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Mitchell Kaminski

Mitchell Kaminski is from Wheaton, Illinois. He earned a degree in sports communication and journalism from Bradley University. He has done radio play-by-play and co-hosts a Chicago White Sox podcast.

Moberly uses nearly half of salt-sand mix supply to battle first winter storm

MOBERLY, Mo. (KMIZ) Moberly city crews spent the weekend battling the season’s first major snowfall after roughly 6 inches fell across the area, with more continuing into Monday.  However, preparation for the winter weather began long before the first flakes fell. “We’re working several months in advance, actually, into the summer,” city spokesman Scott McGarvey

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CoMoHelps continues relief efforts as requests for emergency assistance top $113,000

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) With the federal government shutdown over and SNAP benefits restored, local nonprofits say the demand for emergency assistance remains, and CoMoHelps will continue taking requests for at least another week. The collaborative relief fund — relaunched in October as SNAP benefits were halted — has now allocated nearly $60,000 to 11 agencies, according

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MU among more than 240 schools that helped rescind student-athlete sports betting rule

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) The University of Missouri was among more than 200 schools to submit a request to rescind an NCAA rule that would have allowed student athletes to bet on professional sports.  In October, the NCAA Division I Administrative Committee approved a proposal that would allow student-athletes and athletic department staff to place bets

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Bicycle and Pedestrian Commission opposes Columbia City Council’s proposed median ordinance

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) The Columbia Bike and Pedestrian Commission voted to write a letter of opposition to the Columbia City Council on a proposed ordinance that would regulate the use of medians, road crossings and islands.  On Wednesday, the Columbia Bike and Pedestrian Commission reviewed the ordinance that had drawn large crowds at a City

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Missouri’s sports betting launch sparks excitement, but concerns loom over addiction, harassment, game integrity

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) Inside a Jefferson City conference room, fewer than a dozen people have been creating hundreds of pages of rules that could help shape Missouri’s future.  The Missouri Gaming Commission refers to it as the “war room,” and it’s where the groundwork is being laid for the state’s journey into legalized sports betting.

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Southern Boone School District discusses four-day school week possibility with parents at meeting

ASHLAND, Mo. (KMIZ)  The Southern Boone School District held a community forum at Southern Boone High School on Tuesday night to discuss a possible shift to a four-day school week beginning with the 2026–27 academic year. More than 50 people attended the event, where school board members responded to pre-submitted questions from community members, followed

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‘The city didn’t handle it well’: Owner of dog killed by Sturgeon cop gets over a quarter-million dollars in settlement; city hopes to move forward after fallout

STURGEON, Mo. (KMIZ) The City of Sturgeon and a former police officer will pay a combined $500,000 to settle a lawsuit over the 2024 shooting of a blind and deaf 13-pound dog named Teddy — an incident that led to national outrage, staff resignations and ultimately the shutdown of the city’s police department. Under the

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Columbia City Council approves $58K contract for short-term rental monitoring

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)  The Columbia City Council on Monday night unanimously approved a $58,000 consultant agreement with Avenu Insights and Analytics to help track and enforce the city’s new short-term rental regulations. Between February and July, the city passed a series of ordinances establishing land use, business license, and tax rules for short-term rentals, such

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Staffing shortages hinder Columbia Police efforts to train more officers in crisis intervention

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) The Columbia Police Department continues to feel the strain of staffing shortages that have resulted in gaps in the department in crisis intervention-trained officers.  On Thursday, CPD command staff began a two-day “in-town retreat” to discuss to address staffing needs.  Schlude told a crowd at Tuesday’s “Let’s Talk Local” event that the

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Office of Violence Prevention highlights community efforts to reduce crime in Columbia

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) When Sophia Smith moved to Columbia in 2015, she described her neighborhood as “a gloom, dark place.” Speaking at Tuesday night’s “Let’s Talk Local” discussion, hosted by the City of Columbia’s Office of Violence Prevention, Smith said that for her first three months there, she didn’t want to go outside. Day after day,

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