Category: kmiz-local-news

Nia Hinson

COLUMBIA, MO. (KMIZ)

Some parents of students who attend Columbia Public Schools are not pleased with a new bus company the district rolled out, two days into the school year.

CPS debuted its new bus service, DS Bus Lines during its first day of school on Tuesday, after it signed a three-year contract in February. The new company’s buses have safety features including GPS tracking for parents to track the bus in real time, and cameras inside and outside the buses.

CPS said roughly 8,000 students are enrolled to take the bus. The deadline for late opt in is Wednesday, Sept. 3.

Steve Tubbesing is the grandfather to an 11- and 8-year-old who attend Jefferson Middle School and Ridgeway Elementary. According to Tubessing, the two have to take two buses to get to their school everyday. On Monday afternoon, he said the two were dropped off at a stop about 16 miles away from their actual bus stop– near Mount Zion Road.

“I guess the main thing is on what planet is it OK to let a 12-year-old and an 8-year-old off of the school bus if it isn’t their stop? I honestly don’t know what the bus driver was thinking,” Tubessing said.

Tubessing said his son-in-law frantically reached out to the bus company multiple times trying to find out where his children were, but couldn’t get anyone to answer the phone. He used a “ping” on his daughter’s cellphone to find them and pick them up.

“Thank god my son-in-law had find my phone app on his phone so he could find her phone,” Tubessing said. “You know, everybody’s scrambling to try and find where they’re at so that nothing happens to them….it was just a nightmare.”

Tubessing said his 8-year-old granddaughter was also left at Benton Elementary School, instead of Ridgeway Elementary, the school she attends.

Tubessing said his son-in-law reached out to CPS regarding the incident. An email ABC 17 News obtained shows the district said DS Bus Lines launched an investigation into the complaint and requested the video footage. The district also said it is working on strengthening communication.

CPS spokeswoman Michelle Baumstark told ABC 17 News via email that the district cannot comment on individual student information. She said anytime there are route issues, CPS investigates it and works to address it. Baumstark said CPS asks for patience while they work through the new company.

“We had a good start yesterday and again this morning. We did have a couple of buses that were running behind in the afternoon yesterday. We’re working today to make some adjustments to improve the timing for those routes.  We’ll continue to improve over the next several days,” Baumstark said.

After all of the late requests for transportation are completed, CPS will be able to launch the family mobile app, Baumstark said. However, some parents are having opposite experiences with the new bus company.

Jordan Jones, the mother to a 12-year-old boy who attends Bethel Street Center said she contacted DS in a panic on Tuesday when her son didn’t get off the bus at his usual time, but was unable to get a hold of anyone.

“I need to be able to know where my child is and know that my child is safe,” Jones said. “The concern is over my child’s safety especially because now there’s this new Missouri law that students aren’t allowed to have their cell phones in the schools. Even if he had a cell phone which he doesn’t, he wouldn’t have been allowed to have it with him.”

Ivy Williams is the mother to a kindergartener and attends Rosetta Avenue. Williams said her experience has improved drastically compared to Student Transportation of America.

“I think in the morning they were maybe like two minutes late, in the afternoon, maybe about five minutes late. But, I kind of expect that because how are they gonna make it to me in like five, 10 minutes,” Williams said. “Last year, even for pick-up or drop-off they were anywhere between 30 minutes to 45 minutes late.”

ABC 17 News reached out to DS Bus Lines for comment.

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Ryan Shiner

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

A Kansas City man was charged in Boone County after he allegedly led law enforcement on a high-speed chase last month on Interstate 70.

Beau Barrera was charged in Boone County with first-degree attempted assault and aggravated fleeing. A warrant was ordered and no bond was set. He was charged in Montgomery County on July 20 with aggravated fleeing, driving while intoxicated and driving while revoked, a misdemeanor. A case review is scheduled for 10:30 a.m. Tuesday, Sept. 2 in the Montgomery County case.

The probable cause statement in Boone County says the chase began around 7 p.m. July 19 near the intersection of College Avenue and Business Loop 70. A deputy tried to pull Barrera over for not having a front license plate. Barrera drove his Acura onto Interstate 70 from Range Line Street and kept going, the statement says.

Barrera allegedly was driving around 95 miles per hour when he almost hit another deputy who was putting down spike strips on the highway, court documents say. The deputy allegedly stated that he either had to stay in place and get hit or run into I-70 traffic to get away, the statement says.

The chase continued and speeds hit more than 140 mph, the statement says. A Boone County deputy ended the chase because it went into a construction zone, but Barrera was eventually arrested in Montgomery County.

The probable cause statement in the Montgomery County case says spike strips were used, popped at least one tire, but the chase continued. He then allegedly hit a deputy’s vehicle before stopping in a median, the statement says.

Barrera allegedly failed a field sobriety test and refused to give a sample of his breath, so a warrant was obtained and his blood was drawn, court documents say. Deputies wrote that several open alcohol containers were in the vehicle.

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Alison Patton

Starting Aug. 28, period products, diapers and incontinence products will be exempt from all sales and use taxes, according to the Missouri Department of Revenue, including state and local.

Tax for Columbia is about 8.975%, which adds roughly .45 cents to a $5 item.

While the tax exemption will help lower the cost of menstruation products, spokesperson Sydney Roman from Period said, it’s not a solution to “period poverty,” which is a term used to describe a consistent lack of access to period products.

Period is a non-profit organization dedicated to eliminating period poverty.

“We think that it’s a part of a larger movement and a larger effort to recognize menstrual products as essential needs from the government,” Roman said.

Period products are not medically recognized, which means families can’t turn to programs like SNAP or WIC to purchase items the organization Period sees as a medical necessity, Roman said.

According to Period Law, Missouri collected about $7.8 million in tax revenue from period products, which is about .04% of the state’s total revenue in 2023.

“For the state, that removal of the tax really is negligible,” Roman said.

Missouri is joining 31 other states that have passed a similar tax exemption for period products, according to Period Law.

Gay Litteken, the executive director of First Chance for Children, said the cost of diapers has increased by 24% since the COVID-19 pandemic.

“I think because groceries have gone up, gas has increased,” Litteken said. “Families are just really stretched to their limit, and if we can help supplement diapers for them, then that’s a good thing.”

Litteken said there has been an increased demand for the free diapers her non-profit gives out to families over 6000 families every year. She doesn’t think the tax exemption will allow families to lean completely off First Chance for Children.

“We are really seeing some hard economic, times for families,” Litteken said. “We are here to support them.”

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Ryan Shiner

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

Prosecutors are seeking to amend a charge for a man who is scheduled to go to trial next month for his alleged role in a shooting that occurred in December outside of a Boone County bar.

Steven Jones, 45, of Columbia, is charged with illegal gun possession and is being held at the Boone County Jail without bond. A pretrial conference is scheduled for 9 a.m. Monday, while his trial is set for 9 a.m. Wednesday, Sept. 3.

The state in a Tuesday filing argued that Jones is a repeat, or persistent, offender because he pleaded guilty to first-degree assault in 1997 in New Madrid County. Making his charge a class A felony would make him eligible for a longer prison sentence, if found guilty, court documents say.

Jones allegedly admitted to law enforcement in December that he shot and killed a 42-year-old St. Louis man outside of Jake’s Bar and Grill, previous reporting indicates.

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Madison Stuerman

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

The Missouri Department of Conservation has authorized an emergency fish salvage order for a lake in Mexico.

The city government is draining the Lakeview Park Lake to replace a culvert nearby. The decreasing water levels and summer heat have resulted in low oxygen levels, making it impossible to sustain the fish population, officials say.

“In addition to fishing methods already authorized for the lake, the order enables anglers to take fish by the following methods: gigging, snagging, grabbing, dip net, throw net, seine, and by hand. The order also calls for a temporary suspension of length limits, daily limits, and possession limits for all fish taken from Lakeview Park Lake,” a Wednesday press release from MDC says.

The salvage order lasts through Aug. 31. Anglers must have a fishing license.

A press release from MDC says fishing regulations start again on Sept. 1. The lake will likely be restocked in the spring.

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Matthew Sanders

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (KMIZ)

A Missourian who contracted an amoeba that kills brain cells at the Lake of the Ozarks has died, the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services said Wednesday.

The Department of Mental Health and Senior Services stated in a news release that the person, whose gender and age have not been released, died in a St. Louis-area hospital. DHSS has so far only identified the patient as an “adult Missouri resident.”

The person was sick after contracting Naegleria fowleri, possibly during a waterskiing trip to the Lake of the Ozarks, DHSS stated in a news release last week. As of Aug. 13, the state was still investigating the source of exposure.

The amoeba is common and found naturally in warm, fresh water. However, cases of infection are rare, with 167 reports in the United States between 1962 and 2024, according to DHSS.

A University of Missouri Health Care doctor told ABC 17 News last week that symptoms show up about one to 12 days after the amoeba makes its way into the brain by entering through the nose. Meningitis, or inflammation in the brain, is a common symptom of a brain-eating amoeba.

Other symptoms include severe headache, fever, stiff neck, vomiting or changes in mental state. 

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Matthew Sanders

EDITOR’S NOTE: This article has been updated to remove references to a semi-truck.

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

A passenger died Tuesday afternoon in Linn County when a pickup truck hit a large commercial truck that was parked on the shoulder of a highway.

The 45-year-old Holts Summit man was pronounced dead at the scene of the crash on Highway 36 a mile west of Bucklin. It was unknown whether the man, who was riding in a Ford F-250 driven by a 32-year-old Ashland man, was wearing a seat belt.

The driver of the pickup suffered serious injuries and was taken by ambulance to Pershing Memorial Hospital in Brookfield.

The crash happened when the F-250 hit a 2019 Peterbilt 567 registered out of Shelbina that was parked on the shoulder of eastbound Highway 36, according to a Missouri State Highway Patrol report.

No injuries were reported in the Peterbilt, the report states.

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Ryan Shiner

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

The Jefferson City Council on Monday night approved a measure 8-2 that would allow a private company to oversee its parking operations.

The city approved a five-year contract with PCI Municipal Services LLC. The total contract costs $4,844,312, with $645,000 being spent in its first year.  

Meeting documents indicate the city is looking to improve utilizing its existing parking as it loses the Madison Street garage, which is being demolished along with a number of buildings on a city block as the city aims to open a conference center downtown.

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Jazsmin Halliburton

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

With the first day of classes in less than a week, the University of Missouri campus is alive with thousands of students moving into dorms.

MU’s Director of Housing Tyler Page estimates 2,500 students arrived on Wednesday and another 1,500 will join on Thursday, with returning students expected to trickle in before class. Added to the estimated 2,000 students who came during early move-in, the MU campus will house more than 6,000 students this school year.

Last year, MU accepted more than 6,100 freshmen, causing some strain on campus with the reports of full lecture halls and the school making a deal with Tri-Sigma sorority to use their house as temporary residential housing.

Page confirms that MU does not expect to use overflow housing this year.

A thousand volunteers will spread out across move-in locations, helping parents and students with the move-in process by unloading cars and showing students to their rooms.

“It was less than 10 minutes,” MU freshman Jack Braun said.

“In 5 minutes, actually, they had everything out of the car,” Bruan’s mom, Sandy Braun, said.

MU senior Jordan Blew and MU junior Evan Judge told ABC 17 News they were happy to help.

“Moving to college is a pretty stressful time for everyone, so just being able to be there and do everything we can, I think just helps a lot,” Blew said.

“All these people we got helping out, they’re able to take a little stress off and get everyone moved in and in a timely manner, which is great,” Judge said.

Traffic issues are to be expected, especially on College Avenue, Stadium Boulevard, North Providence Road and many streets on campus.

According to the Move-In Day map, a majority of streets will have traffic flow one-way, and there will be multiple areas available for temporary parking, such as:

Virginia Avenue Parking Garage

Turner Avenue Parking Garage

Conley Avenue Parking Garage (top level only)

AV Lot 14A and 14B.

Other parking areas based on residence hall can be found here.

The school is also holding Welcome Week, which is a series of events for new students and happens every fall the week before classes start. There are several traditions and other activities that will be open to the public as well. Some traditions include a midnight barbecue and Tiger Walk.

Welcome Week runs through Sunday, while Monday is the first day of class.

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