Category: kmiz-local-news

Matthew Sanders

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

President Donald Trump hosted Elon Musk in the Oval Office on Friday for a news conference to mark the end of Musk’s White House job.

Musk is leaving the administration following his time as a “special government employee” who headed up the DOGE effort in Washington. Trump and Musk took questions from reporters, and Trump presented Musk with an award for his work.

Watch the entire event in the media player.

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Lucas Geisler

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

The Columbia Fire Department is asking for 12 new firefighter positions as part of its budget next year.

The request from CFD to the city manager’s office calls for 12 new Firefighter I/II positions at a total cost of $1.1 million. Chief Brian Schaeffer told ABC 17 News he feels the department needs 48 new firefighters to staff CFD to the proper level for the city.

Schaeffer said he wants the department to be able to staff each vehicle with four firefighters. Right now, most vehicles are staffed with three people. Having four allows each unit to deploy two teams of two at each call for tasks like searches and rescues, and bring them in line with National Fire Protection Association standards for staffing.

FY 26 Fire Cover Sheet 5-27Download

“We can rescue people faster, we can suppress fires faster, we can cut and extricate people from vehicles faster,” Schaeffer said. “Everything works in a four-person complement and that’s where we’d like to get to.”

The request for greater public safety staffing also extends to the police department. Columbia Police Chief Jill Schlude requested 51 new sworn police officers in fiscal 2026. Schlude said she does not expect to get 51 new officers in one budget but requested the number to publicly state what she and command staff think the department needs to be fully staffed for a city of Columbia’s size and population.

Columbia Professional Firefighters Union president Zachary Privette said he was supportive of adding more firefighters to get to the NFPA standards. CFD can handle four-person crews as long as no one is off work.

“The 12 that he’s requesting right now is going to get us to where we can get four people assigned every day with three-person minimums,” Privette said. “But in order to get us to that four-person minimum, that means every truck in the city has four people on it, we’re going to need closer to 48 or 50 people.”

City departments are in the midst of requests to the city manager’s office for the fiscal 2026 budget. Each request comes with a list of ongoing costs and “new decision items,” or new jobs and equipment the department would like in the next year. The requests are either pared down or incorporated fully into the city manager’s proposed budget for the city council. The fiscal year starts on Oct. 1.

Including the new decision items, the fire department is requesting a $35.1 million budget, which is $3.7 million more than the current fiscal year’s.

Schaeffer’s first listed non-personnel item is $70,000 to help supply and stock the new Fire Station 10 on the east side of Columbia. All staff hires have been made for that station, and he expects the building in the El Chaparral neighborhood to be ready by the start of 2026. It will serve the growing neighborhoods on the east side of town, including Old Hawthorne and The Brooks.

The department is also requesting a one-time spend of $25,100 for new boating equipment. Schaeffer said CFD is close to wrapping up a “facilitated learning analysis” of the water rescue that killed Assistant Boone County Fire Protection District Chief Matt Tobben. Schaeffer said that the process has revealed some needs CFD has for boats and boating equipment.

“We’ll be needing equipment, training and additional policy work in anticipation of [the analysis],” Schaeffer said. “We know that we have two old boats that have been identified years ago, in dire need of repair. And so we’re anticipating that coming out of the facilitated learning analysis and preparing ourselves for that purchase.”

City manager De’Carlon Seewood said he expected to roll out the proposed budget in July.

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Madison Stuerman

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (KMIZ)

Lincoln University announced the hiring of its first director of the new Security Sciences Institute on Friday.

The university hired Adrian S. Petrescu as the SSI director, according to a news release.

Petrescu’s role will be to oversee the certificate program and related activities, recruitment and advising students in the programs.

The release states Petrescu’s experience includes a law degree from Creighton University, a doctorate from the University of Pittsburgh and two master’s degrees from his home country of Romania.

“Petrescu’s extensive background in interdisciplinary sciences, journalism, management, public policy, law and international relations will serve Lincoln well at the institute,” a spokesperson for the University said in the release.

Petrescu will also develop a plan for SSI partnerships within the professional community of applied security sciences.

“The institute shall and will serve as a hub of active research and training and learning for the community of applied security sciences professionals in Missouri and the region and nationally,” Petrescu said in the release.

The Security Sciences Institute was launched this spring and focuses on emergency medical technician (EMT), cybersecurity, geospatial information systems (GIS), and mental health for first responders certificate programs.

The new building is currently under construction and is expected to be open in Fall 2026.

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Ryan Shiner

BOONE COUNTY, Mo. (KMIZ)

Firefighters returned to a house fire early Friday morning after battling the flames throughout the night. Firefighters initially responded to a house fire on Thursday night in northern Boone County, just south of Highway 124, between Harrisburg and Hallsville.

The Boone County Fire Protection District was called at 9:30 p.m. to a home in the 14300 block of North Old Number 7. The fire appeared to increase in size around 10:40 p.m. Around 40 firefighters responded to the fire and there were no casualties, according to Boone County Fire Protection District Assistant Chief Gale Blomenkamp.

Fire crews left the scene around 5:15 a.m. Friday and returned just before 6 a.m. to find more smoke coming from the home.

Before fire crews left the scene, crews were battling hot spots for several hours, according to Blomenkamp. He says they believed they had most of the hotspots put out, but there was one area that was a concern and would be monitored.

Blomenkamp spoke to ABC 17 News on the scene, explaining how difficult it was to put out this house fire due to limited water supply from a lack of hydrants in the area.

“Water supply up here is limited and so we were using a tanker shuttle operation to keep water flowing to the fire. At one point we had 6 tankers bringing water and we actually had a pause in our firefighting operations because we did lose water supply at that point,” said Blowmenkamp.

Blomenkamp said crews were able to get their water trucks refilled and back to the scene and were able to maintain operations from that point forward.

Blomenkamp further explained the difficulty to fighting this house fire, expressing that it was similar to dealing with four separate structure fires. “A lot of separate hidden attic spaces and fake dormers that are on the front of the structure. Those are very difficult to extinguish,” said Bloemnkamp. “The roof was on fire by the time we really arrived and got to work. So when the roof’s on fire, it’s hard to put that out from below.”  

An ABC 17 News reporter on scene when the firefighters returned saw eight Boone County Fire Protection District trucks, one Columbia Fire Department ladder truck and a Boone Health EMS ambulance.

The cause of the fire is still under investigation.

Flames were still coming out of the home at 10:30 p.m. An ABC 17 News photographer saw three firetrucks, seven service vehicles and an EMS vehicle.

This story is developing. Check back for updates.

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Mitchell Kaminski

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (KMIZ) 

The Jefferson City Police Department will add a second community resource officer to enhance support for the city’s homeless population and bolster mental health outreach efforts.

Jefferson City’s current community resource officer focuses on mental health outreach and connecting unhoused individuals with available resources. They also work to balance the needs of the unhoused with the concerns of residents and businesses.

During Thursday’s Public Safety Committee meeting, Police Chief Eric Wilde announced that the department had named a second community resource officer to address the increasing number of mental-health-related calls.

“We noticed over time that increased calls for people with mental-health issues had been increasing for years,” Wilde said. “So we had a unique opportunity to appoint someone as a community resource officer who was tasked with going out, interacting with those individuals, and getting them directed to resources before they had the opportunity to commit a crime or become the victim of a crime.”

During the meeting, Wilde said that the current volume of mental-health calls is right there with traffic accidents.

“We were getting a lot of positive results in the first year. Our community resource officer service, over 480 people in our community, and we were finding that about 70% of those that we lined up resources for, we weren’t seeing them again,” Wilde said. “So we thought that we have enough need in this community to add a second officer too, to that effort.”

The addition reflects Jefferson City’s ongoing efforts to provide more resources for its homeless population. Last June, the Jefferson City Council approved a resolution creating a task force to focus on homelessness. The task force includes representatives from law enforcement, community recreation, legal professionals, and local organizations such as Room at the Inn and Habitat for Humanity.

“The homeless population that we have is concentrated in downtown, which is Ward 2. And that’s just because I think that’s where most of the resources are. And that’s where in the winter there is the shelters,” Ward 2 Councilman Mike Lester said. “A big component of being homeless is a lot of the individuals have mental-health issues and Officer (Marika) Hit has been a great resource for them (and) for the city to help the individuals hook up with resources that might help them and to certainly (in as many) cases as possible, keep them out of being in jail, which doesn’t help anybody.”

Officer Marika Hit, named Jefferson City’s first community resource officer, has held the position for a little more than a year. Hitt also serves on the task force.

During one of the taskforce’s meetings on Oct. 10, Hitt said from Oct. 1, 2023-Oct. 1 2024, there were 481 cases of unhoused individuals being assisted with mental health resources.

Brian Vogeler, director of the Center of Hope Shelter, praised the role of the community resource officer program in assisting those in need.

“I’m seeing individuals who have been unhoused and dealing with issues since I started are now housed and now doing good and, you know, and maintaining and things like that. So I think it’s really good for Jeff City,” Vogeler said.

“The police kind of help us handle some situations. And where, previously, it might have been a situation where they might have, you know, thrown an individual in jail. So now they can send the officer down and talk to them a lot of times, get them help, but they’re needy. And so I think it’s a very valuable resource,” Vogeler said.

Wilde said the current demands in Jefferson City were stretching Hit thin, prompting the decision to add a second community resource officer. Vogeler noted that since the introduction of the community resource officer, there has been a significant positive change in the community, and he believes a second officer will further benefit the city.

“Jeff City has some individuals who may have mental-health concerns. And I think before, they wanted to try to find the best outcome for them. But they really weren’t sure what that was. And then the police force added the resource officer and it just really it really did make a huge difference because those individuals who were needing that extra help,” Vogeler said. “Because sometimes you don’t always know where the resources are or how to get a hold of those resources.”

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Ryan Shiner

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

Several Mid-Missouri law-enforcement agencies are taking part in active-shooter training at the Community R-6 school district until the end of the week, the Audrain County Sheriff’s Office wrote in a Wednesday social media post.  

The post said the training occurred Wednesday and would last until Friday.

“Passersby and residents will notice a large law enforcement presence at those schools on those days,” the post says. “There is no need for alarm or panic, and we thank the school district for the partnership we share in efforts to provide a safe environment for learning in our communities.”

Area law enforcement participating in the training includes the Boone County Sheriff’s Office, Audrain County Sheriff’s Office, Monroe County Sheriff’s Office, Mexico Public Safety Department and Hallsville Police Department, the post says.

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Ryan Shiner

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

A Jefferson City man who is currently incarcerated has been charged with several child sex crimes dating back to 2012.

Joe Stevens, 39, was charged on Wednesday in Cole County with two counts of first-degree statutory rape, one count of forcible rape, three counts of forcible sodomy, three counts of first-degree child molestation, one count of sexual misconduct involving a child, one count of child abuse and one count of first-degree endangering the welfare of a child.

He is being held at South Central Correctional Center in Licking, Missouri, and is serving a five-year sentence after pleading guilty to second-degree assault on July 18, 2024, in Camden County. A court date has not been set.

The probable cause statement says that one of the child victims – now 16 – spoke with a forensic interviewer last month about sexual assaults committed by Stevens when the victim was 3 or 4 years old. The victim allegedly disclosed the assaults to a therapist, recently.

Court documents describe multiple assaults by Stevens on the victim and the victim claimed to witness Stevens rape their sibling, who was also a child at the time.

The assaults occurred nearly every day and the victim claimed Stevens told them not to tell anyone and claimed no one would believe them because the victim was a child, the statement says. A sibling described seeing an assault to law enforcement, the statement says.

Stevens allegedly denied the allegations and claimed “’they’ are trying to make the victim believe it was him that did it,” the statement says.

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Mitchell Kaminski

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

More than a month after a tornado destroyed Columbia’s recycling facility, nearby cities are grappling with an influx of recyclables.

Columbia’s recycling program has been suspended since the April storm that leveled the city’s facility, forcing the closure of curbside collection and all eight drop-off centers. Curbside pickup is still active, but all curbside recycling is being brought to the landfill. City officials say the rebuilding process could take more than a year.

“Obviously, the first week or so there were some frustrations and lots of questions of how things are supposed to be handled now and that sort of thing,” Columbia Public Utilities spokesman Jason West told ABC 17 News. “ I think over the last few weeks,  people have come to understand, especially since we started at least accepting and restarted the curbside pickup for recycling, even though everything still going to the landfill,  people are being understanding and patient while we’re going through all the different assessments and looking at possibilities and future options.” 

Ashland temporarily shut down its drop-off center earlier this month. A social media post from the city says that the site was closed due to “ongoing misuse,” residents began dumping “excess materials” there. The site reopened this week, but will only accept drop-offs on weekdays moving forward.

Jefferson City has also reported an increase in recycling from Columbia residents.  West says Jefferson City officials asked the City of Columbia to remind residents to follow the rules at Jefferson City’s recycling facility.

“They do have a glass bin that can accept glass, but recyclables shouldn’t go in black bags,” West said. “When they see a blue Columbia bag, they know there’s probably going to be contaminants in there, which messes up their process.”

West urged residents using other cities’ facilities to follow posted instructions and ensure they’re recycling properly. Both Ashland and Jefferson City have signs explaining what materials are accepted and how they should be sorted.

Columbia has hired a consultant to evaluate the city’s recycling system and plans to discuss potential solutions during Monday’s pre-council meeting.

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Ryan Shiner

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

A crash in the westbound lane of Interstate 70 led to a lane of traffic becoming blocked on Wednesday night.

A viewer at 10:14 p.m. said they saw the crash occur minutes before in the westbound lane and said multiple cars were involved. Boone County Joint Communications sent a notification at 10:17 p.m. stating that a collision occurred at the 127.6-mile marker of westbound Interstate 70. One lane of traffic was blocked.

Traffic backed up past the Highway 63 connector.

An ABC 17 News reporter saw a vehicle getting towed at 10:53 p.m. Traffic began moving again at 11 p.m.

Check back for updates.

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Matthew Sanders

Elon Musk is done with governing.

The tech billionaire said Wednesday that he is stepping down immediately from his role with DOGE, which has made waves with its job cuts and other moves to reduce government spending (critics point out that government spending hasn’t actually gone down).

May 30 had long been eyed as an end date for Musk’s job as DOGE head, given his designation as a special government employee. And the administration says the work that he and his team started will continue.

Are you happy to see Musk leave? Let us know by voting in the poll.

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