Category: kmiz-local-news

Mitchell Kaminski

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

NOAA Weather Radio broadcasts across much of central and southwest Missouri are temporarily offline as the National Weather Service in Springfield conducts a scheduled system upgrade, just as strong storms are forecast to impact the region.

The service disruption began Monday morning and is expected to last through Wednesday, June 18. It affects weather radio transmitters maintained by the Springfield NWS office that serve parts of Missouri, southeast Kansas, northeast Oklahoma, and northern Arkansas.

The outage comes at a critical time, with severe storms—including damaging winds, large hail, and a tornado threat—forecast for late Monday night into Tuesday.

“No warning system is foolproof,” Jonathan Kurtz, Warning Coordination Meteorologist for NWS Kansas City, told ABC 17 News. “The weather radio transmitters right now coming out of the Springfield office in Springfield, Missouri, are down because of an AWIP software build upgrade we’ve got going on.” 

The Springfield office is performing a required update to its Advanced Weather Interactive Processing System (AWIPS), which integrates and distributes weather data and warnings. The update is expected to last until Wednesday. Until then, forecast and warning duties have been temporarily shifted to backup offices in St. Louis, Paducah, and Lincoln, Illinois, to avoid major service disruptions.

Still, Kurtz emphasized the importance of being prepared. 

 “We’ve got storms today moving into parts of southwestern Missouri and then continuing tomorrow,” Kurtz said. “Make sure to have multiple ways to get watches and warning information. Stay tuned to local media.”

While NOAA Weather Radios are a critical tool, officials stress the importance of redundancy. FEMA estimates that an all-hazards weather radio can provide up to eight minutes of warning before a tornado strikes—time that could save lives. But other sources like mobile weather apps, local news stations, and wireless emergency alerts are also vital.

Meteorologist Chance Gotch with ABC 17 Stormtrack said weather radios remain a reliable option. 

“I think they’re even better than an app. I myself have one. My parents have one just because an app is great, but if your phone dies or maybe you don’t have your sound on all the way, the radio, you set it once, you can kind of just leave it there,” Gotch explained. “If you have it plugged in and have good supply of batteries, it’s going to be something that it’s going to be  keeping you a little bit more alert.” 

“I think they’re even better than an app. If your phone dies or you don’t have the sound on, the weather radio’s still there plugged in, with backup batteries, keeping you alert,” Gotch said.

He added that despite growing “storm fatigue” from the recent stretch of storms,  he believes people in the region are still paying attention. 

“A lot of people get burnt out. But I think something that we’re seeing a lot this year is people are a lot more keen to the weather messaging.  We saw what happened in Saint Louis, Pilot Grove, even in Fulton. We’ve seen a lot of tornadic damage, even some large hail down in real close to four inches. So  I think storm fatigue can be real, but this year I feel like people are staying pretty on top of getting their messages and warnings, even whenever I just talk to community members,” Gotch said. 

The full list of affected counties includes Boone, Cole, Phelps, Pulaski. A complete breakdown of impacted transmitters can be found at weather.gov/nwr/wfo_list?WFO=SGF.

NOAA broadcasts are expected to resume service by Wednesday. Until then, officials urge residents to remain weather aware and ensure they have at least two or three reliable ways to receive emergency alerts.

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Nia Hinson

EDITOR’S NOTE: The number of juveniles arrested Tuesday has been corrected.

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

Children routinely gather at the Peace and Hope Center for Youth on Providence Road in Columbia, and Tuesday was no different.

The nonprofit organization works with at-risk youth in the community.

While there, they participate in activities such as going to the park, playing kickball and doing crafts. During the school year, the center also offers an after-school program. There’s laughter while they play video games and make bracelets, but they’re sometimes reminded by the things that occur outside of those walls.

An 18-year-old was killed in a shooting Sunday night at a Columbia apartment complex. Police said Tuesday that the weekend robbery of a business on Scott Boulevard and the shooting on East Broadway are linked.

Glasgow police also confirmed Tuesday that three suspects, two of whom are juveniles, were taken into custody on Tuesday after a manhunt. A fourth juvenile was taken into custody earlier in the week on suspicion of second-degree murder, first-degree robbery, armed criminal action and unlawful use of a weapon.

“It makes me feel scared because it can happen to any of us,” Laila Lallemand, who participates in the program, said.

Lallemand started going to the program last year, after she says she needed to find a new after-school program. She is one of many youths at the center who hope others in the community will choose a different path.

“Kids are getting hurt,” Dayah Mitchell, another enrollee, said. “And when they get hurt, they probably will like pass and it’s not right because the family is going to be hurt and they’re going to think about it like why did they do that.”

Columbia Deputy Chief Matt Stephens told ABC 17 News Monday night that he believes juveniles have been “running reckless” recently. Stephens said it’s hard to know exactly how children are able to get their hands on guns.

“You know, when you have people that leave guns in cars and then cars get broken into, that’s one thing,” Stephens said. “When you have you know, a bunch of people that are just passing them back and forth you know through different means, there’s a bunch of different ways that people get hands on guns and they shouldn’t have them.”

A’niya Jackson is also enrolled at the program, something she said has helped her stay out of trouble. She attributed much of that growth to Lonnie Lockhart Bey and Julian Jackman, who help run the program, saying they showed her how a better path to take.

“It’s simply a testament to the work, right?” Lockhart Bey said. “It’s a testament to us fighting to rediscover and rebuilding.”

Others like Everleigh Thornton hope children who tend to turn toward violence would reach out for help.

“You can’t change the past, but you can definitely make your future better,” Thornton said. “For all these choices that you’re making and all these bad things that you’re doing, they’re bad…but you can, if you always think about what you’re gonna do, you can change the kind of person you’re gonna be.”

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Ryan Shiner

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

Power has been restored in Auxvasse after an outage left 559 customers without electricity on Tuesday evening.

An outage was reported on Ameren’s outage map. The cause of the outage has not been determined yet.

An Ameren spokesman wrote in an email that the outage occurred after a piece of equipment malfunctioned.

Check back for updates.

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Ryan Shiner

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

A man was charged after he allegedly attacked another man in front of a police officer on Monday in Downtown Columbia.

Daniel Dwyer, 54, of Columbia, was charged on Tuesday with first-degree assault. He is being held at the Boone County Jail without bond. An initial court appearance is set for 1 p.m. Wednesday.

The probable cause statement says that a police officer saw Dwyer and the victim walking on a sidewalk near the intersection of Locust and Fourth streets when Dwyer started attacking the victim. Dwyer allegedly accused the other man of stealing and hit him repeatedly, the statement says.

The victim was unresponsive and fell to his knees while Dwyer tried to continue the attack, the officer wrote. Police Chief Jill Schlude assisted with detaining Dwyer and she also saw him kick the man in the head after the victim was unconscious on the groud, the statement says.

The victim was brought to an area hospital while he was bleeding from the back of his head and his eyes, according to court documents.

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Ryan Shiner

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

A woman who drove a UTV in a crash that killed her husband in Maries County last month has been charged with a felony.

Mary Dearlove, 61, of Rolla, was charged on Tuesday with driving while intoxicated – causing the death of another person, misdemeanor reckless driving and an infraction of failing to wear a seatbelt. A criminal summons was issued on Tuesday and a court date has been scheduled for 9 a.m. Tuesday, Aug. 12.

The probable cause statement says that troopers arrived on May 12 while Dearlove was on a stretcher and her husband, Donald Dearlove, had “an apparent fatal wound to his head” in the vehicles. He was 61.

A preliminary breath test indicated that Mary Dearlove’s blood alcohol level was .153, nearly twice the legal limit to drive, the statement says. A trooper wrote that she also appeared to be drunk.

She allegedly admitted to drinking at a bar in Viehy, Missouri. The crash occurred in the 17000 block of County Road 522 in Maries County.

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Ryan Shiner

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

A woman who is charged with murder in a fatal shooting at a Holts Summit apartment complex in April will have her trial in Boone County.

Heather Smith, 37, of Holts Summit, was charged with three counts of unlawful use of a weapon, a count of first-degree of endangering the welfare of a child, second-degree felony murder and armed criminal action.

A hearing on Monday determined the trial will be held in Boone County. A hearing is set for 9 a.m. Tuesday, Aug. 19.

Smith is accused of killing Kara Dills, 37. Court documents in previous reporting say the shooting started with an argument between Smith and Dills at Hunter Lane Apartments. The documents cite nine witnesses to the shooting.

Video surveillance allegedly showed Smith threatening witnesses with a pistol before the shooting. One witness allegedly tried to disarm her after she pointed the gun at several people, but was not successful.

Dills allegedly got a gun and pistol-whipped Smith on the forehead, documents say. The gun went off, grazing a man later identified as Thomas Jones, 71, on his head, according to the probable cause statement. After Dills lowered her gun and started to walk away, Smith shot her in the stomach, the statement says. She later died.

Jones was later charged with fourth-degree assault for failure to listen to deputies. He has a hearing scheduled for 9 a.m. Friday, July 18.

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Ryan Shiner

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

A man who was sentenced to life in prison more than 20 years ago for a triple murder had his sentence reaffirmed on Monday.

Deandra Buchanan, 51, was found guilty by a jury in 2002 on three counts of first-degree murder. He was initially sentenced to death but was resentenced to life in prison without parole in 2003. Buchanan was not present for the resentencing hearing.

The defense wanted a new hearing where a judge sentences him to life in prison without parole, allowing them to enter a new appeal. The prosecution argued that the challenge was not timely, and the previous judgment was final.

Judge Jeff Harris denied the defense’s motion for a resentencing on Monday.

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Ryan Shiner

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

A new council member has been picked in Sedalia.

The city announced in a Tuesday social media post that Cheryl Ames has been sworn in as the new Ward 1 councilwoman. Interviews were conducted by the city and Mayor Andrew Dawson made the appointment.

Tom Oldham stepped down from his position in April after “serious allegations” were brought against him, the City of Sedalia wrote in a prior social media post. The city did not elaborate on the allegations in the post or in communications with ABC 17 News.

Pettis County Sheriff Brad Anders told ABC 17 News in emails that his office is investigating Oldham. The criminal investigation includes the possible sexual harassment of a youth. Oldham was recently reelected to his seat in the April 8 race. Charges have not yet appeared on Casenet.

The other three candidates for the position were appointed to other boards and commissions:

Adam Porter – appointed to the Sedalia Park Board

Jason Michael Joy – appointed to the Bothwell Regional Health Center Board

Virginia Kaye Brainard – appointed to the Planning & Zoning Commission

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Matthew Sanders

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

Glasgow Police confirmed all three suspects wanted for a weekend robbery and deadly shooting have been taken into custody as of 2 p.m. Tuesday.

Columbia police said Tuesday that the weekend robbery of a business on Scott Boulevard and the shooting death of a man on East Broadway are linked.

The Columbia Police Department says in a news release that officers were looking for three suspects involved in the incidents. Two of them are teens ages 13 and 15, police say.

Police were looking for 34-year-old Steven Paden.

Steven Paden (Missouri Department of Corrections)

The three were wanted in the shooting death of Zarian Simpson, 18. Police say Simpson died after being shot during a car chase Sunday, and his vehicle crashed into a deck at the Eastgate Apartments at Old 63 and East Broadway.

Police allege Simpson was robbed at gunpoint at Broadway and Eighth Street before the shooting. Simpson chased the suspects after the robbery and was shot, dying at the hospital later, according to police.

Columbia Mayor Barbara Buffaloe shared a Columbia Police Department update on the case on Facebook.

“Sunday night’s incident at Broadway and Old 63 is heartbreaking,” Buffaloe wrote. “As a parent, I felt the weight of it deeply — my own kids were playing just up the hill at the playground that evening.”

Buffaloe wrote that she is working to make people feel safe in “every part of our city — at any time of day.”

A juvenile has been arrested on suspicion of second-degree murder, first-degree robbery, armed criminal action and unlawful use of a weapon.

The three at-large suspects were seen in Glasgow, Missouri, on Monday and Tuesday, police say.

Police say the three suspects were also responsible for robbing a business early Saturday in the 600 block of Scott Boulevard. CPD will not identify the business, a spokesperson said Tuesday.

One suspect was posted at the door as a lookout while another tried to get the clerk to open the safe at gunpoint, CPD says in its release. The clerk could not get the safe open, but the robbers took cash and merchandise, police say.

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Matthew Sanders

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

Three city blocks in central Columbia were evacuated Tuesday after a contractor hit a gas line.

An area covering Sexton Road north to Forest Avenue between Madison Street and Garth Avenue was cleared before 11 a.m. because of the leak, according to a Columbia Fire Department spokesperson. No one was hurt.

Nine people and some dogs were among those evacuated from the area. They were allowed back to their homes at about 11:15 a.m. after the leak was shut off. Ameren and contractors remained at the scene.

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