Category: kmiz-local-news

Sutton Parker

COLUMBIA Mo. KMIZ

45 Missouri Task Force One crewmembers returned home from San Antonio Saturday afternoon after assisting in search and rescue operations following extreme flooding in the region.

The team originally deployed to Texas roughly seven days ago in response to severe flash flooding caused by heavy rains in the state’s southern region. Following operations in Zapata County near the southeastern Texas-Mexico border, the unit repositioned to San Antonio to prepare for potential deployment during Tropical Storm Bertha.

Earlier this month, the team assisted in southern Missouri during its four-day deployment in Reynolds and Iron counties to respond to and help with the historic flooding.

Task Force 1 arrived back at Boone County Fire Protection District Headquarters around 3:00 p.m. this afternoon.

Lieutenant Ryan Benedict with the department said the main priority of the task force was to meet up with local agencies and stage for awaiting missions.

Benedict said that the team was out the door headed to Texas 4 hours after they got the activation call.

“So whenever the activation order comes in, we’ve got to be wheels on the road within four hours. That’s a commitment that we made to the folks that call us,” he said.

“It was for us to provide relief for them. Our priorities were to maintain mission readiness. We were there to answer 911 calls along the river basin along the Rio Grande,” Benedict said. “Should anything arise. We had teams monitoring the conditions and the water levels.”

Benedict added that teams also worked to monitor water levels along the river, and even with the quick turnaround, they were always ready and prepared.

“So we’re always ready to respond; our thinking on our way down there is what do we need to do to be available in case that call comes in,” Benedict said. “When we got to the staging area, when we were relocated to sort of out of county, and then even we were relocated back to staging in the anticipation of the tropical storm coming in.”

Benedict said that teams also assisted with reconnaissance on the Rio Grande.

“The idea was to recon that area, familiarization with the area because the water levels were coming up dramatically,” Benedict said.

He added that the team did not make any rescues during the deployment.

Task Force 1 medical manager Jared Norman said the team’s morale held strong during the back-to-back deployments.

“So that obviously is pretty challenging, but overall, I think everybody’s morale is fantastic; there were always smiles on people’s faces,” Norman said. “You know, I think a lot of people on the team are the type who want to be out there doing things and helping.”

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Melissa Houston

Editor’s note: A line in reference to a song that was performed at the event has been corrected.

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

The Daniel Boone Regional Library hosted “Rainbow Story Time” on Saturday after receiving threats of potential funding loss from Missouri Secretary of State Denny Hoskins.

The event happened in the Children’s Program Room, and Mitzi St. John with the library said there were an estimated 150 attendees. The Program Room itself was full, and attendees were standing outside the room to participate.

Outside of the library, participants had chalk inviting people to draw encouraging messages on the pavement.

During the event, two speakers read through Rainbowasaurus, Big Wig, as well as sing-along songs like Old MacDonald and a parody of Chappell Roan’s ‘Pink Pony Club.’ The event ended with attendees getting rainbow scarves and bubbles as they left.

This happens shortly after Attorney General Catherine Hanaway and Hoskins sent a letter to the to library.

Hanaway stated in her letter that local residents contacted her office to ensure this event is “conducted in a manner consistent with Missouri law.”

Hoskins’ letter to the library stated, “Please be advised if this inappropriate endeavor for children takes place, I will do everything in my power to block every dollar of state and federal funding I can from future events at the Daniel Boone Library System.”

There were 3 protesters at the event holding signs that stated “Nothing but a sex fetish cult,” and “TQ+ = pedophilia.”

ABC 17 spoke with one protester who, for privacy reasons, gave only their first name.

This protester said the community itself (referring to the LGBTQ+) is pushing a narrative towards children.

He stated, “They’re pushing a narrative on the children, thinking they can, be, change their sex and everything; that’s child abuse.”

Brandon Steele, a first-time attendee at the library’s story time event, said he came to support his community.

“Seeing the letter from the attorney general was a little upsetting. So I just wanted to make sure that there were people here spreading positive energy,” Steele said.

Steele said he was disappointed by the “intimidating letter” that was sent by state officials to the library.

“I don’t know why anyone would actually think that this library was going to show sexually explicit material to children. I just can’t fathom where that claim actually comes from,” Steele said. “For them to spend time and resources to send an intimidating letter to a public resource that exists only to serve the community, it’s and it’s upsetting.

Steele said he saw the social media traction the event was getting and wanted to be a calm figure amongst the chaos.

“I came here expecting there to be like a big crowd of people maybe causing problems,” Steele said. “And it was completely unnecessary. There was like one guy.”

Hoskins’ and Hananway’s office was contacted for a statement about their next steps since the event did take place, but no response has been made.

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Haley Swaino

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

A man was taken to a hospital with a life-threatening injury after a shooting in northeast Columbia on Friday evening.

According to a social media post from the Columbia Police Department, officers were called to the 2800 block of Mulberry Road around 4 p.m. for shots fired.

At the scene, CPD found a man with a life-threatening gunshot wound. He was taken to a local hospital by ambulance. The post says a juvenile was also at the scene but was not hurt.

There were “no outstanding suspects” as of Friday night and no threat to the public, according to the post. The investigation is ongoing.

ABC 17 News has reached out to CPD for more information.

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Ryan Shiner

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

The parents of a man who was killed in a 2023 crash in Columbia have sued multiple parties for wrongful death.

Walker Davis, 18, was killed in the crash Aug. 5, 2023, crash at Kelly’s Ridge Apartments. Elizabeth Lopez, 26, pleaded guilty on March 23, 2026, to three counts of leaving the scene of an accident.

She originally faced a manslaughter charge, but was given five years of probation after serving in a 120-day jail program. Court filings show Lopez is expected to complete the program on July 31. She is currently being held at Women’s Eastern Reception, Diagnostic and Correctional Center in Vandalia.

Davis’ parents, Brad and Mary Davis, filed a lawsuit Friday in Boone County against Lopez, the company that owns the apartment and the Missouri Highways and Transportation Commission. All defendants are accused of wrongful death.  

The petition accuses the apartment company of not having any traffic control signage and claims the MHTC did not design the driveway in a way that could hold traffic control signage. It also calls the entryway from West Broadway “dangerous.”

After the crash, court documents in previous reporting say Lopez reentered the Kelly’s Ridge apartments parking lot and fled the scene. Court documents allege she went back to her apartment and told her boyfriend about the crash. While officers investigated the scene and towed her vehicle from outside the apartment, Lopez allegedly did not make herself known to the police until the morning.

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Ellyse Edwards

COLUMBIA, Mo (KMIZ)

Columbia Animal Control is temporarily pausing most stray dog pickups after it and the Central Missouri Humane Society reached capacity, prompting officials to reserve kennel space for emergencies.

Animal Control says its contract with the Humane Society provides 25 primary cages. Those kennels have filled with stray dog pickups, animals being held for court proceedings and legally required quarantines.

“We made the decision to go ahead and pause stray dog pickup so that we could hold those five cages for emergency situations,” Animal Control supervisor Kevin Meyers said.

While the temporary pause is in place, officials say aggressive dogs and other public safety concerns will continue to receive priority.

People who find friendly stray dogs are encouraged to first try reuniting them with their owners by filing a lost pet report with Animal Control and posting in the Columbia, Missouri Lost and Found Pets Facebook group.

CMHS says it’s also running out of space because of an increase in dogs entering the shelter, along with animals connected to cruelty investigations, neglect cases and legally required quarantines.

“So there’s just a great need in the community for our services,” CMHS Executive Director Michelle Casey said. “We are about at capacity. We are running out of kennel space.”

The shelter is asking community members to help by fostering or adopting pets. Casey said even short-term fostering can make a significant difference.

“Even just getting a pet out of here for a weekend or a few days makes such a big difference for us because it opens up space in the shelter, but also allows us to learn a lot more about that animal when they’re in a home setting,” Casey said.

Animal Control says it expects the pause to be temporary and hopes normal stray dog intake can resume as more animals are adopted or placed in foster homes.

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Demetra Alarcon

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

A project director for the Improve I-70 Project from Rocheport to Columbia says the St. Charles Road bridge on Interstate 70 will be opening mid-August.

There is an estimated date of Friday, Aug. 14 for when drivers can use the bridge.

The East St. Charles Road bridge has been under construction since mid-April and was expected to open back in late September.

“We have been absolutely killing construction in that area. It is going very, very well. And, I see no reason why we would not be opening by mid-August at this point,” said Spencer Robinson, who is a project director on the Improve I-70 project.

After the St. Charles bridge is completed, the Missouri Department of Transportation has plans for additional improvements.

Shortly after the bridge opens, a part of Clark Lane will be closed to begin construction on the Hanover roundabout.

For the Providence Road bridge that is under construction, all piers and foundations have been poured.

Construction on the underneath support beams will begin Monday. Roadblocks will be in place in the westbound lane through Wednesday.

MoDOT is aiming to have the Providence Road bridge reopened by late October.

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Sutton Parker

COLUMBIA Mo. KMIZ

Missouri state parks funding and soil and water conservation funding will be back on the ballot for the Aug. 4 election.

Amendment 1 is an automatically recurring 10-year renewal of Missouri’s existing 1/10-cent statewide sales tax, which split-funds state parks and soil and water conservation efforts. The tax has won passage every 10 years since its inception in the 1980s.

The tax would specifically go to renovating facilities, maintenance and the upkeep of state parks.

Along with funding for the soil and water Conservation program to preserve water quality and help to reduce erosion to protect water quality.

Missouri Department of Natural Resources Director Kurt Schaefer said the tax generates around $168 million.

“So it gets split in half. So 50% goes to our state park system, and then the other 50% goes to the Soil and Water Conservation program,” he said.

This year, with many other tax votes on the ballot, Schaefer said the familiarity of this amendment makes him confident it will pass again.

“I think the distinction with amendment one is voters have approved this so many times, in support of it, it showed through their vote that I think they’re very familiar with it, you know, so every ten years that this has been on the ballot since the 1980s, it has increased in the number of votes it gets,” he said.

Scheaffer said that if the amendment is not passed, park funding would have to come out of the state’s budget.

“Presumably general revenue, which is something that’s in very short supply right now. We’re dealing with a lot of issues in the state budget right now with general revenue,” he said.

Adding that a lack of general funds was the reason this amendment was added to the ballot in the first place.

“So that’s the one thing about this, really, in the 1980s that was put together by citizens who got this on initiative, a petition onto the ballot in 1984,” he said.

Tylet Schwartze with the Conservation Federation of Missouri said that if this amendment fails, it would lead to entrance fees returning to state parks.

“If it weren’t to pass, it would definitely be some financial challenges. The burden on the state parks, potential entrance fees,” he said.

Scheaffer said one of the reasons behind the creation of the amendment in the 1980’s was for that exact reason.

“Parks were actually starting to install gates to charge an entrance fee. And that’s really what prompted the parks part of this tax to get people involved and get it on the ballot and get this passed initially in 1984,” he said.

Schwartze said that even with other taxes up for a vote in August, he remains hopeful Amendment 1 will pass.

“Even though there are other amendments, I think it’s important to focus on Amendment 1 and what it does, the impact that it has on the citizens. It’s a renewal tax;s been around since 1884. Last time, citizens renewed this tax by over 80%. So four out of five Missourians said yes last time,” he said.

The last time Amendment 1 appeared on the ballot was in 2016, when it was passed by 80% statewide.

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Demetra Alarcon

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

Pavement maintenance will take place on Old 63 starting from 7 p.m. to 7 a.m. each night starting Monday.

The City of Columbia Public Works Department has been revamping streets throughout Columbia one at a time. The construction on Old 63 will start at its intersection with Chinaberry Drive.

The work will start south and end north by Business Loop 70.

John Ogan with the City of Columbia Public Works says that although the project was supposed to start on Friday, weather pushed the work back.

An estimated finish date was set for July 31. There has been no confirmation if this finish date will be met due to the unexpected weather.

Since the work is taking place overnight, not everybody will be affected and one lane will always be open.

Ogan urges drivers to stay alert and keep workers safe.

“They’ll be working just a few feet from live traffic. So if you see these crews, just follow the flagger instructions. Don’t go until it’s your turn.” Ogan said. “These are workers who are working for the benefit of our transportation network. Just make sure they go home safe.”

The last time Old 63 was repaved was 15 years ago.

Roads that have gone through maintenance this summer are:

Nebraska Avenue from North Seventh Street to North Providence Road

Big Bear Boulevard from Providence Road to the east end of the street

Watson Place from Elm Street to Woodson Way

South Fifth Street from Cherry Street to East Stewart Road

Sixth Street from Ash Street to Elm Street

Elm Street from South Sixth Street to South Ninth Street

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Ryan Shiner

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

A Missouri appeals court has reversed a decision made by a Cole County judge in a decades-old murder case.

Judge Emily Fretwell had dismissed charges against William “Chris” Niemet earlier this month.

Niemet, of Fulton, is charged with first-degree murder in a 1991 death of his classmate in Russellville.

Fretwell had dismissed the case on July 16 and the attorney general’s office filed an appeal immediately, according to a Friday statement from the AG’s office and court filings. Catherine Hanaway’s office filed a writ against Fretwell, which was issued by the Western District court on July 20.

Hanaway’s filing on July 16 kept Fretwell “from taking further action” in the case, unless Fretwell vacated the order. Fretwell then vacated her order and an arraignment was scheduled for 1:30 p.m. Tuesday, Aug. 11.

Niemet is accused of killing Greg Jones in April 1991 in Russellville. Jones was 14. Niemet also would have been 14 at the time. Niemet was charged in 2020 with first-degree murder. The trial has been delayed multiple times.

Fretwell was assigned to the case in May after a request for a change in judge was filed.

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Ryan Shiner

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

The Sedalia Police Department issued an endangered Silver Advisory for a 79-year-old woman with dementia who went missing on Friday morning, according to an alert from the Missouri State Highway Patrol.

Helen Frances Gillespie was last seen at 7 a.m. in the 1900 block of East 9thn Street in Sedalia, according to the release. She is 5-feet, 5-inches tall, weighs 180 pounds and has brown hair and blue eyes.

She left her residence this morning in a blue 2012 Toyota Rav 4 with an “unknown intended destination.” The license plate reads LG3D8S.

The vehicle was last seen heading northbound on Glenstone Avenue at Kearney Street in Springfield, Missouri, at 2:09 p.m., the release says.

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