Category: kmiz-local-news

Ryan Shiner

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

A former Boone County dog breeder was denied bond in court once again on Friday.

Melissa Sanders, 26, of Columbia, is charged with 13 counts of felony animal abuse and one count of misdemeanor animal abuse. She is being held at the Boone County Jail without bond. She previously faced 29 felony counts of animal abuse.

The trial is now set for the week of Oct. 19, with a status hearing on June 8.

Sanders’ attorney argued she wasn’t a flight risk, noting her roots in Boone County. However, the assistant county prosecutor argued that Sanders has connections across the U.S. and potentially in Europe.

Sanders ran Magnum Opus German Shepherds and a number of dead dogs, including a dozen dog skulls, were found at the property of the business when law enforcement served a search warrant in 2025, according to court documents in previous reporting. Several malnourished dogs were also found at the property.

Court documents say at least two living dogs that were found were on the brink of death.

Check back for updates.

Click here to follow the original article.

Gabrielle Teiner

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

An Endangered Silver Advisory for a 69-year-old Columbia woman was canceled on Friday afternoon after she was found “alive and well,” according to the Columbia Police Department.

An advisory was issued on Thursday evening after police initially said Flor Vidal was last seen at 2240-6 Bennett Springs Drive at 6:50 a.m. Thursday.

She is 5’4″, 200-250 pounds, has short, curly red/auburn hair and has brown eyes. Vidal was last seen wearing a beige plaid jacket and carrying a red purse.

Click here to follow the original article.

Matthew Sanders

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (KMIZ)

A 20-year-old Jefferson City man has been found after he left the scene of a crash on Tuesday.

Nathan Spencer had last been seen after he was involved in a crash Tuesday morning in the 2300 block of Highway 50/63 westbound. His last known location was near Cedar Creek Court and Expressview Drive, according to the Jefferson City Police Department.

Police found Spencer during a search at about noon Friday in a wooded area near the 300 block of Capitol View Drive. He was conscious when searchers found him, JCPD stated in a news release.

The focus of the investigation shifted the day of the crash from looking into the circumstances of the crash to finding Spencer out of concern for his welfare, JCPD says, after investigators learned Spencer is autistic and might have had a mental health crisis.

The original crash remains under investigation, police stated.

Click here to follow the original article.

Matthew Sanders

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

A 19-year-old suspect in a Johnson County shooting died early Friday after being shot by a sheriff’s deputy near Kansas City.

Law enforcement officers were looking for the man after they found a 17-year-old with a gunshot wound in a vehicle near Highway 131 and Highway 50, according to a Johnson County Sheriff’s Office news release. While on their way to the call, deputies were told the suspect was running from the scene, the release states.

The release did not name the deceased suspect.

Deputies from Johnson and Lafayette counties and a police officer from the Odessa Police Department found the suspect walking with another man near Highway 50 and NW 1601st Road about two hours later. A foot chase followed, and the Lafayette County deputy shot the suspect during the pursuit, the release states.

The man was pronounced dead at a hospital.

The Johnson County Sheriff’s Office is investigating the original shooting, and the Missouri State Highway Patrol’s Division of Drug and Crime Control has been called in to lead the investigation into the officer-involved shooting.

The Johnson County Sheriff’s Office said other details will be released later.

Click here to follow the original article.

Matthew Sanders

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (KMIZ)

A Jefferson City man was charged Thursday after he allegedly tried to rob an Eagle Stop gas station in Eugene.

Bakari Moody, 28, was charged with first-degree attempted robbery, armed criminal action and fourth-degree assault, which is a misdemeanor.

Moody allegedly went into the Eagle Stop in Eugene at about 3 a.m. Thursday armed with what appeared to be a black pistol. A probable cause statement states that a witness told investigators that Moody entered the store and said, “I am gonna need the whole store.”

Moody went into the employee-only area of the store and grabbed a bag containing food before leaving, the statement says. Moody was identified by a witness and surveillance video from the store, the statement says.

Moody remained in the Cole County Jail without bond on Friday.

Click here to follow the original article.

Matthew Sanders

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (KMIZ)

A bill that would create an oversight board for appeals to the state’s high school activities commission is heading to Gov. Mike Kehoe’s desk.

The Missouri House voted 92-39 to pass the bill, which originated in the Senate, on Thursday before lawmakers went home for the weekend. Two weeks remain in the legislative session.

The bill mandates the creation of an “Interscholastic Athletic Oversight Commission” to review appeals of decisions made by MSHSAA, the Missouri State High School Activities Association. MSHSAA sets rules for high school sports and other activities in Missouri. It is a private, not-for-profit organization that receives public funding.

The bill’s sponsor, Sen. Jason Bean (R-Holcomb), told ABC 17 News last month that the legislation is intended to provide individuals who file appeals regarding a referee’s decision or transfer student eligibility in high school sports with a neutral party to review the decision.

MSHSAA had opposed an earlier version of the bill that would give the board the authority to govern the organization. That proposal was later pared back to the oversight board that is in the current bill.

The bill was a priority for Gov. Mike Kehoe, who addressed the need for an oversight board during his State of the State Address at the beginning of the legislative session.

Click here to follow the original article.

Collin Anderson

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

The University of Missouri signed Athletics Director Laird Veatch to a three-year contract extension.

Mizzou Athletics announced the extension on Friday, the two-year anniversary of Veatch’s first day on the job at MU. The University of Missouri Board of Curators approved the extension at its meeting in April, and with the new extension, Veatch is set to remain in his position until 2032.

In the new extension, the total annual compensation is worth $1.75 million, structured across base salary, non-salary compensation, and deferred compensation, an increase from the $1.3 million in the original deal.

In his two-year stint in charge, Veatch helped reduce the athletic department’s negative operating balance, generate record levels of revenue, and oversee the development of several new facilities across multiple sports.

Under Veatch’s direction, Mizzou athletics introduced new premium seating for men’s and women’s basketball, moved the gymnastics program to compete in Mizzou Arena full time, added a new playing surface to Taylor Stadium and most notably, continued to develop the north end zone a part of Memorial Stadium’s Centennial Project.

“I’m incredibly grateful to President Choi and the Board of Curators for their trust and support,” Veatch said in a release published by the school. “This extension reflects the collective work of our coaches, staff, student-athletes and supporters who have embraced our ‘Will to Win’ and who believe in what Mizzou Athletics will become.”

Mizzou has appeared in two football bowl games, two NCAA men’s basketball tournaments and 20 other national team championship events under Veatch. Mizzou Athletics increased total revenue by $14 million to a record $182 million while reducing negative operating costs by 40% in the previous fiscal year.

Veatch’s initial Mizzou contract paid him a $900,000 base salary and $200,000 in non-salary compensation. The original contract also includes $200,000 of deferred compensation deposited into the fund each year on May 1.

Click here to follow the original article.

Euphenie Andre

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

Friday is International Workers’ Day, also known as May Day, honoring workers across the U.S. and around the world.

LiUNA Local 955 brought its message directly to the University of Missouri campus, holding two rallies just hours apart to call for higher wages and better working conditions.

The union represents service and maintenance workers at the University of Missouri, MU Health Care and UMKC and other public workers in the area. MU Faculty Librarians and information specialists are trying to join LiUNA Local 955 ahead of a union election scheduled from Monday through Wednesday.

At the center of the push is a call for longevity-based raises and a minimum wage of $19 per hour. Union leaders claim employees are not being properly rewarded for years of service.

“I can tell you there is a significant portion of workers make less than $19 an hour,” LiUNA representative Andrew Hutchinson said. “That include folks at the libraries, a lot of the information specialist… Some of them have been here 10, 20, 30 years,”

Hutchinson points to other union contracts in Kirksville, Centralia, and Columbia that include step pay scales, systems that guarantee annual raises until workers reach the top of the pay scale.

“At the university, what they do is they keep everyone so close to the same wage, and that compresses wages. And that’s how you get custodians who have been here 30 years who are barely making above, what someone walking in through the door makes, ” Hutchinson said.

Workers are also calling for reduced parking costs and improvements to other essential needs.

Students also stood in solidarity, with some voicing frustration with university leadership, following the university’s decision to defund several minority programs.

“Both workers and students are facing an administration that doesn’t seem to be hearing them,” Columbia Ward 2 Councilwoman Vera Elewood said. “It’s focusing more on the budget than the people who are actually building the university.”

The union is currently in wage negotiations with MU. However, workers said broader policy changes could impact their financial future. A proposed bill backed by Missouri Governor Mike Kehoe that could eliminate certain sales taxes has raised concerns about potential budget cuts.

“We know that when the university looks at budget cuts, they come for our folks. They come for the service and maintenance workers who are counting every cent. So if they’re experiencing cuts with their employer and they’re having to pay sales tax on their car, haircuts, and an increased sales tax on grociers. It’s just not going to be enough to make ends meet.”

The group “We Stand United Missouri” held a rally in Jefferson City at the Memorial Park.

Click here to follow the original article.

Matthew Sanders

The Missouri House on Thursday passed a bill that, if approved by the Senate, would allow state officials to increase speed limits on some rural highways.

The legislation would allow the Missouri Department of Transportation to increase the speed limit from 70 mph to 75 mph on some stretches of divided highways in rural Missouri. Critics say the change would make Missouri highways less safe for drivers, first responders and transportation workers.

The Senate had already approved the bill, but the House added to it, meaning it will have to pass the upper chamber before the session ends to hit the governor’s desk.

Would you like to see a higher speed limit on rural divided highways? Let us know by voting in the poll.

Click here to follow the original article.

Jessica Hafner

The National Weather Service in Kansas City has confirmed two more tornadoes touched down on Monday morning in Randolph County.

A survey team was out earlier this week and found a 36 mile long path of damage after an EF-2 tornado touched down in Saline County and traveled through the southern tip of Chariton and into Howard County before lifting.

In nearby Chariton and Randolph counties, two more tornadoes were found to have caused damage on Monday morning, shortly after the longer track twister.

An EF-1 tornado touched down in eastern Chariton County near Rascal Flats Road 5 miles south of Salisbury at 7:11 a.m., damaging trees, outbuildings, and power poles. Two of those outbuildings were found to be collapsed.

Tornado damage in Chariton Co. via NWS Kansas City

Tornado damage in Chariton Co. courtesy of NWS Kansas City

As the tornado crossed Route 129, it caused damage to two homes, outbuildings, and trees. Substantial tree damage was found north of Yates between Moberly and Renick. A roof was lifted from a home on County Road 248 with trees downed in the area. Several areas of straight line winds were observed along the tornado path, as well.

The tornado packed winds of up to 105 mph along its 24.5 mile path, and lifted 4 miles northeast of Renick at 7:36 a.m.

Another tornado touched down 3 miles northeast of Higbee at 7:29 a.m. and traveled about 8.6 miles to 5 miles northeast of Clark in Randolph County before lifting at 7:37 a.m.

The tornado was rated EF-0 with winds of up to 80 mph. Meteorologists found tree damage and some roof damage to an outbuilding near Renick, and severe tree damage near Highway 63.

A total of four tornadoes were confirmed from Monday morning’s round of severe storms in Mid-Missouri.

Click here to follow the original article.