Category: kmiz-local-news

Jazsmin Halliburton

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

Two people suffered serious injuries after a single-vehicle crash in Montgomery County on Sunday night.

According to the Missouri State Highway Patrol, a 29-year-old man from Kansas City was driving a 2014 Toyota Tundra eastbound on Interstate 70 at the 166-mile marker in Montgomery County at 9:50 p.m. on Sunday.

The crash report states the vehicle went off the left side of the road before the man steered back to the right and returned to the road when it overcorrected.

Troopers said the truck overturned multiple times, rolling down an embankment and striking several trees.

The driver and his passenger, a 30-year-old woman, were both taken to University Hospital by Montgomery County ambulance with serious injuries.

The driver was not wearing a seatbelt.

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Euphenie Andre

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

A new project is bringing Columbia’s history to life right from the sidewalks of downtown.

CoMo Preservation is honoring six historic buildings through a new initiative called CoMo Brick & Mortar, designed to showcase the city’s rich architectural past in a modern, interactive way.

The project transforms downtown Columbia into a self-guided walking history tour using small window clings with QR codes placed on select buildings. When scanned, the codes give visitors a deeper look into each building’s history and how it has evolved over time.

Three of the featured locations are along East Broadway, including the Howard Municipal Building at 600 E. Broadway and the Herald Building at 1020 E. Broadway. Other sites include The Tiger Hotel on South Eighth Street, the Hall Theatre on Ninth Street, and the Crane-Cho Building on East Walnut.

Organizers said each building represents a unique piece of Columbia’s story.

“Columbia has changed over the years.” said Matt Fetterly, a CoMo Preservation Historian. “In fact, hardly any buildings downtown are being used today for their original purpose and most have seen many iterations of different businesses, different uses throughout the years.”

The first QR code was installed at a downtown location known as Wynnsome on Sunday afternoon, marking the beginning of what organizers hope will become a long-term community resource.

Fetterly said the goal is not only to highlight history but to help people better understand and appreciate architecture.

“We have some pretty cool buildings architecturally in downtown Columbia, and people need the vocabulary to know how to talk about these buildings,” Fetterly said.

The project comes at a relatively low cost, just a few hundred dollars to produce the QR code clings.

“It’s a small investment for a huge reward,” Fetterly added.

The initiative is made possible through a partnership with Columbia’s Downtown District.

“It’s really cool to know that, you know, the building that you’re standing in had been something major in the past. It has contributed to the city in one way or another,” said Nickie Davis with the District.

Organizers hope to expand the project by adding six more buildings each year, with plans to eventually reach beyond downtown Columbia.

“We could spend two decades just in downtown,” Fetterly said. “We want to expand a little bit to other places that might be interested. Perhaps one of our three college campuses.”

Check back for updates.

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Alison Patton

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

The Columbia Police Department arrested a 19-year-old Columbia man Sunday for assault on Old Highway 63.

According to a CPD social media post, Andy Cenobio was arrested after police were called to investigate three injured victims at a local hospital just before 3 a.m. He is facing charges of assault and armed criminal action in connection.

CPD believes those individuals were run over by a vehicle linked to Cenobio near the 2500 block of Old Highway 63, leaving one person with life-threatening injuries. The two other people had non-life threatening injuries.

The Missouri State Highway Patrol pulled Cenobio over in Osage County, leading to his arrest. CPD said it used flock cameras to track and locate the car.

Cenobio is currently being held in the Boone County jail on no bond.

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Alison Patton

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

A bill that would create a state oversight board for the Missouri State High School Activities Association is slated to go in front of the fiscal committee Monday before heading to the Senate floor for a third read and vote.

Senate Bill 863 would allow the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education to create a board with governor-appointed members to have the final say on appeals.

Sen. Jason Bean (R-Holcomb) told ABC 17 News on Thursday that the bill is intended to give people who file appeals on a referee’s decision, or transfer-student eligibility in high school sports a neutral party, to review the decision.

“There have been decisions made that people felt were wrong,” Bean said. “What people felt like is when they went through the appeals process through MSHSAA, that MSHSAA was making these judgement calls on their officials. So people felt like they didn’t have an independent voice out there.”

The state appeals board would have the final say in an appeal once MSHSAA’s appeals process has been exhausted or if an appeal is made directly to the board.

MSHSAA Executive Director Jennifer Rukstad spoke out against an early version of the bill, which would have given the oversight committee the ability to govern the independent, non-profit agency.

The bill has changed significantly since its introduction, and ABC 17 News reached out to MSHSAA on Sunday for comment, but didn’t immediately hear back.

Bean said the first version of his bill was crafted to get MSHSAA’s attention.

“We came out with a bill that was a little bit more egregious, a little bit more aggressive, and then we toned it down to what we originally intended,” Bean said.

If passed out of committee Monday and given the green light by senators, the bill will then go to the Missouri House of Representatives.

The bill is a legislative priority for Governor Mike Kehoe, who addressed the need for an oversight board during his State of the State Address at the beginning of the legislative session.

“Finally, as we talk about education and student success, we can’t overlook the role athletics and other extracurricular activities play in building leadership, teamwork, and resilience. That is why the organizations overseeing these programs must operate with transparency and accountability, always putting students first,” Kehoe said in his speech.

MSHSAA is also facing a discrimination lawsuit brought on by the state, along with the Department of Justice. A whistleblower in the case, Merlyn Johnson, argued he was denied a position on the board because he was a white male.

The organization argues that the seat Johnson applied for was reserved for a member who would bring diversity to the board of directors, as stated in its official handbook.

“Each of two At-Large positions shall be filled by a candidate representing the under-representedgender of the current Board, or an under-represented ethnicity,” according to the handbook.

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Marie Moyer

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

A 66-year-old man from Leslie, Michigan, was arrested for driving while intoxicated after a crash Saturday evening in Gasconade County.

According to a Missouri State Highway Patrol crash report, the crash occurred at around 10 p.m. on Old Ferry Road, just north of Pershing Road.

The report says the man was driving northbound in a 2015 Chrysler Town and Country when he drove off the right side of the road and hit a fence and a tree.

The car was totaled and he was not wearing a seatbelt.

An MSHP arrest report said Kirk Skouby is facing charges of driving while intoxicated, failure to wear a seatbelt and careless and imprudent driving.

Skouby was taken in an ambulance to University Hospital.

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Marie Moyer

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

Drivers can no longer use the St. Charles Road bridge to access I-70 in Columbia.

The Missouri Department of Transportation confirmed to ABC 17 News on Sunday that the demolition of the bridge was completed.

An ABC 17 News reporter saw the bridge demolished and final cleanup work being done Sunday morning. Several cranes and frontloaders were also seen in a section of I-70 between where the bridge had been.

Traffic on I-70 is temporarily being moved to the on- and off-ramps during demolition. The ramps are expected to reopen after demolition. However, drivers will still be unable to use St. Charles Road to cross I-70 for the next several months during construction.

Courtesy: MoDOT

Columbia Public Schools alerted commuters of the change with increased backups expected during peak school hours, such as in the morning and afternoon, and on alternate roads like Route Z, Paris Road and Rangeline.

The closure is also expected to impact several schools on the East side of Columbia, with CPS recommending alternate routes to locations such as Battle High School, Cedar Ridge and Two Mile Prairie Elementary.

Drivers on I-70 are recommended to use the more eastern Exit 133 instead of Exit 131. They can then use Route Z to head North or South to nearby schools.

Drivers heading southbound on Highway 63 are encouraged to exit at Route B or Paris Road and head east on Mexico Gravel Road.

Drivers going northbound on Highway 63 are recommended to exit at Discovery Parkway onto Rolling Hills Road. Drivers can then use Richland Road, onto Rangeline Road then Route Z to get to nearby schools.

CPS also advises drivers to leave early and warns that bus routes may experience delays. According to prior reporting, a spokesperson for DS Bus Lines, which provides transportation for Columbia Public Schools, said bus pickup times will remain the same.

Completed construction will allow three lanes of traffic onto I-70 as well as a taller and pedestrian-friendly overpass bridge.

Bridge demolition is expected to be complete at 6 a.m. Construction in the area is expected to continue through the end of September.

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Alison Patton

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

Red Bull took over portions of Tenth and Cherry Streets on Saturday afternoon, to make room for chariot racing.

Participants made chariots out of varying materials, allowing one person to sit in the chariot and two other people to push or pull it through the track. A total of 24 teams, each with four members and a theme, competed.

Many participants had safety in their design plans. Team Dumb and Dumber used an abandoned shopping cart as their base and layered carpet on top in the design of a dog.

Team member Ryan Kampschroeder said safety was a key part of the design.

“This thing was built pretty sturdy, so we should be fine going down a race track like this and then of course Red Bull gives us helmets,” Kampschroeder said.

Emergency medical personnel from MU Health were on standby in case anyone got hurt, but every participant who ran in the race had to wear a helmet.

According to a Red Bull spokesperson, the company also hired a private security group to keep everyone in attendance safe. A Colubmia Police Department spokesperson told ABC 17 News that four off duty police officers were hired to work the event too.

CPD along with the Columbia Fire Department were participants in the event as well. The two departments raced each other in their own chariots.

Another group, the Turbo Tubbies — named after the kids’ show Teletubbies — designed the base of their chariot using wood, also with safety in mind. Team member Sydney Stevens broke down the design.

“We added more support underneath, so our weight is supported evenly,” Stevens said. “We also added a little safety rail in the back so if we’re facing backwards or we’re facing forwards and we start to slide, we can have something that will catch us.”

CFD did not respond to any calls for service related to Saturday’s event. No serious injuries were reported either.

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Haley Swaino

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

Two teenagers were hurt Friday night after a crash on Interstate 70 in Montgomery County.

According to a Missouri State Highway Patrol crash report, a 22-year-old man from Grandview, Missouri, was driving a 2022 Kenworth T680 eastbound on I-70 and merged into the left lane shortly after 4 p.m.

The tractor-trailer’s towed unit hit a 2015 Jeep Grand Cherokee driven by a 21-year-old Columbia woman near mile marker 172, the report says. The SUV ended up in the median, and the semi-truck was able to stop on the right shoulder.

Neither of the drivers was hurt, but two 15-year-old girls in the Jeep were seriously injured; one from Columbia, the other from Fulton, respectively. Both were taken to University Hospital by ambulance.

The Jeep had extensive damage, and the tractor-trailer had minor damage. The report says both teens were wearing seatbelts at the time of the crash.

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Marie Moyer

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

Broadway Christian Church is opened its doors once again for Show-Me Central Habitat for Humanity’s 36th annual garage sale.

The over-20,000-square-foot space featured various donated items on Saturday morning, including furniture, electronics and clothing.

Event organizers tell ABC 17 News they were happy with the turnout.

“They were lined up all the way to Broadway,” Organizer Linda Poehlman said. “They come from far and wide, it’s family, friends, community, anyone who would like to work.”

According to a press release from Show Me Central Habitat for Humanity, all proceeds from the event will go to housing opportunities. The event raised $40,000 in 2025, which went toward building materials for home construction.

Donated items were accepted from April 9 through April 10. Volunteers have also been assisting with collecting, sorting and setting up the sale.

“Whether you give, serve, or shop, you are part of something bigger that changes lives,” the release says.

The Show Me Central Habitat for Humanity’s website reports that 172 homes have been built since its founding in 1988.

The Show-Me Central Habitat ReStore collects and sells donated items year-round and is open Tuesday through Saturday from 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Unsold items will be donated to the ReStore or recycled at local material reclaim facilities.

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Euphenie Andre

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

Columbia Public Schools is preparing for major traffic changes following the closure of a bridge in northeast Columbia.

The St. Charles Road bridge closed Friday evening as part of a construction project expected to last about five months, bringing traffic challenges for families and commuters across the area.

The project began with a four-day demolition phase, scheduled to continue through 6 a.m. Monday. Officials with the Missouri Department of Transportation warn drivers to expect increased congestion—especially during morning arrivals and afternoon school dismissals.

As construction gets underway, Columbia Public Schools is urging parents to plan ahead and follow alternate routes provided by MoDOT to help keep traffic moving and ensure students arrive on time.

Traffic is expected to increase along several major corridors, including Route Z, Paris Road and Rangeline Street. Drivers are encouraged to leave earlier than usual, as bus routes may also experience minor delays during the initial adjustment period.

For those traveling from Interstate 70, officials recommend using Exit 133 at Route Z instead of Exit 131, then following Route Z to reach nearby schools such as Battle High School and Two Mile Prairie Elementary.

Those traveling southbound on Highway 63 are encouraged to take Paris Road, then connect through Mexico Gravel Road to Lake of the Woods Road. This route provides access to schools including Blue Ridge Elementary, Lange Middle School and Frederick Douglass High School.

Those traveling northbound on Highway 63 should exit at Discovery Parkway, continue to Rolling Hills Road, then use Richland Road and Rangeline Street to reconnect with Route Z.

A spokesperson for DS Bus Lines, which provides transportation for Columbia Public Schools, said bus pickup times will remain the same. However, the district is asking families for patience, noting delays are possible during the first few weeks of the closure.

Columbia resident Kate Boes, the closure hits close to home. She said she both commutes across the bridge for work and lives along Mexico Gravel Road—one of the suggested alternate routes.

“It’s definitely going to cause a lot of holdup until people get into a rhythm,” Boes said. “Then I feel like it’ll smooth out until the bridge reopens.”

Construction is expected to continue through the summer.

Check back for updates.

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