Category: kmiz-local-news

Keriana Gamboa

JEFFERSON CITY Mo. (KMIZ)

Jefferson City is set to have negotiation talks with a third-party vendor to operate the city’s parking lots and structures.

Some city council members have raised concerns that when a city service or the management of the city service is privatized, prices increase for the citizens served.

The Jefferson City Council voted to move forward with contract negotiations with PCI Municipal Services LLC, following a 7-3 vote at its meeting two weeks ago.

3 city council members voted not in favor of the privatization, Ward 2 Councilman Aaron Mealy, Ward 3 Councilman Derek Thomas, and Ward 5 Councilwoman Mackenzie Job.

Council member Derek Thomas told ABC 17 News that because of the demolition of the Madison Street parking garage for the building of the new proposed conference center, the City staff did not feel like Parking Services had the skills to manage the 400 spaces going missing for the next 2 years.

The city initially issued a request for proposals to parking management companies nationwide as part of its effort to explore third-party oversight of Jefferson City’s parking services.

Four companies responded, and after a review process by a group of people selected by the city, PCI Municipal Services LLC was selected

“The stage right now is really just negotiating with Pcci to understand what they will and won’t do what we do and don’t need what we’re willing to pay for and what we’re not willing to pay for. So all the details have to come together,” Thomas said.

Brian Kern President at PCI Municipal Services, told the city council last week that they are “bringing new ideas that are operations, types of operations that we see in other contracts and other cities.”

Ward 2 Councilman Aaron Mealy told ABC 17 News in a statement that many of his constituents believe the city should retain control over its services and how they are managed.

“Almost always, when a city service or the management of the city service is privatized, prices increase for the citizens served,” Mealy said.

Councilwoman Mackenzie Job Ward 5 told ABC 17 News in a statement her reasoning for her vote.

“My ‘no’ vote is because I have reservations about turning over responsibility for a city asset to a third party, and those are based off reading several case studies from other communities who have chosen to take that route,” Job said.

The changes could potentially include higher parking meter rates or the installation of new meters on streets that currently do not have them. High Street in downtown Jefferson City has been without parking meters since 2003.

“Whether we raise the rates or it happens in conjunction with was turning parking over to an organization to manage it.  It’s it really needs to happen one way or another. So  I can’t apologize for rate increases,” Thomas said.

The resolution, approved by the council, formally authorizes city officials to begin discussions on the terms of a potential agreement with the private company.

Thomas also told ABC 17 News that if an agreement is reached, it will return to the city council for final approval. He expects that it could happen before the planned demolition of the parking garage, which is scheduled for September or October.

Thomas also said he expects more details and a specific timeline to be released following a city council work session scheduled for tomorrow afternoon. The session will focus on reviewing financing plans for the proposed conference center.

ABC 17 News has reached out to Council member Mike Lester, the sponsor of the resolution, for comment on the new negotiation talks.

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Erika McGuire

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

Voters in Boone County have taken advantage of in-person no-excuse absentee voting ahead of the Aug. 5 special election.

In-person, no-excuse absentee voting began on July 22 and Boone County Clerk Brianna Lennon said turnout has been steady so far.

“In-person that have come in the office to vote we’ve had almost 900,” Lennon said. “If you include the people who have already voted by mail or submitted an absentee ballot by mail thats another 800,”

By the time Election Day wraps up, Lennon expects voter turnout to fall between 8-9%.

Boone County election judge Trynton Roberts said turnout has been consistent each day, with voters showing up for a particular issue on the ballot.

“About 100 voters each day, it seems that Proposition 1 has been the biggest drive for voters to show up,” Roberts said.

Boone County began in-person no-excuse absentee voting in November 2022 and Lennon said over the years it has grown in popularity,

“We’ve seen a shift as we’ve gotten no-excuse absentee voting to be more a common place for voters we’ve seen more people choosing to cast their ballots earlier,” Lennon said. “So there’s not much of a relationship between basing turnout on what we’ve seen from no-excuse absentee. It’s just people choose to vote before Election Day more often than they used to,”

Lennon says, the November 2024 election marked the highest used of no-excuse absentee voting so far.

“Smaller elections like April elections and things that has shrunk down a little bit more to 15% of our overall turnout comes from absentee but that’s still triple what our absentee turnout used to be,” Lennon said. “We’re not seeing it affect overall turnout numbers we’re just seeing people that would have voted anyway are just taking advantage of the convince of being able to vote before election day,”

Boone County resident Susan Devaney has done in-person, no-excuse absentee voting and said it’s a good option for retirees.

“Convenient, you can put it on your calendar and you have a whole rang of time you can come,” Devaney said. “Its always busier on election and people wake up and all of a sudden think oh I have to go vote today,”

Every voter in Boone County will see Proposition 1 on their ballot, which proposes an expansion of the senior property tax freeze.

In April of last year, voters approved an exemption for senior citizens from certain property tax increases, which they have to apply to use each year.

Residents of Columbia’s Second Ward will vote to elect a new representative in a special election. The Columbia City Council called the election to fill the vacant Ward 2 seat after Lisa Meyer resigned earlier this year. The candidates on the ballot to fill the seat are Ken Rice and Vera Elwood.

Polls for in-person no-excuse absentee voting are open Monday through Saturday from 8 a.m.-5 p.m. at the Boone County Government Center.

This Saturday, voters can cast their ballots at two additional locations: the Parkade Elementary School gymnasium from 10 a.m.-2 p.m., and the Columbia/Boone County Health Department from 11 a.m.-3 p.m.

Voters are required to bring a valid photo ID to vote. Accepted forms include a Missouri driver’s license, U.S. passport or military ID.

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Ryan Shiner

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

Crews from the Missouri Department of Transportation will close a portion of Highway 5 on Wednesday between New Franklin and Fayette to replace a culvert, according to a Tuesday press release.

A stretch of highway between County Roads 426 and 320 will be closed from 8 a.m.-4 p.m.

The work is related to a sinkhole that formed on Sunday, according to MoDOT spokeswoman Marcia Johnson. She said the hole formed after a culvert broke.

The Missouri State Highway Patrol had warned travelers of the sinkhole in the roadway on Sunday afternoon.

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Ryan Shiner

Editor’s note: Woodard’s name has been corrected. Her employment history with MU Health Care was added on Wednesday.

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

An Oklahoma woman who worked as a nurse at University Hospital was charged on Friday after she was accused of stealing fentanyl from the hospital earlier this year.

Amanda Woodard, of Sperry, Oklahoma, was charged with stealing. She is not listed on the Boone County Jail roster, but an entrance of appearance was filed on Tuesday, where she pleaded not guilty. A motion to set a $10,000 bond was filed, but Woodard filed an objection for the request on Tuesday.

The probable cause statement says that Woodard stole the drug for personal use by giving the proper dose to her patients and then using a syringe to take the remaining amount of the vial for herself. Security had flagged an incident to law enforcement on June 13.

Woodard allegedly told hospital security that she stole roughly 266 milliliters of fentanyl from 133 partially used vials during a period from January through May.

MU Health Care confirmed on Wednesday that Woodard began working as a contract agency nurse on Nov. 18, 2024, and was employed by MU Health Care from May 18-June 19.

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Ryan Shiner

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

A woman was charged with two felonies on Tuesday after authorities claim she fraudulently obtained welfare benefits.

Peggy Worstell, of Columbia, was charged with unlawfully receiving EBT cards and stealing more than $750. A warrant will not be issued.

The probable cause statement alleges Worstell misrepresented her household income by not declaring her husband or his income on applications for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program and Medicaid benefits from September 2018-August 2024.

Court documents say she received $28,710.94 in public assistance.

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Nia Hinson

COLUMBIA, MO. (KMIZ)

Columbia Ward 2 candidates talked Diversity, Equity and Inclusion practices in the city on Tuesday.

The Columbia NAACP hosted an election forum at Second Baptist Church downtown. Ken Rice and Vera Elwood are both vying for the seat, after former councilwoman Lisa Meyer announced her resignation in May.

The special election for the open seat is Aug. 5. Boone County Clerk Brianna Lennon told ABC 17 News Tuesday morning that roughly 900 people had already cast their ballot in person, while another 800 had returned a mailed absentee ballot.

Lennon said she’s expecting between 8-9% turnout.

Community members were invited to ask questions to each candidate during Tuesday night’s forum. One of those questions was centered around DEI practices in the city. The Columbia City Council voted to keep its mission and vision statements intact during its June 16 meeting.

Missouri Attorney General Andrew Bailey launched an investigation into the City of Columbia’s practices related to DEI. The investigation will focus on “decision-making in city programs, hiring and funding,” according to previous reporting.

Bailey also submitted a request for public records and electronic communication for terms related to DEI.

City spokeswoman Sydney Olsen told ABC 17 News via text Tuesday afternoon that the city is still working to provide those documents.

“We sent an initial cost estimate for the original request. Following that, their office narrowed the scope of their request. We’ve sent an updated cost estimate which has been paid. We’re now working to provide documents responsive to their revised request,” Olsen said.

According to Olsen, the original estimated cost was $964.24. The revised estimate was $131.49.

Vera told residents Tuesday night that she would have voted “yes” to keep the DEI policy as it stood, if she was the ward 2 leader at the time the vote occurred.

“The language that it was utilizing wasn’t just randomly invented here in Colombia. It is the standard DEI language that is used by the National Association of Counties that they were relying upon,” Vera said. “I would absolutely uphold that. I would also hope to do further work to see that policy actually come to action, to see more work, to watch the strategic plan and the indicators that they’re using to see more significant change.”

Rice told ABC 17 News ahead of Tuesday’s forum that he doesn’t believe anything will come out of the investigation.

“We have a statement that’s performative,” Rice said. “It means nothing. We talk about we want to do stuff for DEI, we hired a DEI director but there’s no significant show of outcomes that have made any significant community better because of that statement or the hiring of the DEI person.”

Bailey has also threatened to sue the City of Columbia if found in violation DEI compliance and take it to the White House. Pamela Hardin is the president of the Columbia NAACP and moderated Tuesday night’s forum.

Hardin said she doesn’t believe the investigation is unneccesary.

“I think they’re digging in a place that they don’t need to dig. The city is happy with the way things are going here. We are happy being inclusive. We’re happy with our equity and our diversity,” Hardin said. “I just think it’s a waste of time, funds, money, ability, people and resources for him to launch this investigation to find nothing but to look for something because they’re not happy with the choices that the constituents actually have made in this town.”

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Ryan Shiner

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

Someone described as a nurse practitioner in court documents has been accused of having child pornography and assaulting someone who confronted him about it.

Michael Lewis, 31, of Ashland, was charged with child porn possession, second-degree domestic assault, third-degree domestic assault, tampering with evidence and tampering with a witness. He is being held at the Boone County Jail without bond, though a mugshot was not available on Tuesday afternoon. A court date has not been scheduled.

The probable cause statement says the victim spoke with police on Monday after they were assaulted by Lewis. The victim allegedly found about 20 videos of child pornography on Lewis’ laptop, the statement says.

After the victim confronted Lewis about the videos, he allegedly assaulted the victim and destroyed the laptop, court documents say. The victim took videos and photos of the laptop before it was destroyed and showed them to law enforcement, the statement says.

The victim also allegedly recorded a conversation where Lewis admitted to keeping and viewing the videos, the statement says.

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Ryan Shiner

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

The next phase of work on Highway 54 over Missouri Boulevard that begins next week will require a traffic shift, according to a press release from the Missouri Department of Transportation.

Crews on Tuesday, Aug. 5 will start working on the driving lane and will shift eastbound and westbound traffic to their respective passing lanes, the release says. The following ramps will be closed:

Westbound Highway 54 off-ramp to Missouri Boulevard. (Which is new during this phase.) 

Eastbound Highway 50 off-ramp to westbound Highway 54. (Closed during Phase 1.) 

Missouri Boulevard on-ramp to eastbound Highway 54. (Closed during Phase 1.) 

During this second phase the 11-foot width restriction and speed reductions will remain in place, the release says.

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Ryan Shiner

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

A Barnett, Missouri, man died from injuries he suffered in a single-vehicle crash on Tuesday morning in Morgan County, according to a crash report from the Missouri State Highway Patrol.

The report says the crash occurred on Route AA, north of Jones Creek Road. The crash occurred as a 2007 Pontiac Torrent – driven by the 32-year-old man – was heading northbound and went off the right side of the road. The driver then overcorrected, causing the vehicle to go off the left side of the road and hit an embankment, the report says.

The vehicle then overturned and ejected the driver, the report says. The man was flown to University Hospital in Columbia, where he was pronounced dead.

The report says he was not wearing a seatbelt. The Pontiac was totaled. MSHP reports do not name those involved in crashes.  

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Gabrielle Teiner

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

In less than a month, more than a million children across Missouri will be shoving notebooks into their backpacks, sharpening their pencils and walking down the halls of their schools for the new school year.

While having all the right supplies on the first day is important, making sure you have all your immunizations is crucial.

The Immunization of School Children law requires Missouri students to get their immunizations to attend any school, except those granted religious and medical exemptions. Dr. Laura Morris with MU Health Care said the state relies on the recommendations of the advisory committee on immunization practices for vaccine scheduling to the CDC, following the national standard.

The following immunizations are required and listed by the Department of Health and Senior Services for students kindergarten through 12th grade for the 2025-26 school year:

DTaP: Missouri students heading into kindergarten need five doses of DTaP, with the final dose given on or after a child turns 4, according to DHSS. A final dose of pediatric pertussis needs to be administered before the child turns 7 years old.

DTaP is a combination immunization given to children under seven years old and protects children from diphtheria, tetanus (“lockjaw”) and pertussis (whooping cough), according to the nonprofit organization immunize.org. Diphtheria and pertussis can spread from person to person, whereas tetanus enters the body through a cut in the skin.

Missouri schools also accept DTP and DT in place of DTaP. DTP is used in low- and middle-income countries and was phased out of the U.S. when DTaP became the standard. DTa1 does not include the pertussis immunization, and is administered to children who can’t receive the Pertussis vaccine due to a medical reason, according to the CDC.

DTaP trains the immune system by introducing chemically inactive toxins and purified fragments of bacterium found in the infections the immunization fights to the immune system. This mimics the infection without causing the disease, so the body is ready to fight it if exposed to the real disease later, according to research from the CDC.

IPV(Polio): Missouri students need four polio vaccinations with the last dose on or after their 4th birthday and at least six months apart from each shot, according to DHSS. IPV is a series of shots filled with inactive or killed, poliovirus that trains the body to fight the highly contagious disease, according to the CDC. It allows the body to create proteins to fight the live disease if exposed. This will not give you the disease, but you may have mild side effects like fever, pain and swelling where the shot was given.

MMR: A combination immunization that protects against measles, mumps and rubella. DHSS requires students to receive 2 doses total, with the first dose administered anywhere between 12-15 months and final dose between 4-6 years old. Measles, mumps and rubella can cause fever, rash, pneumonia, meningitis, birth defects and more, according to the Cleveland Clinic. According to DHSS, there have been seven confirmed cases of measles in Missouri this year.

Hepatitis B: Missouri students need three hepatitis B immunizations before the start of kindergarten. You must wait at least four weeks between dose one and two, at least eight weeks before two and three, wait at least 16 weeks between one and three and the final dose must be given no sooner than 24 weeks old, according to DHSS. Hepatitis B is a contagious virus that can cause a liver infection, causing short-term and long-term issues like liver failure, cirrhosis and cancer.

Varicella: Following CDC guidelines, Missouri students need two doses of the Varicella immunization, with the first dose being given on or after twelve months old and the final dose being before four years old. Varicella is a highly contagious virus that causes an itchy rash with blisters, fever and fatigue.

Tdap booster: One dose required for incoming eighth graders. According to the CDC, Tdap is only for children seven years old and up, and should receive the shot around 11 and 12 years old.

MCV booster (Meningococcal): One dose for eighth graders or after 11 years old and two doses for 12th graders unless one dose was given at 16 years old, then only one dose is required for 12th graders.

Vaccine
Age needed by
What it protects against
Doses

DTaP
Pre-K
Diphtheria, tetanus (“lockjaw”) and pertussis (whooping cough)
5 last dose given on or after 4th birthday

IPV
Pre-K
Polio
4last dose given on or after 4th birthday

MMR
Pre-K
Measles, mumps and rubella
2last dose given on or after 4th birthday

Hepatitis B
Pre-K
Viral infection that can cause liver inflammation/damage
3last dose given between 6-18 months

Varicella
Pre-K
Chicken pox
2last dose given on or after 4th birthday

Tdap
Eighth grade
Booster shot to continue protection against diphtheria, tetanus (“lockjaw”) and pertussis (whooping cough)
1

MCV
Eighth grade12th grade
Meningococcal disease
2one dose required after 10-years-oldsecond dose required by 12th grade the latest.

Data provided from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and The Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services.

A four-day grace period is allowed before vaccine due dates, according to DHSS. Students can also be considered “in progress” if they have begun the immunization process and have an appointment for the next dose on record. These students must have an immunizations in progress form (Imm.P.14).

Missouri does allow medical and religious exemptions and paperwork is required for both. If a Missouri school were subject to an outbreak of a preventable disease, under Missouri law, those children can be excluded from school.

An uninsured child can get free vaccinations through the Vaccines for Children Program, funded by the CDC. Lynelle Paro, Bureau Chief of the Missouri Bureau of Immunizations, said children can receive free immunizations through the program as long as they are Medicaid-eligible, do not have health insurance, are an American Indian or Alaskan Native, or are underinsured.

While vaccine-preventable diseases have started to spread more nationwide in recent years, misinformation is also spreading. A common misconception DHSS addresses is the idea that immunizations aren’t necessary because the disease is rare now. While yes, certain diseases are rare in the United States, they can be more common to catch in foreign countries or by being exposed to folks from other countries who may not be vaccinated against the disease. Certain diseases are rare in the United States because of vaccines, and if vaccine distribution were stopped, diseases could spread very quickly.

Another misconception is that children can get sick from getting an immunization, but Morris said that is not true. A majority of vaccines given are inactive and incapable of giving you the infection. You may have some mild side effects, like a sore arm at the injection site or a slight fever, which typically go away quickly.

“It is a good sign that your immune system is reacting to the vaccine,” Morris said. “Your immune system has been activated, but you’re not infected and you’re not contagious, so those are important considerations that even if you don’t feel great for a day or two while your immune system reacts to you and creates immunity against that vaccine product, it’s not the same thing as being sick.”

Health officials recommend that any parent or guardian who has questions or concerns about vaccines should contact a health professional, like a pediatrician, pharmacist, nurse, family doctor or other licensed health care provider.

“It’s been our life’s work to make sure we understand this and we want to take care of you and your family, so asking those questions and reaching out right now is a great time,” Morris said.

While these vaccines are mandatory for students to go to school, the latest reports on immunization rates in Missouri show those numbers are falling.

Multiple counties in Mid-Missouri are reporting certain immunization rates falling below the threshold for herd immunity. Herd immunity is reached when 90-95% of a community is fully vaccinated against a vaccine-preventable disease. Without it, the chance for an outbreak rises.

“For dropping school vaccination rates, there’s a certain level and when you drop below that the outbreak becomes more likely and at some point, even inevitable,” said Dr. George Turabelidze, who is an epidemiologist at the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services.

The threshold is different for different vaccines. Measles, for example, needs 95% of a community to be fully vaccinated against the disease for herd immunity.

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