NAACP lawsuitDownload COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) The Missouri NAACP has sued Attorney General Andrew Bailey for failing to include the disparity index, a key racial profiling measure, in the state’s 2023 annual vehicle stops report. The disparity index measures whether officers are stopping minority drivers at a higher rate than white drivers. It is published in
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JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (KMIZ) Black drivers were again pulled over at a rate surpassing white drivers in Missouri in 2024, according to an annual report released Thursday. The Attorney General’s Vehicle Stops Report is due on June 1 each year, but was released early with that date falling on a weekend. The report provides data
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COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) A lawsuit filed by an umpire who was accused of attacking a woman and a deputy in 2023 was moved to federal court on Wednesday. Neal Sidebottom, of Versailles, was charged in 2023 with first-degree assault and misdemeanor resisting arrest. The case was transferred last year from Camden County to Moniteau County. A judge was
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COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) A sex offender in Fulton was charged with a plethora of child sex crimes on Thursday. Leslie Lee Rodgers, 65, was charged with two counts of child enticement, seven counts of statutory sodomy of a victim younger than 12 years old, two counts of first-degree child molestation and two counts of tampering
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COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) The Columbia City Clerk’s Office has confirmed that Vera Elwood will appear on the ballot in the Aug. 5 election for the open Ward 2 seat. City Clerk Sheela Amin wrote in an email that her petition – which was submitted last week – was deemed sufficient. She is running against Ken
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COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) The Columbia Fire Department will continue doing training exercises on Thursday at the parking garage on Fifth and Walnut in downtown Columbia. During the training, the stairwell on the west side of the garage will be closed to the public, however, all other areas of the garage will be available for parking.
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Elon Musk is done with governing. The tech billionaire said Wednesday that he is stepping down immediately from his role with DOGE, which has made waves with its job cuts and other moves to reduce government spending (critics point out that government spending hasn’t actually gone down). May 30 had long been eyed as an
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COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) A crash in the westbound lane of Interstate 70 led to a lane of traffic becoming blocked on Wednesday night. A viewer at 10:14 p.m. said they saw the crash occur minutes before in the westbound lane and said multiple cars were involved. Boone County Joint Communications sent a notification at 10:17
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EDITOR’S NOTE: The story has been corrected to remove a reference to fighting teens being armed. COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) A 16-year-old is in custody on suspicion of taking part in a fight that led to a deadly shooting Tuesday just outside Columbia. The teen suspect and the victim were part of groups that had met
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COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) More than a month after a tornado destroyed Columbia’s recycling facility, nearby cities are grappling with an influx of recyclables. Columbia’s recycling program has been suspended since the April storm that leveled the city’s facility, forcing the closure of curbside collection and all eight drop-off centers. Curbside pickup is still active, but
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COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) Jackson County Judge Jerri Zhang issued an order vacating her previous rulings that allowed abortions to continue in Missouri. The action withdraws Zhang’s own prior orders and is procedural with the Missouri Supreme Court’s decision on Tuesday that stopped the enforcement of state abortion regulations. The high court ordered Zhang to end
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COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) Several Mid-Missouri law-enforcement agencies are taking part in active-shooter training at the Community R-6 school district until the end of the week, the Audrain County Sheriff’s Office wrote in a Wednesday social media post. The post said the training occurred Wednesday and would last until Friday. “Passersby and residents will notice
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COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) A Jefferson City man who is currently incarcerated has been charged with several child sex crimes dating back to 2012. Joe Stevens, 39, was charged on Wednesday in Cole County with two counts of first-degree statutory rape, one count of forcible rape, three counts of forcible sodomy, three counts of first-degree child
Continue Reading COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) Three people were arrested and charged with misdemeanors after refusing to leave an establishment after a bar fight in Morgan County on Sunday. Nicole Patricia Kusgen, 50, of Jefferson City, was charged with first-degree trespassing, resisting arrest and disturbing the peace. She posted a $10,000 bond and was release from the Morgan
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COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) Two people charged with first-degree murder in Benton County in a Columbia man’s death appeared in court on Tuesday and pleaded not guilty. Michael Birnbaum, 28, and Kayley Birnbaum, 35, both of Springfield, Missouri, are charged with first-degree murder and armed criminal action. They are being held at the Benton County Jail
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COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) The Missouri Supreme Court on Tuesday ended a ruling that stopped the enforcement of state abortion regulations, telling a Jackson County judge to try again. The ruling says that Judge Jerri Zhang applied the wrong legal standard when she approved a preliminary injunction in December 2024 to block the enforcement of state
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Gov. Mike Kehoe is calling lawmakers back to Jefferson City. The primary purpose — a public financing package to help keep the Kansas City Chiefs and Royals in Missouri. Kehoe laid out his plans Tuesday for a special session that will take place next month. The main piece of the session will be legislation to
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COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) A spokesman for the Boone County Sheriff’s Office confirmed on Tuesday night that one person was shot and killed in a neighborhood north of Clark Lane. Brian Leer, of the Boone County Sheriff’s Office, said an 18-year-old man was shot and killed on North Frideriki Drive. Fire Department dispatch logs showed there
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JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (KMIZ) Gov. Mike Kehoe unveiled plans for a special session to take up legislation to incentivize sports teams to stay in Missouri and fund capital projects like a University of Missouri nuclear reactor during a Capitol news conference Tuesday. Kehoe will bring lawmakers together next month to discuss financial incentives for stadium
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BENTON CO, Mo. (KMIZ) Two people were arrested in Springfield, Missouri, on Sunday and charged with murder in connection with the 2021 death of a Columbia man. Cody Garrett, 28, was reported missing on June 21, 2021. Benton County deputies found Garrett’s vehicle and remains off the trails near a bike park outside Warsaw, Missouri.
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