Author: KMIZ

Steven Lambson

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

The Boone County Fire Protection District helped get a horse that was down and unable to rise stabilized and loaded for transport to medical care.

Firefighters responded to a property on Bowling Lane east of Rangeline Road and New Haven Road, where they found the horse on the ground. Working with a veterinarian, the firefighters were able to stabilize the horse and load it onto a trailer. They then took the horse to the University of Missouri Veterinary Health Center for treatment.

No details were provided on what had happened to the horse prior to its rescue.

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Steven Lambson

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

A strong storm knocked out power to thousands of customers across mid-Missouri as it rolled through Friday evening.

As of 7:30 a.m. Saturday, the Columbia Water and Light outage map reported 26 customers without power; down from 124 reported at 10:45 p.m. on Friday.

Columbia Water and Light officials had told ABC 17 News that they expected to have power restored to all customers by midnight Friday.

Boone Electric Cooperative reported 50 customers with no power around Harrisburg at 7:30 a.m. Saturday. That had dropped from 903 seen on the outage map around 10:45 p.m. Friday.

Ameren Missouri reported more than 3,446 customers without power in Missouri, including Audrain and Montgomery Counties.

Photo of storm damage in Montgomery City. Photo: Jarvis Jones

The storms also caused tree and power line damage in several areas.

Photo of Highway NN near Harrisburg closed due to downed power lines

At 6:41 p.m. Boone County Joint Communications reported a closure of Highway NN just north of Highway 124 near Harrisburg due to power poles down in the road.

ABC 17 News sent a crew to the location, and they were able to speak with Boone County Fire Assistant Chief Norman Hinkle, who said that he did not have any information on when a crew would arrive to begin the repair process.

In Montgomery City, the storm system broke branches and knocked at least one tree down in the area of Harper Street and Seventh Street.

So far, no reports of injuries have been provided.

Boone County Office of Emergency Management is asking county residents to report storm damage resulting from this afternoon’s severe weather. Damage reports are essential for helping the Boone County Emergency Operations Center assess storm impacts.

Check back for updates.

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Ryan Shiner

JEFFESRON CITY, Mo. (KMIZ)

The Jefferson City Police Department required the help of a Missouri State Highway Patrol diving team on Friday after it encountered a “suspicious object” in Binder Lake.

Officers were called at 9:42 a.m. Friday to the 300 block of Binder Lake Road for a report of a “suspicious incident,” according to a press release from JCPD.

An ABC 17 News reporter saw 11 police vehicles, two trucks and a dive boat team. A tow truck was pulling a vehicle out of the water.

JCPD Curtis Finke told ABC 17 News at the scene that divers confirmed at 3:30 p.m. that there was a car in the water. Police believe the vehicle had been in the water “for quite some time.” Finke said it’s currently being labeled as a “suspicious incident” and there is no active criminal investigation.

Finke said right now, there’s no urgency or danger to the community. Law enforcement will look into the records of the car.

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Ryan Shiner

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

Fulton Police Chief Bill Ladwig is retiring.

The City of Fulton made the announcement in a Friday press release. Ladwig will end his 26-year career on Aug. 3.

The city has completed “an internal interview process” for its next police chief, though the appointment will be announced at a later date, the release says.

Ladwig joined the Fulton Police Department in 2000 and served as chief of police for the past five years, the release says.

“Throughout his tenure, he has demonstrated a steadfast commitment to public safety, professional leadership, and community engagement, helping guide the department through periods of growth and change while maintaining its mission of serving the community with integrity and professionalism,” the city wrote.

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Ryan Shiner

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

Gov. Mike Kehoe declared a state of emergency for the state on Friday because of recent storms and flooding.

Kehoe announced on his social media that he signed Executive Order 26-16. Severe weather went through Mid-Missouri on Thursday and continued into Friday morning, with more storms expected to enter the area in the evening, according to the ABC 17 Stormtrack Weather Team.

“Over the past 24 hours, intense storms have created dangerous flash flooding across several regions of Missouri, resulting in multiple swift-water rescues,” Kehoe wrote online. “With additional heavy rain expected through the weekend, the threat is not over. If you’re camping, floating, or spending time near rivers and streams, move to higher ground and stay aware of weather conditions.”

Thousands of people near the Lake of the Ozarks were without power early Friday and it continued into the afternoon. Missouri Task Force 1 was activated and sent to Sikestone to assist with the flood response.

The executive order activates the state’s emergency operations plan. It is set to expire Aug. 10.

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Ryan Shiner

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

Representatives of the State of Missouri filed an appeal on Friday to the state’s high court over a recent ruling involving abortion rights

Jackson County Judge Jerri Zhang last month in their 20-page ruling struck down a number of restrictions that were in place that were determined to be in violation of 2024’s Amendment 3, a voter-approved measure that enshrined abortion rights within the Missouri Constitution.

Missouri Attorney General Catherine Hanaway and Republican Gov. Mike Kehoea opposed the ruling, while groups like the ACLU and “No on 3, Stop the Ban” were in support of it.

Among those restrictions struck down included the restrictions on medical abortions and specific licensing requirements at facilities that provide abortions.

Medical provider Planned Parenthood began taking medical abortion appointments at the end of last month.

State lawmakers are asking voters again to give their insight on abortion rights this fall with the new Amendment 3. Its passage would increase restrictions.

Friday’s notice of appeal to the Supreme Court questions “the validity of a statute or provision of the Constitution of Missouri.”

Check back for updates.

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Ryan Shiner

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

A swatting call led to a large police response Friday morning in Rolla, the Rolla Police Department wrote on its social media.

Police wrote that it responded to “to a report of a domestic disturbance involving a firearm” on Vichy Road. Officers quickly learned the home was vacant and “no disturbance had occurred.”

“Our investigation has determined that this call was the result of a swatting incident,” police wrote. “Swatting is the intentional act of making a false emergency report to law enforcement in an effort to prompt a large police response to a specific location. These incidents unnecessarily place first responders and the public at risk while diverting emergency resources from legitimate calls for service.”

Police are continuing to investigate the incident.

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Ryan Shiner

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

The City of Columbia announced in a Friday press release that it is expanding its parking enforcement devices.

The city will start using “wheel immobilization devices,” beginning on Monday. This is in additional to the parking barnacles the city started using last year.

The release says it will be used for people with four or more outstanding parking tickets and will not be used for first-time offenders.  The release says vehicles fitting that criteria will first get a green warning notice.

“Wheel immobilization devices function similarly to the Barnacle by preventing a vehicle from being driven until outstanding citations have been addressed,” the release says. “Once the required fines are paid or other arrangements are made through the Municipal Court process, Parking Enforcement staff remove the device, allowing the driver to immediately continue on their way.”

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Alison Patton

ROLLA, Mo. (KMIZ)

The National Weather Service Office in Springfield confirmed on Friday afternoon that an EF-0 tornado traveled through Rolla for about a minute on Thursday night.

The maximum width of the tornado was 200 yards and it traveled more than a half mile from 10:02-03 p.m., the NWS shared on social media. Winds peaked between 80-85 miles per hour.

The tornado began along Homelife Plaza and went south before “lifting near” Soest Road, the :NWS says. “However it could not be determined as tornadic from that point on due to the lack of convergent damage,” the post says.

Damage was caused to trees and several businesses, including Dollar General and a smoke shop.

The Phelps County Central Communications said in a Thursday night social media post that it set off tornado sirens after residents had reported a tornado, even though a tornado warning wasn’t issued.

“We had a citizens report of a tornado on the ground and that is why we set off the tornado sirens,” the post says.

Communications Chief Stacey Smith said that typically, the storm sirens aren’t set off for a thunderstorm warning, but Thursday’s storms were an exception.

“In an event like that, where we feel like the public needs to take cover, we can activate those storm sirens. It doesn’t happen very often because the National Weather Service typically is able to see this stuff before it gets to us,” Smith said.

She said there were other funnel cloud sightings in the county too.

“We did have several first responders last night report rotation in other areas, at least two others, but that never touched down. Sounds like we got lucky,” Smith said.

The National Weather Service did not issue a tornado watch or warning for Phelps County, but it did issue a thunderstorm watch and warning, along with a flash flood warning.

Kristina Fryer, a Rolla resident who sent ABC 17 News a video of the storm, said it seemed similar to the EF-2 tornado that hit the city in March 2025.

“I was waiting for the tornado sirens because with the way things were looking, it was very similar to the storm we had last year in March when the tornado did come through,” Fryer said.

Another resident who also sent a video in, Isaiah Campbell, said he saw a funnel cloud, but it didn’t seem like it was strong.

“This one wasn’t that bad. It hit a small area this time. I don’t think it was really on the ground that long but it did, it caused some damage over there,” Campbell said.

According to a Facebook post, Rolla Public Schools observed debris from trees, with one tree on a fence, but minor damage overall. No buses or buildings were damaged.

There were 80 Intercounty Electric Cooperative Association members without power as of 11 a.m.

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Ryan Shiner

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

Missouri Task Force 1 has been activated and will be deployed to Sikeston for a flood response, the Boone County Fire Protection District wrote in a Friday morning social media post.

BCFPD said it was activated by SEMA to head to the Scott County town “as a Type III Task Force with embedded swift water rescue capabilities to assist with the ongoing catastrophic flooding in southeast Missouri.”

BCFPD expected to arrive at 10 a.m.

“Additionally, MO-TF1 is deploying a Disaster Situation Awareness and Reconnaissance (DSAR) Mission Ready Package. The DSAR team provides real-time aerial reconnaissance, disaster mapping, and situational awareness using Small Unmanned Aircraft Systems (sUAS) and Geographic Information System (GIS) technology. This capability provides incident commanders with critical intelligence to support operational decision-making and resource deployment,” the release says.

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