Author: KMIZ

Ryan Shiner

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

A Kansas woman has died after she was involved in a motorcycle crash in Osage Beach on Thursday.

A 55-year-old passenger died at the hospital, according to Osage Beach Police Department Lt. Michael O’Day Friday morning.

The woman was one of three people involved in a crash on Highway 54 near Key Largo involving two motorcycles Thursday afternoon.

Both vehicles were heading eastbound when a 56-year-old man from Indianola, Iowa, “slowed abruptly almost coming to a stop,” the release says. The other bike – rode by a 50-year-old Maple Hill, Kansas, man – changed lanes to avoid the Iowa man’s bike.

However, the Iowa man made an “abrupt left turn” which led to the crash, per the release.

A 55-year-old woman was a passenger on the Kansas man’s bike, the release says. No one in the crash wore a DOT-approved helmet, according to the report. All three people were brought to Lake Regional Hospital.

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Demetra Alarcon

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

An 85-year-old Holts Summit man died in a crash on Wednesday involving a golf cart while driving on Route AA.

According to a crash report put out by the Missouri State Highway Patrol, it was a two-vehicle crash on Route AA between Evergreen Drive and County Road 499 in Callaway County.

The report says a 2011 Chevrolet Malibu – driven by a 24-year-old Columbia man – rear-ended a golf cart the 85-year-old was driving.

ABC 17 spoke with the Missouri State Highway Patrol and Missouri’s Coalition for Roadway Safety about highway safety and highway rules. According to the Missouri Revised Statutes Section 304.570, a golf cart is not allowed at any time on any state or federal highway.

MSHP Capt. Eric Brown said that the only place a golf cart can drive legally on the streets is if a municipality has passed an ordinance allowing it.

“First and foremost, golf carts are not legally allowed to be operated on public roadways. State highways, federal roadways, and the only place they can be legally operated is in towns and municipalities that have passed ordinances specifically allowing their operation inside the city,” said Brown.

Brown highlighted the dangers of operating a low-speed vehicle on a high-speed highway, saying that multiple factors can become an issue.

“Specifically on golf carts, they’re obviously slower. They’re operating at a speed much less than what the rest of the vehicles in that row are operating at. Drivers aren’t necessarily on the lookout for vehicles such as golf carts, ATVs, or the low-speed vehicles,” Brown said.

Brown goes on to say that golf carts are not equipped with the same safety features that a standard car has. Saying that they don’t have brake lights, airbags, a solid roof or seatbelts.

“In essence, nothing about their vehicle is designed to be operated on the roadway, from its design, its tires, its power, its safety equipment. It’s all meant for off-roadway use, for recreational activities,” Brown said.

Brown suggests always being on the lookout when operating a vehicle, saying to follow the posted speed limit, give others plenty of room, and report hazards.

“It’s important to pay attention to the full-time job of driving, take advantage of every safety device that your vehicle has to offer, and make good, conscious decisions while you’re driving, to avoid becoming involved in a traffic crash,” Brown said.

Jon Nelson — state highway safety and traffic engineer for the Missouri Department of Transportation — gave similar advice, saying to operate within the rules of the road.

“it really doesn’t matter in what manner we’re using the system, whether we’re walking or biking or driving or, using a golf cart. We’ve got to do our due diligence to make sure we’re doing so in a safe manner, and making sure that others can also see us and be aware of us,” Nelson said.

Nelson said he encouraged drivers to expect the unexpected.

“Whether it’s a golf cart or a piece of farm equipment or, you know, a deer, someone walking down the middle of the road. I mean, we see things like this often in our state,” said Nelson. “Because let’s be honest, not everybody out there driving on the roadway knows whether or not golf carts are allowed on that road, or in that city or in that county.”

Nelson said the easiest way to stay safe is to refer to the basics. Drive the speed limit, pay attention, follow the law.

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Ryan Shiner

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

A second class action lawsuit has been filed against Secretary of State Denny Hoskins over the use of the 2025 “Missouri First” map.

Kate Dennis and Curry Spray, both of St. Louis, filed the lawsuit on Wednesday in Cole County that asks that every person who voted in the August primary to be paid $500.

This comes after Hoskins told county clerks to use the 2022 congressional map for the November election after the Missouri Supreme Court determined Hoskins was in contempt for telling clerks to use the 2025 map.

The lawsuit accuses Hoskins of neglecting his duties. This is the second class action lawsuit filed in as many weeks, with five Missourians asking a judge to award $500 for each person who signed a referendum to get a question on the 2025 congressional map on the November ballot.

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Ryan Shiner

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

Candidates from this past August’s Republican primary in Missouri’s 5th Congressional district have filed a lawsuit in Cole County.

The lawsuit says Brett Hueffmeier, Micah Beebe, Jana Morris, Michael Morris and Peter Smedile filed a lawsuit on Thursday against Secretary of State Denny Hoskins, candidate Rick Brattin and the state’s Republican party after Hoskins told county clerks to use a 2022 congressional map after a year-long back and forth in the courts.

An alleged gerrymandered map – the “Missouri First” map that critics claimed gave Republicans an advantage in the state’s Fifth District — was used during the August primary. Hoskins had been determined to have been in contempt when he told clerks to use the 2025 map, according to previous reporting.

Now that the map with old congressional boundaries are being used in November, Republican candidates are asking for the court to toss out the results. The

The plaintiffs argue a “party nominating committee” could be authorized to pick the party’s candidate for the General Election.

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Jazsmin Halliburton

HARRISBURG, Mo. (KMIZ)

What started as a local restaurant that decided to stop serving breakfast has turned into a worldwide story of a Harrisburg woman wanting to serve her community and getting the attention of the president of the United States.

Kathy Kite wakes up at 3 a.m. every morning to cook breakfast and hands out food to anyone who is hungry and wants a hearty meal on their way to work or school. Kite opened her doors in May to her community after the only restaurant in town, where she worked, decided to stop serving breakfast other than doughnuts.

Two regulars at the restaurant, who Kite says have diabetes, can’t eat donuts every day, and that’s not a healthy option for anyone to eat. She started to invite members of the community to her home in the morning to pick up food that she offers for free. After a social media post about Kite opening her doors, more people from the community came in.

Kite said she received a letter in June from the Columbia/Boone County Department of Public Health and Human Services stating that she was running an illegal restaurant and that there was a complaint that she was making people sick and had feral cats.

Kite has refused to stop.

“Everybody who knows me knows. You’re sitting in my house. My house is not filthy,” Kite told ABC 17 News. “I am allergic to cats. My eyes will shut if I’m around cats, so I don’t have cats. So it was a bogus complaint. But instead of them coming in checking it out, they sent me this letter.”

According to Kite, she was told that she needs a commercial kitchen to continue cooking.

On Wednesday, Kite received a signed letter from President Donald Trump and a photograph of himself. The letter included words of encouragement.

“Your generosity, dedication, and selfless acts of service continue to enrich the lives of your neighbors, strengthen your community, and exemplify the spirit that makes our Nation so special,” Trump’s letter states.

Discussion over the issue has gained national attention in recent weeks. Kite said a friend heard the story on Australian radio.

“I cried, because this is just a simple thing, you know?” Kite said Thursday. “I’m doing it because I love people. I love my community. These are my guys. You know, I have a lot of friends that I’m very honored and I’m very humbled that it has reached the white House.”

Kite said that she never stopped serving breakfast because of community demand. The Columbia/Boone County Department of Public Health and Human Services told Kite she cannot cook for others without a permit or a license.

“I don’t need that to make my friends breakfast, you know,” said Kite. “That is why I’m standing up. Because no one has the right to tell me who I can or can’t invite into my home and feed.”

Kite was sent a second letter from the Columbia/Boone County Department of Public Health and Human Services regarding an “open” sign in her yard. Kite told ABC 17 News that she always leaves her door open so people know to come in for breakfast, and she put the “open” sign in her yard because it was raining and she couldn’t leave her door open. The letter from the health department stated that there would be legal ramifications.

Kite removed the sign, but said that she would not stop serving breakfast.

“Everyone is welcome here,” Kite told ABC 17 News. “I spread the love. That’s what this is about, you know. This is something that was put on my heart as a child.

“We all come from different cultures, different walks of life, different financial situations, but we all bleed, you know, and so everybody is entitled to the same treatment. And if you’re hungry, swing by. I’ll give you a burrito or a biscuit or a cup of coffee.”

An Aug. 27 letter to the Columbia/Boone County Department of Public Health and Human Services from Kite’s lawyer, Dave Roland of the Goldwater Institute, challenges the department’s claim that the county’s food code was violated.

“Your letter implied that the Department did not consider the Food Code to apply if Ms. Kite was feeding ‘friends and family,’ but you did not identify any part of the Food Code that defines ‘friends and family,’ nor did you indicate what factors the Department would use to determine whether one of Ms. Kite’s guests was a ‘friend’ she was allowed to serve food at her home or a ‘member of the public’ she was not permitted to serve food at her home,” the letter states.

Health department spokesman Austin Krohn told ABC 17 News on Wednesday that there was no update on the situation.

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Matthew Sanders

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

Columbia police detained a man after a call of shots fired led to a crash scene in a residential neighborhood and later released him with two citations.

Police were called at about 9:20 a.m. to a possible shots-fired call in the area of Grindstone Plaza, Columbia Police Department spokesman Brian McNeill said. The call was then switched twice to different locations. The call didn’t yield evidence of gunfire, but led to a crash.

“That later changed the address to Nifong and Monterey, which then changed to a collision that occurred in the 200 block of Seville,” said McNeill.

No injuries were reported. A man was detained in connection with another incident, McNeill said.

The adult man was detained around 10 a.m. and later released back into the neighborhood just before noon with two citations, according to McNeill.

At least seven police cruisers lined Sieville Drive at one point Thursday morning.

An alert from Columbia Public Schools said the incident briefly put Gentry Middle School, Rock Bridge High School, the Columbia Area Career Center and the Bethel Street Center on secure status, meaning students and staff were held inside the buildings.

One neighboor to the locaiton of the collision, Kellan Mugisha, said he arrived after the collision took place and there was a large presnce of personell.

“When I got here, it was just, the road was blocked, and it was like eight cop cars and an ambulance,” said Mugisha.

Mugisha has lived in the neighborhood for roughly two years and said police presence is not common for his neighborhood.

I mean, it’s a very rare occasion. I’m kind of surprised it happened here because, like, not really a fast road,” said Mugisha. “This may be the second time it’s happened, but I don’t really see that very often.”

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Jazsmin Halliburton

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

Representatives for U.S. Rep. Bob Onder, State Sen. Rick Brattin (R-Harrisonville) and others asked judges with the 8th Circuit Court of Appeals to side with a lower court to use the 2025 “Missouri First” map in the November election.

People Not Politicians, which was intervening in the case also asked the judges to consider overturning the lower court’s decision.

Judge Stephen Clark previously granted a temporary injunction, banning Secretary of State Denny Hoskins from using any other map except for the 2025 “Missouri First” map until Sept. 22, despite the Missouri Supreme Court simultaneously declaring that the 2022 congressional map be in place for the election.

Oral arguments were made through a video conference Thursday morning. Judges were concerned with their jurisdiction in the case. According to the representative’s attorney, Marc Ellinger, Clark followed all necessary actions to issue the restraining order and there is no reason for it to be overturned.

Chuck Hatfield, representing People Not Politicians, argued that Clark did not have the jurisdiction to file the order, and that the restraining order will have long-standing consequences far past its intended expiration date. Military ballots are set to be sent Sept. 18 while absentee voting begins Sept. 22, preventing Hoskins from following the Missouri Court’s order to use the 2022 map.

“Although styled as a TRO, the district court’s order functioned as a preliminary injunction with ‘serious, perhaps irreparable, consequence,’ according to Hatfield in his brief. “The TRO prevented Missouri’s chief election official from taking steps to ensure the election was conducted in districts “established by law,” as federal statutes require.”

Ellinger’s brief confirms that the TRO can be interpreted to have longstanding consequences, but argue that Clark was right in his ruling for the sake of election integrity.

“The centralized voter registration system is locked until at least mid-November, and implementing a different map would require transferring hundreds of thousands of voters through a multiweek process that cannot be completed in time,” According to Ellinger in his brief.

Ellinger additionally questioned PNP’s stake in the case, asking for the group to be dismissed by judges. Ellinger argues that the group and their director, Richard von Glahn, can not claim they would be personally affected by the use of the new map in November, as the group’s main focus was the initiative petition to get the map on the ballot.

“The intervenors in this case have just a generalized interest, they’re a voter and they’re the proponent of a referendum, a referendum that is going to go on the ballot, so at that point, they have no interest in this case, they have no standing,” Ellinger said.

According to Hatfield, von Glahn will be directly affected by the map changes and will be voting for a different candidate than the primary, similar to how Onder is affected.

“He is, he has the same allegations that the plaintiffs have in the case,” Hatfield said.

The state, represented by Louis J. Capozzi, sided with Ellinger and voiced concern over the precedent of allowing the 2022 map for the November election.

“This Court should hold that Plaintiffs are likely to succeed on the merits of their claims. Such a holding would help ensure Missouri does not again face the election-administration disaster it is currently facing,” According to Capozzi in his brief.

Capozzi argued that a referendum petition signed by about 3.3% of Missouri voters should not be able to temporarily suspend a map passed by the General Assembly.

“If this maneuver stands, and it will, unless the federal courts intervene, we will have redistricting paralysis in Missouri,” Capozzi said. “And every time the state tries to redistrict, at a minimum, 3.3% of voters can perform and force the use of their preferred map for at least two years, that’s not democracy.”

If used in November, the 2025 map is expected to give Republicans an edge in Congressional reelections by splitting up the state’s Fifth Congressional district. The seat is currently held by Democratic Rep. Emanuel Cleaver. The new map would fold the district into three others, with the new districts stretching across several rural areas of the state.

Hoskins is currently facing several legal battles, including the ongoing fight over Missouri’s congressional maps, in which the Missouri Supreme Court found him in contempt after he directed local election officials to use the 2025 map in violation of the court’s order. The court later found that Hoskins had purged the contempt after reversing course and directing officials to use the 2022 map.

On Tuesday, Hoskins filed an appeal to the 8th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, urging the court to rule that a referendum cannot suspend a congressional map passed by the Legislature and that switching maps after the primary elections violates the U.S. Constitution.

“I’m not going to speculate on what exactly the 8th Judicial Circuit does. But what I will say is, as of today, as of right now, the only court order that I have is from the Missouri Supreme Court to use the 2022 maps,” Hoskins told ABC 17 News Wednesday when asked how confident he was that the state could use the new 2025 congressional maps. “Could that change tomorrow? Well, [it] certainly could, but I’m not going to speculate.”

The court’s complete recorded audio of the argument can be found here.

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Matthew Sanders

Opposition to new data centers is getting a lot of attention.

That includes Wednesday, when scores of anti-data center protesters filled the Missouri Capitol Rotunda, then took to the streets around the building for a march. One of the stops was next to the Governor’s Mansion.

The protesters’ big demand is a moratorium on data center development in Missouri until regulators can hammer out some rules for their construction and operation.

Would you support such a moratorium? Let us know by voting in the poll.

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Mitchell Kaminski

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) 

EDITOR’S NOTE: A misspelled name has been corrected.

Missouri Secretary of State Denny Hoskins visited the University of Missouri campus Wednesday afternoon for an event hosted by the university’s Turning Point USA chapter.

Hoskins is currently facing several legal battles, including the ongoing fight over Missouri’s congressional maps, in which the Missouri Supreme Court found him in contempt after he directed local election officials to use the 2025 map in violation of the court’s order. The court later found that Hoskins had purged the contempt after reversing course and directing officials to use the 2022 map.

Oral arguments are scheduled for Thursday morning in the 8th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals over a Sept. 8 temporary restraining order issued by U.S. District Judge Stephen R. Clark in St. Louis, that blocked the state from using the 2022 congressional map.

“I’m not going to speculate on what exactly the 8th Judicial Circuit does. But what I will say is, as of today, as of right now, the only court order that I have is from the Missouri Supreme Court to use the 2022 maps,” Hoskins told ABC 17 News when asked how confident he was that the state could use the new 2025 congressional maps. “Could that change tomorrow? Well, [it] certainly could, but I’m not going to speculate.” 

Hoskins is also facing a proposed class-action lawsuit from five Missouri voters seeking roughly $80 million. The lawsuit alleges Hoskins violated state law in his handling of a referendum challenging the congressional map. The case seeks to represent roughly 162,000 voters whose signatures on the referendum petition were verified by local election authorities.

On Monday, Hoskins was also sued by Nicholas La Strada, the former director of Election Integrity, who alleges he was fired after “blowing the whistle on fabricated evidence and a decision to overturn a certified election” in Marshall, according to La Strada’s legal team. 

“Obviously, I can’t comment on personnel issues or pending litigation, but I’m really, really looking forward to discovery in this case where we can present our side of the facts,” Hoskins told ABC 17 News when asked about allegations of trying to overturn the election results. “The Secretary of State doesn’t certify municipal elections, so there’s no way I can certify a municipal election.” 

Hoskins also addressed each of these court battles during his presentation to students. 

The Secretary of State filed a brief to the 8th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals on Tuesday, urging the court to rule that a referendum cannot suspend a congressional map passed by the Legislature and that switching maps after the primary elections violates the U.S. Constitution.

“I don’t think our founding fathers ever meant to have a referendum on a congressional redistricting map, Hoskins said during the event. “The dates don’t make sense. It doesn’t make sense that the deadline for me to rule is sufficient or insufficient. Is the same deadline or the same date as our primary election.  And so on August 4th,  I ruled that the referendum was insufficient due to it being unconstitutional.” 

When asked by a student why he waited so long to make a decision on the referendum petition created by voters over the new congressional maps, he said it was because he needed to give election clerks time to verify signatures. 

Hoskins says he was in Dallas last week for the GOP Republican convention when news broke that the courts had ruled the 2022 map was in effect. Shortly afterward, he sent an email to county clerks informing them that the 2022 map was in effect. Hoskins says that about 15 minutes later, he received another email from Judge Clark of the 8th Judicial Circuit informing him that a temporary restraining order was in place. That prompted Hoskins to send a second email directing county clerks to use the 2025map.

“I picked the federal court order, which included a temporary restraining order directing us to use the 2025 map because of the Supremacy Clause,” Hoskins said, explaining the decision that ultimately led to determining he was held in contempt of court for a time. “I still have not been to the GOP convention. I had to leave at 2 o’clock the next day and miss that so I could come back that Wednesday and be in court.

“I’ve got a federal court order that I’m following, and I got a state court, and I’m either going to federal prison, I can go to federal prison or I go to Cole County Jail. I may be going to jail today; that’s what I’m thinking.” 

But Hoskins was adamant that each step of the way he followed federal court orders. Hoskins also responded to complaints that he is constantly getting sued. 

“We actually looked back at the three secretaries of state before me, and I’ve been sued less on average per year than the last three Secretaries of State,” Hoskins said. 

His visit comes despite a screenshot being shared on Republican social media accounts that showed an apparent post from YikYak asking “Are they going to Kirk him?” in a likely reference to Charlie Kirk’s assassination at a Turning Point USA event last year. MU responded on Tuesday, saying that they were aware of the post and reported it to MUPD. 

Since Kirk’s death, Turning Point membership has grown across the country, with MU’s Turning Point USA chapter president, Nate Vass, telling ABC 17 News that the group has over 300 members. 

“I originally got involved with Turning Point. U.S. High School. Charlie Kirk was the biggest inspiration to me, so I wanted to do everything because all the videos that I saw on Instagram made me want to get involved,” Vass told ABC 17 News. “His assassination impacted me very greatly. Honestly, it radicalized me as a person. I’ve been much more involved and much more committed to everything we’re doing since the assassination. We put even more work and more effort into getting as many students involved in our movement as possible and just be able to talk with people. That’s what Charlie wanted to do is just talk and have civic dialog.” 

Vass added that they had invited Hoskins to speak before his legal battles with the courts began. 

“He wasn’t getting sued and stuff when we booked him to come, it’s actually great timing for us,” Voss said. “We stand with Denny Hoskins. We stand with the 7 to 1  thing that he’s doing. It’s incredible. I’m very appreciative.”

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Ryan Shiner

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

There were more than 2,600 electricity customers without power on Wednesday in Camden County after storms went through the area.

Roughly 15 reports of outages were called in by Ameren customers mostly along Highway 54. There were 1,005 Ameren customers affected. Most of those outages were reported after 5 p.m. with restoration times varying between 8:15-8:45 p.m.

The number of those without power ballooned after 6:30 p.m., with Ameren showing 2,231 in the county without power and the Association of Missouri Electric Cooperatives showing 404 members without power between Co-Mo Electric Cooperative (335) and Laclede Electric Cooperative (69).

The number of Ameren customers without power fell to 991 by 7 p.m.

“Equipment damage” was cited as the reason for one of the Ameren outages.

Phelps County saw 364 Gascosage Electric Cooperative members without power and Pulaski County had 52.

Check back for updates.

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