Category: kmiz-local-news

Matthew Sanders

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

Audrain is one of five counties suing the State Tax Commission over increasing property assessments.

The lawsuit was filed Monday in Polk County. Audrain County joins Polk, DeKalb, Reynolds and Pike counties in challenging the commission’s decisions on property reassessment.

The counties allege that the commission has not taken the proper legal steps to compel them to raise their property tax assessments because there was no notice and no hearing as laid out in state law, according to the lawsuit. Instead, the commission requires assessors to sign memoranda of understanding that compel them to adjust tax rates, the suit says.

Audrain was among the counties that refused to sign a memorandum of understanding to raise residential property assessments 12-15%. State officials later insisted on 15% after the county agreed to 12%.

The commission’s study had shown residential property was assessed at 59.21% instead of the 90-100% the commission requires, according to the lawsuit.

Lawsuit against the State Tax CommissionDownload

“The increases proposed by the Commission … are arbitrary and not based on accurate data and if imposed will have an unequal and discriminatory impact on taxpayers within the respective Counties and will negatively impact taxpayers’ abilities to stay in their homes,” the counties’ lawyer wrote.

The commission withheld more than $50,000 in tax reimbursements from Audrain County because officials did not sign the memorandum, the lawsuit states.

The counties are asking the court to pause the tax commission’s action while the case is litigated.

Summons have been issued to state tax commissioners, but no hearings have been set.

Click here to follow the original article.

Madison Stuerman

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

A portion of South Sixth Street in Columbia is closed due to a chilled water line break.

Columbia Public Works said in a release that South Sixth Street is closed to traffic between Elm Street and East Stewart Road.

The area is expected to be closed between two and seven days while excavation work is done by the University of Missouri.

A University spokesperson, Christopher Ave, told ABC 17 News that there was a break in a chilled water line that supplies cooled water to air conditioning systems in multiple buildings.

“The break was quickly isolated, and systems were quickly rapidly restored, Ave said over email. “The cause of the break is currently being investigated, and repairs are underway.”

Ave added that there was minimal impact on normal operations.

The closure is also impacting two Go COMO routes, the Tiger Line 403 and Black routes.

Go COMO said in a social media post that the northern loop of the 403 route will not be used and the stop across from Naka Hall will not be in service. A temporary stop is set up at the corner of South Sixth Street and East Steward Road.

The southbound black bus route will use a detour during the closure. No stops will be closed, according to Go COMO.

Sidewalks are still open, but pedestrians are asked to use alternate routes if possible.

Click here to follow the original article.

Madison Stuerman

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

An inmate at the Fulton Reception & Diagnostic Center died 11 days after being at the facility.

The Missouri Department of Corrections said Darnell Davis, 34, died on Sunday at 7:53 a.m. at the facility.

Davis was serving a five-year sentence for receiving stolen property, seven years for domestic assault and 15 years for endangering the welfare of a child, causing serious emotional or physical injury.

Online court records show that these stemmed from two cases in 2018.

Davis was taken into the custody of MDOC on August 13.

An autopsy will be done, according to the agency.

Click here to follow the original article.

Madison Stuerman

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

Stephens College is entering the new school year with a new president and an increase in enrollment.

In a release, the school said the undergraduate enrollment is projected to increase by more than 8% this fall. This is the largest number since 2021.

The overall enrollment is expected to increase by 5% compared to last year.

The fall semester is also marked by the start of its 25th president, Shannon B. Lundeen.

The college is also highlighting academic improvements, including an expansion of the on-campus Nursing Center and Animal Behavior Program.

“For generations, Stephens has nurtured confident voices and creative minds,” Lundeen said in the release. “Women’s leadership and representation remain unfinished business, and Stephens is uniquely positioned to prepare students to rise to the challenge. Our mission has never been more relevant, and the opportunities have never been more vital.” 

Click here to follow the original article.

Madison Stuerman

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

Starting in early September, Highway 50 over Vetter Lane in Jefferson City will be narrowed a crews work on the bridge for several months.

According to the Missouri Department of Transportation, starting Sept. 8, construction crews will start to narrow Highway 50 over Vetter Lane to one lane in each direction. Traffic will be head-to-head during this work.

Work will be done to replace joint seals, apply protective coating to the substructure and repair the bridge deck, the release states. The lanes will have a 12-foot width restriction and reduced speeds in place.

MoDOT says two ramps will be closed during the work: the Clark Avenue ramp onto eastbound Highway 50 and the Eastland Drive ramp onto westbound Highway 50.

The traffic shift will take multiple days and is expected to be done by Sept. 10th, weather permitting.

The full project will not be done until December, according to MoDOT.

MoDOT said in a release that this work could cause traffic delays for several miles during peak commute and weekend travel.

Click here to follow the original article.

Madison Stuerman

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

A Randolph County man has been charged in Audrain County with eight child sex charges stemming back two years.

Floyd Yoder is charged with two counts of first-degree statutory rape of a person less than 12 years old, five counts of statutory sodomy – deviated sexual intercourse with a person less than 12 years old, and one count of first-degree rape with a victim less than 12 years old.

Court documents state that a confidential person left a voicemail for the Audrain County Sheriff on July 29.

During a follow-up with the person, deputies learned an 11-year-old girl had reported a man in the community had been doing sexual things to her in Spring 2024.

Deputies said the person told deputies that they didn’t know that Yonder was the suspect until April 2025. They also said Yonder allegedly admitted he tried to assault two juveniles, including a three-year-old.

Documents state that Yonder allegedly told deputies in July during a conversation with an investigator from the Missouri Children’s Division that he assaulted both victims at his house in rural Clark.

Yonder allegedly admitted to deputies during a post-Miranda interview that he had touched both children multiple times over the past two years.

Prosecutors charged him as a predatory sexual offender, which means he could be sentenced to life in prison, because there were at least two victims.

Online records show he was served a warrant on Tuesday.

Click here to follow the original article.

Madison Stuerman

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

A panel of judges has ordered a Boone County circuit court to correct a judgment in a 2022 Columbia shooting case.

Terrance Johnson was found guilty by a jury in March 2024 and sentenced in April 2024 to 14 years behind bars for a 2022 shooting. He was found guilty of first-degree assault, shooting a gun at a motor vehicle/person, unlawful use of a weapon and armed criminal action.

The Western Appellate District ruled that the court made a mistake when entering the written judgment that was different from the jury verdict and what the judge said in court.

Court documents state that the prosecution admitted to this mistake and agreed that the circuit court plainly erred in entering a written judgment that was different from the jury verdict and the court’s oral pronouncement. This required the court to “correctly memorialize the verdict and pronouncement of sentence.”

The panel denied Johnson on another part of the appeal after he claimed the court refused to submit to the jury his proposed defense-of-others instructions on arguments related to self-defense.

The court ruled that while his defense was that he acted in self-defense, the panel did not find any error in the circuit court’s refusal to instruct the jury, as he did not introduce the argument or evidence to support a defense-of-others instruction.

Click here to follow the original article.

Haley Swaino

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

A Cole County judge heard several motions on Ryan Ferguson’s historic verdict against Travelers Insurance Tuesday morning.

Both sides are asking for adjustments to the final dollar amount that Ferguson will receive.

A Cole County jury sided with Ferguson and six former Columbia police detectives in November in their lawsuit against Travelers Insurance.

They claimed Travelers refused to pay out the remaining $2.9 million of a more than $11 million settlement that Ferguson and the detectives were granted after his wrongful murder conviction of Columbia Daily Tribune sports editor Kent Heitholt.

Attorney Michael Berry asked Cole County Judge Cotton Walker in June to add at least $1.3 million to the $43.8 million judgment he awarded Ferguson. Berry said Walker did not properly add 129 days’ interest on the award.

Walker determined the amount of annual interest added to the award from Jan. 16, 2008, to Feb. 7, 2025. Berry argued that interest should run through June 16’s final award, adding another 129 days, or $1.3 million more. That would also affect how much money Travelers would be expected to pay in post-judgment interest.

“The verdict right now is at [$]43 million because there’s prejudgment and post-judgment interest,” Ferguson’s attorney, Kathleen Zellner, said. “We think there was an error in that calculation, and it should actually be [$]45 million. So that was one of the motions, that the judge had just miscalculated the number of days.”

Zellner reiterated those arguments in court Tuesday. She said Travelers disputed multiple things, from proof of bad faith to award calculations.

“They’re trying to argue that we didn’t prove the bad faith, that we’re not entitled to the punitive damages. They’ve disputed the interest rate calculations. All of the things you do when you get a really bad result,” Zellner said.

She said she doesn’t think the judge overturning those things is very likely.

“He’s heard a lot of these arguments along the way. There’s nothing really new, and he rejected all those arguments when he entered the judgment on June 16,” Zellner said.

The defense argued that interest on the judgment should be subject to Missouri’s cap on punitive damages.

Zellner said the correct decision was made.

If the court were to follow the defense argument, that would reduce the punitive damages to just $16 million, a reduction of $8 million.

Zellner told ABC 17 News after Tuesday’s motion hearing that Walker will decide by Oct. 16.

They will then have 30 days until an appeal is filed.

“This verdict is going to be affirmed,” Zellner said. “And if it goes up on appeal, it’s going to be even higher because of the interest that’s running.”

Click here to follow the original article.

Madison Stuerman

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

Hickman High School was on a brief secure protocol after a report of a single gunshot was heard near the school on Monday.

The Columbia Police Department said in a social media post that officers were called to Forest Avenue in response to a single shot heard at 11:55 a.m.

Officers found a person in the 1000 block of Grand Avenue who reported shooting a gun at an aggressive dog.

The protocol was lifted by 12:30 p.m. on Monday.

Columbia Police said in the post that there was no outstanding threat to the community.

This is a developing story.

Click here to follow the original article.

Matthew Sanders

KANSAS CITY (KSHB)

U.S. Rep. Mark Alford (R-Raytown) is holding a series of town halls around his sprawling district this week.

Those town halls include stops in Camdenton and St. Robert on Tuesday, dates in Harrisburg and Warsaw on Wednesday, and Fayette on Thursday. Click here for a full list of dates.

Alford represents Missouri’s Fourth Congressional District, which covers a large part of Mid-Missouri, including northern Boone County.

TV station KSHB followed Alford to Harrisonville on Monday.

Click here to follow the original article.