Category: kmiz-local-news

Ryan Shiner

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

A man who is wanted for two counts of first-degree rape in Washington state was arrested Wednesday in Sedalia.

Meshkov Aleksandr, 34, was charged in Pettis County with being a fugitive from out of state. He is at the Pettis County Jail awaiting extradition. A court date for the Missouri charge has not been announced.

According to the probable cause statement, deputies conducted a search warrant at Prysmian Group on Whitefield Road. Deputies wrote they knew Aleksandr had an extradition, no-bond warrant from Bellingham County, Washington.

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Ryan Shiner

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

The Lincoln University Board of Curators on Thursday morning approved the school’s budget for fiscal year 2026.

A document from the board states that the general fund budget is $43,196,623 and the auxiliary fund budget is $6,973,471.

The budget includes $2.3 million to finish a salary study “with individual adjustments capped at 11% for faculty, 5.5% for staff, or a 2.5% COLA increase for employees not affected by the salary equity study.”

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Ryan Shiner

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

A 45-year-old Rolla woman was seriously injured in a crash Thursday afternoon in Phelps County at the 175-mile marker of eastbound Interstate 44, according to a crash report from the Missouri State Highway Patrol.

The single-vehicle crash occurred as the 2020 Toyota Tacoma went off the right side of the road, the report says. The woman was flown to University Hospital in Columbia. The report says she was not wearing a seatbelt.

The Doolittle Fire Protection District wrote on its Facebook page that the truck rolled about 200 feet down a steep embankment.

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Ryan Shiner

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

Gov. Mike Kehoe signed an executive order on Thursday, activating the National Guard ahead of protests scheduled around the state and country this weekend.

“We respect, and will defend, the right to peacefully protest, but we will not tolerate violence or lawlessness in our state,” Kehoe said in the release. “While other states may wait for chaos to ensue, the State of Missouri is taking a proactive approach in the event that assistance is needed to support local law enforcement in protecting our citizens and communities.”

Kehoe signed the order ahead of the “No Kings” protests that are occurring around the nation on Saturday in response to President Donald Trump’s military parade. One of the gatherings will occur from 11 a.m.–1 p.m. in Columbia at the Boone County Courthouse. Other gatherings are planned in Jefferson City and Boonville.

Additionally, protests have occurred around the country this week in response to ICE operations, with the most attention occurring in Los Angeles. Protests against ICE have also been reported in the St. Louis and Kansas City areas. Kehoe’s order specifically mentions “the rule of law must be maintained in the cities of Kansas City, Springfield, St. Louis, and other affected communities.”

“Executive Order 25-25 declares that a State of Emergency exists in the State of Missouri due to civil unrest and calls on the Adjutant General, or his designee, to forthwith call and order into active service such portions of the National Guard as he deems necessary to aid executive officials of Missouri to protect life and property.”

The order lasts through June 30.

Reactions from around the state

State Democrats made several statements criticizing the governor’s declaration, with state House Minority Leader Ashley Aune calling it “unwarranted.”

“Governor Kehoe’s preemptive declaration of a state of emergency as Missourians prepare to protest an increasingly authoritarian presidential administration is a blatant attempt to intimidate and suppress First Amendment rights,” Aune wrote in a statement. “The protests planned this weekend across Missouri and throughout the nation were sparked by the president’s unwarranted and heavy-handed military response to opposition to his policies. By doing the same, the governor will only heighten tensions and increase the possibility of conflict. Governor Kehoe should staunchly defend the rights of Missourians, not mimic the authoritarianism of the president.”

State Rep. Michael Burton (D-St. Louis County) also called on Kehoe to rescind the order, stating:

“Let me be clear. There is no need for the Missouri National Guard to be deployed at this time. The activation of military personnel in response to peaceful protests does nothing but inflate anxiety and increase tensions. Missourians have the constitutional right to peacefully assemble and make their voices heard without being met with armed force or intimidation.”

Rep. David Tyson Smith (D-Columbia) pushed back strongly on the order, saying it will raise tensions at the protest. 

“The problem is when you bring in the National Guard, you raise attention and it causes increased agitation. So it almost becomes that you’re—it becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy. So people want to get together. They want to protest peacefully. But then you bring in the military and then it just raises tensions,” Tyson Smith said.  “It’s really a slap in the face of the citizens. And you’re basically saying, ‘I don’t trust the citizens to protest peacefully.’ The citizens of Missouri have been protesting peacefully all season. So there’s no reason to bring in the military.”

Missouri Republicans backed the governor’s order.

“We will not allow what is going on in LA to happen in Missouri. Thank you Governor Mike Kehoe for taking these preemptive measures to ensure the lawlessness we’ve seen across our country does not reach our state,” Attorney General Andrew Bailey wrote on social media. “We will continue to support our law enforcement officers in protecting Missourians and preventing violence.”

Lisa Gore, Chair of the Boone County Republicans Central Committee, says she supports the governor’s decision but emphasized the importance of both safety and free speech.

 “We do totally respect the right of free speech in the protest. I believe they are permitted to do that, and we do support them in being able to express their viewpoint. There’s many people in the military who have died in the past defending our rights,” Gore said. 

While Boone County Republicans say they respect the protestors’ right to free speech, Gore added the military takes an oath to defend the Constitution against enemies both foreign and domestic, and that activating the National Guard is a smart move to help maintain the peace. 

 “I just would not want to see anything happen to families or children or any protesters or anything. Especially with our business downtown, I’d like us to maintain safety down there so that the businesses are not damaged,” Gore said. 

However, Tyson Smith sees the activation of the National Guard as part of a broader, more troubling national trend.

“We’re in dangerous times in our country. The president is attacking the courts. Congress isn’t doing their part. They’re not standing up to the executive. We have to do our part and come out and let people know this is not acceptable,” Tyson Smith said. “We haven’t seen anything like this in this country since the thirties leading up to World War Two. It’s time for people to stand up to oppression and stand up to tyranny.”

Check back for updates.

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Ryan Shiner

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

A lane closure has been scheduled at the intersection of Broadway and Providence Road in Columbia next week.

A press release from the city says that the Stormwater Utility will repair pavement in the northwestern portion of the intersection beginning at 6:30 p.m. Monday, June 16. Work is expected to be done by 6:30 a.m. Tuesday.

A southbound lane may be blocked while crews work, the release says.

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Ryan Shiner

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

Juneteenth will be on Thursday, June 19 and city services in Columbia will be impacted, according to a press release from the city.

City offices will be closed that day and residential curbside trash will not be collected. Pickup will be delayed one day for the rest of the week. The landfill will also be closed on June 19, the release says.

Parking enforcement will be suspended and will start again at 8 a.m. Friday, June 20, the release says. The Activity and Recreation Center will be open from 9 a.m.-3 p.m. and recreational swim will occur from noon-2:30 p.m. The Albert-Oakland Family Aquatic Center, Lake of the Woods Pool and Douglass Family Aquatic Center will be open from 1-5 p.m., the release says.

The Columbia/Boone County Public Health and Human Services will be closed.

Go COMO – Columbia’s bus system – will not run on June 19. On Saturday, June 21, all fixed routes and Paratransit services will start at noon because of the parade downtown. The gold and orange routes will also detour around the celebrations that Saturday at Douglass Park.

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Ryan Shiner

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

University of Missouri Athletic Director Laird Veatch on Thursday will speak to the media on the recent settlement reached against the NCAA.

Judge Claudia Wilken last week approved the settlement between the college sports governing body and current and former student-athletes. The athletes sued over claims the NCAA illegally limited their ability to earn money while playing sports in college. The settlement order allows for the 389,700 athletes to collect a portion of the $2.8 billion settlement as back damages.

Veatch issued a statement in an email to fans on Sunday about House v. NCAA.

“This moment marks the first time in history that college athletics departments will be able to share a portion of their revenue directly with student-athletes. Beginning July 1, schools in the SEC, and other conferences, will have the option to distribute up to an estimated $20.5 million per year to student-athletes — on top of athletics scholarships, third-party NIL earnings and other benefits. SEC institutions, and schools around the country, are committed to fairness, transparency and accountability in our new model.

“As we’ve shared with you previously, our Mizzou Athletics staff has spent the past year preparing for this outcome, and while we recognize the operational shifts this requires, we are approaching the new era with a sense of purpose and optimism.”

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Madison Stuerman

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

The Hallsville School District said Wednesday that a bond issue approved by voters in April will not be certified by State Auditor Scott Fitzpatrick.

According to a social media post, the district learned on Friday that the State Auditor’s Office will not authorize the bond issue.

The post by Hallsville School District stated the Boone County Clerk’s Office didn’t follow the newspaper publication requirements listed in state law.

The law reads, “If there are two or more newspapers of general circulation in the jurisdiction, but no two of opposite political faith, the notice shall be published in any two of the newspapers within one week prior to the election.”

The clerk’s office published the notices three and two weeks ahead of the election.

However, Fitzpatrick told ABC 17 News that he has not received Hallsville’s bond notice to certify it, but he thinks he knows the reason.

“I think it was in that that category of bonds that had the three-week and two-week notification and so Bond Council made the decision to not proceed with even submitting them to us,” Fitzpatrick said.

Brianna Lennon, Boone County Clerk, tells ABC 17 she feels in the dark to what her full guidelines include.

“We don’t get any guidelines from them. We don’t interact with the state auditor at all on any of these things,” Lennon said. “So if there are new guidelines, it would be wonderful if we knew what they were.”

Lennon also said she thinks it is important to give voters enough notice ahead of the election.

“Three weeks and two weeks vs. two weeks and one week gives us the extra grace period that if something were to happen with the newspaper and they didn’t get it in publication, but they’re a weekly newspaper, then we still had time to be able to get it in,” Lennon said.

Hallsville Superintendent Tyler Walker said he’s frustrated with the outcome.

“Our community passed a $6.5 million bond issue to support our students, and to rely on a clerical error that, allows for a statute to be enforced that is extremely outdated,” Walker said.

Walker said the board of education is looking at other options, including placing the bond issue on a future ballot.

“If we have to run another bond issue, we will do it. But we know that the community supports our school district, and we are so appreciative of that. So we will get to the finish line and get these projects completed,” Walker said.

The issue passed with 74% in April.

The Centralia School District also had a bond issue election that was passed by voters in April. According to the state auditor’s website, it was also published in the Columbia Missourian on March 18 and 25 and the Centralia Fireside Guard on March 21 and 28.

“We were relying on the on the representation of Bond Council that the publication requirements were met. When we looked and saw that there were two notices, we said, ‘OK’ and moved it on down the line,” Fitzpatrick said. “So that one got approved. It shouldn’t… frankly, it shouldn’t have been.”

According to Fitzpatrick, once a bond is certified, the state auditor’s role is complete, so Centralia’s bond approval will not be changed.

As for Hallsville, the district has until Aug. 26 to get its bond on the ballot for the November election.

The bond money for Hallsville would be used to complete the second part of a three-phase plan to address the growing student population, security upgrades and a new baseball field, according to the district.

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Jazsmin Halliburton

PHELPS COUNTY, Mo. (KMIZ)

Two people were seriously hurt after a motorcycle crash near Newburg in Phelps County on Wednesday night.

According to a Missouri State Highway Patrol crash report, the crash happened around 8:10 p.m. on Wednesday on Route T, five miles south of Newburg.

The report states a 52-year-old man from Rolla and a 56-year-old woman from Rolla were heading north when they hit a deer and were thrown from the 2005 Yamaha XV1700.

Both were taken to University Hospital by helicopter with serious injuries.

The Doolittle Rural Fire Protection District posted on social media that crews responded to the scene in the 1600 block of Highway T just after 8:20 p.m.

Troopers said neither of the pair was wearing a helmet at the time of the crash.

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Jazsmin Halliburton

SEDALIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

The City of Sedalia will be holding public interviews on Thursday to fill the vacant Ward 1 council seat at 6 p.m. at the Municipal Building.

Four candidates will be interviewed during this process: Adam Porter, Cheryl Ames, Jason Michael Joy and Virginia Kaye Brainard.

According to the city’s Facebook post, the city is committed to being open and transparent and allowing residents to hear form the applicants and engage with the candidate selection process.

After the interviews, the Mayor can nominate one candidate to city council for approval. If there is no candidate chosen, the process will remain open until the seat is filled.

Former Ward 1 councilmen, Tom Oldham stepped down from his position in April after “serious allegations” were brought against him, the City of Sedalia wrote in a social media post. The city did not elaborate on the allegations in the post or in communications with ABC 17 News.

Pettis County Sheriff Brad Anders told ABC 17 News in emails that his office is investigating Oldham. The criminal investigation includes the possible sexual harassment of a youth. Oldham was recently reelected to his seat in the April 8 race.

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