Matthew Sanders
The Mizzou Tigers football team wrapped up fall camp this week with the season kickoff looming next week.
Coach Eli Drinkwitz and the team’s captains took questions from reporters after camp. Watch them talk in the player.
Marie Moyer
JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (KMIZ)
With Attorney General Andrew Bailey set to head to Washington, D.C., this September to work for the FBI after being tapped by Attorney General Pam Bondi and FBI Director Kash Patel, Gov. Mike Kehoe has appointed the state’s first female Speaker of the House.
Kehoe said Tuesday that Catherine Hanaway will take over Sept. 8. She will be the state’s first female attorney general.
“Catherine will be and is tough on crime, and we look forward to continuing our partnership with the Attorney General’s office under her leadership and our number one priority, which is public safety,” Kehoe said.
Hanaway was a Republican House Speaker from 2003-05, the only woman to hold the post. During her time in the Missouri House, Hanaway was one of the main sponsors of a 2003 concealed carry bill. The bill was initially vetoed by then-Governor Bob Holden and later overruled by the General Assembly.
Hanaway also served as a U.S. Attorney, focusing on drug trafficking and child exploitation. She also sued the Texas company Cathedral Rock Corp. in 2007 for the mistreatment of elders in several St. Louis retirement homes.
“Working with local prosecutors, sheriffs, police and the highway patrol fighting crime is and will remain job one for this office,” Hanaway said. “I look forward to having a close and collaborative relationship with law enforcement as I did when I was United States attorney.”
Bailey, a Republican, previously challenged COVID-19 masking in schools as well as gender-affirming care such as puberty blockers. Bailey also created the anti-human trafficking task force and was a strong supporter of pro-law enforcement legislation.
Bailey also has a record as a state official loyal to President Donald Trump, supporting administration policies with dozens of legal filings since he took office in January 2023. Former Gov. Mike Parson appointed Bailey in 2022, and he was elected in 2024.
Democratic House Minority Leader Rep. Ashley Aune said in a statement Monday that the House Minority Caucus hopes Kehoe will appoint a “competent attorney general.”
“Bailey’s departure gives the governor an opportunity to appoint a competent and professional attorney general who will defend the rights of all Missourians instead of wasting taxpayer money on frivolous culture war lawsuits that regularly get laughed out of court,” Aune said.
Following Kehoe’s decision, Aune called Hanaway “a solid upgrade as Attorney General.”
“Catherine Hanaway will be a vast improvement over her incompetent and unprofessional predecessor,” Aune said in a prepared statement. “One question is which Catherine Hanaway will we get as attorney general: The one who served capably and honorably as House speaker and U.S. attorney, or the one who intensely fought to help Eric Greitens cling to power while facing impeachment. But unless she proves us wrong, House Democrats believe she can restore integrity to the office.”
Other supporters of Hanaway include Ranking Minority Member of the House Judiciary Committee Representative David Tyson Smith (D-Columbia) and Ranking Minority Member of the House Crime and Public Safety Committee Mark Sharp (D-Kansas City)
“Catherine Hanaway is a solid pick and was a good Speaker of the House,” Smith said in a statement. “Hopefully, she will maintain that posture moving forward and will restore confidence in that office.”
“In today’s political climate, it can be very tempting for leaders to take part in partisan politics and it can also be tempting for opponents to focus solely on one person — the Attorney General,” Sharp said in a statement. “This appointment provides a fresh opportunity for the office to demonstrate fairness, integrity and a strong commitment to public service.”
Chair of the Senate Transportation, Infrastructure and Public Safety Sen. Travis Fitzwater (R-Holts Summit) called Kehoe’s pick “inspiring,” adding, “We look forward to working with her.”
Hanaway works for the law firm Husch Blackwell, representing white collar clients in areas such as lobbying law, fraud and money laundering. One of her clients is the Grain Belt Express, a renewable energy project that Bailey staunchly opposed.
Hanaway did not say how she plans to act as attorney general on the Grain Belt suit; however, she will remove herself from the case.
“Since I had that matter in private practice when I switched over to the Attorney General’s office, I’ll have to recuse myself, but the team that is there, the great team that is there, will be able to go forward without my input,” Hanaway said.
The Missouri Farm Bureau has previously criticized Grain Belt Express. In a statement, the group thanked Bailey for his hard work and added that they expect Hanaway to do the same.
Missouri agriculture has a true friend in Andrew Bailey, and he has been an unwavering advocate for farmers and ranchers,” MOFB President Garrett Hawkins said, “The list of issues we face as an industry is long, and we expect, as Attorney General, she will continue the work championed by her predecessors.”
Kehoe added that he continues to be a supporter of private property and will continue to work towards property protection.
“I’ve said all along, I’m a big believer in private property rights, and if I had a century farm and somebody came and said I used eminent domain and I’m going to go across your farm now, I wouldn’t be very happy about it either,” Kehoe said.
Keriana Gamboa
COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)
Nearly 19,000 Columbia Public School students made their way back into the classrooms for the first day of the 2025-26 school year Tuesday morning.
Columbia Public Schools Superintendent Jeff Klein told he’s excited and that this is a great opportunity as he begin this new position.
“Our focus this year is on making CPS the best place to work and the best place to learn,” Klein said. “So one of the first things we want to continue and build on is the culture and climate that’s been developed here.”
Smithton Middle School student Ellie Matthews shared with ABC 17 News how her first day back went.
“It was really good. I like all my teachers, and they were saying all the rules to like the classes and everything,” Matthew said.
Columbia Public Schools also debuted its new bus service, DS Bus Lines after it signed a three-year contract in February. DS Bus Lines brings a brand new fleet of buses that have safety features like GPS tracking for parents to track the bus in real time, and cameras inside and outside the buses.
“We’ve had a really good start to the year, and we anticipate that it’s going to be that way,” Klein said. “In September, we got some new technology that’s going to come on board. That’s going to be great for parents and help for us as well.”
Smithton Administrative Assistant Alex Schroeder said the first day went smoothly.
“Brand new buses, kids are excited. Bus drivers have some new security features in there for them. Make buses more secure and safe for kids as they’re going home,” Schroeder said. “Everything ran smoothly this morning. You know, a few hiccups, first day, but other than that, it’s been a great first day.”
The GPS tracking will be available to families in September via mobile app once routing for buses is finished. According to CPS, students can opt in to use the bus through Sept. 3 through the late opt-in process. Those who opt in late will get transportation sorted out as soon as possible.
There will be around 8,000 students taking the bus for the 2025-26 school year. As the new school year begins, students and parents are reminded of the new statewide no-phone policy that bans cellphones in every district in the state.
Michelle James described how her son is adapting to the new changes.
“He knows that he shouldn’t take it out. We do keep it on this person just in case there’s emergencies. But he’s aware of the law and the rule,” James said.
Multiple parents from Smithton shared with ABC 17 News how the first day of school drop-off and pick-up went.
Ellie Matthew’s mother, Aileigh Coles, said pickup became hectic.
“Drop off, I feel like was a little smoother… pickup, I feel like a little chaotic. So I went ahead and just got out and went to pick up Ellie,” Ellie’s mother, Aileigh Coles said.
“We were here several times last year. And it’s very typical lines waiting to pick up the students and those to ride the bus or on that side,” Mike Holman said.
CPS is the fourth-largest school district in the state. CPS reported an increase of 74 students in this year’s enrollment. The district expects new registrations to continue in the coming days.
Ryan Shiner
COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)
A vehicle backfiring led to police to respond to an area of the University of Missouri’s Columbia campus on Monday evening.
An MU Alert was sent out to students at 8:35 p.m. indicating that officers were responding to a shots-fired call in the 900 block of South Providence Road.
The Columbia Police Department wrote in a social media post at 9:25 p.m. that it had received multiple 911 calls “in reference to a report of shots being fired” in the area. There was no evidence of shots being fired, police wrote.
Officer spoke with callers and other people in the area “and confirmed that no one saw shots being fired, only heard a loud noise when a vehicle drove by. It was later confirmed by a witness that a vehicle backfiring was the source of the loud noise,” the post says.
Some MU students began moving onto campus on Saturday, with a majority expected to move in on Wednesday and Thursday, according to information on the university’s website.
CPD wrote in its social media post that five CPD officers, a K-9 unit and MUPD officers responded to the call.
Ryan Shiner
JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (KMIZ)
Demolition is underway for the dilapidated Truman Hotel in Jefferson City.
Mayor Ron Fitzwater confirmed crews started tearing down the building on Monday afternoon.
The former hotel in the 1500 block of Jefferson Street has long been called an “eyesore” by city officials. Discussions around the building’s demolition have occurred for years, with the building becoming vacant in 2015 and being declared dangerous in 2020.
Previous reporting says photos submitted in the application for demolition – which are dated from 2023 – appear to show hazardous conditions within the building, including mold, scrap, broken walls and debris.
Keriana Gamboa
COLUMBIA Mo. (KMIZ)
This fall, Jefferson City students have a free option for getting to and from school. Jefferson City Transit is waiving bus fares for students on Tripper routes throughout the fall semester.
The free service applies to anyone riding the Tripper Routes, which operate Monday through Friday on school days.
No student ID is required to board, and the promotion is open to all riders, including K-12 students, homeschoolers, and college students.
The routes will run from around 3 p.m., shortly after school lets out.
Three Tripper Routes begin at Helias Catholic High School, Jefferson City High School, and St. Peter School.
After leaving those schools, all Tripper buses travel to the JeffTran Transfer Station at 820 E. Miller Street, where students can either transfer to another bus or continue on the same route.
Transit Manager Gerry Stegeman said the goal this year is to encourage more students to use the bus.
“So we’re just trying to encourage more students to ride,” Stegeman said. “It also gives the parents a little break and price if we run it for free.”
Bus driver Joseph Harden told ABC 17 News he hopes the program is successful for families who can’t afford bus passes.
“I think it will help out a lot of kids who are not able to buy the tickets. They might be a little bit expensive for them, you know, for the parents. And so I think it’s a good idea. I’m hoping that word will get out and more kids will ride, and it will be successful,” Harden said.
Stegeman says the program doesn’t cost that much to run.
“If you compare to what the student ridership was last year, through the fall semester, it was like 600 some odd rides, you know, and stuff there. So it worked out to about $765, is what we would lose in fares. So, you know, it’s not a big expense,” Stegeman said.
He told ABC 17 News families could save a lot of money through the program.
“If you go to school five days a week, you know, so that’s going to save you $27 a month per student. So, you know, when you add that up over a school year, it’s quite a bit of money especially if you have two or three kids in school,” Stegeman said.
Student rider Lorelei Weeks tells ABC 17 News she rides from Helias Catholic School to the library downtown and enjoys the free ride.
“It’s really nice, like most people think it’s a bunch of weirdos, but or people think only weird people who ride it. But it’s actually been really nice,” Weeks said.
She hopes it will continue throughout the spring semester.
“It would be very nice, especially for the students and stuff. But I totally understand if they don’t either. They’ve got to make money somehow,” Weeks said.
Stegeman told ABC 17 News it is uncertain if the promotion will continue next year.
“We’ll just have to wait and see, see what they think and, you know, see how it goes,” Stegeman said.
JeffTran will be offering free rides on its Tripper Routes from August through December.
Erika McGuire
COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)
Delmar Cobble School in Columbia is now permanently closed after struggling to reach staffing levels, part of a broader statewide consolidation of schools for students with severe disabilities.
The Department of Elementary and Secondary Education Board las week decided close six buildings that were already “temporarily consolidated due to staff vacancies,” immediately, which includes: Delmar Cobble, Briarwood (Harrisonville), Lakeview Woods (Lee’s Summit), Gateway/Hubert Wheeler (St. Louis), Rolling Meadow (Higginsville) and Ozark Hills (Salem). Another six schools will close at the end of the school year.
Mark Wheatley, assistant commissioner for the office of special education, said those schools never recovered from staffing shortages after temporary shutdowns were announced.
“Delmar was one of which had temporarily closed, dated between October of 2023 to as late as March 2025,” Wheatley said. “Those six buildings never got up to a staffing level that allowed us to return to those buildings. Those positions continued to be posted up until the recommendation, that was approved by the board just last week,”
When Delmar Cobble went into emergency consolidation, Wheatley said the school was serving eight students and about 10 or fewer staff members. He said about half of the students went to H. Kenneth Kirchner School in Jefferson City and the other four students went to Prairie View School in Marshall.
Wheatley said enrollment has dropped 30% during the past 15 years. With so few students, staffing for each building was a challenge.
Out of all Missouri Schools for the Severely Disabled, buildings were short staffed by 28%.
“The schools that are closing the student population is anywhere from about four up to 16, (students) so when you think about that we wouldn’t have had a full-time PE teacher. We wouldn’t have had a full time principal,” Wheatley said. “We may or may not have even had a full time nurse in a building with four students, they would have probably had to be split between two buildings,”
According to Wheatley, families and Individualized Education Program team were able to consider three options moving forward.
“One would be that they remain with MSD, but elect to transfer to one of the other more regional local schools within MSE. No. 2, they could actually return to the local education agency or that local public school district they are from. The third option, that’s available is that a school district can also elect to contact with an approved private agency to provide those educational services,” Wheatley said.
Parent Tammy Luttrell said her daughter went to Delmar Cobble from the age of 5 years old until she was 21. She enrolled her there after her daughter developed seizures and fell behind in learning. Luttrell sais her daughter’s original public school told her they couldn’t offer the support she needed.
Luttrell said Delmar Cobble helped her daughter in many ways.
“It’s great, they can give the kids a lot of one a one which is what a lot of these people need,” Luttrell said. “They did great with her, They took her as far as she absolutely could go. Even at her age now, she’s still sort of like picking up on things, she’s mute, they taught her some sign language there.
“They taught her so much it was great, and the teachers cared. I just worry about these other kids that are coming now in age because I don’t think she public schools are going to be able to give them the attention they need and the direction they need,”
“At one point they talked about putting my daughter back in public school and the special education teacher then said, no, I don’t have the knowledge to teach her. She just point blank said it takes special knowledge,” Luttrell said.
However, Wheatley says public schools often help disabled children thrive.
“Research tells us that students with disabilities, and even those with extensive support needs, like those served at MSD, benefit and have better outcomes when they are receiving their education alongside their non-disabled peers to the greatest extent appropriate,” Wheatley said.
Once all 12 planned closures are complete, there will be 22 operation schools for disabled children across the state.
Ryan Shiner
COLUMBIA, mo.
A man was charged with multiple felonies after he allegedly fired gunshots at a family in California, Missouri, on Friday.
Ruben Obando-Romero was charged in Moniteau County with second-degree assault, armed criminal action and first-degree endangering the welfare of a child.
He is being held at the Moniteau County Jail without bond and California police wrote in a Saturday night social media post that an immigration detainer was issued for Obando-Romero. An arraignment is scheduled for 9 a.m. Tuesday.
The probable cause statement says police on Friday night were called to the intersection of East Main Street and Noas Avenue for a report of shots being fired. One of the victims allegedly told police that he and Obando-Romero got into an argument and Obando-Romero fired shots at the victim, the victim’s wife and child.
The victim’s wife was holding a 2-month-old child, according to court documents and the post. Police arrested Obando-Romero at gunpoint, determined he was drunk and used a breath test to determine his blood alcohol content was .168, more than twice the legal limit to drive, according to court documents.
The social media post says an interpreter was used to determine Obando-Romero admitted to shooting at the victims.
No injuries were reported.
Nia Hinson
COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)
Two additional school buildings in Columbia will have weapons detection systems on the first day of class on Tuesday for the first time.
According to Columbia Public Schools spokeswoman Michelle Baumstark, Douglass High School and the Columbia Area Career Center will now have weapons detection systems. The district implemented the systems during the 2024-2025 school year for Battle, Hickman and Rock Bridge high schools.
Baumstark said six additional systems were approved for purchase by the Columbia Board of Education in December 2024. It cost the district $102,246 and was paid for by the Safety and Security Operation Budget.
The systems created long lines last school year, as CPS worked out the kinks of the new technology.
In a statement sent to ABC 17 News Monday afternoon, Baumstark said the district isn’t anticipating the systems to cause any delays during the upcoming school year.
“Last year, was the very first time we’d implemented the system and there was a steep learning curve for everyone. Now, with a full year under our belts and many efficiencies realized we’re in a much better position to begin the year with minimal issues,” Baumstark said.
The district will also utilize Raptor technology at every building during the new school year after it was implemented last year. The system requires all visitors to scan their IDs to gain entrance. It will do a check against the sex offender registry, as well as check for anyone who may be banned from visiting.
“What it does is we have a national list that we actually do additional work to keep updated and it’ll pull up the offender if there’s an offender,” Raptor Technologies spokesman David Rogers said. “If you’ve got a parent whose been banned from campus, if you’ve got custody issues and somebody is not allowed to pick up a child on Tuesdays and Thursdays or something like that, you’re able to put that into the system.”
According to Rogers, 43% of school districts in the state of Missouri utilize some form of Raptor technology. That equates to 239 districts that have implemented the software, or are in the process of doing so. Rogers said that number ranks high compared to other states.
St. Louis was the latest school district to implement the technology, approving it last week, Rogers said.
The Columbia Board of Education also approved a contract to replace the exterior doors at Rock Bridge High School during its Aug. 11 summer session. Baumstark told ABC 17 News on Monday that the district still needs to order the doors. A timeline for when they’ll be installed will be set following that.
CPS will welcome nearly 19,000 students this school year, according to a release from the district.
Matthew Sanders
JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (KMIZ)
President Donald Trump is tapping Missouri’s attorney general to be a key player in Trump’s FBI.
Missouri Attorney General Andrew Bailey will be the state’s third attorney general in a row to leave for Washington, D.C., when he takes a job as FBI co-deputy director working alongside Dan Bongino, Fox reported Monday.
Fox News first reported the story.
Bailey said in a news release that he plans to resign Sept. 8 to move on to his new job. The governor will now appoint a replacement to finish his term.
Former Gov. Mike Parson appointed Bailey to be AG in November 2022, and he was sworn in the following January. He won re-election with almost 60% of the vote in November 2024.
Bailey has been a strong supporter of Trump’s policy positions, joining the administration on multiple lawsuits.
Bailey also challenged Columbia Public Schools’ COVID-19 protocols in court and, recently, demanded documents from the company that is building the Grain Belt Express wind energy line through Missouri.
Check back for updates to this developing story.
