COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) A Boone County dog breeder pleaded not guilty Monday to dozens of counts of animal abuse charges after a grand jury indictment. Melissa Sanders, 26, is facing 29 counts of felony animal abuse after she was previously charged with three felonies and 15 misdemeanor counts of animal abuse. Sanders’ new attorney, Andrew
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COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) The national unemployment rate is at its highest point in nearly four years at 4.6% recorded last month, and hiring trends are slowing as thousands of college graduates prepare to enter the workforce. The U.S. unemployment rate has ticked up since hitting a 54-year low of 3.4% in April 2023, reflecting a
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COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) Construction for Boone County Public Safety Childcare Center is on schedule to be completed in July 2026. The center cost $5 million, with the county providing half and the state providing the other half. The Boone County Commission held a meeting Tuesday afternoon to discuss the current status of the project. Officials
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COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) A convicted sex offender on Monday pleaded guilty to keeping artificially generated child pornography on his cellphone. Charles Hooton, 64, of Columbia, pleaded guilty to four counts of child porn possession and one count of failing to register as a sex offender. He was sentenced to seven years in prison. The probable
Continue Reading COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) A Boone County dog breeder accused of animal abuse is facing a significant number of felony charges after she was indicted by a grand jury on Friday. Melissa Sanders, 26, of Columbia, is now charged with 29 counts of animal abuse. All of the counts are felonies. She was previously charged with
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COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) The Boone County Commission on Thursdays approved the finalized budget for the 2026 fiscal year. Including money being using from the American Rescue Plan Act, expenditures for the new fiscal year are expected to total $156 million. Officials say the budget will allow for pay raises for some county employees. Presiding Commissioner
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COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) The Central Missouri Humane Society announced in a Friday press release that it is halting its intake of cats because of “the presence of a contagious upper respiratory illness within the shelter.” CMHS will waive adoption fees for all cats through Friday, Dec. 26. “Reducing our feline population is one of the
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COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) A man has been charged with a pair of felonies after authorities claim he stole $15,000 from an elderly woman in a cryptocurrency scam. Charles Burri, 29, of Columbia, was charged on Thursday in Boone County with financially exploiting an elderly person and stealing more than $750. A warrant was requested on
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MEXICO, Mo. (KMIZ) Power is slowly being restored around Mid-Missouri after strong winds knocked down trees and power lines earlier today, according to officials. Ameren continues to report outages in Cooper and Camden counties. Earlier, Mexico, Missouri, officials said multiple power lines on the south side of town were affected by the storms. One power line
Continue Reading COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) A judge is considering to allow a dog breeder – who is charged with 18 counts of animal abuse – to have a bond. Melissa Sanders, 26, of Columbia, has been held at the Phelps County Jail without bond since she was charged last month in Boone County with three counts of
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COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) A woman accused of murder in the death of an 8-month-old girl in 2021 has been charged again. Jennifer Johnson, 49, was charged with misdemeanor sexual abuse in Phelps County after she allegedly exposed herself to another inmate at the jail. She is currently being held without bond. She is charged with
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COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) A Boone County judge ruled Wednesday in favor of numerous defendants named in a wrongful death lawsuit over the death of MU student Riley Strain. Strain went missing in March 2024 during a Delta Chi fraternity trip to Nashville. His body was found days later in the Cumberland River; his death was
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COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) Another dog that fell through ice was rescued by firefighters on Wednesday, according to a social media post from the Boone County Fire Protection District. The district wrote that crews were called to East Walnut Drive, north of Hallsville, for a report of a dog in the water. Firefighters found a beagle
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COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) Food insecurity is at a 10-year high in Mid Missouri, and the Food Bank for Central and Northeast Missouri says demand has increased since the government shutdown in October and November. The demand became noticeable in October when concerns grew around SNAP benefits during the country’s longest government shutdown. The Food Bank
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COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) The Pierpont General Store has been listed for sale. The more than 130-year-old business has been at its location since 1889 and has continuously been operating since the 1960s, according to information from its website. Weichert Realtors’ website shows the property is on sale for $1.5 million. It includes the business, two
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The Southern Boone Board of Education in Ashland is wrestling with whether to make a big change to the rhythm of life in the small community. For now, the board has put off a decision on whether to change from a traditional five-day school week to a four-day cycle. Some school districts have seen success
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ASHLAND, Mo. (KMIZ) The Southern Boone Board of Education at its Monday meeting tabled the vote on the potential four-day school week that has been discussed for months. Under the proposal, students would attend school from 7:50 a.m. to 3:25 p.m. Tuesday through Friday, extending each day by 30-40 minutes, beginning the 2026-27 school year.
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COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) Bob Nolte in a Monday press release announced his intent to run for reelection next year for his position as the Boone County Recorder of Deeds. Nolte, a Democrat, was first elected to the position during the November 2022 election. His quarterly filing with the Missouri Ethics Commission in October shows his
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ASHLAND, Mo. (KMIZ) The Southern Boone County R-I School District Board of Education will make its decision Monday on a possible four-day school week. The district has been discussing a potential shift to a four-day school week, starting with the 2026–27 academic year. Under the proposal, students would attend school 7:50 a.m.-3:25 p.m. Tuesday through
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The ABC 17 Stormtrack Weather Team has issued a Weather Alert Day for dangerously cold temperatures and wind chills in the negatives between Saturday night and Sunday morning.
This weather can cause symptoms and signs of frostbite to appear in less than 30 minutes. The extra factor of wind can make the process set in even faster.
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