Category: kmiz-local-news

Olivia Hayes

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

The University of Missouri Faculty Council is still considering changes to the upcoming academic calendar.

The council is considering two proposals that would allow for scheduling flexibility with Veterans Day now considered a paid holiday for UM employees. The proposals would also give more room between the end of the fall semester and winter holidays.

It was revealed in October that MU’s fall semester next school year could lose its “Reading Day” — also known as “Stop Day” by students and alumni — to make up classroom hours lost from Veterans Day falling on a Wednesday. This year was the first year Veterans Day was a holiday for university workers.

The university is required to have 29 academic days scheduled for Tuesday/Thursday classes and 43 for Monday, Wednesday and Friday classes, according to previous reporting.

One proposal would allow for the last day of classes and final exam schedules to be set by each campus within the UM system. It also establishes a 15-week semester with one hour of faculty instruction per week, per credit hour.

If approved and implemented, this change would take effect in the fall 2026 semester.

Concerns amongst council members arose during Thursday’s meeting. Some asked for more clarifying language in the proposal around the time length of classes.

“An hour can’t be right because we have 150 minutes of instruction,” one council member said. “So you have 75/75 (minutes of class time) or 50/50/50 so that is an edit that absolutely needs to be made.”

Other council members also asked for more clarity around online courses.

The second proposal would set the school year to begin the third Monday of August beginning in the fall 2027 semester.

“That will help us have a slightly earlier semester and earlier end of the semester. So we don’t have grades being due right before Christmas,” Faculty Council Chair Carolyn Orbann said.

That proposal was initially suggested to take effect in 2026, but it was delayed by a year to avoid any impact to Winter 2026 graduation plans already in place.

The faculty council will vote on whether to approve either proposal at its Dec. 18 meeting, all faculty councils across all four UM campuses have to approve the same language. From there, the proposal will go to the desk of the chancellor and university’s president. Once signed off, it will then go to the Board of Curators to be voted on.

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Mitchell Kaminski

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

On Wednesday, the Columbia Fire Department was dispatched roughly 30 miles to Auxvasse after a mutual aid request for the department’s Hazardous Materials team. 

According to Matt Walton of the North Callaway Fire Protection District, a homeowner on the 2000 block of Route E had picked up an order from a retail store, but when they returned home, they found that the bags were melting. 

The Columbia Fire Department added that a wet substance melted material on a coat, caused skin irritation and left a countertop discolored after contact with cleaning products. Walton said the homeowner did not have any materials that would have contained the chemical, and it was believed to have come from another order placed in the same bin earlier or a bin next to their order. 

That material turned out to be sulfuric acid, prompting Callaway County to request assistance from CFD. Six members of the department, including a battalion chief and four certified HAZMAT technicians, responded to the scene and returned two hours later. 

CFD firefighters collected a sample from the car that had been carrying the grocery bags and identified the substance as a 25% sulfuric acid solution. Team members decontaminated the cargo mat and affected areas of the vehicle, while North Callaway disposed of the bags and coat.

“It wasn’t a full deployment of our HAZMAT team, but it was more of a short team. Firefighters that had knowledge, skills, and abilities, and we had the technology to go out and determine what the agent was,  make sure that it wasn’t anything that could have long-term impacts to the person that was contaminated with the agent,” CFD Chief Brian Schaffer said. “The investigation is being handled by the Callaway County authorities.” 

The incident highlighted one of the seven mutual-aid agreements the Columbia Fire Department has in the area, which includes Boonville, Moberly, Fulton, Jefferson City and Centralia fire departments, as well as Mexico Department of Public Safety and the Southern Boone County Fire Protection District. 

While no money is exchanged for the services, Schaffer said the signed agreements help create a playbook that outlines the incident command and rules each agency has to follow. However, the Columbia Fire Department can still bill other agencies for materials used in hazardous-material responses. 

The agreements are considered standard practice, an administrative measure that solidifies that departments can assist neighboring cities when needed and do not require yearly renewal.

“We keep it open so it eliminates the influence of bureaucracy and politics. It’s signed until one of the agencies wants to pull out and does the notification, it continues on into perpetuity, and that just prevents politics from entering,” Schaffer said. “Where we do see changes is in the operations plan in terms of what we call things and what resources we have. We are adding two boats to our fleet in the coming months. That’s going to be something we’ll communicate to our mutual aid partners.” 

While Columbia does not have a formal mutual-aid agreement with North Callaway County, a department spokesperson said it will provide assistance whenever possible, particularly for specialized incidents.

“We exist on an island. We’re in Mid-Missouri. We are the largest department, we have 100% career (firefighters), we have the resources to mitigate all risks, but anybody can have a bad day,” Schaffer told ABC 17 News. “So what we want to do is make sure that all of the ancillary communities or the communities that touch that we work with have that same level of response when they are having a bad day. A lot of the people that work and shop and participate in Columbia activities live in the suburbs and farther out, so it’s good practice.” 

Schaffer added CFD benefits from the agreements when they are “having a bad day,” giving the department an extra layer of protection. 

“We will call Jefferson City and Boonville, and Fulton to come in and help us,” Schaffer said. “It doesn’t happen very often, but that doesn’t mean it won’t.” 

The department also has a statewide mutual aid agreement that Schaffer says adds a third layer of protection, used for large scenes such as a train derailment. The statewide agreement is also useful if there is an incident that Columbia doesn’t think it can handle. The Columbia Fire Department believes that these types of small mutual aid agreements help prepare them for larger-scale emergencies they might encounter. 

“It just gets some of the challenges we may discover when we mobilize resources worked out so that everything works at 3 o’clock in the morning when you have a bad day,” Schaffer said. “We are a community fire department that recognizes the importance of being a part of Mid-Missouri. And that means taking the friendliness and the cooperation and the collaboration that we enjoy here as a greater mid-Missouri and put that in fire department speak. We talk about it, we do it, and that’s the way that we’re moving forward.”

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Ryan Shiner

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

Two more people have announced their intent to run for spots on the Jefferson City Board of Education.

Ryan Towner and Gretchen Duckworth both announced their campaigns in Thursday press releases. Trent Vallandingham and Michelle Rodemeyer announced their bids earlier this week. Three seats on the board are up for election. Candidates can begin filing across the state on Tuesday, Dec. 9.

Ryan Towner

His press release says he was born and raised in Jefferson City and is a 1999 graduate of Jefferson City High School. He has bachelor’s degrees in psychology and philosophy from William Jewel College, as well as a master of business administration degree from William Woods University. Four of his children are currently students in the district.

He is the president and owner of Towner Communication Systems, the release says. The release says he has served in community service roles at the United Way Fund Allocation Committee, Jefferson City Traffic and Transportation Committee, Concord Baptists Church, State Technical College Advisory Board, Nichols Career Center Advisory Board, Columbia Area Career Center Advisory Board, Salvation Army Advisory Board and the Jefferson City Chamber of Commerce.

“I’m running because I love this community, and I’m passionate about giving every single child in Jefferson City the absolute best education possible,” he wrote in the release. “These aren’t just seats on a board — these are our kids’ futures. I will fight every day to make sure our schools are excellent, our teachers are supported, and our taxpayers’ dollars are respected. This is personal to me, and I’m all in.”

Gretchen Duckworth

Duckworth’s release says she has lived in Jefferson City for 13 years and three of her children are graduates of the Jefferson City School District and a fourth is currently a student.

She works as a manager of human resources at the Department of Corrections and has previously worked “as a global customer service director for a Central Missouri company assessing wastewater impact throughout the country,” the release says.

She is a founding member of the Jefferson City Chamber’s Young Professionals and is also the founder and executive director of the Rise Up Foundation, according to the release.

“I have always had a heart for service and a desire to see our kids have the best opportunities to thrive. Our school district has shown improvement in the last several years, but that improvement hasn’t included everyone,” she is quoted in the release. “If you talk to working families, regular folks, many are struggling right now and they are worried about the future being creating for their kids and grandkids.”

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Euphenie Andre

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

More than 40 countries are set to compete in the 2026 FIFA World Cup, a global event just months away.

The U.S. will host the majority of matches, with eleven cities selected, including Kansas City, which is expected to draw massive crowds.

The Columbia Convention and Visitors Bureau is considering the possibility of hosting World Cup watch parties.

“We have been in contact with our partners at VisitKC, the Missouri Division of Tourism and World Cup Kansas City for many months. Once we know more about the teams and schedule, we can begin more detailed planning for events and fan initiatives,” Convention and Visitors Bureau spokeswoman Megan McConachie said in an email.

McConachie also said the city would consider a shuttle service from Columbia to Kansas City during the World Cup if there seems to be a large demand. She expects to have more information after the New Year.

Any organization or individual hoping to host any public or private viewing event with more than 1,000 people must have a FIFA Viewing License through the networks that hold broadcast rights — FOX and Telemundo.

Applications for these viewing licenses will be processed through the FIFA Public Viewing Platform, which is scheduled to open soon. Event names and advertising cannot include the words “FIFA,” “World Cup,” or “FIFA Cup.” Organizers can use general terms like “soccer” or “tournament” and team names, but official logos are not allowed.

There is restriction on sponsorships, concessions and admission fees. Organizers should review FIFA’S Public Viewing license Regulations for full details.

There is a possibility that fans unable to secure accommodations in Kansas City due to sold-out hotels or high prices could turn to Columbia, bringing an influx of visitors to the city. McConachie said the impact will depend on which teams are drawn Friday morning, as each matchup will influence the number of international and domestic fans expected to travel.

Missouri Reign — a local soccer club in Columbia — said this kind of global attention could have an affect on interest in the sport at home.

“I think there will be some people who are not previously soccer fans who end up going to some games and really falling in love with the game like we all did when we were young. And I think it’ll be a really good opportunity for growth at all levels for soccer,” Quinn Walker, Director of Operations for Missouri Reign, said.

Dakota Acock, head coach and founder of the Missouri Reign, tells ABC 17 the club typically has around 100 athletes, with 40 to 50 players active across its two teams. Acock believes the global spotlight of the 2026 FIFA World Cup will benefit the sport.

“We’re excited to see a little bit of a bump across all avenues of youth soccer and, you know mature soccer across the Unites States, especially here in Mid-Missouri,” he said. Acock also hopes the World Cup will generate momentum that brings more fans to support the Reign as their season kicks off at the end of May.

The 2026 World Cup draw is set for 11 a.m. Friday.

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Erika McGuire

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

As colder temperatures move into Mid-Missouri, health experts typically expect an increase in seasonal illnesses. But so far, influenza activity across the region remains low.

The Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services reported “low” influenza activity across the state from the week of Nov 16-22. The weekly total number of cases reported was 348.

During that same week, DHSS reported 16 flu cases in Boone County, while four cases were reported in Cole County. Cooper County had no confirmed cases during that period.

So far this flu season, Missouri has seen a season-to-date total of 1,376 cases, DHSS reports.

While influenza cases remain low, Mid-Missouri health clinics are seeing patients come in for other illnesses.

Dr. Mariah Allen, a pediatrician with the Jefferson City Medical Group, said she is seeing children come in for several illnesses, but mainly viral infections.

“Most of the time it goes viral, like those colds where it’s just stuffy, runny nose, cough, kind of just not feeling good,” Allen said. “Sometimes it’s seasonal, so I see or a little bit more clingy but it mostly is the viral illnesses,”

Overall, the top three illnesses Allen says she is seeing in children are upper respiratory infections, ear infections and step throat.

“We’ve been seeing pretty mild cases,” Allen said. We do have a few cases where they’re a little bit more severe, but it tends to happen in some of the kids that are either very young like the babies or in kids who have predisposing factors like asthma,”

For influenza, Allen says she has seen one to two cases in children, while COVID-19 cases also remain low among children.

MU Health Care Physician Assistant Kate Dietz is also mostly seeing viral infections, with are common this type of year. But she is seeing an increase of the croup virus in children.

“We’re seeing a lot of common cold sort of thing. Viral upper respiratory symptoms. As far as kids, we’re seeing a lot of croup recently and just a little bit of the flu,” Dietz said. “We’ve had some people that are having the flu like illness, but the flu tests have been negative. But still, same sort of symptoms.”

Dietz says croup is a viral illness similar to a cold but with a recognizable cough.

“Croup is viral illness kind of like a cold as a viral illness and a lot of kids will get fever and a little bit of runny nose, but then they have a barky cough. It sounds like it’s very distinct sounding. It sounds like a seal. Barking a lot of times gets worse overnight.” Dietz said.

The majority of children coming into exam rooms with croup are younger than 4 years old, Dietz said.

The age group coming in with upper respiratory illness Dietz said varies from young adults to the elderly.

As far as COVID-19, Dietz said there has not been an increase but she has seen a case or two.

While many families gathered for the Thanksgiving holiday, Dietz said she wouldn’t consider the number of sick patients an “uptick,” noting that several factors including changing weather and increased holiday gatherings, naturally contribute to more people coming in sick.

If you are feeling sick Dietz and Allen recommend staying home, washing your hands, wear a mask and stay away from people that are vulnerable.

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Ryan Shiner

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

A Jefferson City man has been arrested and charged after he was accused of raping a woman several times in 2024.

Brendan Proctor, 21, was charged on Thursday in Cole County with first-degree rape and two counts of second-degree rape. He is being held at the Cole County Jail without bond. A court date has not been scheduled.

The probable cause statement says the victim called police on Nov. 24 about three separate sexual assaults by Proctor. He allegedly raped the victim while she slept in May 2024 and was hit by him after she yelled at him to stop, court documents say.

Two similar incidents allegedly occurred in July and September the same year, but the victim did not fight back in fear of being struck by Proctor again, police wrote.

The victim called police after they left the state and felt safe enough to report the incidents, court documents say.

Police wrote that Proctor denied the allegations.

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Ryan Shiner

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

A man who was charged with rape earlier this year and was arrested in St. Louis last month is now in the Boone County Jail.  

Antonio Bates, 58, was charged in June with first-degree rape. He was arrested in late November in St. Louis and was booked into the Boone County Jail at 10:59 p.m. Wednesday, jail records show. Jail records show Bates is from St. Louis, while court records list his address as Columbia.

Court documents state that at 3 a.m. July 24, 2018, police were called to a sexual assault in the 800 block of Ann Street. Police wrote the victim reported being outside near a garden area of an apartment when a conversation started with Bates, whom the victim did not know.

Bates forced the woman to the ground and assaulted her, police say. A sexual assault examination yielded DNA that matched Bates, the statement says.

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Alison Patton

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

University of Missouri System President Mun Choi met with Gov. Mike Kehoe on Tuesday to discuss public safety in the city, but some area leaders were absent.

“I was disappointed, not just that I wasn’t there, that’s not a big deal, but that my police chief wasn’t there,” Columbia Mayor Barbara Buffaloe said.  

Choi started asking city leaders to crack down on crime after a Stephens College student was shot and killed in late September.

Columbia crime has gone up by nearly 50% since 2024, but crime against persons is up by 2.4%, according to the Columbia Police Department’s Crime Trends Dashboard.

Buffalo claims the crime data is high because of there’s more CPD officers patrolling and charging people. She said the eight people hired since June are a part of why there are so many charges.

University spokesperson Christopher Ave cited the CPD dashboard in an email to ABC 17 News on Wednesday, saying the Columbia rise in crime is “unacceptable.” In that same email, Ave said city leaders need to step up and do something about it.

Buffaloe said the city and university have a good working relationship.

“I think seeing that a meeting happened where the police department was not invited does not show that this is a two-way street,” Buffaloe said. “I would just like to hope going forward that we will see our police chief or at least command staff involved in the conversations.”

Other city leaders were not invited to meet with the governor.

“I appreciate the concern about crime in Columbia, but these conversations need to include the folks with ‘boots on the ground,'” Ward 6 Councilwoman Betsy Peters wrote in an email to ABC 17. “Chief (Jill) Schlude and Sheriff (Dwayne) Carey should have been there along with the city and county reps as this effort needs continued support in terms of funding and staffing.”

“I’m disappointed that we were left out since we will be the ones responsible for implementing the solution(s),” Ward 5 Councilman Don Waterman also sent in an email.

CPD said they did not receive information for the meeting.

Spokesperson for the governor Gabby Picard said the Missouri State High Patrol and the Missouri Department of Public Safety joined Choi in the meeting.

Columbia’s overall crime is up by about 50% from last year, according to CPD’s dashboard which includes crimes like bad checks and wire fraud.

The ABC 17 News team narrowed the search in the dashboard to crimes against persons–which sorts out nonviolent crimes like bad checks or impersonation, and only includes assault, sexual assault, fondling, rape, human trafficking, incest, intimidation, manslaughter, murder and sodomy.

Last year, there were 82 reported crimes in this category, and 84 this year, according to the dashboard.

Crimes against society are just over 140% up from last year. This category includes weapons, prostitution, drugs and pornography offenses. There were 29 offenses this year compared to 12 last year, with six weapon offenses.

Buffaloe said this category has seen the biggest increase since last year because law enforcement is charging more people for crimes like public urination and jaywalking.

The last category CPD uses is crime against property, which includes vandalism, car theft, larceny and fraud. This category is down 2.2% from last year, with 132 offenses this year compared to 135 last year.

Data reported to the Missouri State Highway Patrol within CPD’s jurisdiction for property and violent crimes shows a decline. Violent crime consists of murder (consisting of murder and non-negligent manslaughter), robbery, aggravated assault and rape.

Through November, MSHP data shows violent crime is down in the city by about 5% from the same point last year (424 in 2025 compared to 444 in 2024). The same data set shows burglary is down by 40% through November (244 in 2025 compared to 411 at the same point in 2024), while motor vehicle thefts are down 53%, fraud is down 4%, arson declined from 29 reported instances in 2024 to 11 this year and larceny is down roughly 11%.

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Matthew Sanders

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

The Missouri Western District Court of Appeals rewrote ballot language Thursday for a measure that seeks to repeal a constitutional amendment that enshrined a right to abortion last fall, finding the language submitted by the state’s top election official needed more work.

The woman who first brought the lawsuit, Anna Fitz-James, appealed a lower court’s decision certifying Secretary of State Denny Hoskins’ Amendment 3 language for the ballot. She claimed that the ballot measure included multiple subjects and that the language did not accurately describe what would happen if the amendment were approved.

The legislature approved HJR 73 to put the amendment on the ballot.

The court found that the measure does not violate the Missouri Constitution’s requirement that ballot measures deal with just one subject. However, it found that none of the ballot statements had sufficiently explained the measure, which would repeal and replace language voters inserted into the Missouri Constitution in November 2024.

An example of the insufficient ballot language is the lack of a mention that it would repeal the amendment approved in November 2024, the judges concluded. The language as submitted is “likely to confuse voters,” the decision states.

Amemdent 3 decisionDownload

The court also said Hoskins’ language should have included that the amendment would restrict abortions for rape and incest to no more than 12 weeks after conception.

“… The exclusion of the twelve-week time restriction in HJR 73’s summary statement could inaccurately insinuate to voters that abortion access would be more expansive in cases of rape and incest than actually permitted under HJR 73.”

The court ruled that language that explains a ban on gender-affirming care for minors should describe these treatments as being “for the purpose of gender transitions” instead of “sex-change procedures.”

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Matthew Sanders

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

Arson charges were unsealed Wednesday against a Mexico, Missouri, man more than two months after a fire that caused significant damage to a home.

Mexico police arrested Kent D. Erwin on Wednesday afternoon on warrants for second-degree arson, a felony, and third-degree arson, a misdemeanor. He was in Audrain County Jail custody on Wednesday with no bond.

Police say they arrested Erwin without incident.

Officers determined the Sept. 27 fire in the 700 block of Union Street was purposely set because the resident was not home when the fire broke out, and the house didn’t have working utilities, according to a probable cause statement. Police say they were aware of issues between Erwin and the resident leading up to the fire.

The blaze caused significant damage to the house and heat damage to a neighboring house.

Erwin told police a few days later that he left Mexico before the time of the fire, but officers saw burns on his right hand, the statement says. Erwin reportedly told police he had fallen off a bicycle.

Witnesses said Erwin was near the house that night, drunk, and video confirmed he was in the area, according to the statement.

Investigators say Erwin’s medical records show he was treated for first- and second-degree burns on his right arm and hand a few days after the fire.

Audrain County Prosecuting Attorney Jacob Shellabarger successfully asked a judge to seal the case until Erwin’s arrest. Erwin’s warrant says he was jailed without bond because he is a danger to the victim or community.

An initial hearing was set for Thursday morning.

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