Category: kmiz-local-news

Ellyse Edwards

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

University of Missouri President Mun Choi called on Columbia city leaders to take action Wednesday on safety concerns in downtown Columbia.

Choi made the comments during a presentation at a Columbia Chamber of Commerce quarterly breakfast event Wednesday morning. His presentation focused in part on violence downtown, particularly around East Walnut Street, and called for greater accountability from city leaders.

One slide in Choi’s presentation stated, “Violent Crimes and Homeless Crimes in Downtown Columbia are major issues.”

The slide continued, “It’s affecting your business and mine,” and called for “action and accountability from city leaders.”

Choi also showed attendees a timeline titled “Timeline of Recent Violence on Walnut Street.” The presentation listed several incidents between April and September that Choi characterized as violent fights or shots fired outside bars.

The slides reference “violent fights outside bars” on April 11, June 27, July 16, Aug. 9 and Sept. 5. The slide stated shots were fired outside bars on Aug. 9 and Sept. 5.

Another slide encouraged Chamber members to speak up and said silence could be viewed as indifference. It also encouraged attendees to contact city leaders and “demand results.”

Choi also focused on what he believes should be the city’s responsibility in addressing public safety.

The presentation said city leaders “must not divert attention and accountability through Violence Prevention and forming Task Forces to ‘study the problem.’”

The slide also said input and recommendations from Columbia Police Department leaders are essential, adding, “lives are on the line.”

Choi additionally told attendees, “We need to all take action moving forward, and if you look at where all this is happening, it’s East Walnut Street.”

Choi has pressured city leaders for months over downtown crime and the presence of homeless people around the MU campus. His campaign has included warning students away from a particular section of downtown at night.

City spokesman Christopher Ave said in a statement on behalf of Mayor Barbara Buffaloe and Columbia City Council members that the city shares Choi’s concerns.

“We share President Choi’s concerns. That’s why we continue to work collaboratively and legally to ensure that downtown—and the entire Columbia community—is safe for all,” Ave said.

Ave said the city, Columbia Police Department, the University of Missouri, The District, downtown businesses and other community partners continue to work together on issues related to public safety, traffic and pedestrian safety and the overall downtown environment.

Choi has not yet responded to follow-up questions, and the Columbia Police Department has not responded to a request for comment.

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Marie Moyer

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

A group wanting to bar the state from using a 2025 congressional map says it has appealed a federal appeals court decision denying its case to the U.S. Supreme Court.

The Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals on Wednesday turned down People Not Politicians’ appeal meant to overrule a federal district judge’s decision ordering Missouri officials to use the 2025 map in the November election.

People Not Politicians said about an hour later that he had submitted an appeal of that decision to Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh. Kavanaugh later ordered for defendants in the case, including U.S. Rep. Bob Onder to respond to PNP’s filing by 9 a.m. Thursday.

People Not Politicians had filed an emergency appeal late Tuesday with the Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals to reverse an order by Eastern District of Missouri Judge Stephen Clark requiring the use of the 2025 map.

The court specifically stated Hoskins is not allowed to use “any congressional district map other than the HB 1 map for the November 3, 2026 general election.”

“The motion for a stay pending appeal is denied because we either lack jurisdiction over the appeal or, based on the briefing we have so far, the stay factors have not been met,” the appeals court wrote. The appeal was filed in a case brought by U.S. Rep. Bob Onder after a Missouri Supreme Court decision last week striking down the map.

The order went on to say that the court normally lacks jurisdiction to hear an appeal of a temporary restraining order, like that granted by the lower court ordering the new map’s use.

Clark granted a temporary restraining order Tuesday to Missouri Secretary of State Denny Hoskins in a lawsuit brought by candidates, preventing Hoskins from using any map except for the “Missouri First” map for the November election. Clark ruled that the primary election is integral to the voting process and that switching maps before the general election would cancel primary votes.

Hoskins later announced plans to follow Clark’s order, despite also being ordered not to use the “Missouri First” map by the Missouri Supreme Court.

PNP 8th circuit appealDownload

People Not Politicians argues Clark was wrong and that the 2022 congressional map is the status quo.

“Secretary Hoskins has already sent the certification to [local election authorities] and directed local election clerks to begin implementing the Missouri Supreme Court’s order using the 2022 Map. The TRO does not preserve the status quo; it disrupts it,” PNP wrote in its appeal.

PNP added that a single judge does not have the authority to decide on congressional districts and that the decision required a three-judge panel.

According to Dave Roland, Senior Legal Advisor at the Freedom Center of Missouri, the orders from the state and federal courts may not technically conflict. However, reading them together could leave Missouri unable to use either congressional map, putting the state in uncharted legal territory.

The secretary of state can, in fact, comply with both orders, if he says, ‘All right, we’re not going to use any district maps,’ but who knows how that’s going to work?” Roland said. “This is a completely unprecedented situation, so everyone is flying by the seat of their pants right now, no one is certain exactly how this situation is going to resolve.

The group’s application with the U.S. Supreme Court states that Clark had no jurisdiction to issue the restraining order, that federal courts shouldn’t intervene in ongoing state litigation and that the state is likely to lose its case.

People Not Politicians v. Onder Emergency Stay ApplicationDownload

Meanwhile, the Missouri Supreme Court has ordered Hoskins to appear by 10 a.m. Thursday to defend himself against PNP’s claims that he is in contempt of court for using the 2025 map.

“Although nothing in that order requires the Secretary to use the HB 1 maps, he [Denny Hoskins] immediately announced that he intends to do so,” PNP’s legal team wrote. “The federal court has no authority to overrule the Missouri Supreme Court’s determination that HB 1 is not and hasnever been the law. Nor does anything in the federal court’s order claim to ‘take precedence over the Missouri Supreme Court’s order.’ “

Hoskins, represented by Missouri Attorney General Catherine Hanaway’s office, responded by asking the federal court to issue an order overruling the Missouri Supreme Court’s decision.

“Even if the Missouri Supreme Court does not hold the Secretary in contempt, the ongoing voter confusion and disruption of preparations for the November 3, 2026 general election inflict irreparable harm on the State,” the state wrote. “Defendant respectfully requests that the Court resolve the State’s Motion to Enjoin the Missouri Supreme Court as expeditiously as possible.”

The state and People Not Politicians have entered appearances for both the appeals case and the Missouri Supreme Court’s contempt hearing.

Attorney General Catherine Hanaway then filed a motion with the Eastern District court to prevent the Missouri Supreme Court from finding Hoskins in contempt.

The ACLU filed in the Eastern District case, claiming the district court’s temporary restraining order violates federal law.   

These cases come after an almost year-long legal battle between the state and People Not Politicians, with the Missouri Supreme Court ultimately deciding the 2022 congressional map should be in place for the November election and putting the Missouri First map on the ballot for the voters to decide.

The new map — approved by the Republican majority in the Missouri General Assembly last year — targets Missouri’s Fifth Congressional district. The seat is currently held by Democratic Rep. Emanuel Cleaver. The new map would fold the district into three others and that would be stretched across several rural areas of the state, giving Republicans an advantage.

The uncertainty over the “true” Missouri map comes less than two months away from the November election, with all county clerks in counties affected by redistricting ordered to hold off on printing ballots by the Missouri Association of County Clerks and Election Authorities.

The main concern is whether ballots will be available for Sept. 18, when military and overseas ballots are sent out. Full absentee voting is expected to start on Sept. 22.

“Counties that are affected by the redistricting need a final ruling to determine which district and candidates to include on the ballot. Counties that are not affected can proceed with printing ballots,” MACCEA President and Scott County Allen Seabaugh said in a statement.

Boone County Clerk Brianna Lennon told ABC 17 News that the county is doing what they can, including setting polling locations and training election judges.

Moniteau County Clerk Roberta Elliott also said that her office was prepared to personally receive the completed ballots from their printing vendors instead of getting them shipped to the office by mail.

Callaway County Clerk Ronda Miller added, “Our vendors that print our ballots will be working around the clock to get ballots printed once this is all determined.”

“We’re hoping to be able to have everything finalized because we don’t really want to end up in a situation where the balance changes after absentee voting has started,” Lennon said, “It’s certainly not ideal and I think that it will probably cause some additional heartburn in trying to make up the time.”

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Matthew Sanders

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

A Columbia man backed off an attempt to change his plea in a shooting case on Tuesday and was sentenced to 25 years in prison.

Steven M. Harris pleaded guilty in January to unlawful use of a weapon, armed criminal action and stealing a gun in a March 2025 shooting near Ninth and Walnut streets in downtown Columbia. Harris tried to retract his plea in February, but dropped that effort on Tuesday, according to court records.

According to court documents, a blue Chevrolet Tahoe hit Harris, leading him to run after the vehicle and fire a gun, which had been stolen. Officers reportedly found several shell casings and wrote in court documents that Harris dropped the gun when instructed by police.

Judge Stephanie Morrell sentenced Harris to 15 years in prison for unlawful use of a weapon and 10 years for having a stolen gun. Those sentences are concurrent and will run consecutively to a 10-year sentence for armed criminal action, for a total term of 25 years.

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Matthew Sanders

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

A car ran into a building on Broadway in downtown Columbia on Wednesday morning.

No one was injured when the four-door sedan ran into the building at 910 W. Broadway — a suite of offices. The car appeared to cause only minor damage.

Columbia Police Department Officer John Hoff said the building did not sustain any structural damage.

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Jazsmin Halliburton

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

Columbia Fire Department responded to an apartment fire in East Columbia early Wednesday morning.

Fire crews responded to a kitchen fire in the 5100 block of Clark Lane just after 4 a.m. Columbia Fire official Wayne Cummins told ABC 17 News on scene that the fire was in only one unit and that crews contained it.

Residents were evacuated, and no one was injured.

ABC 17 News crews on scene saw 11 CFD fire trucks, an MU Health ambulance and two Columbia Police vehicles.

The cause of the fire is under investigation.

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Ryan Shiner

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

The Jefferson City Council unanimously accepted $15 million from a state appropriations bill for the for the conference center project.

House Bill 19 gives the money to the city “to fund the planning, design, and construction of a conference center and parking garage.” The funds are required to be spent by June 10, 2027, council documents say.

The council in January approved the creation of a downtown conference center transportation development district in connection with the project and construction has been ongoing. The Madison Street parking garage was knocked down in January and a new one is going to be built in its place.

Other buildings in the area – including the old Jefferson City News Tribune building at 210 Monroe St. in 2024 —were knocked down in preparation for building the new conference center, hotel and more parking. 

Council documents say a stipulation of the $15 million includes parking spaces in the new garage to be provided to the state.

Reporting from February indicates the hotel is expected to open by June 1, 2028.

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Ryan Shiner

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

A man has been charged with several felonies after authorities claim he pistol-whipped someone during an armed robbery on Monday.

Royce Kemp, of Columbia, was charged on Tuesday in Boone County with first-degree robbery, armed criminal action, unlawful use of a weapon, second-degree assault and first-degree kidnapping. He is not listed on a jail roster and a no-bond warrant was ordered.

The probable cause statement claims Kemp went to the victim’s residence, was let in by the victim and then left. He then allegedly returned with a woman minutes later and the woman asked the victim for $50, the statement says.

Kemp allegedly then hit the victim in the back of their head with a gun and took roughly $1,800, the statement says. He then allegedly pointed the barrel to the back of the victim’s head while they were on the ground, the statement says.

Police noted seeing a cut and “a large amount of blood” at the scene.

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Ryan Shiner

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

A Jefferson City man was charged with a felony and several misdemeanors after he allegedly pointed a gun at five youth during a car chase on Saturday.

Cassius Bello, 21, was charged on Tuesday in Cole County with unlawful use of a weapon and five counts of misdemeanor fourth-degree assault. He is being held at the Cole County Jail without bond. An initial court appearance is scheduled for 2 p.m. Wednesday.

The probable cause statement says a Jefferson City police officer was flagged down by five juveniles at 10:40 p.m. Saturday on the westbound Highway 50 ramp from Dix Road. The victims claimed a man in a purple Dodge Charger started chasing them from the Olive Garden, the statement says.

The youth allegedly told police that they saw Bello point a rifle with a laser at them while making threats, the statement says.

Officers found the vehicle at the Olive Garden parking lot and Bello allegedly admitted to chasing another vehicle, but denied pointing a gun, the statement says. He allegedly told officers that he grabbed the gun after it fell on the floor of the vehicle during the chase, the statement says.

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Ryan Shiner

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

A Jefferson City man has been charged after law enforcement claims he possessed child sex abuse materials in Boone County.

George Haynes III, 44, was charged on Tuesday with six counts of possessing child sex abuse materials. He is being held at the Boone County Jail without bond. A court date has not been scheduled in this case.

The probable cause statement says Columbia police were investigating Haynes on Aug. 8 at the Columbia Police Department in connection with a “drug related” crime. Officers searched Haynes’ phone and allegedly found several images showing child sex abuse, the statement says.

Haynes was charged with drug possession in Boone County on June 20 and was indicted by a grand jury on Aug. 21. An arraignment is scheduled for 8:30 a.m. Monday, Sept. 21.

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Matthew Sanders

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

A federal judge on Tuesday ordered the Missouri secretary of state to use a 2025 congressional map, just days after the Missouri Supreme Court said the new map was not law.

Judge Stephen Clark ordered Tuesday that Secretary of State Denny Hoskins implement the map in the November 2026 election, instead of an older map that a Missouri Supreme Court decision ordered used last week.

The 2025 map breaks up the safely Democratic Fifth District of Kansas City, subsuming it into several other districts and theoretically giving Republicans a 7-1 advantage in U.S. House seats in Missouri. Hoskins had ruled that a petition challenging the map was unconstitutional.

However, the Missouri Supreme Court ruled last week that the petition was lawful, that it should have been certified for the ballot, and that the petition suspended the law that created the new map.

Republican congressional candidates Bob Onder and Rick Brattin sued to stop the use of the old map in federal court for the Eastern District of Missouri.

Clark issued a restraining order requiring the use of the 2025 map for 14 days while the Eastern District court hears arguments in the case.

“Using a different map for the general election would wreak havoc on the fairness and orderliness of Missouri’s congressional elections, calling into question the candidacy of those nominated in the primaries and the votes of those who voted in the primaries,” Clark wrote.

People Not Politicians filed an emergency application with the Missouri Supreme Court on Tuesday night in an attempt to hold Secretary of State Denny Hoskins in contempt.

The attorney for PNP alleges in the filing that an email from Hoskins stating to use House Bill 1 following a federal TRO being filed “is a direct violation of this court’s injunction”

EMERGENCY MOTION in von Glahn(249929818Download

Missouri Attorney General Catherine Hanaway issued a statement in support of the ruling.

“Missouri is prepared to follow and comply with Chief Judge Clark’s order that binds the state to using the Missouri First map for the November General Election. We appreciate Judge Clark’s support of the rights of Missouri voters, and intend to comply with this federal ruling. We maintain that changing the congressional map in between the primary and general elections is simply not feasible and profoundly unjust to Missouri voters,” Hanaway was quoted in the release.

Secretary of State Denny Hoskins issued a statement in favor of the TOR.

“The Missouri First Congressional Map stands as the Law of the Land. I promised I would never stop fighting for Missourians and I have gone to the mat on that. Today United States District Court, Eastern District Judge Stephen Clark issued a Temporary Restraining Order (TRO), mandating use of HB-1, the Missouri First Congressional Map,” Hoskins’ statement says. “This victory halts a full-on constitutional crisis. It ensures the candidates Missourians nominated in the August primary election are the same candidates running in the same congressional districts they will vote on in the November general election. This is a win for Missouri-and a win for constitutional conservativism and I am proud to lead this charge.”

Republican State Sen. Rick Brattin – who is running for the Fifth District — issued a statement in favor of the federal court’s TRO.

“While I am disappointed that the U.S. Supreme Court was not able to grant relief, I understand that the standard for review in our nation’s highest court limits what they can do in an unprecedented case such as this one,” the statement says. “I am glad for the citizens of our state that the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Missouri issued a stay that will allow the use of the Missouri First map for the general election, ensuring voters will not be disenfranchised by being forced to vote in a different district for November.”

Order in Onder caseDownload

Boone County Clerk Brianna Lennon wrote on her social media that her office is “is unclear how the state’s 5pm deadline interacts with federal courts.”

The 2025 map was used in the August primaries to select party nominees after Hoskins declared the petition drive invalid. The Missouri Supreme Court’s ruling last week overturned Hoskins’ decision about the petition and said the 2025 map was not in effect.

However, voters in November will decide on whether to carry the Republican-friendly 2025 map into future elections.

Republicans in the General Assembly approved the new map last year at the urging of Gov. Mike Kehoe and the White House, overriding a map redrawn after the 2020 census.

U.S. Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh on Tuesday also rejected Attorney General Catherine Hanaway’s request that the high court intervene.

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