forcing companies to pay closer attention to what they charge for loads. He has also seen shipping prices start to rise.

“I’ve seen some things come out there. They’re already starting to increase pricing, you know, 4 or 5%, 6% for some of their stuff,” Kallmeyer said.

For independent owner-operator Matthew Purvis, diesel prices affect both his rates and his plans for the coming months.

“Diesel prices definitely affect what I charge and what I plan,” Purvis said. “I’m going to definitely have to work harder throughout the Christmas season to accomplish the end-of-the-year quarter, for sure.”

Rising transportation costs can also reach consumers. In an analysis, RSM Chief Economist Joe Brusuelas wrote that higher fuel and transportation costs can put pressure on food prices as those expenses move through the supply chain.

Crawford said some retailers are trying to get ahead of potential holiday cost increases by stocking shelves earlier.

“I think what you’re seeing with the earlier stocking of the shelves and things is an effort to try to get in front of that a little bit so you can maintain some pricing,” Crawford said.

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Steven Lambson

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

A Boone County judge sentenced a woman to four years in prison for tampering with evidence in a deadly drug overdose, according to a news release from the Boone County Prosecutor’s Office.

Adrian Sumler pleaded guilty on Monday to one count of tampering with physical evidence. Her four-year sentence is the maximum penalty allowed by state law.

According to the news release, in September 2023 Sumler called 911 to say someone had died from a drug overdose. At the time, Sumler claimed the person who died had supplied all the drugs, the news release said.

A later investigation determined Sumler had brought her own drugs, and that the other person had died from a combination of cocaine and fentanyl toxicity, according to the release.

“All law enforcement agencies take fentanyl deaths very seriously, and significant resources are dedicated to investigating how these deadly substances enter our community,” said Assistant Prosecuting Attorney Paul Wade in the release. “We want everyone to have the protection of the Good Samaritan law, but it requires working in good faith with officers and first responders. I hope this resolution brings the family some peace”.

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Steven Lambson

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

The parents of a toddler who was found dead in the Lake of the Ozarks in March 2025 filed a lawsuit in federal court on Friday.

The lawsuit names as defendants various directors or employees of the Missouri Department of Social Services, Missouri Children’s Division, Camden County Juvenile Office and Camden County Sheriff’s Department.

Iszabella O’Bryan, 2, was found dead in the water after being missing for about an hour. The Missouri State Highway Patrol said she was found in Bollinger Creek Cove a short distance from her home.

In the lawsuit, O’Bryan’s parents – Justin Haas and Katelee O’Bryan – claim two Camden County detectives “aggressively interrogated” the couple with “hostile and manipulative” tactics “rather than coordinating rescue efforts.” Katelee O’Bryan said that upon learning her daughter had been found dead, she suffered “acute medical shock and debilitating physical seizures.”

The lawsuit alleges that while investigating, law enforcement went outside the geographical boundaries allowed by their search warrant by searching more than one property. It also alleges the investigators “staged the scene…to manufacture a false impression of criminal endangerment” by gathering medical marijuana items and putting them together with hats featuring marijuana leaf prints, then “photographed the artificial spread to deceive the juvenile court.”

The parents claim officials said they smelled of marijuana, had paraphernalia and “exhibited rambling speech,” which the parents deny in the lawsuit. They add that drug testing didn’t return any positive results for illicit substances or alcohol.

Their lawsuit claims that when the parents met with Missouri Child Division on March 4, officials separated their surviving children without cause or court order. The parents allege that a juvenile officer signed and backdated an authorization for temporary protective custody to a date prior to the day of Izsabella’s death, which they claim was to “retroactively cover up the warrantless seizure.”

Other claims made in the lawsuit include officials making false statements about the developmental capabilities of the surviving children, false statements claiming the parents had been neglectful in the past, and placing the surviving children with a non-family party instead of their biological grandparents.

While at a child advocacy facility, according to the lawsuit, the children “were subjected to highly invasive physical and forensic medical inspections of their private parts and genitals,” which was done without any parent notification or consent and “without a judicial warrant.”

Because of what they went through, the plaintiffs say Haas lost between $5,000 and $7,000 a week due to losing his contracting employment, and that O’Bryan lost wages due to having to take extended unpaid medical leave.

The lawsuit seeks a trial by jury. According to court records, the plaintiffs are representing themselves in the case.

Haas vs CPSDownload

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Demetra Alarcon

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

Construction on the Providence Road bridge is expected to be completed by November, weather permitting, according to the Missouri Department of Transportation.

Spencer Robinson, Project Director of the Improve I-70: Rocheport to Columbia project, said that a few pieces of the bridge are slightly ahead of schedule. He clarified that the on- and off-ramps connected to the bridge will likely open before the bridge itself.

Robinson attributed the early openings to the weather “cooperating” with plans and staying dry.

According to Robinson, the next major step is tearing out the old road. Crews do this by using a machine to break up the old pavement, removing the pieces, and then paving the new road.

The pavement on the new bridge is planned to be poured the week of October 5th.

“So we should have that open very soon. Afterwards, probably a few weeks after that,” Robinson said, talking about the bridge.

The Rocheport to Columbia section of the Improve I-70 project has a fixed budget of $425 million.

The entire Improve I-70 project has a $2.3 billion estimated cost.

Robinson said drivers will start seeing openings on the Providence Road bridge in the future.

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Marie Moyer

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

MU Health Care is set to follow COVID-19 vaccine recommendations from the American Academy of Family Physicians ahead of the cold and flu season.

The recommendation is universal for anyone 6 months and older looking to get a COVID-19 vaccine. This is different from the CDC’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices’ recommendation last fall, which limited the vaccine to only patients with underlying conditions or those aged 65 and older.

The AAFP adds that patients 65 years and older, who have a risk for severe COVID-19 infection, or have never had a COVID-19 vaccine, are especially urged to receive a dose.

This includes people with heart problems, cancer, diabetes or who know people who are immunocompromised.

“This year, no recommendation is necessary, you know, in terms of a particular health condition, so folks who would like to get vaccinated can certainly come through our event and do so,” MU Health Care Physician and co-chair of MU’s flu and COVID vaccination committee, Dr. Margaret Day, said.

The ACIP has been sidelined since a federal judge blocked their meetings in March.

MU Health Care adds that Medicaid, Medicare and children’s insurance programs will continue to cover the vaccine even without ACIP recommendation. The Affordable Care Act requires insurers to cover vaccines recommended by ACIP.

“Certainly, you can check with your insurer for your particular circumstance and network status. But we’re expecting it largely to be covered,” Day said.

Without insurance, MU Health Care expects a COVID-19 vaccine to cost around $186.

ABC News reports that the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services recommends that uninsured adults could find free COVID-19 vaccines at their state or local health departments.

MU Health Care will be offering flu and COVID-19 vaccine events in Columbia and in surrounding counties through October. No appointment is needed and patients are asked to bring a photo ID and insurance card.

Patients will be receiving the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine at any MU Health Care vaccine event.

“We’re entering into the kind of respiratory illness season again, and so we recommend for your health to get vaccinated with both influenza and COVID vaccines,” Day said.

A Columbia/Boone County Public Health and Human Services spokesperson confirmed to ABC 17 News the department is also following AAFP recommendations and will provide COVID-19 vaccine appointments.

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Matthew Sanders

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

Columbia Police arrested two 19-year-old men early Friday after calls of people breaking into cars on the Columbia College campus and a carjacking.

Prosecutors filed charges against Emmanuel Ernest and Ja’Marion Dalton, 19, Friday morning with vehicle hijacking, armed criminal action and stealing a vehicle.

Court documents state that officers were called for three people breaking into cars in the Columbia College parking lot at 1001 Rogers St around 11 p.m. Wednesday. Seven vehicles were broken into, according to police.

Officers used security footage to identify Ernest, Dalton and a juvenile entering vehicles. A police lieutenant made contact with the three around 12:17 a.m. in the 1300 block of Wilkes Blvd wearing different clothing.

Two vehicles were stolen from separate locations early Thursday morning, according to documents. A victim told police a man pulled a handgun on him and said, “Get out, give me everything.” Police said the victim gave them his car, a 2018 Toyota CH-R.

The second victim reported her 2020 black Ford Explorer SUV was stolen from the 1400 block of Wilkes Blvd around 6:30 a.m. Thursday. Police said that vehicle was seen on video footage at Schneider’s Electric, where two employee vehicles were broken into around 3:11 a.m.

Columbia Police Department said it used Flock license plate readers to locate both stolen vehicles.

Court documents state a detective located the 2018 Toyota C-HR outside Dalton’s home on Paris Road. Both Ernest and Dalton were taken into custody. Police said they found the 2020 key fob inside Dalton’s pocket.

Police said during a search warrant of the apartment, officers found a pink backpack seen on surveillance footage. A Ruger P95 9MM handgun with a brown grip was found inside the backpack, stolen from Ohio. Multiple rounds of ammunition were also located.

Investigators reported finding the victims’ credit cards in the bedroom along with a home decor mirror from the Ford Explorer. The same clothing the men in the video footage were wearing was also found.

Both have prior criminal histories in Ohio for similar crimes, according to police.

Both men were in the Boone County Jail on Friday morning with no bond. A mugshot of Dalton was not available.

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Jazsmin Halliburton

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

Scheduled roadwork on Interstate 70 near the Highway 63 connector in Columbia will bring multiple travel impacts starting Friday night into Saturday morning.

Starting at 7 p.m. Friday, drivers will not have access to westbound I-70 from the south end of the I-70/Highway 63 connector or access to eastbound I-70 from the north end of the connector. This comes as MoDOT crews will be working on the girders for the new flyover ramp connecting northbound U.S. 63 to westbound I-70.

This work is expected to last until 6 a.m. Saturday morning.

Westbound I-70 will be narrowed to one lane, and drivers will be directed up and over the ramps on the connector at Exit 128. According to the MoDOT press release, drivers will also have no access to I-70 on the connector.

To get to I-70, drivers traveling south on U.S. 63, north of Columbia, should use Range Line St. at Exit 127. Drivers heading north on U.S. 63 south of Columbia should take Stadium Boulevard at Exit 124 to get to I-70.

These traffic impacts are part of the Columbia-to-Kingdom City phase of the Improve I-70 Project. All work is weather-dependent and subject to change.   

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Matthew Sanders

No. 19 Missouri is traveling to Starkville to take on No. 24 Mississippi State on Saturday.

And despite being ranked higher than the Bulldogs, the Tigers are underdogs in their SEC opener, according to oddsmakers. That said, some experts are putting their money on Mizzou to beat the 6.5-point spread, if not win outright.

Do you think the Tigers will bring home a win? Let us know by voting in the poll.

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Mitchell Kaminski

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) 

The scrutiny surrounding Reign Bar is part of a broader pattern of Black-owned businesses being singled out amid public safety concerns in downtown Columbia, a local non-profit claimed Thursday.

Race Matters, Friends plans to address what it calls the “state and municipal targeting” of Reign Bar during a virtual press conference Monday. The group said it will call for greater accountability from Columbia city leaders and push back against what it described as state interference in local government. They have also sent a letter to City of Columbia officals, demanding immediate council oversight, rejecting state intervention and ending “the selective scrutiny of Black social spaces.”

The group’s concerns come after Missouri Attorney General Catherine Hanaway sent Reign Bar a letter Tuesday addressing what her office called “nuisance conditions” around the business. Hanaway’s letter said the area around Ninth and Walnut streets had experienced a noticeable increase in unruly activity since Reign opened late last year, citing a large fight and an incident involving gunfire. Reign was given 14 days to respond. 

The bar has also previously drawn criticism from University of Missouri System President Mun Choi, who warned students to avoid parts of East Walnut Street at night and specifically pointed to Reign. The area has been the site of several high-profile incidents in recent months, including a July street brawl that resulted in seven arrests, a shooting in August and an assault involving a security guard in September. 

Race Matters, Friends argues that officials are placing too much responsibility on Reign for incidents that occur in public spaces outside the business.

Demand Letter to Columbia City Council and City Manager_Race Matters, Friends_24 Sept 2026 (revised)Download

Susan Renée Carter, a member of Race Matters, Friends, said the group believes officials are disproportionately focusing on businesses along Walnut Street while overlooking crime in Columbia’s Third Ward, which she said does not receive nearly as much attention.

“If you look at the records of the calls that have been made and the things that have been said in the news, you’ll see that they’re targeting Walnut Street around Ninth Street,” Carter told ABC 17 News. “[Choi] has decided that downtown’s dangerous for students, even though if you look at the crime and some of those are crimes against people, not just stealing, the crime on campus is just as bad as it is downtown.”

Carter said the group also wants the city to establish consistent standards for businesses while maintaining local control over public safety.

“Singling out certain businesses is one of the things that we want to stop. We also reject state interference,” Carter said. “So the city council needs to exercise their authority over local administration and the state should not be interfering with what’s going on locally.”

The Columbia Downtown Community Improvement District has made a similar argument about separating a business from activity that occurs in public areas.

CID Director Nickie Davis said Wednesday that the district does not support assigning responsibility to an individual business without clear evidence that the business itself caused the activity. She also said businesses have limited authority over what happens on surrounding sidewalks and streets. 

Race Matters, Friends also said the controversy surrounding Reign fits into what it considers a much longer history of pressure on Black-owned businesses and gathering spaces in Columbia.

The group points to the destruction of the Sharp End during urban renewal efforts in the 1950s and 1960s, as well as more recent scrutiny involving Black-owned businesses including Peppers, Vibez Lounge and Plush Lounge.

Race Matters, Friends also argues that businesses like Harpo’s, Field House/Willie’s, and the Blue Note generate significant police calls and incidents on their blocks, yet officials treat those events as general downtown nightlife activity while allowing those businesses to separate internal operations from street behavior.

Jerrion Nelson, a former general manager at Reign Bar, said he has seen similar tensions surrounding Black-owned businesses throughout his life.

Nelson’s grandfather owned Lou’s Palace, a longtime staple of downtown Columbia.

“My grandpa had a bar here for probably 20 or 30 years. Lou’s Palace. If anybody’s from Columbia, if you know any older people from Columbia or went to Mizzou back in the day, they know who Lou was. That’s my grandpa. So he went through a lot of this stuff,” Nelson told ABC 17 News in August. “So I knew something like this was gonna come eventually. I just didn’t know when. I’m not even going to say it’s a race thing, I feel like stuff goes on they got to point the finger at somebody.”

Nelson’s comments stop short of attributing the current scrutiny specifically to race, but Race Matters, Friends says the broader history of Black-owned businesses in Columbia should be considered when evaluating the city’s response to public safety concerns.

The group is calling on Columbia leaders to establish uniform public safety standards for downtown businesses and to avoid what it describes as selective enforcement.

The nonprofit also wants city officials to maintain control over local administration rather than defer to state officials.

Columbia Mayor Barbara Buffaloe has said she shares concerns raised by the Downtown CID about Hanaway’s letter and the lack of communication with the city before the attorney general’s office contacted Reign. 

The city and state have continued to face pressure to address public safety downtown following several violent incidents. Choi has repeatedly called on city leaders to take additional action, while city officials and downtown business leaders have discussed additional police presence, safety measures and other approaches. 

Race Matters, Friends will hold its virtual press conference at 1 p.m. Monday, Sept. 28.

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