Category: kmiz-local-news

Marie Moyer

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

Protesters are expected to meet in Fayette, Boonville, Columbia and Jefferson City Saturday to join the nationwide “No Kings Rally.”

The rally is being held in response to the Trump Administration hosting a military parade in Washington, D.C., the same day as President Donald Trump’s birthday.

Rallies will be held at various times across Mid-Missouri.

Fayette – At the intersection of S Church St. and W Morrison St. at 9 a.m.

Boonville – Cooper County Courthouse at 11 a.m.

Columbia – Boone County Courthouse at 11 a.m.

Jefferson City – State Capitol steps at noon

According to a press release, Columbia’s rally will feature speakers from Empower Missouri, Missouri Peaceworks and Respect Missouri Voters. There will also be a march through downtown Columbia at 12:30 p.m.

Governor Kehoe activated the National Guard on Thursday following unrest in Los Angeles this week.

The ‘No Kings’ website adds that it is committed to nonviolent action. Participants are expected to de-escalate any confrontations with counterprotests. Weapons of any kind, including those legally permitted, are not allowed.

The group also offered safety and de-escalation training for organizers.

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Ryan Shiner

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

A 30-year-old Hermann woman was seriously injured Friday in a crash on Highway 100 in Gasconade County, about 1,000 feet from Cole’s Creek Road, according to a crash report from the Missouri State Highway Patrol.

The report says that the 2006 Dodge Ram was heading eastbound when it went off the left side of the road and the driver overcorrected. The vehicle came back to the road before going off the right side, the statement says. It then hit several trees and ejected the driver, according to the report.

The woman was brought to Mercy Hospital in St. Louis by ambulance, the report says. She was not wearing a seatbelt, according to the report. The Dodge was totaled.

MSHP reports do not name those involved in crashes.

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Ryan Shiner

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

Two vehicles appeared to be in a crash on Friday night near the Conley Road shopping area in Columbia.

An ABC 17 News photographer saw Columbia Police Department officers and the Columbia Fire Department respond to the crash at the stoplight of Brickton and Trimble roads at 9:47 p.m. A red truck was seen with its hood up and doors open, while a silver Crossover could be seen with front-end damage.

Dispatch records show that the Columbia Fire Department was called to the intersection at 9:26 p.m. for a report of a vehicle fire. Boone County Joint Communications sent a notification at 9:37 p.m. stating that the crash led to northbound Trimble Road to shut down.

The scene cleared at 10:13 p.m.

ABC 17 News reached out to CPD and CFD.

Check back for updates.

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Olivia Hayes

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

Candidates in the race for Columbia’s Ward 2 on Friday introduced themselves and their platforms to the Columbia Muleskinners Democratic Lunch Group.

The city called for a special election on Aug. 5 after former Councilwoman Lisa Meyer announced that she would step down on May 16. Two candidates running for the position include Vera Elwood and Ken Rice.

This is Elwood’s first attempt at public office, while Rice ran an unsuccessful campaign in the spring for the Columbia Board of Education.

Elwood is endorsed by former Ward 2 Councilwoman Andrea Waner, former Ward 2 Councilman Mike Trapp and the Boone County Democrats gave her its endorsement following Friday’s luncheon. Rice said Meyer had reached out to him to run for her seat.

Rice stated in his campaign announcement that addressing infrastructure, affordable housing and public safety would be focuses of his campaign. Elwood wrote in her campaign announcement that her focuses include ““improving infrastructure, creating a safer and more welcoming city, and ensuring every voice in the community is heard and uplifted.”

At Friday’s luncheon, Elwood highlighted the need for full staffing across all city departments.

“We have incredible people here in Columbia who are trying to do great work and are working with incredibly short staffed crews, and are not able to meet the capacities and goals of their departments,” Elwood said.

Elwood also noted issues with public transit in Ward 2; specifically for residents in the northern part of the ward, she said its almost completely inaccessible.

“When you look at public transit, it barely reaches out into Ward 2. It kind of barely scrapes the bottom of Ward 2. We have one bus line that runs through us, and the vast majority of our ward is not able to easily access public transit,” Elwood said.

Elwood said safe and accessible streets for people of all abilities are crucial and expressed confidence that the city could reach zero traffic deaths with the right policies.

“Policies about what street development looks like, what sidewalk development looks like. Once the policies are written, once we know what a safe sidewalk, what safe transit looks like, we need to actually have those in place,” Elwood said.

Elwood also expressed support for better support for local businesses and workers to “keep Columbia’s money in Columbia.”

“Preventing outsourcing, looking at expanding the reach of prevailing wage, and offering that on more projects to make sure that we are not, having city projects staffed by people who do not work in Columbia,” Elwood said. “The city can buy all of the asphalt that it wants, but if we do not have people who know how to lay that asphalt are paid well enough to take the job in the first place and are treated well enough to stay in that job, share their knowledge, and grow in their knowledge, the potholes are never going to get filled.”

Rice made headlines earlier this year by asking for community help in paying off school lunch debt. Rice on Friday addressed infrastructure and public safety needs. He also recognized the Second Ward’s need for another bus stop and suggested the benefit of more buses.

“Staffing across the board has been an issue for people. Well, if we can help, get them transportation to work, well, then, you know, there’s more people that that they can staff their, their businesses with,” Rice said.

He also explained the need for maintenance on power lines in the area.

“We have power lines that back in 2013, we realized we had a problem. 2015, we got funding for it to fix those power lines and get them going. 2016, we paused it and we’re still on a pause nine years later. That’s unacceptable,” Rice said.

To address improvements to public safety, Rice said funding changes may have to happen to redirect more money public safety agencies.

“Reasonable thing we may have to look at is, a public safety tax over time, because the people of this town understand that we need to fund these, essential services,” Rice said.

Overall, Rice said he wants to continue to be accessible to the constituents of Ward 2 as Election Day nears.

“I am committed to being accessible. I’ve already started I had a town hall the other day, and invited people from Ward two to come in and speak whatever they, about their issues. I want to be able to meet the people where they’re at, wherever that may be,” Rice said.

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Ryan Shiner

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

A Cooper County man has been charged with two felonies after authorities say he had child pornography.

Jesse Lawrence Wallace, of Blackwater, was charged with first-degree promoting child porn and possessing child porn. He was not listed on the Cooper County Jail roster on Friday afternoon. A warrant was issued on Thursday and a $50,000 bond was set.

According to the probable cause statement, law enforcement received a cybertip about child porn being uploaded to an online platform on Dec. 17, 2024. A Gmail address associated with the platform was given to law enforcement, which learned from Google it was registered to Wallace, the statement says.

A search warrant was applied for on May 1 and was served on Thursday at Wallace’s residence, the statement says. He allegedly admitted that he owned the account and distributed the images, court documents say. Law enforcement took devices from the home and where he worked, the statement says.

Wallace allegedly told deputies that child porn would be found on his phone, the statement says.

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Ryan Shiner

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

A woman was sentenced to 10 years in prison her alleged connection with a fatal shooting that occurred in May 2024 on Rice Road.

Quanina Lambert, 35, pleaded guilty in April to second-degree assault and first-degree endangering the welfare of a child. She was previously charged with first-degree assault, second-degree felony murder and hindering a felony prosecution. She will be given credit for time served.

According to previous reporting, police allege Lambert was inside a home on Rice Road that was apparently targeted by a group of shooters who pulled up in an SUV. Lambert allegedly gave her gun to a man at the scene. Police found a man who was shot in the head and later died at an area hospital. He was identified as Trevon Ashcraft, 18.

Jordan Brantley, 19, was also arrested and charged for his alleged role in the shooting. Brantley was charged with first-degree assault, second-degree felony murder and armed criminal action. He is being held at the Boone County Jail without bond. His next hearing is scheduled for 1:30 p.m. Monday, June 23.

According to previous reporting, police allege Lambert was inside a home on Rice Road that was apparently targeted by a group of shooters who pulled up in an SUV. Lambert allegedly gave her gun to a man at the scene.

Police found a man who was shot in the head and later died at an area hospital. He was identified as Trevon Ashcraft, 18.

Brantley was part of the group targeting the house and was seen on video wearing a black ski mask, according to a probable cause statement. He was allegedly seen on video shooting down Boyd Lane during the shootout. Police believe he fired the fatal shot. 

Previous reporting states that investigators found evidence of three shooters near the building and another about 100 yards away.

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Keriana Gamboa

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

According to AAA County Retail Prices, Boone and Cole counties are seeing lower prices at the pump than the national average, but one of the highest prices in the state.

And with Israel’s attack and Iran and the subsequent retaliation, they could climb even higher.

Friday’s report from AAA shows the national average is $3.13, while Missouri is reporting its average at $2.83. Boone and Cole counties come in at $2.90 and $2.92, respectively, which are two of the highest areas in the state.

However, crude oil prices surged more than $5 a barrel, and CNN reported the U.S. oil benchmark prices climbed almost 7%, and about $73 a barrel on Friday, following heightened tensions in the Middle East. Crude oil is a natural resource extracted from the ground and refined into essential fuels such as gasoline, diesel and jet fuel. It is traded on global markets and plays a critical role in determining energy prices worldwide.

AAA spokesperson Nick Chabarria said the geopolitical uncertainty could lead to a short-term spike in prices.

“Any time there’s a disruption, you know, with, again, potential geopolitical conflicts like we’re seeing, that’s going to cause prices to come up,” Chabarria said.

University of Missouri Professor Zack Miller said the uncertainty will possibly drive gas prices up, but he said it might not be the only thing going up.

“Everything we buy is being shipped here, and so the oil price is going to be correlated with all of those things. So oil price goes up means in a general sense, everything becomes more expensive,” Miller said.

Israel struck Iran’s nuclear program and other targets early Friday. By the end of the day, Iran had retaliated with a massive missile strike on Israeli cities. The conflict has sparked fears of a regional conflict in the Middle East, which provides much of the world’s crude.

Uncertainty is driving the question over how high gas and oil prices could climb; however, analysts warn that if Iran escalates the situation, prices could spike even higher. Residents in Columbia voiced their concerns over the possibility of a price hike here in the U.S.

” I don’t really want that, like I feel… I work a minimum wage job, so it’s like most of my money is going towards gas, so like if it goes up, then more of my money is going towards that,” resident Michaelie  Kaettmann said.

“I feel like it’s going to put a lot of people in jeopardy, especially to the cities that will have the higher gas prices, and with everything else being expensive, they’re going to make it going to make it harder for a lot of people in the cities,” resident Joe Cambridge said.

Miller said the bottom line is that consumers can expect to see gas prices go up, but what we don’t know is if they will stay up.

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Ryan Shiner

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

A jury trial for a man accused in a fatal 2023 shooting has been scheduled.

Kimo Spivey, 35, of Columbia, is charged with first-degree murder, illegal gun possession, two counts of unlawful use of a weapon and two counts of armed criminal action. Another count of unlawful use of a weapon was dismissed Friday during a pretrial conference.

His jury trial is set to begin at 8 a.m. Monday, June 23. He is being held at the Boone County Jail without bond.

Spivey is accused in the death of Melvin Hooker III, along with two other men. Samuel Moss Jr., 30, of Columbia, pleaded guilty in April 2024 to unlawful use of a weapon and was sentenced to 15 years in prison for the charge. Justin Lamar Simpson, 42, was charged with second-degree murder, unlawful use of a weapon, two counts of armed criminal action and illegal gun possession. His next court date was not listed on Casenet.

Court documents in previous reporting say a witness allegedly told police Hooker was involved in an argument with a group of people and then went to the passenger side door of his car to get a gun.

According to previous reporting, Moss could be seen approaching the victim in security footage. Moss allegedly had a gun drawn as he was walking toward the victim.

Spivey then apparently approached Moss, who also had a gun at his side just before shots were fired, court documents said. Court records said there was a brief interaction or conversation between the two men before they began shooting.

According to court documents in previous reporting, Spivey was allegedly seen walking toward the direction of Hooker and began shooting at him. Video footage then shows Moss “shooting at or in the direction of MH as well.”

A witness allegedly told law enforcement that they saw “Spivey shoot and kill hooker,” according to court documents through previous reporting. Spivey also had a gunshot wound and was taken to University Hospital, previous reporting indicates.

Spivey was also indicted by a grand jury on Friday for delivery of a controlled substance, unlawful use of a weapon and armed criminal action. An arraignment for those charges is scheduled for 8:30 a.m. Monday.

He is also charged in another case with second-degree domestic assault, third-degree assault, three counts of delivery of a controlled substance and a count of drug possession. A pretrial conference in that case is set for Monday, Sept. 8.

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Erika McGuire

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

Columbia Public Schools and a Pennsylvania-based debt collection agency have agreed to go after unpaid student lunch balances and other delinquent payments beginning July 1.

The Columbia Board of Education approved the agreement with Ability Recovery Services LLC at its June 9 meeting with a 6-1 vote. Board President John Lyman was the only vote against the measure.

He said he voted “no” because he has reservations about collection agencies, he but supports the board’s decision. Lyman said other delinquent payments are for items including lost books, property damage and damaged iPads.

CPS spokesperson Michelle Baumstark said the debt is $92,403.72.

Board members said the move is aimed at shrinking meal debt while ensuring no student is denied a meal, regardless of their account status. Board member April Ferrao said in the meeting that 95-97% of outstanding debt is from families who do not qualify or have not applied for the Lunch for Learners program.

Baumstark said in an email Friday morning that the district makes extensive efforts to reach families before turning to collections. She said the district holds individual conversations and offers resources and support, emphasizing that collections are only used as a last resort.

“The district does not send families who need financial assistance or are facing temporary, unforeseen circumstances to collections,” Baumstark said, adding that CPS has used debt collection services for years to recover unpaid balances.

“Text messages are sent, emails are sent, phone calls are made, hard copy letters are sent to let families know hey this is the balance,” Lyman said.

Free or reduced-price lunch is a federal program for families with limited income to get free or low-cost meals. Families must apply every year and meet income guidelines to qualify.

Lunch for Learners is a program that assists families experiencing short-term or transitional circumstances that have altered their ability to cover meal costs. It is not meant to replace long-term assistance but offers temporary relief.

Baumstark said example of such circumstances may include:

A recent job loss or reduced hours;

Temporary illness or hospitalization of a parent or guardian;

Sudden family emergency (e.g., fire, displacement);

Gaps in processing free/reduced-price meal applications;

Newly enrolled families with immediate financial concerns.

“If you’re $200 behind because some stuff happened at the end of the school year the fist thing they are going to do is try to get you free or reduced lunch for the next school then they are going to talk about lunch for learners and its gunna come in and help that debt out,” Lyman added.

The district went the debt collector route, Lyman says so its nutrition services can focus on other areas.

“They’re budget is square up, making sure they’re getting those nutritious  things into our building making sure we have the staffing to run or cafeterias,” he said.

Recently, the Columbia Public Schools foundation donated $50,000 to help pay down the Lunch for Learners balance.

The district will pay the debt collector a 21.5% contingency fee for each successful collection, which means nearly a quarter of recovered funds will go to the agency rather than directly back to CPS.

According to the district’s websit,e the following schools provide free breakfast for all enrolled students:

Blue Ridge Elementary

Lange Middle School

Oakland Middle School

Battle High School

The following schools provide free breakfast and lunch for all enrolled students:

Alpha Hart Lewis Elementary

Elliot Battle Elementary

Benton Elementary

CORE/Quest

Derby Ridge Elementary

Douglass High School

Shepard Elementary

West Boulevard Elementary

Overall, Lyman says CPS wants to take care of students first and families should never be afraid to ask for help.

” We want you to fed while you’re there but families there is no stigma with this we are here to help, we want to help  just make the call we are here,” Lyman said.

For additional help families can take advantage of the summer lunch program that runs from June 2-Aug. 7 any anyone under 18 to pick up lunch through the summer.

The program will not run on June 19 and July 4 due to federal holidays.

Locations for the program include:

Columbia Housing Authority (CHA) Stewart-Parker: Lunch from noon-12:30 p.m.; snack from 1:30-1:45 p.m.

CHA Bear Creek, 1109 Elleta Blvd.: Lunch from noon-12:30 p.m.; snack from 1:30-1:45 p.m.

Columbia Square, 1715 W. Worley St.: Lunch from 11-11:30 a.m.; snack from 12:30-12:45 p.m.

Indian Hills Park, 5009 Aztec Blvd.: Lunch from 11-11:30 a.m.; snack from 1-1:15 p.m.

Progressive Missionary Baptist Church, 702 Banks Ave.: Lunch from 11-11:30 a.m.; snack from 1:30-1:45 p.m.

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Ryan Shiner

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

An 18-year-old man has been charged with a felony after he allegedly broke into Centralia High School this week with three other people.

Chase Moore, of Centralia, was charged with second-degree burglary and three misdemeanors: Institutional vandalism, first-degree trespassing and stealing.

He is being held on a $5,000 bond, with a bond stipulation of not going to the school “except for attending class and official school activities, at the discretion of Centralia Public School staff.” School district Superintendent Steven Chancellor wrote in a Friday night email that Moore is not a current student.

Another man – Xander Cornwell, 19 — was arrested on suspicion of trespassing, according to a social media post from the Centralia Police Department. He is not listed on the Boone County Jail roster and charges have not been filed on Casenet. Police wrote in its social media post that three juveniles were also detained.

According to the probable cause statement, police were called to the school on Wednesday for a burglary that occurred Tuesday and Wednesday. Surveillance video allegedly showed four people without masks approach the building, but started wearing masks once they got to the agriculture wing of the building. They came back on Wednesday, the statement says.

Moore was identified “based on prior contact with law enforcement,” the statement says. The group allegedly picked up a box of calculators and started throwing them into a classroom, the statement says. They also caused additional damage, including kicking desks and hitting a camera and stealing a blanket, bottled water and yogurt, the statement says.

The group allegedly also made “crude drawings” on the walls.

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