Category: kmiz-local-news

Jazsmin Halliburton

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (KMIZ)

The Missouri River 340 heads into day two as the Jefferson City Carl R. Noren Access checkpoint opens Wednesday morning for the longest non-stop river race in the world.

Hundreds of racers are paddling the river in this annual race across the state that began at 7 a.m. Tuesday in Kansas City. The Carl R. Noren Access in Jefferson City is checkpoint number four along the race route.

There were a total of 535 racers that started in Kansas City and 379 boats. The number of racers is currently down to 508 as of Wednesday morning due to 27 that did not make the required cut time.

The MR340 is a race with non-motorized boats, kayaks and canoes heading 340 miles down the Missouri River to the finish line in St. Charles.

This race is four days long and there are some racers who will paddle throughout the night and skip checkpoints to reach the finish line by Wednesday evening, even though the finish line stays open until 9 p.m. Friday.

There are a total of 18 safety boats that will go downstream, staying alongside racers and at every checkpoint. If there is no safety boat around the racers at the time of an emergency, racers are instructed to call using a required phone and dial the dispatch safety number.

People are able to track the racers in their journey across the state here.

Click here to follow the original article.

Marie Moyer

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (KMIZ)

An open lot in west Jefferson City is paving the way for affordable housing opportunities.

Several groups including members of the city government, the Missouri Department of Economic Development and Central Missouri Community Action broke ground Tuesday for the Stronghold Landing Project, an affordable housing construction project, at 5011 Old Lohman Road.

The project will add 40 total affordable apartments featuring two-bedroom and three-bedroom units. The complex will also have a community center and dog park. The plan costs around $13.7 million in total and is funded by a mix of state and federal funding, as well as Community Development Black Grant funds and low-income housing tax credits.

The project is part of the city’s larger “Race to 50” initiative, established by Mayor Ron Fitzwater in 2023 that set a goal to increase Jefferson City’s Population to 50,000 residents. Planning for the project was also directly tied to the 2019 tornado that destroyed around 152 housing units in the city, with 95% of those being rentals.

“Hitachi has grown substantially, Unilever is growing, Scholastic is growing, our small businesses are growing, but they have to have places for people to live,” Fitzwater said, “We knew that housing had to be a critical piece of that race if we were going to add 6,000 to 7,000 new residents to this community.”

Fitzwater added that the city has more than 600 units set to begin construction across the city during the next year, tackling both rental and for-sale properties of varying price points.

That total includes townhomes planned after the completion of the Wildwood Extension project, which is expected to wrap up this winter; 30 rental apartments across from Stronghold Landing, set for completion as early as January; and the controversial 230 single-family homes off Rock Ridge Road, set to break ground next year.

“There’s not enough housing for upper-income households and there’s not enough housing for lower-income households,” CMCA Executive Director Darin Preis said. “The low-income households are paying for housing that they can’t really afford and the upper-income households, they’re buying up that middle housing too.”

The Stronghold Landing Project will focus on low-income households, with two-bedroom units ranging in price from $480-$750 and three-bedroom units ranging from $450-$850. The exact cost of rent would be decided on a sliding scale based on the applicant’s income level. Applicants’ criminal histories will also be reviewed, similar to a traditional rental process.

“We all recognize that there’s a housing shortage here,” Jefferson City Ward 3 Councilwoman Treaka Young said. “[Residents’] concerns that they have is due to traffic, we’re conscious of that as council people, we’re understanding that we need to do a traffic study to make sure that it does not do more harm.”

Jefferson City Ward 4 Councilwoman Julie Allen was especially excited for the Stronghold Projects to be based in her ward.

“We have individuals coming in from the actual hospitals and executives, and they can’t find housing here,” Allen said. “We also have individuals in our industry and they say there’s nowhere to live here, from all levels, we need workforce housing.”

ABC 17 News spoke with seven residents living near Stronghold Landing. The majority of residents felt construction wasn’t an issue, one had no preference and one person voiced concerns that the apartment’s addition would bring down property values, adding that her family is planning to move once construction is completed.

Construction for Stronghold Landing is expected to be finished July 2026.

Click here to follow the original article.

Ryan Shiner

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

A Missouri State Highway Report crash report gives a possible reason for why a trolley holding more than 40 people crashed in May in Gasconade County.

On Saturday, May 3, a trolley bus carrying 41 passengers veered off the road, injuring 32 people. According to the Missouri State Highway Patrol, the accident occurred near Eagles Nest Drive at 10:45 a.m. after the driver — a 45-year-old Hermann man — overcorrected after leaving the right side of the road, causing the vehicle to crash into a ditch, according to previous reporting.

The driver allegedly told authorities that he hit a pothole, causing him to veer to the right, the report says. The driver also allegedly said that a rear tire went off the roadway, and he steered the trolley to the left to save it, causing him to overcorrect and travel off the left side of the road, the report says.

Multiple passengers in the report claimed the driver was speeding.

HERMANN TROLLEY Crash_Report_250222798-RedactedDownload

Click here to follow the original article.

Erika McGuire

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

Flashing flooding can happen anywhere within minutes and hours of intense rainfall posing a threat to life and property.

Flash flooding occurred in the early morning hours of July 4 in Kerrville, Texas, killing more than 100 people, according to reporting from CNN. Missouri Task Force 1 was deployed to Texas on Monday.

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott said Tuesday afternoon 170 people remain missing.

The National Weather Service says flash floods can be caused by a number of things but most often is due to extremely heavy rainfall from thunderstorms and can occur during to dam or levee breaks or mudslides.

Marshall Pfahler with the National Weather Service said a warning is then issued when there is an immediate threat to life or property.

“A warning that means there is an immediate threat, so that means we’re looking at the radar the estimated precipitation n the rainfall amounts so we’re expecting flash flooding imminently occurring or already occurring,” Pfahler said.

It can happen when there is too much rain for the soil to absorb and can quickly catch people off guard and put them in danger.

The situation can turn dangerous quickly if someone encounters high, fast moving water child traveling, if people are in their or homes or business, the water can rise quickly and trap them and cause property damage.

A flood risk summary report done by the Federal Emergency Management Agency in 2022 found that 1.7% of land in Boone County is considered high-risk for flooding, while the state wide median is 2.9%.

The report also found 3,947 buildings are in high risk of flood plains and 3,617 residential structures are at risk. Several areas in Boone County are considered flood-prone, including the MKT Trail that suffered significant flooding in 2021.

According to the NWS, urban areas are also prone to flooding in short time-spans and sometimes rainfall in an urban area can cause flooding faster and more severe than in the suburbs or country side.

“Pavement asphalt, building so a lot of that has to get channeled off or run off into the drainage systems as well as rivers,” Pfahler said.

Creeks and rivers are first to feel the impact of flooding.

“Smaller rivers and creeks. so when that water is running off it thats usually its first stop it enters the river system so we can see quick rises and very swift flowing water,” Pfahler said.

The National Weather Service encourages using NOAA weather radios, a nationwide network broadcasting 24/7 weather forecasts, watches, warnings including flash flood warnings.

Director of the Boone County Emergency Management Agency Chris Kelley said weather radios can be crucial during severe weather as it will alert you whether power or cell service goes out.

“Have it coded for whatever county you are in so when those warnings come out you can receive them, we have areas in Boone County that have poor cell reception,” Pfahler said, “Its the redundancy and getting alerts and getting information,”

According to Kelley not all areas in the county that have poor cell service are near flood prone areas but there are some.

Local television and radio stations are also good information resources along with social media platforms and weather and emergency apps. The ABC 17 Stormtrack Weather App is also a useful tool and will send weather alerts straight to your phone.

Additionally, people in affected areas receive Wireless Emergency Alerts directly on their mobile phones these are short, high-priority messages sent without the need to sign up.

Click here to follow the original article.

Ryan Shiner

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

Tuesday marked one year since Boone County Fire Protection District Assistant Fire Chief Matthew Tobben died while saving two people.

On July 8, 2024, a rescue boat lost power and capsized near Bear Creek. The boat carried Tobben, Columbia firefighter Derek Abbott and two people they rescued. All four people were thrown into the water, but Tobben never resurfaced. An autopsy report showed Tobben drowned.

The 42-year-old served with Missouri Task Force 1 for 12 years and was previously with the fire department in Union, Missouri, for 19 years before coming to Boone County in May 2024.

Click here to follow the original article.

Matthew Sanders

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

Part of Columbia’s busy Stadium Boulevard was closed during rush hour Tuesday evening after a crash took out a utility pole, according to a public alert.

South Stadium was closed from Rollins Road to College Park Drive after a crash caused an electric line to go across the road, the alert said. Columbia police cruisers were seen blocking part of Stadium.

The Columbia Water and Light outage map showed 12 customers without power after the crash. The road was reopened soon afterward.

More details were not immediately available.

Click here to follow the original article.

Ryan Shiner

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

The Missouri State Highway Patrol has named the victim of a fatal shooting that occurred on Sunday in Moberly.

MSHP wrote on its social media on Tuesday that Bailey E. Scott, 23, of Moberly, died in the shooting.

The Moberly Police Department previously wrote in a social media post that officers found a woman dead while responding to a shooting at a residence in the 900 block of East Logan Street on Sunday night.

A balloon release will be held in Moberly at 7 p.m. Friday, to honor Scott, according to a social media post from the Boozy Badger Bar in Moberly.

Check back for updates.

Click here to follow the original article.

Ryan Shiner

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

A Jefferson City man was charged with four felonies after he was accused of shooting at a vehicle in 2024.

Keiron Robinson, 23, was charged on Tuesday in Cole County with shooting at a vehicle, two counts of armed criminal action and one count of illegal gun possession. He is being held at the Cole County Jail without bond. A court date has not been scheduled.

The probable cause statement says that police were called on July 31, 2024 for a weapons offense near East Elm Street and Clark Avenue. Police wrote that they found 17 shell casings.

A witness was found on Aug. 1, 2024, and police conducted a search warrant at their residence and found the gun used in the shooting, the statement says. The witness allegedly told police that Robinson fired the gun several times out of their vehicle, the statement says.

The witness allegedly admitted to holding the gun for Robinson, court documents say. The gun was sent to the Missouri State Highway Patrol’s crime lab for analysis and determined between June 12-18, 2025, that the shell casings found were fired from the gun, the statement says.

Robinson was arrested on Monday.

Click here to follow the original article.

Ryan Shiner

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

Former Mizzou football coach Gary Pinkel has been accused again of driving while intoxicated.

A Missouri State Highway Patrol report shows that Pinkel, 73, was arrested at 11:46 p.m. Monday in Camden County.

The arrest report says he was brought to the Camden County jail and was released. He was accused of a single count of DWI, the report says. He was not listed on the Camden County Jail 48-hour release roster. Charges have not yet appeared on Casenet.

Pinkel previously pleaded guilty to misdemeanor DWI in 2011 in Boone County. He was sentenced to two years of probation and completed the sentence.

ABC 17 News has reached out to the Camden County Sheriff’s Office and Missouri State Highway Patrol.

Pinkel served as MU’s head coach from 2001-15.

Pinkel’s lawyer, Bogdan Susan, said in a statement that Pinkel will not make any statements regarding the case, but he plans on pleading not guilty.

Check back for updates.

Click here to follow the original article.

Keriana Gamboa

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

Local after-school organizations are raising alarms about the Education Department’s plan to withhold nearly $7 billion in funds for the next fiscal year.

Those funds include money for programs such as the Boys and Girls Club.

If the funding is not released, Boys and Girls Clubs across the country could face widespread consequences, including summer camp closures, staff layoffs and the potential permanent shutdown of hundreds of locations in the coming weeks, the organization says.

“Our Club remains fully committed to providing the same impactful and critical services that our youth and families count on every day. We will not stop doing whatever it takes to build great futures for all youth in our community,” The Boys and Girls Clubs of Columbia and Jefferson City said in an online post.

Program leaders are urging the public to contact their members of Congress and ask them to push the Office of Management and Budget and the Department of Education to release these funds immediately.

The Boys and Girls Club has posted a website that puts users in contact with U.S. senators immediately upon filling out the form.

The Department of Education’s decision this week to withhold $6.8 billion in federal K-12 funding for next year has sparked widespread concern among state education officials, school administrators and advocacy groups.

The funding loss will affect programs such as after-school activities, enrichment opportunities and language-learning services.

The Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education says those federal grants provide $64.3 million in funding to local education agencies and select state-level programs.

“DESE will continue to monitor the status of these grant programs and provide updates when they become available,” a department spokesperson said.

The Department of Education announced on Tuesday that several major federal education grants are still under review and have not yet been approved. Because of this delay, states have not received official notices or funding amounts for the upcoming year.

Programs affected serve nearly 1.4 million children and families nationwide. Among those, more than 220,000 are youth who attend one of 926 Boys and Girls Club sites.

Click here to follow the original article.