Category: kmiz-local-news

Jazsmin Halliburton

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (KMIZ)

The Jefferson City School District is kicking off the 2026-27 school year Monday morning.

All elementary schools in the district will be open from 7:45 a.m. to 2:45 p.m., and buildings will be open for students at 7:15 a.m. Middle school students will begin class at 8:50 a.m., and students will be released at 3:50 p.m. High Schools in the district will be open from 8:40 a.m. to 3:40 p.m., with doors opening at 8:10 a.m. Preschool starts at 7:40 a.m.

As the school year begins, drivers following a school bus should slow down when they see caution lights and prepare to stop. If a bus is stopped with red flashing lights, drivers must stop on both sides of the roadway to comply with Missouri law.

The new school year kicks off as the Jefferson City School District starts with $2.4 million less in state funding.

Back in June, the Jefferson City Board of Education voted unanimously to pass the fiscal year 2026-27 budget. According to district documents, the state did not approve full funding of the foundation formula, holding funding flat instead of budgeting an increase to keep up with inflation.

Instead of $7,145 per student, the state will pay out $6,865, board documents state.

The foundation formula determines state aid for K-12 local public schools, and the Missouri General Assembly voted not to increase it for the next fiscal year. 

Chief Financial Officer for the district Shari LePage told the board back in June that it is prepared to face the “cut” in state funding because of what is available in reserves.

“Hopefully we can weather these funding shortages for the time being,” LePage said. “But we won’t be able to weather them forever.”

The district says the loss in funding is not expected to affect staffing.

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Olivia Hayes

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

Columbia Police had a the intersection of 10th and Cherry Street outside of Harpos Bar temporarily blocked off Sunday night in a massive police presence.

A witness told an ABC 17 News reporter that a younger man was sitting on the railing of the rooftop bar when he leaned back and fell over. CPD was called to the area at 9:05 p.m.

Bar patrons had been cleared out of the building by 9:15. Officers were seen blocking off the intersection with crime scene tape around that same time, by around 10 p.m. it had been taken down.

Columbia Police Spokesman Brian McNeil said officers were called to assist in a medical response.

An officer on scene said the victim was taken to the hospital in serious but stable condition.

Check back for updates.

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Olivia Hayes

MOBERLY, Mo. (KMIZ)

An investigation is underway by the Moberly Police Department into a Sunday night shooting.

A post to the departments social media said the incident occured in the 500 block of Morehead street.

A neighbor on scene told ABC 17 News crews that the shooting started allegedly as a disturbance between two women.

A reporter saw four ambulances on scene and multiple law enforcement agencies. One woman was scene being taken from the scene in an ambulance.

The post said the scene is secure. A preliminary investigation determined the shooting to be an isolated incident and there is no danger to the community, according to MPD.

ABC 17 News attempted to contact Moberly Police but was told no further information would be given at this time.

Check back for updates.

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Melissa Houston

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

The road where a fatal crash happened Saturday was supposed to have safety improvements installed years ago, but the project was delayed due to its cost and large scale.

A man died after hitting another car head on in the 2900 block of Forum Boulevard, near Wilsons Fitness Center Saturday.

Construction for the Forum Boulevard Improvement project is now set to begin in the summer of 2027, but it was first proposed in August of 2015. According to a city memo, the project is estimated to cost $12,300,000.

The project will make the road a 4-lane section to both the north and south lanes, with a potential 5-lane for turns. It will include construction of a new bridge over the Hinksons Creek.

Two roundabouts will be added at Katy Lane and Woodrail/Crestwood. Medians will be added to locations of the roads that experience higher accident rates. Improved bike lanes and sidewalks. And an expansion of the pedestrian tunnel on the MKT trail to accommodate the road construction.

A main point of the project is the additions of medians that will make the Wilsons Fitness Center exit a right turn only.

“Wilson’s has always been a difficult to come out and make a left,” Former Ward 5 councilmember Don Waterman said. “In fact, the design that I last saw, it was actually going to be a right only out of Wilson’s and right in only.”

One of Wilson’s members, Dylan Carter, told ABC that he sees residents treat Forum Road like a highway instead of a residential area.

Carter said that he remembered when the road had fewer businesses, and it was fine, but with the addition of all the nearby businesses, there isn’t enough room on the road for the traffic now.

Waterman said that since the project was proposed, he has supported it because of how much it will benefit the community.

He said that Columbia only had four large roads that run north and south, including Highway 63, Forum Boulevard, Providence Road, and Scott Boulevard. Waterman added that, just like the I-70 Improvement Project underway, the road closures during the construction will be a burden, but worth it in the end.

“Right now, Forum is the only one that isn’t four lanes, two each way.  So I think it’s something that’s that’s needed,” Waterman said. “It’s going to be an inconvenience. But when it’s done, I think it’ll benefit the community as a whole.”

The project will also benefit the bikers and pedestrians who travel on the road, according to Waterman.

“There’s a lot of joggers along that stretch of road as well,” said Waterman. “I think the plans are there to benefit them as well. So I just as a whole, I think it’s a benefit to the community and that’s why I supported it.”

Current Ward 5 councilmember Christina Hartman did not respond for comment.

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Alison Patton

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

A new ramp, intended to improve traffic flow and reduce congestion at the 63/70 connector in Columbia, has opened.

The Missouri Department of Transportation announced on Facebook Friday that the new ramp connecting Interstate 70 East to Highway 63 South was open.

The “direct connect” ramp allows drivers the option to hop on Highway 63 without taking the connector.

The ramp opening comes as University of Missouri students travel to Columbia for school, and football season is right around the corner.

This is part of the Improve I-70 program: Columbia to Kingdom City. Across the state, MoDOT is adding an extra lane to each side of the interstate from near Kansas City to St. Louis.

Columbia has many MoDOT Improve I-70 projects underway, including the Providence Road bridge, a roundabout on Clark Lane and more. MoDOT has all projects listed on its website.

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Marie Moyer

COLUMBIA Mo.

A 15-year-old boy from Bland was seriously injured Saturday in an ATV crash.

According to a Missouri State Highway Patrol Crash report, the crash happened at around 7:15 p.m. The teen was driving a 2014 Can-Am Commander in a field just north of Bland when he went to make a turn and flipped on the driver’s side.

He was later transported to University Hospital by Arch Air.

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Marie Moyer

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

In a press release from CPD, it said a 46-year-old Columbia man was pronounced dead at the scene of a two-vehicle head-on collision near Forum Boulevard.

There were no passengers in the vehicles. The driver of the other vehicle had serious injuries from the crash and was taken to a local hospital by ambulance.

Traffic was stalled for over an hour at the 2900 block of Forum Boulevard Saturday after a fatal crash.

The crash occurred around 2:25 p.m. Saturday, with Boone County Joint Communications sending out a message to notify residents of the accident.

“Motor Vehicle Collision in the area of 2900 block Forum Blvd near Hinkson Creek. Use caution, avoid area if possible,” according to the BCJC message.

An ABC 17 News reporter arrived on scene at around 2:50 p.m. and saw what looked to be a red Chevy Malibu across the middle of the road heading northbound facing a silver Chevy Impala heading southbound. Both front bumpers of the cars were crumpled. The Impala’s airbags were also deployed.

A Columbia Police Department officer on scene confirmed it was a fatal crash and a press release will be published later Saturday.

The reporter also saw two Columbia Fire Department fire engines, one MU Health Care ambulance and at least three CPD cruisers. They later saw an MU Health Care ambulance leave the scene with its lights and sirens on.

The accident occurred on the same road where the Forum Boulevard Improvement Project is set to take place. This project will add a median to the road to prevent left turns into and out of Wilson’s Fitness and prevent drifting into other lanes. This project is set to start during the summer of 2027.

This is an ongoing story.

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Alison Patton

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

The JBS Moberly plant has all lines open after about four and a half months of suspension, after the USDA cited the plant for sanitation concerns in early April.

A JBS spokesperson said the meat processing plant reopened Tuesday with USDA approval.

Documents ABC 17 News obtained from the Food Safety and Inspection Services show the plant discarded over 4,600 pounds of product during suspension from April 2 through June 14.

In a statement on April 9, JBS said operations were suspended for sanitation protocols that didn’t meet federal requirements.

USDA documents detail those sanitation concerns, noting employee hygiene, product contamination from dripping condensation, cross-contamination and improperly cleaned food equipment.

For example, a food safety inspector noticed condensation dripping from a window onto a conveyor belt with fully cooked bacon strips. From that one incident on May 9, nearly 1,500 pounds of product was thrown out.

Another incident of condensation dripping onto the product a couple of days later, on May 11, resulted in about 100 pounds of meat being thrown out.

“Condensation dripping from non product contact surfaces onto zone 1 product contact surfaces can serve as a means for spreading numerous types of microbial contamination to include Listeria Monocytogenes,” the document states.

Similar situations happened multiple times, according to the document. However, the condensation wasn’t observed dripping into the food every time.

When asked, JBS spokesperson Hailey Fishel said in an email on May 14 that there was no recall associated with the plant suspension and the issue was connected to exhaust lines.

“The investigation determined that the concern was linked to an engineering issue within the exhaust system on line 3, which has since been removed and addressed,” Fishel wrote. “Importantly, the issue was isolated to that production line, and operations were paused. Lines 1 and 2 have since resumed operations, while line 3 remains offline as we complete engineering enhancements.”

The day after Fishel’s email, documents show the USDA met with plant management to ask for stronger evidence to prove that the JBS plant’s corrective actions since the notice of suspension are in compliance with federal guidelines. About a week later, a similar conversation happened, and the USDA asked management to submit a new plan.

Leading up to the suspension, the document shows that Listeria or associated bacteria were repeatedly found.

“It is extremely important that JBS identifies and eliminates the cause of Listeria contamination in the establishment and provides support in their response that they have done so,” a person whose name has been redacted said at a May 21 meeting.

According to the document, the source of Listeria hasn’t been found.

The document also details improper employee hygiene, including touching trash with gloves but not sanitizing gloves, removing gloves or washing hands before touching food surfaces where food is placed.

ABC 17 News has requested documents from the USDA that report the plant can reopen.

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Alison Patton

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

One juvenile was found with gunshot wounds in west Columbia early Saturday morning.

According to a new release from the Columbia Police Department, officers were called shortly before 4 a.m. to the 100 block of Redwood Road for reports of shots fired.

A male was found with non-life-threatening injuries and taken to a local hospital, the release says. CPD did not provide information on a possible suspect Saturday night.

ABC 17 went to the Redwood Road neighborhood to speak with neighbors, but none were available to speak with.

The investigation is still ongoing, and CPD is asking anyone with information to contact their department or CrimeStoppers.

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Ryan Shiner

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

A crash involving a semi-truck in Columbia led to Interstate 70 having to be shut down on Friday night.

Boone County Joint Communications sent a notification at 8:50 p.m. stating the crash occurred near mile-marker 126, which is near the Providence Road construction zone.

A second notification was sent at 9:10 p.m. declaring the road was shut down.

An ABC 17 News photographer saw the crashed vehicle underneath the Providence Road bridge area.

Eastbound I-70 was slowed to a crawl near the accident. Vehicles appeared to be slowing down as far back as the Stadium Boulevard exit, the Missouri Department of Transportation’s Traveler Map showed.

Boone County Joint Communications announced that I-70 reopened at 10:06 p.m.

ABC 17 News reached out to the Columbia Police Department and Fire Department.

Check back for updates.

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