Category: kmiz-local-news

Olivia Hayes

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

The Rock Bridge High School football team is switching up its practice routine for the summer heat.

Matt Perkins, Rock Bridge football’s head coach, said the team’s practice schedule during the school year is usually two hours after school, starting around 4:15 or 4:30 p.m. However, with Mother Nature turning up the temperatures in the summer months, the team has had to make some adjustments, switching to morning practices.

ABC 17 sat in on the team’s Thursday morning practice, starting at 6:45 a.m. Perkins also emphasized the importance of hydration for his athletes, along with getting an early start, to ensure safety is a top priority.

“We’ve got multiple water stations throughout practice, so … offense is down on this end, the defense is down on the other end,” Perkins said. “Each group has two smaller coolers, and then we have a giant cooler in the middle full of water. Our managers do a really good job making sure those are filled up.”

Anabelle Faith, an incoming junior at Rock Bridge High School and one of the team’s managers, said the students have to arrive at the school around 6:30 a.m. to fill the water coolers that the team uses.

“It kind of just depends on the heat because there’s rainy days and they don’t drink a lot of water, but on like an average day, they’ll probably finish all of them,” Faith said.

Perkins also explained the team’s protocol when handling potential heat-related sickness, but said as a coaching staff, they try and keep a close eye on things to avoid the possibility.

“We sit them out, put them in the shade, give him a ice pack, put it on their neck, put it on their wrists or their arm. We have ice, like tubs, and that are also set up, and so we can dunk a kid if we need to, and all of those things,” Perkins said.

For Thursday’s practice, Perkins said coaches had a couple of athletes they were watching closely.

“One of them is wearing a shoulder harness, and so he’s got a little bit of extra, you know, thickness on what he’s wearing,” Perkins said. “Instead of being in like an eight-play environment with, you know, your group period, maybe that kid’s on a four-play rotation. Just getting that guy off the field a little bit quicker.”

Evan Williams, a senior on the Rock Bridge Football team, said he takes steps the night before practice and the morning of to combat the impacts of the summer heat.

“The night before, you got to get sleep, obviously. I wake up, drink a lot of water. You know, get my body ready for practice,” Williams said. “Of course, I have some sort of breakfast, eggs. I guess that makes me, I guess feel the best.”

He also said fueling his body after practice is important in his routine.

Williams feels that the attention to detail of the Rock Bridge coaching staff promotes a healthy atmosphere for him and the other athletes.

“I feel like with all the water we have here, I feel like it’s a safe space and helps you be a better athlete by not being dehydrated,” Williams said.

Becky Spicer, Williams’ mom, credits the “M.O.B. mentality”, an idea encouraged by the Rock Bridge coaches. Spicer says it’s made her son and his team step up to the plate on and off the field.

“As a parent, it took me a little time to understand what that was. I do know now that that is maximum effort, ownership and brotherhood. But these boys, it has become who they are and they have fully bought into that,” Spicer said.

She said on days like Thursday, where the temperature plays a major role in player performance, it’s even more important for the team to stick together.

“When they’re out here and it’s 110 degrees and they’re padded up and with helmets on, part of that discomfort is preparing them for being successful. And I think that they understand that and they own that,” Spicer said.

As a parent who has put multiple kids through Rock Bridge Athletics, Spicer says she has seen the staff transform over the last few years.

“I have given my trust fully to this program, and what I have seen just in the last couple of years has been impressive. We have an incredible athletic training staf,f and if our coaches are driving these protocols, I think they’re doing all the right things,” Spicer said.

The Bruins will head to their second football camp of the summer on Tuesday in Branson as their first game of the season nears.

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Ryan Shiner

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

A woman was charged in Maries County on Wednesday after authorities say she stabbed her husband and attacked a toddler.

Savannah Robertson, of Belle, was charged with first-degree assault and child abuse. A warrant was served on Thursday and she is being held without bond. An initial court appearance is scheduled for 9:30 a.m. Tuesday, Aug. 5.

The probable cause statement says Robertson attacked her husband with a butter knife on Wednesday morning and he had wounds to his neck, back, sides and legs.

Court documents also say she grabbed and hit a 2-year-old and caused bruising to the toddler.

A mugshot was not immediately available.

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Ryan Shiner

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

A report from the Jefferson City Fire Department says the cause of a fire in a storage area of Sam’s Club on Stoneridge Parkway has not been determined.

The fire occurred Wednesday afternoon. The building was evacuated after alarms went off. No injuries were reported.

The report says that there was a fire in a battery storage area, though batteries on the scene had minimal damage that was caused mostly from exposure. There was no electricity in the area and investigators could not determine what caused the fire to ignite or the material to be used.

Staff allegedly told firefighters that they saw some people smoking in the area earlier in the day, the report says.

The report says that the automatic sprinklers contained the fire and an employee used a fire extinguisher to put it out before crews arrived.

849 Stoneridge Pkwy 7-23-25 redactedDownload

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Ryan Shiner

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

A grant that had been canceled twice has once again been given the greenlight.

A Thursday press release on the website for the Business Loop 70 area says that a $2 million grant to study a portion of the street has been reapproved.

The grant – which was approved for use by the City of Columbia in March 2024 – was halted earlier this week by the Federal Highway Administration. The grant was frozen in early March but was unfrozen within two weeks.

“Yeah, we’ve got whiplash too but we are also very happy. And big thanks to everyone who expressed support for this important project for the City of Columbia. This is not an easy project and it’s nice to having everyone helping out,” according to a press release on The Loop Como’s website.

The money was approved last year to study Business Loop 70 between Stadium Boulevard and Eastland Circle to find ways to improve safety for motorized and non-motorized users, improving accessible multi-modal operations, providing aesthetics along the corridor and improving economic vitality along the roadway, a release from previous reporting says.

Business Loop 70 is maintained by Missouri Department of Transportation.

The City of Columbia requested $2.5-3 million in a 2023 application.

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Matthew Sanders

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

Police and deputies have arrested a suspect after a man drove himself from Howard County to Boonville.

Boonville police found the victim sitting in a car bleeding with a gunshot wound and Main Street, according to a news release. The shooting happened in Howard County, the release says. Boonville police and Cooper County deputies arrested a suspect at about 1 p.m. in the Haller Street area.

The Howard County Sheriff’s Office told ABC 17 News that Johntelle Millens, 39, is accused in the shooting. He is being held at the Howard County Jail without bond. Charges have not appeared on Casenet, though jail records indicate he is accused of first-degree assault, illegal gun possession, unlawful use of a weapon and armed criminal action.

The Sheriff’s Office said the shooting occurred across the bridge at Highway 40 and 87. The victim was flown to the hospital after he drove himself across the bridge and was found by first responders.

Police say the shooting was not random.

Check back for updates.

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Madison Stuerman

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

Missouri State Highway Patrol confirmed one person died after a car chase going westbound on Interstate 70 in Columbia Thursday morning.

The Boone County Sheriff’s Office told ABC 17 News the vehicle involved in a recent incident is connected to a homicide case in Colorado Springs, Colorado.

In a news release, the sheriff’s office wrote the stolen license plate displayed on the suspect vehicle was not registered to the vehicle. According to the Colorado Springs Police Department said the vehicle is tied to a homicide investigation.

However, authorities do not believe the driver of the vehicle — a 42-year-old woman from Lonoke, Arkansas — is involved in the homicide. The name of the driver was not released.

The Missouri State Highway Patrol is investigating the crash and the Boone County Sheriff’s Department is investigating the chase. MSHP Sgt. Kyle Green said he expects a preliminary crash report to be released tonight.

Boone County Sheriff’s Office spokesperson Brian Leer told ABC 17 News the driver was stopped around 9:20 a.m. near I-70 and St. Charles Road by a deputy for having stolen license plates. The sheriff’s office had received an automated plate reader hit on the license plate.

During a traffic stop, the woman allegedly showed an Arkansas driver’s license and claimed it was suspended, according to a social media post from the sheriff’s office. The post says the deputy asked the woman to get out of the vehicle, but she allegedly refused and sped away.

The chase went the Highway 63 connector, where the driver turned around and went westbound to the Midway exit, the post says. The driver turned the vehicle back toward Columbia using the ramp onto I-70, the post says. Leer said the driver turned while on the ramp and went into the grass and a ditch.

The MSHP crash report says the woman’s 2006 Toyota Scion XB became airborne and hit a 2005 Kenworth W900 – driven by a 64-year-old man from Festus, Missouri.

The car rolled and she was thrown from it, according to Leer. She was pronounced dead at University Hospital, according to the MSHP crash report. The report says she was not wearing a seatbelt.

An ABC 17 News reporter saw one car with visible damage to its front and driver’s side while it was being towed away. The Toyota was totaled while the Kenworth had moderate damage, the MSHP report says.

A Boone County Sheriff’s SUV was also seen at the crash site with damage to the driver’s side of the vehicle. Leer confirmed to ABC 17 News that the damage was from the pursuit, but when the car hit another Sheriff’s vehicle, no deputies were hurt.

A Boone County Joint Communication alert was sent out at 9:38 a.m. about a crash on I-70 that shut down both eastbound lanes. A second alert was sent out before 10:30 a.m., reporting all lanes are back open.

An ambulance, along with the Missouri State Highway Patrol, Boone County Sheriff and Boone County Fire Protection District, was at the scene.

The Missouri Department of Transportation Travelers map showed traffic backed up for several miles around 10 a.m.

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Jazsmin Halliburton

Editor’s Note: This article has been adjusted to correctly reflect which side filed the new motion.

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

A Columbia man charged with murder for the death of a Battle High School student in 2022 is set to be in court Thursday after Boone County Prosecutors filed a motion for the trial date to be changed.

Prosecutors filed a request on Wednesday for the trial of Tavan Williams-Patrick and it will be discussed on Thursday in front of Judge Jeff Harris in the Boone County Courthouse at 1:30 p.m. The motion says a necessary state witness is not available to testify in person at Williams-Patrick’s trial set for August 11.

Williams-Patrick is charged as an adult with second-degree murder, armed criminal action and unlawful use of a weapon in the death of 15-year-old Aubrey Doxely.

Doxely was shot and killed while lying in her bed at home on McKee Street in 2022 when bullets came through the window and hit her. The shooting happened when Williams-Patrick and three other teens allegedly started shooting from a car while driving down the street.

Williams-Patrick, along with Daniel Ayers, Samarion Robins and Oscar Ashford, were also charged as adults in Doxely’s death.

According to court documents, jury trials for Ashford and Robins are scheduled for September 8. Ayers has a hearing scheduled for August 8.

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Matthew Sanders

Missouri’s General Assembly may have found the solution to all of those expired temporary registrations on the state’s roads.

A law takes effect Aug. 28 that will require vehicle buyers to pay sales tax at the time of purchase, instead of enjoying the grace period they do now. The change means those expired tags should go away (those license plates with expired registration will remain unaffected).

A local car salesman told ABC 17 News there is a negative consequence from the law — many buyers will find they won’t have the same purchasing power when they have to finance sales tax. And those expired tags will hang around for a bit after it takes effect because implementing the changes will take time.

Are you happy with the new law? Let us know by voting in the poll.

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Ryan Shiner

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

A 13-year-old boy from Barnett, Missouri, drowned on Wednesday afternoon, according to a report from the Missouri State Highway Patrol.

The report says the boy entered a pond at a private residence in the 21000 block of Quarry Lane in Barnett and did not resurface. First responders were called at 4:01 p.m., the report says.

The child was recovered by the Moreau Fire Protection District and was pronounced dead at University Hospital in Columbia, the report says.

The victim’s body was brought to Kidwell Garber Funeral Home in Versailles, according to the report.

MSHP reports do not name victims in drownings.

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Nia Hinson

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

Extreme heat has been no stranger to Mid-Missouri.

Wednesday marked the fifth day in a row of an ABC 17 Stormtrack Weather Alert Day for brutal heat. A Weather Alert Day continues into Thursday, as the heat index will surge up to 105 degrees. The heat can not only cause headaches for the average person, but it can also create problems for athletes while they train.

That is, if the right steps aren’t taken.

“The most important thing in my brain is always just to get to bed at the right time,” University of Missouri cross country junior Andrew Hauser said. “Hydration is obviously super important but that’s just important for everyday.”

Athletes like Andrew Hauser have been gearing up, as the start of their season slowly approaches. Practices officially start for the Mizzou cross country team Aug. 15, while their first invitational will be held on Aug. 29.

Athletes have been training on their own in anticipation of the season, lifting weights and taking part in various runs assigned to them from coaches. Hauser said sometimes athletes will choose to run earlier in the morning to try and beat the heat.

Other times, when the heat is too extreme, it’s smart to turn to other methods.

“Treadmill is a great tool in the summer,” MU assistant cross country coach Paige Duca said. “[A] controlled environment is what we need. Today was a recovery day for the athletes and yesterday was a hill session. So, a great decision [is] to just really recover and not have to worry about the heat because the heat can take you a little bit longer to recover.”

Duca said it’s also recommended that athletes hydrate both prior to, and after, workouts. Electrolytes are also critical in helping their bodies recover in extreme heat, Duca said. Athletic trainers are also always on hand.

Athletes feel the heat more on the track.

The temperature of the Audrey J. Walton Track and Field Stadium read at about 136 degrees around 4:30 p.m. Wednesday. The temperature of the turf came in around 96 degrees, compared to 91 degrees outside.

Arianna Fisher turned pro as a triple jumper in 2023 after graduating from MU in 2022. Fisher still uses the track to train and felt the heat on Wednesday afternoon.

Fisher said the heat can take a toll on you mentally when heading into a workout, but her body eventually becomes acclimated to it. However, Fisher said she still takes steps to ensure she stays cool during her workouts.

“A cool towel is always nice to have or just going and sitting in the shade, drinking some water, fanning yourself,” Fisher said. “But for the most part, I just keep a towel and then that’s about it. It was a hot one, very sweaty, very gross, but it was a good workout.”

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