Author: KMIZ

Mitchell Kaminski

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) 

The Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education and its Office of Childhood are working with federal officials as more than half of the state’s child care providers continue to wait for overdue payments.

DESE said in a release Friday it received a request from the federal government late Thursday for a detailed justification of pending child care payment requests before funding can be released.

A DESE spokesperson told ABC 17 News the department was required to submit a breakdown of expenses by allowable category to the federal government.

The federal request follows fraud allegations involving child care centers in Minnesota, where investigations into the alleged misconduct remain ongoing. The investigation also led President Donald Trump’s administration to suspend $10 billion in federal funds that were supposed to go to five Democratic states, a move that was blocked by a federal judge on Friday. 

“We understand the importance of verifying these dollars are spent appropriately, given recent events in other states,” Commissioner of Education Karla Eslinger said in DESE’s release. 

The request also comes as child care centers across Missouri have faced ongoing challenges. In December 2023, the state switched software providers for managing subsidy payments to Carahsoft, MTX and World Wide Technology, a transition that led to a backlog of missed payments and forced some day care centers to close. The backlog was not fully cleared until February.

As of Friday, the state said 1,743 of its child care providers, roughly 53%, were impacted by the delay of federal payments. 

DESE said it has been in contact with providers throughout the week about the delays and is urging them to continue submitting invoices to help prevent further setbacks once the state receives the funding.

State Rep. Gregg Bush (D-Boone County) told ABC 17 News that no child care providers have contacted him yet about the additional documentation. He added, however, that he has frequently heard concerns from constituents about child care affordability and availability.

State Rep. John Martin (R-Boone County) also said he has not yet been contacted by constituents regarding the delayed child care payments.

The department said it will notify child care providers with an updated timeline as soon as more information becomes available.

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Euphenie Andre

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

The fallout from the ICE shooting that killed a woman in Minnesota continued Friday, as vigils were held across the country. The FBI has taken over the investigation, and state investigators in Minnesota have been blocked from accessing key evidence connected to the case.

A candlelight vigil for Renée Good and all other victims of ICE and anti-immigrant actions was held at 6 p.m. Friday at Peace Park on the University of Missouri’s campus.

The event was hosted by Mark Haim and Jeff Stack and is co-sponsored by a coalition of local groups, including Mid-Missouri Peaceworks, Mid-MO Fellowship of Reconciliation and 50501 Missouri, among other organizations.

Haim said the turnout showed how deeply the incident has affected people far beyond Minnesota.

“We are holding a candlelight vigil in honoring the memory of those who’ve lost their lives in the actions of Ice,” Haim said. “That includes, Ms. Good, but includes many of the people, working people, people who are living at the margins,”

Over a hundred people gathered at Peace Park for the start of the vigil.

Those assembled Friday honored Good’s memory and paid tribute to the many others who have been harmed by immigration officials. Attendees did a moments of silence and share brief talks to remember victims of immigration enforcement and anti-immigrant violence, and to call attention to the human cost of these operations.

Attendees at the vigil ranged from longtime activists to parents who brought their children to witness the moment. Columbia resident Kristen Finley said she believes it’s important to talk openly with her eight-year-old daughter about current events.

“The news that came out of Renée Good and then I saw multiple videos and pictures. One of the pictures that I saw was of her glove box and it had the same stuff as my daughter’s, and I think it’s time to stand up,” Finley said.

Some of the youngest attendees shared their own thoughts as well.

Fourth grade Sybil Crook, a student at Grant Elementary School, said she felt sad for families affected by immigration enforcement.

“I don’t think it’s fair to the kids and the parents who’s who are getting taken away. If they didn’t do anything,” she said.

Crook’s mother said she is the same age as Good, which made the tragedy feel even closer to home. She added that if it could happen to Good, it could happen to her.

Friday’s vigil comes after new video released shows Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent Jonathan Ross from a closer perspective in the moments leading up to the deadly shooting.

According to Trace, since Trump immigration raids, there have been 16 incidents in which ICE agents fired shots and 15 incidents in which ICE agents held someone at gunpoint.

Those incidents include people who were not targets of enforcement actions. At least 3 people have been shot while observing or documenting immigration raids, and 5 have been shot while driving away from traffic stops or evading an enforcement action.

Good was 1 of 4 people who have been killed during these incidents. Another 7 people have been injured.

On Sunday, Mid-Missouri Peaceworks plans to hold a rally at city hall opposing what it calls imperialism and calling attention to the situation in Venezuela, which organizers said is connected to broader concerns about U.S. foreign and immigration policy.

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Ryan Shiner

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

Two people were charged with felonies in a Jefferson City shooting that occurred on Tuesday.

Dustee Mathis, 29, of Jefferson City, was charged with two counts of armed criminal action and two counts of first-degree endangering the welfare of a child. An arraignment was held on Friday and Mathis pleaded not guilty by video from the Cole County Jail, where she is being held without bond.

Armion McCann, 25, of Jefferson City, was charged with unlawful use of a weapon, armed criminal action, two counts of first-degree endangering the welfare of a child and a single count of tampering with evidence. He also pleaded not guilty by video from the jail during a Friday afternoon arraignment/ He is also being held without bond.

A counsel status hearing for both people is scheduled for 2 p.m. Wednesday.

The probable cause statement says someone described as a witness had made a derogatory comment about Mathis, who was sitting in a vehicle in front of a residence, and an argument ensued. Mathis and McCann had left the area and came back.

A witness claimed Mathis was first holding a gun, but McCann ended up holding it, the statement says. One of the witnesses claimed McCann fired shots and that no one from the home fired any, court documents say.

McCann allegedly told officers that he fired the gun after someone at the house had used pepper spray and fired a shot, the statement says.

Video allegedly showed shots being fired after an argument, and police noted that shots could have been fired from two different guns, the statement says.

Police found 10 shell casings in the street near the home, along with another on the front porch, shattered glass from a door that was hit and a bullet hole in the living room wall, court documents say.

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Ryan Shiner

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

A court official has confirmed that the 17-year-old boy accused of firing shots on Saturday night inside Dick’s Sporting Goods has been charged with three felonies.

A Boone County juvenile court officer has not revealed the name of the youth accused in the shooting, but confirmed in an email that he is charged with unlawful use of a weapon, carjacking and armed criminal action.

Chief Juvenile Officer Angie Bezoni confirmed the charges were filed on Monday.

The next court appearance is scheduled for 9 a.m. Tuesday, Jan. 20. There is currently no hearing scheduled to certify the juvenile as an adult.

The Columbia teenager was later arrested by troopers in Pettis County after he was accused of firing shots inside Dick’s Sporting Goods at The Shoppes on Stadium and stealing a car before driving away on Interstate 70. He led troopers on a chase after troopers tried to initiate a traffic stop near Sedalia, previous reporting shows.

The juvenile was arrested after crashing the vehicle on Route V near Bahner Road, previous reporting shows.

No one was injured after shots were fired at Dick’s.

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Olivia Hayes

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

University of Missouri closed its bid portal on Friday for companies looking to shoot their shot at enhancing game day experiences.

The university has laid out three zones with eight properties on university land as potential commercial development sites.

There will be three development zones:

Development Zone No. 1: North Campus/Central Business District

Fifth and Locust Street North

Fifth and Locust Street South

10th and Locust Street

Hitt and Paquin Street

University Avenue

Development Zone No. 2: Campus Core

Flat Branch Creek

Stadium Boulevard and Tiger Avenue

Stadium Boulevard and College Avenue

Development Zone No. 3: Athletic Sports Complex

Hearnes Complex

Gustin Golf Course

A map provided by the University of Missouri shows proposed development zones.

According to university bid documents, MU would consider selling the sites included in Zone 1. Zones 2 and 3 would be offered as lease agreements.

The university will prioritize projects that generate significant revenue, either through upfront funds or over time through ongoing payments. It’s also looking for something that could work as a year-round commercial development for university and community members.

Projects proposed within the MU Athletics Sports Complex should look to elevate MU Athletics above other schools.

The university does not want any of its own money to be committed to the projects or any projects that require the use of bonds and stipends.

Developers will have to consider building removal or redevelopment on some sites. However, in Zone 3, the university has made it a requirement that the Hearnes Center should be considered a central part of any development plans for that site and that its current functions must not be impacted.

The university also wants developers to assume no connection to campus utilities and plan for independent utility use. Developers will also have to provide information on potential traffic impacts as well as parking impacts if their proposal falls into a zone that could alter MU’s parking portfolio.

University officials will narrow down their list of bids by Feb. 6 and start an interview process. The final selection will be made around March or April.

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Alison Patton

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

The Department of Justice is asking Missouri and nine other states to sign an agreement that would require the state to remove registered voters from the rolls within 45 days of the DOJ’s request, according to the Democratic National Committee.

The DNC sent a letter Friday morning to the Missouri Secretary of State Denny Hoskins, informing him that the agreement potentially violates voter rights laws.

The Secretary’s office said in an email to ABC 17 News that it has not received the letter as of 11 a.m. on Friday, and that Missouri does not have an agreement with the DOJ.

missouri dnc letterDownload

DNC Litigation Director Dan Freeman wrote in the letter that the DOJ’s proposal is illegal under the National Voter Registration Act and the Help America Vote Act because it shortens the amount of time voters have to be notified of removal from the voter registration roll, and it allows the DOJ access to sensitive, personal information.

Under law, county election authorities verify voter addresses every other year by sending mail to the registered address, according to Boone County Clerk Brianna Lennon. If that mail comes back, it’s an indication that the voter has moved.

From there, the county follows up with the voter to find their new address, Lennon said. If the voter doesn’t respond to that, the voter is then considered “inactive.”

The voter would remain inactive until they update their information and can vote after doing so, Lennon said. If the voter has two federal elections to do so, which is about four years.

The DOJ’s proposal would shorten that four-year window to 45 days.

“The real issue here is that federal law prohibits that type of immediate removal without safeguards for the voters to make sure, you know–database matches make mistakes and make sure that people don’t lose their rights,” Freeman told ABC 17 News.

Freeman also argues that signing the agreement could cause issues as primary and general election days inch closer because voting laws restrict voter removal to, at the latest, 90 days before either election.

Missouri’s primary election is slated for Aug. 5, with the general election following on Nov. 4.

Freeman said Friday afternoon that he hasn’t received any indication that Hoskins has received his letter.

“We’re hoping through this letter that we’ll explain to some secretaries that they shouldn’t sign this MOU under these particular requirements because they’re just running straight at a violation of federal law,” Freeman said.

The DNC received a copy of the Department of Justice’s memorandum of understanding, the agreement, from Colorado, and is assuming the DOJ sent similar versions to other states like Missouri.

Freeman said he doesn’t know why the department wants voter rolls and the power to control which voters stay eligible. He also said it could be used to manipulate who gets to vote because Democrats tend to move and change addresses more often than Republicans.

“If you are undermining the protections for people who move around and just knocking them off the rolls, you’re probably taking eligible U.S. citizens, and you’re denying their voting rights, and you’re helping Republicans to win elections by not letting Democrats vote,” he said.

“As part of their big government power grab, Donald Trump and Pam Bondi want to force states to hand over their voter files so that the Trump administration can create a national database with sensitive personal information like driver’s license numbers, Social Security numbers, and party affiliation, opening the door to privacy concerns and further political retribution,” DNC Chair Ken Martin wrote in a statement.

The DNC has requested the agreement and names of voters who were removed under the proposed agreement from the Secretary’s Office.

Freeman said these documents and information could help the DNC in any lawsuits they pursue against states that violate voting rights.

“We’re also letting them (secretaries of state) that if they start purging voters illegally, we have their eyes on them,” Freeman said. “We’re asking them for the information that we would need to bring a lawsuit, and we will be ready if they start violating voter rights.”

The DNC also sent letters to nine other states that are in similar discussions with the DOJ.

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Matthew Sanders

The United States this week has found itself suffering from two violent encounters between civilians and federal agents.

In the first, an Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent shot dead a 37-year-old woman (with ties to Kansas City) in Minneapolis on Wednesday. Then, on Thursday, two people were shot in Portland, Oregon, by Customs and Border Protection agents.

In both cases, federal authorities and the Trump administration are at odds with local and state officials — governors and mayors have said they don’t trust what they’re hearing from Washington, D.C.

Some blame the violence on the left interfering with law enforcement. Others say the violence is caused by the invasion of local communities by federal agents, who are meant more to intimidate than to protect.

Either way, do you think more violence involving federal agents is coming? Let us know by voting in the poll.

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Ryan Shiner

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

The Montgomery County Commission has approved tax breaks for the upcoming Amazon data center.

Presiding Commissioner Ryan Poston said on Thursday that the breaks were unanimously approved last week by the commission.  

“As this process continues, we’re encouraged by the meaningful benefits this project could deliver, including new construction and long-term technology jobs, expanded opportunities for local contractors and small businesses, and sustainable tax revenue that supports schools, public safety, and essential community services,” an Amazon spokesman wrote in a Thursday statement.

A pair of data centers have been proposed in the county have seen strong pushback from residents, who have gathered at multiple public meetings to voice concerns on the environmental affects and more. Most questions during a Dec. 8 town hall were left unanswered.

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Ryan Shiner

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

Two people have been injured in a shooting in Portland, Oregon, that involved Customs and Border Patrol agents, the FBI’s Portland office announced in a Thursday evening social media post.

The FBI office wrote that its agency is investigating an agent who was involved in the shooting near the 10000 block of Main Street in Portland. The shooting occurred at 2:15 p.m. local time, or 4:15 p.m. central time. The FBI has since deleted the tweet.

ABC News reported that two people were shot “by federal agents.” Public media in Portland reported that a City Council session was interrupted for a security concern. The meeting’s interruption can be found on the city’s YouTube page.

A City Councilman in Portland wrote on Blue Sky that “Everyone is okay at City Hall right now. More will be shared asap.”

The City of Portland shared on its social media that a man and a woman were found with gunshot wounds and that their conditions are currently unknown. Local police were not involved in the shooting and officers used a tourniquet. Both people were brought to a hospital.

The city says the patients were found about eight miles from the site of the shooting.

“Officers have determined the two people were injured in the shooting involving federal agents,” the post says.

The shooting comes a day after an ICE agent shot and killed a woman in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Protests have occurred throughout the country since Wednesday’s shooting.

“We are still in the early stages of this incident,” Portland Police Chief Bob Day was quoted in the city’s release. “We understand the heightened emotion and tension many are feeling in the wake of the shooting in Minneapolis, but I am asking the community to remain calm as we work to learn more.”

The Department of Homeland Security alleged in a social media post that the victims in the shooting are undocumented immigrants from Venezuela and accused them of being affiliated with a gang. DHS claims the driver of the vehicle tried to hit the agents with their vehicle and agents fired in self-defense, a similar claim DHS made in the Minnesota shooting, which has been disputed by legal experts.

“I’m familiar with the statement [made by DHS]. I cannot say if that is the case,” Day said at a Thursday evening press conference. “I don’t have any information that would link that [ a Venezuelan gang operating in the city] at this time.”

A spokesman for the Portland Police Bureau said during a press conference that it is not known if the shooting was “an immigration-related event.” The FBI is leading the investigation.

“Portland is not a training ground for militarized agents.” Portland Mayor Keith Wilson said. “There was a time we could take them [the federal government] at their word,” but he claimed “that is no longer the case.”

Wilson called on ICE to leave the city, a sentiment shared by Minneapolis’ mayor a day before. Wilson then called on ICE agents to be “fully investigated.”

Oregon Gov. Tina Kotek said the shooting was “instigated by the Trump administration” and claimed agents at the DHS are “shattering trust.”

Kotek said no one died and that no one else was injured in the shooting.

“The priority right now is a full, completed investigation, not more detentions,” Kotek said.

At 2:19 PST, US Border Patrol agents were conducting a targeted vehicle stop in Portland, Oregon. The passenger of the vehicle and target is a Venezuelan illegal alien affiliated with the transnational Tren de Aragua prostitution ring and involved in a recent shooting in…

— Homeland Security (@DHSgov) January 9, 2026

Check back for updates.

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Ryan Shiner

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

A Columbia woman who was charged with 29 counts of animal abuse has been denied her requests for a change of venue and a bond.

Melissa Sanders, 26, on Dec. 29 had asked a judge to give her a bond and to change the venue of her case. Judge Joshua Devine declined both requests on Wednesday. Sanders has a hearing scheduled for 9:30 a.m. Tuesday, Jan. 20. She is being held at the Phelps County Jail.

Sanders ran Magnum Opus German Shepherds and a number of dead dogs, including a dozen dog skulls, were found at the property of the business when law enforcement served a search warrant, according to court documents in previous reporting. Several malnourished dogs were also found at the property.

Court documents say at least two living dogs that were found were on the brink of death.

The living dogs were turned over to the Central Missouri Humane Society after Sanders was arrested. A number of the dogs have been returned to their owners, while others are being fostered.

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