COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) When Sophia Smith moved to Columbia in 2015, she described her neighborhood as “a gloom, dark place.” Speaking at Tuesday night’s “Let’s Talk Local” discussion, hosted by the City of Columbia’s Office of Violence Prevention, Smith said that for her first three months there, she didn’t want to go outside. Day after day,
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COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) Columbia Public Schools announced in a Monday night press release that Susan Goldammer will start her new role as the district’s general counsel on Nov. 3. The position was created and approved in July, according to the release, “This role will help enhance the district’s ability to navigate complex legal matters related
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COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) The Missouri Department of Conservation is reminding hunters to inspect their tree stands and clip on their harnesses after a man died Tuesday after falling out of a tree stand in East Columbia. “If you’re in the tree stand itself, really anybody’s at risk for getting injured, suffering from fractured bones or other injuries,” MU
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COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) Jessica McKinlay was a firecracker, loved the outdoors and never hesitated to state her opinion on topics she was passionate about. She was also the mother to five children, all of who she was protective of, her family says. But her life was cut short on the night of Jan. 3, 2022,
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COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) Leila Willmore says she was first alerted to AI-generated content of her son at the end of September. Since then, things have only continued to escalate. “They were seeing Zachary in articles coming to their Facebook, like popping up one after the other,” Willmore said. “When I would try to look up
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COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) A patient at the University of Missouri Psychiatric Center has been charged with a felony after he was accused of attacking a mental health technician on Saturday. Michael Brown Jr. was charged with first-degree assault. He is not listed on the Boone County Jail’s online roster and a court date has not
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COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) A man who was accused of throwing a Molotov cocktail at the entrance of the Boone County Courthouse in January pleaded guilty to two felonies on Tuesday. Nicholas Walters, 39, of Columbia, pleaded guilty to arson and resisting arrest. He was originally charged with first-degree assault, first-degree arson, armed criminal action, resisting
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COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) Tuesday is the first day potential candidates for the Columbia City Council elections can file to run and voters should expect to see some familiar names. Ward 1 Councilwoman Valerie Carroll announced on her social media that she filed for her reelection bid on Monday. Ward 5 Councilman Don Waterman told ABC
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The City of Columbia is inviting community members to learn about its snow removal process.
Part of the city’s new series of interactive sessions called Community Classroom, Tuesday afternoon’s session will feature a presentation from city staff on how it approaches snow removal in the winter.
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COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) Columbia Public Schools’ Adult English Language Learner program secured funding through fiscal year 2026 after facing uncertainty due to potential cuts to adult education grants. The proposed federal budget included a 24% cut to adult education funding, reducing it from $642 million to about $486 million. The CPS program provides free online
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COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) Health care will likely cost you more in 2026, as open enrollment for health insurance is just around the corner. Open enrollment refers to the time of year when people are able to sign up for health care insurance, change their current plans, or cancel their plan all together. However, people may
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COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) A dead man was found by police on Monday after he fell out of a hunting tree stand, according to information provided by the Columbia Police Department. CPD spokesman Colin Imhoff wrote in an email to ABC 17 News that the man was found in a wooded area east of Grace Lane
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COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) The Columbia School District Policy Committee on Monday voted to clarify its tobacco and vaping policy, allowing for the immediate termination of employees after a single violation. It’s one of 180 policies under review by the committee, which hopes to update and eliminate outdated ones. The goal is to complete the full
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COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) A lane of Paris Road in Columbia was closed on Monday evening after a crash occurred near Nelwood Drive. Two vehicles appeared to be involved in the crash and were stopped in the turning lane of Paris Road when an ABC 17 News photographer arrived at 6:30 p.m. The northbound driving lane
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COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) The average time a Missouri resident spends in an emergency department from arriving to leaving is 2 hours and 35 minutes, ranking the state 29th in the longest average wait time. Emergency department wait times have increased across the country and here in Missouri. According to the CDC, emergency departments in the
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COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) A portion of a downtown Columbia street and sidewalk will be closed for roughly a month beginning on Thursday, according to a Monday press release from the city. The release says Park Avenue between Seventh and Eighth streets will be closed as crews make waterline connections for the East Park Avenue Apartments.
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COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) A man accused of killing a Columbia man after setting him on fire over the summer was indicted by a Boone County grand jury on Friday. Brandon Butchkoski, 47, of Columbia is charged with first-degree arson resulting in death, second-degree felony murder, first-degree arson and drug possession. He is being held at
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COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) A man who is accused of shooting and killing a Stephens College student last month in downtown Columbia was indicted by a grand jury on Friday. Misael Covarrubias, 23, is charged in Boone County with second-degree murder, three counts of armed criminal action, two counts of first-degree assault and a single count
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COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) A 19-year-old Columbia man has been charged with three felonies in connection with a reported armed robbery in east Columbia. Prosecutors charged Jordan Hunt on Monday with first-degree robbery, unlawful use of a weapon and armed criminal action. He remained in the Boone County Jail on Monday afternoon on no bond. A
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Editor’s note: The lede of this story was corrected to reflect the crash occurred in 2024. COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) An 18-year-old man from Macon pleaded guilty Monday to four counts, including manslaughter, in a 2024 crash in southern Columbia. Ty Frey pleaded guilty in Boone County before Judge Ben Miller to first-degree involuntary manslaughter, careless
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