Category: kmiz-local-news

Ryan Shiner

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

A Fulton man was charged on Tuesday in Callaway County with second-degree child molestation and child abuse for an incident that allegedly occurred in 2024.

A no-bond warrant was issued for Zach Garner on Wednesday. A court date has not been announced.

The probable cause statement says a school resource officer in Callaway County was told by a school staff member on Jan. 16, that the victim told their parent about being molested by Gardner in 2024.

Garner had allegedly lived with one of the victim’s parents and sexually abused the youth during a night when the parent was asleep, the statement says. The parent and Garner got into an argument and Garner had left the residence afterwards, the statement says.

Garner allegedly denied the allegations to law enforcement but claimed he “wrestled” with the victim “frequently” and he “might have accidentally touched” the victim, which was a different scenario than the victim described in court documents.  

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Demetra Alarcon

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

The Missouri Department of Transportation is spreading awareness of safe driving practices heading into the holiday and winter season, with a goal of logging another year of declining traffic deaths.

According to MoDOT, November and December are busy times for deadly crashes. MoDOT said in 2025, 144 people were killed in traffic crashes in Missouri during those two months.

Distracted driving was a leading cause of fatal crashes in Missouri. To date in 2026, 716 people have died on Missouri roads.

“We’ve made progress in reducing fatalities each of the last three years, but if we want to achieve a fourth year in a row of reductions, we’re going to need everyone’s help,” MoDOT State Highway Safety and Traffic Engineer Jon Nelson said.

Wednesday is the 10th annual Buckle Up, Phone Down Day, when MoDOT and the Missouri State Highway Patrol will host a media event to share updated numbers on Missouri’s road deaths.

Missouri lawmakers have taken steps to create penalties for distracted driving.

The Siddens-Bening Hands-Free Law went into effect in August 2023. The law prohibits drivers from using their phone while driving on public roads.

Fines for violating the law include:

First offense: Fine of up to $150. Second offense (within 24 months): Fine of up to $250. Three or more offenses (within 24 months): Fine of up to $500. Work/school zones: Fines up to $500. Severe crashes: If a violation causes property damage over $5,000, severe injury, or death, penalties escalate from misdemeanors to felonies.

An officer can not pull you over solely for going on your phone while driving, making it a secondary enforcement, meaning that you must violate a primary traffic law to get pulled over.

Distracted driving was reported in crashes that killed 97 people in 2025. Authorities say the number is likely higher due to underreporting of distracted drivers.

According to the Missouri State Highway Patrol, road deaths have been decreasing since the law went into effect:

2021 – 1,007

2022 – 1,057

2023 – 991

2024 – 955

2025 – 909

2026 as of 10-27-26 – 753

In 2025, the MSHP wrote 1,508 citations and 1,690 warnings for the Hands-Free law. In 2026, so far, 909 citations and 2,882 warnings have been written.

“Probably the best way for the public to kind of get a gauge on the amount of violations that are going on is when you’re driving, and you’re paying attention to what’s going on around you. Look at the drivers around you when you try to stop by the stop sign, and you’re driving down a divided highway. Look at the people that are passing you,” Brown said.

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Mitchell Kaminski

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (KMIZ)

A proposed expansion of the Jefferson City landfill could extend its lifespan by nearly two decades, though the project drew little public attention during a hearing Wednesday evening.

The Missouri Department of Natural Resources held its third and final opportunity for public comment on Republic Services’ proposal to expand the landfill at 5605 Moreau River Access Road. The meeting lasted about eight minutes, with fewer than a dozen members of the public attending. The only person to speak expressed support for the project on behalf of Solid Waste Management. No elected officials attended.

The proposed expansion would add approximately 15.2 acres to the landfill, which was permitted in 1979 and has operated for 47 years. The additional space would accommodate several types of waste, including construction and demolition debris, tires and concrete.

Craig Abbott, environmental manager for Republic Services and the city landfill, said the expansion is necessary because the landfill is nearing the capacity allowed under its current permit.

“At the beginning, to permit a landfill, you have an original design, right? So it has a waste footprint, it has a top, it has sides. We kind of call that the box. So you’re trying to get as much trash in the landfill as you can,” Abbott said. “So we are to the point where that original permitted design is about full. We’re about three and a half years from filling up. So over the last four years, we’ve been working to do a horizontal expansion that gets us about another 20 years.”

Republic estimates the expansion would provide an additional 18 years of capacity, according to David Drilling, engineering section chief for DNR’s Waste Management Program.

The project would expand the landfill horizontally rather than significantly increasing its height.

“We have to expand. And it’s important for the people to understand that they’re not going to see much difference in height on the landfill,” Abbott said. “Essentially, what you’re going to see now is that footprint, that landfill, come in just a little bit closer to Shamrock Road.”

Discussions about the expansion began about four years ago, when Republic and its consultants started working on the proposal. The permitting process began in October 2022, when the company requested a preliminary site investigation from DNR.

Drilling said the review process includes evaluating the site’s geology and the systems designed to protect the environment.

“One of the biggest components is making sure it’s geologically sound. That starts with the Missouri Geological Survey. They do our preliminary site investigation and our detailed site investigation. They are looking at the geology, making sure that groundwater can be monitored at the site,” Drilling said. “We take a look at that when the construction permit gets to us. MGS has already decided that it is monitored and that it’s a geologically sound site. So we’re reviewing things like the liner design. The final cover design, the leachate extraction system. That kind of stuff.”

Republic submitted its construction permit application on Dec. 15, 2025. DNR has one year to review the application, and the department is approaching that deadline.

“Our permit process is fairly lengthy. We started this in October of 2022, when Republic requested a preliminary site investigation for the site. We are nearing the end,” Drilling said. “We have a year to review the construction permit. They submitted that December 15 of 2025. So we’re coming up on that deadline here within the next six, seven, eight weeks.”

DNR has received limited public feedback during the permitting process. Drilling said an earlier public awareness session raised questions about whether enough cover soil was available at the site.

“We had some initial comments during the public awareness session on the availability of cover soils at the site,” Drilling said. “We paid pretty close attention to that while we were viewing the application, and it is adequate. So, it’s been pretty minimal at this site.”

Abbott said the company also saw limited participation during two previous public meetings held as part of the four-year permitting process.

“In the four years, this will be our third public hearing. We had to do one originally here, at the very, very beginning of the permitting process,” Abbott said. “Same participation, not many people. Then we had to do one about halfway through at our facility, inviting people in so we could take tours and stuff. No opposition. And then tonight, as you can see, no opposition either.”

If the expansion moves forward, Republic would eventually need to begin planning for additional landfill capacity. Abbott said that process would start years before the proposed expansion reaches capacity.

“About 10years, eight years prior to the new expansion being filled up we’ll start to look at the next phase,” Abbott said. “We want to be a good steward. We want to be a good partner with Jeff City, not only Jeff City, but the surrounding communities that we serve.”

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Melissa Houston

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (KMIZ)

The candidates running to take over a seat currently held by term-limited State Rep. Rudi Veit (R-Wardsville) have different viewpoints on the state’s congressional map controversy and how to properly fund public education.

Two candidates are running to fill the House District seat. The Republican candidate is former Jefferson City Mayor Carrie Tergin, and the Democratic candidate is longtime Cole County resident Becky Kroll.

House District 59 covers much of Cole County, with parts of Jefferson City.

Proposition A will ask Missouri voters Tuesday if they approve the “Missouri First” map approved by Republican legislators last year amid a White House push for more GOP congressional seats. Legal battles over congressional maps have followed, and critics call the map “gerrymandered” in favor of Republicans.

Tergin said that while going door-to-door to campaign, she has heard opposition for both the 2025 and 2022 maps.

“I’ve heard people who truly believe in it. I’ve also heard people with concerns saying that the size of the district is it really, truly representing everyone’s best interests,” Tergin said. “So right now, I’m hearing really both at the doors.”

Kroll said both maps were gerrymandered and that placing District 59 in the same U.S. House District with St. Louis or Kansas City is not something she is thrilled about.

“I don’t know a whole lot about Kansas City, but I do know this: I don’t know enough about Kansas City to make decisions on who is going to be running the district, including Kansas City,” Kroll said. “I think that the 2022 map is the more fair of the two maps, although with a slight disclaimer that that one is also heavily, heavily gerrymandered, so, not a fan of the 2022 map, but I’m more of a fan of the 2022 map than the 2025 one.”

MO-house-district-059-map-2021-22_24x36Download Public education funding

Both candidates agree that public education funding is an important issue in District 59 that needs to be addressed.

Tergin said the district has strong public schools and needs to continue that way to keep opportunities open and keep families coming to Cole County.

“We have a lot of people at stake, from our students and the teachers and the parents and our school facilities and administrators are so much and the different types of schools that we have, so we really want to work together to keep our education strong,” Tergin said. “That’s what attracts people to our areas, and we have strong schools in the district, but we want to make sure that we maintain that.”

For Kroll, public education funding is one of her top priorities, alongside rural healthcare. Funding for schools shouldn’t be an easy place to make cuts, she said.

“There is a point where it’s no longer just a transportation issue; it’s not just tightening your belt, you’re asking for them to lose teachers, lose staff, to lose support staff, to cut services,” Kroll said. “We make a promise when we have a community that says we’re going to make sure that we build the future, and education is the first step in that.”

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Marie Moyer

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

Missouri officials are reassuring voters of election security ahead of next week’s midterm election.

“There’s a number of safeguards that we have in place, not just for the security of the machines, but also the security of the ballots,” Boone County Clerk Brianna Lennon said. “We have a chain of custody on each of the ballots that we have that get delivered to the polling places and our election judge teams sign off on them, so there’s always a bipartisan custodian over our ballots at the polling place, and then also as they’re being returned back to our office.”

According to a Pew Research Study, roughly half of voters are confident that U.S. election systems are free from hacking and other technological threats. Republicans were 47% confident in the election systems, while Democratic voters were 60% confident.

According to Secretary of State Denny Hoskins, all voting machines, or tabulators, are publicly tested and then sealed before and after election day. The machines are also required to produce a paper trail of ballots and are not connected to the internet.

“We have election judges, bipartisan teams come in to make a test stack of ballots and they run those through each of the machines and then we do a hand count to make sure that they count correctly,” Lennon said.

Lennon adds the tabulators have several locks to secure the bin where the ballots are organized. Tape is also placed over the locked section that houses a USB with the record of ballots cast.

“On Election Night, our election judge supervisors bring back the physical ballots and the little USB drive that has all of the data of those ballots back to our office,” Lennon said. “We put it into our standalone computer that’s also not connected to the Internet, and it tabulates and accumulates all of the results.”

The tablet ballot markers are also not connected to the internet. They allow voters with accessibility or mobility needs to mark their ballots electronically, with the printed, filled-out paper ballot then submitted to the tabulator. The device also prevents voters from picking more than one candidate.

Election results are also audited by local election officials before results are released. Every county additionally has its own voting system.

Lennon reports Boone County hand counts a section of their votes before announcing election results.

“After Election Day, we have bipartisan teams of election judges come out, they take all the ballots that were cast from a randomly selected 5% of our polling places, and they hand count them to match what the results that came out of the electronic tabulators were on election night,” Lennon said.

According to the U.S. Election Assistance Commission, voter registration data is held in a secure database with the Secretary of State that follows routine backups and is frequently monitored. Lennon adds that the database is on a VPN. Boone County additionally uses a copy of the voter registration list when checking in voters or in the case that the storage system fails.

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Mitchell Kaminski

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (KMIZ) 

EDITOR’S NOTE: Video that included a Missouri Department of Natural Resources sign has been removed.

A sharp increase in camping violations on Missouri Department of Conservation areas prompted new regulations requiring campers to obtain permits beginning in March 2027.

Under the new regulations, campers will need to purchase a $5 permit covering up to five days and a group of up to 10 people. The fee remains $5 even if campers stay fewer than five days or fewer than 10 people participate.

Camping will remain first-come, first-served.

The Missouri Conservation Commission gave final approval to the changes Oct. 23 during a meeting in Cape Girardeau. The regulations are intended to help conservation agents monitor camping areas, address safety concerns and identify people involved in illegal activities.

According to MDC Deputy Director Aaron Jeffries, conservation agents issued 13 citations and 14 warnings related to camping in 2018. However the number of  violations saw their first sharp in increase increased sharply in 2019 and have continued to rise, to roughly “700% compared to 2018 numbers.” 

Those figures do not include other violations that may occur at camping areas, including littering, driving vehicles off-road, warrant arrests and drug arrests, Jeffries said.

MDC manages about 1,000 conservation areas across Missouri, more than 320 of which offer free camping. The new regulations will take effect in March 2027. Until then, campers do not need permits, pay fees or register before staying at those locations. MDC said the current lack of a registration system makes it difficult for conservation agents and staff to identify campers and address problems.

The regulations also require each sleeping unit, including tents and campers, to display the permit holder’s full name and address or conservation number on durable material visible from outside.

Groups larger than 10 people will need both a camping permit and a special use permit. Individuals will be limited to three consecutive camping permits and six permits per year.

Based on public feedback, MDC removed a proposed rule that would have prohibited personal property from being left unattended for more than 24 hours.

Permits will be available beginning in March 2027 through MDC’s online system, at permit vendors or by phone. Campers will also be able to display permits through the department’s MO Fishing and MO Hunting apps.

MDC said the low-cost permits will help staff better understand how many people use conservation areas, improve monitoring and promote safer camping experiences.

The commission also approved a separate change allowing campers to collect dead and downed wood for personal fires. The wood must remain within the conservation area. Under the previous regulations, campers could not collect firewood on MDC areas.

The commission initially approved the proposed camping permit changes May 29. MDC held a public comment period in July and August before the final approval.

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Olivia Hayes

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

The Columbia Public School District’s Long-Range Facilities Planning Committee is looking into voter-approved bonds to fund $420 million in its long-range facility plan for the next 10 years.

The district’s last $300 million bond plan included new schools like Beulah Ralph Elementary School, John Warner Middle School and more. The Columbia Area Career Center also received a multi-million dollar renovation.

Now school officials are looking to restore and renovate their existing buildings using General Obligation Bonds. GO Bonds are municipal bonds or debt issued by the district and repaid using revenuereceived from local property taxes. Voters could get their chance to vote “yes” or “no” as soon as April 6, 2027.

The new proposed bond plan would go into effect April 2027 and run through early 2037. The money would go to things like critical roofing repairs, heating, ventilation and air-conditioning systems, plumbing, electrical, security, improving athletic facilities and more.

Hickman High School comes in at the largest ticket item for the district to address, according to information provided by the district. A full renovation of the building is estimated at around $79.5 million, excluding the pool. The school reports a 99% capacity rate with 2,038 students.

Other preliminary renovation dollar amounts include $18,550,000 at West Middle School for a fine arts renovation/addition, $16,562,500 to renovate the older portion of Jefferson Middle School, $14,683,650 to renovate Fairview Elementary, $14,352,069 to renovate Benton Elementary and $14,257,000 to renovate Parkade Elementary, according to a presentation available on the district’s website

“Renovations can address classrooms, labs, instructional technology, accessibility, restrooms, circulation, interiors and building systems,” according to the meeting’s presentation.

The presentation describes “immediate/critical needs” totaling $130 million, with “critical building systems” totaling $38.4 million, including:

$8.3 million for critical roofing repairs across eight schools. Farview Elementary and Parkade Elementary have the most expensive needs with $1.6 million in repairs each. Rock Elementary School and West Middle School don’t fall far behind. $7.5 million in weatherization needs focus on school parking lots, improving drainage, playground accesibility and more. Electrical needs at Jefferson Middle School take up majority of the total $4.6 million in immediate needs with an estimated $3.2 million in renovations. $3.1 million in flooring,$1 million of which is slated for Jefferson Middle School and $625,000 for Hickman High School. $4.7 million in plumbing and fire protection systems. $10.2 million for HVAC repairs or replacements across three schools. West Elementary School and Middle School are in the most dire need with a combined $9.5 million in funds needed.

The presentation shows $750,000 is needed for HVAC replacement at Mill Creek Elementary, but the LRFP Committee is looking to move $800,000 of previously approved funding for a flooring project to cover the costs.

Following Tuesday’s meeting of the LFRP Committee, the district’s Finance Committee will consider recommendations on final bond amounts on Monday.

Check back for updates.

long range planning CPSDownload

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Alison Patton

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

The Family Access Center of Excellence of Boone County has changed its name to better reflect its services after being tasked with cutting $1.6 million. The shortfall in funding has cut out community-based services and has forced some staff to be let go.

The newly named Boone County Schools Mental Health Coalition will focus on school-based services, including therapy access programs and supporting juvenile justice efforts, coalition director Sarah Owens said.

“We are shifting our name to represent that we are no longer an ‘access center’ and give recognition to our work being primarily school-based,” Owens wrote in a text message.

Juvenile justice diversion efforts will transition over from the community-based services and those programs will be integrated into schools.

“Partnering with law enforcement in schools to identify students who may have a higher risk for future offenses and how we can prevent those,” Owens said in an interview.

She also said that the bulk of funding went toward paying staff, and when community services were slashed, so was the workforce.

The coalition receives its funding from the Children’s Services Fund, a quarter-cent sales tax approved in 2012, Boone County Community Services Department deputy director Kristin Cummins said. Funding peaked in 2017 at $16 million, but the county requires 17% of the total fund to be kept in reserves for emergencies.

More money was distributed to organizations in the years following, but revenue dwindled, leaving the coalition without the necessary funding to keep up with its community-based efforts. Cuts to the coalition weren’t based on performance.

“Quality of work has been great,” Cummins said. “It comes down to the amount of funding that we have available moving forward, and that the Child Services Board decided that they really need to take a hard look at where funding was going.”

The coalition has a $3.6 million budget for 2026, but that will begin to decline throughout the “transition period,” Owens said.

Cuts to services and staff have already been made, along with losing the brick-and-mortar building.

“Rent is not something we’re able to sustain, so we’re always on the hunt for places that we can meet and gather, but we do not have one collective space,” Owens said.

There will be a large cut for 2027; the coalition will have about $2.3 million. By the beginning of 2028, the coalition will be down to $2 million, a 43% cut.

There are 57 other programs that receive money from the children’s service fund. Those programs are safe from cuts for 2026, but that could change when those programs reapply for funding in the spring and are awarded in the summer.

There are over 40 organizations that receive funding, some with more than one program, including City of Refuge, First Chance for Children and The Food Bank for Central and Northeast Missouri.

The coalition is on a different contract timeline than the other organizations, resulting in a difference in when they are affected by funding cuts.

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Demetra Alarcon

MOBERLY, Mo. (KMIZ)

Moberly marked progress toward opening its first new fire station since 1977 on Tuesday.

The Moberly Fire Department held a “topping off” ceremony for a new fire station at 1445 S. Morley St., which is set to open in May 2027.

People at the event Tuesday signed a steel beam that will be used to build the new station.

Moberly Fire Chief Don Ryan said the new station will bring big opportunities for improvement for the fire department.

“The training aspect of things that’s coming with this and just the newness of it, the city deserves it and the guys are appreciating the fact that they’re going to be the ones that get to take advantage of it,” Ryan said.

Ryan said the new station will pick up calls on the south side of town. MFD’s average response time is around 4 minutes.

Ryan said the goal is to have an enclosed structure built before winter so contractors can continue to work through the winter to meet their expected May finish.

Ryan said that while there may be delays due to weather, he expects to be operating within a week of the facility’s completion.

Moberly City Manager Michael Bugalski said the new station has been in the works for at least four years.

The project cost $5 million, with money coming from federal, state, and local governments. Moberly received $1.2 million in federal funding from UDSA, which Bugalski said will help pay for the department’s training tower.

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Matthew Sanders

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

A Boone County judge on Monday extended a restraining order giving college basketball eligibility to Mizzou basketball transfer CJ Gunn.

Circuit Judge Jeff Harris extended until Monday a temporary restraining order granting Gunn the ability to play for Mizzou in the coming season. Gunn’s lawyer, Scott Pool, had canceled the original hearing set for Tuesday, saying in court that there were “developments that were learned of last evening” that had changed the case.

Because of those changes, it’s no longer clear whether Gunn will seek a preliminary injunction — a more permanent order to keep him on the Mizzou roster. Harris ordered Pool and the NCAA’s legal representation to make the case for whether a preliminary injunction is needed by 5 p.m. Monday.

Mizzou men’s basketball tips off the season Tuesday at Mizzou Arena, hosting Cleveland State.

The original temporary restraining order would have lasted until Thursday, so the extension gives Gunn more time to react to the new developments, which were not explained in court.

Gunn is a guard who had played at DePaul, along with three games in the Canadian Basketball League, before seeking a transfer to Mizzou. The transfer guard filed a lawsuit in Boone County to get a fifth year of eligibility amid a wave of such cases in college sports.

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