Category: kmiz-local-news

Ryan Shiner

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

A contractor for the fifth portion of the Improve I-70 Project has been approved, according to a Thursday press release from the Missouri Department of Transportation.

Columbia-based Capital Paving and Construction was awarded the contract, the release says. It will cost roughly $104 million to add a third lane in each direction in the 13-mile stretch from Highway 5 in Boonville to the Missouri River Bridge in Rocheport, the release says.

The groundbreaking is expected to be held this spring, with the project expected to be done by late 2028, the release says.

The Improve I-70 Project aims to make Interstate 70 a three-lane highway across the entire state.   

Click here to follow the original article.

Ryan Shiner

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

Three people, including two teenagers, were seriously injured in a Wednesday night crash on Route Y in Pettis County, according to a Missouri State Highway Patrol crash report.

The crash occurred as a 15-year-old boy from Sedalia tried to pass a 2011 BMW 328 with a 2012 Audi A4, the report says. The BMW was driven by a 16-year-old boy from Warrensburg, according to the report. Both vehicles were heading westbound.

The Audi hit a 2003 Toyota Camry heading in the other direction in the eastbound lane, the report says. The Toyota was driven by a 24-year-old Sedalia woman.

The Toyota then spun in the roadway and was hit by the BMW, according to the report. The Toyota and Audi stopped in the roadway, while the BMW went off the road and hit a tree, according to the report.

All three drivers had serious injuries and it is not known if they were wearing seatbelts, the report says. The 15-year-old was brought to University Hospital by ambulance, while the 16-year-old was brought to Children’s Mercy Hospital in Kansas City by ambulance, the report says. The 24-year-old was flown to University Hospital, according to the report.

MSHP reports do not name those involved in crashes.

Click here to follow the original article.

Nia Hinson

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

Some of Columbia’s political leaders are hopeful the public can be more involved in discussions surrounding public safety.

The city had at least three meetings that included University of Missouri officials in 2025 in an effort to curb crime after the shooting death of Aiyanna Williams in September 2025. Another meeting is scheduled for Feb. 19, according to Ward 5 Councilman Don Waterman.

The meetings are closed to the public and include only a handful of city council members. However, with another meeting right around the corner, some leaders’ concerns about the closed-door meetings are growing.

UM President Mun Choi also met with Gov. Mike Kehoe in December. City leaders were not invited.

During Wednesday night’s Board of Realtors candidate forum with Columbia School Board candidates and Ward 5 city council candidates, the council candidates were asked how they would work to repair the relationship between the city and the university. Ward 1 Councilwoman Valerie Carroll said a key component is having open work sessions.

“We can have all of the representatives present, and it’s transparent to the community, would go so far towards healing that relationship and so far towards being effective in how we’re going to address this,” Carroll said.

Carroll also said she believes most of the discussions related to perceptions of public safety have affected the First Ward. She said she thinks it’s important that those discussions are had, and violent crime and homelessness aren’t lumped together unfairly.

Ward 5 Councilman Don Waterman told ABC 17 News on Thursday afternoon that he believes the meetings need to continue to happen. He also said that he believes the work needs to continue to involve Choi.

Waterman said the public should be involved in the meetings to avoid speculation about what’s being discussed behind closed doors and to show that there is still work being done to reach goals. He also noted that part of the approach to making the city safer is filling empty police positions and adding more officers. He said Police Chief Jill Schlude has stated she would like 50 officers, something that may require a community-wide vote to pay for.

Waterman said while he wants the meetings to continue, he’d also like to see more specific goals set.

“I know the city has said they’re committed. Some commitment from the university as to how they’re going to help us achieve some of these goals,” Waterman said. “Whatever the goals come out to be, but just having some specific goals so that when they meet and continue, be working towards achieving those goals.”

Waterman said he thinks it would be beneficial if every council member were involved in the talks. He said he suggested the possibility of rotating council members at each meeting in the future during the third meeting he attended. He said he may suggest this again during February’s meeting.

Waterman also suggested possibly expanding the city council’s work sessions to include university officials during Wednesday night’s candidate forum. He reiterated the need for Columbia College and Stephens College to be included in the discussions in an interview Thursday.

Public safety suggestions brought up during a work session between city leaders in December included closing off major streets to traffic and parking, implementing metal detectors on Friday and Saturday nights, banning sales of $1 alcohol shots and implementing a curfew. Waterman said there had been no further active discussions about those, or on Choi’s 11-step action plan.

Carroll was also asked on Wednesday night whether “high-ranking” representatives from the university were engaging productively in the meetings. Carroll said she believed that things are getting more productive.

“I think we would be better served by talking to each other and bringing our shared resources to the table and really addressing what things each partner can influence to improve crime,” Carroll said. “I don’t think that we can finger-point and I don’t think that we should be saying things to grab headlines. This is not the time, and that’s not productive.”

Carroll also said she’d like to see a downtown precinct reestablished, a decrease in the length of shifts to 10 hours and the creation of a traffic unit.

City Manager De’Carlon Seewood told ABC 17 News via text Thursday afternoon that he is grateful that community leaders have come together to take part in the discussions and said that each one offers a unique perspective.

“Because there is no single solution to address complex issues, these types of discussions ensure our community is taking a well-rounded approach while taking into account the resources available. However, it will take multiple approaches, trial and error, and compromise that I believe each of us is committed to,” Seewood wrote.

THe University of Missouri did not make officials available for comment.

Click here to follow the original article.

Jazsmin Halliburton

Editor’s note, 2/5: The story has been corrected to reflect how academic calendar changes made by the UM System would affect Reading Day.

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

The University of Missouri Board of Curators approved an $83 million renovation of the old Women’s and Children’s Hospital in east Columbia, now known as the Keene Street Medical Center.

The medical center is part of MU Health Care’s growth strategy and will make less-severe outpatient procedures more convenient and easier to navigate, according to the meeting agenda. The Keene Street project will allow for more major surgeries and procedures to be done at the main hospital.

$74 million will come from MU Health reserves and $9 million from debt funding, according to meeting documents. A combined consulting fee for the project also foots a $3.25 million bill. MU Health says renovating the building is a faster and lower cost approach than building a new outpatient facility.

Some cosmetic improvements include the building’s exterior skin and roofing. Some of the interior work will include repairs to key utility systems, like pumps and water lines.

MU Health said the renovations will assist existing operations, like surgeries or the neurology clinic. MU Health spokesman Eric Maze said MU is looking to also add more services like CAT scans and radiology in the near future.

The renovations are expected to be done in 2029, with the overall improvements being phased-in over the next decade, according to Maze.

Leaders also approved a 5.2% price increase to MU campus housing and dining rates starting July 1, increasing prices from $13,130 to $13,807.

This comes as first-time college applications at MU for Fall 2026 are up 7% compared to last year.

Curators will also be voting on changes to the academic calendar. If the vote is “yes,” the change would be a 15-week semester and fall classes starting on the third Monday of August every year.

School spokesman Chris Ave said MU leaders are still discussing the calendar effects on Reading Day, a traditional day off from classes ahead of final exams.

In December, the MU Faculty Council was considering two proposals that would allow for scheduling flexibility, given that Veterans Day is now a paid holiday for UM employees. The proposals would also provide more room between the end of the fall semester and winter holidays.

Click here to follow the original article.

Sam Roe

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

The Columbia Board of Realtors hosted the first candidate forum for the 2026 municipal elections in April. Candidates for the Columbia School Board and City Council introduced themselves and spoke on a variety of topics.

Four candidates are running for three open seats on the school board. Those candidates include current school board members seeking reelection: Board President John Lyman, Board Vice President Paul Harper, and Board Member April Ferrao. They are joined by trauma surgeon and CPS parent Keary Husain, who is running for the first time.

The candidates for the school board discussed a wide variety of topics, including behavior intervention, teacher retention, healthcare, charter schools, attendance and many other issues.

“We know that students who are in seat 90% of the time or more do significantly better on all of those standardized tests,” Board President John Lyman said.

“If you’re in seat 90% of the time or more, you scored twice as well on those tests as if you don’t.”

Keary Husain is running for one of the three available seats on the school board. A Columbia native, Husain is a surgeon who, according to his campaign website, has expertise on trauma and critical care.

“Being an educator myself, maybe not in the primary or secondary school type of areas, but certainly at that level…makes me sort of the obvious candidate, because that’s where I would come, where I care,” Husain said at the forum.

Don Waterman, council member for the fifth ward, is running for reelection against local business owner Christina Hartman. First ward council member Valerie Caroll is running unopposed.

The local municipal elections will be held on April 7.

Click here to follow the original article.

Nia Hinson

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

The chair of Columbia’s Citizens Police Review Board is asking City of Columbia leaders to undo restrictions put in place more than a year ago.

Council members voted 4-2 in September 2024 to limit the complaints against police officers the CPRB can review, stripped its power to make recommendations on police department policies and be able to host public meetings. The amendment in the city’s code followed former Gov. Mike Parson’s signing Senate Bill 754 into law.

Chair Doug Hunt addressed council members during Monday night’s meeting, urging council members to reverse those changes. Hunt wrote a letter stating the changes took away the board’s ability to hear citizens’ appeals about racially-biased policing and appeals about inappropriate searches and seizures.  Hunt also wrote the changes eliminate the board’s authority to comment on police department policies or the training of officers.

Hunt told ABC 17 News on Wednesday that overall, the changes make the board invisible to the public.

“It made therefore citizens who were unhappy with incidents with the police less inclined to come to the Citizens Police Review Board for some relief,” Hunt said. “And I’m afraid that it may be giving the impression that there’s a robust system of police oversight in Columbia when, in fact, there’s a kind of enfeebled one as a result.”

Hunt said public meetings used to be held by the board to discuss police procedures, training and more. However, he said due to the board no longer being able to hold them, he fears the public who has had bad interactions with police may not be aware of their existence to the same extent.

“That’s a very strong source of concern these days, when we look at what’s going on with ICE for instance, is unreasonable search and seizures. It used to be we could investigate cases of unreasonable searches and seizures where again, the citizen was not happy with the result of the police investigation and that was taken away,” Hunt said.

Hunt said the board received six appeals in 2025, compared to 15 the year prior.

Hunt also highlighted within his letter that other cities throughout the state responded to SB754 differently than Columbia. He said on Wednesday he was distressed that the city’s legal team suggested the city vote to change their procedures as a result, and said that he never believed the law as written should apply to Columbia.

Ward 5 Councilman Don Waterman told ABC 17 News Wednesday afternoon the City Council has not had any further discussion on the matter. Waterman cited the revisions being made due to recommendations from the city’s legal department to be in compliance with the law. He said he’d be willing to have further discussions in the future.

“I would like to hear more details before I say ‘yay’ or ‘nay.’ I mean, to me that’s one of the things like OK we made the decision. We can always go back an revisit a decision,” Waterman said. “I would surely be open to having the discussion and see where it leads.”

General Counsel of the Columbia Police Officers Association, Donald Weaver had previously told ABC 17 News that the CPOA was happy with the bill and did not believe it would prevent CPRB from accomplishing its mission. Weaver said he was not able to comment on the matter on Wednesday afternoon because he had not heard the discussion during Monday night’s council meeting.

Hunt said he’s hopeful that the Columbia City Council will reverse the changes made to the ordinance and restore their ability to have educational discussions with citizens.

He also said he’s hopeful that in the future, it can be made more clear what it is that the CPRB does, claiming the way the original ordinance was written is focuses on the misconduct of particular police officers. He said the board rather focuses on whether the policing system is working and on citizens who feel they’ve not been treated correctly, making recommendations to the police chief about the things they’re concerned about and what went right.

Hunt said he thinks it’s more important than ever that citizens not only have the ultimate say in what laws are, but also on how laws are enforced. He said he thinks incidents that are occurring nationally can teach the local area, highlighting a greater Immigration and Customs Enforcement presence in cities across the city as the Trump Administration continues its illegal immigration crackdown.

He said those instances only prove how important it is to build trust between the community and police.

“We can see it in ICE moving into places like Minneapolis. You can tell transparently that they have not been well trained in or about how to interact with citizens,” Hunt said. “It doesn’t appear that they are even particularly sensitive to the fourth amendment to the U.S. Constitution about unreasonable search and seizure and that’s creating these enormous tensions.”

Under the revised city code that was drafted, the CPRB is no longer able to:

Host public meetings and educational programs for Columbia residents and the police department.

Review and make recommendations to the police chief and city manager on police policies, procedures and training [except to the extent such recommendations may be related to findings on complaints of alleged misconduct “involving excessive use of force, abuse of authority, discourtesy, or use of offensive language.” for which the Board has authority to review records].

Conduct audits or reviews of the records of the Police Department for compliance with the requirements of this article [except to the extent such review Executive Summary Discussion City of Columbia 701 East Broadway, Columbia, Missouri 65201 may be related to complaints of alleged misconduct “involving excessive use of force, abuse of authority, discourtesy, or use of offensive language.” for which the Board has authority to review records]

Make reports to the Council on any matter not related to authorized activities of the Board involving the “receiving, investigating, making findings and recommending disciplinary action upon complaints by members of the public against members of the police department that allege misconduct involving excessive use of force, abuse of authority, discourtesy, or use of offensive language.”

Click here to follow the original article.

Marie Moyer

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

The defense attorney for the woman who was found not guilty of a Dunklin County arson case said he was pleased with the outcome.

Crystal Umfress, who owned Casa Maria’s in Columbia, was found not guilty of second-degree arson in a Butler County courtroom Tuesday night.

Umfress was accused in 2023 of hiring Kerry Raymond to burn down Lupita’s Mexican Restaurant in Dunklin County.

A witness claimed Umfress gave her $1,000 upfront to burn the restaurant. Court documents say the witness told officers that it was because Umfress was “upset at the owner of the business because she ran off with her husband, the business owner.”

Umfress’s attorney, Russell Oliver told ABC 17 News the witness who accused Umfress admitted to planning the scheme during testimony.

“They were going to lie and say that she paid them to set this fire and to extort money out of Crystal,” Oliver said.

Oliver added the witness’s daughter and the owner of Lupita’s Mexican Restaurant also testified.

“I think the whole [prosecutor’s] story didn’t make sense,” Oliver said. “The owner of the restaurant described Crystal as a friend and said that they had a decent family relationship.”

The case was held in Butler County after it was moved in 2024. Oliver told ABC 17 News the move did help with jury selection and finding people who have not followed the case. However, he predicts the location change would not have mattered.

“I think that no matter what venue we were in, with the facts that were presented to this jury, I don’t see a different outcome regardless of what they knew that we were in,” Oliver said.

Oliver adds that with extensive coverage of the trial, Umfress still needs time to adjust.

“These lies have been an absolute devastation to her life,” Oliver said. “It’s going to take a long time,  if ever, for her to recover from the damage that she has been inflicted over the last two years.”

Umfress is returning to court Feb. 17 for a status conference on a second felony case. She was charged in 2024 with two counts of filing false documents and three counts of forgery after she was accused of impersonating county officials and restaurant owners.

ABC 17 News reached out to the Scott County prosecutor, who was a special prosecutor on the case, for comment, but he was out of the office.

Click here to follow the original article.

Ryan Shiner

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

A Columbia man pleaded guilty to a federal gun offense Tuesday in Jefferson City, according to a Wednesday press release from the Department of Justice.

Gerrell Lawrence, 30, pleaded guilty in federal court to illegal gun possession. He is currently being held at the Cole County Jail.

The release says he admitted to having a handgun on Oct. 1, 2025, in Columbia. He is not allowed to possess guns because of a prior felony conviction, the release says.

He faces up to 15 years in prison. His sentencing hearing was not listed in court records.

Click here to follow the original article.

Mitchell Kaminski

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (KMIZ)

Jefferson City Council members heard a detailed presentation from city staff this week outlining proposed changes to the city’s parking meter system, enforcement trends and long-term financial challenges facing the parking program.

The discussion took place on Wednesday at City Hall during a council work session, and no public comment was taken.

City staff told council members the parking fund’s balance has declined significantly over the past year. In October 2024, the fund stood at about $4.2 million. As of this spring, it had dropped to more than $1 million, largely due to roughly $3 million being allocated toward the city’s planned downtown parking garage.

Looking ahead, staff estimated annual operating costs for the parking system — including staffing and basic operations — will reach about $1.3 million by 2027.

The city currently manages 19 parking lots and about 965 on-street parking spaces. Without factoring in the new garage, staff estimated the 20-year capital maintenance cost for the system at $5.1 million, or about $260,000 annually.

The planned Madison Street parking garage is projected to cost about $20 million. If financed over 30 years at 4% interest, the monthly debt service would be roughly $95,000, according to city staff.

A major focus of the presentation centered on aging parking meters and the need for upgrades. Staff said the city has roughly two years left before it will need to begin “cannibalizing” existing meters for parts. The current meter housings are no longer manufactured, limiting replacement options.

Staff said the city can currently assemble 31 meters using available parts. Installing an existing meter costs about $1,125, while installing a single new meter costs about $724. Replacing all outdated meters with new models would cost an estimated $1 million. New meters would include updated technology and allow drivers to pay with credit cards.

In January, the Jefferson City Council approved a parking fine hike with an 8-2 vote. Parking violations were approved to be $25 across the board. A fine for metered parking was previously $6.

Jefferson City is also mulling over rate increases for parking meters. The proposed rate structure would affect on-street parking, off-street parking and the parking garage being built on Madison Street.

City staff provided historical context, noting Jefferson City installed its first fee-based parking meters in 1940 at a rate of 5 cents per hour. Adjusted for inflation, that rate would now equal roughly $1.10-$1.40 per hour. Currently, about 60% of meters charge just 35 cents per hour, with rates ranging up to $1.

Under the proposal presented to the council, the city would introduce a tiered-pricing system. A proposed “red zone” would have a two-hour maximum at $2 per hour, a “blue zone” would allow two hours at $1 per hour, and a “green zone” would charge $1 per hour with no time limit during the first year. Beginning in year three, rates would increase by 3% annually. Year two would include a $1.50 core rate and a $2 premium rate.

Staff estimated that High Street alone could generate an additional $200,000 annually at a $1-per-hour rate. The proposal is aimed in part at encouraging turnover and moving long-term parking away from the Capitol area.

If approved, staff projected parking revenue would increase by about 121% in the first year and by 188% by the fifth year.

City staff also addressed recent increases in parking citations. ABC 17 News records showed a sharp rise in expired meter tickets in January. From Jan. 6-Feb. 2, 2025, 182 tickets were issued. During the same period in 2026, 1,022 tickets were issued.

Despite the increase, staff said the number of tickets per officer per day remained similar. In January 2025, officers issued an average of 26 tickets per day over seven enforcement days. In January 2026, officers issued an average of 25.55 tickets per day across 20 enforcement days with two officers.

City spokesperson Molly Bryan said several factors influenced citation numbers, including weather, staffing, downtown events, legislative sessions and protests.

Parking enforcement in January 2025 was limited by severe winter weather and staffing shortages. A major snow and ice event forced closures and delayed openings early in the month, and parking staff were reassigned to emergency response duties such as clearing sidewalks, garages, and crosswalks. Only one officer was available for enforcement for much of that month.

Click here to follow the original article.

Olivia Hayes

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

Parents of a Virginia man killed in a 2018 online sale meet up turned shooting say they were moved to put up billboards promoting ‘safe online exchanges’ after a Columbia man was killed in a similar way.

Michael and Diane Grey tell ABC 17 News that they knew they needed to take action after hearing about the death of Michael Ryan Burke. Burke was shot to death on Jan. 18 in the 1400 block of Ridgemont Court. Court documents allege Burke had used Facebook Marketplace to arrange to arrange a cellphone sale.

Three adults and a juvenile were charged in Burke’s shooting death.

“The first thing I did was I got on the phone with Lamar and said I want to put billboards up in Columbia, Missouri,” Michael Grey said.

The Grey family and their group “Justice For Joshua Grey” is working with Lamar Advertising to put up 11 billboards in the Mid-Missouri area. There will be nine electronic billboards around Columbia: One in Ashland, one near Jefferson City, one near Boonville and six around the Lake of the Ozarks. Since Columbia doesn’t allow electronic billboards, they are having static ads printed and placed in the city soon. Another seven will appear in Kansas City and Springfield.

Joshua Grey was killed similarly to Burke in 2018, while meeting up to sell a phone that was originally arranged online.

“Josh went online and he went on an app called Let Go, very similar to Craigslist or Marketplace, and a gentleman said meet me at this corner store at 1:30 in the afternoon. So Josh did,” Michael Grey said. “The store had a video surveillance camera in the back. It showed Josh getting out the car. Josh walks over, he hands out the phone and a 15-year-old kid pulls out a gun and shoots Josh.”

Joshua’s mother, Diane Grey, said many people can avoid a similar situation happening to them by keeping an eye out for red flags early on.

“You don’t know who’s at the end of that keyboard,” Diane Grey said. “They changed the location multiple times, like they were going to meet at a certain place and then they said oh I can’t get a ride there, can we meet here?”

She also detailed tips to keep in mind for people looking to make a safe online exchange or sale, but have no safe online exchange zone in their area.

“Take somebody with you, make sure somebody knows where you’re going and what you’re doing,” Diane Grey said. “A very public place where there’s there’s security cameras everywhere, some place that you know is well lit, a lot of activity is going on.”

Michael and Diane said they look to eventually take their call-to-action directly to the online platforms.

“When you’re buying or selling or something what should happen is something should pop up and it’s says hey, here are the safe exchange zones in this zip code,” Michael Grey said.

The Grey Family has billboards in seven states now, including Missouri. They want to have their billboards and message in all 50 states one day.

“There’s probably other people that have been in the same situation and maybe the same thing has happened but we just don’t hear about it,” Michael Grey said. “That’s why these billboards are so important. Safe exchange zones save lives.”

Columbia has three safe exchange zones recommended by law enforcement. The Boone County Sheriff’s Office and the University of Missouri Police Department’s lobbies or parking lots. Along with the Columbia Police Department’s online exchange zone in its downtown department. CPD told ABC 17 News its still working to get a sign put up for the zone.

Click here to follow the original article.