ELECTION NIGHT UPDATES: Buffaloe, Foster win reelection in Columbia
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2 injured, 1 seriously in Highway 63 crash near Boone-Callaway line
BOONE COUNTY, Mo. (KMIZ) Two senior citizens were injured – one seriously – in a crash Thursday night on Highway 63, near the Boone-Callaway County line, a Missouri State Highway Patrol crash report says. The report says that a 2013 Nissan Quest was heading southbound in the passing lane just north of County Road 399
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Former Jefferson City correctional officer posts bond after charged with bringing drugs into prison
JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (KMIZ) A former Jefferson City Correctional Officer has posted bond after she was charged with bringing drugs into the prison. Michelle L. Edwards, of Centertown, was charged with delivery or possession of a controlled substance at a correctional center, possession of a controlled substance and tampering with physical evidence. According to court
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Sodexo to lay off more than 60 employees after losing Lincoln University contract
COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) Sodexo in Jefferson City will close and lay off its 63 employees after Lincoln University chose to stop using the business’ services, according to a WARN notice sent on Monday. The Working Adjust and Retraining Notification – dated March 6 – states that the Sodexo facility will close on April 30. “On
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No injuries reported in Cole County fire
COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) No injuries were reported in a building fire Wednesday afternoon in the 4000 block of Wardsville Road in Cole County, according to a social media post from the Osage Fire Protection District. Firefighters were called to the scene at 2:04 p.m. and crews stayed until 5:30 p.m., the post says. Crews from
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Missouri received millions in library funds from agency on Trump administration chopping block
COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) An executive order signed by President Donald Trump aims to cut federal funding to the Institute of Museums and Library Services, which could lead to the loss of millions of dollars for Missouri libraries. Trump signed the order last week. The institute is the only federal agency that funds libraries and museums
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Another red flag warning issued as Mid-Missouri fire season continues
COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) Mid-Missouri residents are asked not to burn anything into Tuesday after the National Weather Service issued a red flag warning due to dry and windy conditions. This comes just days after large wildfires in Mid-Missouri that forced people from their homes in Boone and Camden counties. The state is also entering extreme
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Man charged with rape in Cole County; father of victim accused of moving suspect into his home from Florida
COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) Two men have been charged with child sex crimes in Cole County. Travis Kalchbrenner, 31, was charged with first-degree rape, first-degree sodomy, two counts of statutory rape, one count of first-degree sexual abuse and one count of fourth-degree child molestation. He is being held at the Cole County Jail without bond. An
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No injuries reported in Holts Summit building fire
COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) No injuries were reported in a Wednesday night building fire in Holts Summit, the Holts Summit Fire Protection District wrote in a Thursday afternoon press release. A large utility building – in the 12000 block of Callaway County Road 391 — was engulfed in flames when units arrived at 8:35 p.m., the
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2 men accused of stealing $250,000 from elderly couple in crypto scam
COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) Two men from New York have been charged with felonies after they were accused of stealing $250,000 in cash from an elderly Callaway County couple last year. Kezhong Xie, of Staten Island, New York, and Xiaolin Zheng, of Brooklyn, New York, were each charged on Monday in Callaway County with stealing more
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Cole County EMS sets new record in calls for service in 2024
JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (KMIZ) Cole County EMS set a new record in 2024, responding to 13,626 calls for service, an increase from 12,315 in 2023, according to the county’s annual report. That marks an increase of 1,311 in calls. Traffic crashes were the biggest call category with EMS responding to 985 of them last year.
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No charges to be filed after state lawmaker’s 988 hotline test
COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) A Missouri state representative will not be charged after law enforcement officers responded to the Capitol for a false suicide threat using the 988 system. Cole County Prosecutor Locke Thompson said in a news release on Wednesday that he will not be filing charges against state Rep. Tricia Byrnes (R-Wentzville). Thompson said
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2022 Capitol gun suspect ordered fit for trial
JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (KMIZ) A man accused of trying to bring a gun into the Missouri Capitol in 2022 is finally ready to stand trial, a judge ordered Monday. Alok Rohra of St. Louis was charged after he allegedly told officers he brought a gun in a bag to the Capitol to show then-Gov. Mike
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Sandbag machines help Mid-Missouri step up flood-fighting ability
COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) Chris Kelley remembers the hours he put in to filling sandbags during the flood of 1993. He and dozens of others held open bags and shoveled sand for days as the rising waters of the Missouri River creeped into Rocheport. Those volunteer numbers, though, dwindled over time as the flood continued. Kelley,
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Father of girl who died in Holts Summit crash files wrongful death lawsuit against girl’s mother, mother’s boyfriend
COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) The father of a 3-year-old girl who died in a crash earlier this month in Holts Summit has filed a wrongful death lawsuit against the girl’s mother, the mother’s boyfriend and the girl’s grandmother. The lawyer for Coby Durham filed a petition in Callaway County on Wednesday. The lawsuit alleges that Jessie
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Prosecutor ‘aware’ of state representative’s 988 hotline test
JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (KMIZ) A state representative on Monday night touted “critical failures” in the state’s 988 mental health crisis hotline system after “a firsthand test” exposed them. The test, though, also has the attention of law enforcement in Jefferson City, with some dispatchers informing Byrnes of how much her “test” had tied up law
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Cole County Sheriff’s Office investigating death at Jefferson City Correctional Center
COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) The Cole County Sheriff’s Office is investigating a death that occurred Friday at Jefferson City Correctional Center, a Department of Corrections spokesperson told ABC 17 News. A release from the DOC states that Lewis Younce was pronounced dead at 8:55 p.m. Friday at Jefferson City Correctional Center. He was 49. Younce was
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Firefighters battle multiple fires across Mid-Missouri in frigid conditions
COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) A series of devastating fires swept through Boone County this week, leaving behind widespread destruction and challenging fire crews as they battled not only the flames, but also brutal winter weather. This week alone, Boone County firefighters responded to several house fires, many resulting in severe destruction. One of the most severe
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Three Rivers Electric asks customers to conserve energy as grid experiences ‘maximum load’
COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) Three Rivers Electric Cooperative is asking its customers to conserve energy after the recent cold spell made its grid experience “maximum load.” The cooperative – which serves Cole, Maries, Miller, Gasconade, Osage and Moniteau counties – asked its customers on social media Thursday to try to conserve energy from 6-10 a.m. Friday.
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Multiple agencies battling Cole County fire
COLE COUNTY, Mo. (KMIZ) The Cole County Fire Protection District and two other agencies were battling a fire on Wednesday night. According to an email from Cole County Fire Protection District Captain Steve Cearlock, a large structure on Old Highway 54 in Eugene is on fire. A total of 25 firefighters were on the scene,
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