Columbia commission members vary on timeline of vaping regulation
As vaping related-illnesses continue to make headlines across the country, local leaders have varying opinions about how to move forward with regulations.
Continue ReadingHealth
Bed bugs found in state office building; extermination efforts underway
Employees in two office suites of the Harry S. Truman State Office Building were allowed to work from home starting last Friday after bed bugs were discovered.
Continue Reading Trump to pursue higher sales age for e-cigarettes
WASHINGTON (AP) President Donald Trump said Friday his administration will pursue raising the age to purchase electronic cigarettes from 18 to 21 in its upcoming plans to combat youth vaping. Trump told reporters his administration will release its final plans for restricting e-cigarettes next week but provided few other details. “We have to take care
Continue Reading
Invasive bug species confirmed in Mid-Missouri counties
COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) The state conservation department announced several Mid-Missouri counties are affected by an invasive bug species that attacks ash trees. The Missouri Department of Conservation said Wednesday the Emerald Ash Borer is impacting more communities around the state. MDC released a list of 16 counties where the species was found recently. Of the
Continue Reading
New partnership between MU and Special Olympics
COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) The Special Olympics of Missouri announced a new partnership with the University of Missouri System Wednesday. The announcement was held at the Aquatic Mezzanine in the Mizzou Rec at 11:30 a.m. The new relationship includes the University of Missouri System schools and MU Health Care. MU officials said the partnership could lead
Continue Reading Possible ban on e-cigarette products in Columbia
COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) The Columbia City Council reviewed a report Monday from the Columbia/Boone County Board of Health asking the council to temporarily ban the sale of flavored e-cigarette products within city limits. The temporary ban is meant to buy time for city staff to create a more permanent ordinance. The report says flavored e-cigarette
Continue Reading
Mumps found in Boone County
BOONE COUNTY, Mo. (KMIZ) Columbia and Boone County Public Health and Human Services identified multiple reported cases of mumps on Friday. The department confirmed fewer than 10 cases of the illness, said PHHS spokesman Lucio Bitoy. Health care providers are working to identify anyone who might have come in contact with those who have confirmed
Continue Reading
Seven Jefferson City school kitchens inspected in September
The Jefferson City Environmental Health Services Department inspected 36 food establishments in September and identified 16 “priority” violations. “Priority violations are items that, if in non-compliance, are more likely to contribute to food contamination, illness, or an environmental health hazard,” – The City of Jefferson’s website. City inspectors identified 46 “core” violations in September, which
Continue Reading
Emergency service crews help during widespread phone outage
Construction crews caused a fiber cut on Monday that left people in both Kansas and Missouri without internet or phone services. The outage was specific to CenturyLink customers. CenturyLink said the problem was solved shortly after 6 p.m. Monday but, before the outage was fixed, emergency service crews around Boone County prepared to help. The
Continue Reading Boone County collects 853 pounds of medication in Drug Take Back event
Hundreds of pounds of prescription drugs were collected and disposed of over the weekend as part of a public safety campaign. The annual Prescription Drug Take Back event allows the public to safely throw away opioids and other medications that are no longer wanted or needed. Maj. Tom Reddin, of the Boone County Sheriff’s Department,
Continue Reading
Law enforcement tips for staying safe on Halloween
Halloween is less than one week away, and law enforcement agencies around mid-Missouri are already providing safety tips. The Missouri State Highway Patrol posted a safety reminder on its website. According to the media release, there are several things trick-or-treaters can do to or with their costumes to stay safe. The Highway Patrol suggests anyone
Continue Reading Columbia Regional Airport and fire protection district join forces
Work to expand Route H near Columbia Regional Airport began this week. The work, which will cause road closures, is broken down into four phases. Residents from the Englewood area held several meetings in September with officials from the airport, engineers working on the project and fire officials to discuss concerns about the scheduled work,
Continue Reading
Missouri governor launches anti-vaping campaign with executive order
In a press conference Tuesday, Gov. Mike Parson announced a new executive order that will launch an anti-vaping campaign. The “Clear the Air: The Risks of Youth Vaping” campaign will be coordinated by the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services, the Department of Public Safety and the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education. The
Continue Reading
Health officials encouraging flu vaccine after busy season in 2018-2019
Doctors are advising people to get their flu shots coming off a 2018-2019 flu season the CDC says was longer than other recent seasons. “Flu season is here already we start seeing cases in October so now is the time to get the vaccine, flu season runs through April, May and the highest numbers they
Continue Reading
Behind the Kitchen Door: Breaking down Boone County’s health inspections
ABC 17 News’ Behind the Kitchen Door looked at health inspection reports for Boone County businesses for the month of September. Below are the findings from that review. If an eatery did not have a reinspection date, all critical violations were corrected while the inspector was at the establishment conducting the inspection. Sycamore 9/30, all
Continue Reading
‘Cannabus’ making stops in Columbia
A mobile medical marijuana certification van dubbed the “Cannabus” was stopping in Columbia Wednesday. The “special mobile certification event” is being put on by organizations called Health City MD, a Brentwood-based company and The Cannabus MD and offers $125 physician certifications, which are necessary for medical marijuana cards. Dr. Zinia Thomas, the Cannabus MD said,
Continue Reading Missouri school district sues e-cigarette maker
A suburban St. Louis school district alleges in a lawsuit that a leading e-cigarette maker harmed its students through deceptive marketing and misconduct. The St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports that the Francis Howell School District filed the lawsuit Monday in federal court against Juul Labs. The suit says Juul’s vaping products cause “significant and ongoing nicotine
Continue Reading