Author: KMIZ

Demetra Alarcon

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

Boone County is on track to see voter turnout that exceeds the last August primary election, as major statewide ballot issues draw voters to the polls along with local races, some caused by a shifting congressional map.

According to the Boone County Clerk’s Office, as of 2 p.m., Boone County had a turnout of 23%, including Election Day voters and in-person absentee voters.

In August 2024, that number was 12.7% by 1 p.m. Boone County has just more than 127,000 registered voters.

More than 5,300 people had voted early in the Aug. 4 election as of Friday, while August 2024’s election saw 4,179 early voters in Boone County.

Boone County Clerk Brianna Lennon said the numbers this year are higher than average. She has predicted a possible turnout of 40%.

“They are definitely higher than average for a midterm primary. I think the amendments are really driving the turnout for this election,” said Lennon.

LINK: 2026 Voter Guide

Lennon adds, “I think the amendments are really driving the turnout for this election.”

Cole County had seen a 22.6% turnout at about 2 p.m., more than 15,000 voters, said Cole County elections head Matt Musselman. Turnout for the 2024 August election in Cole County was about 34%. He also predicts about 40% turnout.

Included on this primary ballot are Amendments 4 and 5, which would make it harder for citizens to pass statewide referenda and phase out income tax, respectively.

Location of Boone County Polls

Local races are also helping to drive voters out. In Boone County, Columbia residents are voting on a public safety sales tax and a Ward 4 city council member.

In Cole County, residents are choosing a new presiding commissioner and voting on a tax extension in Jefferson City.

Polls are open until 7 p.m.

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Matthew Sanders

Primary Election Day is here — often one of the slower elections in terms of turnout.

But not this year.

Boone County’s clerk is predicting 40% turnout for the August primary, driven in large part by a public safety sales tax vote in Columbia. But statewide Constitutional amendments are also likely to drive large numbers of voters to the polls statewide.

Is that the case with you? Let us know by voting in the poll.

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Ryan Shiner

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

Parking rates in Jefferson City will change during the course of four years after the Jefferson City Council approved changes during its meeting on Monday night.

The council approved the measure with a 7-2 vote. Among several of the changes made was adding Juneteenth as a day for holiday parking exemptions.

Parking rates will change between September 2026-September 2030 to a two-tiered system that will increase rates city-wide to $1, city documents say. It would then eventually rise to $2.10 in designated “premium areas” and $1.10 outside those areas by 2030.

The changes come Sept. 1 of each year.  

Some premium areas include the 300 and 400 blocks of West Main Street, 100 block of West Capitol Avenue, 100 block of East Capitol Avenue, the 200 and 300 blocks of West High Street, 200 and 300 blocks of Broadway Street and the 100-300 blocks of Jefferson Street, meeting documents say.

Monthly parking lot rental rates also increase through 2030 between $6 and $14 per month, depending on the lot. Changes are expected to increase annual revenue by $435,000 by its third year.

2026-08-03 packetDownload

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Ryan Shiner

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

The judge in an appeals case wrote in a Friday decision that a decades-old murder case that has been reinstated may proceed as scheduled.

William “Chris” Niemet, of Fulton, is charged with first-degree murder in a 1991 death of his classmate in Russellville.

Judge Emily Fretwell had dismissed his charge last month, but Attorney General Catherine Hanaway filed an appeal that kept Fretwell “from taking further action” in the case, unless Fretwell vacated the order. 

Fretwell then vacated her order and an arraignment was scheduled for 1:30 p.m. Tuesday, Aug. 11.

A petition in the appeal was denied on Friday and ruled moot since Fretwell vacated the order as requested.

Niemet is accused of killing Greg Jones in April 1991 in Russellville. Jones was 14. Niemet also would have been 14 at the time. Niemet was charged in 2020 with first-degree murder. The trial has been delayed multiple times.

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Ryan Shiner

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

The lawsuit Boone Health filed against the Missouri Heart Center was formally dismissed on Wednesday.

Court filings show Boone Health filed to dismiss the case on July 24 without prejudice.

Boone Health announced the split with Missouri Heart Center at the end of March and subsequently filed a lawsuit alleging breaches of contract, misuse of confidential information and plans to engage in unlawful competition.

A copy of the dismissal can be viewed below.

Plaintiffs Voluntary Dismissal Without PrejudiceDownload

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Ellyse Edwards

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

Columbia residents will see higher utility bills beginning Oct. 1 after the Columbia City Council approved increases to electric, water and trash rates Monday night, while delaying a decision on proposed parking rate changes.

The council approved a roughly 6% increase to electric utility rates in a 4-2 vote. Council members Valerie Carroll and Christina Hartman voted against the measure.

According to city documents, the increase is expected to generate an additional $8.6 million to help cover higher energy procurement costs, expiring energy contracts, growing demand and deferred infrastructure improvements.

However, during the meeting, Councilwoman Vera Elwood said she wants the city’s communications department to do a better job engaging key stakeholders earlier in the process after several business owners spoke against the proposal.

The council also unanimously approved a 10% increase to water utility rates beginning Oct. 1.

City documents estimate the increase will generate approximately $3.4 million in additional revenue for maintenance, operations, capital improvements, reserve levels and debt coverage.

“As a part of Stantec’s water cost of service study, a 12% revenue increase was approved for FY 2026; the existing non-summer and summer tiered system usage was eliminated; a revised year-round tiered system usage was implemented; and the fire flow charges were combined with the monthly base charges to simplify the rate structure,” meeting documents say.

The council also approved new trash collection rates that take effect Oct. 1, but amended the proposal to keep rates for Classification 1 customers unchanged. Classification 1 includes residents using the city’s smallest curbside trash carts, while higher classifications cover larger cart sizes that will still see rate increases under the approved plan.

Jason West, communication and outreach supervisor for Columbia Utilities, said the proposed utility rate increases are intended to help maintain city infrastructure and equipment.

“Those rate increases are needed to help with infrastructure needs, maintenance on equipment, the trucks that are being driven to collect recycling and trash, the poles that we need to use and repair and replace for electrical needs, the pipes that are underground for the water system and the sewer system. All of those things require maintenance themselves… That’s where the bulk of these rate increases will go, is to help maintain and be able to stabilize and sustain service for everyone,” West said.

The council did not vote on proposed parking garage rate increases after members voted to table the ordinance and send it back to the Parking Commission for further review.

The proposal would have doubled parking garage rates from $1 every two hours to $1 per hour while reducing free parking from one hour to 30 minutes beginning Jan. 1, 2027. City officials said the additional revenue would help fund more than $1 million in elevator upgrades at the city’s older parking garages.

During the meeting, Niki Davis, executive director of The District, urged council members to reject charging for garage parking on Saturdays.

“We are very much against it,” Davis said. “ Very specifically starting Saturdays being paid in garages. It will hurt our businesses in multiple different ways. We hear about it all the time already. ‘I came in and bought a $10 pair of sunglasses, I got a ticket and now this $10 sunglasses cost however much. ’ “

Councilwoman Valerie Carroll echoed those concerns. Councilwoman Betsy Peters later proposed tabling the ordinance and sending it back to the Parking Commission to consider revisions, including maintaining free garage parking on weekends. Council members said they hope to revisit the proposal before Aug. 17 so any changes can be incorporated into the city’s upcoming budget.

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Ryan Shiner

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

President Donald Trump has given his nod of approval to a candidate in the District 5 U.S. House Republican primary.

Trump on Monday gave an endorsement of state Sen. Rick Brattin (R-Harrisonville) on his social media site Truth Social.

“Rick Brattin has my Complete and Total Endorsement to be the next Representative from Missouri’s 5th Congressional District — RICK WILL NEVER LET YOU DOWN!” Trump wrote.

Brattin is one of several candidates in the primary for the newly drawn Fifth District, including Taylor Burks, of Columbia; Brad Patty, of Fayette; Brett Huffmeier, of Kansas City; Rick Brattin, of Harrisonville; Berton Knox, of North Kansas City; and Micah Beebe, of Lee’s Summit. Incumbent Democrat Emanuel Cleaver is running unopposed in his party’s primary. 

A breakdown of the race can be viewed on our website.

FULL INTERVIEW LINKS: Taylor Burks, Brad Patty, Brett Hueffmeier, Rick Brattin, Micah Beebe

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Ryan Shiner

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

The Cooper County prosecutor filed a motion on Thursday to give consent for the case of a “cult-like” Amish leader to be moved to Montgomery County.  

Sam Shetler, 42, of Boonville, is charged with three counts of trafficking for the purpose of slavery/forced labor, a count of first-degree sodomy, first-degree sex abuse, four counts of kidnapping and one count of first-degree involuntary manslaughter.

He is being held at the Cooper County Jail without bond. Shetler’s attorney filed a motion on May 26 to move the case. The defense requested the case be moved to either Montgomery, Monroe or Shelby counties. A judge has not yet ruled on the motion.

Shetler – who had been described in court documents as a “cult-like” leader of an Amish community –is accused of forcing teenagers to work at the Mercy and Truth-Amish and Mennonite Retreat without pay and rubbing oils on young females to “heal” them, court documents in previous reporting indicate.

Following his March arrest, more victims came forward and accused Shetler of posing as a doctor that gave a “lavender breathing treatment” to a baby who suffered from multiple viruses in 2025, including COVID-19, court documents in previous reporting say. The baby died on March 6, 2025.

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Melissa Houston

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

A shooting took place at the Interstate 70/Highway 63 Connector and Conley Road on Sunday, and the Columbia Police Department is still looking for the shooter.

CPD is still looking to identify the suspect involved and is asking anyone with information to contact them for a reward.

A CPD spokesperson declined to provide more details about the case, citing the ongoing investigation.

At 11:47 a.m., CPD responded to a shots-fired call near Breaktime. A 26-year-old victim with a gunshot wound was taken to the hospital with non-life-threatening injuries, according to a press release sent by CPD.

Boone County Prosecuting Attorney Roger Johnson declined to provide more details about the case because no suspects have been named.

ABC 17 spoke with a Breaktime employee, who said they were advised not to speak about the matter because it is still an active investigation.

This is one of many reported crimes that have happened on Conley Road this year, according to the CPD’s public crime map.

Near the connector and the 900 block of Conley Road, 21 various crimes have been reported, not including Sunday’s shooting, since January 1, 2026.

Less than a mile away, in front of the Conley Road Walmart, roughly 64 various crimes have been reported in that same time period.

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Erika McGuire

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

A major addition to Columbia Public Schools will officially be welcomed Monday afternoon with a ribbon-cutting ceremony for the new Eagle Bluffs Elementary School.

The district’s newest elementary school is located on 5400 S. Sinclair Road next to John Warner Elementary School.

The new two-story, $36 million facility spans 76,5000 square feet was approved by voters in two bond issue elections — one in 2018 to purchase land as part of the planning for John Warner Middle School and one in 2022 to construct the school.

CPS broke ground on the project in 2024, and the school was completed on schedule for its planned fall 2026 opening.

The new facility can accommodate up to 740 students and approximately 140 staff members. During a tour of the school in December 2025, district officials told ABC 17 News they expected Eagle Bluffs Elementary to open with about 400 students and roughly 70 staff members, allowing room for future enrollment growth.

The school offers six color-coded learning pods, each with its own unique theme and color scheme. The names for the pods are Field, Lake, Cave, City, Prairie and Woodlands to go along with the Eagle Bluffs Conservation area located on the Missouri River south of Columbia.

CPS Superintendent Jeff Kelin said the learning pods allow students to collaborate with their work.

“Project work and a lot of movement and experimental type learning so we want our classrooms to be able to support that learning environment whether physical structures and the resources within those classrooms,” Kelin said.

“Classrooms are going to work together, everybody’s doors are open they can use the common spaces together it’s like you’re in a college almost and you have the dorm and everyone living next to each other,” Columbia Board of Education President John Lyman said.

Safety was a top priority in the school’s design, according to CPS officials. Eagle Bluffs Elementary features a secure vestibule with bullet-resistant glass at the main entrance to help control access to the building.

District officials said the school is also equipped with classroom safety features, including window shades that can be quickly deployed during a security emergency. If someone were to get past the secure vestibule, the shades allow students and staff to move to designated areas inside classrooms where they cannot be seen through the windows.

The school will also have the Raptor System that CPS has throughout all district buildings, that requires all guests to check in with a photo ID.

The school’s gymnasium can serve as a storm shelter.

The first day of school for CPS is Aug. 25.

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