COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) A Missouri state lawmaker is pursuing legislation aimed at limiting superintendent payouts and protecting taxpayers, building on a proposal originally put forward by Columbia Public Schools. State Rep. John Martin (R-Boone County) was in attendance for a November Columbia Board of Education meeting when he first heard that it was a legislative
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COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) The Boone County Commission on Thursdays approved the finalized budget for the 2026 fiscal year. Including money being using from the American Rescue Plan Act, expenditures for the new fiscal year are expected to total $156 million. Officials say the budget will allow for pay raises for some county employees. Presiding Commissioner
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COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) The U.S. Senate unanimously passed a bill on Tuesday that aims to make the National Churchill Museum in Fulton a national landmark. Sen. Josh Hawley (R-MO) made the announcement of the bill’s passage in a post on X. The museum is located on Westminster College’s campus, which was the site of Churchill’s
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CENTRALIA, Mo. (KMIZ) – The City of Centralia will seek a sales tax increase to be approved by voters in the April 2026 municipal election. Centralia City Administrator Tara Strain said the increase would take the city’s sales tax from 1% to 2%. As of now, the additional revenue would go to the city’s general
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COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) The City of Columbia on Friday held its first legislative priorities session, bringing together local leaders and state lawmakers at City Hall to align ahead of the 2026 legislative session. Columbia Mayor Barbra Buffaloe said the session was about ensuring Columbia’s priorities are heard in Jefferson City. “There’s a lot of priorities
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EDITOR’S NOTE: A candidate whose name was left out has been added to the story. COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) Candidates started filing to run for municipal office on Tuesday, formalizing their campaigns ahead of the April 2026 election. Each of Jefferson City’s five wards will have a seat up for election. As of Tuesday afternoon, the
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COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) Protesters against the Trump Administration are now using body cams to record interactions with counter-protesters. Boone County Democrats protest at the intersection of West Broadway and Stadium Boulevard every Saturday from 10:30-11:30 a.m. During the last protest on Nov. 22, a counter-protester walked through and appeared to be recording other protesters and
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COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) Since March, members of the Boone County Democrats have spent their Saturday mornings protesting. But after an incident in late November, the group is now emphasizing peaceful engagement and safety. The group began protesting in front of the offices of U.S. Sens. Josh Hawley and Eric Schmitt, later moving to a location
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Plenty of Montgomery County residents are worried about Amazon and other companies building large data centers on tracts of undeveloped land. Critics say data centers strain local electrical and water systems, and they packed the Montgomery County Commission room Thursday to tell elected officials and economic development leaders about it. But Steve Etcher with the
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COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) Dozens of Montgomery County residents packed the County Commission Room Thursday to voice their concerns against a possible Amazon data center entering the region. A major concern for residents is the data center’s environmental impacts, including noise pollution, chemical runoff and over-pumped wells. According to the International Energy Agency, large-scale data centers
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COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) University of Missouri System President Mun Choi met with Gov. Mike Kehoe on Tuesday to discuss public safety in the city, but some area leaders were absent. “I was disappointed, not just that I wasn’t there, that’s not a big deal, but that my police chief wasn’t there,” Columbia Mayor Barbara Buffaloe
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COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) State Rep. Jeff Vernetti (R-Camdenton) announced his reelection bid in the Missouri House of Representatives in a Wednesday press release. Vernetti first won his seat last year. State representatives serve two-year terms. The release says focuses of his campaign include “accessibility and constituent service.” He owns LOZ Sports Training and Vernetti’s Italian
Continue Reading COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) The state senator who represents Columbia clapped back on social media after Gov. Mike Kehoe shared images of his meeting with University of Missouri President Mun Choi. Kehoe posted on social media with photos of him and Choi meeting with public safety officials, including Missouri State Highway Patrol leaders. “This week, our
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COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) The City of Columbia is considering to form a task force to look into campaign finance reform. The council on Monday night unanimously approved creating the task force, though specifics of the task force– including who would be on it and how many people would make it up — still need to
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COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) University of Missouri System President Mun Choi says he is supporting the City of Columbia’s proposed median ordinance, but hopes to see other safety measures in place. “I really do enjoy working with the mayor and she has been very supportive of the police department. But, we all recognize that there’s more
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By Holmes Lybrand, Devan Cole, Kara Scannell, Katelyn Polantz, CNN (CNN) — A federal judge dismissed the indictments against former FBI Director James Comey and New York Attorney General Letitia James on Monday. The judge found that President Donald Trump’s appointment of interim US Attorney Lindsey Halligan in Alexandria, Virginia, was invalid. Trump handpicked Halligan
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COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) A representative for Columbia in Missouri’s state house plans on prefiling legislation about dog-breeding facilities. Democratic State Rep. David Tyson Smith wrote on his social media on Thursday that he plans on prefiling a bill that would require regular inspections at dog-breeding facilities. The announcement comes after Melissa Sanders, 26, of Columbia,
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COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) Boone County plans to spend more than $20 million in its 2026 budget for upgrades to equipment, vehicles, and radio systems for first responders. The Boone County Commission introduced its proposed budget for 2026 at its Tuesday commission meeting. Total spending for the budget adds up to $143,956,629, a 3% increase over
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COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) Columbia City Council members did not vote on a median ordinance as scheduled on Monday night. Ward 3 Councilwoman Jacque Sample and Ward 5 Councilman Don Waterman told ABC 17 News on Monday afternoon that many council members were seeking more information from commissions. Council members on Monday night voted 6-1 to
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COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) A deal to end the federal government shutdown included a provision that limits how much THC can be legally contained in hemp-derived products. Under the new rule, hemp products could contain no more than 0.4 milligrams of total THC per container. Experts note that hemp generally has much lower levels of THC
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