Category: kmiz-local-news

Jazsmin Halliburton

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

The National Weather Service office in St. Louis is warning of an elevated fire risk until Thusday evening due to breezy winds and dry conditions, leading officials to encourage people to avoid outdoor burning this week.

Cooper County Fire Protection District Chief David Gehm told ABC 17 News operations don’t change with the increased risk however, stations are staying prepared.

“We send notice out to all the stations, make sure all their trucks are filled up and all their equipment is fueled up and working properly,” Gehm said.

According to the Boone County Fire Protection District, Wednesday and Thursday are expected to be especially concerning, with conditions throughout the week not being favorable for outdoor burning.

Boone County Office of Emergency Management is coordinating with the Columbia Fire Department, Centralia Fire Department and the Boone County Fire Protection District to monitor conditions and ensure readiness.

ABC 17 News also spoke with the Cooper County Fire Protection District and Boonville Fire Department who have joined automatic mutual aid to help assist.

“Everybody’s limited on manpower, so with this new agreement, we share a lot of resources in certain areas that butt up to the city, butt to the county, so we try and be prepared in those ways with manpower,” Boonville Fire Chief Tim Cooper said.

Gehm, Cooper and Chief Chris Wilhoit with the Howard County Fire Protection District all also reported having tools like leaf blowers and rakes to help respond, with crews also trained in digging ditches or back burning to get ahead of any brush fires.

“Sometimes you’re limited on water supply, so you have to resort to old school tactics, manual tactics, raking, shoveling, digging lines, using leaf blowers to help get the fire to go in the direction you would like it to go,” Cooper said.

According to the ABC 17 Stormtrack Weather Team, warm, dry air will lead to less moisture, making vegetation, such as dry grass and branches, easy to catch fire. The breezy winds fan the flames, providing oxygen to the fire and carry embers to create new spot fires that can grow.

The Missouri Department of Public Safety says there are many ways people can help reduce the spread of fires.

When grilling, position the grill far away from siding, deck railing, and away from any leaves and overhanging branches. Do not add charcoal or starter fluid when coals or kindling have already been ignited.

Be extra careful with fire pits and campfires. Consider the risks before lighting the fire, and if you do decide to light it, check the wind direction. Keep a fire extinguisher or garden hose nearby.

Any controlled burns should be reported to local fire departments, including details of when, where and how long the burns will be.

“It’s a beautiful day to day. People want to burn their trash and that’s when it can run into problems,” Gehm said. “A lot of times they’ll try and take control of a fire with a garden hose. Something we ask them to call immediately to the fire department, call 911 and get the fire dispatch.”

The NWS advises against open burning leaves, brush or debris. Smokers should be extremely careful in extinguishing cigarette and cigar butts completely before disposal. Do not throw away cigarettes from moving vehicles.

Secure trailer chains to prevent them from dragging and creating sparks that could ignite dry grass. If you’re driving off-road, use caution as sparks from the vehicle or equipment could come in contact with dry grass and start a fire.

According to the Boone County Fire Protection District, fires that start in these conditions can behave unpredictably and move faster than expected.

People are encouraged to call 911 immediately to report smoke or fire.

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Matthew Sanders

The Missouri Senate Education Committee held a hearing before a packed house Tuesday on a bill that would create a letter-grade report card system for public schools.

Supporters say it will help parents identify the best places for their kids and provide incentives for schools to improve. Critics say it will stigmatize some schools and does nothing to help struggling schools get better.

Do you think it’s a good idea? Let us know by voting in the poll.

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Nia Hinson

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

The family of a woman who was killed in flooded waters in Boone County in 2024 claims the City of Columbia and Boone County were at fault.

The wrongful death lawsuit filed Friday in Boone County alleges the city and county “failed to use ordinary care to either prevent Gillespie Bridge Road from flooding or to warn motorists of the flooding.”

Iveta Thayer– who was 81 at the time– drowned after the vehicle she was in was swept away by Perche Creek floodwaters near Gillespie Bridge Road and Coats Lane on July 3, 2024.

Boone County Assistant Fire Chief Gale Blomenkamp told ABC 17 News at the time that Thayer and her husband David were originally trapped in the vehicle after driving through floodwaters. Thayer’s body was recovered from the water two days later, after the Boone County Sheriff’s Office said the water level had receded enough for crews to attempt a rescue effort.

Two people were also rescued on July 3, 2024, from the floodwaters, including a landscaping worker who tried to save the couple.

Mid-Missouri had been dealing with flash flooding at the time of the drowning and the National Weather Service had issued a flood watch for much of the area that week. The lawsuit alleges the NWS had warned against the potential for heavy rainfall and claims the U.S. Geological Survey at the time showed Perche Creek’s water was rapidly rising at the time.

The lawsuit claims that David and Iveta Thayer left their home to go shopping around noon that day. The couple took Interstate 70 to Providence Road and were unaware of flooding in the area, court documents say.

About an hour and a half later, someone called 911 and warned them that Perche Creek had flooded and there was water on Gillespie Bridge Road. The caller stated vehicles were still driving through the road and closure signs were not up in the area, the lawsuit states.

ABC 17 News received audio files — from the plaintiffs’ attorney Brian Russell — of the 911 calls made that day, where a woman’s voice can be heard telling a dispatcher that the road had flooded and vehicles were still driving through it.

“I think there’s a lot of people that are still trying to cross it. I can see this going very bad, very fast,” the woman said.

The dispatcher can then be heard telling the woman that they were already aware of the flooding.

Boone County Road and Bridge was notified at 1:36 p.m. of the flooding, court documents claim. Audio files given to ABC 17 News also show a dispatcher telling someone with Road and Bridge about the flooding. The person responded by saying they were monitoring the road.

Just before 2 p.m, a Boone County Commissioner notified Boone County Office of Emergency Management about the flooding on Gillespie. Emails Russell sent to ABC 17 News show Boone County Southern District Commissioner Justin Aldred telling Jacob Waller with the Office of Emergency Management to call Rep. Adrian Plank (D-Columbia) about the flooding.

Shortly after 2 p.m, Waller asked Boone County Dispatch to notify Road and Bridge to close Gillespie Bridge Road, the lawsuit states. Around 2:30 p.m. it posted on Facebook stating the road was closed due to flooding.

The lawsuit claims that around the same time the post was made, the Thayers drove toward Gillespie Bridge Road and Perche Creek. The road closed signs were still chained to the street sign on Chapel Hill road, documents say. A white Boone County Road and Bridge vehicle also drove past the couple away from the road, according to documents.

At 2:36 p.m, another person called 911 to report that a vehicle was swept away by flood waters, documents say.

The lawsuit claims the couple believed it was safe to drive through the road because other vehicles in front of them had safely crossed and because road closed signs were not up yet.

“By the time the Thayers saw water on Gillespie Bridge Road, there was no safe place to turn around and there were several other vehicles in front of and behind them,” documents say.

The couple’s vehicle was lifted by the water and began to sink. A bystander was able to rescue David Thayer by pushing down on his window, but was unable to get Iveta out of the vehicle, the lawsuit states.

The lawsuit also alleges before the couple’s vehicle was swept away, witnesses spoke with a Boone County employee who said he was supposed to put up the road closed signs, but had forgotten the keys to unlock them. Documents also claim that employee said his shift was over and that he was going home.

In body camera footage ABC 17 News obtained, a Boone County deputy’s voice can be heard stating witnesses told her a city employee had forgotten the keys to put the signs up.

Residents in the area called for action shortly after the incident, calling for more preventative measures. An employee for Boone County previously told ABC 17 News that people would frequently move the barriers in the area.

The lawsuit requests monetary compensation for the family, as well a a jury trial.

ABC 17 News reached out to the City of Columbia, Boone County, and Boone County Road and Bridge who declined to comment on pending litigation. ABC 17 News also reached out to the attorney for Boone County. Russell also declined an interview on Tuesday.

Wrongful death lawsuitDownload

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Ryan Shiner

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

The Jefferson City Council on Tuesday unanimously approved modifying a hiring incentive for police officers.

The council at its regular meeting upped the lateral transfer incentive from $10,000 to $15,000. Prior to this, the $10,00 lateral transfer was paired with a $5,000 hiring incentive for non-licensed academy recruits, according to meeting documents.

“This resolution would authorize the City Administrator to modify the incentive system to increase the lateral transfer incentive to $15,000 and discontinue the non-licensed hiring incentive, reallocating those funds to prioritize lateral recruitment,” the resolution says.

Meeting documents say the incentive would be paid out over four years and that the Jefferson City Police Department from fiscal years 2023-25 averaged $286,618.42 in surplus funding because of position vacancies.

911 facility study

The City Council also approved unanimously JCPD’s request for a 911 facility study. The study would use Community Development Block Grants to “evaluate retrofit options for the Jefferson City Police Department’s Communications facility and Cole County EMS Communications Division facility to better meet operational and staffing needs and evaluate the feasibility of constructing a new joint facility,” meeting documents say.

Cole County EMS headquarters was opened in late 2024.  

Meeting documents say a staffing analysis from 2024 determined that JCPD’s and Cole County EMS’ communication facilities were at capacity.

“The 911 Facility Study will evaluate whether the existing centers can be retrofitted- or whether a new joint facility is needed-to provide the space, redundancy, and hardened infrastructure necessary to maintain continuity of operations,” documents say.

The cost of the study has not yet been determined.

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Olivia Hayes

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

The Columbia City Council is moving forward with its plans for a proposed 1% Public Safety Sales Tax it believes will help close a $156 million funding gap in the Columbia Police and Fire retirement fund.

The police pension has a $66 million funding gap with nearly $81 million currently in the account. While the fire department has a nearly $90 million funding gap with just under $144 million in its account.

The police and fire pension fund grew 50% fewer in fiscal year 2025 than it did in fiscal year 2024. The city believes the 1% sales tax would bring in an additional $38 million for public safety departments by fiscal 2028. That money would go into a separate and dedicated account; public safety departments would also still receive about $60 million in general revenue funds.

Matt Nichols, President of the Columbia Police Officers Association, claims the problem started in 2012, when the pension plan was last changed.

“By 2032 the goal is to have the pension funded to 80%,” Nichols said. “We are now 14 years into this plan and we have lost almost 20% of funding out of the police pension.”

Nichols said officers accepted fewer benefits up front with the promise of retirement stability.

“We are now eligible [to retire] at 25 years of service,” Nichols said. “Instead of receiving 60% of our salary, now we only receive 50% and our contribution has increased by almost 2%.”

Randy Minchew, a member of Columbia’s Finance and Audit Committee, claimed years of the city not properly funding the account’s deficit has snowballed the issue.

“The money that sits in that pool is supposed to be earning a certain amount of money and everything that it doesn’t earn the city is supposed to pay. The city got used to funding in a certain amount,” Minchew said. “We’re not putting enough funds in because surely this is going to turn around, surely we’ll get back to where we were, right? But we don’t and we’re not going and now and now it’s too low.

Columbia has the seventh-highest sales tax rate out of the most populated cities in the state, sitting at 7.975%. The new tax would make it the fourth-highest sales tax rate at 8.975%.

The tax increase would have to be passed with a vote by Columbia residents. If discussions go as hoped, the issue could be on the August ballot.

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Ryan Shiner

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

A 21-year-old motorcycle rider was seriously injured in a Tuesday afternoon crash on Route W in Miller County, just east of Lighthouse Road, according to a crash report from the Missouri State Highway Patrol.

The report says the man rode his 2013 Harley Davidson 1200 Custom westbound when he crossed the centerline and hit the driver’s side of a 2023 Ford Expedition. The Ford was driven by a 67-year-old Lake Ozark man.

The Eldon man did not wear a helmet and was brought to Lake Regional Hospital by ambulance, the report says. The driver of the Ford wore a seatbelt and had no reported injuries.

The Harley was totaled, while the Ford had moderate damage, the report says.

MSHP reports do not list those involved in crashes.

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Ryan Shiner

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

An out-of-state resident who was diagnosed with measles traveled through St. Louis Lambert International Airport earlier this month, according to a Tuesday press release from the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services.

The release says the infected person was at the airport between 5-7 p.m. Feb. 7 and was at Terminal 2, baggage claim and road a shuttle to the parking area.

Everyone who may have come in contact with that individual should watch for symptoms for 21 days (in this case would be until Feb. 28), the release says.

This comes as measles outbreaks have occurred recently in South Carolina and Texas. Cases in North Carolina, Washington and California have been linked to the South Carolina outbreak, according to reporting from CNN.

The DHSS says measles is highly contagious and can “easily pass it on to 9 out of 10 people around them who are unvaccinated or do not have natural immunity.”

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Ryan Shiner

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

A septuagenarian has been charged in Boone County after he was accused of robbing a downtown Columbia bank at gunpoint over the weekend.

Basil Kyles, 71, of Columbia, was charged on Tuesday with first-degree robbery, unlawful use of a weapon and two counts of armed criminal action. He is being held at a mental facility in Fulton, according to a Columbia Police Department spokesman. A court date has not been scheduled.

The probable cause statement says Columbia police were called around 11 a.m. to First Mid Bank on North Fifth Street in downtown Columbia. Kyles – who was wearing a ski mask – had allegedly pulled out a gun and demanded money. He allegedly told the tellers that he did not have “anything to lose,” court documents say.

He took $6,000 in a Walmart bag and was seen on multiple cameras walking south toward Broadway Diner, the statement says. The ski mask was allegedly found outside of Shiloh’s bar, the statement says. Kyles was eventually identified by the owner of Broadway Diner and more clothing of his was found in the bathroom of the business, the statement says.

A couple at the diner had also stated that they bought Kyles an Uber ride to his apartment at Oak Tower Apartments, the statement says. Kyles was seen on video entering his apartment, the statement says. Police interviewed him and he denied being downtown that day, court documents say.

Police eventually found a handgun and $5,140 in cash in a drawer, court documents say. Kyles allegedly told someone else in the apartment he won money in a poker game and the roommate was surprised to learn from police that a gun was found in the residence, the statement says.

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Haley Swaino

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (KMIZ)

Tension boiled over at Tuesday morning’s Cole County Commission meeting, leaving the signing of a towing contract tabled.

The county was set to sign with Broadway Wrecker Service after awarding it a bid last week to be the sheriff’s towing and storage company for abandoned and impounded vehicles.

After a cost comparison of towing, hourly and storage fees, Broadway Wrecker Service was found to be the lowest option, according to Eastern District Commissioner Jeff Hoelscher.

At Tuesday’s meeting, Hoelscher raised questions about how long storage is, how long rates apply, if fees for evidentiary tows are passed to owners, and who has discretion.

Before that conversation could be had, local towing companies took the floor with serious concerns.

Kendall Stubinger of Kendall’s Towing and Recovery “Tow Pro” said his business is also considered to have “dba Broadway Wrecker” at the end of its title.

“The company that has been awarded this bid, I’m not sure if that’s my company or somebody else’s company,” Stubinger said.

He said he owns the name Broadway Wrecker, but another company runs Broadway Wrecker Service. And that has been a point of confusion. He added that his company has run one of Broadway Wrecker’s trucks for about a year.

Western District Commissioner Harry Otto said the bid is being awarded to Broadway Wrecker LLC, as listed by the secretary of state.

Stubinger said he doesn’t own an LLC, but legally, he has claims to Broadway Wrecker. Operationally, he said the actual service company seems to be fraudulent.

He said the company has had multiple crashes.

“Them [Broadway Wrecker Service] having accidents in the past and not giving up their insurance information, the insurance companies are getting ahold of me and wanting me to give my insurance information,” Stubinger told ABC 17 News Tuesday.

He worried that will be another point of confusion if the company were to tow for the sheriff.

“So this bid gets awarded to them people, how many people are going to be Googling my number as Broadway Wrecker and calling me looking for their vehicle?” Stubinger said.

The location and contact information is another point of confusion.

Broadway Wrecker Service says it’s located in Jefferson City on its Facebook page. A Google search says the towing company is located on McCarty Street.

But Operations Manager Patrick Love told ABC 17 News the lot is on Plaster Court, on the other side of town.

The company also lists Economy Towing as its email. As confirmed in its bid contract, that operates out of Columbia.

First page of the bid by “Broadway Wrecker Service” to be Cole County’s towing and storage company.

ABC 17 News called and a worker answered the phone at the company as “Economy Towing Broadway Wrecker Services.”

Stubinger brought up the fact that the company does not have a website either.

Otto said that wasn’t required in the contract.

“Basically, the average citizen, they’re gonna call whoever they wanna call to tow them,” Presiding Commissioner Sam Buschman said. “This contract is just for impounded vehicles, abandoned vehicles.”

Stubinger questioned what number dispatch will give when a citizen calls that their car has been towed by Broadway Wrecker.

A representative with Toebben’s Towing joined Stubinger and asked, “How are they [people whose vehicle was towed] gonna know that though, where to find that number at?”

Buschman said the county went with Sheriff John Wheeler’s recommendation to go with the $20,000-$25,000 a year option.

Commissioners then asked why the county is going with a seemingly questionable out-of-county company.

“We get a company from 40 miles away coming in here wanting to do business in our town, and they’re doing it for less than half of what we can do it and have done it for the last years,” Stubinger said.

He said that’s a hit to local companies.

Broadway Wrecker Service also lied to commissioners, according to Stubinger. He said they lied about being approved by the Missouri State Highway Patrol and about how many employees they have.

The company is not on MSHP’s approved tow list.

Broadway Wrecker Service had mentioned having spoken to the sheriff regarding the contract, Stubinger said, which companies seeking the bid were told not to.

A representative with Diamond Towing stood up and asked why Patrick Love with Broadway Wrecker Service was having side conversations with the sheriff’s office.

Wheeler approached the men at the podium and said that they were all contacted about the contract.

“I sent the same email to all three of you, so don’t start throwing me under the bus,” Wheeler said.

Wheeler told the men their pricing fell short.

He said the bid was submitted for Broadway Wrecker Service, and Stubinger’s claim that he owns Broadway Wrecker is not the same. Wheeler said he went by the listing of the secretary of state when recommending the contract be awarded to Broadway Wrecker Service.

He told ABC 17 News in an email that the county put out to two bids because it did not have response times in the original.

After about half an hour of comments Tuesday, the commission voted to table the contract and confirm with the highway patrol Broadway Wrecker Service’s approval to work for the county.

ABC 17 News reached out to Broadway Wrecker Service and has not heard back.

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Marie Moyer

Editor’s Note: AI was used in background research for this article.

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (KMIZ)

Teachers and parents faced Missouri legislators on Tuesday as two Missouri senators work to write a new grading system for schools into law.

Gov. Mike Kehoe signed an executive order creating school report cards in January, before his State of the State address. The order directed the Missouri Department of Education to implement a new letter-grade system for schools by June.

Senate Bills 1194, sponsored by Sen. Ben Brown (R-Washington), and 1653, sponsored by Sen. Curtis Trent (R-Battlefield) seek similar provisions to Kehoe’s order to codify the bill. Both texts would also create the “Show Me Success Program.”

During Kehoe’s address, he highlighted Brown’s bill and encouraged the General Assembly to pass similar legislation.

“[Parents] know what a good report card looks like,” Trent said. “When it comes to schools, they’re handed pages of acronyms, charts that don’t really tell them anything in plain English as to how their child’s school is actually doing.”

The Show Me Success Program will link high school performance to funding. Schools ranking in the top 5% of student performance statewide will receive $100 per student. Those in the top 10%, but below the top 5%, will be eligible for $50 per student.

According to the fiscal notes for the bill, more than $7 million would be eligible for the program. Committee member Sen. Maggie Nurrenbern (D-Gladstone) pushed back against the program during Tuesday’s hearing.

“If a school is doing well, then they’re going to receive more money, but a school that is doing poorly will not receive additional money. So my question is, how are they expected to improve then?” Nurrenbern said.

Trent defended the bill, arguing that school performance is a policy issue instead of a financial issue, adding that he is willing to drop the program in favor of moving forward with the report card.

“If schools were failing to perform because they didn’t have sufficient funding, that’s thing that we could just address with more money,” Trent said. “People deserve to be rewarded financially if they are performing above expectations.”

According to the Secretary of State’s Office, public schools and public charter schools will be graded on a lettered A through F scale based on a 0 to 100-point scale:

A – Producing excellent student outcomes

B – Producing more than satisfactory student outcomes

C – Producing satisfactory student outcomes

D – Producing less than satisfactory student outcomes

F – Failing to produce adequate student outcomes

Scores will be based on the annual Missouri Assessment Program, or MAP, results. High schools will also be evaluated on their graduation rates. The new grade cards are designed to be standardized and easily understood by parents, taxpayers, school personnel and legislators.

“Many people have mentioned that a through F is easier to understand than stars or different indicators that aren’t necessarily self-explanatory,” Jordan Zakery the Regional Advocacy Director for ExcelinEd in Action said.

Testimonies for the bill also included members from the school groups in Louisiana and Mississippi, two of 11 states in the nation with a letter grade system for schools. Both witnesses reported seeing academic growth following the new system.

Schools that fail to test at least 95% of students will drop a letter grade. The point scale will also become stricter as school scores, Trent calling the rule a “treadmill for success.” For example, when 65% of schools earn an A or B, the minimum score required for each letter grade will go up by five points for the next year.

Zakery added the system is not meant to punish low-performing schools.

“On both sides of the coin, whether a school is low performing, high performing or so on A or an F, it highlights the positive things about these schools,” Zakery said. “This policy also helps identify where schools can improve.”

Opponents of the bill support the need for transparency, but warned that the test is too one-size-fits-all. Steven Carroll with St. Louis Public Schools and the Cooperative School Districts of Greater Kansas City reported that many students face socioeconomic issues and unstable home lives that can affect school performance.

“A public school has to take in whatever child walks through their front door, all the social problems, the challenges that a student may have,” Carroll said. “Yet you expect them to go in and maybe do well on a test and then the school is the only one getting graded.”

Mike Lodewegen, the Director of Legislative Advocacy with the Missouri Association of School Administrators, testified at the hearing for information. He took no particular stance and instead reported on what administrators are discussing regarding the bill.

Some concerns included resources being moved away from teachers.

“We will be able to increase scores if we focus on the test, whatever you focus on, that will happen, resources will be dedicated specifically to that, right?” Lodewegen said. “What does that do? How does that impact the profession?”

The Missouri Department of Education is required to finalize the implementation plan for the grading system by June. Schools will begin receiving their first annual scores under this system by Sept. 15. Schools will also need to publish their scores for the public by Sept. 30.

If approved by the committee, the bills will be moved to the Senate floor for debate.

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