Category: kmiz-local-news

Euphenie Andre

COLUMBIA Mo. (KMIZ)

The City of Columbia Public Works opened its doors Thursday evening to address safety concerns about a residential road on the east side of town.

City officials hosted an open house from 6-7 p.m. to discuss a traffic calming project on Hoylake Drive between East Broadway and South Rolling Hills Road.

The meeting comes after a traffic study found vehicles in the area were traveling at speeds higher than desired.

The speed limit along Hoylake Drive is 25 miles per hour, but city officials said a recent traffic study found many drivers are traveling closer to 40 miles per hour through the neighborhood.

For months, residents in east Columbia have raised concerns about speeding and safety issues along the roadway. Thursday night, dozens of people from The Brooks neighborhood packed a city open house to push for solutions.

“We have lots of speeding on Hoylake and lots of traffic on Hoylake because of the way that the design was first promulgated,” resident Gail Hauswirth said.

Hauswirth previously shared concerns about traffic safety in the area with ABC 17 News and says little has changed.

Resident Tracy Della Vecchia, who has lived in the neighborhood for more than six years, said speeding drivers are a daily concern during her walks through the area.

“It’s incredibly dangerous and it’s unsafe for our kids, it’s unsafe for all of us,” Della Vecchia said.

According to the city’s traffic study, Hoylake Drive ranked as the second-most requested street in Columbia for traffic calming improvements. Whitegate Drive ranked first, followed by Highlands Parkway, Bluff Creek Drive and Campusview Drive.

The study also found around 1,330 vehicles travel through the corridor every day.

Many residents believe much of the traffic comes from drivers cutting through the neighborhood to avoid congestion on Route WW and Rolling Hills Road.

“I know firsthand because my walking time was when people were driving to work, and that’s the people that would buzz in from one side and buzz out on the other,” Della Vecchia said.

Although there have been no reported crashes on Hoylake Drive between 2023 and 2025, residents said they fear it is only a matter of time before someone gets hurt.

During Thursday’s meeting, city officials presented several possible traffic calming options designed to slow drivers down. The proposals included vertical calming devices such as speed humps and speed tables, horizontal calming measures like chicanes and medians, and intersection changes including bulb-outs.

Officials said vertical calming measures are considered effective, require minimal maintenance and can influence speeds over a larger area when installed in a series. City engineers noted speed humps placed about 500 feet apart tend to work best.

However, officials also acknowledged drawbacks, including increased roadway noise, unavoidable driver interaction and possible aesthetic concerns because the devices would differ in texture from the current roadway.

Horizontal calming measures, including chicanes, medians and bulb-outs, were presented as visually appealing alternatives that can break up a driver’s line of sight and naturally encourage slower speeds.

Officials said those options also come with challenges, including higher costs, difficulty removing snow, impacts to parking and the potential loss of bike lane space near the corridor.

“Hoylake is such a long street and it’s so wide,” Della Vecchia said. “I think a combination of those things, taking into consideration that we don’t have crosswalks, that we need some of the bump outs, that the speed bumps are effective, and where some of the driveways exit on Hoylake, we need to take all of that into consideration.”

According to the presentation, each speed hump would cost about $4,000, while speed tables would cost roughly $8,000 each. Bulb-outs could cost as much as $25,000 a piece.

Officials said the project would be funded through the city’s traffic calming fund, but there is currently no official budget allocated for the project.

Even so, many residents said they left Thursday night’s meeting feeling hopeful.

If the project moves forward, city officials say a final plan likely would not be completed until this winter, with construction not expected to begin until next spring or summer.

Residents who missed Thursday night’s meeting can still submit feedback through June 19 on the city’s website.

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Ryan Shiner

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

The Missouri Department of Conservation has confirmed that it has received “several” reports about a bear being spotted in St. James.

The St. James Police Department shared photos of a black bear in the area on Wednesday and Thursday.

A Department of Conservation spokeswoman told ABC 17 News in an email that Phelps County has had three bear sightings reported this year and it averages about six per year. There have been 40-50 bear sightings in the state so far this year, which the spokeswoman said is about the average for this time of year.

The Department of Conservation encourages people to remove any food sources (such as pet food, bird feeders and trash) that could draw an animal near populated areas.

If you see a black bear, stay a safe distance away from it, the Department of Conservation wrote.

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Matthew Sanders

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

The Albert-Oakland Family Aquatic Center was closed again Thursday while workers repair the filtration system.

The pool closed early Tuesday afternoon because of water clarity issues, according to the City of Columbia’s Parks and Recreation Department. Issues persisted Wednesday, causing the pool to be closed again while staff tried to pinpoint the problem.

The Thursday closure was necessary while an issue with the filtration system was addressed, Parks and Recreation spokesperson Tammy Miller said.

The city hopes to reopen the pool Friday.

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Ryan Shiner

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

The Cole County Sheriff’s Office is warning the public of a new phishing scam that is targeting Apple users.

A press release from the sheriff’s office says text messages and emails are falsely claiming that “an Apple ID or Apple Pay account has been linked to money laundering or other illegal activity. The messages are designed to create panic and pressure recipients into taking immediate action.”

Scammers will tell their targets to call a fake support phone number or click “malicious” links, the release says.

“Many messages now include fabricated legal threats, falsely claiming that government agencies such as the FCC have been notified or that an arrest warrant has been issued. These claims are entirely false and are used solely to manipulate victims into compliance,” the press release says.

Scammers, if they successfully make contact with a victim, try to steal Apple ID credentials, banking information, security codes or ask for remote access to an electronic device, the release says.

The sheriff’s office included this list of safety steps to follow:

Do not call any number provided in suspicious messages

Do not click links or open attachments

Do not share personal, financial, or account information

Do report suspicious messages to Apple at reportphishing@apple.com

Do verify account status only through official Apple settings or the Apple ID website

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Lucas Geisler

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

A former Ashland police officer has settled his lawsuit with the city, according to his attorney.

Andy Hirth of TGH Litigation said former officer Tom Whitener settled his claims over wrongful firing with Ashland for $1 million. The two sides were set to go to trial on July 6.

Whitener sued Ashland in 2023, claiming the city did not follow state law dictating the procedures by which a city can fire a police officer. Whitener said the city retaliated against him after reporting misconduct by former Chief Gabe Edwards, who left in 2023 amid a state investigation into his use of a law enforcement search system.

“The chief was using law enforcement databases to research people and then he would post stories on Facebook under the alias Keith Beavers about those people,” Hirth said in an interview with ABC 17 News.

After reporting the misconduct, Whitener was placed on leave. Hirth said the city did not follow the proper procedures to remove Whitener. Under Missouri law, those steps include: informing the officer of what rules he broke, allowing them to see all the evidence against them and giving the officer a due proccess hearing.

“They told him they wanted him to undergo a psychological fitness for duty exam and they never scheduled the exam,” Hirth said. “Two weeks later, they told him to come in and get his last paycheck and when he did, they tried to get him to sign a letter of resignation, which he refused to do because he wasn’t being he wasn’t resigning. So they fired him instead.”

Hirth said the case would be formally settled in court “in the coming week.” ABC 17 News has asked the city for a copy of the settlement.

“Officer Whitener did what we would hope all police would do in his situation: he spoke up when he saw another officer — in this case, the Chief of Police — breaking the law,” Hirth wrote in a text to ABC 17 News. “He knew he could face retaliation for doing so, and he did it anyway because it was the right thing to do. We need more law enforcement officers like Tom Whitener in our communities and on our streets. It was an honor to represent him in this case, and I’m thrilled to see him vindicated through this much-deserved settlement from the City.”

The Missouri State Highway Patrol investigated the claims against Edwards regarding his use of the Missouri Uniform Law Enforcement System. Special prosecutor Ben Miller did not charge Edwards because the highway patrol did not give him a probable cause statement supporting charges, but Edwards was removed as chief.

Leadership in the Ashland city government has turned over since Whitener’s lawsuit and the fallout of Edwards’ resignation. Chief Scott Young took over APD shortly after Edwards was placed on leave. An interim city administrator took over in May when Kyle Michel left. The city is searching for a permanent hire for the job.

Whitener wasn’t the only whistleblower that faced alleged retaliation. Andrew Worrell, a former police sgt. with APD, is also in the midst of his own legal process. Hirth said Worrell submitted the initial misconduct claim with Whitener against the former chief and later made another claim against a different officer for lying on record about Whitener’s mental stability.

“Different chief by that time, yeah. He got fired for reporting this issue of of concern that another officer was lying,” Hirth said.

Worrell is still waiting on his due process hearing with the city of Ashland.

“We asked for the due process hearing, that was in July of last year. They still not held his due process hearing and we’re almost a year later,” Hirth said.

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Matthew Sanders

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

A large police response closed the parking garage at Boone Hospital on Thursday.

A hospital spokesperson said patients and staff could leave out the north entrance of the garage, but the garage was closed to the public.

An ABC 17 News reporter saw multiple police cruisers around the parking garage. The reporter saw a man who had been sitting on the edge of the garage’s top story come down at about 2 p.m. after speaking with police.

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Alison Patton

MOBERLY, Mo. (KMIZ)

The father of 16-year-old Kayla Huff, who was found dead in a Randolph County conservation area last month, says he’s working with a domestic violence shelter to bring awareness to teen dating violence and abuse.

“We are working with this amazing organization to try to educate our children on the dangers of dating violence and abuse. I hope that with their help we can allow our daughter Kayla Huff to continue to shine her light into our world,” Mike Huff wrote in a Facebook post Thursday morning.

Safe Passage is a nonprofit based in Moberly that serves nine Mid-Missouri counties, including Randolph, Boone and Audrain.

“Thank you, Mike Huff, for setting up this fundraiser for us. We can ear mark [sic] any donations for prevention materials, which have been cut from our budget. We cannot thank your family enough for your advocacy during an unthinkable time in your lives,” the nonprofit posted on Facebook in response to Huff.

The Huff family and the Randolph County Sheriff’s Office did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

When asked if domestic violence had a role in Kayla Huff’s death, Randolph County Prosecutor Stephanie Luntsford said it’s too early to say.

“That investigation is still ongoing,” Luntsford said. “I feel like it may be too premature to specifically say what did or did not play a role in contributing to this, but I can tell you that that is being looked at.”

In a post from Monday, Huff clarified that one of the five suspects charged so far was his daughter’s ex-boyfriend.

“She should still be here making plans for her junior year, having fun with friends, spreading joy to random people at her job at taco bell [sic]. Instead she was murdered by her ex boyfriend, his half sister, and a group of her friends and roommates,” Huff wrote in a Facebook post Wednesday morning.

Safe Passage Co-Director Kelly Pedigo told ABC 17 News that preventing domestic violence was a reason behind Huff’s fundraiser.

“He links Kayla with teen dating violence, and he expressed that he wants to try to prevent this from happening to kids in the future, and that’s one of the things we really focus on,” Pedigo said.

Safe Passage is also facing a $68,000 budget cut, another reason Huff said he wants to donate to the nonprofit.

“There’s really nothing else to take out from our budget. We don’t have anything frivolous in there, so it would immediately attack our staff,” Pedigo said. “Once we start removing staff, it’s going to be difficult to man the shelter 24 hours a day, or to be able to have anybody that’s in the shelter and also available to go and do outreach or provide court advocacy.”

If the fundraiser hits the $5,000 goal, Safe Passage said it would use the money for prevention materials and activities in schools or the community.

Kayla Huff was a sophomore attending Moberly High School virtually. Pedigo said the nonprofit is meeting with high school staff in July to discuss programming.

“We’re just really looking forward to any oppurtunity that we can to try to do some prevention work, and hopefully prevent something like this from happening in the future,” Pedigo said.

As of Thursday evening, the Facebook fundraiser has raised almost $100. This fundraiser follows the creation of a memorial scholarship for Kayla Huff, which has nearly $5,000 as of Thursday morning, Heather Cleavinger, one of the scholarship organizers, told ABC 17 News over text.

One of the five suspects charged in the case is a juvenile, and details about that case have not been released publicly. Two people — Alayna Mason and Hunter Ames — have been charged with first-degree murder and kidnapping.

Christopher Hull and Julian Mason are each charged with first-degree kidnapping and tampering with evidence.

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Madison Stuerman

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

A Columbia teenager was hurt after a two-vehicle crash on Wednesday night.

The Missouri State Highway Patrol reported the crash on Route Z in Boone County at 7:10 p.m. Wednesday.

Troopers said a 21-year-old woman from New Bloomfield was driving east in a 2022 Toyota Corolla when she failed to yield to a 2006 Hyundai Sonata.

The woman made a left turn and hit the left side of a car driven by a 17-year-old girl from Columbia.

The teenager was taken to University Hospital with serious injuries. The woman was not hurt.

The crash report states both were wearing a seat belt at the time of the crash.

Both vehicles had extensive damage, according to the patrol.

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Matthew Sanders

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

The U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Missouri hopes more potential victims in a Columbia doctor’s healthcare fraud and illegal prescriptions case.

Dr. Jonathan Morris was indicted by a federal grand jury on 15 counts of illegally prescribing drugs and 23 counts of healthcare fraud.

The Department of Justice alleges Morris, 46, defrauded Medicare and Medicaid by causing them to “be billed for medical services as if they had been provided by him instead of the assistant physicians” he employs. He owns Columbia Urgent Care on North Providence Road.

Justice also accused Morris of giving prescription drugs to friends and drug addicts with whom he had sexual relationships.

The U.S. Attorney’s Office says it wants potential victims of Morris to contact its Victim-Witness Unit.

“Former patients of Morris or their families may still be facing the aftermath of illegal prescribing of controlled substances or fraudulent billing practices,” the U.S. attorney’s release states. “The victim-witness program provides information, services and support to individuals during federal prosecutions.”

Morris was released from federal custody last month on bond. Conditions of his release include giving up his DEA registration and passport, wearing an ankle monitor while on house arrest and not being allowed to practice medicine.

A former employee also sued Morris last fall. Allegations included Morris making unwanted sexual advances and ignoring sexual harassment committed by other employees.

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Jazsmin Halliburton

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

A 47-year-old Roach man was seriously hurt in a motorcycle crash just before 12:30 a.m. Thursday in Camden County.

According to a Missouri State Highway Patrol crash report, the man was driving a 2001 Harley Davidson Sportster on Irontown Dr. north of Tick Lane. The man swerved to avoid a deer, went off the left side of the road and overturned.

He was taken to Lake Regional Hospital with serious injuries.

The report states that the man was not wearing a helmet at the time of the crash. The motorcycle has extensive damage.

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