Category: kmiz-local-news

Sutton Parker

COLUMBIO Mo. KMIZ

The Columbia City Council is set to vote on an agreement between the city and Columbia Public Schools that would add 5 more school resource officers to the district.

According to a Council memo, the agreement would provide for the assignment of 5 Columbia Police Department School Resource Officers to Columbia Public Schools during the regular school year and summer school session.

The addition would bring the total count of SROs in the district to 9.

Among the proposed 5 officers, 2 would be stationed at Hickman High School, 1 at Rock Bridge High School, and the other 2 at Battle High School.

The agreement also outlines that CPS will reimburse the city for 75 percent of the officer’s salary and benefit costs.

CPS Safety and Security Director Kenneth Gregory said the officers are invaluable to the district.

“The school resource officers. Just like the regular staff, the relationships that they build with the kids, is unbelievable, and there’s also, of course, the safety aspect of having the officers there.” Gregory said. “It’s a deterrent. It makes the staff and students feel safer.”

Adding that the district has been asking the city for additional officers for a while.

“The kids, town or the kids that are coming to school. So, whatever issues they may have. Outside of school,” Gregory said. “Those officers help make it a safe space inside the school and let them know that, ‘Hey, this is a safe place.'”

Gregory said that no day for the officers is ever the same.

“Each school is almost like a city unto itself, so you know you have maybe an accident in the parking lot, you will have someone lose something, or something was taken, some trespassers come on the campus during the school day,” he said.

When it comes to how teachers feel, CMNEA chapter president and teacher at Highkman High School, Noelle Gilzow, says resource officers deal with unhoused people frequently.

“So we’ve had instances where unhoused people have made it into the building or, are using the stadium area as a place to camp, and so sometimes the SROs have to kind of help disperse individuals like that,” Gilzow said.

But adds that the potential addition of new offices comes with a mixed response from teachers.

“In some schools, we see SROs who are working really hard to build positive relationships with students. In other schools, there have been less positive interactions, and then there are people across the spectrum who think that putting police in schools is wrong,” Gilzow said.

Gilzow noted that while she does not believe officers act out of malice, physical interventions during conflicts can sometimes escalate.

“I think there have been situations where, like, a fight broke out and there was just rougher handling of students to prevent further injury from the fight than would be preferred, I don’t think it was anything targeted or anything, It was just unfortunate,” Gilzow said.

Gilzow added that broader societal issues also shape how students view officers in their schools.

“The fact is that some students don’t get first see police officers as helpful, because of what’s happened in society, there’s some anxiety and angst around police officers among some communities,” Gilzow said.

Because of those community dynamics, Gilzow emphasized that selecting the right officers for each school is crucial.

“I think it is critically important that the placement of those officers into schools really be sensitive to how well the individual relates to the community that it’s, the school belongs to,” Gilzow said.

ABC 17 News reached out to all CPS board members for comment on the potential addition of SROs to the district.

Betsy Peters was the only one who got back to us and said that she is happy with the agreement.

District officials say the goal is to have 2 full-time officers on every high school campus.

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Marie Moyer

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

A 72-year-old Fulton Man died after drowning in the Gasconade River Friday evening.

According to the Missouri State Highway Patrol, the drowning happened at around 8 p.m. The man tried to retrieve a boat from a boat ramp at the Rollins Ferry Access point in Osage County when he went under the water and did not come back out. The man was not wearing a life jacket.

The man was pronounced dead by the Osage County Coroner at around 10:40 p.m.

This is Troop F’s fourth drowning for July and 10th for the year.

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Haley Swaino

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

A Columbia man was airlifted with serious injuries Friday night after he was electrocuted at the Lake of the Ozarks.

According to a Missouri State Highway Patrol report, the 22-year-old was welding on a dock around 7:45 p.m. in the 29800 block of Oak Knoll Road in the Gravois Mills area.

He received an electrical shock and fell into the water, the report says. He nearly drowned before being pulled from the water after “a few seconds.”

The man was taken by ambulance to Lake Regional Hospital and then airlifted to University Hospital.

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Ryan Shiner

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

The Southeastern and Big Ten conferences gave a joint endorsement of a piece of federal legislation that will regulate college sports.

The “Protect College Sports” Act was introduced by Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) on June 2 and has Sens. Eric Schmitt (R-MO) and Maria Cantwell (D-WA) as cosponsors. The bill gives outlines for new rules and regulations to college sports in regards to name, image and likeness payments and transferring schools.

“The Big Ten Conference and Southeastern Conference support the Protect College Sports Act as currently drafted, following detailed and productive negotiations with Senates Cruz, Cantwell and Schmitt,” the statement reads. “We appreciate the substantial work that has gone into this effort.”

Joint statement from the Big Ten & SEC Presidents and Chancellors on the Protect College Sports Act: pic.twitter.com/zxJmsOz9lN

— Southeastern Conference (@SEC) August 1, 2026

The bill currently says schools, conferences and the NCAA are barred from restricting students from entering NIL agreements “subject to specified limitations.”

Athletes must report NIL compensation larger than $600, if the bill passes. It also requires agents to register with a state and caps agent endorsement contract fees at 5%, the bill says. The bill would also cap athlete transfers to just one without losing any eligibility.

It also “restricts football personnel from becoming the head football coach at a different institution during the same season.” That stipulation comes after LSU head coach Lane Kiffin left Ole Miss last season heading into the playoffs.

Schools will also be banned from “providing athletes with compensation that circumvents the limit on sharing revenue with student athletes established under the House settlement.”

A limited antitrust exemption is created for schools and conferences “that form joint agreements to transfer their sports telecasting rights to a third party,” the bill says That agreement would need participation from at least three-quarters of schools in the FBS.

Schmitt spoke well of the bill in a Friday night statement.

“College sports are in complete chaos due to unlimited transfers, a lack of eligibility rules, and an unsustainable arms race that will mean fewer teams, scholarships, and opportunities for athletes,” Schmitt’s statement says. “Over the past several months, and throughout this Congress, we’ve worked extensively with athletes, coaches, and conferences to draft legislation that will protect college sports for future generations.”

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Ryan Shiner

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

More than 5,300 people have voted early in the Aug. 4 election in Boone County as of 11 a.m. Friday.

Boone County Clerk Brianna Lennon told ABC 17 News in an email on Friday that more than 4,000 people have voted since no-excuse absentee voting opened on July 21.

Residents are able to vote early in the election by sending in a mailed-in absentee ballot or by voting in person. Lennon said more than 500 people have cast their ballots in the past two days.

Residents can vote in person at the Boone County Government Center from 8 a.m.-5 p.m. on weekdays and 8 a.m.-2 p.m. on Saturdays.

The county will hold additional in-person voting events this weekend, the first of which being from 10 a.m.-2 p.m. Saturday at the Southern Boone Public Library and Centralia Public Library. Voters can also cast their ballot from 11 a.m.-3 p.m. Sunday at the Columbia/Boone County Health Department.

Lennon is expecting a 40% voter turnout.

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Ryan Shiner

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

A jury on Wednesday sided with the defendants in a family’s wrongful death case over a man who died years ago at Tipton Correctional Center.

Previous reporting shows Brandon Pace died on April 7, 2023, and Tammy Reed filed a lawsuit in September 2024 against several parties.

Defendants included the Missouri Department of Corrections, former Director Anne Precythe, Acting Director Trevor Foley, three deputy directors, Warden Brock Van Loo, Matt Briesacher, Correctional Supervisor Terry Payne, 11 correctional officers and Centurion Health.

Court filings from Wednesday show the jury ruled in favor of all defendants listed in the case.

Reed alleged a cover-up was done by MoDOC and claims false reports and statements were made about Pace receiving medical treatment. 

Pace allegedly swallowed an illegal substance and documents claimed correctional officers chose to pepper spray him instead of giving medical attention.

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Ryan Shiner

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

Residents in Boone County will temporarily lose access to the Text-to-911 service as the county transitions to a new emergency communication system.

Starting Aug. 5, Boone County Joint Communications will pause its Text-to-911 function while it works to transition to the next generation of the 911 system. Officials said the goal is to keep the outage as short as possible and restore the service by Sept. 1.

According to the press release the new network “will provide a more reliable and resilient 911 network while supporting future Next Generation 911 capabilities.”

For some people, texting 911 can be the safest or even the only way to reach emergency services. Christie Davis spokeswoman said the service is often used when making a voice call is not possible or safe, including situations involving people who are deaf, hard of hearing, or have a speech disability.

Davies said the agency only has two years of available Text-to-911 data.

Since Aug. 1, 2024, Joint Communications has processed 563 Text-to-911 sessions. Because the agency’s records only go back two years, officials said they do not know how many Text-to-911 messages were received before that timeframe.

Davies said residents can use Text-to-911 for any emergency they would normally call 911 about. However, she says the service is especially important for people who need an alternative way to communicate with emergency responders.

The agency said it is working with vendors and service providers to minimize the outage while the system transition is completed.

Voice calls will not be affected, and anyone who texts 911 during that period will receive an automatic response telling them to call instead.

The release says the new network “will provide a more reliable and resilient 911 network while supporting future Next Generation 911 capabilities.”

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Ryan Shiner

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

After severe storms went through the Mid-Missouri area on Friday evening, several parts of the area were without power.

Gasconade County saw 279 Three Rivers Electric Cooperative customers without power around 8 p.m. The county had seen two tornado warnings during the 6 p.m. hour. Power was restored across the area by 6 a.m. on Saturday.

Three Rivers Electric also saw 45 customers in Osage County without power while Franklin County had 241 without power. Full restoration was reported in Franklin County by 6 a.m. Saturday. Around 7:30 a.m., 53 were still without power in Osage County.

160 Boone Electric customers in the El Chaparral neighborhood east of Columbia saw their power go out after 5:49 p.m., its outage map showed. Reported outages in that area were resolved before 8 p.m.

An outage just north of Hallsville was reported at 7:23 p.m. and was affecting 50 Boone Electric customers.

Additionally, there were 76 City of Columbia customers without power, according to the city’s outage map. A pair of outages that affected 44 people was reported in a neighborhood south of East Nifong Boulevard near South Bearfield Road.

Another outage was reported in a neighborhood well north of Interstate 70 that affected 32 customers. ABC 17 News had reached out to the city, and a spokesman wrote that crews were working to resolve the issue.

The Association of Missouri Electric Cooperatives showed that 66 Callaway Electric customers were without power at around 6 p.m., and it was resolved by 8 p.m.

Down at the Lake of the Ozarks, there were 79 Ameren customers without power. That outage was reported at 6:47 p.m. and is expected to be restored by 10 p.m., according to Ameren’s map.

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Ellyse Edwards

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

Boone County

Boone County leaders say a childcare center under construction at the Regional Training Center is expected to help recruit and retain first responders by providing childcare for employees who work nontraditional hours.

The Regional Training Center has been operating since January, but construction continues on the childcare center. Boone County Sheriff Dwayne Carey said he hopes construction will be completed by the end of the year, with the facility opening in January.

“We took that challenge on,” Carey said. “It will hopefully be done by the end of this year and maybe opening in January.”

Carey said the childcare center will initially serve public safety employees working on the Regional Training Center campus before expanding to other first responder partners.

Captain Brian Leer with the Boone County Sheriff’s Office said the project is designed to address childcare challenges that can come with careers in public safety.

“When we talk about how hard it’s been to recruit in public safety over the last nearly decade, it’s been very difficult just to recruit people for jobs within the public safety sector,” Leer said. “You add the crazy hours that we work. We have employees working those odd shifts, and it’s really hard to find childcare outside of that Monday through Friday, 8 to 5, 8 to 6 p.m. type timeframe.”

Leer said officials hope the childcare center will make public safety careers more appealing while helping current employees balance work and family responsibilities.

The childcare center is part of the Boone County Regional Training Center, which serves law enforcement and other public safety agencies.

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Matthew Sanders

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

Officers arrested three minors in connection with a string of vehicle break-ins that occurred early Wednesday, the Columbia Police Department said in a news release.

The minors are suspected in more than 13 vehicle break-ins on Monterey Drive and Sieville Avenue, the CPD release states.

The suspects ran from police, who caught one of them in the 3500 block of Sierra Madre. Officers reportedly found a gun in a bush near where the juvenile was hiding.

Two other minors were arrested after a search warrant was served Friday in the 2900 block of Lynwood Drive, where more stolen items were recovered, according to the release.

All three were arrested on suspicion of second-degree burglary, felony stealing, misdemeanor stealing and resisting arrest.

When ABC 17 News visited the neighborhood Friday, many homes were equipped with security cameras.

Despite the recent vehicle break-ins, neighbors said they still feel safe. They said the cameras provide an extra sense of security and allow them to monitor their homes from anywhere.

“It’s some security that we can see when someone’s at the door, and we can see it on our phones too,” Columbia resident Jerry Wassman said.

Phil Steinhaus has lived in the neighborhood since the 1980s and installed several Blink security cameras around his home a few years ago. While he doesn’t believe his neighborhood is a common target for thieves, he said the cameras offer added peace of mind.

“This is a nice safe neighborhood. There’s not a lot of rich people here. So there’s no reason to break into my house because I really don’t have any money,” Steinhaus said.

Columbia Crime Stoppers announced Friday the organization will be increasing its reward for anonymous tips.

The organization announced tipsters can now receive up to $500 for information that leads to a felony arrest or the recovery of an illegal firearm.

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