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Marina Diaz

Marina is a Multimedia Journalist for ABC 17 News, she is originally from Denver, Colorado. She went to Missouri Valley College where she played lacrosse and basketball, and anchored her school’s newscast.

MU will ‘comply with state and federal laws’ after Parson signs anti-transgender bills

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) Missouri Gov. Mike Parson signed Senate Bills 39 and 49 on Wednesday. The bills affect health care for transgender people and transgender athletes from competing in girls and women’s sports, which includes public and private universities and colleges. The bill goes into affect Aug. 28 University of Missouri’s spokesperson Christian Basi said,

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Lack of spring rain concerning to farmers, DNR committee to discuss drought response

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) On Wednesday Gov. Mike Parson signed an executive order creating a “drought alert” in the state. The executive order was signed after the director of the Department of Natural Resources advised Parson that parts of the state are experiencing “rapidly escalating drought conditions.” The U.S. Drought Monitor shows 60 Missouri counties are

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Columbia Police Officer Association holds use-of-force presentation

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) The Columbia Police Officer Association held a presentation Thursday night called “Brutality or Reasonable? Evaluating Use of Force.” The event started 6 p.m. at the Courtyard by Marriott. Attendance was limited to those who have RSVP’d. The event covered multiple topics including realities of life, police training, legal standards, agency force policy

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Sasser resigns from Columbia Board of Education

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) Columbia Board of Education member Katherine Sasser announced her resignation at the Monday night Board meeting. Sasser had previously removed herself from participating on the Board at a February meeting, citing at the time a slew of bills being discussed in the Missouri legislature, including a number of recent anti-transgender legislative bills. “My

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MU students gather in East Campus area, plan to stay off the roads as CPD’s DWI enforcement period continues

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) University of Missouri students packed the East Campus neighborhood Friday afternoon. Police could be seen all around the neighborhood as tons of students enjoyed the weather and a day away from classes — for the school’s “Stop Day,” or “Reading Day” — before finals begin next week. One police officer was seen

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Boone County Commission approves detainee-housing agreement with Montgomery County

BOONE COUNTY, Mo. (KMIZ) The Boone County Commission unanimously approved a detainee-housing agreement with Montgomery County during its Tuesday night meeting. The Boone County Sheriff’s Office asked the Commission to formalize an intergovernmental cooperation agreement with the Montgomery County Sheriff’s Department to provide and maintain available bed space capacity for Boone County detainees. The agreement

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Local law enforcement works together amid recent uptick of gun violence in Boone County

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) The Columbia Police Department routinely shares information with the Boone County Sheriff’s Office to investigate shootings. Both departments are actively investigating multiple shootings over the past week, including one that killed a 31-year-old man and injured a 5-year-old girl. Recent shootings and shots-fired incidents include: Saturday night: The Boone County Sheriff’s Office

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City of Columbia hires first diversity, equity and inclusion officer

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) The City of Columbia announced on Monday that it has hired its first diversity, equity and inclusion officer. D’Andre Thompson was selected by Columbia’s City Manager De’Carlon Seewood. According to a news release, Thompson will lead “the development and implementation of DEI initiatives that help support the City’s Strategic Plan.” Thompson has

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Boone Health CEO steps down

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) Boone Health’s Board of Directors announced on Friday that Troy Greer is stepping down from his position as president and CEO. Greer started his career at Boone Health in September 2020, and his last day with Boone Health was Friday. According to a news release, Greer said he plans to return to

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Columbia Board of Education piloting new superintendent-evaluation process

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) The Columbia Board of Education unanimously voted at a work session Thursday morning to approve a new superintendent-evaluation process. The new evaluation process comes after three board members — Jeanne Snodgrass, Katherine Sasser and Suzette Waters — abstained from voting to renew Superintendent Brian Yearwood’s contract in January. Yearwood’s extension passed with

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