Matthew Sanders
The heat wave keeps going, and it won’t stop before Independence Day.
Much of Mid-Missouri remains under an excessive heat warning that ends late Friday. Even so, highs are expected to be in the 90s for the Fourth of July.
This kind of heat isn’t unusual for early July in Missouri, but it’s still uncomfortable.
Is the heat changing your Independence Day plans? Let us know by voting in the poll.
Ryan Shiner
COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)
A fire that occurred Sunday at the Lake of the Ozarks was caused by a recreation fire that reignited, according to a press release from Rocky Mount Fire Protection District Chief Jonathan Trail.
The dock fire – which resulted in two boats and two jet skies being a total loss – was described as a “previous recreational fire that was not fully extinguished and reignited.”
Trail wrote in an email to ABC 17 News that investigators were able to review video footage that showed the fire rekindle.
No injuries were reported in the fire.
Liam Hazen, of the Department of Natural Resources, said the owner “attributed the fire to a fire pit that was not properly extinguished but the cause was still officially unknown at the time of my departure from the scene.”
Ryan Shiner
COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)
Ameren Missouri is seeking to raise electric rates, according to a Wednesday press release from the Public Service Commission.
Ameren filed tariff sheets with the PSC on June 26 “seeking a net increase in annual electric base rate revenues of approximately $343 million,” or about $13 per month for the average customer, the release says.
The PSC set July 15 as the deadline for the public to intervene.
“Applications to intervene should be filed with the Secretary of the Missouri Public Service Commission at P.O. Box 360, Jefferson City, Mo. 65102-0360 or through the Commission’s Electronic Filing and Information System (EFIS),” the release says.
Local public hearings will be scheduled. Customers can also give comments at: :
P.O. Box 360, Jefferson City, Mo. 65102;
telephone number 800-392-4211;
email pscinfo@psc.mo.gov; or
online via EFIS at https://efis.psc.mo.gov/PublicComment/EmailForm.
Comments should use related submission number ER-2026- 0291. the release says.
Ryan Shiner
COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)
A boil advisory was issued for about 80 homes in Fulton after water was shut off to repair an emergency water leak.
The city made the announcement about the repairs on Tuesday night and told residents online on Wednesday morning that five streets were affected.
The affected streets include Singer Lane, Penny Lane, Julian Lane, Dixie Avenue and Randall Lane.
The post says notices would be placed on the affected homes.
Olivia Hayes
COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)
Part of Columbia’s new Opportunity Campus will be open on Wednesday night due to extreme heat in the area.
ABC 17 Stormtrack Weather Alert Days are in effect through the weekend as the heat index looks to hit triple digits.
New Day Columbia will operate the overnight cooling center at 1304 Bowling St. in Columbia from 7 p.m.-7 a.m. for those unable to escape the elements. Wednesday is the first night a portion of the Opportunity Campus will operate as an overnight shelter. The location started operating as a daytime center on Monday.
“It’s just getting people indoors,” said Darren Morton, New Day Columbia Executive Director. “We have the seats set up, they can watch a movie and then whenever you get tired or lights out is at 9:15, 9:30, they go to their cot and just get rested for the next day.”
The Opportunity Campus is made up of two buildings— the Cindy Mustard Resource Center and The Hub. The cooling center will be located in The Hub on the building’s east side.
The $18.6 million facility built to support people experiencing hardship and homelessness is set to open its doors fully in mid-to-late July.
According to Columbia’s 2025 State of Homelessness Report, 309 people experienced homelessness last year. The city’s homeless population has hovered around the 300 mark for at least three years, with 323 reported in 2024 and 270 in 2023.
On Wednesday, the formation of a Steering Committee was also announced by the city. The committee tasked with creating “a Strategic Plan focused on actionable steps to address homelessness in Columbia,” according to a press release from the city.
A news release from the city said the committee will consider primary and secondary data, community needs and feasibility. The committee will collect input from individuals with lived experience, related organizations, business owners, higher education institutions and more.
The release says the public will have an opportunity to be involved in the process through focus groups and a community survey.
The Steering Committee will be assisted in the process by City of Columbia staff members and facilitators from contractor BerryDunn. Some notable committee members include Ward 6 Councilwoman Betsy Peters, Columbia Fire Chief Brian Schaeffer, Columbia Police Chief Jill Schlude and Boone County Northern District Commissioner Janet Thompson.
Melissa Houston
COLUMBIA, Mo. (Kmiz)
The Columbia Fire Department held a Traffic Incident Management training session on Wednesday to review safety protocols for road incidents.
Firefighters gathered at the Columbia Fire Training Academy for the training led by Battalion Chief Roger Mertenmeyer.
The entire department has completed this course, which is offered a few times a year. The training is open to dispatchers, media, tow truck companies and any personnel who work with accident scenes.
The course teaches emergency personnel vehicle placement strategies and methods to keep traffic flowing and reduce the risk of any secondary crashes.
“Training is solely geared around roadway incidents and the safety of responders for one, and then the general public passing through it,” Mertenmeyer said.
According to data from the 2015 Law Enforcement Officers Killed and Assaulted Report and the National Fire Protection Association, an average of 10 officers, four firefighters and an estimated 40 to 60 towing and recovery professionals are killed each year from being struck at a scene. Mertenmeyer also said that on-site responders are highly susceptible to being hit by moving traffic and distracted drivers.
An example took place in Boone County in 2021, when Boone County Fire District Assistant Chief Bryant Gladney was struck and killed while responding to a tractor-trailer crash on Interstate 70.
Mertenmeyer also said that traffic backups, especially in construction zones, make the area even more dangerous for responders because of high-speed traffic approaching stopped vehicles.
“Anytime we’re on the roadway, it’s dangerous, and so when we extend that time period we’re on the roadway, it extends the amount of exposure we have to moving traffic,” Mertensmeyer said.
The safety of the responders is Mertensmeyer’s main goal in these trainings, and he urges the public to stay alert when driving, especially near a roadside incident.
“Everyone seems to want to look and see what’s going on on our emergency scenes as they go by, and I understand that for a lot of people, they don’t get to see that all the time,” Mertensmeyer said. “However, when you take your eyes off where you’re supposed to go, then that’s what causes you to drift and perhaps hit another vehicle next to you or hit one of our responders.”
Ryan Shiner
COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)
Firefighters rescued a worker who was stuck on an elevated lift on Wednesday morning in the 1800 block of Vieth Drive, according to a press release from the Jefferson City Fire Department.
Crews found a man on a lift that “become inoperable after being damaged by falling debris,” the release says. He was standing on a platform that was about 30 feet in the air.
Firefighters were able to get the man down by using the manual hydraulic override system, according to the release.
No injuries were reported.
Ryan Shiner
COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)
A second fireworks show this weekend involving a company from Buffalo, Missouri, has been canceled.
Lake Valley Golf Club in Camdenton wrote on its Facebook page on Wednesday afternoon that AM Pyrotechnics told the club “us they are unable to fulfill their obligation to provide this year’s display. With only days remaining before July 4, and with the display already prepaid, Lake Valley is unfortunately unable to secure another fireworks show in time.”
The display and “related festivities” have been canceled.
“This is deeply disappointing for all of us. Lake Valley’s fireworks have been a long-standing community tradition, bringing together members, families, neighbors, and friends from across the Lake area,” the post reads. “Each year, hundreds gather in the parking lot, along the course, and throughout the surrounding area to enjoy an evening that has always been about more than fireworks — it has been about community.”
The golf tournament will still be held, but no other Fourth of July activities will occur.
The City of Osage Beach announced on Tuesday that it would delay its Independence Day celebration to July 11 after AM Pyrotechnics “stopped communicating despite multiple efforts to reach them by phone, email, and text.”
The company allegedly told the city on Tuesday it was not able to “execute the display.”
KY3 reported on Monday that a Fourth of July fireworks show in Mountain Home, Arkansas, was affected after the same company stopped communicating with Mountain Home’s chamber of commerce.
AM Pyrotechnics claims an accident at its facility in November “significant affected” its operations and that it filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy.
“The company is also operating under Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection, which is a legal process intended to preserve operations, protect creditors, and allow the business to complete as much work as possible,” a statement sent to ABC 17 News in an email says. “We have continued using available resources to support operations, maintain required insurance and licensing, pay crews, secure fireworks, and complete the displays we are able to perform safely and professionally.”
Matthew Sanders
JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (KMIZ)
A group calling itself the Missouri Licensing Advocacy Group is suing the Missouri attorney general and other state officials to stop an enforcement campaign targeting businesses that operate video gambling machines.
The group filed its lawsuit in Cole County last week, saying that Attorney General Catherine Hanaway and Missouri Alcohol and Tobacco Control overstepped their authority in seizing video gambling machines and prosecuting owners of stores that use them.
The petition filed Friday in Cole County is similar to a lawsuit against Hanaway filed June 18 by Turners Bar & Girl. MOLAG’s lawsuit states that the group wants the issue of whether video gambling machines are legal under state law to be decided by courts before seizures and prosecutions continue.
The lawsuit also takes issue with Alcohol and Tobacco Control’s use of the liquor license process to target businesses with gambling machines.
MOLAG’s petition says it will not identify the group’s members becuase of threats of criminal charges, civil litigation and seizure of equipment.
At least two Mid-Missouri convenience store owners — Anthony Gier of Eldon and Keith Winscott of Ashland — have been charged criminally after video gambling machines were seized from their stores.
Civil asset forfeiture actions against each owner were also filed in state court. The Boone County Sheriff’s Office was in possession of machines from Winscott’s Woody’s Bar and Grub, along with aboiut $8,000 in seized cash, as of the filing in late May.
The machines along with about $17,000 in cash seized from one of Gier’s Eagle Stop store was in the Columbia Police Department’s possession.
Alison Patton
PORTLAND, Mo. (KMIZ)
Gov. Mike Kehoe signed an agreement Wednesday at the Callaway Energy Center nuclear power plant with the Federal Permitting Council to allow the state and federal government to start the permitting process for FAST-41 projects, like nuclear plants, at the same time.
The permitting council coordinates and improves federal environmental reviews and authorizations for some infrastructure projects, according to its website. It also aids in the permit process and establishes clear timelines for projects.
The permitting council doesn’t list specific projects that are eligible, but eligible sectors include AI, broadband, mining and conventional energy production.
Kehoe said the agreement doesn’t necessarily fast-track the permitting process, but brings it back to business standard.
“Quite honestly, the country has not invested in it just because investors, utilities or whoever wants to invest in these; no one wants to invest in these because the permitting process is just way too long,” Kehoe said.
Kehoe signed one copy of the agreement, and the executive director of the permitting council, Emily Domenech, signed another at the Callaway Energy Center. The agreement could open the door for more nuclear plants in the state.
Callaway County has the only nuclear plant in the state, and it produces about 15% of Missouri’s energy, according to the Missouri Department of Natural Resources.
Alaska, Idaho, Tenessee and Utah have signed similar agreements, and Domenech said she wants more on board.
“I want to say yes to every state, actually,” Domenech said. “Our hope is that we will partner with every governor in the country to be able to bring more power online, to allow for more manufacturing, to build critical infrastructure that helps us compete nationwide.”
