Category: kmiz-local-news

Alison Patton

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (KMIZ)

The Salvation Army’s red kettle campaign kicked off Friday in the Capitol rotunda, with Gov. Mike Kehoe ringing the first bell of the holiday season.

This year, the Salvation Army and its volunteers will collect donations starting Friday and running through Christmas Eve.

The Jefferson City Salvation Army has a goal to raise $410,000 to support the communities in need.

Major April Clarke said this was last year’s goal, but they fell short of meeting it. This year, the Salvation Army is hoping to reach its goal and stretch it.

“We’re sharing our current resources, not just with people who are most vulnerable, but also furloughed workers,” Clarke said. “That’s why our goal of $410,000 is so important, because the need is greater right now.”

Friday marks the 38th day of the federal government shutdown — now the longest ever. Federal workers haven’t received a paycheck since the shutdown, and the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program funding is still in limbo, forcing more families to turn to food pantries.

The Trump administration on Friday filed an emergency appeal of a judge’s ruling that the USDA must immediately pay out SNAP benefits for November.

Clarke said the Salvation Army is serving twice as many people now as before the shutdown. The nonprofit was serving about 50 meals a day, and now it’s up to 100.

Kehoe allocated millions of dollars to crucial food programs, such as food banks and a senior food program, to support families as they go without SNAP payments.

At the red kettle campaign Friday, Kehoe said the answer to the rising food insecurity is opening the government.

“A simple solution would be to open the government back up, vote on a continuing resolution that they voted on with other administrations before,” Kehoe said. “There’s no hunky dory business here, let’s just get this done.”

Kehoe has also encouraged Missourians to donate to charities helping the hungry during the shutdown.

“I always say when things happen in Missouri, we see the best Missourians,” Kehoe said Friday. “Neighbors helping neighbors.”

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Matthew Sanders

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (KMIZ)

Cole County’s top prosecutor said Friday that the investigation is ongoing into a shooting that took a man’s life last weekend in Jefferson City.

Prosecutor Locke Thompson issued a statement Friday morning about the investigation into the shooting of Erik Spencer II, who died after being shot in a business parking lot last Saturday.

“The Cole County Prosecutor’s Office is working closely with investigators from the Jefferson City Police Department, who are working diligently to complete a thorough investigation into the shooting,” Thompson wrote. “Because the investigation remains ongoing, the Cole County Prosecutor’s Office cannot offer further comment at this time. “

Police have not publicly identified the shooter but say that person is cooperating with the investigation. An incident report details the moments leading up to the shooting through calls to emergency dispatchers. The narrative says callers reported a man and woman in an argument before the shooting, which shattered plate glass in the front of the Old Navy store.

Redacted incident reportDownload

ABC 17 News has learned that police questioned a state employee who is on leave pending the investigation.

Spencer’s family was in Jefferson City this week to publicly demand answers from police and prosecutors about the shooter’s identity and the status of the investigation.

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Jazsmin Halliburton

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

The Federal Aviation Administration will be officially cutting thousands of flights a day, starting Friday at 40 major airports across the country, due to the ongoing government shutdown. The affected airports include those with flights to and from Columbia Regional Airport.

The maximum reduction of flights will be 10%, but will start at 4% on Friday. The cuts will increase to 6% on Tuesday, then 8% on Thursday and up to 10% next Friday. Airlines will decide which specific flights to cut.

Three major airports that fly to and from Columbia Regional Airport are on the list of airports that will be seeing flight cuts (Dallas-Fort Worth International, Chicago O’Hare International and Denver International).

Columbia Regional Airport Manager Mike Parks told ABC 17 News, “At this time, I am unsure if it will directly impact COU flights. I’ve not seen any specific flight decisions, but will continue communicating with both airlines so we can share updates when we have them.”

American Airlines and United Airlines fly out of COU and both put out statements on social media Thursday regarding the flight cuts, stating customers can be refunded for flights without penalty or will be rebooked.

United Airlines will preemptively cancel about 200 flights starting Friday, roughly 4% of the airline’s Friday schedule and comprising mostly regional flights. It will cancel about 4% again on Saturday and Sunday.

American Airlines reduced flight schedules by 4% at 40 airports Friday through Monday, amounting to about 220 flights canceled each day.

Delta Air Lines has canceled around 170 regional and mainline flights that were scheduled on Friday, and more regional flights will be canceled. Around 100 Southwest Airlines flights will be canceled Friday.

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Matthew Sanders

A federal judge ruled Thursday that the USDA should fully fund November’s Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits.

And as expected, the Trump administration has appealed that ruling after earlier agreeing to the idea of partially paying the month’s benefits with contingency funds. November benefits, meanwhile, have been unavailable to the millions of people who buy food with SNAP.

Ultimately, funding the program is a decision that will need to be made by Congress, as the federal shutdown has now continued well past the month mark.

Do you think the Trump administration should fight the latest SNAP ruling? Let us know by voting in the poll.

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Ryan Shiner

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

A 65-year-old man was flown to University Hospital in Columbia on Thursday evening after a crash was reported on Highway 7 in Camden County near Granger Lane, according to a crash report from the Missouri State Highway Patrol.

The report says a 2020 Chevrolet Silverado – drive by a 63-year-old Lake St. Louis man – was heading southbound when it crossed the center line and hit a 2022 Ford Maverick heading in the opposite direction. The Ford was driven by a 65-year-old man from Edwards, Missouri.

The Ford then crossed the center line and hit a 2018 GMC Acadia head-on, the report says. The GMC was driven by a 21-year-old woman from Brumley, Missouri.

The Chevrolet went then off the right side of the road and hit a tree and the other two vehicles also went off the side of the road.

The Edwards man was flown to University Hospital with serious injuries, while the Brumley woman had minor injuries and was brought to Lake Regional Hospital by ambulance, the report says. The man who drove the Chevrolet had no reported injuries, the report says. Everyone involved in the crash wore seatbelts.

MSHP reports do not name those involved in crashes.

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Erika McGuire

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

Columbia Public Schools made significant strides in key academic measures for the 2024-25 school year, according to the Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education’s Annual Performance Report.

DESE released the report Thursday afternoon, highlighting year-over-year improvements among school districts across the state. CPS continued its upward trend.

The district scored in the top 15% of school districts in Missouri, achieving 88.7%. That’s a 2.2% increase from the 2024 APR score of 85.6%. It’s also an 18.6% increase from the 2023 score.

CPS Superintendent Jeff Klein said the district’s success reflects a consistent commitment from staff and students.

“It represents a commitment that we’ve made to focus on the outcomes that are important and measure what we’re doing and monitor the effectiveness of the programs we have in place. And at the end of the day, staff being committed to those outcomes for students is really a reflection,” Klein said. “With the additional growth over the growth we saw last year, it’s just a really proud moment for us,”

Proficiency rates improved in every content area on the Missouri Assessment Program Index, including a 3.1% increase in math and a 3.6% increase in science.

In English Language Arts, CPS recorded a performance level of 387, compared to the state average of 385.5. In mathematics, CPS scored a 372.8 MPI compared to the state average of 373.8. In science, CPS was at 385.3, while the state was 377.3 In social studies, CPS students scored a 378.1 compared to the state average of 385.7

A separate category was included called “student group,” which includes “five groups of students that historically tend to perform significantly lower than the state average: Black, economically disadvantaged, English learners, Hispanic, and students with disabilities,” according to DESE’s website.

CPS students in that category underperformed the state average in all categories. The Map Performance Index for Columbia students in English Language Arts was 339.7 compared to the state’s score of 350. In Math, CPS students scored 316.7 compared to the state’s 329.7 average. CPS students’ MPI in science was 332.8, vs. the state’s 339.2 score, while Columbia students had an MPI of 343.6 in social students compared to the 357.9 average for the state.

The district saw improvements in attendance, which has been a big focus for the district since the COVID-19 pandemic. According to DESE’s APR, for 2024 and 2025 the district had 80% of its students attending school 90% of the time. The district said it remains focused on improving student attendance to reach the state’s 90% goal.

‘If you’re in school 90-percent of the time or more, you will do better on these assessment. I think it’s two times better as well. So just being in school and participating in school and that community you’re going to be a better student. You’re probably going to have fewer behavioral issues,” Board of Education President John Lyman said.

“We saw a big attendance dip just after COVID. It’s been difficult to pick that back up, but we’ve seen that a little bit of improvement over the past couples of years, based on a variety of different efforts we’ve had at the building level to communicate with families,” Klein said. “The importance of attendance to reward and incentivize students and families for their attendance,”

DESE reported the district continues to maintain a high graduation rate, exceeding 92%. For Lyman, the steady graduation rate shows the district’s dedication to its students.

“It shows that our teachers, our faculty or staff, they truly care. This is a calling for them to come and do this, to work with our students to help them learn and grow and be better to help them have a plan when they graduate and leave Columbia Public Schools,” Lyman said.

The APR also reported CPS received 58 of the 60 available points possible in the Continuous Improvement. The district also received 119.5 out of 140 possible points in academic performance.

Out of the 20 categories in the Performance section, DESE reported CPS maintained or improved in 19 categories.

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Euphenie Andre

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

A federal judge has ordered food stamp benefits to be fully restored this month.

This follows after the Food Bank for Central and Northeast Missouri announced Thursday they have seen a surge of families in need following the longest government shutdown in history, and they’re working overtime to keep up. The organization said they’ve seen an increase in demand across its 32-county service area.

Despite the U.S. District Judge John McConnell’s ruling, many beneficiaries may still have to wait a few days to receive their assistance, according to reporting from CNN. Each month, states send food stamp recipients’ information to vendors so funds can be loaded onto benefit cards, a process that often begins days or even weeks before the new month. These steps must be completed before benefits can be reinstated.

McConnell ruled that the government must use extra money the USDA has set aside so that people can get their full SNAP benefits, national reporting indicates. The judge also said the money has to be sent to the states, which actually run the program by Friday.

On Thursday, community members gathered at Friendship Missionary Baptist Church in Columbia to hand out food to families affected by the shutdown. Volunteers said this effort is part of a growing push to support those struggling with food insecurity as federal assistance programs remain on hold.

The church served more than 70 people, delivering meals to the homeless while others stopped by to pick up their food.

“We understand that everybody can’t get to us, and so we want to make sure that we get food to them because if you’re going to solve or help with eating, you can’t just feed the folks that can come to you,” Anthony Woods, pastor at Friendship Missionary Baptist Church, said.

On the menu at Thursday’s meal included spaghetti, garlic bread and salad.

“We’re just offering meals to the community, doing our part as a church, as entrepreneurs in this community, as dads, as uncles, as just role models in this community. Just stepping up and doing what we got to do to support our community,” Daniel Edwards, a deacon at the church, said.

The church plans to continue serving free meals every Thursday — even as SNAP benefits are expected to return — throughout the shutdown to make sure families have somewhere to turn.

“We’re not going to stop,” Woods said. “We put it out there for the next three weeks, and we’re going to do what we’re supposed to do.”

Upcoming menu for every Thursday for the month of November.

“I think the greatest reward ever is when you’re able to lend a helping hand to somebody along the way. The truth of the matter is, we’re all one paycheck, one issue, one incident away from having a nightmare or crisis in our own lives,” Woods said.

Sen. Josh Hawley (R-MO) said on Thursday afternoon that he doesn’t want anyone to go hungry.

“There’s no reason why almost a million people in Missouri, 12% of Missourians who get federal food assistance should be going hungry,” Hawley said.

According to the Food Bank for Central and Northeast Missouri, food insecurity across the state is at its highest point in nearly a decade. Hawley tells ABC 17 News he’s introduced legislation to fully fund the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, which he says has bipartisan support.

The Columbia Food Bank reports serving more than 12,000 people last month, with nearly 600 of them seeking help for the first time. But as demand grows, resources continue to shrink.

The organization said high food and transportation costs, fewer donations, and lower USDA food supplies have made keeping shelves stocked harder than ever. General food purchases have increased by more than 157% compared to this time last year, a sign of how much harder it’s become to meet the growing need.

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Ryan Shiner

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

A settlement has been reached in the wrongful death lawsuit surrounding the 2024 death of an Osage Beach police officer.

Phylicia Carson was killed after crashing during a chase involving Christopher Wehmeyer. The lawsuit was filed in September and came to a resolution on Thursday, Oct. 30. A $100,000 settlement will be paid out to Carson’s family. Wehmeyer, as well as Curtis and Tami Wehmeyer and Farm Bureau Town and Country Insurance Company were listed as defendants in the case.

Christopher Wehmeyer is charged in the criminal case with aggravated fleeing, second-degree felony murder, drug possession, unlawful use of a weapon. A trial setting is scheduled for 9 a.m. Wednesday, Jan. 7, 2026, to discuss Wehmeyer’s request for a change of venue, according to Thursday court filings.

Carson died after she lost control of her vehicle while chasing Wehmeyer on Aug. 31, 2024. She was pronounced dead at the scene, according to previous reporting.

Wehmeyer allegedly told investigators that he was racing and chose not to stop when he saw police lights. The chase reached more than 100 miles per hours as it went through Camden County.

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Ryan Shiner

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

A multi-vehicle led to the passing lanes of Highway 63 in northern Boone County to close on Thursday evening.

The Missouri State Highway Patrol wrote on its X page that there are no injuries in the crash. It was first reported near the Hallsville turn at East Highway 124 at 6:29 p.m., according to information from Boone County Joint Communications.

At least 20 first responders were on the scene. Both lanes were reopened at 7:08 p.m. Traffic began slowly moving shortly after.

Check back for updates.

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Ryan Shiner

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

Cole County Sheriff’s deputies did compliance checks on 149 registered sex offenders on Halloween throughout Jefferson City and Cole County and found 11 to be noncompliant, according to a Thursday press release from the sheriff’s office.

Noncompliant offenders will have a warrant application submitted to the Cole County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office for review, the release says.

Sex offenders are not allowed to partake in any Halloween-related contact with children, must stay inside their residence from 5-10:30 p.m. on Halloween night (exceptions can include employment and medical emergencies) and all outdoor lighting must be turned off.

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