Category: kmiz-local-news

Ryan Shiner

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

A 14-year-old boy had non-life-threatening injuries after he was shot Saturday afternoon in the 10000 block of I-70 Drive Northeast, according to a Monday afternoon email from Boone County Sheriff’s Office spokesman Brian Leer.

Leer wrote deputies were called to a report of shots being fired around 3 p.m. that day. The youth was able to give law enforcement a description of the vehicle used and claimed one or more people shot at him, Leer wrote.

Deputies found “several” youths supposedly involved and determined they were meeting to sell drugs when shots were fired, Leer wrote.

One youth was arrested on suspicion of unlawful use of a weapon and armed criminal action; while another was arrested on suspicion of second-degree assault, unlawful use of a weapon and armed criminal action, Leer wrote.

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Ryan Shiner

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

A Missouri lottery player who won half of the $1.787 billion jackpot over the weekend bought their ticket at a QuikTrip in the St. Louis area, according to a Monday press release.

The Powerball ticket was bought at the QuikTrip at 12110 Lusher Road in St. Louis, the release says. A second winning ticket was purchased by someone in Texas.

“It was a record setting night for the Missouri Lottery, with the $893.5 million prize ranking as the highest jackpot prize won in Missouri to date,” Missouri Lottery Executive Director Lester Elder said in the release. “It exceeds the previous record of $293.7 million from a Powerball drawing held in November 2012.”

The winner has 180 days to claim their prize and can choose to receive it among one-of-two options, the release says. They can take one lump-sum of $410.3 million or the full $893.5 million in 30 annuity payments, the release says. Both options are before taxes.

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Ryan Shiner

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

A now-former Miller County deputy has been charged with five counts of first-degree child molestation.

Kyle Carroll was arrested on Saturday in Cooper County and was brought to the Eldon Police Department, according to a probable cause statement filed on Monday. Court documents say he is being held at the Osage County Jail without bond. A court date has not been scheduled.

The probable cause statement says troopers were called to a residence on Friday evening for a report of a sexual assault on a minor. Law enforcement was allegedly told Carroll molested the victim in April or May, court documents say.

Carroll allegedly admitted to having sexual encounters with the youth on several occasions, the statement says.

Previous reporting indicates Carroll was suspended once the allegations were made.

“These allegations are deeply troubling. We take them with the utmost seriousness. No one is above the law, and our responsibility is first and foremost to protect the safety and well-being of the community, especially its most vulnerable members,” a Saturday night press release from Miller County Sheriff Louie Gregoire says.

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Ryan Shiner

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

A Boonville man has been charged with two felonies after he was allegedly found with child pornography.

Lance Larkin, 35, was charged with first-degree promoting child pornography and child porn possession. He is being held at the Cooper County Jail without bond. An arraignment is scheduled for 10:30 a.m. Tuesday.

The probable cause statement says the Missouri State Highway Patrol was conducting an online investigation on Aug. 2 and found an IP address associated with a file of child porn that was shared. The IP address was associated with Larkin’s home address, which was investigated on Friday.

Thousands of files of child porn were found on his computer, the statement says.

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Ryan Shiner

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

A woman whose blood alcohol content was more than three times the legal limit to drive was charged after she allegedly hit multiple cyclists Sunday morning at Binder Park in Jefferson City, court documents say.

Tatum Townsend, 25, of Fulton, was charged with aggravated driving while intoxicated, second-degree assault, misdemeanor fourth-degree assault, two counts of first-degree property damage, one count of leaving the scene of an accident and armed criminal action.

She is being held at the Cole County Jail without bond. An arraignment was held on Monday, where she pleaded not guilty. A counsel status hearing is scheduled for 2 p.m. Wednesday.

She allegedly hit two cyclists on Sunday before a race at the park and broke two bicycles after hitting them with her SUV, the probable cause statement says. One of the victims was brought to an area hospital with a swollen and possibly broken ankle, the statement says. That victim claimed Townsend straightened out her vehicle and accelerated directly at a number of cyclists, court documents say.

Townsend is accused of causing roughly $14,400 in damage, according to court documents. She was arrested in the 4400 block of Rainbow Drive.

Townsend had pleaded guilty on Dec. 9, 2024, to misdemeanor DWI and was sentenced to two years of probation.

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Matthew Sanders

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (KMIZ)

House Republicans signaled Monday that they’re willing to set a higher bar for measures to make the statewide ballot in Missouri and to redraw the state’s congressional map.

The House voted 96-55 on a bill to reform the state’s initiative petition process, by which citizens can get questions onto the ballot. Hours later, the House approved the new congressional map, 89-63. A final vote could take place on Tuesday.

The vote on initiative petition reform followed more than an hour of debate during which Democrats argued the new bar for passage — approval from a majority of voters statewide and in each of the state’s eight congressional districts — is unreasonably high.

The bill includes an amendment sponsored by Rep. Ed Lewis (R-Moberly) that bars foreign spending on initiative petition elections.

The bill would put a question on the November ballot to reform the initiative petition process.

Lawmakers moved on after the vote to debate a new congressional map.

Debate over redistricting

The battle over redistricting also erupted in the Missouri House on Thursday as lawmakers debated for hours over a new congressional map that would likely give Republicans a 7-1 advantage in the U.S. House of Representatives.

The proposed “Missouri First” map, backed by Republican Gov. Mike Kehoe, would split Kansas City’s Fifth District, currently represented by Democratic Rep. Emanuel Cleaver, into three districts. Republicans say the new lines better reflect the state’s values, while Democrats argue the plan would dilute minority voting power.

“There is nothing that has happened that would justify doing this other than the desire for pure undistilled power,” Cleaver said. “The city is now going to have three different members of Congress representing it, and that just dilutes the voters, particularly on the West side, where we have primarily a Hispanic community, and on the east side, the Black community.”

Republicans defended the map during the heated debate on the House Floor. Questions arose over who drew the map. The bill’s sponsor, Rep. Drik Deaton (R-McDonald), said the map came directly from the governor’s office.

“Constituents have said it loud and clear that they fear for their children’s future because of insane policies of the left, and that is the real reason we’re here,” said Rep. Justin Sparks, a Republican from St. Louis County.

Rep. John Martin (R-Boone County), said he supports the former president’s political agenda and believes the new map will be beneficial for the state.

“I support Donald Trump. I support his America First agenda. I believe what he’s trying to do is improving every aspect of American lives,” Martin said. “I think it’s very important practically to give as many Missourians the opportunity to put a Missouri first and America first type of agenda in place, because I think these are the type of principles that actually will improve our state.”

However, Democrats argued that the new map is designed solely to protect President Donald Trump.

“If he loses the House, that’s where inspections and where they investigate crimes. Unconstitutional crimes. And this bill, or redistricting, is designed to protect himself,” Rep. Adrian Plank (D-Boone County) said.

Other Democrats feared taking political power away from Black communities in Kansas City.

“A thousand years from now, people are going to look back at this moment,” Rep. David Tyson Smith (D-Boone County) said. “Now is the time our republic is at stake, our democracy is at stake and I call my colleagues to do the right thing. This is wrong and it’s immoral.”

The measure is expected to pass the Republican-led chamber. A final House vote, along with a separate measure to reform the state’s initiative petition process, is expected Tuesday before both bills head to the Senate.

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Ryan Shiner

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

The University of Missouri Athletic Department is changing how students can claim their tickets for football games after widespread issues occurred while trying to get tickets to this past week’s game against Kansas.

A university spokesman shared an email showing the school is switching to a lottery system.

“The long ticket queue? Gone. The queue’s occasional technology hiccups? Gone. The Monday morning claim time? Gone,” an email sent to students says.

The school says students will receive a link each Monday before Game Day to enter their names into the lottery. They have until 11:59 p.m. Monday to enter and will be notified by Wednesday morning. The chances of getting a ticket is dependent on the class a student is considered, along with what game is upcoming, the email shows.

The email says this is how tickets will be allocated:

Louisiana (Saturday, Sept. 13)

30% to freshmen, 30% to sophomores, 20% to juniors, 20% to seniors and up

South Carolina (Saturday, Sept. 20)

30% to freshmen, 30% to sophomores, 20% to juniors, 20% to seniors and up

UMass (Saturday, Sept. 27)

30% to seniors and up, 30% to juniors, 20% to sophomores, 20% to freshmen

Alabama (Saturday, Oct. 11)

30% to seniors and up, 30% to juniors, 20% to sophomores, 20% to freshmen

Texas A&M (Saturday, Nov. 8)

30% to freshmen, 30% to sophomores, 20% to juniors, 20% to seniors and up

Mississippi State (Saturday, Nov. 15)

30% to seniors and up, 30% to juniors, 20% to sophomores, 20% to freshmen

If there are not enough students from a particular class entering the weekly lottery, the rest of the tickets will be distributed equally among the rest of the classes, the email indicates.

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Ryan Shiner

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

The family of a woman killed in a crash on Highway 63 claims the manufacturer of Jeep failed to install safety features that could have prevented the deadly collision.

The family of Ashley Apel filed the wrongful death lawsuit in Boone County court on Wednesday against FCA USA and Stellantis. The lawsuit claims the crash was caused by defective equipment in the Jeep that hit Apel’s vehicle.

The petition accuses FCA and Stellantis of strict liability and negligence in Apel’s death, as well as negligence by Garrett Hunt, of Higbee, the driver of the Jeep.

Apel was one  one of the three people who died in the Jan. 23 crash that occurred near Breedlove Drive. The vehicle was stopped in traffic because of another crash when a Jeep rear-ended it, killing her. She was pronounced dead at the scene, according to a Missouri State Highway Patrol crash report.

Summons were issued for the defendants on Wednesday. Apel was a teacher at the Moberly School District. Other teachers were also injured in the crash, the school district said earlier this year.

Hunt is also facing criminal charges for his role in the crash, including illegally using an electronic device in a crash that resulted in a death and two misdemeanors: Reckless driving and illegally using an electronic device in a crash where someone was seriously injured. A hearing is scheduled in that case for 9 a.m. Tuesday, Oct. 14.

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Olivia Hayes

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

University of Missouri leaders gathered Thursday to announce the groundbreaking for two new additions to the University of Missouri Research Reactor facility.

The UM Board of Curators approved the additions in its April 2024 meeting.

The first addition will include 11,200 square feet and house three production lines for making FDA-approved lutetium-177. The second addition will be 17,900 square feet and provide space for storage and support functions for the API production lines.

Lutetium-177 is an active pharmaceutical ingredient used in cancer-fighting drugs. University officials say these new additions will greatly increase the number of medical doses available for patients around the world.

“The University of Missouri is the only producer of Lutetium-177 in the nation, and we are treating hundreds of thousands of patients per year,” MURR Executive Director Matt Sanford.

Mike Mangano, president of ABK Biomedical a MURR partner, spoke at the ground-breaking ceremony about the impacts already being seen in clinical trials of the drugs being made at the facility.

“Our third patient just had a liver transplant last week and so we have at least three patients that are completely cured of cancer,” Mangano said.

The drugs being made at the MURR facility aren’t just for liver cancer. MURR is the only source in the United States for four medical radioisotopes used to treat more than a dozen types of cancers

“We use it for all kinds of cancers, particularly for our company, bone cancer has been one of those. We’re doing a lot of work now in pancreatic cancer in these areas,” Steve Ellebracht, of IsoTherapeutics, said.

Dale Klein, a former commissioner of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, said the new additions will help define the future of nuclear science.

“Future engineers, radio chemists, medical researchers and regulatory leaders. Every time a student stands at the console of the reactor or works in the labs, they’re taking part in a tradition of excellence that spans decades,” Klein said.

UM System President Mun Choi said that the university projects the new additions will bring thousands of jobs to the region.

“With our current capabilities and facilities we have about 300 people that work at that facility 24/7. So we want to have a facility that is double the size plus combined that with manufacturing jobs that we’re able to attract with clinical studies that can be done,” Choi said. “Manufacturing plants, logistics distribution center, hospitals that have more capabilities for first-of-a-kind clinical trial that will bring in more economic development to this region.”

Choi said the two new additions discussed at Thursday’s ceremony are industry funded and will cost about $50 million. The university expects them to open within the next two years, according to Choi.

The university is also continuing to plan and design of its MURR Next Gen facility on Discovery Parkway in Columbia, securing $40 million to build another radioisotope facility with that development.

“We’re going to have a tour of the of the manufacturing plant in Korea later this year, which will help us help inform how best to make the design of that reactor,” Choi said.

The university plans to have the MURR Next Gen facility finished within the next eight years. Choi explained their biggest roadblock right now is funding the project. The University is in the thick of raising the funds for the $1 billion bill that comes with the build.

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Alison Patton

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (KMIZ)

The first meeting of Gov. Mike Kehoe’s special session starts Thursday at noon with the special redistricting committee.

This committee will hear testimonies from the public on House Bill 1, and then go into executive session right after to discuss the proposed legislation, committee chair Richard West (R-Wentzville) said Wednesday.

The meeting will proceed despite the NAACP’s attempts to stop the session with a temporary restraining order, according to previous ABC 17 reporting. The organization argues it’s illegal to redistrict outside of the 10-year census.

Republicans claim the Missouri First Map splits fewer counties, but Democrats argue the new map would dilute Democratic votes.

The Missouri First Map would expand the Fifth District, which is primarily Kansas City’s district, to also include portions of Boone County north and west of Columbia.

House Minority Leader Ashley Aune (D-Kansas City) filed her own proposed map on Thursday. That proposal keeps the Fifth Congressional District within the Kansas City area. Audrain, Boone, Cole and Miller counties would mark the westernmost counties of the Third Congressional District, stretching west to St. Charles County.

Rep. Aune map, HB2Download

The National Democratic Redistricting Committee met Thursday morning to breakdown the intentions of the map.

“Despite overwhelming opposition from the people, Missouri Republicans are proposing a congressional map that would split apart the state’s most populous city and turn the Show-Me state into one of the most egregiously gerrymandered states in the country,” said John Bisognano, president of the NDRC.

The election committee will discuss initiative petition reform Thursday at 1 p.m. to take up House Joint Resolution 3.

Several proposed legislations have been submitted regarding initiative petition reform.

Check back for updates.

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