Category: kmiz-local-news

Euphenie Andre

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (KMIZ)

The Jefferson City Task Force is set to present its homelessness action plan to the city council Monday.

In a 10-page report, the group outlines several key priorities, including expanding shelter access, increasing affordable housing, strengthening employment support, enhancing mental health and safety services, and raising public awareness.

According to Missouri Coalition Against Trafficking & Exploitation, Cole County has several local homeless shelter options.

HALO Home serves youth ages 16 to 21, allowing stays of 18 to 24 months, with a capacity of 24 beds.

Rape and Abuse Crisis Service offers 32 beds, with length of stay varying by individual, though it typically ranges from 40 to 60 days.

The Michael W. Prenger Family Center serves juveniles in state custody, ages 12 to 17, providing a two-week emergency care program for those in need of temporary shelter.

The Salvation Army Food Pantry is open Tuesday through Friday from 9 to 11:50 a.m., and again from 1 to 1:50 p.m.

The Task Force is asking the city to support a centralized “Homeless Resource Center” or at minimum, an online hub that maintains a regularly updated directory of shelters, food programs, healthcare, employment, and outreach services.

The group is also calling for expanded shelter options, including the development of at least one low-barrier emergency shelter that could operate short-term or year-round. They recommend using public or community spaces for daytime respite, rather than relying solely on the library.

Bergen Blakeman has lived in Jefferson City for the past three years and is currently unhoused. He said he often has to travel to Columbia to access basic resources.

Still, Blakeman chooses to stay in Jefferson City, stating it’s more ‘peaceful and quieter’ than Columbia, but he wishes there were more resources available.

“Places where people can be at during the day time, where they don’t have to feel like they look like homeless people,” Blakeman said. “People can feel more like people, and shelters or overnights and stuff like that,”

Blakeman’s a regular at Common Grounds, which he said has been a big help, offering things like bus passes, vouchers, Social Security assistance, certificates, and identification. However, the most impactful support, he said, is the $200 provided toward a first month’s rent.

The task force recommends using federal and state grant funding to support coordination efforts and expand staffing.

Under its affordable housing findings, the task force said the city lacks enough units for low and moderate-income households. It also notes that existing incentive programs and zoning policies have not produced sufficient affordable housing development and adds that the city lacks a comprehensive long-term housing strategy.

According to a 2022 Jefferson City Housing Study, renter households in the city face higher levels of cost burden than homeowners, a gap expected to worsen as rents rise faster than incomes.

The report shows that in 2020, about 46% of renters had an annual income at or below 50% of the area median income, no more than $30,700 per year. This salary would allow them to afford only about $768 per month in rent.

For a more recent perspective, Empower Missouri released a study in July 2025 showing that the housing wage for a two-bedroom apartment is $21.61 per hour, while a one-bedroom apartment requires an hourly wage of $17.02.

The study showed the former state minimum wage of $13.75 per hour, which has now bumped up to $15, someone would have needed to work 63 hours per week to afford a two-bedroom apartment, or 52 hours per week to afford a one-bedroom.

Moriah Frazier is a student at Lincoln University and works part-time as a waitress at a local restaurant. She says she earns $10 an hour, plus tips, but on that income alone, she wouldn’t be able to afford living on her own.

“I live comfortably, but that is because I live with my mother and grandmother,” Frazier said.

Frazier believes the rising cost of living isn’t just a local issue, it’s happening nationwide.

“It cost so much to live anywhere,” Frazier said. “But, we have a housing crisis because people are just charging too much to be able to live.”

The task force is recommending that the city develop a ‘Housing Strategy Plan’ for low and moderate-income families. They suggest adjusting existing housing incentive programs to encourage the development of affordable units through public-private, mixed-income partnerships.

The group also recommends revising city codes to allow a wider variety of housing types, such as duplexes, tiny homes, and accessory dwelling units. Additionally, they propose creating developer incentives, including zoning or density bonuses for including affordable units in larger projects.

According to the plan, the city has roughly 1,782 registered rental properties, totaling about 6,000 rental units. The report notes that some of these units are aging and deteriorating, creating unsafe conditions for tenants. However, many tenants do not report issues out of fear of retaliation from landlords.

The task force is recommending that the city also explore a landlord incentive program to encourage participation from landlords who might otherwise hesitate to rent to tenants with damaged credit, limited rental history, insufficient deposits, or Housing Choice Vouchers.

The city council meeting is set to meet 6 p.m. Monday.

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Olivia Hayes

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

The University of Missouri will stop providing designated funding to five of its student organizations, according to University of Missouri spokesman Christopher Ave.

The clubs include: the Asian American Association (AAA), Association of Latin American Students (ALAS), Four Front, Legion of Black Collegians (LBC) and Queer Liberation Front. Ave said the university has to comply with restrictions issued by the U.S. Department of Justice on “allocating university resources such as funding or space based on protected demographic characteristics.”

The move should also allow the university to avoid jeopardizing crucial funding for student financial aid, research and other university programs.

Ave wrote in an email that based on input from stakeholders and an external consultant, the university is also updating how student organizations are classified. Beginning when re-registration opens in July and effective for the Fall 2026 semester, student organizations will be classified in one of the following categories:

Recognized Student Organizations (RSOs): This is the primary classification for student organizations at the University of Missouri. RSOs have access to specific university resources and operate under the direction of the student members in accordance with the organization’s constitution. RSOs must follow the Organizational Resource Group (ORG) registration process each year and comply with policies and guidelines.

Sponsored Student Organizations (SSOs): SSOs are affiliated with the University of Missouri through a formal process with a sponsoring university unit. SSOs operate under the direction of the student members with guidance from the assigned University administrator. Students provide organizational direction and retain a high level of engagement with the University to ensure policies and guidelines are followed.

University Programs: University programs are created for the benefit of  students and the institution. These are typically educational, academic or administrative programs, and the university has supervision of its members and operations.

Ave said the five groups losing their designated funding will be classified as RSOs beginning in Fall 2026, which means they can apply for Organization Resource Group funding on an equal basis with the vast majority of other student organizations.

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Haley Swaino

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

A Macks Creek woman was seriously hurt after a crash in Camden County Saturday morning.

According to a Missouri State Highway Patrol crash report, the 25-year-old was headed west on U.S. Route 54 in a 2001 Ford Explorer when she crashed west of Elliot Drive just before 7 a.m.

The SUV veered off to the right side of the road, then returned to its lane before going off the left side of the road. The report says it then hit a ditch and overturned.

The woman went to Lake Regional Hospital with serious injuries. She was not wearing a seatbelt and the vehicle was totaled.

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Haley Swaino

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

A large vehicle fire blocked traffic from using an I-70 on-ramp in Boone County on Saturday night.

Boone County Fire crews were called to the Rocheport westbound on-ramp at mile marker 115 around 11 p.m. and found a car hauler carrying about seven cars had caught fire, according to Boone County Fire Protection District Assistant Chief Chuck Doss. He said the trailer was “well involved” in flames when firefighters arrived.

After the fire was under control, crews were able to gain access to the vehicles and move a Chevrolet Equinox that appeared to have no damage off the carrier.

“So really, we’ve got seven car fires going,” Doss said. “The six on the trailer, plus the semi.”

Doss added that the multi-level carrier made fighting the fire difficult, with cars on both levels catching fire.

“Having those vehicles elevated, we had to get ladders to get to the top of those, and with those car fires, the vehicles burning on that top level, getting access to it was a challenge,” Doss said.

A large vehicle fire was seen on I-70 in Boone County, near mile marker 115, around 11:30 p.m. on Apr. 4, 2026. [Courtesy: MoDOT Traveler Map]

In a Boone County Joint Communications alert sent around 11:15 p.m., drivers were asked to avoid the area. Doss said no drivers were able to get on I-70 from Route BB as crews worked the scene.

An ABC 17 News reporter on scene saw heavy fire and smoke coming from the hauler around 11:30 p.m. Tires could be heard popping. No injuries were reported, according to Doss.

At least five Missouri State Highway Patrol vehicles were seen, alongside Boone County Fire trucks and an MU Health Care ambulance. A MoDOT vehicle was also at the scene.

Three BCFPD tankers drove back and forth, carrying water from a hydrant down the road to the scene, Doss said.

ABC 17 News is at the scene working to learn more.

Check back for updates.

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Olivia Hayes

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

One person was transported to the hospital with minor trauma Saturday night after a car accident on I-70.

Gale Blomenkamp, with Boone County Fire Protection District, tells ABC 17 News it was a crash between two cars.

Skylar Clark, with the Columbia Fire Department, said their firefighters were called to assist the crash near the 133 mile marker going eastbound, just past North Tradewinds Pkwy. However, they were called back after getting word that Boone County Fire had the scene under control.

Blomenkamp said the area of the crash was near a construction zone and one lane was temporarily closed.

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Marie Moyer

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

A Kingdom City woman is under investigation after multiple crashes Friday evening.

According to a press release from the Columbia Police Department, multiple calls came in at around 6:30 p.m. for a disturbance in the 4500 block of Stevendave Drive.

Officers found a vehicle, driven by 29-year-old Cassandra Albright, had crashed into a home, the release says. The home had two adults and four children inside. No injuries were reported.

Officers later found Albright had also crashed her vehicle into a trailer and fence in the 2200 block of Murrell Drive and had aggressively driven toward two teenage pedestrians in the area, the release says. She then allegedly drove into a tree in the 4500 block of Waterloo Drive and was taken to a local hospital with injuries from the crashes.

Charges are pending, according to the release. Albright was not listed in the Boone County Jail as of Saturday morning.

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Haley Swaino

EDITOR’S NOTE: A correction has been made to where in Columbia shots were fired.

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

No one was hurt after police found evidence of shots fired in west Columbia early Saturday, according to Sgt. Matthew Nichols.

A large police presence was seen on Redwood Road, just off of West Ash Street, around 3 a.m. At the scene, Nichols said officers received multiple calls reporting shots heard in the area.

An ABC 17 News reporter saw at least nine Columbia Police Department cruisers, an evidence van and eight evidence markers spanning from about 115 to 121 Redwood Road.

Nichols said there were “multiple scenes” and also confirmed there was property damage in the area. A reporter saw a car in the 110 block with its left passenger window shattered and officers taking photos of it.

Another ABC 17 News reporter went to the scene around 4 p.m. Saturday and spoke to the owner of the car.

“I was just kind of baffled that out of everyone in the neighborhood, it could have hit, I was the only person who had any property damage,” Lenna Peterson said. “I guess just kind of confused and baffled.”

Peterson said her car, a white Ford Focus, was shot about three or four times.

The back window behind the driver’s seat was busted.

Two bullet holes were also visible in the body of the car, near the back driver-side tire.

Another bullet hole went through the back passenger window.

Peterson said she didn’t hear anything leading up to the shots being fired.

“It’s not like I heard screaming or anything, or I heard an argument, it didn’t sound like a fight. It was just random gunshots,” she said. “I was a little freaked out, but just more confused than anything.”

As for the car, Peterson said insurance might not cover the damages.

“I think the cost of replacing everything might eclipse the worth of my vehicle,” Peterson said.

Check back for updates.

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Ryan Shiner

Editor’s note: The block number was corrected.

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

No injuries were reported in a house fire that occurred Friday night in southern Columbia.

The fire was reported at a home in the 200 block of West Old Plank Road. The fire is believed to have been started in the garage, though the cause and origin are still under investigation, according to a Columbia Fire Department spokeswoman.

CFD spokeswoman Skyler Clark told an ABC 17 News reporter that crews were called at 9 p.m. and the fire was put out by 9:20 p.m. Significant damage was seen in the garage and siding.

Four kittens were saved from the home.

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Ryan Shiner

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

A former West Middle School teacher who was charged with statutory sodomy and other charges earlier this year was arrested again on Friday.

Zachary Hutchinson, 38, of Columbia, is being held at the Boone County Jail. New charges were not shown on Casenet on Friday evening. Jail records indicate he is being held without bond.

He is currently charged with three counts of second-degree statutory sodomy, one count of child enticement, sexually exploiting a minor, misdemeanor giving porn to a minor, second-degree promoting child porn and 10 counts of child porn possession.

The Columbia Police Department announced the new arrest in a Friday evening social media post and claim he is facing an additional 23 counts of child porn possession. His first stint in the Boone County Jail ended after he bonded out on Feb. 4 and was ordered to home detention.

Previous reporting says the victim in the original case was not someone Hutchinson met through his job as a teacher.

CPD in its social media post asked to speak with anyone “anyone who may have had contact with this individual under similar circumstances or who has information relevant to this case.”

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Ryan Shiner

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

The eastbound lanes of Interstate 70 just west of Columbia were closed on Friday during rush hour after a crash.

According to a Missouri State Highway Patrol crash report, at around 5:45 p.m., a 27-year-old Columbia man was driving a 2021 Ram 3500 east on I-70 when he passed a 38-year-old Fayette woman driving a 2017 GMC Acadia and a 55-year-old Columbia woman driving a 2024 Volkswagen Jetta.

He then hit both cars and drove off the right side of the road, hit an embankment, and drove back onto the road. The Ram and the Volkswagen stopped in the left lane while the GMC overturned off the left side of the road and stopped in the median.

The Ram had a 26-year-old male passenger from Colombia who was seriously injured in the crash. He was not wearing a seatbelt.

The GMC was also carrying a 14-year-old girl, a 15-year-old boy from Fayette and a 15-year-old girl from New Franklin. The boy was seriously injured, while both girls had minor injuries. The woman driving the GMC also had minor injuries. The boy was not wearing a seatbelt.

An 80-year-old woman from Columbia was a passenger in the Volkswagen. She was seriously hurt in the crash, the report says. The other woman driving the Volkswagen had minor injuries.

All seven people injured in the crash were taken to University Hospital by ambulance. All three vehicles were totaled.

Boone County Joint Communications sent a message at 5:47 p.m. stating that a crash occurred in the eastbound lane near mile-marker 122, which is near the Sorrels Overpass. The road was declared closed three minutes later.

The Missouri State Highway Patrol’s Troop F – which covers much of Mid-Missouri – wrote on its social media at 6:08 p.m. that three vehicles were involved in the crash and injuries have been reported. One vehicle rolled over and is blocking the roadway.

MSHP spokesman Kyle Green told ABC 17 News that a driver of one of the vehicles was arrested on suspicion of driving while intoxicated.

🚨Injury Crash Blocking EB I-70🚨

Troopers are investigating a three vehicle crash with injuries on eastbound I-70, at the 122.8 mile marker ( just west of Columbia), in Boone County.

One vehicle has rolled over and the roadway is blocked. Please avoid the area. pic.twitter.com/tlA6SRMgED

— MSHP Troop F (@MSHPTrooperF) April 3, 2026

An ABC 17 News photographer saw traffic backed up in the eastbound to the Midway exit, which is about a mile west of the crash. Traffic also slowed in the westbound lanes near the crash.

Traffic started moving again around 6:35 p.m.

ABC 17 News has reached out to a number of first responder agencies.

Check back for updates.

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