Category: kmiz-local-news

Matthew Sanders

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (KMIZ)

Police have released the name of the man killed Saturday in a shooting outside the Jefferson City Old Navy store.

Jefferson City Police said in a news release Tuesday that Erik Spencer was the shooting victim. Two of Spencer’s family members confirmed his identity to ABC 17 News. Spencer was a graduate of Lincoln University, according to his social media profile. He died on the university’s 100th homecoming weekend.

Police were called to the scene a little before 8 p.m. Saturday. The Jefferson City Police Department has not released details about how Spencer was shot or who shot him.

Tuesday’s news release said only that investigators know the shooter’s identity and the person will not be named until the Cole County prosecuting attorney makes a decision about criminal charges.

Bullets went through the windows of the Old Navy store, which reopened Sunday.

Sarah Buitrago said she and Spencer became friends through working at the AT&T store, which is located in the same shopping plaza as the Old Navy.

Buitrago eventually left AT&T, but she and Spencer stayed close.

“We became really good friends, and I consider him to be like a brother to me,” Buitrago said.

She said she’s feeling frustrated with the lack of information on what happened, and even though more information was released Tuesday, she still has unanswered questions.

“He needs justice. Erik Spencer II deserves so much better than that, and anybody that knows him is to love him and want better for him,” Buitrago said.

On Saturday morning, Spencer was at a Lincoln University tailgate for homecoming at his alma mater the day he was killed, according to Buitrago.

“He had just went to the tailgate and was having a good time, and just trying to continue the fun with his friends,” she said. “Unfortunately, people took that from him.”

Buitrago and Spencer’s two sisters are planning a press conference for 10 a.m. Wednesday at the Cole County Courthouse. Buitrago said it’s one way to get answers and to let people know Spencer’s friends and family want justice.

Buitrago said Spencer was kind-hearted and would give anyone the shirt off his back.

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Matthew Sanders

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

The No. 19 Mizzou Tigers are coming off a bye week and getting ready to jump back into SEC play against Texas A&M.

The game kicks off at 2:30 p.m. Saturday at Faurot Field. Watch a news conference about preparation for the game here.

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Ryan Shiner

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

The City of Columbia Public Works crews will partake in its annual dry snow run Wednesday, according to a Monday evening press release from the city.

Crews will review safety procedures and rehearse snow routes for the upcoming winter season.

The release states a majority of the participants of the exercise will leave between 10-10:30 a.m. from the Grissum Building on 1313 Lakeview Ave.

Residents may see city snowplows throughout the rest of the day.

The release says the Street Division maintains about 1,465 lane miles of roads and 1,100 cul de sacs each winter. Priority routes make up more than 691 lane miles, the release says.

The release also says five new “snow-capable trucks” will be added to the city’s fleet this winter, with two expected to arrive this month and three being added in January.  

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Sam Roe

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

Retired Lt. Col. Anthony Aguilar, a 25-year army veteran and humanitarian aid worker, spoke on Monday night about his experience in Gaza.

The event was sponsored by Missourians for Justice in Palestine and was hosted at United Methodist Church in Columbia.

Aguilar spent time earlier this year delivering aid as part of the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation and has spent the past few months as a self-described “whistleblower.” He has been speaking out against what he sees as a lack of aid and its poor administration.

“It was very apparent to me in the very beginning that the distribution of aid was not being done in line with humanitarian principles,” Aguilar said to the crowd. “The amount of aid that was bringing, that was being brought in was far, far below what was sufficient to feed the population.”

Aguilar claimed in some cases, there were only 20 people responsible for distributing aid to groups that numbered in the tens of thousands. He described the scene as being similar to “The Hunger Games” as they would drop off the food while the people fought over it.

“And the more that I, as each day went on of me being there, it became clearly apparent to me that it was an intentional design to further starve the population,” Aguilar said.

“To displace the population for militarized objectives [and] to essentially weaponize food to a starving population.”

The discussion also focused on the current ceasefire deal in Gaza, which Aguilar sees as ineffective, saying leaders need to step up, as there are still people dying in the conflict.

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Alison Patton

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (KMIZ)

The Jefferson City Council approved a resolution at Monday’s meeting allowing the Missouri Association of Counties to preserve another portion of the historic Buescher Memorial Home.

The front part of the former funeral was known to be in good condition to renovate and preserve, but MAC Executive Director Steve Hobbs said he thought the additional building on the back side — which was added to the original building — would need to be torn down and rebuilt.

“When the architect first said, ‘I think we can save that back building.’ I said, ‘No, no, no, no, we’re not going to,'” Hobbs said.

Saving the back building will actually give MAC more space to work with for its headquarters, office space and training center.

“This is historically better for the community because that building has been there for 50 years,” Hobbs said.

Renovations and work on the former funeral home begin in January, Hobbs said. The $5 million project is expected to take 18-24 months to complete and open sometime in 2028.

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Erika McGuire

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

Thousands of federal workers are feeling the financial strain as the government shutdown stretches past a month, leaving many furloughed or working without pay in what is expected to become the longest shutdown in U.S. history.

The shutdown began Oct. 1 as lawmakers in Washington D.C. are in a stalemate over a federal budget bill. The record for the longest shutdown is expected to be tied on Tuesday evening after 35 days have passed, matching the mark set during President Donald Trump’s first term in 2019.

That stalemate, has caused Daniel Scharpenburg, first Vice President of the NTEU Chapter 66 for the Internal Revenue Service in Kansas City, to be furloughed and face financial uncertainty.

Scharpenburg said there are approximately 6,000 employees that work at the IRS building in Kansas City, with many being furloughed. He works in the collections department where he has processed payment plan requests for 16 years. He was put into furlough status on Oct. 6, five days after the shutdown began.

“I really felt disrespected, like the work we do doesn’t matter, Scharpenburg said. “It was really stressful to not get paid on that day, when we count on these checks to come every two weeks, it was still a shocked to look at the bank account and have that not be there,”

“I did exhaust all the savings that I had. I’ve been building up savings for a little while,” Scharpenburg said. “My bills are going to start coming due, so I had to get something.”

Without a source of income for the past month, Scharpenburg has relied on food banks such as KC Eats, which was established last month, and the organization Harvesters, which provides personal hygiene products.

With his savings nearly gone, Scharpenburg has been forced to look for ways to stay financially stable.

“I have gone to every one of my bills and asked them to defer payments. Some of them have and other ones have not,” He said. “Thankfully, I don’t have to pay rent right now. That is deferred until the end of the shutdown, but some of those other ones are not going to do that for me,”

His credit card and phone bill are two bills he says have been deferred, but his car payment was not because he cannot get a hold of the company, making it his biggest stressor.

For a temporary source of income, Scharpenburg has been hired to work in a warehouse for a company he did not want to name. He says unemployment wasn’t an option, due to not wanting to pay it back to the state and having a debt. His coworkers have also found other ways to make ends meet.

“I know one person that’s going and selling plasma twice a week.” I kind of worry about health implications of doing that all the time, but we got to do whatever we got to do,” Scharpenburg said.

When asked about the possibility of losing his job permanently if the shutdown continues, Scharpenburg said he’s not sure what he would do.

“I’m trying not to think about htat because I don’t know what I’m doing to do. I have a 16-year career, that’s a pretty good sizes career, right?” Scharpenburg said. “I’m middle-aged, I don’t know that I’m equipped to learn how to do anything else, I don’t want to start over.”

Scharpenburg says the responsibility lies with Congress, and he hopes lawmakers will act soon so federal employees can return to work.

“I feel like Congress has a duty to avoid this kind of thing happening. I think they have a duty to get us reopened,” he said. “I feel like we’re disrespected, devalued, and scapegoated right now by various angles, and it’s inappropriate and unacceptable.”

If you are a federal worker in Mid-Missouri, there are several resources available for help.

The Food Bank for Central and Northeast Missouri provides groceries and other essential items to individuals and families in need.

The Central Missouri Community Action Agency, a nonprofit that supports low-income families, told ABC 17 News in a Monday email it is offering support to anyone in need.

City of Columbia Utilities does not have specific program for government workers, but the city says it continues to work with residents who may have difficulties paying their utility bills, including setting up payment plans for qualified customers.

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Mitchell Kaminski

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) 

The Columbia City Council on Monday night unanimously approved a $58,000 consultant agreement with Avenu Insights and Analytics to help track and enforce the city’s new short-term rental regulations.

Between February and July, the city passed a series of ordinances establishing land use, business license, and tax rules for short-term rentals, such as Airbnbs or VRBOs. As those regulations took effect, city staff said a specialized vendor would be needed to help monitor compliance.

According to a council memo, Avenu’s software will track listings across 80 different rental platforms, identifying properties used as short-term rentals and flagging those operating without a license. The system will also collect data on occupancy rates and estimated revenue to help ensure the city collects the required 5% accommodation tax.

Development Services Manager Patrick Zenner said the city currently reviews listings on only a handful of major platforms when an application is submitted, which means some rentals can go undetected.

“Without having the vendor’s services, the City’s ability to identify operators and bring them into licensure compliance is significantly curtailed which results in less ability to collect the accommodations taxes that are regulatorily required to be paid by each operator,” Zenner said in an email.

During Monday’s meeting, Ward 1 Councilwoman Valerie Carroll described the process of tracking those rentals as “labor-intensive and onerous” on city staff. A large selling point of the contract was the cost, with Community Development Director Clinton Smith adding that the contract costs about half the amount of hiring a full-time employee to do the same work.

The proposed five-year contract includes a $5,000 setup fee and an annual maintenance cost starting at $26,250, with small increases each year. The agreement could be extended for up to 10 years at a total cost of about $312,000. The contract allows the city to terminate the agreement at any time without cause.

City staff estimates there are about 475 active short-term rentals in Columbia, but only 125 applications have been submitted, resulting in a compliance rate of less than 25%. If all were licensed and taxed, the city projects annual revenue of roughly $818,000—well above the contract’s cost.

Zenner said the vendor will also operate a 24-hour complaint hotline and assist with enforcement efforts, acting as “an extension of the city’s staff” in monitoring short-term rental activity. Zenner added a major factor in picking Avenu was they were one of only a few vendors that offered live U.S.-based customer service.

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Ryan Shiner

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

The Room at the Inn location in Audrain County will only be open next month on an “as-needed basis,” according to a Friday social media post from the Audrain County Shelter Resource Coalition.

The shelter in Mexico typically opens fully in December, but a lack of funds has resulted in the location only opening that month when a cold weather advisory has been issued and volunteers are available, the post says.

Regular shelter hours will occur from 5 p.m.-7 a.m. in January and February, according to the post.

“When funding is uncertain, we have to make difficult choices,” ACSRC Executive Director Ra’Vae Moore said in the release. “Room at the Inn has always been a lifeline for individuals who are experiencing homelessness during the coldest months of the year, and while we are not able to open every night in December, we are committed to responding when temperatures reach dangerous levels. Our goal is to continue to work hard to raise enough funds to fully open in January and February, just as we have in past years.”

The release says the shelter may open when:

Hard freeze conditions with temperatures between 24-27 degrees Fahrenheit for two or more hours; or

A wind chill warning of at least 20 degrees occurs; or

A winter weather advisory occurs that predicts snow, sleet and ice on the roads; and

There’s enough trained volunteers to run the shelter.

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Haley Swaino

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

The Missouri Department of Transportation on Monday cut the ribbon on its first seven miles of completed pavement on Interstate 70 in the Improve I-70 project.

The project seeks to make I-70 a three-lane highway across the entire state. This first portion focuses on the road from Columbia to Kingdom City.

Barriers will be removed from the completed stretch at Route J (mile marker 137) to Route M (mile marker 144) by the end of the week, Brandy Broeckling with construction company Millstone Weber said.

“We have a more efficient, safer piece of piece of infrastructure,” MoDOT Director Ed Hassinger said at Monday’s ribbon cutting. “We are standing on brand new pavement, a little over a year from when we broke ground up at the Drury Inn. And that is just incredible progress.”

State Rep. Kathy Steinhoff (D-Columbia) called the moment historic.

“I mean, we’ve been planning for I-70 for years,” Steinhoff said. “This is going to make a huge difference. It’s going to help us get to places on time, but it’s also going to help everyone be safe.”

The portion of interstate between Columbia and Kingdom City is expected to be completed in late 2027, MoDOT said.

“The main focus of the project was to add the third lane in each direction on I-70. All three lanes will be new concrete pavement, along with the new 12-foot concrete shoulder,” Broeckling said. “The Route 54 interchange will be completely reconstructed. There’s also numerous changes at the U.S. 63 interchange, which you can see we have all been working on for the past year. And in between there are several other bridges and box culverts that will be getting replaced as well.”

The overall Improve I-70 program is expected to be complete in late 2030.

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Ryan Shiner

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

The state safety coordinator of the Missouri Department of Transportation denies that he wielded a gun during a road-rage incident in Jefferson City.

Harry Adrian IV, of Tuscumbia, was charged Wednesday in Cole County with felony unlawful use of a weapon. A criminal summons was issued for him the same day, and an entry of appearance and not guilty plea were entered on Friday.

Adrian’s lawyer, Ben Faber, said the claims were made up.

“My client denies these charges,” Faber told ABC 17 News. “They were filed after a disgruntled driver made a false police report. Unfortunately, because this person made an allegation against Mr. Adrian, he has been charged with a felony offense and now must defend himself not only in court, but in the court of public opinion. We are confident that Mr. Adrian will be cleared of these charges and look forward to putting this nonsense to rest.”

The probable cause statement says Adrian was accused by two people of pulling out a gun and pointing it at them during a road rage incident around 3 p.m. Sept. 22.

A deputy wrote that he stopped Adrian’s vehicle while he was following the alleged victim’s vehicle in the 3000 block of Highway 54 East in Cole County.

Adrian allegedly told deputies that he was involved in a road rage incident, but claimed he held a cellphone instead of a gun, the statement says. Deputies found a handgun in Adrian’s Ford F-250, the statement says.

Online records show Adrian has worked for MoDOT for 12 years.

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