Category: kmiz-local-news

Ryan Shiner

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

Several road projects in Columbia and Boone County were announced on Wednesday.

The Missouri Department of Transportation announced that the ramp from Highway 63 to westbound Interstate 70 will close at 8 p.m. Thursday for temporary barriers to be placed. The release says the ramp will reopen “no later than” 6 a.m. Friday.

Boone County announced on Wednesday that 60-80 North Broadview Court will be closed for street repair. The closure will start on Thursday and end Monday, according to the county’s release.

Pavement maintenance scheduled for 39 Columbia streets

Beginning at 7 a.m. Friday, contractors for the City of Columbia will start pavement maintenance on 39 city streets, according to a Wednesday press release from the city.

Crews are expected to finish by 5 p.m. Wednesday, Sept. 16, and will not work Labor Day weekend, the release says.

The contractor will apply Onyx surface treatment to streets that went through chip seal maintenance this year, the release says. The treatment, according to the release is “a quick-drying asphalt and pavement sealing solution.”

City crews will start placing “no parking” signs on Wednesday. The signs will be placed 24 hours before work begins, per the release.

The release says work is expected to proceed in the following order:

West Rollins Road from South Fairview Road to Stadium Boulevard

West Rollins Road from South Fairview Road to Scott Boulevard

Manor Drive from West Rollins Road to West Broadway

Westridge Drive from West Rollins Road to West Broadway

North Circle Drive from Maplewood Drive to Westridge Drive

Jake Lane from Bray Avenue to Cunningham Road

Longwell Drive from Bray Avenue to the cul-de-sac

English Drive from Cunningham Road to Jake Lane

Alsup Drive from Talent Drive to Bradshaw Avenue

Wallace Street from Chapel Hill Road to Alsup Drive

Barkley from Alsup Drive to Kohler Circle

Talent Drive from Chapel Hill Road to Kohler Circle

Kohler Circle from Talent Drive to the bulb

Larail Drive from Burrwood Drive to Crestwood Lane

Lake Point Lane from Larail Drive to the cul-de-sac

Burrwood Drive from Oakhaven Drive to the cul-de-sac

Crestwood Lane from Larail Drive to Forum Boulevard

Juniper Drive from South Rock Quarry Road to the cul-de-sac

Juniper Place from Juniper Drive to the concrete

Telluride Lane from Rock Quarry Road to the cul-de-sac

East Point Drive from Stadium Boulevard to the cul-de-sac

Ray Young Drive from East Point Drive to the cul-de-sac

Old Mill Creek from County Line to Vawter School Road

The access road from Old 63 to the cul-de-sac

Burbank Loop from Bullhead Lane to Bullhead Lane

Bullhead Lane from Burbank Loop to Black Hills Drive

Black Hills Drive from Wood Shire Drive to Mexico Gravel Road

Wood Shire Drive from Wood Lake Court to the cul-de-sac

Opal Drive from Amethyst Drive to North Wyatt Lane

Coral Drive from the cul-de-sac to Opal Drive

Granite Drive from the end of the street to Coral Drive

Derby Ridge Drive from East Brown School Road to the dead end

Hatteras Drive from Tide Water Drive to Derby Ridge Drive

Sanderling Drive from Tide Water Drive to Hatteras Drive

Carolina Drive from Tide Water Drive to Hatteras Drive

Tide Water Drive from Carolina Drive to Derby Ridge Drive

Buxton Lane from Carolina Drive to Tide Water Drive

Chesapeake Lane from Carolina Drive to Tide Water Drive

Piedmont Place from the cul-de-sac to Carolina Drive

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Matthew Sanders

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

Home sales were down 6% in Columbia this July compared to last, while sales in Boone County remained flat against the backdrop of a struggling national market.

Boone County’s sales were down three from last year, finishing the month with 214 transactions, according to the Mid-Missouri Board of Realtors’ monthly home sales report. Average days a house sat on the market, meanwhile, were up 34.5% compared to last year to 49 days.

Inventories of lower-priced houses are relatively low, while the tier of homes above $1 million has 35 months of inventory.

New listings were also down 13.5% compared to last year, and pending listings were down 11.7% compared to July 2025.

The median sales price was up by 9.1% to $377,450, reflecting a national trend of increased home costs. Sales across the country fell 10.% in July.

Building permits increased month-over-month, but remained down 5% year-to-date, the board reported.

July 2026 market statisticsDownload

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Ryan Shiner

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

The NFL announced Wednesday that the Pro Bowl is no more.

The all-star event had been held annually since 1951, with the “Pro Bowl Games” replacing the traditional game in 2023.

The change will occur this year, with the league instead recognizing 88 players “with no replacement selections,” according to a press release from the league. The roster will “be determined through an equal-weighted voting process among players, coaches and fans,” the release says.

The release says the league will hold an in-person celebration in Los Angeles “during the traditional Pro Bowl weekend.” The Pro Bowl Games have recently been held the weekend before the Super Bowl.

“The Pro Bowl has always been about recognizing the players who distinguish themselves as the very best in the NFL,” a quote in the release attributed to Peter O’Reilly, NFL executive vice president, Club Business, International and League Events, said. “A Pro Bowl selection will return to its original purpose, honoring the best of the best. We want that distinction to carry even greater meaning for the players, their families, their clubs and our fans.”

The Pro Bowl and Pro Bowl Games have come under criticism in recent years, with fans and pundits debating over the number of players who drop out of the event and the type of events associated with it.

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Ryan Shiner

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

West Stadium Boulevard will be repaved overnight beginning Wednesday between West Edgewood Drive to Missouri Boulevard, according to a Wednesday press release from Jefferson City.

Crews will work Wednesday and Thursday nights from 6 p.m.-6 a.m.

The road will not be closed, traffic could be delayed, the release says. Jefferson City Public Works asks motorists to avoid the area while crews work, if possible.

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Ryan Shiner

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

A partial collapse occurred Tuesday night at a dilapidated building in Sedalia.

The east wall of the building at 104 Main St. collapsed and sent debris into an adjacent parking lot and Ohio Street, the city announced in a Wednesday press release.

The release says multiple addresses in the 100 block of Main Street were scheduled for demolition. Court battles have ensued over locations in the 200 block.

“The property owners have active demolition permits for each building, and the City previously received an engineered demolition plan addressing the work, including the separation of 114 W. Main Street from the adjoining building at 116 W. Main Street,” the release says.

Barricades have been installed along Main Street at Ohio and Osage streets, the release says. That area will remain closed until “the affected buildings have been rendered safe and the street can be safely reopened,” the release says.

The release also says the property owners Sedalia Plaza on Main have agreed to accelerate demolition. The original timeline was expected to take four-to-six months, but 104-114 West Main St. will now be complete demolished by Tuesday, Sept. 8.

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Melissa Houston

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

Columbia Police say a 15-year-old boy is the suspect in a shooting that left another youth with critical injuries Tuesday.

Columbia Police Department officers responded to a shots-fired call on Tuesday in the 5700 block of Canaveral Drive. According to a news release, officers responded to the call around 5:16 p.m.

Officers reported they located a youth suffering from a gunshot wound, and they were transported to a local hospital in critical condition.

The suspect was found near the scene and detained. Boone County Juvenile Officer Angie Bezoni wrote in an email to ABC 17 News that the suspect is a 15-year-old male.

The suspect will have a detention hearing at 8:30 a.m. Thursday.

A neighbor, Raymond Owusu, said he was outside with his kids when he heard gunshots and the crash.

Owusu said he rushed outside and saw a woman calling for help near the crashed car. Owusu went to help the gunshot victim, who appeared to have a wound to his head, dragged the youth out of the car to assist him, and waited until first responders arrived on scene.

This is the first time Owusu has seen a crime of this nature in his neighborhood, and he said it raises concerns since this incident happened with his kids outside. Owusu said if it were to happen again, he would rethink living in that neighborhood due to safety concerns.

According to the Missouri State Highway Patrol crime statistics, from January to June of 2026, there have been 92 violent crime arrests of juveniles between the ages of 10 and 17. This is a decrease from last year’s statistics for the same time frame, when 105 children were taken into custody between the ages of 10 and 17.

This age category is currently the 3rd highest among all ages this year, following behind the highest of ages 25 and 34, and second highest of ages 18 and 24.

These statistics are in line with the suspect linked to the shooting, who was confirmed to be 15 years old.

CPD says the investigation is ongoing.

Check back for updates.

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Marie Moyer

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

The State of Missouri is set to receive millions of dollars as part of a $17.1 billion settlement with Meta Platforms, Inc.

According to a news release from Attorney General Catherine Hanaway, Missouri will receive between $100 million and $150 million. 

“As a mother, I know how critical it is to shield kids from predators, addictive material, and content that harms their mental health,” Hanaway said in a statement.

According to the settlement, payments will be made within 30 days after a state enters a consent judgment or formally agrees to the settlement.

It is unclear if Missouri has filed for a consent judgment.

Once received, it will be up to the General Assembly to distribute funds. The final consent judgment from Tennessee’s suit suggests funds go to public programs like crisis intervention services, after-school and summer programs or internet safety training.

Along with resolving claims in 47 states, the settlement also requires Meta to add new safety features for child and teen Instagram and Facebook accounts. The new safety features will be in place until 10 years after the settlement takes effect.

These features include:

Mandatory “Productive Pauses” to break up lengths of endless social media use. There will be a warning at 15 minutes, a break at 60 minutes then another break at 90 minutes.

“Nighttime blocks” to restrict access to only messages from midnight to 6 a.m.

Limiting push notifications on weekdays from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. during the school year.

Extensive age verification measures

Stronger parental and content controls, limiting content that may promote eating disorders or self-harm

Limits on features like beauty filters and “like” counts

Meta will also work to promote parental controls over underage accounts. If linked to an account, parents would be able to see how long their child spends on social media, usernames of their child’s social media connections as well as profiles of reported accounts. Parents will also be notified if their child repeatedly searches for terms related to suicide, self-harm or eating disorders.

Hickman High School 11th-grade students, Ava McKinney and Adrienne Martin, are not opposed to the changes.

“I immediately get on social media when I go home, it’s just what I do,” McKinney said. “I think the limits are really good because spending more than 5 hours on social media is like not good, you could be spending that time doing homework, socializing, doing stuff with your family.”

“Four or five hours, once I get home on Social media, I mean, I know it’s not healthy, but it’s just addictive,” Martin said. “The limit for beauty filters is awesome because again, insecurity is a really big thing, especially with like young teenage girls, beauty filters are not something that should be normalized.”

“Meta’s willingness to acknowledge the harm and take meaningful corrective action is an important step forward for the safety of children across the country,” Hanaway said in a statement.

The lawsuit began in 2021 when states began to investigate the social media industry, claiming major companies knew of the harm social media causes. Meta did not admit wrongdoing as part of the settlement.

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Demetra Alarcon

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

Repaving work on a major south Columbia road started with the beginning of the school year this week, snarling traffic as parents rushed to get children to school and go to work.

The work to mill and repave Vawter School Road east of Scott Boulevard was originally planned to wrap up by last week. However, weather delays pushed the work to this week, which also saw the start of classes at Columbia Public Schools.

“Public Works crews and contractors work continuously throughout the available warm-weather construction season to complete road resurfacing projects,” Columbia Public Works spokesman John Ogan wrote in response to questions. “That work can include periods when the school year is beginning, as is the case with this project. We recognize that the work on West Vawter School Road has caused delays during the afternoon rush and appreciate everyone’s patience while crews work to improve the condition of the City’s transportation network.”

The work involves milling current pavement on Vawter School Road and replacing it with new pavement.

In an interview with ABC 17, Ogan said that the work on Vawter School Road should be completed within the week, weather permitting.

Ogan acknowledged that road work is not always the most convenient.

“I understand nobody wants to sit in traffic while you’re waiting to get the kids to school or pick them up or get to work. But road work has to be accomplished in the city,” said Ogan.

Ogan said that Columbia Public Works has planned to do over 160 miles of resurfacing work, which he said is more than the year before or the year before that.

As for the delays in work, Ogan said that all completion dates are weather permitting.

“Unfortunately, as many people know, there’s been a lot of rain this year. Some of this work can’t go on when rain is happening, so it was pushed further and further down,” said Ogan.

Ogan said CPS’s schedule was not taken into account when deciding where and when to resurface roads; instead, the city uses a rating system and makes decisions based on it.

CPS’ first day of classes was Tuesday, and several schools are near the road work, including Mill Creek Elementary, John Warner Middle School, Eagle Bluffs Elementary, Rock Bridge High School, and Gentry Middle School.

The work has led to long lines of vehicles along Vawter School Road both before and after school.

It’s one of several city roads contractors resumed work on last week. Other roads being worked on are:

• Dalcross Drive

• Westbrook Way

• Frontgate Drive

• Dunbar Drive

• Vistaview Terrace

• Granite Springs Drive

• Blue Hollow Drive

• West Vawter School Road

• Glen Eagle Drive

• Westview Terrace

• Galloway Court

Map posted by Columbia Public Works showing the remaining work locations.

Crews will work on the roads from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. daily and plan to work from south to north.

Ogan said that Public Works is always open to feedback saying that people are welcome to comment, call, or email the city.

“Our contractors, they’re doing a good job out there with putting out signs and having flaggers just to try to minimize some of the impact to the area. But we understand road work is never easy,” said Ogan.

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Olivia Hayes

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

The Missouri Coalition Against Domestic and Sexual Violence reports an average of more than 200 calls were answered per day by the National Domestic Violence Hotline across the Show-Me-State in 2025.

In the Central Region alone, MCADSV reports hotline calls went up 15% from 2024. The region includes much of Mid-Missouri’s counties like Boone, Camden, Chariton, Cole, Cooper, Gasconade, Howard, Laclede, Maries, Miller, Moniteau, Morgan, Osage, Phelps, and Pulaski.

Nationally, five people die each day on average from domestic violence, according to the hotline.

Jim Schmidt believes the increase in hotline calls is due to both an increase in domestic violence and more awareness of domestic violence resources. Schmidt is the stepfather of Gabby Petito, who was killed by her fiancé Brian Laundrie five years ago.

“For every increase we see, we also know that there is probably tenfold that number that are not reaching out and haven’t sought help yet, and those are the ones we’re trying to get to,” Schmidt said.

The couple was on a cross-country road trip visiting national parks when Laundrie strangled her to death.

“If a person’s been strangled by an intimate partner even one time, they’re seven-and-a-half times more likely to be murdered by them,” Schmidt said. “Her life was cut short by somebody who was supposed to, or promised to, take care of her for the rest of her life.”

In the aftermath of their loss, Schmidt and the Petito family turned their pain into purpose by starting the Gabby Petito Foundation.

“We focus in two areas. One area is missing persons and helping families who have long-term missing loved ones, and then the other piece of it is domestic violence,” Schmidt said.

The foundation has narrowed its focus to prevention and education, which eventually connected its team to the staff at True North Columbia, a local domestic violence shelter and resource. Brian Grove, a former Columbia Police detective with the Special Victims’ Domestic Violence Enforcement (DOVE) Unit, contacted the Petito Foundation for information related to upcoming training.

Schmidt said the relationship between the two organizations has been a good one.

“Organizations like True North with their response to domestic violence and sexual assault in that area, they bring all those partnering agencies together. They do all work together to have a better outcome for survivors and their safety,” Schmidt said. “It’s something we try to push across the country for others to follow.”

In 2025, CPD reported 1,405 calls for domestic violence. The DOVE Unit worked 165 cases. DOVE consists of two detectives, a civilian investigator, a team of victim advocates with True North, and four assistant prosecutors from the Boone County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office.

Schmidt tends to field the foundation’s education efforts with first responders.

Some of the new educational material the foundation is developing related to law enforcement procedures includes “Strangulation Training.” Grove and Schmidt used body camera footage from Gabby’s case to present the segment at the Missouri Office of Prosecuting Services conference earlier in the year.

“We often think that the physical violence is the first action that happens in these relationships, but it’s not. It’s these non-physical forms of abuse, coercive control, and all these signs,” Schmidt said. “It’s more than what is occurring that day, what has led up to it, what is different about today, and what are we hearing.”

The foundation is also bringing its education into Boone County schools. Michele Snodderly, with True North Columbia, said the foundation has presented its “Healthy Relationships Training” in every Boone County school district besides Columbia Public Schools. The training includes some videos provided by the Petito Foundation.

Schmidt believes more focus should be put on healthy teenage relationships.

“We’re starting to see more and more instances of teen dating violence in this country,” Schmidt said. “Kids have the world at their fingertips, and if we’re not having these tough conversations with them and talking to them about healthy relationships and about respect, they’re gonna get the information from somewhere, and it’s probably not going to be from a place where we want it to come from.”

The Missouri Department of Social Services reports 20% to 30% of teens have experienced physical or sexual violence in a dating relationship. Verbal or emotional abuse is often found in higher percentages.

Joylynn Allard, a therapist at Citizens Against Spouse Abuse Missouri, said reports of physical and sexual abuse tend to be the most common. Digital forms of abuse have also become more prevalent as technology has advanced, according to Allard.

“If they have access to their location, or are overly checking in on them or constantly messaging them and taking away their sense of freedom and their power and control over their own life by constantly keeping them glued to the phone to respond to them, then that’s an issue,” Allard said.

Allard said teens are also more likely to stay in an abusive relationship.

Teens are also more likely to end up in an abusive relationship if their parents, or adult role models, are in one. However, being around an example of abuse does not dictate whether the teen ends up as the aggressor or victim.

“If there’s violence in the home or abuse in the home, it’s normalized. They don’t know that what a healthy relationship looks like, it hasn’t been modeled for them,” Allard said.

Allard highlighted the importance of educating about healthy relationships in schools, but also encouraged parents to continue the work at home.

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Jazsmin Halliburton

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

West Ash Street near the Activity and Recreation Center in Columbia is temporarily closed for emergency water line repairs Wednesday.

Repair crews with Emery Sapp & Sons Inc. began working on the broken water line at 4 a.m. W. Ash St. is closed between Bernadette Dr. and Clinkscales Road; however, crews expect to complete the work Wednesday afternoon.

The repair location is just west of the entrance to the ARC. The sidewalk in the area will stay open during the repair, according to a press release from the city.

Residents can still get to the ARC through the Clinkscales Road entrance. The release says through traffic should use alternative routes such as West Worley Street or West Broadway.

Local traffic will still be able to access Gerbes and Shelter Gardens.

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