COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) Columbia residents had an opportunity to weigh in on a proposed irrigation ordinance Wednesday night that city officials say is necessary to manage growing water demands. A public hearing was held at 6 p.m. at City Hall, where City of Columbia Utilities officials presented details of the ordinance to 13 residents in
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KANSAS CITY, Mo. (KMIZ) The World Cup may not kick off until Thursday, but the celebration is already underway in Kansas City. Thousands of fans gathered Tuesday for the opening day of the FIFA Fan Festival, an event designed to give soccer fans a World Cup experience without the high cost of match tickets while
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COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) Columbia is looking to finalize a $42 million project to modernize the city’s electric and water meter infrastructure; replacing and retrofitting tens of thousands of aging meters with advanced technology designed to improve billing accuracy, outage detection and customer access to utility data. The proposed Advanced Metering Infrastructure project would replace 53,992
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COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) Community members gathered Thursday to discuss the future of the Shops at Sharp End, a retail incubator created to support local entrepreneurs in one of Columbia’s most historically significant Black neighborhoods. The meeting comes as organizers face a looming funding deadline and growing questions about whether the current model adequately reflects the
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COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) Columbia Public Schools is proposing a roughly $390.7 million budget for the 2026-27 school year that relies on dipping into reserves to cover rising costs, most notably the opening of a new elementary school and uncertainties surrounding state funding. The district’s operating budget, or General and Teachers funds, accounts for roughly 80%
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JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (KMIZ) A proposed Idaho Stop ordinance for cyclists was sent back to committee for further review on Monday after Jefferson City Mayor Ron Fitzwater vetoed the idea. The Jefferson City Council passed the ordinance, also known as the “Idaho Law,” in May by a 6-2 vote, allowing cyclists to treat intersections with
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JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (KMIZ) The Jefferson City Council advanced a proposal Monday that would change how vacant council seats are filled, but not before changing some of its original language. Under the original proposal, the mayor would publicly announce a vacancy after it occurs. Council members and the mayor would then be allowed to submit
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JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (KMIZ) A woman accused of killing a Jefferson City child in 2018 pleaded guilty Friday in a Cole County courtroom. Quatavia Givens pleaded guilty to second-degree murder, child abuse, and abandoning a corpse in the death of 4-year-old Darnell Gray. She had been charged with first-degree murder, child abuse, first-degree endangering the
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JEFFERSON CITY Mo. (KMIZ) Jefferson City leaders are moving forward with proposed ordinances aimed at curbing illegal street takeovers and minibike use on public roads after being flooded with complaints from residents across the city. The Jefferson City Public Safety Committee discussed and approved the wording of the proposed ordinances on Thursday, though both measures
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COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) Despite the Columbia Police Department’s 2025 annual report showing violent crime trending downward for a fourth year in a row, Police Chief Jill Schlude said she isn’t taking a victory lap. CPD recently rolled out a new data dashboard, which forced the department to go back and clean up some of its
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COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) The City of Columbia saw its average domestic violence reports increase in 2025, with some advocates warning that numbers are continuing to rise. In 2024, the Columbia Police Department renewed its STOP Violence Against Women Act grant through the Missouri Department of Public Safety. The $195,255 grant helped fund salaries and benefits
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MONTGOMERY COUNTY, Mo. (KMIZ) Montgomery County officials have released a cost-benefit analysis for a massive Google data center project that would use up to $100 billion in industrial revenue bonds and provide the company with an estimated $1.62 billion to $2.19 billion in personal property tax savings over 25 years. The plan, prepared under Missouri’s
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COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) The City of Columbia hosted a meet-and-greet Wednesday at the Columbia Training Center for its three finalists for its communications director role as city leaders move forward with plans to reshape how the city reaches residents. The three finalists include Rob Jones, Christopher Ave and Shayne Martin. All three bring more than
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COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) Columbia public safety leaders are making their case to voters after the City Council on Monday approved putting a proposed 1% public safety sales tax on the August ballot, saying the measure is needed to address decades of understaffing, aging facilities and increasing strain on the city’s general fund. The tax would
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COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) After delaying a vote earlier this month, holding hours of discussion and hearing concerns from several residents, the Columbia City Council unanimously approved placing a proposed 1% sales tax for public safety on the August ballot. Monday marked the City Council’s final opportunity to approve the proposal in time for the August
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JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (KMIZ) Around 6 p.m. Friday, lawmakers threw their papers in the air and began filing out of the House chamber after the Missouri General Assembly wrapped up its 2026 legislative session. Missouri lawmakers passed 100 bills during the session, the highest total since 2019 and a sharp increase from the 81 bills
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COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) Mizzou running back Ahmad Hardy is set to return to Columbia after getting shot at a concert over the weekend in Mississippi. A spokesperson for Mizzou football said Hardy was getting released from the hospital on Tuesday, but did not provide any updates on when he will be able to return to
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COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) The Columbia Board of Education on Monday approved a salary increase for Superintendent Jeff Klein. The increase was on the agenda for Monday’s Board of Education meeting, which began at 6 p.m. Under the proposal, Klein will receive a 6% salary increase ($15,300) for the next school year. Klein currently makes $255,000
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COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) University of Missouri students celebrated “Stop Day” on Friday, but many said an increased police presence changed the atmosphere of the annual tradition. Reading Day, colloquially known as Stop Day, is intended to give students a day off from classes before finals week begins; though it has also become associated with large
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COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) The Columbia City Council voted 4-3 on Monday night to table a decision that would have put a proposed 1% sales tax dedicated to public safety on the August ballot. City staff has written an ordinance that would add a 1% general sales tax, with the revenue generated going solely to the
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