COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) The City of Columbia has not had communication with the attorney general’s office regarding an investigation into the city’s diversity, equity and inclusion policies in months, according to a city spokesperson. Former Attorney General Andrew Bailey launched the investigation into the city’s practices in July 2025. A press release from Bailey’s office
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COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) A mansion at the Lake of the Ozarks that was destroyed by a fire in December was likely caused by a propane leak, according to a Missouri State Fire Marshal report. The fire on Dec. 10 on Trillium Lane in Lake Ozark was ruled accidental in the report and was determined to
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COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) Secretary of State Denny Hoskins is asking local election authorities to verify voters’ citizenship status after a federal program flagged people for potential illegal status. However, many county clerks have spotted citizens on the list. Boone County Clerk Brianna Lennon said Hoskins sent her a list of 74 voters in November whose
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COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) A Columbia, Missouri, man who was deported to the Netherlands after more than four months in U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement custody says he endured overcrowded, unsanitary and inhumane conditions at the Camp East Montana detention facility in El Paso, Texas — a place he described as “the most horrific” he has
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COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) Some of Columbia’s top leaders are looking into the possibility of implementing safety ambassadors in the downtown area. According to records ABC 17 News obtained from the city, the idea was discussed during one of the meetings between city and University of Missouri leaders. The city began having the closed-door meetings after
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COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) It only took 10 seconds for a perfect summer day in Chariton County to turn into a tragedy. It was just before 1 p.m. on June 27, 2022, when a dump truck hauling materials to a nearby site was crossing the railroad tracks at Porche Prairie Avenue near Mendon when it was
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COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) Despite safety efforts nationwide, more than 2,000 incidents were reported at highway rail crossings nationwide in 2025, resulting in 268 deaths and 686 injuries, according to data from the U.S. Department of Transportation. Only about 2% of those incidents happened in Missouri, where 34 crossing collisions resulted in four deaths and nine
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COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) The City of Columbia is making more money from downtown parking meters so far this year than it did in the first month of 2025. Columbia raised the price for all on-street parking downtown from 40 cents to $1 on Jan. 5. The Public Works spokesman John Ogan told ABC 17 News
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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
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COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) Growing up in St. Louis in the ’90s for Lonnie Lockhart Bey wasn’t easy. He was met with challenges and hardships that led him down a path he hadn’t planned. That adversity eventually led to him becoming affiliated with a gang. Lockhart Bey says the word “affiliated” is key. “One of the
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COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) The City of Columbia has routed $2.1 million in funds awarded during the COVID-19 pandemic to work to cut down on violence. Columbia was awarded $25.2 million in American Rescue Plan Act funding to address public health and economic impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic. A large portion of that money was dedicated to
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COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) Despite an 8% increase in revenue last school year, MU Athletics still required more than $25 million in university funding to operate. The athletics department finished the 2024–25 fiscal year with a $9.1 million budget deficit after expenses rose 4%. The shortfall marked a significant improvement from the $18 million deficit recorded
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JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (KMIZ) A Jefferson City man accused of killing his wife during an argument over marital infidelity will appear in court for the first time Friday. Malang J. Akbari, 46, was charged Tuesday with murdering his wife, Manhaz Akbari, by stabbing her to death in their home on East McCarty Street. Court documents
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VIENNA, Mo. (KMIZ) A fire that heavily damaged a Vienna residential care facility in August has been ruled accidental, according to a revised fire investigation report that cites security video showing the Vienna police chief discarding a lit cigarette shortly before the blaze began. According to state fire marshal records obtained by ABC 17 News, the
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COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) The family of the man killed in a May shooting outside a McDonald’s in south Columbia says police might have acted too slowly in giving him emergency medical aid before his death. “The police came up to him, laying on the ground, fighting for his life, and they just, they handcuff him,”
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PILOT GROVE, Mo. (KMIZ) The response to an EF-2 tornado that damaged or destroyed dozens of buildings in Pilot Grove was hampered by some first responders not being able to communicate with each other using radios at the scene. A four-page “after-action report” drawn up by the Cooper County Emergency Management Agency gives insight into
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PILOT GROVE, Mo. (KMIZ) More than seven months after an EF-2 tornado hit the small town of Pilot Grove, a report obtained by ABC 17 News through a Missouri Sunshine Law request breaks down the timeline of events on April 2. 2025. According to the agency, the morning began with dangerous conditions as the National
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COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) The driver of a Sunderland Truck involved in a deadly crash on Business Loop 70 in Columbia last month claims he was on the phone at the time of the crash, but used Bluetooth. The Columbia Police Department said Roger Bone, 56, of Jefferson City was killed in the crash on Oct.
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COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) More than six years after two Columbia residents were shot and killed in northeast Columbia, their families and police are still searching for answers. “Something that was different about this scene than others, it was very quiet,” Columbia Police Department Lt. Matt Gremore said. Just after 3 a.m. Sept. 22, 2019, police
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JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (KMIZ) The family of the man killed in a shooting in Jefferson City demanded answers from law enforcement in a news conference Wednesday morning. On the steps of the Cole County Courthouse, the family of Erik Spencer II spoke to the public regarding the investigation into his death. The family is asking
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