Author: KMIZ

Ryan Shiner

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

A popular learning management system used by colleges and universities around the country is currently down.

The University of Missouri in Columbia is among the thousands of schools who are having issues, the university announced in a social media post.

“We are aware that the Canvas online learning management system is down, as it is for universities across the nation. We will work with Canvas to restore access as soon as possible,” the post says.

MU Alert: We are aware that the Canvas online learning management system is down, as it is for universities across the nation. We will work with Canvas to restore access as soon as possible. Updates for the campus community will be posted at: https://t.co/140Ue13PMt.

— MU Alert (@MUalert) May 7, 2026

A message on MU’s IT system status website says, “The Canvas learning system is currently experiencing technical issues and may be unavailable. We will update the situation when more is known. Time to resolution is unknown at this time.”

Canvas is a website schools use that allows students to submit their homework and for instructors to place course materials.

Penn State University issued a press release on Thursday saying that it was experiencing a Canvas outage that was “related to an ongoing security incident affecting Instructure.”

“Out of an abundance of caution, users should avoid interacting with or clicking on any links, messages, or content that may be posted by threat actors or appear suspicious during this event,” Penn State’s statement says. “Penn State will never direct users to unverified third-party sites for Canvas-related communications or remediation activities.”

Instructure’s website says there was a “security incident” on Wednesday and that it is investigating issues on Thursday.

MU had experienced a Canvas outage in October 2025 after issues with AWS nationwide arose.

Check back updates.

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Olivia Hayes

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

The Columbia Planning and Zoning Commission talked standards and regulations for possible data centers at Thursday night’s work session.

Commission members will discuss “broader” topic areas that they want to include in a working draft of the regulations and standards that would govern data centers in Columbia.

“This is the process of then deciding if we allow them, how are we going to allow them, where and under what parameters, all of that kind of stuff,” said Commission Chair Sharon Geuea Jones. “Tonight’s really a level setting kind of discussion where we’re all saying, this is what we hope to achieve and what our expectations are.”

The building and inclusion of data centers have been highly contested around the country, including in Mid-Missouri.

Amazon has sought to build a data center in Montgomery County, but faced intense pushback from residents at several public meetings, culminating in a lawsuit aimed at blocking the project. Critics of data centers often cite excessive water usage and increased electricity consumption.

During the April 6 Columbia City Council meeting, the definition of “data center” and its placement within the city’s zoning structure was approved. During this same meeting, a request to have an ordinance prepared establishing a 12-month “administrative delay” on permits for data centers was introduced.

That administrative delay request was stretched from six months to a year before it was introduced at the council meeting. The city believes the lengthened delay period will permit staff and the community to examine standards relating to this topic. The vote to approve it will happen at the May 18th council meeting.

A public comment will follow before city staff craft regulations.

City staff have found that “utilization of water utility” and “utilization of electric utility” are the most important issues to community members in the data center discussion. Those two topics would also require the most collaboration across City departments.

Other topics to be discussed include siting of structures, parking requirements, decommissioning and remediation and lighting and noise requirements.

Staff estimates the public comment will be between 45 and 60 days.

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Ryan Shiner

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

Hermann High School in Gasconade County was evacuated at 10:45 a.m. Thursday after the district received a threat, according to a social media post from the Gasconade County R-1 School District.

The district wrote it had “received a threat that required us to take immediate action to ensure the safety of our students and staff.” Local law enforcement and officers from the Capitol police determined it was safe to return to the building.

The district wrote that it was notified by state agencies earlier in the week that hoax threats have been targeting school and that “district should be on the lookout for them.”

Several schools around Mid-Missouri have seen threats made against them in the past month or so, including the Fayette R-3 School District, Lebanon High School in Laclede County, the Camdenton School District and the University of Missouri.

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Matthew Sanders

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

Highway 63 near Clark was closed for hours Thursday because of a police response, the Missouri State Highway Patrol said Thursday.

The northbound driving lane and both sounthbound lanes had reopened by about 4 p.m., and traffic was moving slowly through the scene.

A Boone County Sheriff’s deputy said the scene was connected to another one near Columbia. A sheriff’s office spokesman said the suspect is dead from an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound.

The suspect allegedly shot two people on Douglas Drive before the chase and fired a shot at a trooper while on the run, Brian Leer of the sheriff’s office says.

“Multiple law enforcement agencies are responding to a police incident on U.S. 63, at Route P / Route B, near Clark (just north of the Boone / Randolph County line. Please avoid the area and use an alternate route,” the patrol wrote in a social media post.

The Patrol later said the chase ended when a trooper used a pit maneuver to stop the suspect’s Ford Bronco. Patrol spokesman Sgt. Kyle Green said the suspect fired at officers after losing control of the Bronco, but no officers fired back.

Check back for updates to this developing story.

🚨U.S. 63 Closed in Randolph County🚨

Multiple law enforcement agencies are responding to a police incident on U.S. 63, at Route P / Route B, near Clark (just north of the Boone / Randolph County line.

Please avoid the area and use an alternate route. pic.twitter.com/XuQnkjHgb2

— MSHP Troop F (@MSHPTrooperF) May 7, 2026

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Matthew Sanders

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

A suspect in a shooting and chase is dead after suffering from a self-inflicted gunshot wound, according to a Boone County Sheriff’s Office spokesman.

Columbia Police Department officers were sent to an “incident” northeast of the city Thursday afternoon and asked drivers to avoid the area.

Columbia officers were responding to an incident near the 5100 block of North Douglas Drive, outside the Columbia city limits. Boone County sheriff’s deputies were at the scene, which remained an active investigation at about 2 p.m.

The Boone County Sheriff’s Office later wrote in a social media post that Steven A. Swanson, 32, had shot and killed a 35-year-old man and seriously injured a 65-year-old woman.

Swanson is related to the victims and drove off after the shooting before taking his own life, the sheriff’s office says.

A chase ensued and the suspect shot at trooper and hit the trooper’s car, Leer said. The suspect’s vehicle went into a ditch and the suspect killed themselves with a self-inflicted gunshot wound, Leer said.

The Missouri State Highway Patrol said the trooper used a pit maneuver to stop the suspect’s Ford Bronco. Patrol Troop F spokesman Sgt. Kyle Green said the suspect began firing as his Bronco lost control, but no one returned fire.

The response to the crash led to Highway 63 being shut down in southern Randolph County.

The medical examiner will determine the cause of death of Swanson.

The woman is in serious condition at an area hospital, the Sheriff’s Office post says.

Prior cases

Previous reporting shows Swanson was accused of stabbing his brother in the leg in October 2025.  He pleaded guilty in that case on Dec. 22 to third-degree assault. He was ordered to serve five years of probation and completed a shock program of 120 days with the Department of Corrections.

He also pleaded guilty to second-degree domestic assault in December.  

Check back for updates to this developing story,

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Matthew Sanders

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (KMIZ)

Gov. Mike Kehoe is asking for federal assistance to help the state recover from storms that hit in late April, including several Mid-Missouri counties.

Kehoe is asking FEMA to take part in damage assessments of public infrastructure for 11 counties, including Chariton, Howard, Monroe, Randolph and Saline, his office said Thursday in a news release. Assessments for assistance for individuals are being requested in Randolph and Saline counties.

Nearly 200 uninsured homes and businesses were damaged by the storms that rolled through the state from April 23 to April 28.

The storm outbreak dropped twisters in Randolph, Chariton, Howard, Saline and Monroe counties.

Kehoe’s office said in a news release that the assessment request is the first step toward a federal disaster declaration.

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Matthew Sanders

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

Boone County’s prosecutor’s office has dropped charges against a freshman Mizzou linebacker, who allegedly tried to evade police who were pulling him over.

Jaden Jacobi “J.J.” Bush, 18, of Theodore, Alabama, was charged earlier this week with aggravated fleeing — a felony — and misdemeanor reckless driving after he was arrested and booked into jail and posted bond.

A probable cause statement says a Columbia police officer saw a white 2024 Ford Mustang speeding near East Broadway and Old Highway 63 on Monday night. Bush turned west onto East Broadway, and the officer turned on his lights for a traffic stop, but Bush kept driving for 24 seconds, the officer wrote in the statement.

Bush had a 19-year-old passenger in his vehicle when he was stopped at East Broadway and Old Highway 63 south, the statement says.

Boone County Prosecuting Attorney Roger Johnson said charges will be refiled.

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Jazsmin Halliburton

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

The Missouri Department of Transportation held a groundbreaking ceremony Thursday to celebrate the start of construction from Rocheport to Columbia for the next phase of the Improve I-70 Project.

MoDOT contractor Emery Sapp and Sons will begin strengthening the interstate’s shoulder from Route BB to Midway starting Monday with nightly lane closures. MoDOT is also demolishing the Providence Road overpass at the end of May, and that process will be similar to the St. Charles Road overpass.

Rocheport to Columbia Project Director Spencer Robsinson said MoDOT is considering the weekend of May 29 to close the highway underneath the bridge while demolition happens.

Gov. Mike Kehoe, U.S. Rep. Mark Alford and Columbia Mayor Barbara Buffaloe, among several others, spoke at the groundbreaking ceremony.

The Rocheport to Columbia project is the fourth major construction segment in the agency’s statewide expansion program. The project includes adding a third lane in each direction on Interstate 70 from the Missouri River Bridge at Rocheport to near Highway 63 in Columbia, using new 11-inch full-depth concrete pavement.

This portion of the Improve I-70 Project will stretch nearly 14 miles and will be approximately $441 million, according to MoDOT.

MoDOT’s team’s plan includes improvements to interchanges at Route J/O, Midway (Highway 40), Stadium Boulevard, Business Loop 70, Providence Road, Range Line Street and Highway 63. 

The project will also require some bridges to be demolished so that a total of six lanes can fit underneath, Robinson said. Some bridges will also need to be built so that it connects outer roads.

This is happening while the St. Charles Road overpass is being rebuilt. While the bridge work and construction might create some traffic backup, Robinbson said it would take about 10 years for each bridge to have its own construction cycle.

“I know there’s a lot of closures all at once right now through town, but very quickly, later this fall, a lot of these improvements will start to open up to traffic again,” Robinson said. “You’ll really be able to see the improvements take shape.”

The St. Charles Bridge and the Highway 63 and I-70 interchange will both reopen in the fall.

The Missouri Highways and Transportation Commission awarded Emery Sapp and Sons and Parsons Transportation Group as contractors for the project in December.

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Ryan Shiner

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

The Missouri Senate moved forward with house budget bills on Wednesday.

After a roughly two-hour debate, senators voted 20-13 in favor of House Bill 2002, which relates to education funding within the state. Finalized general revenue money comes in around $4.7 billion, just fewer than $1.5 billion from federal and about $2.2 billion from “other.”

The education budget bill also met heavy debate in the Missouri House earlier in the day.

Debate began at 3:25 p.m. on the higher education bill, and wasn’t resolved until after a recess and a vote around 5:25 p.m. That bill passed in a landslide 28-5 favor.

The higher education bill includes $1.2 billion in general revenue, about $62 million from federal and $130 million “other.” The University of Missouri is receiving around $247 million from the general revenue fund and $46 million from the lottery proceeds.

Lincoln University is receiving nearly $22 million from general revenue and $1.8 million in lottery proceeds.

The public safety spending bill quickly passed with a 32-1 vote, with $11.1 million of general revenue going to the National Guard and $172.2 million of general revenue going to the Department of Public Safety. Missouri Task Force 1 is expected to receive $400,000.

The Department of Corrections is expected to receive $967.6 million from general revenue, with Jefferson City Correctional Center getting $25.5 million and Algoa Correctional Center obtaining $14.2 million. That vote passed 31-2.

House Bill 2010, which sees funding for the Department of Mental Health, Department of Health and Senior Services and Missouri Health Facilities Review Committee, was passed 27-5. The DMH is getting about $1.7 billion in general revenue, while the DHSS is getting about $614 million from general revenue.

State-operated inpatient psychiatric hospitals and treatment facilities, which includes a number of facilities including Fulton State Hospital, is expected to receive $203 million from general revenue.

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Ryan Shiner

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

The American Red Cross of Central and Northern Missouri held a media event on Wednesday that showed off its new headquarters that is being built in southern Columbia.

The new facility will be located in the 4600 block of Stellar Drive in southern Columbia. It will be able to support 300 staff and volunteers and will have a space to train volunteers and be able to collect thousands of units of blood.

This chapter of the Red Cross serves 27 counties in Missouri. It is expected to hold its ribbon-cutting ceremony in July.

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