Category: kmiz-local-news

Erika McGuire

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

Calls to Missouri’s 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline have risen significantly each year since the hotline launched three years ago, according to data from the Missouri Department of Mental Health.

The free, three-digit hotline launched on July 16, 2022, connecting users to crisis call centers across Missouri. It provides support for individuals experiencing suicidal thoughts, substance use issues, mental health crises, or other forms of emotional distress. Help is available via phone, text, or online chat 24/7.

On Thursday, the Trump administration ended the 988 hotline service tailored for LGBTQ+youth. The service was available by pressing 3 and replying “Pride” via text.

Federal data show that from 988’s launch in 2022 until May 1, 2025, there were about 1.5 million LGBTQ+ calls to 988.

From June 2024 to June 2025, there were 102,090 calls to Missouri’s 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline — an average of 8,508 calls per month.

That marks an increase of 2,881 calls compared to the previous year.

In the first six months of 2025, there were over 48,000 calls to the crisis hotline, with April having the most at 8,507. That is up from April 2024, which had 6,340 calls.

Department of Mental Health crisis services coordinator Casey Muckler said the increase in calls is likely due to growing awareness of 988 in the state.

“It’s really hard to say exactly what’s directly driving the 988 volume,” Muckler said. “However, I do think a big driver in our 988 volume is that awareness, more people are learning that 988 is available, so they are reaching out. We have 988 billboards across the state, we have signage at sporting events, we have posters in schools making sure students are aware of 988, we have handouts.”

Muckler said the types of calls 988 receives vary.

“Some people call because they are feeling suicidal, some people call because they are struggling with substances and they’re struggling with substance use, some people are calling because they are feeling lonely and just want someone to talk to,” she said.

While the number of calls to Missouri’s 988 hotline has increased, the average answer rate has remained steady over the past two years at 93.5%, an improvement from the hotline’s first year, which had an average answer rate of 91%.

The average speed to answer from July 2024 to June 2025 was approximately 15 seconds, consistent with the previous year. June marked the fastest response time during that period, with calls answered in an average of just 12 seconds.

Muckler said the national standard for 988 is to answer 90% or more of all calls, texts and chats.

“Here in Missouri, we are consistently answering between 94 and 96% percent of calls that come into the state,” Mucker added. “Missouri is also consistently ranking among the top five states for our in-state answer rate and volume.”

Having seven 988 centers, including six call centers and one dedicated to text and chat, helps maintain consistent answer speeds.

“There is a statewide backup system that answers calls that weren’t able to be answered on the first ring,” Muckler said.

Last year, Muckler told ABC 17 News that 988 was working to route calls based on a caller’s physical location rather than the area code tied to their phone number. She says significant progress has now been made.

“Geo-routing with the three largest carriers, AT&T, Verizon, T-Mobile, they have adopted geo-routing, which basically means if you are calling 988, your call is going to route to the center based on the closest cell tower to you instead of your area code,” Muckler said. “It’s more accurate call routing”

As for staffing, Muckler said that hasn’t been a concern.

“Our 988 centers are fully staffed, so we’re very thankful that we have 988 crisis specialists in Missouri. They are amazing. It’s a very hard job, and we’re really thankful we don’t have any staffing shortages for 988,” Mucker said.

If anyone is experiencing a mental health crisis, they can get in contact with a trained crisis professional by calling or texting 988, chatting with 988 or using a video phone.

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Ryan Shiner

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

A Jefferson City woman has been charged with two felonies after she allegedly tried to stab a man with a steak knife on Thursday morning.

Jessica Taylor, 32, was charged on Thursday with first-degree domestic assault and armed criminal action. She is being held at the Cole County Jail without bond. A court date has not been set and a mugshot was not available on Thursday afternoon.

According to the probable cause statement, police were called at 4:40 a.m. for a report of a woman trying to stab a man at a home.

The victim allegedly told police that Taylor called him while crying hysterically, the statement says. When the victim got back home, he saw Taylor destroying a room, the statement says.

Taylor then allegedly grabbed a knife and first threatened to kill herself before turning her attention to the victim and threatened to kill him, court documents say. The man hit Taylor with a chair to defend himself and she threw a paint can at him, the statement says.

A witness allegedly gave the same details of the story to police, court documents say. Taylor allegedly denied the allegations, but a Jefferson City police officer wrote that “efforts to obtain a coherent statement from the Defendant were unsuccessful,” court documents say.

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Ryan Shiner

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

A Columbia man who allegedly sprayed two women with a caustic fluid near the Bear Creek Trail parking lot in March has been deemed competent to stand trial.

Maxon Castle, 23, was charged in Boone County with two counts of second-degree assault. A mental exam was ordered in April and he was deemed competent on Tuesday. He is being held at Boone County Jail without bond and has a preliminary hearing scheduled for 9 a.m. Thursday, Sept. 11.

He is also charged in Miller County with two counts for unlawful use of a weapon. His next hearing in that case was not listed on Casenet.

According to court documents in previous reporting, two women were hit with a stream of liquid on March 12 that burned and caused red blotches and skin irritations. The burning started again after each woman tried to shower, court documents said. The liquid was described as “caustic,” by police.  

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Matthew Sanders

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

A Columbia teenager reached a plea deal with prosecutors Wednesday to drop a murder charge against him.

Cordero L. Riley Jr., 17, pleaded guilty in a Boone County court to unlawful use of a weapon and second-degree assault. Sentencing is set for Sept. 15. He remains in the Boone County jail pending sentencing.

Riley was charged as an adult last November with first-degree assault, second-degree murder, unlawful use of a weapon and armed criminal action in the death of Trevon Ashcraft, 18, in May 2024.

According to court documents, police used security footage to identify Riley as “subject 2,” who was wearing a black hoodie and pants along with a red ski mask during the shooting on Rice Road.

The probable cause statement says Riley can be seen on the security footage talking with other suspects outside the home and later, with a gun in his hand, ducking from bullets fired from the road.

The statement says Riley and another suspect later shot toward the black SUV, firing down Boyd Lane. The video shows Riley and one of his companions moving while firing. Riley’s companion moves into the line of fire and is fatally struck, the statement says.

Police say he told officers he did not know who he was shooting at, but they were 10 houses away. He also allegedly told police he continued to shoot the gun until it ran out of ammunition.

Quanina Lakeitha Lambert was charged with first-degree assault, second-degree murder and hindering a felony prosecution. Lambert took a plea deal last month, pleading guilty to second-degree assault and child endangerment. She was sentenced to 10 years in prison.

Jordan Jerodisiah Brantley was charged with first-degree assault, second-degree murder and armed criminal action. A hearing is set for Aug. 18.

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Keriana Gamboa

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

Several rallies happened across Mid-Missouri and the nation on Thursday to honor the legacy of late U.S. Rep. John Lewis (D-Georgia), regarded as a champion of the Civil Rights Movement.

We Stand United Missouri held its “Rally to defend the Constitution” at the Capitol in Jefferson City. Organizers say an estimated 300 people attended. 

The rally in the Rotunda featured remarks from the NAACP President Nimrod Chapel Jr. and several other groups.

“Today is we memorialize the legacy of John Lewis. I think that it’s more important than ever that we acknowledge not only our rights and responsibilities as citizens, but put those into motion,” Chapel said. “We did that today. We brought people from around the state here to Jefferson City.”

Chapel told ABC 17 News the group hopes to deliver a message urging Missouri state leaders to listen to the voices of the people.

“We’re definitely talking to those authority figures here in the Capitol, whether it’s the governor, the senators or the state representatives,” Chapel said. “We think that every elected official, both at the state level and on the federal level, need to understand that we, the people, drive this democracy. This is not top down. It’s bottom up. And I have to tell you, we are here at the bottom yelling at the top.”

Attendee Alison Kaiser called for justice amid a tense and divisive political climate.

“Both parties have done this when we have passed something on the ballot by initiative petition and the politicians reverse that. We cannot sit still for that,” Kaiser said.

The Mid-Missouri Solidarity Network said in a news release that organizers are gathering in the spirit of Lewis, five years after he died. He was known for “making good trouble” in the fight for democracy.

The Mid-Missouri Solidarity Network held a “Rally of Grievances and Preferred Visions” outside the offices of Republican Sens. Josh Hawley and Eric Schmitt at 1:15 p.m. Another rally followed outside Rep. Mark Alford’s office in Columbia.

In Boonville, demonstrators with Good Trouble Mid MO gathered in front of the Cooper County Courthouse at 6 p.m. The organization When She Votes held a candlelight vigil in front of the Boone County Courthouse that was attended by dozens of people.

ABC 17 News contacted Gov. Mike Kehoe’s office on Thursday.

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Gabrielle Teiner

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

Power has been restored in Boone County after more than 400 people were without power on Thursday morning, as thunderstorms rolled through Mid-Missouri.

The Association of Missouri Electric Cooperatives outage map on Thursday morning showed 478 customers without power.

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Matthew Sanders

A special Missouri House committee began a series of hearings to take public testimony on property tax reform Wednesday.

The meeting in Jefferson City stretched through much of the day and included remarks by legislators. One of them was Columbia’s Kathy Steinhoff, a former teacher who talked about the challenges of changing the property tax system that schools depend on for most of their funding.

However, property taxes have grown quickly as real estate values have skyrocketed and the costs of providing education have increased. The increased tax burden is among rising consumer costs on everything from food to utilities to health care.

Do you think Missouri needs property tax reform? Let us know by voting in the poll.

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Ryan Shiner

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

Power is restored after storms rolled through Howard County Wednesday night.

The Association of Missouri Electric Cooperatives outage map on Wednesday night showed 216 Howard Electric customers without power, while 50 Co-Mo Cooperative customers in Cooper County had no power and 28 Boone Electric Co-op customers with no power in Randolph County.

Ameren’s outage map showed that 164 of its Howard County customers had no power while 21 customers in Cooper County did not have power.

A flash flood warning was issued for Cooper, Howard and Saline counties until midnight.

An outage was also reported in Columbia at 10:01 p.m. near the intersection of Pershing Road and West Broadway that impacted 56 customers.

Check back for updates.

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Nia Hinson

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

A Columbia man convicted of being involved in a Mid-Missouri drug ring was released from federal custody on Wednesday.

Malcolm Redmon, 42 of Columbia, was sentenced to more than 24 years in prison in 2016 after pleading guilty to being involved in a cocaine-selling ring in Mid-Missouri from 2011-14. He was one of nearly 2,500 people convicted of nonviolent drug charges to have their sentence commuted by former President Joe Biden.

A federal judge ordered his release to a halfway house in Kansas City in June, according to online records.

An email sent to ABC 17 News Wednesday afternoon from the federal bureau of prisons confirmed Redmon was released from federal custody on July 16.

However, they would not confirm if Redmon had been released from the halfway house.

“For privacy, safety, and security reasons, we do not comment on the conditions of confinement for any individual in our custody, including release plans,” the statement reads.

Redmon’s cousin, Nathan Stephens says the two were close while growing up in Columbia and said he viewed Redmon’s father as someone he looked up to. Redmon grew up in public housing, faced with many challenges growing up, according to Stephens.

“Like many of us, he took to the streets. Especially when you’re living in an economically disenfranchised community,” Stephens said. “When you’re in an economically disenfranchised community and the opportunity to “do dirt” as we say comes available, it’s kind of hard to resist that because no one wants to continue to struggle, myself included. I’m not saying that that’s necessarily an excuse, but I’m saying it’s not like we had all of the choices that folks who may not necessarily be fans of his, or what I believe is overly critical fully understand.”

Stephens also served time in prison, before being released in 2000. He said he views prison as a place that isn’t designed to rehabilitate people and doesn’t believe in the system he referred to as “flawed.”

Stephens said Redmon served his time and is deserving of the second chance he’s been given, a feeling he said the family shares. According to Stephens, Redmon’s father’s health is deteriorating and there have been several deaths in the family within the last five years, making it that much more important that Redmon not serve anymore time.

He said he’s spoken to Redmon via Facebook, who’s been involved in a vocational program and seems to have a clear head and reconnected with his children and family.

Stephens said no one is in a position to judge Redmon.

“We have a current president sitting with 34 felonies but I guarantee you, many of the folks who would criticize and talk about Malcolm and myself and others are not talking about our sitting president,” Stephens said. “I would tell them to give that same energy to our sitting president that they would Malcolm, myself or others who are formerly incarcerated or currently incarcerated.”

Redmon was one of 27 people arrested in 2014 throughout Missouri and Illinois in relation with the cocaine ring. He was accused of being the leader of the operation. Federal authorities accused him of directing sales and converting cocaine to crack.

Stephens said while he’s looking forward to reconnecting with Redmon face to face soon, he and his family are hopeful Redmon chooses not to return to Columbia for a much needed change.

Stephens also views himself as a person who is living proof that a person can change, turning his life around after prison, working as an assistant professor in social work.

“When I came home, I started working for parks and recreation, working with young men like myself and Malcolm used to be, Stephens said. “I went from working at University of Missouri. I worked at Douglass Park for a number of years trying to steer our young people in the right direction but that’s the thing that people don’t talk about is a lot of those resources that we grew up with are no longer there.”

All of that doesn’t come without problems along the way.

“I’ve gone from prison to PhD and yet I still have to check the box when I apply for jobs. I lost a job at SEMO (Southeast Missouri State University) because of my background,” Stephens said.

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Keriana Gamboa

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

Columbia Solid Waste Assistant Utilities Director Tom Ratermann is encouraging the public to listen to new guidelines a day after the city announced it would begin recycling some materials.

Columbia’s recycling trucks will collect some materials and bring them to Jefferson City. The effort is part of the city’s first major step toward restoring recycling services after a tornado destroyed Columbia’s recycling facilities earlier this year. The City of Columbia is working with Federal Recycling & Waste Solutions in Jefferson City to help restart recycling operations.

City officials say keeping contamination low is key to maintaining the partnership the Jefferson City location and could qualify Columbia for rebates based on material quality.

“That’s why we’re really encouraging people to not put glass in it, not to put three through seven in it, and not to put clamshells. We end up getting docked for it, and it reduces any potential rebate,” Ratermann said.

Blue bags recycling placed at the curb by residents will be picked up and transported back to Columbia’s landfill, where city staff prepare the materials for shipment.

Funding to bring the materials to the Jefferson City site is coming from money that was previously used to maintain recycling drop-off sites that are currently closed. A timetable for when the drop-offs could be reopened was not immediately available.

City officials say drivers make three to four trips a week to Jefferson City, once there are enough materials fill a tractor-trailer.

Items that can be recycled, according to a Monday press release, include plastic bottles, some plastic container (such as detergent, milk or shampoo bottles) and aluminum cans.

Prohibited materials include glass, yogurt cups, dairy product tubs, plastic clamshell produce contains, black plastics or takeout containers, Styrofoam containers, packaging materials, plastic bags and trash.

The City of Columbia Utilities spokesman Jason West gave insight into what happens to the bag after you leave it on the curb.

“We’ve cleaned out this building and used part of it for the blue bags to be deposited here,” West said. “I have a crew that will come in and open the blue bags and empty those contents and dispose of the blue plastic bags.”

Leah Christian, owner of The Clean Refill, a local zero-waste small business, applauded the city’s efforts, saying it’s a positive sign to see recycling returning, but wants to remind people that reusing is also an alternative.

“I’ve told a few people this morning about recycling coming back to Columbia , and people are pretty excited about having that option for sure. I would just recommend for everyone to remember that reducing and reusing are the two steps to do before you recycle,” Christian said.

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