Columbia Archives

QUESTION OF THE DAY: Should the City of Columbia buy the McKinney building?

August 21, 2023 2:44 AM ABC 17 News Team

The City of Columbia is considering the purchase of a downtown building — a proposal set to come before the city council Monday.

Columbia City Council talks of potential purchase of historic McKinney building

August 19, 2023 6:46 PM Gabrielle Teiner

The Columbia City Council is considering purchasing of the historic McKinney building at the council meeting set for Monday at 7 p.m.

Murder charge downgraded for man accused of killing baby

August 18, 2023 10:41 PM Ryan Shiner

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) Charges have been updated for a man accused of killing his child and abandoning the corpse. Staffone Fountain, 31, of Independence, was previously charged with first-degree murder and abandonment of a corpse. He is now charged with second-degree murder, abandoning a corpse and first-degree endangering the welfare of a child. Fountain’s attorney

Columbia Board of Education approves new version of SRO agreement

August 18, 2023 7:23 PM Ryan Shiner

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) The Columbia Board of Education on Friday approved a new version of its school resource officer agreement with the Columbia Police Department. The board took it up after the city’s legal department made some suggestions following Monday’s vote. It now goes to the City Council for approval on Tuesday, Sept. 5. Deputy

Advocates against sexual assault warn of ‘Red Zone’ period for coming weeks

August 18, 2023 7:35 PM Marina Diaz

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) Advocates against sexual assault say the coming weeks are a ‘Red Zone’ period where students are more vulnerable to sexual assault. Advocates are offering advice on preventing assault, asking for consent and resources for victims. “There is something that is called the Red Zone,” Nightcap CEO Shirah Bernard said. “It’s a period

Safety top of mind as students move back to University of Missouri campus

August 18, 2023 12:09 PM Morgan Buresh

As University of Missouri students move in to begin the school year, one thing on both parents’ and students’ minds is safety.

Friday marks 20th anniversary of fire at The Heidelberg

August 18, 2023 7:08 PM Ryan Shiner

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) Friday marked the 20th anniversary of a day when Columbia almost lost one of its most well-known establishments. On Aug. 18, 2003, The Heidelberg in Downtown Columbia caught fire. Seventy firefighters responded and it nearly three hours to put out. Firefighters said at the time that an electrical malfunction in the ceiling above a

Four men arrested in Sedalia in relation to human trafficking investigation, law enforcement says

August 18, 2023 3:28 PM Ryan Shiner

SEDALIA, Mo. (KMIZ) Four men were arrested Thursday in Pettis County in relation to a human trafficking investigation, according to a Friday press release from the Sedalia Police Department. The four men arrested, according to the release, on suspicion of patronizing prostitution were: Donald Reece, 62 of Sedalia;James Deer, 39 of Columbia;Tim Sinn, 44 of

Four Missouri Task Force One members, K-9s begin work in Maui

August 17, 2023 7:32 PM Grace Pankey

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) Four Missouri Task Force One members and K-9s who were deployed earlier this week to Maui began searching for human remains Thursday morning. Those four more members on Wednesday flew out of St. Louis to join the search and rescue efforts. That was after two members were deployed last week as part

School bus services at area schools still impacted by staffing shortages

August 17, 2023 7:11 PM Marina Diaz

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) Columbia Public Schools and the Jefferson City School District bus systems continue to be impacted by ongoing staffing shortages ahead of the new school year. A lack of bus drivers has been an issue plaguing both CPS and JCSD for the past year. “Last year, we saw some situations where bus drivers

Car flips over in yard in north Columbia

August 17, 2023 5:09 PM Ryan Shiner, Marina Diaz

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) Four Columbia police officers on Thursday responded to the intersection of Sylvan Lane and Hendrix Drive after a car flipped over in a yard. Boone County Joint Communications stated on its social media that a collision occurred at the intersection. Check back for more updates.

Water main break reported at West Worley Street and Bernadette Drive, boil order issued

August 17, 2023 5:00 PM Ryan Shiner

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) A water main break has been reported near the intersection of West Worley Street and Bernadette Drive. Columbia Water and Light posted on its social media around 2:40 p.m. that crews are repairing. A boil order will be issued. About 124 customers are affected, according to the Water and Light outage map.

Back-to-school events planned ahead of the start of the school year

August 17, 2023 5:26 AM Isabella Roberts

EDITOR’S NOTE: The date of an event has been corrected. COLUMBIA, Mo (KMIZ) As families prepare to head back to school, local charities are making sure students have what they need to succeed this year. Powerhouse Community Development’s Back to School Bash is set to be held Thursday from 2 to 6 p.m. at the MU

Columbia Public Schools aims to bulk up driver’s education program

August 16, 2023 7:39 PM Mitchell Kaminski

COLUMBIA, Mo (KMIZ) Driver’s education is near the top of Columbia Public Schools’ 2023-24 safety initiatives, and the district is taking measures to bulk up its driving curriculum. According to the district’s latest safety update, CPS will introduce small programming opportunities to some schools with the goal to expand them in the future. The goal

City of Columbia sued, accused of negligence, racial discrimination in 2020 death investigation by mother of man who died

August 16, 2023 7:45 PM Marina Diaz

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) The City of Columbia is being sued by Doressia T. Mckee, who alleges racial discrimination led to the Columbia Police Department mishandling the death investigation of her son. Freddie McKee, 37, was found dead outside of a home in July 2020 on Switzler Street. On Dec. 8, after a request from the

Jury trial set for Fiji member accused in Santulli hazing case; trial to begin in January

August 16, 2023 6:59 PM Ryan Shiner

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) Trial dates have been set for one of the University of Missouri fraternity members accused in the Danny Santulli hazing case. Benjamin Karl, 21, of Columbia, was charged with felony hazing. A jury will be pooled from Warren County. A pretrial conference is scheduled for 10 a.m. Monday, Dec. 4. A three-day

CPS moving forward with building projects ahead of new school year

August 16, 2023 6:22 PM Meghan Drakas

Columbia Public Schools is working on more than two dozen projects to renovate or build new buildings across the district as another academic year starts.

CPS continues to look at increasing daily attendance, follow school improvement plan

August 15, 2023 8:33 PM Nia Hinson

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) A week from Tuesday is the first day of class for Columbia Public Schools, and district leaders have designed a plan to improve the needs of the district. The plan aims to make improvements in three particular areas, including growth, innovation and achievement. Progress toward the improvements will start this school year,

Charge downgraded for Columbia man accused of murdering family member

August 16, 2023 3:33 PM Ryan Shiner

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) A Columbia man accused of murdering a man last year saw one of his charges downgraded on Monday. Samuel E. Brotherton, 22, is now charged with second-degree murder and armed criminal action. He was previously charged with first-degree murder and armed criminal action. Brotherton is being held at the Boone County Jail

Breach affects companies that handle UM System data

August 16, 2023 10:29 AM Matthew Sanders

The University of Missouri System confirmed Wednesday that a data breach of a file transfer system compromised information about employees, students and retirees.