COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) A man who was accused of sexually abusing a child at a Moberly restaurant earlier this year was found guilty by a Randolph County jury on Friday. Hector Marcos-Perez, 33, was found guilty of second-degree child molestation of a youth who is younger than 12 years old. He will be sentenced at
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COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) A woman has sued the Otterville School District and its superintendent, claiming that her First Amendment rights were violated after she was banned from athletic events in the district. The lawsuit – which was filed in the Western District Court of Missouri on Tuesday – says Teni Northern was banned from her
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COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) A Columbia man has been charged with a child sex crime after authorities say he messaged someone who posed as a minor and asked them to meet for sex. Torrey Guerra, 48, was charged with child enticement and misdemeanor illegal possession of drug paraphernalia. He is being held at the Boone County
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COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) A portion of Business Loop 70 that closed earlier this month for roundabout construction has reopened. The new roundabout is now in use and is expected to give Business Loop 70 direct access to Interstate 70 by 2027, a Wednesday press release from the Missouri Department of Transportation says. Business Loop 70
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COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) Amazon is planning to build a data center north of Interstate 70 in Montgomery County. The retail and cloud computing giant has secured land and now needs a building permit from the county for its data center between New Florence and High Hill, said Steve Etcher with the Greater Montgomery County Economic
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COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) The viewing platform at Eagle Bluffs Conservation Area has reopened after two years. The platform was closed for renovations and removal of boardwalks in November 2023, according to the Missouri Department of Conservation. The boardwalks had become a safety concern, the department says. The trail remains accessible from the Katy Trail and
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COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) Columbia police said Wednesday that a man charged over the summer with a 2018 rape was arrested in St. Louis. Antonio E. Bates, 58, of St. Louis, was arrested Tuesday on a warrant for first-degree rape, according to a Columbia Police Department news release. A CPD spokesman said Bates will be brought
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EDITOR’S NOTE: AI was used to research background for this story. COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) A company paying people to get signatures on a petition to overturn a new Missouri congressional map has denied it employs illegal immigrants, a claim made this week by the state’s attorney general. Missouri Attorney General Catherine Hanaway has launched an
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COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) Lawyers for the State and People Not Politicians met in federal court Tuesday for a hearing to determine whether a judge will block Missouri’s new congressional map. A lawsuit filed by People Not Politicians is over a referendum to block the newly created congressional map that the group wants on next year’s
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COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) Hundreds of free rides will be offered starting Wednesday afternoon, ahead of the Thanksgiving holiday and as the Missouri State Highway Patrol begins the holiday counting period. According to the Highway Patrol, the night before Thanksgiving is sometimes called “Blackout Wednesday,” a term that has become popular for social gatherings and heavy
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PILOT GROVE, Mo. (KMIZ) The response to an EF-2 tornado that damaged or destroyed dozens of buildings in Pilot Grove was hampered by some first responders not being able to communicate with each other using radios at the scene. A four-page “after-action report” drawn up by the Cooper County Emergency Management Agency gives insight into
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COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) Shopping for Thanksgiving this year likely put less of a strain on people’s wallets this year, according to a survey. The American Farm Bureau Federation’s annual Thanksgiving survey shows a Thanksgiving dinner was down about 5% in 2025, compared to 2024. The report states an average dinner for 10 people costs roughly
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COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) With the federal government shutdown over and SNAP benefits restored, local nonprofits say the demand for emergency assistance remains, and CoMoHelps will continue taking requests for at least another week. The collaborative relief fund — relaunched in October as SNAP benefits were halted — has now allocated nearly $60,000 to 11 agencies, according
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COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) The City of Sedalia announced in a Tuesday social media post that the Pettis County Health Center has set up three naloxone vending machines for public use. Naloxone – also known by its brand-named version Narcan – is used to reverse the effects of opioid overdoses. One machine is outside the Pettis
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COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) The Department of Justice confirmed on Tuesday that the name of a law enforcement operation that led to several arrests in Columbia last week was named after a song by The Killers. Operation Brightside — which resulted in 33 arrests and 19 indictments for mostly illegal gun possession – was named after
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COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) A Holts Summit man pleaded guilty on Friday to three felonies in a January 2024 hammer attack at a Columbia bar. Kurtis Hoener pleaded guilty to two counts of first-degree assault and one count of armed criminal action. He was sentenced to 13 years in prison for the charges. Court documents in
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COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) A Jefferson City woman was charged with multiple felonies on Tuesday after she allegedly used a knife to attack another woman. Nica Turner, 64, was charged with second-degree domestic assault, unlawful use of a weapon and armed criminal action. She is being held at the Cole County Jail without bond. An arraignment
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COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) A man who was accused of firing a gun Monday at a Boonville intersection has been charged with several felonies. Dorian Gardner, 37, of Boonville, was charged on Wednesday with first-degree domestic assault, armed criminal action, illegal gun possession and endangering the welfare of a child. He is being held at the
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COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) The Missouri Tigers are looking to get back in the win column to close the season. The 7-4 Tigers will travel to Fayetteville on Saturday to take on Arkansas at 2:30 p.m. in the Battle Line Rivalry game. The Tigers are coming off a loss to Oklahoma last weekend in Norman. Watch
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Maxwell Warren, a student at the University of Missouri, was recently accused of strangling someone at a residence hall after being blocked on Snapchat. The 18-year-old Kansas man was charged on November 3 with first-degree burglary, second-degree domestic assault, first-degree domestic assault and misdemeanor fourth-degree assault.
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