Matthew Sanders
COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)
President Donald Trump spoke at a White House news conference on Tuesday about his order moving Space Command from Colorado to the Alabama Space Coast.
The news conference happened as rumors continue to swirl about the president’s health.
Olivia Hayes
COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)
Missouri is now part of a multi-state attempt by the Department of Justice to access, physically inspect, and take physical custody of election equipment used in the 2020 November election.
Jasper County Clerk Charlie Davis said he was contacted about a week and a half ago by a Department of Justice official to access Dominion equipment used in the 2020 election. He said it was a frustrating call to receive because President Donald Trump has won in Jasper County in the last three elections. He said there have also been no issues in the nearly 26 elections he has helped run.
Davis said that he no longer has the equipment, and a DOJ official only contacted him once.
A memo from the Friday meeting for the Missouri Association of County Clerks and Election Authorities also noted requests the DOJ made to the McDonald County Clerk’s Office.
Denny Hoskins, the Missouri Secretary of State, said that his office referred DOJ officials to the local clerks after receiving the department’s initial request for equipment access.
Boone County Clerk Brianna Lennon said that her office has not received a request yet, but there are strict laws in place with testing election equipment before it’s even purchased to prevent election error, starting at the federal level.
“The process that the federal government does, goes through is the Elections Assistance Commission, and they go through testing to certify guidelines called the Voluntary Voting System Guidelines,” Lennon said.
Lennon explained that the equipment then has to go through additional checks and balances at the state, county and local levels.
“There’s a public demonstration component of it that the Secretary of State’s Office does. Then once they have signed off on it, then it gives us at the local level the ability to purchase it and enter into contracts to buy it or lease it and then use it in our county,” Lennon said.
Lennon said that the testing continues through every election as well.
“We run test decks of ballots through the machines to make sure that they’re counting correctly. Then we do a certification process after the election where we make sure that the equipment is still working,” Lennon said. “We also do a hand audit of the ballots from 5% of our polling places or precincts just to make sure that the machines are operated correctly.”
Lennon said the point of the machines is to help avoid human error in counting the votes. Besides the occasional paper jam, Lennon said, the machines in Boone County have never had any problems with vote counts.
“It happens every election where somebody puts a ballot in and it gets stuck and then we have our election judges or we have our staff fix that to make sure that the ballots are going to move through the actual scanning functionality,” Lennon said. “It’s never had an impact on our counting, it’s never had an impact on the accuracy.”
In a statement to ABC 17 News, the Missouri Association of County Clerks and Election Authorities agreed about the Missouri voting safeguards in place, but also shed light on the legality of what the DOJ is attempting through its request.
“By law, custody, maintenance, preparation, testing, and storage of this equipment are the responsibility of the Local Election Authority. While our robust pre- and post-election equipment testing is open to the public for observation, it is illegal to allow unauthorized access or tampering to election equipment. These safeguards exist to protect the security, accuracy and integrity of Missouri’s elections,” the statement reads.
Missouri election officials aren’t alone in receiving these requests. The Brennan Center for Justice reported last week that the Justice Department has demanded files from at least 21 states.
Lennon said the DOJ testing the voting equipment itself could have lasting effects on its ability to accurately represent later elections.
“Part of the advantage of the equipment that we use is that it’s not connected to the internet,” Lennon said. “All of the testing and certification that’s being done can be jeopardized. There is just no mechanism in the law to allow unfettered access or access to anybody other than the election authority.”
Lennon said if the DOJ were to request voter data from the county, it would only receive information available through a public records request.
“That’s also why you hear candidates that send out mailings, and people wonder where they get that information from. It does start with their voter registration record,” Lennon said. “That involves the voter’s name, the year of their birth, their address and then any other voter history, so not how they voted, but whether they voted.”
Lennon does not feel like Boone County will receive a request regarding its equipment.
Marie Moyer
COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)
GoCOMO bus riders will be token-free for another year after the Columbia City Council approved another year of suspended bus fares at Tuesday’s City Council meeting.
Transportation operation costs that were adopted for fiscal year 2025 were over $7.8 million in the City of Columbia’s budget. Both the council memo and the city’s Public Works Public Information Specialist, John Ogan, report that the city is able to manage expenses through federal and state grants, sales tax funds, and other sources like the University of Missouri.
“There’s a variety of reasons to keep transit fare free, but it’s our recommendation that we stay that way simply because, through federal funding, we have the ability to stay fare free,” Ogan said.
Ogan adds that keeping buses free makes transportation more accessible and keeps them running smoothly.
“It keeps buses on schedule because people who board the bus don’t have to stop and fumble with change or find their pass in order to make payment,” Ogan said.
All of the city’s buses are also not equipped to accept payments. Ogan estimates it would take several months to get buses operational for accepting fares.
Meeting documents report that the GoCOMO Public Transport System last charged fares during fiscal year 2019, from October 1, 2018, to September 30, 2019. Fares ranged from $1.50 to free for buses and were $3 per ride for Paratransit. Total transportation revenue for that fiscal year was around $404,000. This covered around 9% of transportation’s operating costs.
Several passengers of GoCOMO transit told ABC 17 News that they were in support of keeping buses free.
“I think it’s really great. You know, it’s an enrichment to the community,” GoCOMO passenger Joseph Schlater said.
Haley Swaino
ASHLAND, Mo. (KMIZ)
The Ashland Board of Aldermen voted Tuesday night to increase sewer service rates to offset the cost of upgrading the city’s sewer facilities.
The city is moving ahead with improving its sewer system, despite a “no” vote on a $40 million bond issue for sewer improvements in 2024.
“We implemented a new rate structure and new rates with a May 1 effective date as part of financing this expansion project,” City Administrator Kyle Michel said ahead of the meeting. “So what’s being considered tonight is simply an augmentation of those rates.”
The vote ended in a tie, with Mayor Dorise Slinker the deciding vote.
The average monthly water bill in Ashland is $52.65, according to a study conducted for the city in March. Under the recent sewer rate approval, the average bill could go up to $64.76 in 2026, $79.65 in 2027 and $97.97 in 2028.
“I think it’s being portrayed as an increase, but it’s not necessarily an increase,” Michel said. “In some instances, it’ll be cost-saving to the users.”
A “yes” vote from the council on Tuesday means that fixed rates based on water meter size will decrease, while variable rates based on consumption in gallons will nearly double by 2028.
“You have a fixed rate every month and then you have a variable rate which is based on how much you actually use,” Michel said. “What we’re doing tonight is we’re just augmenting that ratio. So what’s going to happen is the fixed rate will go down, and then the variable rate will slightly increase. And just based on your consumption, there is opportunity for cost saving there.”
Rates already saw a 23% increase in July after Gov. Mike Kehoe used a veto to strike down $11 million from the state budget for sewer system improvements in Ashland.
“Funding from the state would have reduced or eliminated part of these increases and would also have positioned the City to return some aspects of the project that were cut,” Michel wrote in an email in July. “While it is disappointing that our funding request was cut, our project was not exclusively singled out. All wastewater funding requests were cut. We did what we could to ensure our project stayed in the budget in an effort to protect our rate payers.”
He spoke with ABC 17 News about Kehoe’s veto again on Tuesday.
“A lot of folks are trying to suggest that the governor, his veto of funding, has a bearing on this project,” Michel said. “I mean, it does. Obviously, we wanted that money, but the rates that we’re putting in place on May 1 and the rate assumptions that we’re planning for in terms of repayment of debt, it didn’t contemplate it getting that $10 million [$11 million]. The $10 million [$11 million] would have just been an aftereffect that would benefit the project and obviously drive cost down.”
The city broke ground on the wastewater treatment facility on May 5. Previous reporting indicates the expansion will increase the facility’s capacity from 600,000 gallons per day to 1.6 million gallons per day. It could treat up to 2.6 million gallons per day once it is fully built out.
The project will be completed and operating by May 2026, according to Michel.
“We’re approaching the actual point of needing to borrow money for this project and go out for a bond sale. We’ve kind of reached that point where we can reevaluate the rate structure and make sure that it’s working correctly for not only the repayment of that debt, but working how it should for the customers to make sure we’re not overburdening them as much as possible,” Michel said.
Matthew Sanders
COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)
The rivalry will return to Memorial Stadium on Saturday when the Kansas Jayhawks take on the Missouri Tigers.
The two football clubs haven’t battled on the field in years, but the rivalry is still relevant in the hearts of Mizzou and Kansas fans.
Watch a news conference previewing this weekend’s game in the player.
Alison Patton
COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)
Gov. Mike Kehoe is bringing lawmakers back to the Capitol for Wednesday’s special session to approve not just a new congressional map, but also a ballot measure that would reform Missouri’s initiative petition process.
“For far too long, Missouri’s Constitution has been the victim of out-of-state special interests who deceive voters to pass out-of-touch policies,” Kehoe said in a press release. “It’s time we give voters a chance to protect our Constitution.”
The release mentions passing legislation that would require statewide ballot measures to be approved by a majority of voters statewide and a majority of voters in each of the eight congressional districts.
Charles Zug, a political science professor at the University of Missouri, said it will be difficult to get anything to pass as an initiative petition, if Kehoe’s proposal goes through.
“What this would do is, I mean, it would make it impossible for any of those sort of center-left type proposals to pass,” Zug said.
Reform has been a priority for legislative Republicans over several sessions, but it has always been held up before it can get to the governor’s desk.
The newest proposal is disliked by some who initially liked initiative petition reform.
“I just don’t like the fact that they want it to be all eight congressional districts,” Ron Calzone, a director of Missouri First, said.
Calzone testified for several bills in the spring that wanted to increase the number of signatures needed to get an initiative petition onto the ballot, according to previous reporting.
Calzone said Kehoe’s proposal would be too difficult to pass initiative petitions under for anyone, including Republicans.
The GOP in both chambers seems to support Kehoe’s reform proposal.
“At the same time, we must guard our constitution from being hijacked by out-of-state liberal groups that want to force their agenda on Missouri through misleading ballot measures,” Senate President Pro Tem Cindy O’Laughlin (R-Shelbina) said.
Democrats argue that this is a power grab from the Republicans.
“You’re in essence vetoing the initiative petition process. You’re killing it, but you’re doing it in a very sly way, so it looks like it’s just reform, when in effect you’re killing the process,” said Rep. David Tyson Smith (D-Columbia).
Last November, Missouri had three initiative petitions on the ballot that passed. Amendment 2 legalized sports gambling, Proposition A increased the minimum wage and required paid sick leave and Amendment 3 enshrined abortion rights in the state constitution.
Before that, voters used the process to legalize both medicinal and recreational marijuana and to expand Medicaid eligibility.
“Missourians will not tolerate acts of electoral sabotage from their leaders nor silently allow Republicans to seize more power,” House Minority Leader Ashley Aune (D-Kansas City) said.
Matthew Sanders
A great college football rivalry will be renewed on Saturday when Kansas travels to Missouri.
Both the Tigers and the Jayhawks are undefeated in this young season, and each hopes to score its first victory over a power conference foe. The SEC Network even plans to broadcast its flagship game day show, “SEC Nation,” from Columbia.
Neither team is ranked.
Where do your allegiances lie? Let us know by voting in the poll.
Alison Patton
EDITOR’S NOTE: A quote about impaired boating has been corrected.
LAKE OF THE OZARKS, Mo. (KMIZ)
The Missouri State Highway Patrol Troop F reports that ten people have drowned in Mid-Missouri so far in 2025, with eight of those drownings occurring at the Lake of the Ozarks.
According to online drowning reports, four of the deaths happened in August.
The most recent death was Saturday when a 19-year-old male entered the water at Public Beach Two and didn’t resurface, according to the Missouri State Highway Patrol report.
The nearby Grand Maize Marina rents out boats, and general manager John Zeller knows that accidents happen, but he wants the folks who rent out boats from him to stay safe.
“I don’t know that it’s 100% preventable,” Zeller said. “You’d like to be proactive, but in some moments you just have to react.”
He makes sure all boat riders have a life jacket on, as he tries to tell people just how unsafe the lake can be at points.
“Help people understand that, yes, the lake is fun, but it’s also dangerous,” Zeller said.
Missouri State Highway Patrol Sgt. Kyle Green said life jackets are one of the most important aspects of staying safe while on a boat.
“You may be a great swimmer, but if you’re injured or unconscious or something else is occurring, obviously you’re swimming abilities are going to be greatly diminished,” Green said.
Life-long boater Scott Vadalabene takes his family to the Lake of the Ozarks every year, and when his children were young, they wore life jackets at all times.
“There’s always the rule that you have a life jacket on,” Vadalabene said. “You can’t even go on to the dock without a lifejacket. That’s probably the the biggest safety rule for for children.”
Vadalabene and Green both agree that the captain of the ship should be sober, especially on a big boating weekend like Labor Day.
“A lot of people like to drink more than they should, probably, when they’re boating,” Vadalabene said.
“Making sure that whoever’s operating the vessel isn’t impaired on drugs or alcohol,” Green said.
Ahead of the holiday weekend, local emergency departments sent out a public service announcement on Facebook, asking folks to call 911 immediately noticing a missing person or child.
“If a child disappears near the water it’s a potential drowning situation,” Green said. “Seconds matter, minutes matter.”
Marie Moyer
COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)
While some view Labor Day as an extra day off, local businesses and labor unions recognize the day as a reminder of working citizens.
The holiday comes after a flurry of bill signings from Gov. Mike Kehoe’s office in July. One of the bills Kehoe signed was House Bill 567, which repeals mandated sick leave requirements from Proposition A. The bill later went into effect on Aug. 28.
“It was a terrible move on their part and shows how little they respect the voters and the workers of Missouri,” Owner of Yellow Dog Bookshop and supporter of Prop A Joe Chevalier said. “Business owners now have to make the choice: are we going to continue to offer sick pay or are we going to take cover and run away and stop doing it? Employees are in kind of the same boat.”
The Missouri Chamber of Commerce and Industry released a report before the repeal of sick leave mandates detailing what businesses could do with the mandate on pause.
The chamber suggested a sliding scale approach based on what’s best for each business, from keeping sick leave until April 2026, to ending it in 2025, or cutting it off immediately on Aug. 28.
“Ultimately, because there is no guidance about payout under circumstances other than separation of employment – particularly for employers who frontloaded employees’ time – paying out up to 80 hours would be the safest option, while not paying out any EPST would be the riskiest option,” the report said.
Chevalier said that he will continue offering sick leave to his employees.
“In my opinion, it’s the right thing to do, we’re not even required to do it because we’re so small,” Chevalier said. “I decided it’s the right thing for my staff and for this business that I’m going to go forward with it.”
Proposition A was passed in November 2024 with the support of over 57% voters. The petition increased the state minimum wage and guaranteed workers one hour of paid sick time for every 30 hours worked.
HB 567 was filed shortly in opposition by state representatives after the election. Opponents of mandated sick leave argued that its addition could be exploited by employees, hurting businesses.
“Business owners were clear: Proposition A’s paid leave and minimum wage policies were a job killer,” said president and CEO of the Missouri Chamber Kara Corches in a July statement after Kehoe’s bill signing. “Missouri employers value their employees and recognize the importance of offering competitive wages and benefits, but one-size-fits-all mandates threaten growth.
Both Chevalier and Missouri Jobs With Justice are expecting to support more legislation that will benefit workers, with MO JwJ adding, “the fight is not over.”
“We are looking at direct democracy, we’re looking at legislation, we’re looking at all kinds of things because honestly, right now with the leadership in the Missouri legislature, they are creating more problems than solving them,” Director of Strategic Partnerships for MO JwJ M’Evie Mead said.
Mead adds that representatives from MO JwJ will be present during the general assembly’s special session to discuss redistricting.
ABC 17 News reached out to the Missouri Chamber for an updated statement however, they were closed for the holiday.
Nia Hinson
COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)
One of the most historic rivalries in the country will return to Memorial Stadium on Saturday.
Mizzou will host Kansas on Saturday at 2:30 p.m, a game that is expected to draw in fans from both Columbia and Kansas. The anticipation of being apart of the large crowd had some students eager to join the digital queue on Monday morning in hopes of scoring a ticket, after Mizzou Athletics rolled out a new claim process for the 2025-26 season.
Mizzou Athletics announced the new claims process in May. It allows current and incoming MU students to pay $200 for Zou passes, allowing them the opportunity to land tickets to all Mizzou regular-season events, including football and basketball.
After the first time using the new process for Mizzou’s home opener against Central Arkansas, students complained of long wait times and issues with getting kicked out of line while using the queue.
Mizzou Associate Athletics Director David Matter told ABC 17 News via email on Monday afternoon that the university met with its ticketing partner to address the issues.
“We are also listening to feedback and worked with our ticketing partner between week one and week two to speed up the length of time students are waiting in the “queue” before claiming, and these changes worked well in week two,” Matter said. “We are considering additional tweaks to the claim process and will communicate those as implemented.”
Matter said the university is considering possibly changing the time students can join the queue each Monday but did not give a specific alternate time. Matter also said the university is dealing with an increased demand, and doesn’t have the option of student overflow this season, due to stadium construction.
Mizzou Athletics told ABC 17 News previously that season tickets for this year sold out two weeks earlier than last year. That marks the second straight season that full-year tickets sold out.
The university is anticipating an overhaul of the student ticketing process once the stadium construction is finished in 2026, Matter said.
Millie Farris is a freshman at the University of Missouri who said she struggled with trying to log into her account both weeks after the new system was rolled out. Farris said she feels like the university has had poor communication with students about the process and tried to put the issue off.
Farris said she’s now considering taking further action.
“I’m going to call tomorrow and see if there’s a chance for me to be refunded because I shouldn’t have to wait hours to try and get tickets and then not be able to get into my account,” Farris said.
Matter said refunds are possible, but students who were to receive one would not be able to purchase tickets to other sporting events without a Zou pass. The university also uses the claim process for students to land a ticket to its basketball games.
Jackson Martucci and his friend Luke Cristobal are both juniors at the university, experiencing the new system for the first time of their college experience. The two both ran into issues claiming their ticket on Monday, including dealing with the website crashing.
“I feel like the process is just really unfair just because it really requires you to wake up early in the morning and just stress about having to get the ticket that early,” Cristobal said. “You’re in like a long waiting period where you’re not guaranteed a ticket.”
For Martucci, he said he’d like to see more transparency from the university moving forward. claiming he doesn’t believe as many people would have purchased the Zou pass, had they known they would not be guaranteed a ticket.
Martucci said the process had made him regret ever purchasing a pass.
“If there was a little bit more transparency for what goes behind the whole capacity of the stadium that would maybe allow people to understand why it’s a waiting list but at the same time, you should never oversell,” Martucci said.
Matter said it was explained to students from the start in May that Zou passes only guarantee students the chance to land a ticket to football games, but that it is not guaranteed.
Freshman Kayla Winn is one of the students who said she experienced a noticeable difference when trying to claim her ticket for the Kansas game, compared to the week prior. Winn said she also believes an email sent by the university telling students to join the queue at 9:45 a.m. this week was helpful.
“Honestly, it’s an SEC school, football’s such a big thing here and I feel like at other schools this is how they do it as well,” Winn said. “I have a brother who goes to Texas A&M and in the past, they would have to line up outside to get their ticket so it feels a little silly to complain about it but of course, I wish that I would just get my ticket.”
The SEC Nation also announced on Sunday that it would be traveling to Columbia ahead of kickoff.
