Category: kmiz-local-news

Erika McGuire

HIGH HILL, Mo. (KMIZ)

Gov. Mike Kehoe and leaders from Google unveiled a data center project Wednesday that includes a $15 billion infrastructure investment from the tech giant.

Kehoe joined local officials and Google executives at the Laborers and Contractors Training Center in High Hill on Wednesday afternoon. Speakers touted the jobs the project will bring and sought to dismiss concerns about data centers’ use of electricity and water resources.

“This data center will create thousands of construction jobs as it is being built and hundreds of full-time jobs once it is operational,” said Ruth Porat, Alphabet and Google president and chief investment officer. Each of those hundreds of jobs will create nine others, she said.

The new investment comes as residents in Montgomery County have expressed concerns over data centers since they are known to use a large amount of energy and water.

However, state leaders say the facility will operate differently than others.

“This is an air cooled facility so the only water usage will be from kitchens and bathrooms,” Public of Affairs Manager for the state of Missouri Trystine Payfer said.

Kehoe said the investment came with a commitment from Google to build up local infrastructure and expand energy affordability programs.

Google also announced a $20 million energy impact fund to support programs to drive down monthly energy bills to households in Missouri.

“Not only are we paying for own infrastructure and services we need to fund this facility we are paying a premium on top of that to put down pressure on peoples rates to make sure we are negativity affecting any rate payer,” Payfer added.

The $15 billion announcement comes as construction is underway on an Amazon Web Services Data Center on Hudson Road near New Florence. The Google Data Center Campus is off Interstate 70 on Tree Farm Road.

Google’s data center will be about 900 acres and will have to buildings along with a hub.

Payfer says Montgomery County was picked as a location due to several factors.

“Cost, effectiveness, reliability and community fit and this region is situated perfectly, we have a great talent pool, strong community partners and a excited community,” She said.

“Project Spade” is expected to bring in over 2,000 construction jobs and hundreds of full-time position once the facility is complete.

Kehoe said the project is about connectivity and creating jobs for Missouri families.

“The county has done a great job addressing those concerns, there has been a lot of misinformation, google is committed to making sure they understand faces go with these jobs, people and families go with these investments,” Kehoe said.

Project Spade, a codename for the Google data center campus, obtained two permits under Kinetic Site Ventures LLC that were issued in February of this year.

The permits are for data center complexes, with additional permits expected as the project continues.

The project is currently in the pre-construction phase and is set to be completed in the next two years.

 

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Ryan Shiner

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

No charges will be filed against Columbia Police Department officers who shot a man on Christmas Day.

Audrain County Prosecutor Jacob Shellabarger – who was named the special prosecutor in the case — wrote in a letter to the Boone County Circuit Court that he will not file charges against the officers.

“I have reviewed all reports, evidence and information regarding the December 25, 2025, shooting of Marc Lucas by the Columbia Police Department. I have found that the shooting was justified and proper under Missouri law, and although tragic, will not result in any criminal charges or further proceedings,” the May 15 letter says.

The names of the officers were not revealed. Shellabarger confirmed that two officers fired shots.

Lucas was charged in Boone County with first-degree arson, misdemeanor first-degree trespassing, two counts of unlawful use of a weapon and a pair of misdemeanor fourth-degree assault counts. Boone County Prosecutor Roger Johnson confirmed Lucas died and his charges have since been dropped.

Court documents in previous reporting say Lucas allegedly set a couch on fire at the Courtyard by Marriott hotel at Grindstone Parkway and Highway 63.

He then allegedly got into a fight with Holiday Inn Express employees after he was denied a room at that hotel, previous reporting indicates. He had also allegedly pulled out a knife during some point in the encounter.

Lucas then allegedly walked to a nearby Break Time gas station, pulled out the knife and threatened to assault someone while officers were there, the statement says.

Officers allegedly tried to use a stun gun while detaining Lucas, but Lucas then allegedly tried to attack one of the officers with a knife and he was shot, police wrote in a December press release.

Lucas was put into hospice care earlier this year.

Check back for updates.  

Lucas Marc OIS – SPA for CPD – Decline to Court 5-11-26Download

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Ryan Shiner

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

A Jefferson City man was charged on Tuesday with second-degree statutory rape in Cole County.

Page Guss, 22, is being held at the Cole County Jail without bond. An arraignment was scheduled for Wednesday afternoon.

The probable cause statement says the victim’s mother called Columbia police on May 16 to say their 16-year-old daughter had “sexual relations” with Guss at a Jefferson City hotel.

Guss allegedly picked up the girl from her parents’ residence and the mother called the victim’s phone and allegedly told Guss the girl was not an adult, the statement says. Guss allegedly said curse words at the mother and hung up the phone, the statement says.

Guss and the minor were unable to get a hotel room in Columbia, but were able to in Jefferson City, the statement says.

The victim allegedly told police Guss added her on the social media application Snapchat on May 15 and that they had sex in a Jefferson City hotel room the next day, the statement says.

Guss allegedly told police that after the phone call with the victim’s mother, the victim allegedly told him the mother lied and claimed she was 19 years old, court documents say.

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Matthew Sanders

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

The Justice Department on Thursday unveiled an indictment against former Cuban leader Raul Castro and five others at Miami’s Freedom Tower.

The charges are related to a 1996 incident in which two planes carrying humanitarian aid were shot down.

Watch the full news conference announcing the charges.

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Marie Moyer

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

The man accused of dumping a woman’s body in a trash bin in the Perche Creek over the weekend had his court date moved after failing to appear on Wednesday afternoon.

Capt. Brian Leer with the Boone County Sheriff’s Office told ABC 17 News that the delay was due to an unforeseen circumstance.

Acton was charged with abandoning a corpse and evidence tampering.

Andrew B. Acton, 53, of Columbia, was arrested Monday evening during a traffic stop after law enforcement found his Chevrolet S-10 pickup truck matched a similar vehicle seen entering the Eagle Bluffs Conservation Area on May 11. A security camera in the area observed that the truck was carrying a City of Columbia trash bin, similar to the one in which the body was found inside.

The trash can was initially recovered on Sunday by a fisherman at the Providence boat access who reported seeing a human leg wrapped in a blanket inside.

Leer adds that the security camera was a Flock security camera. He also confirmed that Acton was stopped on Monday at the Phillips 66 Gas station in the 1000 block of North Stadium Boulevard.

Court documents also report that Acton is an admitted drug user. He is currently in the Boone County jail without bond.

Other court and County Assessor Documents also report that Acton owes the counrt nearly $8,000 in property taxes from 2023 and 2024.

McCollum v Acton property tax lawsuit (1)Download

Acton’s last listed address is in the 3000 block of Bray Avenue in southwest Columbia. County records show the home was foreclosed on in March, with the property being purchased by HBH Holdings at the end of the month.

An ABC 17 News reporter spoke with neighbors in the area who claimed they didn’t often interact with the people at the home. They also reported that in the last few months, the outside of the home became unkempt.

According to documents from the Missouri Secretary of State’s office, Acton was a former owner of the now-closed 63 Diner in Columbia.

Acton’s initial hearing was rescheduled for May 26 at 1 p.m. in the Boone County Courthouse.

Authorities have not publicly identified the woman or given her age.

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Matthew Sanders

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

A woman initially charged with attempted murder for sneaking a poisonous plant extract into her husband’s smoothies has been given probation.

Judge Daniel Green last week sentenced Sarah E. Scheffer, who now lives in Sullivan, Missouri, to five years of supervised probation with a suspended sentence after she pleaded guilty to third-degree domestic assault, a Class E felony, in April.

Scheffer was also ordered to pay $359 in court costs at the rate of $50 per month.

Scheffer was allegedly caught on camera grabbing a substance out of a bag labeled “lily of the valley” and adding it to his smoothies. Lily of the valley is a poisonous plant.

Scheffer was a part-time design and art teacher at Calvary Lutheran High School in Cole County.

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Matthew Sanders

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

The University of Missouri Board of Curators is expected to vote Thursday on a 4% across-the-board tuition increase for undergraduate courses at the system’s four campuses.

The increases will range from $16.50 per credit hour at UMKC to $21 at UMSL. The Columbia campus would see a $19.11-per-credit-hour increase if the curators approve the measure during their video meeting.

The average cost for a semester at MU will increase by nearly $287, according to board documents.

Graduate and professional program rate increases will vary between 0.8% and 4.75% based on inflation and individual markets. Graduate tuition will increase by 3%.

fiscal 27 um tuitionDownload

Board documents state the increase at UM schools compares to the 2% to 4.5% range of tuition increases in the SEC and is lower than the 4.7% to 5% for other public institutions in Missouri.

The new rates would be in effect for fall 2026.

The amount brought in through tuition and fees at MU per full-time student has grown faster than the rate of inflation over the past decade.

The Missouri House approved a plan this year to start awarding universities funding based on their enrollment. That plan, which might have benefited larger schools such as MU, was later stripped from the state budget. However, lawmakers directed the Department of Higher Education and Workforce Development to study a way to reallocate higher education funding.

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Matthew Sanders

Republican lawmakers in Missouri are joining up to call for a special session for gas tax relief.

Multiple GOP state representatives have issued statements pushing for Gov. Mike Kehoe to call a special legislative session to vote on suspending Missouri’s 29.5-cent gasoline tax. This coincides with President Donald Trump’s proposal to suspend the federal 18.4-cent gas tax.

However, those savings might not all be passed on to consumers. The experts at the Penn Wharton Business School at the University of Pennsylvania estimate pump prices would fall about 13.2 cents, eventually, if the federal gas tax were suspended. Meanwhile, billions in revenue would be lost.

Do you think the governor should call a special session to suspend the state’s tax? Let us know by voting in the poll.

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Olivia Hayes

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

The City of Columbia is continuing the crack down on unregulated gaming machines with a new ordinance.

An ordinance was passed at Monday night’s council meeting against the maintenance and offering of illegal gaming or lottery machines.

Previous reporting shows the city has been targeting unregulated machines known as “gray machines” or “no-chance machines.” The machines have been described as being “skill-based,” which has brought up questions of legality.  The Columbia ban includes include a $1,000 fine or 30 days in jail.

Owning the machine is still not illegal, it just has to remain off and unused.

More than a dozen businesses allegedly operated an unregulated machine. The City Council looked to ban the use of those gaming machines as far back as February, but held off as the state appeared to have been moving forward with legislation at the time.

Anthony Gier, the owner of Eagle Stop convenience stores was charged May 12 in Boone and Miller counties after a statewide sting.

He was charged with four counts of first-degree promoting gambling in both counties. An initial court appearance is scheduled in Miller County for 9 a.m. Wednesday, June 10, while a hearing is set in Boone County for 1:30 p.m. Friday, June 26.

Similar felony and misdemeanor charges were filed on four other business owners.

On Feb. 10, Missouri Attorney General Catherine Hanaway also focused on unregulated gaming enforcement by suing five businesses with gaming machines in Dunklin County.

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Ryan Shiner

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

Go COMO, the City of Columbia’s public bus service, will restore its full fixed-route service on Tuesday, May 26, according to a press release from the city.

The bus system has been using combined routes since August 2023 because of staffing shortages. The release says the change back to full, fixed routes “is being implemented on a trial basis and is dependent on maintaining adequate staffing levels.”

All six routes – Green, Red, Black, Orange, Blue and Gold – will run throughout the day on weekdays from 6:25 a.m.-6:40 a.m. Three buses will serve all six routes on Saturdays, the release says.

The release says the transition is intentionally aligned with the University of Missouri’s summer break. Drivers who typically serve the MU Tiger Line will be reassigned to support the fixed-route service.

“Go COMO expects to continue hiring and training additional operators throughout the summer,” the release says. “The goal is to sustain full service beyond August; however, the continuation of this service level will depend on maintaining sufficient staffing. If operator availability declines, a return to the combined route system may be necessary.”

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