Category: kmiz-local-news

Jazsmin Halliburton

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

Columbia Solid Waste Utility will be hosting an open house Tuesday to discuss the construction of a new Material Recycling Facility.

The open house will be at the ARC on W. Ash St. from 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. It is a “come and go” event with no formal presentation, according to a press release from the city.

People who attend will have the opportunity to ask questions, speak with city staff members and submit comments for consideration.

In April, an EF-1 tornado destroyed the MRF building where city employees would sort recyclable material for baling and sale. While the city works toward constructing a new MRF, it will be looking to build a temporary facility to protect recyclables and employees from the weather.

During Monday night’s city council meeting, city leaders discussed an agreement with Federal Recycling for the city to get 50% of the net value of the material after processing and baling costs. The city will not need to make payments to Federal International Recycling and Waste Solutions even if the material value is zero.

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Mitchell Kaminski

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (KMIZ) 

The Jefferson City Council took several steps toward completing a new downtown conference center, which is projected to generate $584 million in economic impact over its first decade, support 372 jobs and bring in $14 million in local tax revenue.

A design report outlined the 189,420-square-foot facility, which would be built between Madison and Monroe streets, with the main entrance on East Capitol Avenue.

The project includes a 200-room hotel, bar, conference room, grand ballroom, restaurant, coffee shop and 526 parking spaces. City officials said the design aims to attract more visitors downtown and boost local business activity.

On Monday, the council approved a master development agreement with Garfield Public/Private LLC for the hotel and conference center. The agreement outlines the roles and responsibilities for developing, constructing, furnishing and opening the project. 

Under the agreement, Jefferson City will cover up to $8.3 million in development and design fees from the Conference Center Fund before issuing bonds for construction. About $1.58 million of that amount has already been authorized for schematic design work.

However, it was not passed unanimously, with Ward 5 Councilwoman Mackenzie Job and Ward 2 Councilman Aaron Mealy voicing concerns about the debt the project will cause the taxpayers. 

“It would be remiss of me not to acknowledge a substantial opportunity cost that comes with accruing such a sizeable debt,” Job said during the meeting.   As I see it, we are having the taxpayer going into it from our own citizenry or from those visiting our community, hoping that this will pay off.

Mealy, whose ward the project would be built in, also expressed skepticism in the project’s projected economic impact. 

“One of the problems I had substantially was related to the economic impact of $580 billion, I assume over the life of the bonds, $580 million of economic impact for the life of the bonds equates to little over $50,000 a day. I know these amounts are often inflated in almost every project throughout the country but I find pause in them,” Mealy said. “Costs don’t stop after construction. Even if we are able to keep the project on budget, the challenge starts when we open the doors.” 

Ward 1 Councilman Randy Hoselton pushed back, saying the conference center is meant to be a secondary benefit and is an investment in the city. 

The meeting grew tense when Ward 1 Councilman Jeff Ahlers accused Mealy of implying in a — since-deleted — Facebook post that the city lacked transparency during the planning process, saying that anyone who believed that was “dumber than a box of hammers.”

The city also passed a resolution to bring in McCownGordon on as the firm building the hotel and conference center andcreated the nonprofit “Capital City Corporation for Growth,” which will ultimately own the hotel and conference center. Officials said that the nonprofit organization will help the city move at the speed of business, not the speed of government. 

The Capital City Corporation for Growth resolution passed 7-3 with Job, Mealy and Ward 3 Councilman Derek Thomas voting against it. 

As part of the construction of the center, the capital city will also lose out on 400 parking spaces due to the demolition of the Madison Street parking garage. 

The council also authorized the closure of portions of the Madison Street parking garage on Monday, which officials say has reached the end of its useful life. 

The garage, originally built in 1961 and expanded in 1982, was last inspected in 2023. That inspection found the structure could no longer be safely used without major reconstruction, which was estimated to cost more than $12.5 million.

City staff said the structure has continued to deteriorate since then. In recent weeks, a rusted beam connection failed, and a non-load-bearing piece of angle iron, part of a previous renovation, fell from the building. A council memo also revealed that minor pieces of concrete have come loose in the past.

Ward 4 Councilwoman Julie Allen told ABC 17 News the city is working to determine how to handle parking concerns once the garage closes, but no plan has been released yet. 

If an upcoming emergency structural report finds part of the garage to be safe, the east section’s basement and drive-in area off Commercial Way may remain open temporarily for permit holders.

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ABC 17 News Team

BOONE COUNTY, Mo. (KMIZ)

Cooper’s Landing’s website says its general store is now under renovation.

This new building will have an upper level with indoor seating, a new restroom facility and showers for campers.

The website says preparations to tear down the current building are being done on Monday.

This renovation is expected to continue through the early spring but you can still visit and camp at the site. While the renovations are ongoing. Changes to parking are also expected.

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Nia Hinson

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

The City of Columbia is planning to take a second look at its stormwater management plan’s language.

It comes after the Department of Natural Resources set a Nov. 15 deadline for the city to submit new draft ordinance language.

DNR sent a letter to Mayor Barbara Buffaloe and Boone County Commissioner Kip Kendrick last week, threatening penalties for failing to properly address waste from homeless encampments entering public waters. The department claims the city and county’s current stormwater and stream ordinances submitted in August are too broad.

The letter also claims the ordinances fail to address the prohibition of non-stormwater discharges from encampment activities and don’t set appropriate protections around streams within the city and county.

City of Columbia Utilities Director Erin Keys said within the next month, the city plans to look at ways to be more specific in its ordinance that would address the riparian areas. Currently, Keys said the city’s ordinance includes language related to any solid waste, trash or debris that becomes, or could become deposited in or impact waterways.

“But if we need to include riparian areas in that, I know that the city manager staff is currently looking at some urban camping restrictions, prohibitions, activities and how that plays out in public areas including parks and rights of way,” Keys said.

Kendrick told ABC 17 News via email on Monday evening that he spoke to DNR Director Kurt Schaefer Friday afternoon about the issue.

“I feel confident that we have identified a path forward to address DNR’s requests at the County level,” Kendrick said.

Keys said the city will submit a draft to the DNR and receive feedback from the public and City Council to determine whether or not the draft will be final, or if edits are needed.

The DNR claims Hinkson Creek, Grindstone Creek and Hominy Branch contain E. coli from human waste from homeless encampments near the streams. It claims this poses significant risks to Columbia’s water quality and public health.

Keys said all three of those creeks have been added to the 303D list, which identifies water that has impairments. She also said the city has taken active steps toward cleaning up homeless encampments as soon as they are made aware of them and believes the current ordinance allows the city to enforce and ensure public waters are safe and protected.

Keys said the city has also recently had a request for a proposal for vendors that would help with the clean-up process.

Columbia, Boone County and the University of Missouri outlined a coordinated plan in August to address illegal encampments and prevent waste from entering local waterways. The plan emphasizes compliance with city and county stormwater regulations, the Missouri Clean Water Law and federal pollution laws, while tracking complaints and cleanup efforts.

The three are currently trying to renew a joint-operating permit aimed at preventing contaminants, such as sewage and chemicals, from polluting local water sources.

DNR’s letter also claims it provided examples of stream protection measures used in San Jose, California, and Bozeman, Montana, as examples but never received a response. Keys said the city has looked at the examples and tried to determine how they’re relevant to Columbia.

“The San Jose one I looked at, it sounds like they have an extensive number of homeless encampments in their community, we’re talking hundreds of encampments,” Keys said. “My understanding of the ordinances there were to prioritize which ones got cleaned up first. In Columbia, we want to clean them all up, especially the ones on public property.”

The city and DNR have had several discussions regarding homeless encampments within the last year. DNR met with city and county leaders in July and September to discuss proactive measures to keep solid waste from polluting local streams.

The DNR also warned that future investigations finding human waste near streams in violation of the Missouri Clean Water Law could lead to penalties, potentially affecting the city and county’s eligibility for state and federal grants.

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Ryan Shiner

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

A Callaway County woman was charged on Monday after she allegedly shot an AR-15 at an elderly man who was driving a skid steer on Sunday in a residence east of Fulton.

Rebecca Elm, 58, was charged with second-degree assault, armed criminal action and first-degree property damage. She is being held at the Callaway County Jail without bond. A court date has not been scheduled.

The probable cause statement says Elm called law enforcement after she fired a round at the skid steer. When deputies arrived, the victim was not able to get out of the skid steer because of his age and physical ability, the statement says. The victim allegedly had a cut on his arm from broken glass.

The victim allegedly told deputies that Elm blocked his path to an easement with her car before she fired a shot, the statement says. Elm allegedly claimed the victim drove toward an easement that belonged to her and admitted to pulling out the gun from her vehicle and firing a round, the statement says.

The shot allegedly caused around $800 worth of damage to the skid steer and law enforcement determined the shot missed the victim’s head by about 6 inches, the statement says.

When deputies told Elm she was under arrest, she allegedly said “I should of just shot him then,” the statement says.

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Ryan Shiner

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

Boone County Associate Circuit Judge Tracy Gonzalez will not seek reelection in 2026, according to a press release from the 13th Judicial Circuit.

Gonzalez has served in the role since Jan. 1, 2019, and her term ends on Dec. 31, 2026. She has focused mostly on juvenile and family matters. She plans to maintain “senior judge status” in 2027, the release says.  

Gonzalez has worked mostly in public service during her 40-year career, the release says. She previously worked at the Boone County prosecuting attorney’s office for 16 years, focusing primarily on child abuse and neglect cases, the release says. She was also the director of the Child Protection Clinic at the University of Missouri School of Law from 2002-06.

“Serving the people of Boone County has been both a profound honor and a solemn responsibility that I have embraced with deep commitment and great pride in our community,” Gonzalez is quoted in the release. “I am sincerely grateful for the opportunities I have had and will continue to serve to the best of my ability throughout the remainder of my term.”

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Ryan Shiner

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

The director of Morgan County Emergency Management was charged with a felony and a misdemeanor after he allegedly followed a woman back to her home on Saturday.

Jason Foster, 40, of Versailles, was charged in Morgan County with first-degree harassment and first-degree trespassing, a misdemeanor.

He was booked into the Morgan County Jail at 6:10 p.m. Saturday and release at 11:30 a.m. Monday, jail records show. His bond was $5,000. An arraignment is scheduled for 9 a.m. Tuesday.

The probable cause statement says Foster called dispatch to report a possible drunk driver on Route MM in Morgan County and claimed they drove in and out of a ditch. The statement says he followed the victim to her home and was told by the victim to leave her property.

Dispatch allegedly told Foster to leave and heard an argument occurring, the statement says. He was at a nearby property when law enforcement arrived, the statement says.

The victim was investigated for possible driving while intoxicated, but law enforcement found no evidence, the statement says. The victim told law enforcement that she was being followed home by Foster after he honked his horn at her, the statement says. She allegedly pulled into a ditch to call a family member before calling her boyfriend, the statement says.

Foster then allegedly gave conflicting statements over whether the victim told him to leave the property, the statement says.

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Ryan Shiner

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

A former worker at the prison in Tipton who pleaded guilty in August to having sex with an inmate was sentenced to probation on Friday.

Jessica Baird, of Versailles, was sentenced in Moniteau County to five years of supervised probation along with a three-year suspended sentence.

She is accused of having sex with a male prisoner on Oct. 21, 2024, when she worked at Tipton Correctional Center, according to court documents in previous reporting.

The prisoner admitted on a recording to having sex with Baird and Baird confirmed the story to investigators, according to the probable cause statement. The acts happened in an employee restroom, the prisoner allegedly said.

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Ryan Shiner

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

The owner of a Boone County liquor store has been charged with a misdemeanor for an alleged sale that occurred in July.

Jashiben Patel, of Columbia, was charged on Monday with selling alcohol without a proper license. An initial court appearance is scheduled for 1:30 p.m. Tuesday.

Previous reporting shows the state revoked the liquor license from Spring Creek Liquor in early August after the owners did not appeal the state’s decision to take the license.

The probable cause statement from Tuesday’s case says the license had expired on June 30 and that investigators bought a can of beer from it on July 2. The statement alleges Patel sold a 24-ounce beer for $5.92 after taxes.

The beer was sold to an investigator and agents from the Division of Alcohol and Tobacco Control allegedly told Patel afterward that sales could not continue without having a license, the statement says.

Additional reporting from September says records from the Division of Alcohol and Tobacco Control show the store’s license was revoked after it was discovered the owners of Dash Convenience Store — Jay Patel and Dashrath Patel — were associated with the business.

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Ryan Shiner

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

A man was charged with two felonies after he allegedly stole a trailer and a bike after threatening to shoot someone.

Robert Crowley, 41, of Columbia, was charged with first-degree robbery and illegal gun possession. He is being held at the Boone County Jail without bond. A court appearance was held on Monday.

The probable cause statement says Crowley was stopped by police near the intersection of Primrose Drive and Rashid Court around 4:30 a.m. Sunday. His vehicle allegedly towed a stolen trailer that also contained a stolen bicycle, the statement says.

The victim allegedly told police that they came home and saw Crowley with another man on their property and the victim told them to leave, the statement says. Crowley then allegedly punched the victim and threatened to shoot him, court documents say.

Crowley’s passenger, Jason White, was charged with two misdemeanors: Illegally possessing drug paraphernalia and stealing. Two glass pipes were allegedly found in the vehicle and a probable cause statement says White allegedly admitted to being at the property while the theft occurred.

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