Category: kmiz-local-news

Alison Patton

EDITOR’S NOTE: A change has been made to note that the board will not be voting on the policy in July.

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

The Columbia Public School Board is set to continue discussion about a policy change regarding who reports and intervenes in bullying incidents during the year. The policy has been under consideration since April.

According to the board’s agenda for Monday, the new policy would allow school employees, substitutes, and educational contractors who work with students to intervene and provide support to students who are being bullied.

Currently, school employees and staff are only allowed to submit a report of bullying to the principal or a designee within two days of the bullying incident, and the bullied student will be offered support during the investigation.

The school district has limited jurisdiction when it comes to off-campus bullying, according to the document. The document clarifies that the school can intervene when cyberbullying starts on campus, at a school event or uses district technology.

The document also lists a couple of ways that the school district can take action, including contacting parents, explaining what behaviors are allowed on campus, letting relevant staff know about the incident and alerting law enforcement or social media companies about inappropriate behavior.

The school district will continue to accept online bullying reports throughout the year, but the investigation might take longer during breaks, according to the document. Investigations will continue to be completed within ten days of receiving a report.

Columbia Public School Board Vice President Paul Harper told ABC 17 News in an email that the policy is not up for a vote Monday. He said the policy has received comments as required by law, but they haven’t been added to the draft. The board will instead receive an update on the policy.

Monday’s meeting begins at 6:30 p.m. in the Aslin Administration Building.

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Alison Patton

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

Boone County Fire Protection District’s Missouri Task Force One has been supporting statewide flood response operations in Reynolds and Iron counties, where flash flooding overwhelmed roadways, campgrounds and waterways following historic rainfall.

BCFPD Chief Doug Westhoff said search teams are moving segment by segment along the Black River.

“There are four segments of that area of the river that they’re working on. They just subdivided it. Two of the four that they’re focused on today are between 75 and 90% complete. The other two on the far north end and far south end of the river will be checked tomorrow,” he said.

Westhoff adds that while moving through the segments, crews are documenting property damage and making sure no survivors are left behind.

“We have to run those river banks and all of the places that could have been impacted by that high water to make sure that we don’t have people that are impacted, that maybe didn’t have any form of communications or any way to ask for help,” he said.

Friday, a specialized helicopter team with the task force assisted in the evacuation of over 100 campers from Camp Taum Sauk in Reynolds County.

Westhoff said that roads were blocked in the area, with the only way out of the camp being by air.

“They were isolated, and the roads were all damaged, so it was an airlift operation by the Missouri Guard, and we had a couple of rescue technicians who were on board one of those aircraft that helped facilitate that exact situation,” he said.

Westhoff expects the task force to wrap up operations within the next few days.

“Well, it is purely just an estimate; for tomorrow’s operational period, we will not have state or mutual aid assets. So it may slow the workload just a little bit, but we feel confident that by tomorrow or midday Monday, we should have things wrapped up,” he said.  

In Crawford County, the missing woman who was swept away by flood waters yesterday has been located.

According to a Crawford County Sheriff’s Office press release, Faith Gregory was found dead 1.8 miles downstream from her residence around 11:30 Saturday morning.

Assisting the sheriff’s office in the search were the Missouri State Highway Patrol, Steelville Fire Protection District, and Quad County Fire Protection District. The Crawford County Coroner later arrived to recover the victim.

“This is not the outcome that any of us were hoping for. Our thoughts and prayers are with Faith’s family, friends, and all those affected by this tragic loss,” the office said in a press release.

The Crawford County Sheriff’s Office also took the time to thank the emergency personnel who spent countless hours on the hazardous search operation, as well as the community members who provided them with refreshments.

The sheriff’s office said that out of respect for the family’s privacy, no additional information about the search will be released at this time.

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Alison Patton

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

Parts of Mid-Missouri saw another round of rain Saturday morning following severe storms and damaging winds the night before.

The ABC 17 Stormtrack Weather team is tracking a wet Saturday morning before the rain clears up for the rest of the week.

An ABC 17 News reporter saw some water-covered roadways in Paris around 6 a.m., and a fast-flowing Middle Fork Salt River.

Middle Fork Salt River on Saturday morning.

Just after 7 a.m., Boone County Joint Communications sent a text message to residents, letting them know that a downed tree was in the roadway in the 7000 block of North Buckingham Square, creating a traffic hazard.

A tree is shown on top of one car, and another car two spaces over on North Buckingham Square.

Another ABC 17 News reporter saw a tree blown over onto the Heather Ridge apartment complex in west Columbia. ABC 17 has reached out to management to see if anyone was hurt, although an ambulance wasn’t spotted on scene.

A tree leans against a Heather Ridge apartment complex in west Columbia. A utility truck is seen removing parts of the tree.

Strong storms also knocked out power for thousands of Mid-Missourians on Friday night, and a couple of hundred Boone County residents were still in the dark early Saturday morning. Those storms knocked down about eight power line poles on Highway NN in Boone County.

An old power line pole is broken on the grass in front of the new pole that utility crews put up early Saturday morning.

Dee Stidhan lives on that road, and she said new poles were put in, and power was restored around 3:30 a.m.

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John Ross

Strong storms moved through the area on Thursday evening, producing scattered high winds, hail, and a few brief rotations. Flooding remains a concern south of I-70 as storms have continued this morning. Some storms are strong-to-severe this morning.

A Flash Flood Warning is in place for Phelps and Maries counties through 9 a.m., where over 5 inches of rain may have fallen in some locations.

An ABC 17 Stormtrack Weather Alert Day has also been issued for Friday afternoon and evening for the threat of damaging winds and flooding.

SETUP

A wave moved over the area late Thursday, producing scattered strong storms along and south of I-70. Leftover boundaries from this activity will keep rain going into Friday, when another disturbance is set to move overhead during the day. Friday’s setup will be very similar to the day before, with scattered storms developing in the heat of the day south of I-70, carrying a risk of damaging winds, hail, and flash flooding.

FUTURETRACK

Storms will continue near I-44 through Friday morning, then a brief break is possible for everyone in the late morning and early afternoon. Storms will ignite midday after 3 p.m. and continue into Friday night, where all severe hazards are possible. Heavy rain persists in southern Missouri into Saturday morning, before showers finally exit this weekend.

IMPACTS

Impacts may include hail and wind damage; storms capable of 60 mph winds will be the greatest concern. Flash flooding is also likely, with localized 3 to 4 inch totals around Miller, Maries, Pulaski, and Phelps counties.

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Melissa Houston

ROCKY MOUNT, Mo. (KMIZ)

A severe morning storm caused tree damage and a widespread power outage across Morgan County on July 10, and residents spent much of the day preparing for possible storms later at night.

In an email to ABC 17 News, Co-Mo Electric Cooperative representative Patrick Wood said at one point nearly 3,000 customers had lost power, mostly in Morgan County. As of 7:30 p.m. Friday, more than 1,800 co-op members still had no electricity.

Wood wrote that the chance for more storms later in the evening prompted crews to try and restore as much power as possible before a second storm hits.

“With the number of active outages and the damage they are seeing, there will likely still be restoration work underway when additional storms move into the area this afternoon,” Wood wrote.

Wood wrote it is likely a second storm would create more power outages for the community.

Starting at 8 a.m., the morning storm generated 23 service calls in the area, according to Rocky Mount Fire Protection District Chief Jonathan Trail.

Trail said the calls were for tree debris in the road and falling on power lines, though no major injuries were reported.

“We were fortunate we didn’t have any injuries to any civilians or personnel, but we did have a fair amount of storm damage,” Trail said. “A lot of tree damage and some residences were also damaged with them.”

Trail said crews cleared all of the blockages in preparation for possible severe weather coming later in the evening. He said the department has experienced a couple of severe storms since July 4, and they know how to prepare for this upcoming one.

“Through the 4th to now, we’ve gotten quite a bit of wind and rain, so we’re obviously going to be ready for it,” Trail said.

The department has responded to 56 storm-related calls since July 4, which exceeds its average of 40 emergency calls per month, according to Trail.

With the high temperatures and ongoing outages, Trail said Station One will be open during business hours for residents needing a space with power.

“It’s pretty warm out,” Trail said. “If people need to come up during business hours just to get in the cool area, they’re more than welcome to come up here to Station One, and we’ll accommodate them.”

In preparation for the second storm tonight, Trail said they are advising residents to be cautious when on the roads. Specifically, if there are flooded roadways, he recommends that motorists turn their vehicles around and not attempt to go through the flood.

“It’s not worth having to have us come out to rescue you, or worse, find yourself in a situation where we can’t get there to help you,” Trail said.

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Steven Lambson

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

The Boone County Fire Protection District helped get a horse that was down and unable to rise stabilized and loaded for transport to medical care.

Firefighters responded to a property on Bowling Lane east of Rangeline Road and New Haven Road, where they found the horse on the ground. Working with a veterinarian, the firefighters were able to stabilize the horse and load it onto a trailer. They then took the horse to the University of Missouri Veterinary Health Center for treatment.

No details were provided on what had happened to the horse prior to its rescue.

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Steven Lambson

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

A strong storm knocked out power to thousands of customers across mid-Missouri as it rolled through Friday evening.

As of 7:30 a.m. Saturday, the Columbia Water and Light outage map reported 26 customers without power; down from 124 reported at 10:45 p.m. on Friday.

Columbia Water and Light officials had told ABC 17 News that they expected to have power restored to all customers by midnight Friday.

Boone Electric Cooperative reported 50 customers with no power around Harrisburg at 7:30 a.m. Saturday. That had dropped from 903 seen on the outage map around 10:45 p.m. Friday.

Ameren Missouri reported more than 3,446 customers without power in Missouri, including Audrain and Montgomery Counties.

Photo of storm damage in Montgomery City. Photo: Jarvis Jones

The storms also caused tree and power line damage in several areas.

Photo of Highway NN near Harrisburg closed due to downed power lines

At 6:41 p.m. Boone County Joint Communications reported a closure of Highway NN just north of Highway 124 near Harrisburg due to power poles down in the road.

ABC 17 News sent a crew to the location, and they were able to speak with Boone County Fire Assistant Chief Norman Hinkle, who said that he did not have any information on when a crew would arrive to begin the repair process.

In Montgomery City, the storm system broke branches and knocked at least one tree down in the area of Harper Street and Seventh Street.

So far, no reports of injuries have been provided.

Boone County Office of Emergency Management is asking county residents to report storm damage resulting from this afternoon’s severe weather. Damage reports are essential for helping the Boone County Emergency Operations Center assess storm impacts.

Check back for updates.

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Ryan Shiner

JEFFESRON CITY, Mo. (KMIZ)

The Jefferson City Police Department required the help of a Missouri State Highway Patrol diving team on Friday after it encountered a “suspicious object” in Binder Lake.

Officers were called at 9:42 a.m. Friday to the 300 block of Binder Lake Road for a report of a “suspicious incident,” according to a press release from JCPD.

An ABC 17 News reporter saw 11 police vehicles, two trucks and a dive boat team. A tow truck was pulling a vehicle out of the water.

JCPD Curtis Finke told ABC 17 News at the scene that divers confirmed at 3:30 p.m. that there was a car in the water. Police believe the vehicle had been in the water “for quite some time.” Finke said it’s currently being labeled as a “suspicious incident” and there is no active criminal investigation.

Finke said right now, there’s no urgency or danger to the community. Law enforcement will look into the records of the car.

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Ryan Shiner

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

Fulton Police Chief Bill Ladwig is retiring.

The City of Fulton made the announcement in a Friday press release. Ladwig will end his 26-year career on Aug. 3.

The city has completed “an internal interview process” for its next police chief, though the appointment will be announced at a later date, the release says.

Ladwig joined the Fulton Police Department in 2000 and served as chief of police for the past five years, the release says.

“Throughout his tenure, he has demonstrated a steadfast commitment to public safety, professional leadership, and community engagement, helping guide the department through periods of growth and change while maintaining its mission of serving the community with integrity and professionalism,” the city wrote.

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