Author: KMIZ

Camryn Payne

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

Boone Health Food Service Supervisor Marian Zellner-Evers performed the Heimlich maneuver to save a choking man this week.

Zellner-Evers said she was in the cafeteria working at the register when she noticed a man sitting at a table gesturing for help.

“I just turned around and I’m like are you ok? he’s like no,” Zellner-Evers said. “So he stood up, kind of had him turn around, performed the Heimlich.”

Zellner-Evers said she performed the maneuver three times before the man was able to take a breath. She also stated that knowing the Heimlich is important.

“It’s very important to have this training, because you never know you know life is precious and it can be gone in an instant. Had I not known what to do, I probably would’ve panicked or I would’ve known what to do or maybe I would’ve taken too long.” Zellner-Evers said.

According to the National Safety Council, choking was the fourth-leading cause of of unintentional death in 2023.

Click here to follow the original article.

Ryan Shiner

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

The Columbia Police Department is investigating a death that occurred Thursday near Vandiver Drive and Paris Road.

CPD spokesman Colin Imhoff confirmed that officers are investigating a death.

The Columbia Police Dispatch Six-Hour log shows that an “assist medic” call was made to the 2400 block of Vandiver Drive at 11:02 a.m.   

Click here to follow the original article.

Josie Anglin

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

The City of Columbia is making more money from downtown parking meters so far this year than it did in the first month of 2025.

Columbia raised the price for all on-street parking downtown from 40 cents to $1 on Jan. 5. The Public Works spokesman John Ogan told ABC 17 News the revenue total that was collected from January 2026 increased by 12% from January 2025.

In January 2025, Columbia collected $74,282.92. This January, the city collected $83,177.91.

Ogan pointed out there were two big winter weather events in January 2025 compared to one in January 2026.

Click here to follow the original article.

Euphenie Andre

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

A local nonprofit that has supported individuals experiencing homelessness for more than a decade is preparing for a move this summer.

Turning Point will relocate its operations in June to Opportunity Campus, marking a new chapter for the organization after spending the past 12 years operating out of Wilkes Boulevard United Methodist Church. It will close in June, though an exact date has not been announced.

Turning Point Executive Director Darren Morton hopes the move will take place over a weekend, allowing staff to relocate operations and resume services by the following Monday without interruption.

Staff said the move comes at the right time.

“The church is also closing in June, so we had to find a new place to go,” said Mindi Grannemann, who is the Administrative Manager at Turning Point. “It all worked out really well that it all came together.”

The new location is at Bowling Street and Business Loop 70 in Columbia, a short drive from the current site and will place Turning Point alongside other community resources under one roof.

“We’ve branched out and we’re on our own,” Morton said. “We’re excited about that, and we’re going to rent space at Opportunity Campus.”

Opportunity Campus is a $18.6 million development that will include a resource center and a 125-bed shelter facility aimed at addressing homelessness in the community.

The development broke ground in 2024. In 2025, the Voluntary Action Center has made continued progress, including forming a campaign steering committee, completing underground sewer and electrical work, delivering steel now being assembled at the Resource Center and Shelter, and beginning interior wall framing. The project remains on pace for completion in March.

An ABC 17 reporter was on site at the campus Thursday afternoon and observed that the building housing the VAC offices and medical clinic appears mostly complete on the exterior. The shelter facility, however, still appears to need additional exterior work. The reporter was unable to access the interior of either building but did observe ongoing construction inside through the windows.

“It’s an opportunity for us to be in one place, where we, the soup kitchen, and the overnight shelter are all together in one location, which should make it a lot easier for people to access services.” Grannemann said.

Morton said all services currently offered by Turning Point will continue at the new location. Those services include mail delivery, laundry facilities, secure storage, a computer lab and other essential resources.

Hours of operation will remain the same once the organization moves, running from 7:30 a.m.-3:30 p.m. However, Morton said those hours could be adjusted if needed to better coordinate with other agencies at Opportunity Campus.

“We want to come in and show that we’re a good teammate that we can coexist,” Morton said. “If there’s something we need to tweak, if we got to change from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. or something like that, we’re willing to do whatever it is to work well with everyone there.”

According to the Boone County Coalition to End Homelessness, 309 people are experienced homelessness in Boone County in 2025. Of those individuals, 262 are sheltered while 47 remain unsheltered.

At Turning Point’s current location, the women’s bedroom is slightly smaller than the men’s due to a higher number of male guests, according to Morton. However, the center has seen an increase in women guests over the past year.

Morton said guests who rely on Turning Point’s services have already been informed about the move and many are looking forward to the transition.

“Everyone is aware of Opportunity Campus is coming to town,” Morton said. “Turning Point, Room at the Inn Loaves and Fish, and all those othe places being under the same roof. They’re aware, they’re excited for it as well.”

Turning Point also confirmed it has contracted with the City to continue operating as an overflow shelter this year for a total of 59 days.

Click here to follow the original article.

Ryan Shiner

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

A house that caught fire early Thursday on Route T in Pettis County was accidentally caused by an electrical issue, the Doolittle Fire Protection District announced in a social media post.

Crews were called a 6 a.m. near Poncho’s Garage on Route T for a house fire after residents in the area could see heavy fire, the post says.

Fire was found on the first floor and extended into the second floor and attic, the post says.

“Fire crews initiated an interior fire attack through the front entrance; however, operations were transitioned to a defensive posture due to concerns regarding structural integrity. Personnel remained on scene for approximately three hours conducting fire suppression and overhaul operations,” the post says.

Click here to follow the original article.

Ryan Shiner

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

A man who was wanted for child sex crimes in Wyoming was booked into the Miller County Jail on Tuesday.

Ellis Martin Bay, 43, of Marys Home, Missouri, was charged in Miller County with being a fugitive from out of state. He is being held without bond. He is charged in Campbell County, Wyoming, with first-degree sexual assault and third-degree sexual abuse of a minor.

The warrant says he is accused of sexually abusing someone from May 16-17, 2025, and abused a minor from Feb. 25-28, 2025.

Bay was booked into the Miller County Jail at 7:54 p.m. and was charged on Thursday. An extradition order was also filed on Thursday.

Click here to follow the original article.

Ryan Shiner

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

A contractor for the fifth portion of the Improve I-70 Project has been approved, according to a Thursday press release from the Missouri Department of Transportation.

Columbia-based Capital Paving and Construction was awarded the contract, the release says. It will cost roughly $104 million to add a third lane in each direction in the 13-mile stretch from Highway 5 in Boonville to the Missouri River Bridge in Rocheport, the release says.

The groundbreaking is expected to be held this spring, with the project expected to be done by late 2028, the release says.

The Improve I-70 Project aims to make Interstate 70 a three-lane highway across the entire state.   

Click here to follow the original article.

Ryan Shiner

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

Three people, including two teenagers, were seriously injured in a Wednesday night crash on Route Y in Pettis County, according to a Missouri State Highway Patrol crash report.

The crash occurred as a 15-year-old boy from Sedalia tried to pass a 2011 BMW 328 with a 2012 Audi A4, the report says. The BMW was driven by a 16-year-old boy from Warrensburg, according to the report. Both vehicles were heading westbound.

The Audi hit a 2003 Toyota Camry heading in the other direction in the eastbound lane, the report says. The Toyota was driven by a 24-year-old Sedalia woman.

The Toyota then spun in the roadway and was hit by the BMW, according to the report. The Toyota and Audi stopped in the roadway, while the BMW went off the road and hit a tree, according to the report.

All three drivers had serious injuries and it is not known if they were wearing seatbelts, the report says. The 15-year-old was brought to University Hospital by ambulance, while the 16-year-old was brought to Children’s Mercy Hospital in Kansas City by ambulance, the report says. The 24-year-old was flown to University Hospital, according to the report.

MSHP reports do not name those involved in crashes.

Click here to follow the original article.

Nia Hinson

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

Some of Columbia’s political leaders are hopeful the public can be more involved in discussions surrounding public safety.

The city had at least three meetings that included University of Missouri officials in 2025 in an effort to curb crime after the shooting death of Aiyanna Williams in September 2025. Another meeting is scheduled for Feb. 19, according to Ward 5 Councilman Don Waterman.

The meetings are closed to the public and include only a handful of city council members. However, with another meeting right around the corner, some leaders’ concerns about the closed-door meetings are growing.

UM President Mun Choi also met with Gov. Mike Kehoe in December. City leaders were not invited.

During Wednesday night’s Board of Realtors candidate forum with Columbia School Board candidates and Ward 5 city council candidates, the council candidates were asked how they would work to repair the relationship between the city and the university. Ward 1 Councilwoman Valerie Carroll said a key component is having open work sessions.

“We can have all of the representatives present, and it’s transparent to the community, would go so far towards healing that relationship and so far towards being effective in how we’re going to address this,” Carroll said.

Carroll also said she believes most of the discussions related to perceptions of public safety have affected the First Ward. She said she thinks it’s important that those discussions are had, and violent crime and homelessness aren’t lumped together unfairly.

Ward 5 Councilman Don Waterman told ABC 17 News on Thursday afternoon that he believes the meetings need to continue to happen. He also said that he believes the work needs to continue to involve Choi.

Waterman said the public should be involved in the meetings to avoid speculation about what’s being discussed behind closed doors and to show that there is still work being done to reach goals. He also noted that part of the approach to making the city safer is filling empty police positions and adding more officers. He said Police Chief Jill Schlude has stated she would like 50 officers, something that may require a community-wide vote to pay for.

Waterman said while he wants the meetings to continue, he’d also like to see more specific goals set.

“I know the city has said they’re committed. Some commitment from the university as to how they’re going to help us achieve some of these goals,” Waterman said. “Whatever the goals come out to be, but just having some specific goals so that when they meet and continue, be working towards achieving those goals.”

Waterman said he thinks it would be beneficial if every council member were involved in the talks. He said he suggested the possibility of rotating council members at each meeting in the future during the third meeting he attended. He said he may suggest this again during February’s meeting.

Waterman also suggested possibly expanding the city council’s work sessions to include university officials during Wednesday night’s candidate forum. He reiterated the need for Columbia College and Stephens College to be included in the discussions in an interview Thursday.

Public safety suggestions brought up during a work session between city leaders in December included closing off major streets to traffic and parking, implementing metal detectors on Friday and Saturday nights, banning sales of $1 alcohol shots and implementing a curfew. Waterman said there had been no further active discussions about those, or on Choi’s 11-step action plan.

Carroll was also asked on Wednesday night whether “high-ranking” representatives from the university were engaging productively in the meetings. Carroll said she believed that things are getting more productive.

“I think we would be better served by talking to each other and bringing our shared resources to the table and really addressing what things each partner can influence to improve crime,” Carroll said. “I don’t think that we can finger-point and I don’t think that we should be saying things to grab headlines. This is not the time, and that’s not productive.”

Carroll also said she’d like to see a downtown precinct reestablished, a decrease in the length of shifts to 10 hours and the creation of a traffic unit.

City Manager De’Carlon Seewood told ABC 17 News via text Thursday afternoon that he is grateful that community leaders have come together to take part in the discussions and said that each one offers a unique perspective.

“Because there is no single solution to address complex issues, these types of discussions ensure our community is taking a well-rounded approach while taking into account the resources available. However, it will take multiple approaches, trial and error, and compromise that I believe each of us is committed to,” Seewood wrote.

THe University of Missouri did not make officials available for comment.

Click here to follow the original article.

Jazsmin Halliburton

Editor’s note, 2/5: The story has been corrected to reflect how academic calendar changes made by the UM System would affect Reading Day.

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

The University of Missouri Board of Curators approved an $83 million renovation of the old Women’s and Children’s Hospital in east Columbia, now known as the Keene Street Medical Center.

The medical center is part of MU Health Care’s growth strategy and will make less-severe outpatient procedures more convenient and easier to navigate, according to the meeting agenda. The Keene Street project will allow for more major surgeries and procedures to be done at the main hospital.

$74 million will come from MU Health reserves and $9 million from debt funding, according to meeting documents. A combined consulting fee for the project also foots a $3.25 million bill. MU Health says renovating the building is a faster and lower cost approach than building a new outpatient facility.

Some cosmetic improvements include the building’s exterior skin and roofing. Some of the interior work will include repairs to key utility systems, like pumps and water lines.

MU Health said the renovations will assist existing operations, like surgeries or the neurology clinic. MU Health spokesman Eric Maze said MU is looking to also add more services like CAT scans and radiology in the near future.

The renovations are expected to be done in 2029, with the overall improvements being phased-in over the next decade, according to Maze.

Leaders also approved a 5.2% price increase to MU campus housing and dining rates starting July 1, increasing prices from $13,130 to $13,807.

This comes as first-time college applications at MU for Fall 2026 are up 7% compared to last year.

Curators will also be voting on changes to the academic calendar. If the vote is “yes,” the change would be a 15-week semester and fall classes starting on the third Monday of August every year.

School spokesman Chris Ave said MU leaders are still discussing the calendar effects on Reading Day, a traditional day off from classes ahead of final exams.

In December, the MU Faculty Council was considering two proposals that would allow for scheduling flexibility, given that Veterans Day is now a paid holiday for UM employees. The proposals would also provide more room between the end of the fall semester and winter holidays.

Click here to follow the original article.