Category: kmiz-local-news

Ryan Shiner

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

Randolph County Prosecutor Stephanie Luntsford on Friday confirmed the name of the woman accused of stealing a Randolph County Sheriff’s Office patrol vehicle on Thursday.

Alayna Mason, 20, of Moberly, was arrested on suspicion of stealing a motor vehicle, stealing a gun and escaping from custody. Luntsford said charges were not filed on Friday because the courts are closed for former President Harry Truman’s birthday.   

Several law enforcement agencies were seen Thursday near Lee and Morley streets after someone allegedly stole a patrol vehicle.

The Moberly Police Department wrote in a Thursday social media post that the suspect was in custody before the theft.  

Mason is currently being held at the Randolph County Jail without bond, according to jail records.

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Ryan Shiner

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

No people were injured, but a cat died in a Friday morning Columbia house fire, according to a press release from the Columbia Fire Department.

The release says firefighters were called just before 8 a.m. to the 400 block of McBaine Avenue.  

Firefighters saw black smoke and fire coming from the home, the release says. Flames were contained to the room the fire started in and it was “under control within approximately six minutes of arrival,” the release says.

The fire was ruled accidental “due to combustible materials left too close to a heat source,” the release says.

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Ryan Shiner

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

Jefferson City High School’s graduation ceremony on Friday will be moved indoors because of inclement weather, according to an email from a district spokesman.

The email says seniors have been given six tickets each in case the ceremony was going to be moved to Fleming Fieldhouse. Doors open at 6 p.m.

Students who have not received their tickets ca pick them up at the main office, the email says.

The school will also livestream the ceremony on its YouTube page.

Capital City High School held its graduation ceremony on Thursday night.

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Matthew Sanders

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

Access to a program that serves as a hub for University of Missouri students and instructors has been restored.

The University of Missouri said Friday that Instructure, which operates the Canvas learning management system, has fixed security problems that had made the program unavailable. MU students and instructors use the system to turn in work and provide grades.

MU encouraged users Friday to be careful for suspicious activity when using the system.

Security issues had Canvas offline throughout Thursday, affecting thousands of students at schools across the country.

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Matthew Sanders

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

A driver suffered serious injuries in a crash that shut down part of Clark Lane in northeast Columbia on Friday.

Emergency dispatchers sent a public alert that the crash had closed Clark Lane at Hanover Boulevard at about 9 a.m. The road remained closed at 9:30 a.m.

Columbia Fire Department Battalion Chief Shawn Noordsy said the crash involved two vehicles, and one driver was severely injured. No other details were immediately available.

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Jazsmin Halliburton

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

The Thompson Center for Autism and Neurodevelopment celebrated the grand opening of its new facility Friday morning.

The facility is in the MU Health Care South Providence Medical Park, located at 701 Veterans United Drive.

The new facility is 74,000 square feet and costs $54.8 million, enabling significant expansion to serve twice as many patients. The facility will increase the number of patient rooms, expand staffing and help the Thompson Center address patient demand.

According to a press release, the Thompson Center serves over 4,500 patients annually, conducts translational research, and educates professionals and communities through a range of training programs. The Thompson Center has also held thousands of autism evaluations of children in multiple Mid-Missouri counties over the years.

MO Counties Served by Thompson Center – FY13 to FY25Download

Former Governor Mike Parson, University of Missouri President Mun Choi and several other officials spoke at the event.

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Ryan Shiner

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

Editor’s Note: The type of vehicle involved has been corrected.

A well-traveled road in south Columbia was closed off by first responders on Thursday night after a crash.

Law enforcement and barricaded vehicles blocked off Nifong Boulevard near Woodrail on the Green.

Columbia Police said Friday morning that this crash happened at 8:45 p.m. Thursday.

One person was taken to the hospital for injuries.

An ABC 17 News photographer saw a scooter on the ground at the scene.

Boone County Joint Communications sent a notification at 8:53 p.m. stating that a collision occurred on West Nifong Boulevard and Woodrail on the Green.

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Ryan Shiner

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

The Ashland Board of Aldermen on Thursday unanimously passed a resolution for a company to handle the role of city administrator.

This comes after Kyle Michel announced his resignation in March. His last day was announced for May 22, according to previous reporting.

The contract will last for four months and is retroactive to begin May 1, according to meeting documents. It will cost the city $11,500 each month with an additional $500 per month for the sub-contractor’s housing and mileage, meeting documents say.

Meeting documents say the contract can be extended an additional two months by the city “with 15 days’ written notice prior to the expiration of the initial 4-month term.”

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Ryan Shiner

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

A second woman has been charged with first-degree child endangerment after she allegedly left a child in the care of a Pettis County sex offender.

Shawna Spence, of Sedalia, was charged on Wednesday. A warrant was issued and no court date has been scheduled.

She is one of two woman accused of leaving a child in the care of Matthew Platt, who was indicted this week in his child molestation case. He was originally charged last week with first-degree child molestation and failing to register as a sex offender. He has an arraignment scheduled for 1:30 p.m. Monday, May 18.

Kristy White was also charged in the case with first-degree child endangerment. She has a counsel status hearing scheduled for 1:30 p.m. Tuesday, May 12.

The probable cause statements in the case say that the victim told authorities on April 5 about five separate instances of being sexually abused by Barrett.

Platt allegedly denied the allegations to law enforcement, but then claimed he gave the young child a “hickey” on their arm because the victim “asked him to do it,” court documents say.

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Ryan Shiner

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

Librarians at the University of Missouri voted to join LiUNA Local 955, a union that represents a number of public employees in the Mid-Missouri area.

LiUNA announced in a Thursday social media post that library workers voted to join the union. Workers had announced their intent to unionize in December.

MU librarian Taira Meadowcroft said the preliminary results came in on Thursday and that it will take a few days to certify.

The university commented on the election.

“After a democratic, confidential election process conducted by the neutral and independent Missouri State Board of Mediation, preliminary results indicate some Mizzou librarians, archivists, and library information specialists have decided to accept representation by LiUNA Local 955,” a statement provided by MU spokesman Christopher Ave says. “Moving forward, the University of Missouri remains committed to an open dialogue with Local 955 to ensure that we hear and respond to concerns of the Mizzou employees it represents. We remain committed to providing a supportive environment for all members of our community.”  

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