COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) Columbia Public Schools is adapting to the evolution of artificial intelligence and its use throughout the district. CPS spokesperson Michelle Baumstark said the district has a group working to learn more about various aspects of AI. This effort is being led by Beth Winton under the direction of Adam Taylor, the district’s
Continue Reading
JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (KMIZ) Jefferson City officials introduced an $86.9 million spending plan Thursday that Mayor Ron Fitzwater described as a “bare bones budget to meet the needs of this city.” The proposed fiscal year 2026 budget, presented to the City Council’s first Budget Committee meeting, comes in close to last year’s approved total of $86.5
Continue Reading
COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) The Legion of Black Collegians claims the University of Missouri is trying to erase its presence, while administrators cite inclusivity concerns over a canceled event. The Legion of Black Collegians stated in an Instagram post on Wednesday that its “Black 2 Class Block Party” was canceled after administrators took issue with the
Continue Reading
COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) President Donald Trump on Thursday morning on Truth Social praised Missouri Republicans for talking about redistricting. No official plans have made yet, but a spokesperson from Gov. Mike Kehoe’s office said the governor and lawmakers are considering options for a special session. Kehoe had publicly backed the idea earlier this month. “As
Continue Reading
COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) The City of Columbia’s Office of Violence Prevention is considering adding two “community navigation liaisons” to help defuse problems on the city’s public transit. “What this program does is it puts individuals on the transit lines with the driver to de-escalate and to actually navigate folks to services so that they’re not,
Continue Reading
COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) Three people were injured – one seriously – in a two-vehicle crash Thursday on Route E at Dove Road in Pettis County, according to a Missouri State Highway Patrol crash report. The report says a 2003 Subaru Impreza – driven by a 27-year-old Sedalia woman – was heading east, failed to
Continue Reading
COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) Two downtown Columbia parking lots will close for a couple of days in sequential weeks, according to a Thursday press release from the city. Contractors will perform maintenance on the two lots, which includes filling cracks, sealing asphalt and restriping parking spaces, the release says. The Tenth and Walnut parking lot will
Continue Reading
COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) The trial for a Jefferson City man who was accused of assaulting a man who later died in 2023 ended in a hung jury, according to Cole County Prosecutor Locke Thompson. Jeremy Alexander, 24, was charged in the case with first-degree assault. He was also previously charged with second-degree felony murder, but
Continue Reading
COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) The ramp from Center Street in Holts Summit to eastbound Highway 54 will be closed Monday, according to a Thursday press release from the Missouri Department of Transportation. The ramp will be closed for resurfacing from 7 a.m.-4 p.m., the release says. Drivers must use an alternate route and all work is
Continue Reading
COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) A 17-year-old boy from Fortuna was airlifted to University Hospital on Thursday morning after a three-vehicle crash occurred in Morgan County on Highway 52 at Route T, according to a crash report from the Missouri State Highway Patrol. The report says the crash occurred as a 2013 Chevrolet Silverado 2500 – driven
Continue Reading
COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) The Columbia Board of Education approved Thursday a decrease in property tax rate for Columbia Public Schools. For the 2025-26 school year, the tax rate is dropping by nearly 16 cent, meaning property owners will pay CPS $5.55 for every $1,000 of assessed value in property taxes for the year. However, due
Continue Reading
The answer to the question Mizzou football fans have waited all offseason to hear came Wednesday: both. Coach Eli Drinkwitz said Wednesday that he will play both Beau Pribula and Sam Horn in Mizzou’s season opener next week. Fans have speculated all season about which QB — graduate transfer Pribula or returning redshirt junior Sam
Continue Reading
COLUMBIA, MO. (KMIZ) Some parents of students who attend Columbia Public Schools are not pleased with a new bus company the district rolled out, two days into the school year. CPS debuted its new bus service, DS Bus Lines during its first day of school on Tuesday, after it signed a three-year contract in February.
Continue Reading
JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (KMIZ) A Missourian who contracted an amoeba that kills brain cells at the Lake of the Ozarks has died, the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services said Wednesday. The Department of Mental Health and Senior Services stated in a news release that the person, whose gender and age have not been
Continue Reading
FULTON, Mo. (KMIZ) Fulton Public School students were back in the classroom today to kick off the 2025 school year. Safety is top of mind for the district, which has more than 2,300 students across its six schools. This will be the start of the district’s student resource officer’s first full year. Officer Mackenzie Elmore
Continue Reading
COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) With the first day of classes in less than a week, the University of Missouri campus is alive with thousands of students moving into dorms. MU’s Director of Housing Tyler Page estimates 2,500 students arrived on Wednesday and another 1,500 will join on Thursday, with returning students expected to trickle in before
Continue Reading
JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (KMIZ) Cole County deputies on Wednesday took part in an active-shooter training session at Lincoln University, giving deputies a realistic scenario to prepare for the worst. Inside an empty Perry Hall, about a dozen deputies practiced their response. “So the training is about the response to an active shooter, we try to
Continue Reading
Starting Aug. 28, period products, diapers and incontinence products will be exempt from all sales and use taxes, according to the Missouri Department of Revenue, including state and local. Tax for Columbia is about 8.975%, which adds roughly .45 cents to a $5 item. While the tax exemption will help lower the cost of menstruation
Continue Reading
COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) A Kansas City man was charged in Boone County after he allegedly led law enforcement on a high-speed chase last month on Interstate 70. Beau Barrera was charged in Boone County with first-degree attempted assault and aggravated fleeing. A warrant was ordered and no bond was set. He was charged in Montgomery
Continue Reading
COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) Prosecutors are seeking to amend a charge for a man who is scheduled to go to trial next month for his alleged role in a shooting that occurred in December outside of a Boone County bar. Steven Jones, 45, of Columbia, is charged with illegal gun possession and is being held at
Continue Reading