COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) An embattled restaurant whose owner has been accused of arson has officially moved out of its south Columbia location. Workers were seen emptying Casa Maria’s at 1305 Grindstone Parkway on Monday. The restaurant had announced on its Facebook page that Sunday would be its last day, but indicated it could reopen
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COLUMBIA, Mo. Prolonged exposure to cold can lead to hypothermia, a serious and potentially life-threatening condition. According to the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services, certain groups are at higher risk, including the homeless, outdoor workers, children, older adults, and people with chronic health conditions. Warming centers provide short-term shelters that open during dangerously
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COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) Drivers across Mid Missouri should plan for delays as several road construction and improvement projects continue or begin next week in multiple counties. Many of the projects will run from Dec. 29 to Jan. 4. The impacted counties include: Boone Co., Callaway Co., Camden Co., Crawford Co., Howard Co., Laclede Co., Maries
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COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) The Columbia Police Department is set to graduate its third recruit class from its in-house training academy launched Nov. 2024. The 14 Police Officers in Training will graduate January 16th, 2026 and add their names to the list of the other 21 students from the academy’s first two classes from March and
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COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) The Columbia Police Department is cautioning residents to be aware of the risk around home robbers and package thieves this holiday season. Lt. Clint Sinclair, with CPD, tells ABC 17 News the holidays create the perfect opportunity for them to commit their crimes. He said people should not leave things, like boxes
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COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) In the four years since the death of Boone County Assistant Fire Chief Bryant Gladney, the Boone Co. Fire Protection District tells ABC 17 News its made changes to its training and response procedures. Gladney was killed when a tractor-trailer slammed into his service SUV on Dec. 22, 2021 as Gladney was working at
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COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) A man who court documents say is an emergency room doctor was charged Tuesday with four felonies after an alleged sexual and domestic assault in Ashland. Jeffrey L. Teeter, 46, was arrested early Tuesday at an Ashland address after a woman told deputies that he had slapped her, punched her, raped her
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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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