Worker hurt in fall at University of Missouri construction site

Matthew Sanders

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

EDITOR’S NOTE: The name of the hospital the worker was sent to has been corrected.

A worker suffered minor injuries when he fell at a University of Missouri construction site on Thursday morning.

The man fell about 18 feet, Columbia Fire Department Assistant Chief Lester Shewmake said. A University spokesman said the worker fell from one section of the roof to another section at the construction site on Ashland Road next to the Trowbridge Livestock Center. The worker was sent to University Hospital.

Workers are building the Michael L. Parson Meat Science Education and Training Laboratory at the site. Ground was broken on the project in April 2025.

Check back for updates to this developing story.

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Police: threat made to Fayette Schools not credible

Madison Stuerman

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

Fayette police are investigating after a possible threat was reported against the Fayette R-III School District on Wednesday.

The police department said on Facebook that the report was made around 9:20 p.m. on Wednesday.

Police Chief Bo Wells said in the statement that they do not believe the threat to be credible.

Fayette officers, along with deputies at the Howard County Sheriff’s Office and school officials, investigated the threat.

No details were provided about the type of threat or who reported it.

The Department of Elementary and Secondary Education online directory states there were 668 students across the three schools in the 2025-26 school year.

Extra law enforcement is expected to be on campus, according to Wells.

ABC 17 News has reached out to the school district.

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Six hurt after deck collapse at Lake Ozark home

Madison Stuerman

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

Multiple people suffered injuries after a deck collapsed in Lake Ozark on Wednesday night.

According to the Lake Ozark Fire Protection District, the dock collapsed around 8:30 p.m. Wednesday on Sander Road.

Fire crews found that the entrance walkway of a multi-family home had collapsed, with six people.

Fire Chief Jerome Blomberg said in a release that units worked to stabilize the collapse while assessing and treating injuries.

Five people were treated and taken to local hospitals by ambulance. One other person went to the hospital in a personal vehicle.

Blomberg said one person uninvolved in the collapse was removed from the home by fire units.

The extent of the injuries was not released.

Miller County Ambulance and Sunrise Beach Fire Protection District assisted.

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Elderly Fulton man dies in Callaway County crash with grain truck

Jazsmin Halliburton

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

A Fulton man died after a crash with a semi-truck carrying grain in Callaway County on Wednesday.

According to the Missouri State Highway Patrol, a 91-year-old Fulton man was driving a 2008 Ford Fusion on Highway 54 at County Road 2002 heading east at 11:55 a.m. Wednesday.

The crash report states the car hit the front of the 1998 Freightliner carrying grain. The car went off the right side of the road and overturned.

Troopers said the man was taken to University Hospital, where he died. He was not reported to be wearing a seat belt.

The passenger in the car, a 67-year-old Auxvass man, was wearing a seatbelt and suffered moderate injuries.

The grain trailer attached to the semi-truck detached and overturned, closing the highway for multiple hours. That driver was not hurt.

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Morgan County R-2 bus ends up in ditch in single-vehicle crash on Tuesday

Ryan Shiner

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

The Morgan County R-2 School District in Versailles had a bus that was involved in a crash on Tuesday afternoon.

A Wednesday press release from the school district says bus No. 24 ended up in a ditch near the Little Tigers Early Learning Center in Gravois Mills. The release says the bus’s right-side tires “moved slightly off the roadway, and the bus came to rest in a ditch.” The district cited “soft road conditions” as a reason for the crash.

There were 31 students on the bus at the time of the crash.

“Based on review of the incident, the driver maintained control of the bus, helping to prevent a more serious outcome,” the release says. “Emergency personnel and district administration responded quickly, and all students were evaluated on-site by paramedics as a precaution. The district is grateful to report that no serious injuries occurred, and all students were safely reunited with their families.”

No citations were issued.

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Eldon man drowns in pond

Ryan Shiner

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

A 27-year-old Eldon man drowned in a private pond on Wednesday afternoon in the 1400 block of North Grand Avenue, according to a report from the Missouri State Highway Patrol.

The report says the man “suffered an unknown medical emergency and was located in the pond.” He was pronounced dead at 4:22 p.m. at Lake Regional Hospital.

The man’s body was brought to Phillips Funeral Home in Eldon, according to the report.

MSHP reports do not list the names of those involved.

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Power restored in Mid-Missouri counties after severe storms

Ryan Shiner

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

Power has been restored after severe storms rolled through parts of Mid-Missouri Wednesday night.

As of 7 a.m. Thursday, power has been fully restored in Camden and Cole Counties.

Wednesday night, 1,500 Ameren customers were without power in Cole County.

The threat of severe storms in Mid-Missouri prompted the ABC 17 Stormtrack Weather Team to issue a Weather Alert Day. A tornado watch was in effect for most of Mid-Missouri until midnight.

Ameren’s outage map showed that 1,489 customers in Cole County were without power beginning around 8:35 p.m. Most of those customers were in an area north of Highway 50, just west of Scott Station Road. That outage — which affect 1,473 customers — was expected to be restored by 10:15 p.m.

An Ameren spokesman wrote in an email that the outages were weather-related. Nearly half of the customers without power had it restored by 10:10 p.m.

The Association of Missouri Electric Cooperatives’ outage map is showing that 1,507 Laclede Electric Co-op customers are without power in Camden County, while another 259 customers in Pulaski County for the same co-op had no power. There were also 174 customers without power in Laclede County with no power.

There were an additional 29 Co-Mo Electric Co-op customers without power in Camden County. Additionally in Dallas County there were 232 Laclede and 63 Southwest Co-op customers who were without power.

Lacelede Electric Cooperative wrote on its social media at 7:01 p.m. that crews are on their way to fix the outage. Outage maps indicated power was being restored after 10 p.m.

No storm damage was reported in Camden County as of 7:42 p.m., according to Chris McNail of the Camden County Office of Emergency Management.

Significant storm damage was also reported in the western part of the state on Wednesday evening. Mark Harden, of the Henry County Office of Emergency Management, told ABC 17 News that Clinton, Missouri, had seen storm damage and downed power lines, though not too many outages have been reported as of it.

Clinton, Missouri, residents remove debris from a field after a severe storm went through the area on Wednesday, April 15, 2026.

Henry County Sheriff Aaron Brown told ABC 17 News that a tornado appeared to have touched down in Clinton near Calvird Drive between 2nd Street and Highway 13. No injuries have been reported but power lines and trees in the area are down. A large amount of debris from homes and a lumber business were reported, Brown said.

Clinton School District spokeswoman Angie Lawson told ABC 17 News in an email that some buildings in the district had roof damage. That school district will have an AMI day on Thursday.

A portion of a tree hit the side of a house on Wednesday, April 15, 2026, on Bodine Street in Clinton, Missouri, after a tornado went through the area.  

Check back for updates.

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City of Columbia seeks public input for strategic plan updates

Olivia Hayes

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

The City of Columbia announced Wednesday that its looking for community feedback to update its 2021 Strategic Plan.

The city said it wants the plan to reflect the community’s future priorities. Its gathering the feedback through a number of ways including a survey, ideas wall and discussion forum. Three public forums will also be held, but the dates have not yet been announced.

The city has hired BerryDunn, a national consulting firm, to assist in the update process. Along with guiding city priorities the strategic plan also helps with decision-making and long-term planning as Columbia continues to grow.

The City began developing the 2021 Strategic Plan in summer 2018, before the 2016-19 Strategic Plan concluded. The plan was finalized and adopted by City Council in February 2021 and was later updated in 2023 and 2024.

Former Attorney General Andrew Bailey launched the investigation into the city’s practices in July 2025.  A press release from Bailey’s office stated at the time that the investigation would focus on “decision-making in city programs, hiring and funding,” according to previous reporting. In Feb. 2026 the Columbia city officials said it had not had communication with the attorney general’s office regarding the investigation.

The city hired D’Andre Thompson as its first diversity, equity and inclusion officer in 2023. The city had said at the time that Thompson would lead “the development and implementation of DEI initiatives that help support the City’s Strategic Plan.”

The city also voted in June 2025 against striking DEI-related language from the city’s mission and vision statements. The vote meant that the city would keep its vision statement as, “Columbia is the best place for everyone to live, work, learn and play,” and its mission statement to say, “To serve the public equitably through democratic, transparent and efficient government.”

The city also voted to keep its definition of “equity” the same, reading “we will ensure all residents have fair access to services, opportunities, and resources regardless of their background, neighborhood, income, or identity.” 

The City Manager’s Office and the Attorney General’s Office was not immediately available for comment.

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Republican candidates for Sixth Senate District raise more than $1 million for August election

Matthew Sanders

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

Republican candidates seeking their party’s nomination for Missouri’s Sixth Senate District have raised more than $1 million combined for their campaigns, according to reports filed with the Missouri Ethics Commission.

State Rep. Rudy Veit, who represents rural Cole County, has taken in the most money so far, raising more than $324,000 for the election effort. He still had more than $294,000 on hand.

Veit took in donations from two political action committees during the reporting period — $600 from the Missouri Optometric Association and $1,000 from the Energy Freedom PAC.

Veit April finance reportDownload

The April quarterly reports cover the first quarter of the year and were due Wednesday.

Jake Vogel, an executive with the Jefferson City Coca-Cola Bottling Company, has raised the second-highest total, bringing in $257,000 for the election. His campaign had about $93,000 on hand at the end of March.

Pulse PAC and Scope PAC each donated $1,000 to Vogel’s campaign during the quarter.

Vogel April quarterly reportDownload

Derrick Spicer, who was on the Jefferson City Council from 2021-2025, is third in fundraising, nearly $100,000 behind Veit. Spicer had about $192,000 on hand at the end of March and has brought in more than $237,000 during his campaign.

Spicer accepted multiple corporate donations during the first quarter, including money from Reset Health and Fitness in California, Missouri, EDM Capital in Kansas City, Epic Real Estate Management in Kansas City and All Clear Pumping and Sewer in Centertown.

Spicer April quarterly reportDownload

Dr. Lisa Thomas, a former House member from Lake Ozark, has only reported a $250,000 donation to herself made in February. She had not filed an April quarterly report by the close of business on Wednesday.

Amber Buckles of Macks Creek has raised $525 in her campaign. Camden County Presiding Commissioner Todd “Ike” Skelton has not registered a campaign committee with the Missouri Ethics Commission.

Only one Democrat is running for that party’s nomination — J. Don Salcedo of Jefferson City.

The Sixth District seat will be open because current Sen. Mike Bernskoetter is term-limited. Bernskoetter is running for Cole County presiding commissioner. The Sixth District covers Cole and Moniteau counties and stretches to the Lake of the Ozarks area.

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Columbia man sentenced to 30 years in prison for federal child porn charges

Ryan Shiner

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIIZ)

A Columbia man was sentenced on Wednesday to 30 years in prison without parole for federal child pornography charges, according to a press release from the Department of Justice.

Ryan Hine, 29, was sentenced for enticing a minor to produce child porn and advertising child porn to other people. He will also have 20 years of a supervised release after he is released.

According to the release, Hine began sending text messages to a 15-year-old girl in Mississippi in July 2018 and routinely traveled to meet with the child “to engage in sexual acts” and record the child. He allegedly advertised the videos to multiple buyers on “chat communication services” while posing as the child in 2020, the release states.   

Hine has been in federal custody since his arrest on Feb. 7, 2023, previous reporting says.

In 2021, Hine allegedly sent the video to another victim to get them to send him videos, previous reporting shows. He allegedly paid for a video from two victims and tried to sell it. There were six child victims in total, previous reporting shows.

Wednesday’s release says Hine also posed as a girl to recruit more victims.

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