Category: kmiz-local-news

Mitchell Kaminski

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) 

The University of Missouri is still exploring several commercial development options on university-owned property as it looks to enhance the game-day experience and provide more amenities for students, faculty and staff.

UM System President Mun Choi said during a faculty council meeting on Thursday that the university is considering an entertainment district, including a hotel near Memorial Stadium and additional student housing. However no decisions have been made, and discussions are ongoing.

“We’re still in the discussion phase right now, and we are looking at a variety of different options, including entertainment district, a hotel near the football stadium, as well as housing student housing on our property because students do like to live closer to the campus in downtown,” Choi told ABC 17 News. 

The university began seeking development proposals last fall, with the goal of building on ongoing renovations at Memorial Stadium and improving the experience for fans attending football games. Its bid portal closed Jan. 9, with eight properties across three designated zones identified as potential development sites.

The proposed development zones include properties in the North Campus and central business district, areas near the center of campus, and sites within the athletics complex. Potential locations include properties at Fifth and Locust streets, Stadium Boulevard and Tiger Avenue, the Hearnes Center complex and Gustin Golf Course.

A map provided by the University of Missouri shows proposed development zones.

Choi said the effort began after the University of Missouri Board of Curators asked administrators to evaluate how effectively the university was using its property.

“It came from a conversation that we had with the Board of Curators who asked are we using all of our properties effectively? There were parcels of land that were not being used effectively. So we said, let’s explore with the business community to see what kinds of opportunities there are,” Choi said. 

Under the university’s original bid documents, officials said they would consider selling properties in the North Campus and central business district zone while offering lease agreements for sites in the other two zones.

Choi said Thursday the university’s approach is intended to attract investment while generating additional economic activity in the region.

“Our goal is to provide land and in exchange for the land to have properties come in that will be paying taxes, which is good for the region and provide more amenities for our students, faculty and staff,” he said.

The university has emphasized that projects should generate revenue through upfront payments or ongoing payments while providing amenities that benefit the campus and surrounding community. Proposals also must not require the university to commit its own capital or issue or underwrite bonds to finance development.

Choi added the university has received positive feedback from downtown businesses, pointing to the role students play in supporting the local economy.

“Our students drive economic activity in this region, it makes the region more vibrant,” Choi said. “So in general, there’s a lot of support for this type of activity.”

That economic impact comes as MU continues to grow its student population. Undergraduate enrollment reached 29,500 this academic year, an increase of 500 students from the previous year. The university enrolled 6,050 freshmen, 25 more than last year.

Choi said he would ideally like to see the university enroll 6,200 freshmen annually, but current enrollment is approaching a level he considers sustainable given the university’s resources.

“We’re close to there. That is a sustainable a number for us given our infrastructure and the number of faculty and staff we have”

The university’s overall graduation rate also rose to 68%, up from 44% in 2015.

“We are really pleased with where we are because we’ve seen our graduation rates at four years, six years and retention rates go up. So we want to be able to maintain that, we can accept more students, but they’re not going to get the same type of experience. And our goal is to increase student success.”

The proposed developments could provide additional housing and entertainment options while supporting the university’s broader efforts to improve campus life. However, officials have not announced final project selections or a construction timeline.

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Ellyse Edwards

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

A $1.5 million pump replacement project at Eagle Bluffs Conservation Area is still underway, and the Missouri Department of Conservation has no set completion date yet, Deputy Director Aaron Jeffries said Thursday.

MDC has paused waterfowl hunting at the area because current water levels are not sufficient to manage the wetlands for hunting. Jeffries told ABC 17 that MDC could not estimate when the project would be finished.

“We’re unable to give a timeline as to when the project’s going to be completed, as we work through some things with the contractor,” Jeffries said.

Jeffries said the $1.5 million figure is the contract amount. He said the project focuses on replacing and relocating the pumps. All pumps at Eagle Bluff will be replaced, due to being outdated, and flood damage, he also mentioned levee repairs.

ABC 17 News asked when the new pumps could arrive, Jeffries said he did not have an estimated timeline. He said MDC had most of the pump materials, but did not confirm that the pumps themselves had arrived.

“I believe we have most of the material on the pumps. It’s just a matter of getting stuff in place,” Jeffries said.

The pumps bring Missouri River water into Eagle Bluffs’ wetlands. Rainfall and treated wastewater from Columbia are the area’s other water sources. MDC spokeswoman Maddie Est said Columbia’s treated wastewater accounts for about 12-20% of the area’s full water needs.

“Right now, the water levels at Eagle Bluffs Conservation Area are insufficient to allow for proper management for waterfowl hunting,” Est said.

MDC’s Oct. 21 announcement of the hunting pause said the river pumps are being replaced and that the department cannot maintain the conditions needed to manage waterfowl hunting. It did not give a date for when hunting could resume.

Even once the pumps are running, the wetlands will need time to fill. Jeffries said that process can take weeks or months.

“It’s a process that takes weeks, if not months, to adequately flood an area to provide those hunting opportunities,” Jeffries said.

MDC first announced the pump replacement project in April 2025, saying work was expected to begin that month and finish in fall 2025. In August 2025, the department said the new pumps’ arrival had been delayed and they were then expected to arrive in early 2026. MDC also said it planned to reinstall the original pumps and run them with generators in the meantime.

In October 2025, MDC cited supply-chain issues and said one of the original pumps had failed. The department said the river pumps supply more than 75% of Eagle Bluffs’ water.

Jeffries said Thursday that temporary pumping would not provide enough water across the area. MDC has not announced a new project completion date or a date for waterfowl hunting to resume.

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Euphenie Andre

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

After two months of closure, a portion of Clark Lane at Hanover Boulevard in northeast Columbia is expected to reopen Friday afternoon.

Missouri Department of Transportation Improve I-70 Program Director Eric Kopinski told ABC 17 News on Thursday that the road is scheduled to reopen around 3:30 p.m. Friday.

The improvements include a new roundabout, pavement and retaining walls.

“The roundabout will better allow traffic movement in the area for when we connect the westbound entrance and exit ramp that will kind of exit in that area,” Kopinski said.

Kopinski said crews had to work carefully as they reconstructed the area because of extensive drainage work, elevation changes and existing utilities.

“Anyone that travels that route tomorrow or in the future will see that there’s some walls in that location,” Kopinski said.

During the closure, drivers were detoured along Ballenger Lane, St. Charles Road, Mexico Gravel Road and Vandiver Drive. According to previous reporting, access to businesses west of the intersection was closed during construction, but drivers could still reach them through Hanover Boulevard.

“With the improvements to the Highway 63 Interchange and I-70, the roundabout will help traffic flow more efficiently and improve safety in the area,” Kopinski said.

Some of the detours directed drivers through residential neighborhoods, raising safety concerns for residents.

Ceara Houston, a Columbia native who lives along Rice Road, said she is looking forward to the roundabout opening, particularly because of concerns about speeding in her neighborhood.

“I’m extremely happy that it’s opening so that the people from up top can stop speeding through this neighborhood where all of our children play,” Houston said.

Houston is interested to see how the new roundabout will affect traffic in the area. However, she said she does not believe roundabouts will solve every traffic problem, adding that she thinks the city has too many of them.

The city announced Thursday that Go COMO’s Blue Route will return to its normal route on Saturday.

The reopening comes as the City of Columbia moves forward with plans to improve a 1.32-mile stretch of Clark Lane through a $10.5 million grant agreement with the Federal Highway Administration.

The planned corridor improvements include lower speed limits, four additional speed limit signs, eastbound and westbound bicycle lanes, four vehicle lanes, a six-foot-wide sidewalk on the north side and a 10-foot-wide multi-use trail on the south side.

John Ogan, a spokesman for the city’s Public Works Department, told ABC 17 that the grant agreement has been finalized and the city is now waiting for the grant funds to be released.

Meanwhile, drivers traveling between Boonville and Kingdom City could see additional changes next weekend. MoDOT plans to demolish two bridges in Kingdom City that officials have described as being “at the end of their life.”

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Ryan Shiner

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

Data from Boone County shows the amount of money seniors saved from this year’s property tax exemption was similar to last year’s amount.

Eligible seniors are able to apply for an exemption by each summer.

Boone County Collector Brian McCollom said the total amount of tax credits in 2026 was similar to 2025. This year is not a reassessment year.

Data shows this year saw Boone County seniors save in total $ 2,214,411.24.

In 2025, $2,219,785.05 in total credits were recorded, according to previous reporting.

To be eligible taxpayers must be:

62 years old or older by Jan. 1 of the initial credit year; An owner of record of their primary residence or has a legal or equitable interest in such primary residence as evidenced by a written instrument; and Liable for the payment of real property taxes on the homestead. Click here to follow the original article.

Melissa Houston

MONTGOMERY CITY, (Mo). KMIZ

A representative from Amazon told Montgomery County commissioners Thursday that the company plans to expand its data center footprint there.

Brian Bolton, the Amazon representative, said the company plans to add up to 15 new data center buildings on up to 890 acres at a site separate from one where a data center is already being built.

Bolton opened the floor to questions during the commission meeting.

“My purpose here is just kind of out in the open form here, to introduce the potential expansion, if you have any questions, and really, this is more just the starting point,” Bolton said during the meeting.

Amazon is purchasing private land for the new data center buildings, but has not closed yet. The plan would be to build closer to Danville, while the current project is closer to New Florence.

Location of the potential new data centers from Brian Bolton, an Amazon representative.

Montgomery County has two data centers under construction, one by Google and the other by Amazon.

The announcement came as news to the residents and the county commission.

“That’s kinda where that stuff’s supposed to go, you know, original planning and zoning, they wanted that growth going along the interstate, figured it was coming one day, and I guess here we are,” Montgomery County Presiding Commissioner Ryan Poston said.

Poston said Thursday’s meeting might be the first of several to discuss Amazon’s plan.

Residents expressed concerns about Amazon’s work on the initial data center. One resident said she has been run off the road by worker trucks due to the terrain of the roads, the speed of the drivers, and the size of the trucks.

Another said she has tried to reach out to express safety concerns but has a hard time finding a point of contact.

“As far as an individual trying to email someone and say, ‘Hey, you know, this noise from this construction company is debilitating at my house,” Brenda Buechele said. “Or all your construction workers are tearing up my farmland where I farm on my farm because they’re turning around and creating huge ruts; there’s nobody to contact.”

Sharon and Bob Ridgley, local farmers who live behind the current Amazon data center site, said they only found out what it was through the local news.

“We found out that those were data centers coming in. We found that out because it was published in the local newspaper, and we had not a clue what we were going to deal with,” Sharon Ridgley said. “This is just a mile from our home, and all of this construction has impacted our lives so much.”

Sharon Ridgley said that their once-quiet roadway is now full of dust from trucks constantly driving through to build the center.

Ameren Missouri, the power supplier to the data centers, is asking the Ridgleys to add high-voltage power lines into their farms’ backyards. Bob said his farm has been there since 1961, and he shouldn’t have to change it.

“It’s going to affect my grazing systems for my cattle and my crop fields, and we’re going to have to try to fight that too,” Bob Ridgley said. “People call this construction. I call it destruction.”

Sharon Ridgley said that they found out about the power lines when they looked outside and saw workers in their yards putting up markers and taking scans with drones.

“We’re just little people, and they come in and push their way around without any consideration for what it’s going to do to us and our families,” Sharon Ridgley said. “They shouldn’t be allowed to take properties or to make you give up your property because they want to power data centers, which are trillion-dollar companies.”

Bolton said Amazon has no set date for when the potential new data centers would start construction, but he believes it would happen sometime between 2027 and 2029.

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Ryan Shiner

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

Columbia police arrested a man on Wednesday who was found in a trash can after a chase in the northeastern part of the city.

Daniel Joseph Arnold, 30, of Columbia, was charged on Thursday with resisting arrest, aggravated fleeing and misdemeanor leaving the scene of an accident. He is being held at the Boone County Jail without bond. A court date has not been scheduled.

The probable cause statement says Arnold sped out of the Schnuck’s parking lot on Clark Lane in his Chrysler Sebring and almost hit the officer’s patrol vehicle. Two people near a pick-up truck were allegedly seen pointing at the Chrysler while Arnold was driving away, the statement says.

Arnold then allegedly drove 55 miles per hour on Valley Creek Lane, a residential area, and eventually crashed the vehicle while trying to get back to Clark Lane during the chase, the statement says.

Arnold ran from the vehicle and police found him hiding inside a trach can in the backyard of a home in the 1300 block of Valley Creek Lane, the statement says. Multiple people reported seeing Arnold “running in circles” in the backyard of the residence, the statement says.

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Ryan Shiner

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

Former Columbia Fire Department Chief Clayton Farr Jr. was appointed by Gov. Mike Kehoe on Thursday, according to a press release from the governor’s office.

Farr worked with CFD for more than 25 years and retired as chief in 2024, according to previous reporting. He worked in the fire service for nearly 32 years.

The release says he is a licensed emergency medical technician “and has held or currently holds certifications as a Missouri fire inspector, instructor, and investigator, and Missouri hazardous materials technician.”

He is a member of the International Association of Fire Chiefs and the National Fire Protection Association.

“Chief Farr has a superb management record and broad experience across the fire service, starting as a firefighter and working his way up through the chain-of-command to lieutenant of emergency services division, battalion chief, division chief, fire marshal, assistant chief, and chief of a large and growing department with almost 200 team members and a $34 million budget,” Kehoe was quoted in the release. “His responsibilities have included code enforcement, fire investigations, fireworks and explosives enforcement, firefighter training, and fire safety public education. He brings the skillset, collaborative spirit, and practical experience that will guide the Division of Fire Safety team into the future.”

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Collin Anderson

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

Battle blocker Nadine Ira went “Beyond the Game” with ABC 17 Sports Reporter Collin Anderson, after the Spartans had their best regular season in school history.

You can find a full transcript of the interview below.

Collin Anderson: “What is up, everyone? Welcome back to another edition of Beyond the Game, where we are at Battle High School, joined by Spartan Volleyball superstar Nadine Ira. Nadine, it’s been kind of a very good season for you guys so far. Can you kind of give me your assessment of how the year’s been going?”

Nadine Ira: “We started a little bit rocky, but we played a new team. We’ve never played this team before. Troy. We went there, was two hours away, and it was a battle, definitely. But we were left with the win, and I feel like it was a great start to the season. And yeah, ever since then it’s just been good.”

Anderson: “What do you think has contributed to your single-season success so far?”

Ira: “I think definitely my teammates. My teammates are very positive, and like if anything happens on the court, they’re always like there with positive feedback and always helping me get back up and game that confidence back up.”

Anderson: “Where are you so dangerous? What makes your game so dangerous?”

Ira: “I wouldn’t say I’m necessarily dangerous, but I feel like I’m definitely one of the players. Like if I do anything, like I could hit a ball 10 feet out the wall, like, I’m definitely going to stay composed and like, okay, that’s fine. Like next ball, like set me right now, like I’m definitely one of those players.”

Anderson: “Building off of that, do you have a player that you have a lot of chemistry, that you’re like, they know exactly where I am.”

Ira: “Yeah, I do. I think Tristan, we connect a lot really well and I think Tyelle because we’re both blockers. She likes to set the block for me. I feel like we work so well together, and I feel like the chemistry there is just good.”

Anderson: “Why do you think that is?”

Ira: “I think for Tyelle it’s because we’re both tall. And I just like to, you know, bond with her when she gets a block. I’m like, ‘Oh, my gosh, that looks so good. I want one too.’ It’s just definitely fun playing with her.”

Anderson: “It’s a little back and forth, you get one, I get one.”

Ira: Yeah, we like to share. Like it’s your turn now since I got one, you have to get one too.”

Anderson: “Why do you think having two players that are as dynamic as you, that like to be as flashy and dominant as you two, how do you think that gives your team an advantage?”

Ira: “I think it’s just fun to watch and it’s fun to play against, and I think it’s just a definitely an asset necessity to have.”

Anderson: “Well, Nadine, thank you so much, and for you guys, you just went Beyond the Game.”

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Demetra Alarcon

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (KMIZ)

Gov. Mike Kehoe was joined by state officials and U.S. attorneys in his office Thursday to announce the start of an anti-fraud crackdown dubbed “Operation Show-Me the Money.”

This operation is a collaboration between the State of Missouri and the U.S. Department of Justice to prosecute individuals and entities that defraud state benefit programs. The collaboration will bring together state and federal resources to identify potential fraud and strengthen oversight, officials said.

“We’re bringing all the full force of state and federal law enforcement together to send a clear message. If you’re stealing from Missouri taxpayers, we are coming after you,” Kehoe said.

This operation is a collaborative effort between the Kehoe administration, the Missouri Attorney General’s Office and the DOJ, bringing staff together from the Missouri Attorney General’s Medicaid Fraud Control Unit and the DOJ.

The initiative relies on a three-pronged strategy that starts with tips from frontline staff and referrals from ongoing state investigations. Investigators will then launch targeted reviews of specific benefit programs to spot suspicious activity, while also cross-referencing data across multiple agencies to uncover hidden patterns of abuse and emerging trends.

“One of the other new things that we’re talking about today is that we have a cooperation agreement with the federal government, so that assistant attorneys general are being sworn in as special United States attorneys to assist in the prosecution of these crimes at both the state and federal level,” said Missouri Attorney General Catherine Hanaway.

Matt Price, United States attorney for the Western District of Missouri, said this initiative builds on the momentum of a summer of fighting fraud in Missouri. Price said the U.S. attorneys’ offices in Missouri prosecuted cases accounting for $62 million in “actual and intended fraud losses.”

In an interview with ABC 17 News, Missouri State Auditor Scott Fitzpatrick said this operation is a state government approach to reducing waste and eliminating fraud.

“Fighting fraud and waste in government is what we [the auditor’s office] do all day, every day. And so, you know, we’re obviously happy to have Gov. Kehoe and his commitment to participating in that in a larger way, as well as the attorney general’s office,” Fitzpatrick said.

Fitzpatrick said although this is the start of an official partnership, an unofficial one has existed, but this allows more focus on the topic.

“So the governor, I think, is just taking it very seriously and wants to partner in ways that maybe they hadn’t received as high-level attention as he’s wanting to give it in prior administrations,” Fitzpatrick said.

Fitzpatrick said the first meeting for this group is set for Nov. 5.

A focus on fighting fraud has taken priority for the Trump administration, as Vice President JD Vance leads an anti-fraud task force. President Donald Trump this week introduced a federal fraud whistleblower program.

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Matthew Sanders

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMI)

A Cole County man was charged with felony stealing, fleeing a traffic stop and other felonies after a chase in an allegedly stolen car Wednesday afternoon.

Travis Adamson, 35, was charged Thursday with one count of felony theft of a motor vehicle, fleeing a traffic stop, felony drug possession, receiving stolen property, careless and imprudent driving, and one count of felony stealing for allegedly taking an e-bike.

He remained in the Cole County Jail on no bond Thursday afternoon.

A woman allegedly told investigators that Adamson stole her car Wednesday as he was at her home while she slept, according to a probable cause statement. Cole County deputies chased the Chevrolet Malibu until Adamson crashed it into a ditch on Highway 17 and ran, a Cole County Sheriff’s Office news release states.

Deputies found Adamson about 100 yards away in the wooded area, the release states. Schools in Eugene were locked down during the chase, the sheriff’s office says.

A separate statement says the chase started when Adamson sped by an ongoing traffic stop and through a school zone. The chase went down Highway 17 and other country roads in Cole and Miller counties until a tire blew out in a school zone in Eugene, according to the statement.

Adamson is also charged with stealing a rented e-bike from a Citgo gas station at 105 W. Dunklin St. on Tuesday.

No hearings had been set as of Thursday afternoon.

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