COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) A Columbia man was charged with two felonies and a misdemeanor after he allegedly admitted to stealing from Mizzou football tailgate sites “for years.” Reginald Dent, 64, was charged on Tuesday in Boone County with two counts of stealing more than $750 and a count of misdemeanor stealing. He posted a $9,500
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Editor’s note, 12/30/2025: The story has corrected information on the Jefferson City School District’s candidate filing deadlines. COLUMBIA, Mo. Candidates for most local elections in April 2026 must file by 5 p.m. Tuesday, including races for the Columbia Board of Education and city council seats in Jefferson City. In Columbia, filing is closing for the
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COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) Columbia College announced in a Monday press release that its Board of Trustees have named Toby Arquette as its next president. Arquette will become the school’s 19th president on March 1, succeeding David Russell, who announced his retirement earlier this year. The release says Arquette is currently at St. Ambrose University in
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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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Editor’s note: A paragraph previously referencing another education organization has been corrected to reflect that the proposal was passed by the Columbia Board of Education. COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) A Missouri state lawmaker is pursuing legislation aimed at limiting superintendent payouts and protecting taxpayers, building on a proposal originally put forward by Columbia Public Schools. State
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COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) Librarians at the University of Missouri in Columbia voted last week to unionize, according to a Friday press release from LiUNA 955, a union that represents several employee groups in Mid-Missouri. “We are hopeful that the UM System voluntarily recognizes our union and bargains in good faith.” engineering librarian Noël Kopriva said
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COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) Columbia Public Schools has determined how it will spend some of the $9 million it received from Boone County after a property-tax settlement with Ameren Missouri. The county reached a resolution earlier this year in a long-running dispute before the Missouri State Tax Commission. The agreement resolved litigation over property taxes owed
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COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) Safety and a strong learning environment is a top priority for Columbia Public Schools’ new Eagle Bluffs Elementary. The district broke ground on the project in the spring of 2024 and remains on track to be completed by fall 2026. The new two-story, $36 million facility will span 76,500 square feet and
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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) Health officials are expecting a busy flu season following the discovery of H3N2 subclade K, a variant of the Influenza A strain. According to the CDC, of the 91 Influenza A virus samples collected since Sept. 28, almost 87% belonged to subclade K. The genetic mutation of subclade K makes it only
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COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) The U.S. Senate unanimously passed a bill on Tuesday that aims to make the National Churchill Museum in Fulton a national landmark. Sen. Josh Hawley (R-MO) made the announcement of the bill’s passage in a post on X. The museum is located on Westminster College’s campus, which was the site of Churchill’s
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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) The field for the Jefferson City Board of Education race continues to grow. Cierra Griffin, in a Monday press release, announced her bid for one of the open seats on the board. Ryan Towner, Gretchen Duckworth, Trent Vallandingham and Michelle Rodemeyer announced their candidacies earlier this month. Three seats on the board are up
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COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) Columbia Public Schools filed a lawsuit Monday that claims the establishment of charter schools in Boone County is unconstitutional, with district leaders talking to reporters about the issue in a news conference afterward. The lawsuit names the state attorney general and the Missouri State Board of Education. It focuses on one of
Continue Reading COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) The Jefferson City Board of Education accepted the resignation of Board President Erika Leonard at its meeting on Wednesday night. An email from the school district says the board approved a process for accepting applications for the vacant seat on the board. Applications for the position can be placed at the Jefferson
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COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) A school bus from Fulton Public Schools was involved in a crash on Wednesday, according to an email sent to parents by the school district. No injuries were reported in the crash. The email says another bus picked up the remaining students and a 10-minute delay for drop-offs was expected. “This message
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COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) The State of Missouri and the U.S. Department of Education have reached a proposed settlement over the Biden administration’s student loan forgiveness program. The Education Department said Tuesday in a news release that the state has agreed not to enroll new borrowers in the SAVE student loan debt forgiveness plan, deny any
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JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (KMIZ) The president of the Jefferson City Board of Education has resigned, effective at the start of December. The board will review Erika Leonard’s resignation letter and talk about the potential board vacancy at its meeting on Wednesday. Leonard, in a letter posted with the meeting agenda, writes that she decided to
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COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) A climate survey from Columbia Public Schools shows some students are worried about equality. About 65% of students who completed the survey say bullying is not tolerated, but that enforcement was not consistent. That opinion came up again in the discipline category. Only 53% of students feel that the district’s rules
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