Local News Archives

Columbia City Council approves $96K contract for pedestrian safety study amid concerns of panhandlers standing in medians

March 17, 2025 7:15 PM Mitchell Kaminski

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) The Columbia City Council on Monday night approved an agreement with a third-party professional engineering service to conduct a street and intersection pedestrian safety study. The $96,550 agreement with George L. Crawford & Associates, Inc. will look into potential changes to ordinances and procedures for the city to align toward Vision Zero,

Columbia Fire Department assistant chief describes wreckage in Rolla

March 17, 2025 6:52 PM Ryan Shiner

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) Members of the Columbia Fire Department and other agencies went to Rolla after the area was devastated by storms on Friday night. CFD Assistant Fire Chief Lester Shewmake was among those who responded after the tornado hit. He said seeing the destruction left behind gave a “different feeling.” “I’ve been down there quite

GoFundMe gives scam-spotting guidelines following deadly tornadoes

March 17, 2025 2:17 PM Erika McGuire

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) Several tornadoes touched down in Missouri on Friday, destroying homes, businesses and schools, prompting victims to create GoFundMe accounts asking for donations to cover disaster relief. Severe weather events also prompt scammers to lurk and take advantage of a desperate situation. There are several guidelines to use when trying to determine whether

Columbia man accused of pulling out gun during 2 road rage incidents

March 17, 2025 4:55 PM Ryan Shiner

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) A Columbia man was charged with felonies in two cases after he allegedly pulled out a gun during a pair of road rage incidents. Richard McDonald, 62, was charged with unlawful use of a weapon and armed criminal action in a case stemming from an alleged Feb. 1 incident. He was charged

New Bloomfield man charged with child molestation in Callaway County

March 17, 2025 3:54 PM Ryan Shiner

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) A New Bloomfield man was charged with first-degree child molestation on Monday. Benjamin Speaks, 19, is being held at the Callaway County Jail without bond. An initial court appearance is scheduled for 8:30 a.m. Tuesday. The probable cause statement says the Callaway County Sheriff’s Office was given a report on Feb. 28

Man charged with rape in Cole County; father of victim accused of moving suspect into his home from Florida

March 17, 2025 3:22 PM Ryan Shiner

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) Two men have been charged with child sex crimes in Cole County. Travis Kalchbrenner, 31, was charged with first-degree rape, first-degree sodomy, two counts of statutory rape, one count of first-degree sexual abuse and one count of fourth-degree child molestation. He is being held at the Cole County Jail without bond. An

NWS confirms EF-2 tornado in Phelps County alongside multiple tornadoes in St. Louis area, more surveys expected Monday

March 16, 2025 6:42 PM Jessica Hafner

The National Weather Service in Springfield on Sunday confirmed an EF-2 tornado hit Phelps County and Rolla on Friday night. The tornado was on the ground for 8 minutes and traveled about 8.7 miles. The maximum winds were rated at 120 mph as the storm traveled from about 4 miles southeast of Doolittle to about

Two men charged after Mexico shooting

March 17, 2025 9:29 AM Jazsmin Halliburton

MEXICO, Mo. (KMIZ) Two Mexico men have been charged with four felonies apiece in connection with a Saturday shooting. Monterio M. Truss, 25, and Branden J. Truss, 28, were each charged with first-degree assault, armed criminal action and two counts each of unlawful use of a weapon, according to online court records. The Mexico Public

Rolla Public Schools cancels classes for the week after EF-2 tornado hits

March 16, 2025 11:25 PM Nia Hinson

PHELPS COUNTY, Mo. (KMIZ) Rolla Public Schools announced Sunday that schools will be closed all week. According to a social media post from the district, due to the extensive damage to buildings caused by Friday night’s storm, school will not be in session this week. The days are not expected to impact the calendar or

QUESTION OF THE DAY: Did last week’s storms leave damage in your area?

March 17, 2025 3:54 AM Matthew Sanders

Severe storms that hit Mid-Missouri on Friday evening continued to roll through the state that night, leaving damage everywhere they went. At least a dozen Missourians were killed in Friday night storms alone, while dozens died in the nationwide severe weather outbreak. At least three tornadoes hit the St. Louis area. Rolla was one of

Camden County issues red flag warning after severe fires

March 16, 2025 9:37 PM Marie Moyer

CAMDEN COUNTY Mo. (KMIZ) Mack’s Creek in Camden County is seeing relief after a multi-fire event Friday night. According to a press release from Southwest Camden County Fire Protection District, Friday’s fire was made up of four different blazes, starting on Highway U, River Ridge Road, Stanton Chapel Drive and Jack Burch Drive. The fires

At least 3 tornadoes hit St. Louis area Friday, National Weather Service confirms

March 16, 2025 10:24 AM Haley Swaino

The National Weather Service in St. Louis has confirmed three tornadoes hit the St. Louis area during Friday’s storms, according to a Saturday X post.

Rolla community bands together during cleanup efforts following devastating tornado

March 15, 2025 9:34 PM Marie Moyer

ROLLA, Mo. (KMIZ) Various members of the community worked from Friday night through Saturday to help with recovery efforts after the City of Rolla was hit by a tornado Friday. “It’s the community we work in, community we live in and I mean, every law enforcement that’s there, first responder, it’s home and it’s hard

Boone County Fire Protection District disaster team deployed to Piedmont

March 15, 2025 8:23 PM Nia Hinson

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) The Boone County Fire Protection district sent a team to Piedmont, Missouri Saturday morning. According to a press release from the department, three people from its Disaster Situation Awareness and Reconnaissance team deployed to Piedmont around 7:30 Saturday morning as part of a statewide fire mutual aid request. The team was tasked

Columbia Fire Department answers statewide mutual-aid request to support Rolla Fire Department

March 15, 2025 11:39 AM Haley Swaino

The Columbia Fire Department answered a statewide request for assistance on Friday to aid the Rolla Fire Department as part of the state’s mobilization initiative.

Columbia Fire Department responds to two house fires amid severe thunderstorms

March 15, 2025 11:25 AM Haley Swaino

The Columbia Fire Department responded to two house fires and 77 emergency calls amid severe thunderstorms on Friday.

At least 12 dead after severe weather rips through Missouri

March 15, 2025 10:33 AM Haley Swaino

The Missouri State Highway Patrol has received reports of at least 10 storm-related deaths, according to a Saturday morning X post.

Six are dead in Wayne County, two in Ozark County, one in Butler County and one in Jefferson County.

Camden County declares state of emergency after 30 buildings damaged, destroyed

March 14, 2025 2:31 PM Ryan Shiner, Matthew Sanders

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) The Camden County Commission has declared a state of emergency after roughly 30 buildings “were either damaged or destroyed,” according to a Friday night Facebook post from the county’s office of emergency management. “The EOC was activated, Road & Bridge provided heavy equipment and the Sheriff’s Department provided intelligence and reconnaissance for

North Carolina man gets life in prison for 1984 Columbia rape and assault

March 14, 2025 2:56 PM Matthew Sanders

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) A North Carolina man convicted last month in a Columbia rape and assault from 1984 was sentenced Friday to two consecutive life sentences. A jury convicted Wilson of rape and first-degree assault for raping and repeatedly stabbing a 17-year-old girl in the throat in the 4000 block of Wellington Drive in northeast

Man charged in Dove Drive has plea hearing pushed back for second time

March 14, 2025 10:37 AM Erika McGuire

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) One of the men charged for a deadly shooting on Dove Drive in Columbia had his plea hearing pushed back for a second time. Friday afternoon, Judge Jacobs Hasbrouck said in court Crocket and his attorney Andrew Garnett were scheduled to speak by phone Wednesday about his plea deal but the phones