Author: KMIZ

Matthew Sanders

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (KMIZ)

A bill that would create an oversight board for appeals to the state’s high school activities commission is heading to Gov. Mike Kehoe’s desk.

The Missouri House voted 92-39 to pass the bill, which originated in the Senate, on Thursday before lawmakers went home for the weekend. Two weeks remain in the legislative session.

The bill mandates the creation of an “Interscholastic Athletic Oversight Commission” to review appeals of decisions made by MSHSAA, the Missouri State High School Activities Association. MSHSAA sets rules for high school sports and other activities in Missouri. It is a private, not-for-profit organization that receives public funding.

The bill’s sponsor, Sen. Jason Bean (R-Holcomb), told ABC 17 News last month that the legislation is intended to provide individuals who file appeals regarding a referee’s decision or transfer student eligibility in high school sports with a neutral party to review the decision.

MSHSAA had opposed an earlier version of the bill that would give the board the authority to govern the organization. That proposal was later pared back to the oversight board that is in the current bill.

The bill was a priority for Gov. Mike Kehoe, who addressed the need for an oversight board during his State of the State Address at the beginning of the legislative session.

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Collin Anderson

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

The University of Missouri signed Athletics Director Laird Veatch to a three-year contract extension.

Mizzou Athletics announced the extension on Friday, the two-year anniversary of Veatch’s first day on the job at MU. The University of Missouri Board of Curators approved the extension at its meeting in April, and with the new extension, Veatch is set to remain in his position until 2032.

In the new extension, the total annual compensation is worth $1.75 million, structured across base salary, non-salary compensation, and deferred compensation, an increase from the $1.3 million in the original deal.

In his two-year stint in charge, Veatch helped reduce the athletic department’s negative operating balance, generate record levels of revenue, and oversee the development of several new facilities across multiple sports.

Under Veatch’s direction, Mizzou athletics introduced new premium seating for men’s and women’s basketball, moved the gymnastics program to compete in Mizzou Arena full time, added a new playing surface to Taylor Stadium and most notably, continued to develop the north end zone a part of Memorial Stadium’s Centennial Project.

“I’m incredibly grateful to President Choi and the Board of Curators for their trust and support,” Veatch said in a release published by the school. “This extension reflects the collective work of our coaches, staff, student-athletes and supporters who have embraced our ‘Will to Win’ and who believe in what Mizzou Athletics will become.”

Mizzou has appeared in two football bowl games, two NCAA men’s basketball tournaments and 20 other national team championship events under Veatch. Mizzou Athletics increased total revenue by $14 million to a record $182 million while reducing negative operating costs by 40% in the previous fiscal year.

Veatch’s initial Mizzou contract paid him a $900,000 base salary and $200,000 in non-salary compensation. The original contract also includes $200,000 of deferred compensation deposited into the fund each year on May 1.

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Euphenie Andre

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

Friday is International Workers’ Day, also known as May Day, honoring workers across the U.S. and around the world.

LiUNA Local 955 brought its message directly to the University of Missouri campus, holding two rallies just hours apart to call for higher wages and better working conditions.

The union represents service and maintenance workers at the University of Missouri, MU Health Care and UMKC and other public workers in the area. MU Faculty Librarians and information specialists are trying to join LiUNA Local 955 ahead of a union election scheduled from Monday through Wednesday.

At the center of the push is a call for longevity-based raises and a minimum wage of $19 per hour. Union leaders claim employees are not being properly rewarded for years of service.

“I can tell you there is a significant portion of workers make less than $19 an hour,” LiUNA representative Andrew Hutchinson said. “That include folks at the libraries, a lot of the information specialist… Some of them have been here 10, 20, 30 years,”

Hutchinson points to other union contracts in Kirksville, Centralia, and Columbia that include step pay scales, systems that guarantee annual raises until workers reach the top of the pay scale.

“At the university, what they do is they keep everyone so close to the same wage, and that compresses wages. And that’s how you get custodians who have been here 30 years who are barely making above, what someone walking in through the door makes, ” Hutchinson said.

Workers are also calling for reduced parking costs and improvements to other essential needs.

Students also stood in solidarity, with some voicing frustration with university leadership, following the university’s decision to defund several minority programs.

“Both workers and students are facing an administration that doesn’t seem to be hearing them,” Columbia Ward 2 Councilwoman Vera Elewood said. “It’s focusing more on the budget than the people who are actually building the university.”

The union is currently in wage negotiations with MU. However, workers said broader policy changes could impact their financial future. A proposed bill backed by Missouri Governor Mike Kehoe that could eliminate certain sales taxes has raised concerns about potential budget cuts.

“We know that when the university looks at budget cuts, they come for our folks. They come for the service and maintenance workers who are counting every cent. So if they’re experiencing cuts with their employer and they’re having to pay sales tax on their car, haircuts, and an increased sales tax on grociers. It’s just not going to be enough to make ends meet.”

The group “We Stand United Missouri” held a rally in Jefferson City at the Memorial Park.

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Matthew Sanders

The Missouri House on Thursday passed a bill that, if approved by the Senate, would allow state officials to increase speed limits on some rural highways.

The legislation would allow the Missouri Department of Transportation to increase the speed limit from 70 mph to 75 mph on some stretches of divided highways in rural Missouri. Critics say the change would make Missouri highways less safe for drivers, first responders and transportation workers.

The Senate had already approved the bill, but the House added to it, meaning it will have to pass the upper chamber before the session ends to hit the governor’s desk.

Would you like to see a higher speed limit on rural divided highways? Let us know by voting in the poll.

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Jessica Hafner

The National Weather Service in Kansas City has confirmed two more tornadoes touched down on Monday morning in Randolph County.

A survey team was out earlier this week and found a 36 mile long path of damage after an EF-2 tornado touched down in Saline County and traveled through the southern tip of Chariton and into Howard County before lifting.

In nearby Chariton and Randolph counties, two more tornadoes were found to have caused damage on Monday morning, shortly after the longer track twister.

An EF-1 tornado touched down in eastern Chariton County near Rascal Flats Road 5 miles south of Salisbury at 7:11 a.m., damaging trees, outbuildings, and power poles. Two of those outbuildings were found to be collapsed.

Tornado damage in Chariton Co. via NWS Kansas City

Tornado damage in Chariton Co. courtesy of NWS Kansas City

As the tornado crossed Route 129, it caused damage to two homes, outbuildings, and trees. Substantial tree damage was found north of Yates between Moberly and Renick. A roof was lifted from a home on County Road 248 with trees downed in the area. Several areas of straight line winds were observed along the tornado path, as well.

The tornado packed winds of up to 105 mph along its 24.5 mile path, and lifted 4 miles northeast of Renick at 7:36 a.m.

Another tornado touched down 3 miles northeast of Higbee at 7:29 a.m. and traveled about 8.6 miles to 5 miles northeast of Clark in Randolph County before lifting at 7:37 a.m.

The tornado was rated EF-0 with winds of up to 80 mph. Meteorologists found tree damage and some roof damage to an outbuilding near Renick, and severe tree damage near Highway 63.

A total of four tornadoes were confirmed from Monday morning’s round of severe storms in Mid-Missouri.

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Ryan Shiner

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

The Columbia City Council on Monday will introduce a bill aiming to delay any application for data centers within the city.

City documents say the city is looking to delay “the acceptance or processing” of data center applications for a full year.

Documents note the council passed an ordinance at its previous meeting that created a new zoning definition.

“During the discussion of the proposed text amendments, staff reported that in addition to the current proposed amendments to define and make data center a conditional use, staff was also continuing work on evaluating the need for appropriate use-specific standards for data center uses,” city documents say.

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

Amazon has sought to build a data center in Montgomery County and saw intense pushback from its residents at several public meetings, which culminated in a lawsuit to attempt to block it from happening. Critics of data centers typically point to excess water usage and increased use of electricity.

The planning and zoning commission had recommended a definition of a data center to the council earlier this year.

Data center delay memoDownload

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Steven Lambson

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

The University of Missouri has received criticism of job postings for which it wants to hire foreign professionals.

The university has eight job postings on the website of its International Student and Scholar Services program. The postings included Labor Condition Applications “in support of an H-1B status petition” as required by Department of Labor regulations.

According to the Department of Labor’s website, employers use the H-1B program hire nonimmigrant foreign professionals “as workers in specialty occupations,” among other reasons.

On Thursday, state Sen. Rick Brattin (R-Cass County) posted on X calling the job postings “outrageous.”

“Public universities getting American tax dollars should hire qualified Americans, not shop around for H1B visa workers,” Brattin wrote in his post.

This is OUTRAGEOUS! Public universities getting American tax dollars should hire qualified Americans, not shop around for H1B visa workers.Mizzou posting a comms job for foreign applicants is just wrong. Fire the H1B Advisor (if hired) and hire Missouri talent. America First… https://t.co/Go6vdQtIm0

— Rick Brattin (@RickBrattin) April 30, 2026

Jesus Osete, Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General with the Department of Justice, also reacted to the posting on social media, saying, “We want to hear from you.” Osete previously worked in the Missouri Attorney General’s Office as deputy attorney general and deputy solicitor general.

We want to hear from you. https://t.co/Ie07uxaRUO https://t.co/tTwfsFsyI6

— Jesus A. Osete (@JesusOseteDOJ) April 30, 2026

MU spokesperson Christopher Ave told ABC 17 News the university is reviewing the matter.

“The university attempts to hire U.S. citizens and permanent residents through competitive recruiting processes. On occasion, the university hires highly qualified individuals that require an H-1B visa,” Ave said. “The university follows the federal rules and regulations in petitioning for these visas, including making the required postings. On the rare occasions that we request these visas, they are for highly specialized positions for which a doctorate or master’s degree is required. For these positions, we exhaust our efforts to hire a qualified U.S. individual. After we file the petition, the federal government will determine if the application is accepted.”

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Steven Lambson

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

A man accused in the January 2026 stabbing death of his wife in Jefferson City was deemed “incompetent to proceed,” according to a court filing Thursday.

Malang Akbari faces charges of first-degree murder, armed criminal action and endangering the welfare of a child after he allegedly stabbed his wife to death.

In February, Judge Joseph Shetler ordered a mental evaluation for Akbari. The suspect claimed in January said he had a mental defect when he pleaded not guilty.

A case review has been scheduled for May 12.

According to court documents, Akbari told police he suspected his wife had been cheating on him. An AMBER alert was issued for their two children after the stabbing, but was canceled after the children were found safe.

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Ryan Shiner

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

Someone jumped from the parking garage in downtown Columbia at Fifth and Walnut streets, according to a Columbia Police Department spokesman.

Police are investigating an apparent suicide after one person was found dead, according to CPD spokesman Colin Imhoff.

ABC 17 News typically does not report on suicides; but it will here due to the public nature of the death and repeated pattern, with several people having jumped to their deaths at the garage in past years.

Ward 1 Councilwoman Valerie Carroll said she is saddened to hear that someone has once again taken their own life at this parking garage. Carroll added that she plans to reach out to the city manager to determine how additional safety precautions can be implemented at the facility.

The top level of the garage had been closed for two years beginning in 2021 as the city worked to put barriers on that level after calls to do so from community members, according to previous reporting.

The $911,000 project was finished in March 2023, which included a 10.5-feet-tall fencing added around the top floor and panels being installed on the fifth through eighth floors.

The city has closed the top floor of the garage for large events like the University of Missouri’s homecoming the past two years.

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Ryan Shiner

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

A man who is stationed at a military base in Alaska was charged on Wednesday with three child sex crimes in Osage County.

Hayden Wade, of Fort Richardson, Alaska, is charged with statutory sodomy of a person younger than 14 years old, first-degree child molestation and statutory sodomy of a person younger than 12 years old.

Wade is described in court documents as a family member of the victim and is accused of sexually abusing them for years, with some occurring in Missouri as far back as 2020. The statement says a number of assaults also occurred in Illinois.

The victim and a parent went to report the sexual assaults on Aug. 18, 2025, according to court documents. An interview was conducted at the Children’s Advocacy Center on Sept. 4, 2025.

The parent allegedly had an audio recording where Wade admitted to sexually abusing the victim in Illinois, but he allegedly denied the assaults in Missouri, court documents allege.

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