COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) The first of several community mental health sessions in Columbia will take place 10 a.m.-2 p.m. Saturday at Hanover Village Community Center. Columbia Office of Violence Prevention Administrator D’Markus Thomas-Brown confirmed the first date on Tuesday. The city approved a $21,000 contract with TMT Consulting last month to provide six trauma-informed and community
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COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) The Columbia City Council on Monday unanimously approved an agreement with two businesses to provide parking for the NCAA cross country championships that will occur next month. The championships will occur Saturday, Nov. 22 and is expected to bring 3,000-5,000 spectators, in addition to the 32 men’s and women’s teams who will
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COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) The City of Columbia has suggested an ordinance that would make panhandling illegal at high-traffic intersections. “They’re calling it a pedestrian safety measure, but in reality it’s a getting the homeless out of the median ordinance,” said John Trapp, Executive Director for Columbia’s Room at the Inn. The ordinance would regulate the
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COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) Following calls from University of Missouri System President Mun Choi to address homelessness in downtown Columbia, police say their options remain limited. At a September press conference, Choi urged city leaders to consider a loitering ordinance and take steps to “clean up encampments” and tackle homelessness. Columbia Police Chief Jill Schlude said
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COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) Columbia residents had the chance to learn more about the city’s newly approved fiscal year 2026 budget during a “Let’s Talk Local” event on Wednesday night. Mayor Barbara Buffaloe hosted the discussion at Missouri United Methodist Church, where city officials outlined spending priorities and answered questions from the community. Around 35 people
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COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) Some Columbia City Council members are responding to University of Missouri System President Mun Choi’s push for the city to better address crime. Councilwomen from wards 1, 2 and 3 sent a joint letter to Choi on Tuesday, outlining the current action plans the city has taken to address the issue of
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EDITOR’S NOTE: AI was used to research the background for this story. COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) Seven businesses have signed up for Columbia Police to enforce trespassing and parking rules while they’re closed — four of them since Friday. University of Missouri and Columbia city leaders are asking downtown businesses to sign a form that would
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The issue of violent crime is again dominating public conversation in Columbia this fall. A Stephens College student from Columbia was killed last month as a random bystander in a shooting. The suspected killer used a handgun and allegedly fired 11 shots at innocent people. Since then, University of Missouri President Mun Choi has called
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COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) Columbia Police Chief Jill Schlude called the number of legal guns being carried downtown “shocking” in her statement to Columbia city leaders at Monday night’s council meeting. “Two of my assistant chiefs worked downtown over the weekend, and the remark that they made to me after the first night was they were
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COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) Columbia Mayor Barbara Buffaloe told ABC 17 News that she is no longer putting together a task force that addresses downtown crime. She announced the task force after it was requested by University of Missouri System President Mun Choi after a Stephens College student, Aiyanna Williams, was shot and killed in downtown
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COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) The City of Columbia is planning to take a second look at its stormwater management plan’s language. It comes after the Department of Natural Resources set a Nov. 15 deadline for the city to submit new draft ordinance language. DNR sent a letter to Mayor Barbara Buffaloe and Boone County Commissioner Kip
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COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) The Missouri Department of Natural Resources is not satisfied with the revised stormwater management plan the City of Columbia submitted in August to reduce waste from homeless encampments entering public waters. In a letter Thursday to Columbia Mayor Barbara Buffaloe and Boone County Commissioner Kip Kendrick, the department set a Nov. 15
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COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) Auditing criminal cases arising from incidents downtown and adding county deputies and state troopers to patrol shifts are among the plans Columbia and University of Missouri leaders have for reducing crime. MU and the City of Columbia on Wednesday put out a list of actions they’re taking to make downtown safer after
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COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) State lawmakers are reacting to the outpouring response by local leaders and community organizations following a deadly downtown Columbia shooting over the University of Missouri’s Homecoming weekend. Columbia police responded to a shooting in the 800 block of East Broadway just before 2 a.m. Saturday. Police found three people shot; one woman,
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COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) The City of Columbia Solid Waste Utility will host a customer input open house next week about the construction of its new recycling facility, according to a Tuesday press release. The meeting will be held 5:30-7:30 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 7 at the Activity and Recreation Center at 1701 Est Ash Street,
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COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) Columbia City Council members support the idea of the city taking a trip to the west. Columbia Police Department Asst. Chief Mark Fitzgerald told business owners during a meeting on Monday that CPD has been looking into the Lawrence, Kansas police department. “They seem to be several years down the road on
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COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) A $14.3 million settlement with internet provider Brightspeed helped give the City of Columbia more flexibility in its 2026 fiscal budget. However, tough decisions remain over how to keep the budget balanced in the future. Brightspeed, which was previously CenturyLink, was sued by Columbia and Joplin in 2014 over unpaid license taxes and
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COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) The Columbia City Council unanimously approved its $608 million budget on Monday evening following months of planning and public hearings. However, some feel that the process of presenting the budget could be improved. A candidate from this past August’s Ward 2 council race, Ken Rice, raised concerns about the “lack of transparency”
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COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) A years-long court case is over. Internet provider Brightspeed, which was previously CenturyLink, will pay the City of Columbia $14.3 million in a settlement over unpaid license taxes and fees, according to court documents. The settlement – which was obtained by ABC 17 News through a records request on Monday – was
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The Columbia City Council is set to vote on a $21,000 contract with TMT Consulting on Monday to provide six trauma informed and community mental health trainings across the city.
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