COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) A home health aide was charged on Friday in Cole County after authorities claimed she stole $2,200 from an elderly woman in October 2025. Elondra Johnson-Lopez, of Holts Summit, was charged with stealing more than $750 and financially exploiting an elderly person. She was not listed on the Cole County Jail roster
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COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) A Jefferson City Sam’s Club employee was charged with a felony after she allegedly stole $2,664.29 from the business. Samantha Gates, of Barnett, was charged on Friday in Cole County with stealing more than $750. A warrant was issued and a $2,664 cash only bond was set. She was not listed on
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COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) A Jefferson City man was accused of robbing someone Tuesday night while he was on a video call on his cellphone, court documents allege. Billy J. Reed, 30, was charged with first-degree robbery. He is being held at the Cole County Jail without bond. A court date has not been scheduled. The
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JOPLIN, Mo. (KMIZ) Friday marks 15 years since a deadly EF-5 tornado packing winds in excess of 200 mph slammed into the heart of Joplin, killing 161 people and destroying hundreds of homes and buildings, including St. John’s Regional Medical Center. The hospital suffered severe structural damage as windows were blown out across most of
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COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) A Jefferson City man was charged on Tuesday with second-degree statutory rape in Cole County. Page Guss, 22, is being held at the Cole County Jail without bond. An arraignment was scheduled for Wednesday afternoon. The probable cause statement says the victim’s mother called Columbia police on May 16 to say their
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This winter may be the last that the Jefferson City Room at the Inn operates at the First Baptist Church on Capitol Avenue.
JCRATI is an emergency, overnight homeless shelter that operates during the winter months.
But Housing the Community Jefferson City, JCRATI’s parent organization, could soon be housing the city’s homeless at a new headquarters.
After more than two years of searching for a larger location, the organization announced at a press conference Tuesday morning that it has signed an option-to-purchase agreement with the owner of 107 Adams St. and filed a zoning application for the building.
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JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (KMIZ) A national teen driving program kicked off its teaching season in the Show-Me State. Be Responsible And Keep Everyone Safe, held a total of five three-hour sessions over the weekend at the Missouri EVOC Training Center, with more than 180 students participating. Rick Valentine, a Senior Instructor with B.R.A.K.E.S., said the
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JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (KMIZ) This year’s legislative session brought a major focus on public safety, as state leaders pushed a series of new laws aimed at protecting Missourians. In April, Governor Mike Kehoe signed two bills targeting child safety, along with legislation designed to strengthen law enforcement and public safety efforts. One of those measures,
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COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) A Jefferson City man has pleaded guilty to first-degree involuntary manslaughter in an August 2024 bar fight that led to a man’s death. Kamari Balton, 27, was previously charged with second-degree murder in the death of Rafael Ayala. He pleaded guilty in Cole County on Friday morning. He will be sentenced at
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JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (KMIZ) People Not Politicians will be holding a rally Friday afternoon, demanding that the Secretary of State immediately certify the referendum petition challenging the “Missouri First” congressional map. The People Not Politicians protest will be in front of Secretary of State Denny Hoskins’s office starting at noon. Earlier this week, the redrawn
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COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) A Moberly man who was accused of trying to carjack a woman at the Jefferson City airport last month has been charged in federal court. Brian Koch, 28, is accused of trying to pose as a police officer before pulling out a gun and a machete at a woman in a
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COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) A Fulton man who is accused of killing his Russellville classmate in 1991 will have his case tried by the Missouri Attorney General’s Office. William “Chris” Niemet’s first-degree murder case was refiled Wednesday in Cole County with Miranda Loesch, of the AG’s office, and Cole County Prosecutor Locke Thompson listed as the
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COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) Two men from Mid-Missouri were charged on Wednesday in separate federal cases involving child sex abuse material. In the first case, Lance Larkin, 35, of Boonville, was charged with receiving and possessing child pornography. The Missouri State Highway Patrol determined an illicit file was shared from the IP address of Larkin’s computer,
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JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (KMIZ) A crash took out electricity close to hundreds of Ameren Missouri customers Wednesday just after noon. Ameren’s outage map reported 472 customers without service centered in the Apache Flats area of western Jefferson City just before 2 p.m. Restoration work could last hours, the map says. Missouri State Highway Patrol Sgt.
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COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) No injuries were reported in a Tuesday house fire in the 3800 block of Scarborough Way in Jefferson City, according to a press release from the Jefferson City Fire Department. Crews were called at 6:57 p.m. and saw smoke and fire coming from the home when they arrived, the release says. Two
Continue Reading JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (KMIZ) The redrawn “Missouri First” congressional maps were upheld by the Missouri Supreme Court on Tuesday. Legal battles have persisted over the mid-decade map since its inception, with critics claiming it gerrymanders the state in order to give Republicans an additional House seat. The state’s high court heard three cases on Tuesday
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Mid-Missouri residents are invited to drop off any unused electronics and devices on Saturday at a drive-thru recycling event in Jefferson City.
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COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) Jefferson City High School’s graduation ceremony on Friday will be moved indoors because of inclement weather, according to an email from a district spokesman. The email says seniors have been given six tickets each in case the ceremony was going to be moved to Fleming Fieldhouse. Doors open at 6 p.m. Students
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JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (KMIZ) A Jefferson City man who ran from a crash last week, prompting a multi-day search amid concerns about his safety, has been charged with a felony. Nathan J. Spencer, 20, was found safe Friday in a wooded area near Capitol View Drive, Jefferson City Police said. He had been missing since
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COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) A 30-year-old Jefferson City man is accused of breaking into the residence of Lincoln University’s president and staying there for two days. Lamont Batts Jr. is charged with first-degree burglary. He is being held at the Cole County Jail without bond and a court date has not been scheduled. The probable cause
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