Category: kmiz-local-news

Melissa Houston

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

Representative Cameron Parker’s efforts to get a law passed on camp safety regulations didn’t come to fruition in 2026. But she said she’ll try again , spurred on in part by recent floods and a camp evacuation in southeast Missouri.

During the 2026 legislative session, Parker filed House Bill 3142, which establishes Missouri’s first statutory emergency preparedness framework for overnight camps during weather emergencies.

Parker said the flooding and evacuation at Camp Taum Sauk in Reynolds County have reinforced her plans to adjust and refile the camp safety bill.

“I immediately thought of my camp safety bill. And I think, you know what, that right there is why this bill was filed. I mean, we don’t want to wait until we have a Texas tragedy, you know, a heartbreaking event like they had in Texas,” Parker said. “We don’t want to sit back and wait. We need something in place  to ensure that there are safety protocols  for our camps and our in our children.”

Currently, Missouri has no state safety regulations for overnight camps, but some camps voluntarily receive accreditation through the American Camp Association according to Parker.

Parker said the bill was heavily supported throughout Missouri, but there was some pushback from smaller camps who feared the regulations were going to send them out of business due to costs.

Parker said she has sat down with those opposing the bill and is working with them to address concerns about the costs. To keep safety protocols as low-cost as possible, Parker removed the previous mandatory website requirements.

“There were some that said, you know, this would be too expensive. That’s not the goal,” Parker said.

Parker mentioned that schools, hospitals and nursing homes already operate under state safety guidelines and that overnight camps should have similar safety protocals.

“Luckily, at Camp Taum Sauk this weekend or this past week, we were able to, you know, just get those kids home safely,” Parker said. “But that’s the takeaway. It’s to bring our kids safely, send them to camp and bring them home safely.”

Boone County Emergency Management Director Chris Kelley said camp operators in his area are currently responsible for monitoring weather forecasts and warning campers of any hazardous camping conditions.

“Me being an emergency manager in my county, if I had something like that, I would be communicating with my campgrounds,” Kelley said.

Kelley recommends for campers to make sure they are staying alert while camping and looking at the forecast ahead of time to ensure a safe camping trip.

“The biggest thing is self-preparedness and having that self-situational awareness of how weather can change so quickly and having many methodologies to get that information. So you as an individual, know what’s going to be affecting wherever you are,” Kelley said.

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Ryan Shiner

AUDRAIN COUNTY, Mo. (KMIZ)

Firefighters from three departments responded to a barn fire Wednesday afternoon in rural Audrain County.

The fire happened in the 4900 block of Route Y near Clark shortly after 5 p.m. The building, which housed a custom cabinet store in the community, was destroyed.

Jason Henry, chief of the Little Dixie Fire Protection District from Audrain County, said a diesel motor running in the barn exploded. No one was hurt, but the large amount of burnable material and a lack of water sources made fighting the fire difficult.

Firefighters from Boone and Randolph Counties helped in battling the fire. BCPFD told ABC 17 News that it responded with two tankers.

Check back for updates.

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Ryan Shiner

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

People who need first responders for an emergency in Randolph County can now send a text message to 911, according to a Wednesday press release from Moberly Joint Communications.

“’Call if you can, text if you must’ is the golden rule when contacting emergency services,” 911 Director Shelby Creed was quoted in the release. “We still prefer a voice call as the fastest way to get help because our dispatchers can quickly ask important questions. Remember, Text2911 is strictly for emergency use only.”

The release says those needing assistance just need to type “911” in the recipient field while sending a text message. The message should include “a clear message that includes the exact location and the type of emergency.”

The system used, Text2911, can also translate more than 100 languages.

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Ellyse Edwards

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

Columbia drivers could soon pay more to park in downtown garages.

The city is proposing increasing garage rates from 50 cents to $1 per hour and reducing the free parking period from one hour to 30 minutes.

Columbia Public Works spokesman John Ogan said the proposal is meant to make parking more consistent throughout downtown.

“One key goal here is consistency” Ogan said. “We would like the parking system to be as easy to understand as possible.”

On-street parking rates increased to $1 per hour on Jan. 1. The proposed garage rate increase would match those rates.

If approved, the changes would take effect Jan. 1, 2027. Ogan said the proposal is expected to receive a first reading before the Columbia City Council on Monday.

Work session 7-15-26Download

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Lucas Geisler

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

The group promoting Gov. Mike Kehoe’s push to eliminate Missouri’s income tax has spent $3 million so far this election.

Filings with the Missouri Ethics Commission show Missouri Promise PAC has spent $3.3 million from April 1-June 30 supporting Amendment 5. Most of its spending has gone toward “media” so far.

Its major donors in the report are two groups – $1.9 million from Missouri Promise Inc. and $1.5 million from Secure Missouri. The latter group’s website said it “was formed to support Governor Mike Kehoe’s vision of a stronger, more competitive Missouri where businesses thrive, families prosper, and communities grow.”

Missouri Promise PACDownload

Since the end of the quarterly reporting period on June 30, Missouri Promise PAC has taken in several donations greater than $5,000, the threshold the state mandates groups disclose within 48 hours. Those reports show more than $6 million through in-kind contributions from Missouri Action, a 501(c)(4) nonprofit that promoted “civic participation.”

Opposing Amendment 5 is the Missouri Association of REALTORS-backed Missourians for Fair Taxation. That group has so far spent $1 million, after receiving $1.9 million from the real estate group on June 2. It has so far spent $807,990 on media opposing the income tax elimination.

Missourians for Fair TaxationDownload

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Marie Moyer

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

More than a month after opening its doors, one of Jefferson City’s only accredited sober living homes for men is already full, with six more people waiting for a bed.

Landmark Recovery’s Men’s Sober Living Home opened on June 1 helps men with reentry into the workforce. Residents include men who may have been unhoused, recently incarcerated or are recovering from addiction. The group accepts referrals from state and local agencies, local programs and even self-referrals.

The home fits up to eight men, ages 18 and older. Nine men in total have been served since the start of the sober house program.

 “This house essentially provides a safe home, but it also gives them structure,” Landmark Recovery Director Jerica Bowman said. “They have access to all of the services that Landmark offers, free of charge, we work on addressing the domains of recovery, including social support, family support, employment, mental health, physical health, and practical needs for food or clothing.”

The program also hosts events for residents, including cookouts, outdoor activites and a planned skydiving trip Saturday.

Landmark Recovery is funded primarily by the Department of Mental Health State Opioid Response Funds, with the remainder coming from local and county contracts that use the program as a recovery service provider, such as Callaway County.

According to the Missouri Accountability Portal, the group received around $325,000 by the department in 2026 and $310,000 in 2025. 

“That’s what enables us to be able to provide these services to our residents. We can very easily refer our guys to the services that we already offer here, thanks to our funding from DMH,” Bowman said. “That pays for our staff to be able to provide the peer support that they do and the care coordination as well as transportation.”

Once in the home, residents also pay for their housing, with a weekly fee of $130 per week and $200 worth of smaller fees that can either be paid as an initial deposit or throughout the program.

The home is rented by Landmark Recovery, with the home’s property owner updating the interior with new outlets to accommodate additional fridges for food storage and bedrooms to accommodate two people.

“It’s so hard to find second-chance housing that’s willing to overlook a background ,or overlook credit score, or overlook poor rental history, so there is a dramatic need in our area for housing,” Bowman said.

According to the Missouri Coalition of Recovery Support Providers, there are only two state-funded recovery programs in Jefferson City: The Healing House and New Beginnings, Inc., with five women’s-only homes, and Landmark Recovery.

MCRSP-Accredited-Recovery-Houses-07-01-2026-1Download

There are 12 recovery programs in Mid-Missouri in total, with 64 available homes. 55 of the homes are located in Columbia.

The cities of Macks Creek, Marshall, Hannibal, Warrensburg, Fulton and Sedalia all have at most three recovery homes in each location, totaling to 13 homes.

“Every single month at Landmark Recovery Center, our office here in town, we refer over 40 people to either housing programs or treatment programs around the state,” Bowman said. “It really shows that right here in our county, people are struggling to find accommodating housing, but because there are no options here, we’re having to take them outside of the county.”

Bowman adds that she hopes for the program to grow, including homes for independent living.

“Our discouragement comes from a lack of housing, independent housing for our men that when they leave this program, we have to find somewhere for them to go next to be able to reunify with their children or to be able to gain independence,” Bowman said. “if we dream really big, I would love to open more houses like the one we have now.”

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Ryan Shiner

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

The July quarterly reports for the Missouri Ethics Commission shows that former Columbia Utilities Director David Sorrell is leading in donations given to campaigns.

Committees needed to submit their reports by 5 p.m. Wednesday.

Sorrell leads funding this cycle with $15,041.70 raised and $4,060.50 on-hand. Attorney and lobbyist Sharon Jones follows Sorrell with $ 6,555.00 raised and $3,288.98 on-hand. Attorney Ryan King raised $1,275 and has $1,025.12 -hand.

Some notable donations to Sorrell’s campaign includes Brian Toohey of the Board of Realtors, which recently endorsed Sorrell, gave $260.73. Plumber Russell Duker gave $2,000. MM II LLC gave $ 1,500; M M III LLC gave $ 1,000; while THM Staffing, Construction and Investments gave $1,000 apiece. Jeanne Locklear, and HR specialist with the city, contributed $ 1,041.98.

Notable names in Jones’ contributions include Former Columbia Mayor Brian Treece, who openly criticized Sorrell when filing opened. Treece gave $200. Former Ward 2 Councilwoman Andrea Waner contributed $50, State Rep. Adrian Plank (D-Columbia) gave $40 and Boone County Recorder of Deeds Robert Nolte gave $100.

Ronald Leone, who is listed on the documents as a lobbyist for the Missouri Petroleum & Convenience Association, contributed $350.

Ryan King’s top donor was himself at $1,000.

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Ryan Shiner

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

An “Energy Emergency Alert Level 2” was issued for the City of Columbia from 4- 8 p.m. Wednesday by the Midcontinent Independent System Operator, a press release from the city says.

“This means the central and north regions of MISO (including the Columbia area) are currently experiencing large system loads and reserves are tight,” the release says.

All generation sources for the city are “up and running” and the electric grid for the city is “stable,” the release says. “Neighbors and other states within MISO” in the grid are under strain, the release says.

The city is asking residents to reduce electric usage by:

Setting the thermostat as high as possible “while maintaining reasonable levels”

Leave shads down over south and west-facing windows

Turnoff unneeded lights and unplug appliances not in use.

Use the oven, dishwasher or other appliance that produce heat after 8 p.m.

MISO’s coverage area includes Minnesota, Iowa, portions of Missouri, Illinois, Arkansas, Louisiana and Mississippi. Alerts go up to “Energy Emergency Alert 3,” according to MISO’s website.

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Ryan Shiner

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

Nine cases of cyclosporiasis have been reported in Boone County this week, according to Columbia/Boone County Public Health and Human Services, with health officials investigating whether the cases are connected to a larger national outbreak.

The PHHS initially reported eight confirmed cases earlier in the day, but an additional case was confirmed Tuesday at 4 p.m. to ABC 17 News.

Boone Health spokesperson Christian Basi told ABC 17 News that five people have been hospitalized because of the parasite. Four of those patients are Boone County residents. A University Hospital spokesperson also confirmed the hospital has treated patients in its emergency department.

State health officials said earlier this week that the diarrhea-causing illness – which is contracted by eating contaminated produce or water – reported in Missouri were believed to be connected with travel.

However, Austin Krohn with the PHHS said the cases in Boone County are suspected to have been contracted locally, though officials have not identified a specific source.

“This is a parasite that is fecal to oral. So it has to be ingested. It cannot be passed person-to-person necessarily,” Krohn said. “We suspect produce of some kind. We don’t know if it’s lettuce, berries, I mean what have you at this point  for these cases specifically. I know  there’s some talk about Taco Bell and things pulling things from  their menu, but as of right now, we don’t want to hone in on a source until we get some more concrete evidence.” 

Cyclosporiasis is caused by the Cyclospora parasite and is typically spread by consuming contaminated food or water. Health officials say symptoms usually begin about a week after exposure and can include frequent diarrhea, dehydration from diarrhea, weight loss, bloating, nausea and fatigue. Less common symptoms include vomiting and a low-grade fever.

Krohn said the current cases appear different from earlier cases reported in the state.

“It’s endemic to Mexico and South America, and we’re actually in peak season for it to kind of spread around right now,” Krohn said. “But we are seeing more of a national outbreak in it due to foodborne illnesses and things that are food-based consumption that are not related to travel. That’s the big thing, it’s being acquired at a more local level.”

Earlier this week, PHHS told ABC 17 News there were four cyclosporiasis cases reported in Boone County in 2026. Krohn said those cases were related to travel and were not connected to the current outbreak investigation.

The Boone County Health Department added that “local transmission” does not necessarily mean the source is a Boone County farm or producer.

“When I say ‘local,’ I don’t mean like a local farm or anything like that. It could be food that’s being trucked into a grocery store and being consumed,” Krohn said. “Earlier this year we had a few cases that were travel-related and unrelated to this current national outbreak we’re seeing. But these ones are suspected to be that.” 

The PHHS says it is working with the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services to determine whether the increase in cases is connected to the national outbreak. Krohn said health officials had been monitoring increases in other parts of the country before cases appeared in Missouri.

“We were monitoring the situation. We were seeing the uptick in cases kind of a lot in the either northern Midwest and kind of more toward the East Coast,” Krohn said. “We didn’t have any cases in Missouri yet. As of yesterday, we had eight confirmed cases.”

The most cases reported in Boone County in the past five years was 10 in 2023, according to previous reporting.

Health officials say people can reduce their risk of exposure by following food safety practices.

“We recommend following food safety practices so thoroughly washing your food under running water will help. Washing and sanitizing commonly used surfaces such as kitchen countertops, cutting boards, utensils and washing them,” Krohn said. “If you’re using the same utensil between different food items, washing them between food items  to prevent that additional spread, and also cooking your food thoroughly will eliminate the  parasite.” 

PHHS also recommends washing produce before eating it, even if the product is labeled as pre-washed.

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Ryan Shiner

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

Albert-Oakland Pool in Columbia will be closed on Mondays for the rest of the summer, Columbia Parks and Recreation announced in a Wednesday social media post.

The post says renovations will occur after the 2026 pool season. The Monday closures are being done “to keep the pool at a high quality,” the post reads.

“This will allow a ‘day of rest’ for the pool and will allow our staff to ensure that all aspects of the facility are at a high standard,” the post says. “Our maintenance and aquatics staff have a detailed plan in place to meet this goal, including adding a clarifier to the water at the end of business on Sunday and performing both robotic and manual vacuuming of the pool on Monday.

The pool was closed for four days last month after issues arose with its filtration system.

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