Category: kmiz-local-news

Haley Swaino

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

Conversations about train safety are happening across the nation for “See Tracks? Think Train” Week from Sept. 15-21. It’s an annual campaign organized by nonprofit Operation Lifesaver Inc. that aims to raise awareness for railroad safety and prevent tragedies.

One person was injured Monday after a mail truck was hit by a train in Audrain County, according to previous reporting. The vehicle was totaled after it entered the crossing and was hit by a 1979 GM GP40-3 Canadian Pacific Kansas City Train.

Operation Lifesaver Inc. partners with railroads, law enforcement, and transportation agencies across North America for ‘See Tracks? Think Train’ Week, its website says.

In 2024, there were 930 deaths and 6,556 injuries on railroads in the United States, according to the U.S. Department of Transportation.

“Missouri’s just like the rest of the states in the nation, more than half of the crashes that we have, for instance, we have at railroad crossings, occur at those crossings that are equipped with flashing lights and gates,” Missouri Operation Lifesaver Inc. Executive Director Tim Hull said.

On average, a person is hit by a train every three hours, according to data from Operation Lifesaver. More than 60% of those incidents happen at crossings that have lights and/or gates. The week focuses on reminding people of the risks of trespassing or not maintaining a safe distance from railroad crossings.

“Anytime you’re on the railroad tracks at a location that’s not designated as a railroad crossing for a vehicle or a pedestrian crossing, it’s trespassing,” Hull said. “It’s very dangerous. It’s also illegal.”

In Missouri, there were 20 deaths and 75 injuries on railroads in 2024. That is the second highest amount of railroad-related deaths reported in the last ten years in the Show-Me State, with the highest being 22 in 2022.

A Centralia man died when a Norfolk Southern train struck his vehicle in 2022, according to previous reporting. Hull said trespassing incidents have surpassed crossing incidents in the last 10 years.

He said Missouri has had eight trespassing incidents this year, seven of which were deadly. At crossings, only three injuries have been reported and no deaths.

He said raising awareness about the dangers of trespassing on railroad tracks is important.

“A fully loaded 12 million pound locomotive freight train at 55 miles per hour, once they go into emergency braking, it’s going to take more than a mile to come to a complete stop,” Hull said.

And often times, conductors and train operators do not see people until they are getting very close.

He said people have been spotted on the tracks for many reason.

“They go out and ride their ATVs or UTVs along the railroad tracks,” Hull said. “We’ve had some incidents involving photographers, TV crews making movies. Another thing that we’ve seen the past several years is the use of the railroad and the railroad tracks as an avenue of suicide.”

Hull said one of the biggest things to remember is that “any time is train time.” Steer clear of lingering on railroad tracks regardless of hearing or seeing one coming or not, and always look both ways before crossing.

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Ryan Shiner

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

A Columbia man was charged with three felonies and a misdemeanor after he allegedly stabbed someone multiple times and spit blood on a police officer early Monday.

Lawrence Johnson, 60, was charged with first-degree domestic assault, armed criminal action, resisting arrest and misdemeanor fourth-degree assault. He is being held at the Boone County Jail without bond. A hearing was held Tuesday afternoon.

The probable cause statement says police were called at 12:38 a.m. Monday for a report of a domestic dispute. The victim had been stabbed in their back, had blood on their hands and was brought to University Hospital, the statement says. It was determined he was stabbed in his back, right forearm and right knee, the statement says.

A witness allegedly told police that Johnson had been drinking and demanded everyone leave his property, the statement says. Johnson allegedly first started arguing with people and the victim tried to restrain him before leaving, the statement says. The victim forgot their phone, went back to the home to get it and was stabbed by Johnson in the yard, the statement says.

Police later arrived to the residence and a standoff began around 1 a.m. and Johnson surrendered at 4:31 a.m., the statement says. Johnson was brought to University Hospital and allegedly spit blood on the face, eye and mouth of a Columbia police officer, the statement says.

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Nia Hinson

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

It’s been more than five years after the COVID-19 pandemic but it still weighs heavily on some nurses.

State Rep. Gregg Bush shared his experience working during the COVID-19 pandemic on Tuesday amid the backdrop of increased scrutiny and changing guidelines for vaccines. Bush gathered along other nurses in Mid-Missouri at the Columbia Public Library.

Bush is a registered nurse who worked in public health care during the global emergency. Bush said he realized COVID was going to spread as quickly as it did when he heard about the virus spreading in Italy.

He said one of the things many people in the public may not have fully understood at the time, is that nurses weren’t solely treating COVID patients.

“There were people that missed their dialysis. There’s people that came in with DKA. All of that is still going on. All of this underlying stuff that is still going on in society that is in our hospital today at the same time as this unknown respiratory virus going on,” Bush said.

Another issue health care workers experienced at the time was the spread of misinformation, which Bush referred to as another “pathogen” they have to deal with. Director of Nursing for MU Health Care for the Office of Professional Practice Jessica Haney said it made it made it hard for nurses to know what was true.

“It was just hard to know, ‘is this the right way?’ And if what this other group is saying contradicts, where’s their evidence?” Haney said. “I think at some point you just have to shut it off because it just kind of kept spiraling of who do you believe?”

While Bush looks to reflect on the past, many health care providers are now complying with new guidelines related to the COVID-19 vaccine.

The Food and Drug Administration approved updated COVID-19 vaccines for the fall and winter season in August. The regulations now state that Americans will be required to get a prescription to receive a COVID-19 vaccination unless they are 65 years or older or have underlying health conditions that put them at risk.

Healthy children under age 18 will be able to receive a COVID-19 vaccine after consulting with their health care provider.

Bush said he has a hard time trusting the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the source for making the new guidelines.

“I know for a fact that there was a before vaccine and after vaccine and I know that there are people who would not be alive today if there were not access to vaccines,” Bush said. “The good news about science is when I get new data, I get to change my mind and it doesn’t make me weak. It makes me strong. And If there is good science involved with this, I think it should be presented.”

MU Health Care announced in a press release on Tuesday that it plans to host more than 200 COVID and flu vaccination events across Central Missouri this month and in October. The first event will be held in Jefferson City on Sept. 27 at the Madison Street Medical Building. The event will run from 8 a.m. to noon.

A second event will be held on Oct. 11 at the same place and time.

In Columbia, people will be able to receive a COVID or flu shot through drive-thru events on Oct. 18 and 25 from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.

People can also receive the shots at Fulton Family Health on Oct. 11 from 8 a.m. to noon.

MU Health Care spokesman Eric Maze told ABC 17 News via email Tuesday that COVID vaccines will only be available for adults 65 and older or adults with a qualifying condition who can attest that they meet one or more risk factors.

“If a person cannot attest to high risk but still wishes to receive the COVID-19 vaccine, they can consult with a primary care practitioner and receive a vaccine from a clinic or pharmacy with a practitioner’s order,” Maze said.

Boone Health spokesman Christian Basi said in a statement Tuesday that the hospital group is “following the news” related to vaccine guidelines.

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Ryan Shiner

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

A man was charged on Tuesday after he allegedly led law enforcement on a chase throughout Columbia.

Kyshawn Harris, 19, of Columbia, was charged with aggravated fleeing. He is being held at the Boone County Jail without bond, though a mugshot was not immediately available. A court date has not been set. A social media post from the Boone County Sheriff’s Office also says a 17-year-old and 16-year-old were also detained by law enforcement.

The probable cause statement says Flock cameras detected plates from a stolen vehicle around 5 a.m. Tuesday. The vehicle was heading north on Range Line Street near Interstate 70. A Boone County deputy turned on his vehicle’s lights to conduct a traffic stop, but the driver sped away, the statement says.

Court documents say the chase took place all over the city and included the driver going into the wrong lane and driving through intersections with stop signs.

The chase ended after Harris drove through the backyard of an apartment complex and stopped between two buildings, the statement says. He allegedly admitted to driving the vehicle but claimed he didn’t know the vehicle was stolen, according to court documents.

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Matthew Sanders

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

Each of Missouri’s U.S. senators is asking the Trump administration to make Fort Leonard Wood in Pulaski County an ICE training center.

Sen. Josh Hawley sent a letter last week to Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem highlighting the fort as a potential training spot for immigration agents.

“To facilitate the swift and effective training of these officers, I wanted to note the potential benefits of utilizing Fort Leonard Wood, a major Army installation in my state,” Hawley wrote. “Fort Leonard Wood is currently a critical hub for military law enforcement training — housing both the U.S. Army Military Police School (USAMPS) and the Marine Corps Police Academy (MCPA) — and has a long history of supporting other federal law enforcement training efforts. The installation is able to accommodate sudden surges in its on-base population, and it currently has extra capacity to host additional missions due to the Army Transformation Initiative (ATI).

“Put simply, Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri has the infrastructure, experience, and space to support the rapid expansion of ICE’s critical immigration enforcement workforce. Thank you for your attention to this matter.”

Sen. Eric Schmitt followed up with his own comments on Tuesday during a Senate hearing.

Hawley letter to NoemDownload

“It’s well-positioned after the ‘One Big, Beautiful Bill’ was passed, and we’ve got these resources out there for border enforcement, to help train ICE agents,” Schmitt said in the hearing.

Fort Leonard Wood was founded in 1941 and named after a former Army chief of staff. The base includes 5,400 active duty members and more than 12,000 of their family members, according to a U.S. military website.

ICE has expanded its role in detaining illegal immigrants for deportation under the Trump administration, including lucrative bonuses for new recruits.

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Olivia Hayes

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

Boone County Joint Communications will begin integrating a new radio system across all of its agencies with the goal of improving cross communication when responding.

“So all public safety, for our partners, will be available to be a part of the system,” BCJC Director Christie Davis said. “So that includes the Sheriff’s Office, Columbia Police Department, Columbia Fire, Boone County Fire, Southern Boone County fire, Ashland police department, Centralia police department, Hallsville, MU will also be coming over to our system.”

CFD Chief Brian Schaeffer said his department is the second busiest user of the communications system. He shared his support for the new system and explained how it will help modernize the response of Boone County agencies.

“We’re actually taking what is, really a 1940s radio system that we have currently and bringing it into the 2000s and 2025,” Schaeffer said.

Davis said the new 800MHz P25 trunk system was first recommended around 10 years ago. BCJC agencies currently use a VHF legacy radio system.

“We had a consultant who worked a lot on getting a lot of the backhaul in place for our system,” Davis said. “Which has really helped us get to the point where we are today to get the integration for the actual core of the system in place within the next year or so.”

The new system will be funded by revenue from the Boone County 911 Emergency Service Sales Tax approved in 2013.

“The current system that we just assigned a contract for was for approximately $7 million and then there will be some additional cost after that for the radios for the public safety responders,” Davis said.

She described how first responders will see a difference.

“Especially sometimes in the larger buildings, because with the VHF system currently you had some problems not being able to communicate even inside of the building to the individuals that are directly out on the street,” Davis said.

Schaeffer said the difference comes from the different radio wavelengths. The current VHF system uses a long wavelength, whereas the new system has a much shorter wavelength carrying messages along the channel.

“When that long waveform tries to make its way through concrete or steel, if it doesn’t make its way 100%, then it doesn’t go through. The shorter wavelengths do go through very, very easily,” Schaeffer said.

Schaffer detailed some of the obstacles the current system caused for the department.

“So concrete, metal, ordinary construction we couldn’t use our radios in those situations and couldn’t use the radios any time we were sub terrain. So the first layer of a basement or the second layer of a basement,” Schaeffer said.

Schaeffer said communication issues posed a safety threat to firefighters. So last October, the department moved its communication to the state system for buildings with infrastructure that would block their signal.

“We will be able to leave our network and be able to go into the state’s network and operate without changing the physical radio, which is a cost savings for the taxpayer because we’re not having to buy multiple radios. One multi-band radio can remain on both networks and operate independently on the same radio,” Schaeffer said.

According to Davis, the full integration across all agencies won’t be immediate.

“They will have to procure all of the equipment and get it staged and get it prepared to get installed into our tower sites,” Davis said. “What we’ll have initially is an overlay for the 800 system as well as the VHF. So that will allow our partners a little more time to get transition completely over to the 800 system.”

However, during the transition Boone County first responders will begin to see immediate impacts to their communication capabilities.

“Whether they’re on the 800 or VHF, they’ll still be able to communicate with each other until everybody’s completely transitioned,” Davis said. “Especially if they are already on the 800 system, because they will have more direct, clear communication, especially when they’re inside of those buildings.”

Davis said full integration will completed by January of 2027, but hope to finish it earlier by mid 2026. Davis added the new system will help prepare Boone County for the next 15-20 years.

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Matthew Sanders

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

Utah County Attorney Jeff Gray said during a news conference Tuesday that he will seek the death penalty against Tyler Robinson, the 22-year-old from Utah accused of killing Charlie Kirk with a single shot from a high-powered rifle.

Charges include aggravated murder, obstruction of justice, witness tampering and committing a violent offense in front of children.

Gray said during the news conference that authorities believe Robinson hid a rifle in his pants as he made his way to the spot he picked for a sniper’s nest. Gray also shared a text exchange between Robinson and Robinson’s roommate and romantic partner in which Robinson reportedly confessed.

Robinson’s first court appearance took place a few hours later.

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Matthew Sanders

Editor’s note: Language in this article have been clarified.

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

A St. James man was charged Tuesday with child endangerment in a 2022 incident in a backyard swimming pool.

The Phelps County prosecutor charged Carl E. Swanson on Tuesday with a single count of child endangerment resulting in serious injuries, a Class B felony. An arrest warrant had not been posted in online court records on Tuesday morning.

The near-drowning of the 2-year-old boy took place Oct. 16, 2022, at 55 Jana Lane in St. James, according to a probable cause statement. Several people inside the home reportedly told investigators that they thought the child was with someone else.

Swanson found the boy in the swimming pool, and he was unresponsive, the statement says. He was flown to a St. Louis hospital and later died of complications on July 10, 2024.

The investigation was reopened on Monday after a woman who was in the house the day of the drowning told police that she and Swanson were in a bedroom having sex when the child died, according to a probable cause statement. Swanson got dressed and played video games afterward, the witness allegedly told investigators.

About 30 minutes passed between when the boy was last seen and when he was found in the swimming pool, the statement claims.

No hearings have been set.

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Matthew Sanders

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

The 3-0 Missouri Tigers are getting ready to host South Carolina on Faurot Field on Saturday.

The game kicks off at 6:30 p.m. Coach Eli Drinkwitz and key players took questions from reporters on Tuesday afternoon.

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Marie Moyer

EDITOR’S NOTE: The date of an altercation involving a club member has been corrected.

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (KMIZ)

The Council on American-Islamic Relations, representing Mizzou Students for Justice in Palestine, argued against University of Missouri President Mun Choi’s decision to bar the group from the 2025 homecoming parade in federal court in Kansas City on Tuesday.

Tuesday’s hearing was a part of CAIR’s larger suit against the university for its initial ban of the group during the 2024 homecoming parade, claiming the decision was made because of safety concerns on campus.

The university told ABC 17 News that the group was unable to participate for a second straight year on Friday, again citing safety concerns. The university also updated homecoming participant rules, making this year’s theme “Celebrating Black and Gold.”

According to the policy, the purposes of the parade are to: 

Celebrate MU’s traditions and accomplishments

Cultivate alumni connections

Honor university-selected achievements of MU students, personnel and alumni

Rally support and enthusiasm for the Homecoming football game

The policy also reads: 

“It is not an open forum for expression on topics identified by participants, but rather is limited to expression on topics identified by the University for the purposes noted above. The University provides ample other opportunities for participants to express themselves on topics of interest to them.” 

During the hearing, former MSJP President Isleen Atallah, Mizzou Alumni Association Executive Director Todd McCubbin and Choi testified about the history of homecoming at the University and MSJP’s 2025 application and rejection.

The university claimed the decision to reject MSJP’s participation from the parade was a safety precaution after news of disruptions from other Students for Justice in Palestine groups in other campuses across the nation. The school also mentioned in August that a senior leader from MSJP was showing “concerning actions” on campus around homecoming last year and was trespassed on campus for verbal abuse and stalking following homecoming.

It was revealed in court that the senior leader mentioned was Atallah, who was trespassed from the school after an altercation in March 2025, after Atallah followed another student for several minutes while recording them after the student allegedly insulted and made racist comments at her. Choi voiced concern that with Atallah still having a presence in MSJP, the group could be a safety risk if put in another politically charged scenario.

CAIR argued that the actions of one student should not reflect on the whole organization. During her testimony, Atallah verified that MSJP hosted more than 80 events in 2024 with no violence or complaints from other students that resulted in disciplinary action for the group. CAIR notes that Atallah will be out of state during homecoming due to a prior commitment.

According to court documents, for 2025, MSJP planned to have a similar float that was initially approved by the 2024 Parade Committee and the Mizzou Alumni Association, with a traditional Palestinian dance performance and participants giving Palestinian candy to the crowd. They also planned to have two banners that say “Ceasefire Now” and “Stop the Genocide.”

“MSJP is open to amending its application in response to any reasonable requests from [the Office ofAlumni Engagement],” according to court documents.

The University argued that MSJP’s 2025 float does not follow the updated homecoming policy, adding that several groups that made the cut last year, like the College Republicans and Democrats, and people running for office were unable to participate this year. They add that any floats that have political messaging in signs or banners would be required to take them down or not participate.

CAIR argues that MSJP’s plans follow the 2025 homecoming guidelines, paying homage to the University of Missouri’s diversity and history of students in activism. CAIR also added that people in public office, including Columbia’s Mayor Barbara Buffaloe and Rep. Bob Onder (R-MO), were approved to be in the parade, arguing that their presence can be perceived as political.

CAIR also argued that the university’s new homecoming policy was inconsistent with several for-profit companies being approved as commercial groups in the parade. Under the new policy, all commercial companies must be nonprofit. McCubbin claimed during his testimony that the report was an error and the groups should have been categorized differently.

CAIR’s argument for MSJP’s participation also hinges on how the court defines the parade: Whether it’s government speech, which the school can tightly control, or a limited public forum, where officials can set some rules but can’t discriminate against certain viewpoints.

“I think that everything that the court needs to decide should be before it,” Ahmad Kaki staff attorney at CAIR National said. “We presented evidence from our side, we think that the evidence is pretty clear that SJP is being targeted because they want to advocate on behalf of Palestinians in Gaza.”

CAIR claims the parade is a limited public forum with the university opening the parade space to private businesses and sponsored speakers who may use the time to advertise. The University claims they have government speech, which means they have the right to control what’s presented.

Judge Stephen Bough did not make a decision on the matter Tuesday. However, he requested the university’s attorneys to find a stronger case to support their claim of government speech and to sort out the for-profit and non-profit commercial groups participating.

“If you are not following your policy, that answers it for you,” Bough said.

The hearing is set to pick up again on Wednesday at 8 a.m. Kaki does not expect a decision to be made on whether MSJP will be allowed to join the 2025 parade the same day.

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