Category: kmiz-local-news

Keriana Gamboa

COLUMBIA Mo. (KMIZ)

This fall, Jefferson City students have a free option for getting to and from school. Jefferson City Transit is waiving bus fares for students on Tripper routes throughout the fall semester.

The free service applies to anyone riding the Tripper Routes, which operate Monday through Friday on school days.

No student ID is required to board, and the promotion is open to all riders, including K-12 students, homeschoolers, and college students.

The routes will run from around 3 p.m., shortly after school lets out.

Three Tripper Routes begin at Helias Catholic High School, Jefferson City High School, and St. Peter School.

After leaving those schools, all Tripper buses travel to the JeffTran Transfer Station at 820 E. Miller Street, where students can either transfer to another bus or continue on the same route.

Transit Manager Gerry Stegeman said the goal this year is to encourage more students to use the bus.

“So we’re just trying to encourage more students to ride,” Stegeman said. “It also gives the parents a little break and price if we run it for free.”

Bus driver Joseph Harden told ABC 17 News he hopes the program is successful for families who can’t afford bus passes.

“I think it will help out a lot of kids who are not able to buy the tickets. They might be a little bit expensive for them, you know, for the parents. And so  I think it’s a good idea. I’m hoping that word will get out and more kids will ride, and it will be successful,” Harden said.

Stegeman says the program doesn’t cost that much to run.

 “If you compare to what the student ridership was last year, through the fall semester,  it was like 600 some odd rides,  you know, and stuff there. So it worked out to about  $765, is what we would lose in fares.  So, you know, it’s not a big expense,” Stegeman said.

He told ABC 17 News families could save a lot of money through the program.

“If you go to school five days a week, you know, so that’s going to save you $27 a month per student.  So, you know, when you add that up over a school year, it’s quite a bit of money especially if you have two or three kids in school,” Stegeman said.

Student rider Lorelei Weeks tells ABC 17 News she rides from Helias Catholic School to the library downtown and enjoys the free ride.

“It’s really nice, like most people think it’s a bunch of weirdos, but or people think only weird people who ride it. But it’s actually been really nice,” Weeks said.

She hopes it will continue throughout the spring semester.

“It would be very nice, especially for the students and stuff. But I totally understand if they don’t either.  They’ve got to make money somehow,” Weeks said.

Stegeman told ABC 17 News it is uncertain if the promotion will continue next year.

“We’ll just have to wait and see, see what they think and, you know, see how it goes,” Stegeman said.

JeffTran will be offering free rides on its Tripper Routes from August through December.

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Erika McGuire

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

Delmar Cobble School in Columbia is now permanently closed after struggling to reach staffing levels, part of a broader statewide consolidation of schools for students with severe disabilities.

The Department of Elementary and Secondary Education Board las week decided close six buildings that were already “temporarily consolidated due to staff vacancies,” immediately, which includes: Delmar Cobble, Briarwood (Harrisonville), Lakeview Woods (Lee’s Summit), Gateway/Hubert Wheeler (St. Louis), Rolling Meadow (Higginsville) and Ozark Hills (Salem). Another six schools will close at the end of the school year.

Mark Wheatley, assistant commissioner for the office of special education, said those schools never recovered from staffing shortages after temporary shutdowns were announced.

“Delmar was one of which had temporarily closed, dated between October of 2023 to as late as March 2025,” Wheatley said. “Those six buildings never got up to a staffing level that allowed us to return to those buildings. Those positions continued to be posted up until the recommendation, that was approved by the board just last week,”

When Delmar Cobble went into emergency consolidation, Wheatley said the school was serving eight students and about 10 or fewer staff members. He said about half of the students went to H. Kenneth Kirchner School in Jefferson City and the other four students went to Prairie View School in Marshall.

Wheatley said enrollment has dropped 30% during the past 15 years. With so few students, staffing for each building was a challenge.

Out of all Missouri Schools for the Severely Disabled, buildings were short staffed by 28%.

“The schools that are closing the student population is anywhere from about four up to 16, (students) so when you think about that we wouldn’t have had a full-time PE teacher. We wouldn’t have had a full time principal,” Wheatley said. “We may or may not have even had a full time nurse in a building with four students, they would have probably had to be split between two buildings,”

According to Wheatley, families and Individualized Education Program team were able to consider three options moving forward.

“One would be that they remain with MSD, but elect to transfer to one of the other more regional local schools within MSE. No. 2, they could actually return to the local education agency or that local public school district they are from. The third option, that’s available is that a school district can also elect to contact with an approved private agency to provide those educational services,” Wheatley said.

Parent Tammy Luttrell said her daughter went to Delmar Cobble from the age of 5 years old until she was 21. She enrolled her there after her daughter developed seizures and fell behind in learning. Luttrell sais her daughter’s original public school told her they couldn’t offer the support she needed.

Luttrell said Delmar Cobble helped her daughter in many ways.

“It’s great, they can give the kids a lot of one a one which is what a lot of these people need,” Luttrell said. “They did great with her, They took her as far as she absolutely could go. Even at her age now, she’s still sort of like picking up on things, she’s mute, they taught her some sign language there.

“They taught her so much it was great, and the teachers cared. I just worry about these other kids that are coming now in age because I don’t think she public schools are going to be able to give them the attention they need and the direction they need,”

“At one point they talked about putting my daughter back in public school and the special education teacher then said, no, I don’t have the knowledge to teach her. She just point blank said it takes special knowledge,” Luttrell said.

However, Wheatley says public schools often help disabled children thrive.

“Research tells us that students with disabilities, and even those with extensive support needs, like those served at MSD, benefit and have better outcomes when they are receiving their education alongside their non-disabled peers to the greatest extent appropriate,” Wheatley said.

Once all 12 planned closures are complete, there will be 22 operation schools for disabled children across the state.

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Ryan Shiner

COLUMBIA, mo.

A man was charged with multiple felonies after he allegedly fired gunshots at a family in California, Missouri, on Friday.

Ruben Obando-Romero was charged in Moniteau County with second-degree assault, armed criminal action and first-degree endangering the welfare of a child.

He is being held at the Moniteau County Jail without bond and California police wrote in a Saturday night social media post that an immigration detainer was issued for Obando-Romero. An arraignment is scheduled for 9 a.m. Tuesday.

The probable cause statement says police on Friday night were called to the intersection of East Main Street and Noas Avenue for a report of shots being fired. One of the victims allegedly told police that he and Obando-Romero got into an argument and Obando-Romero fired shots at the victim, the victim’s wife and child.

The victim’s wife was holding a 2-month-old child, according to court documents and the post. Police arrested Obando-Romero at gunpoint, determined he was drunk and used a breath test to determine his blood alcohol content was .168, more than twice the legal limit to drive, according to court documents.

The social media post says an interpreter was used to determine Obando-Romero admitted to shooting at the victims.

No injuries were reported.

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Nia Hinson

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

Two additional school buildings in Columbia will have weapons detection systems on the first day of class on Tuesday for the first time.

According to Columbia Public Schools spokeswoman Michelle Baumstark, Douglass High School and the Columbia Area Career Center will now have weapons detection systems. The district implemented the systems during the 2024-2025 school year for Battle, Hickman and Rock Bridge high schools.

Baumstark said six additional systems were approved for purchase by the Columbia Board of Education in December 2024. It cost the district $102,246 and was paid for by the Safety and Security Operation Budget.

The systems created long lines last school year, as CPS worked out the kinks of the new technology.

In a statement sent to ABC 17 News Monday afternoon, Baumstark said the district isn’t anticipating the systems to cause any delays during the upcoming school year.

“Last year, was the very first time we’d implemented the system and there was a steep learning curve for everyone. Now, with a full year under our belts and many efficiencies realized we’re in a much better position to begin the year with minimal issues,” Baumstark said.

The district will also utilize Raptor technology at every building during the new school year after it was implemented last year. The system requires all visitors to scan their IDs to gain entrance. It will do a check against the sex offender registry, as well as check for anyone who may be banned from visiting.

“What it does is we have a national list that we actually do additional work to keep updated and it’ll pull up the offender if there’s an offender,” Raptor Technologies spokesman David Rogers said. “If you’ve got a parent whose been banned from campus, if you’ve got custody issues and somebody is not allowed to pick up a child on Tuesdays and Thursdays or something like that, you’re able to put that into the system.”

According to Rogers, 43% of school districts in the state of Missouri utilize some form of Raptor technology. That equates to 239 districts that have implemented the software, or are in the process of doing so. Rogers said that number ranks high compared to other states.

St. Louis was the latest school district to implement the technology, approving it last week, Rogers said.

The Columbia Board of Education also approved a contract to replace the exterior doors at Rock Bridge High School during its Aug. 11 summer session. Baumstark told ABC 17 News on Monday that the district still needs to order the doors. A timeline for when they’ll be installed will be set following that.

CPS will welcome nearly 19,000 students this school year, according to a release from the district.

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Matthew Sanders

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (KMIZ)

President Donald Trump is tapping Missouri’s attorney general to be a key player in Trump’s FBI.

Missouri Attorney General Andrew Bailey will be the state’s third attorney general in a row to leave for Washington, D.C., when he takes a job as FBI co-deputy director working alongside Dan Bongino, Fox reported Monday.

Fox News first reported the story.

Bailey said in a news release that he plans to resign Sept. 8 to move on to his new job. The governor will now appoint a replacement to finish his term.

Former Gov. Mike Parson appointed Bailey to be AG in November 2022, and he was sworn in the following January. He won re-election with almost 60% of the vote in November 2024.

Bailey has been a strong supporter of Trump’s policy positions, joining the administration on multiple lawsuits.

Bailey also challenged Columbia Public Schools’ COVID-19 protocols in court and, recently, demanded documents from the company that is building the Grain Belt Express wind energy line through Missouri.

Check back for updates to this developing story.

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Ryan Shiner

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

A Kansas man was charged in Cooper County after he allegedly broke into a home and pointed a gun at the homeowner on Sunday morning.

Rivanold Truman Tegomo Tekombo, 25, of Olathe, Kansas, was charged with first-degree burglarly, second-degree kidnapping, armed criminal action and two misdemeanors: Fourth-degree assault and stealing. He is being held at the Cooper County Jail on a $250,000 bond. A court appearance is scheduled for 10:30 a.m. Tuesday.

The probable cause statement says law enforcement was called around 6 a.m. Sunday for a report for an abandoned vehicle on Highway 135 near Martinsville Road. Troopers found a note written in the GMC Yukon about the driver getting trespassed, the statement says. Police allegedly received a call about a crash around 1 a.m. near where the GMC was found, court documents say.

At 7:38 a.m., authorities received a phone call about a home invasion in the 14900 block of Highway 135 and that someone pointed a gun at the homeowners, the statement says.

The victim stated they came home after work and didn’t see his dog in the yard, he went inside and Tekombo allegedly pointed a gun at the victim while in the downstairs area of the home, court documents say.

A standoff ensued and Tekombo eventually came out of the home wearing some of the victim’s clothes at 9:35 a.m.

Tekombo allegedly wrote a number of things on a whiteboard, including “’#MAGA, #Life, Liberty, Happiness,’ and his Social Security number,” court documents say. He also allegedly wrote a note declaring himself a secretary for the US and was “awakened to protect President Donald Trump,” court documents say.

A family member allegedly told law enforcement that Tekombo is diagnosed with bipolar disorder and has not been taking his prescribed medicine, the probable cause statement says.

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Alison Patton

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

The Columbia City Council on Monday evening voted 5-0 to change its water rates.

According to council documents, the water ordinance would increase revenue by $3.6 million, or 12%, and would take effect with the start of the fiscal year on Oct. 1.

The council will decide on changing electric rates at its next regular meeting.

The electric utility ordinance, if passed, would also take effect Oct. 1, and would increase revenue by $2.8 million, or 2%, according to another council document.

The proposed price is based on the current Consumer Price Index, according to the council document for electric rates.

“This isn’t just a money grab. This is to go to pay for projects, to pay for materials, to pay for personnel and, you know, pay update staffing costs, those type things,” spokesperson for Columbia utilities Jason West said.

The utilities department says these changes are necessary because of the rising cost of operation and maintenance expenses, and to preserve adequate funds for both water and electric.

The city anticipates the increased water revenue will decrease monthly payments for about 65% of residential customers, according to a previous ABC 17 News report.

However, electric rates would increase service rates on all customer charges, demand charges, energy charges and dusk-to-dawn lights by 2%.

The customer charge for single-phase service would go up from $22 per month to $22.44, and the three-phase service would go up to $33.66 from $33.

West said it will be a couple extra dollars tacked onto the monthly electric bill.

“They will see an increase, but it’s not going to be 25 to $30 increase that most people may see under $5, an increase in their actual bill, depending on if they’re still using the same amount of electricity,” West said.

The energy charges vary based on how much energy is used and in what season. High utility costs have been squeezing consumers in the Midwest during the past year. Natural gas prices are up nearly 15% compared to a year ago, while electricity costs 7.4% more across the region.

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Mitchell Kaminski

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

With less than a month before the 2026 fiscal budget is expected to be approved, the City Council will hold the second of three public hearings at City Hall as staff brace for a tighter budget after expected tax revenue fell 3% short last year. 

The 2026 budget projects roughly $560 million in expenditures. Columbia allocated $563 million of its total spending for the 2025 fiscal year.

 According to the city, the proposed changes would increase water utility revenue by 12%. However, despite the increase City of Columbia expects water bills to decrease for 65% of residential customers under the three-tier system based on average water use.

The City Council is looking to vote on the final budget on Sept. 15 before the new fiscal year begins on Oct. 1. 

The City Council will also be holding a public hearing on setting the property tax rates. Roughly 8% of the general fund revenue comes from property tax, which brought in approximately $11.1 million last year. 

Property tax rates are established annually within limits set by Missouri’s constitution and statutes. They are based on revenues from the prior year, with adjustments for inflation. Growth from new construction, property improvements, and increases in personal property valuation are excluded when calculating the rate. The resulting figure becomes the city’s permitted tax rate if it falls below the legal ceiling, which in Columbia is currently $0.4125 per $100 of assessed valuation.

For 2024, the city’s tax rate was $0.4075 per $100 assessed valuation. For 2025, the rate has been reduced to $0.3907, as certified by the Missouri State Auditor. The decrease reflects the Hancock Amendment, which limits the growth of existing property values for tax purposes to the lesser of the Consumer Price Index or 5%. Because assessed valuation growth exceeded 8% this year, the city had to roll back the rate to comply with the law.

Under the proposed ordinance for 2025, a tax of $0.3907 per $100 assessed valuation would be levied on all taxable property in Columbia. If the state auditor determines the city’s ceiling is lower, the rate will be adjusted to the auditor’s ceiling.

Despite the lower rate, both the City of Columbia and Columbia Public Schools expect to collect more revenue in the upcoming fiscal year due to rising property assessments.

CPS Chief Financial Officer Heather McArthur confirmed the calculation in an email to ABC 17 News, noting the CPS finance committee will also be reviewing the tax rate calculation during its Monday night meeting.

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Matthew Sanders

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (KMIZ)

Fulton Public Schools is adding its name to a suit challenging a state law to provide subsidies for pro sports teams.

The Fulton Board of Education voted last week to join the lawsuit filed by state Sen. Mike Moon (R-Ash Grove), state Rep. Bryant Wolfin (R-Ste. Genevieve) and a Maries County man. The lawsuit alleges that Senate Bill 3 is unconstitutional because it has provisions related to numerous subjects.

The lawsuit also claims the bill allows elected officials to use campaign funds for personal use to pay attorneys to defend legal challenges brought against them related to the bill, and that it allows some, but not all, counties to vote on the adoption of the tax credits for property tax relief.

The board also voted to retain the law firm Tueth Keeney Cooper Mohan & Jackstadt, P.C., to represent FPS in court.

FPS said in a statement sent to ABC 17 News that the district is challenging the law’s property tax credit portion.

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