Author: KMIZ

Erika McGuire

BOONE COUNTY, Mo. (KMIZ)

The first night of the Boone County Fair kicked off Tuesday evening with the use of a weapons detection systems loaned by Columbia Public Schools.

CPS loaned the fair a total of four systems and two-to-four will be used depending on the day and volume of fair goers. It’s an upgrade from last year when the fair used hand held weapon scanners that took time away from fair goers.

Boone County Fair President Matt Lewis said safety is a top priority and the process is to get in with the walk-through systems is simple.

“Knowing what’s going on with big events we decided safety was going to a big priority to us this year,” Lewis said. “So when they get there this year, they’ll go through the gate, walk down and go through the first scanner. As long as everything is clear, they’ll go right into the fair. If there’s any detection, they’ll go through a secondary scanner,”

Fair organizers say the change will make getting into the fair quicker and more efficient—especially after an incident last year that raised safety concerns.

“We had a little incident last year and after that we decided to step up our security measures and so we reached out to CPS and we were able to get body scanner to prevent stuff that happened in the past,” Lewis said.

The fair last year amended safety measures the third day of the event after an “incident with youth” occurred. Previous reporting shows that a “scuffle” occurred between two attendees, but vendors told ABC 17 News at the time that police handled the situation and the youth were allowed to leave.

Lewis said a private company will operate the weapons detection system each night of the fair, which runs through Saturday from 5-10 p.m. each night at 5212 Oakland Gravel Road.

Columbia police officers and Citadel Security will also be on site to provide extra security.

Fair Manager Jessie Kempf said the fair expects between 10,000-15,000, guests so lines could forum at the gate but the visitors can help speed things up.

“We’ll do our best to get people through and if visitors can make it easy for us by following those no backpacks and clear bag guidelines that would help us out as well,” Kempf said.

Clear bags no larger than 6-by-12 inches are allowed, along with diaper bags and medical bags. But coolers and backpacks are not allowed, and there’s no re-entry once you leave.

The Boone County Fair must return the four weapons detection systems to CPS by Sunday.

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Ryan Shiner

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

Cole County Auditor Mark Ruether will retire on Aug. 1, according to Presiding Commissioner Sam Bushman.

Ruether had submitted a letter of resignation weeks ago and it was accepted by the commission. Gov. Mike Kehoe will appoint his successor.

Ruether was appointed by former Gov. Mike Parson in 2022 to serve the remained of Kristen Berhorst’s term.

Bushman said in an email “He had been an Auditor with the State of Missouri, retired, and came to work for our Treasurer. Our Auditor took a job elsewhere, and Mark was appointed by Governor Parson to fill the Auditor position.”

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Ryan Shiner

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

A Stover man was charged on Tuesday after he was accused of sexually assaulting children.

Joseph Kucera, 79, was charged with four counts of third-degree child molestation. He was not listed on the Morgan County Jail roster on Tuesday evening. A warrant was issued and a $250,000 bond was set.

Parents of a youth had reported a sexual assault by Kucera on June 10 and the victim – during a June 25 interview — described multiple assaults and inappropriate behaviors, according to the probable cause statement. A second victim also described multiple assaults to law enforcement, the statement says.

Kucera allegedly admitted to law enforcement during a Tuesday interview that he molested one of the youths, but denied touching the other one, court documents say.

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Ryan Shiner

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

A man was charged with two child sex crimes on Tuesday in Boone County.

John Harvey, 26, was charged with first-degree statutory rape of a child younger than 14 years old and statutory sodomy of a child younger than 14 years old. He is being held at the Boone County Jail without bond.

The probable cause statement says the child was missing on Wednesday, July 9, but communicated with friends on social media with messages indicating they were in Columbia with a man. The child allegedly gave a friend an address and claimed they were raped, the statement says.

Columbia police found Harvey and the child on Friday and Harvey was allegedly identified in explicit videos on the youth’s cellphone, the statement says.

Harvey allegedly admitted to law enforcement that he sexually assaulted the child, the statement says.  

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Ryan Shiner

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

A Columbia man was charged two felonies and a misdemeanor after he was accused of stabbing a woman in her back.

Nick Burris, 31, was charged with first-degree domestic assault, armed criminal action and misdemeanor tampering with a witness. He is being held at the Boone County Jail without bond.

According to the probable cause statement, the victim told police on Monday that she was stabbed by Burris on Saturday night at the Stoney Creek Hotel after he used meth and she used Xanax. Burris allegedly told her that he was going to steal her wallet — that contained money and pills – before leaving.

The victim turned her back and was stabbed, the statement says. Burris allegedly would not allow the victim to go to a hospital by herself and demanded she lie to medical staff about what happened, the statement says. She initially gave an alternate story to medical staff before telling police.

The cut was about 2-3 inches long and required 13 stitches, the statement says.

In another case, he pleaded guilty to delivery of a controlled substance and drug possession and was sentenced to probation. His probation was revoked on Tuesday and a hearing is scheduled for Monday.

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Matthew Sanders

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield and University of Missouri Health Care said Tuesday that they had reached a deal to bring about 90,000 Anthem customers back into the MU Health Care network.

The terms of the deal were not disclosed in the news release announcing it.

“I’m joining the tens of thousands of other people across the state and rejoicing that we’re going to have access to the high quality care that we’ve come to expect and the great value that we have for our health care coverage,” Rep. Gregg Bush (D-Boone County), a nurse and Anthem customer told ABC 17 News. “This is  a real weight and a burden that has been lifted from the tens of thousands of families across Missouri.” 

The insurer, which covers about 2 million people in Missouri, and MU Health had been at odds since this spring, when their contract expired. Anthem claimed MU Health was asking for too high a reimbursement rate, while MU Health said that Anthem was lowballing rates for medical care and taking too long to pay claims.

A Missouri Senate committee held a hearing June 30 to ask questions of Anthem and MU Health representatives. Anthem offered new terms at the hearing, and Senate President Pro Tem Cindy O’Laughlin wrote on social media last week that a deal was imminent.

“The hearings that were scheduled at the Capitol, I think, was crucial to making sure that everybody was aware of the real significant things that were going on and working together to find a solution,” Bush said. “I don’t know if social media posts really help or not. [But] anything that would  encourage these two entities to reach an agreement, I am all for.”  

Contract documents are being prepared, the joint MU Health/Anthem news release states. The new contract is expected to be signed in the next two weeks, the release says.

The deal does not include Anthem’s Medicare Advantage HMO and PPO plans. The agreement includes ACA Marketplace plans.

MU Health says the deal is retroactive to April 1, 2025, when the previous contract expired. Anthem commercially insured patients once again have in-network access to MU Health Care providers and facilities, effective immediately, according to the release. 

Bush says the agreement will have a major impact on state employees, as Anthem is the primary health insurance provider for Missouri’s state workforce.

“I had conversations with members of the Missouri State Highway Patrol.  I had conversations with other state workers, with legislative assistants, and with people that work at the Capitol.  Anything that is disruptive to their health care is disruptive to the whole state,” Bush said. “We have to make sure that  a disruption like this doesn’t happen again.”

ABC 17 News reached out to Anthem and MU Health Care. MU Health Care declined to comment.

Check back for updates to this developing story.

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Ryan Shiner

MOBERLY, Mo. (KMIZ)

A 39-year-old Moberly man died from injuries he sustained in a motorcycle crash on Tuesday, according to a press release from the Moberly Police Department.

Police were called to a crash around 10 a.m. at the intersection of East Highway 24 and East Outer Road, the release says. The crash involved a motorcycle and an SUV.  

The man was pronounced dead at Moberly Regional Medical Center, the release says. Police say his next of kin has been notified, but authorities will not release his name publicly.

The release says the investigation for the crash is ongoing and witnesses who have not talked to police should call them at 660-262-0346.

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Ryan Shiner

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

A man was charged after he allegedly chased people on Sunday at Stephens Lake Park and injured a Columbia police officer.

Jesse Howe, 45, was charged with first-degree assault, misdemeanor peace disturbance and felony resisting arrest. He is being held at the Boone County Jail without bond. An initial court appearance was scheduled for Tuesday afternoon.

The probable cause statement says that police were called to Stephens Lake Park at 5:40 p.m. Sunday after multiple people claimed a man was yelling and chasing joggers at the park with a knife. A witness allegedly told police that they saw Howe chase a jogger off the path at the park.

Police detained Howe, but he resisted arrest, the statement says. Police then tried to get him on the ground and an officer ended up getting “serious physical and debilitating injuries,” the statement says. The statement says the officer had a knee injury and was brought to the emergency room at University Hospital. Court documents say that the officer was still receiving medical treatment on Monday.

Howe also had a failure-to-appear warrant for his arrest issued on June 25 in Callaway County. A $200 bond was set in that case. He was charged with driving more than 20 miles per hour over the speed limit, a misdemeanor.  

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Keriana Gamboa

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

A space for Mid-Missouri women to get specialty treatment for breast cancer is now available to them with a unique store inside.

Boone Health Breast Care’s new clinic, which is set to fully open early next year, will provide services including breast cancer screenings, diagnostic imaging, breast-conserving surgeries, mastectomies with or without nipple preservation, ultrasound-guided biopsies, management of benign breast conditions and advanced oncoplastic surgical procedures, which combine cosmetic surgery with tumor removal.

The clinic is staffed by a specialized team dedicated to breast health, designed to enhance access to specialized care for patients across Mid-Missouri, Boone Health says.

Located in the hospital’s Broadway Medical Plaza 2, Suite 200, the newly constructed clinic includes nine exam rooms, one procedure room and space to accommodate up to five practitioners. The expanded facility is designed to increase patient capacity and support specialized care in a setting focused on breast health.

Through a partnership with the Boone Foundation and support from foundation grant donors, the clinic has begun the process of opening a bra and prosthetic shop on-site. Monica Collins, executive director of the Boone Hospital Foundation, said the estimated start-up cost for opening the shop was between $20,000 and $30,000.

No dedicated shop for women’s prosthetic and bra fittings existed in the area before. The last available store serving women’s needs closed in 2020.

“This particular shop allows women not just here at Boone but across the region the opportunity to come here and get what they need to continue their healing journey,” Collins said.

One of the speakers at the event was Mindy Fuller, a breast cancer survivor who was diagnosed last year in August. She said there is a need for specialty clinics and shops available to women with breast cancer in the Mid-Missouri region.

“I had my mammogram early in the afternoon on Friday, and I was the 11th person that day to be diagnosed. And so if that just doesn’t scream that there is such a need for breast health care here in Mid-Missouri,” Fuller said.

According to the National Breast Cancer Foundation, breast cancer is the most common cancer diagnosed in women in the U.S. In 2025, about 317,000 women are expected to be diagnosed with invasive breast cancer and another 59,000 with non-invasive breast cancer.

Breast cancer has the fourth highest incidence and mortality rate among cancers in Missouri. Aside from skin cancer, it is the most commonly diagnosed cancer among Missouri women.

According to a 2017–2021 report from the CDC, breast cancer rates are rising overall in Missouri. However, in Mid-Missouri counties Boone, Cooper, Cole and Callaway, rates remained stable.

Missouri averages about 5,180 new breast cancer cases each year, making it one of the states with the highest totals.

Boone County ranks eighth in the state for breast cancer cases.

Between 2017 and 2021, Missouri reported an average of 135 breast cancer cases per 100,000 people each year, according to the CDC.

The Mammograms Across Missouri report shows that from 2014 to 2018, Missouri ranked 18th in the nation for breast cancer incidence. Rates of diagnosis are on the rise across the state, with the increase most notable among women under the age of 65.

Boone Health says it’s responding to the growing need as breast cancer rates continue to rise.

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Ryan Shiner

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

A man who forced his way into a University of Missouri sorority house in February has been sentenced to seven years in prison.

Jeffrey Wheeland Jr. pleaded guilty on Monday to second-degree burglary and unlawful use of a weapon. He was previously charged with first-degree burglary, second-degree kidnapping and a fourth-degree assault. 

Court documents in previous reporting say Wheeland had knives while near the house and a witness called police upon seeing him.

Wheeland then allegedly went into the Sigma Kappa house and barricaded himself in a study room while another person was in there.

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