COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) Attorney Spencer Smith in a Thursday press release announced his candidacy for the Division 9 Boone County Circuit associate judge role. The release says Smith graduated from Washburn University School of Law in 2017 and worked as the deputy district attorney in Josephine County in Oregon until he became a public defender
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COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) A Cole County judge has approved the ballot language for a summary of a constitutional amendment that would limit abortion access across the state. Judge Daniel Green had twice refused Secretary of State Denny Hoskins’ attempt to write the language for Amendment 3. The most recent rejection occurred on Oct. 1 and
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COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) Boone County Associate Circuit Judge Tracy Gonzalez will not seek reelection in 2026, according to a press release from the 13th Judicial Circuit. Gonzalez has served in the role since Jan. 1, 2019, and her term ends on Dec. 31, 2026. She has focused mostly on juvenile and family matters. She plans
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JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (KMIZ) Political action committees on the opposite ends of Missouri’s abortion debate each reported large fundraising totals to end the week. Stop the Ban Missouri, a coalition aimed at defeating Amendment 3 in November 2026, announced in a news release on Friday that it has raised more than $800,000 since its formation
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JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (KMIZ) A Senate committee passed both special session bills, redistricting and initiative petition reform, with a vote of 6-2. The two Democratic members on the committee offered amendments to the proposed bills. One amendment would have kept U.S. Rep. Emanuel Cleaver’s (D-MO) district contained to Kansas City. Cleaver testified in opposition to
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COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) Gov. Mike Kehoe is bringing lawmakers back to the Capitol for Wednesday’s special session to approve not just a new congressional map, but also a ballot measure that would reform Missouri’s initiative petition process. “For far too long, Missouri’s Constitution has been the victim of out-of-state special interests who deceive voters to
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COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) Missouri is now part of a multi-state attempt by the Department of Justice to access, physically inspect, and take physical custody of election equipment used in the 2020 November election. Jasper County Clerk Charlie Davis said he was contacted about a week and a half ago by a Department of Justice official
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HARRISBURG, Mo. (KMIZ) A town hall crowd that packed the Harrisburg Lions Club was sharply critical of U.S. Rep. Mark Alford (R-Raytown), his congressional votes, and his support of President Donald Trump and his policies. Alford, whose district includes about half of Boone County, held the event Wednesday night as part of his town hall
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JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (KMIZ) A Jefferson City businessman is the fourth Republican to officially declare for the Sixth Senate District race next year. Jake Vogel, president of Jefferson City Coca-Cola, wrote in a social media post Monday that he would seek the seat currently held by term-limited Republican Mike Bernsketter. The Sixth Senate District covers
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JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (KMIZ) Jefferson City voters will decide in November whether to extend the city’s 7% lodging sales tax for 25 more years. The tax pays to promote tourism in Jefferson City and charges 7% on all hotel and motel rooms and short-term rentals. Most of the tax receipts — four-sevenths of the money
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COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) The Harrisburg School District will lose out on about $300,000 and likely will need to cut staff or programs after voters rejected a property tax increase on Tuesday. School district voters rejected the dual measure, which would roll back Prop C sales taxes while increasing the district’s property tax levy, with 275
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COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) Vera Elwood will be the next person to represent Columbia’s second ward. Second Ward voters picked Elwood over Ken Rice in Tuesday’s special election, giving her 56.6% of the vote. She garnered 1,480 votes compared to Rice’s 1,130. Two write-in ballots were also cast. Boone County saw a 12.58% total voter turnout.
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COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) Boone County voters overwhelmingly approved expanding the county’s senior property tax freeze on Tuesday. Voters approved the measure with 77.7% of the vote. “Yes” votes garnered 12,233 votes compared to 3,506 for “no.” Last year, Boone County voters approved an initial tax exemption that seniors have to apply for each year. This
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COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) Boone County Clerk Brianna Lennon Told ABC 17 News in a statement that voter turnout for Tuesday’s special election is larger than she expected. “It’s slightly higher than what we were expecting. My original estimate was between 8 and 9 percent, and we could potentially be closer to 10 percent,” Lennon said
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COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) Boone County’s top prosecutor has announced that he plans on running for associate judge. A Thursday press release from Roger Johnson says he plans on running for division 11’s associate judge in 2026. “Serving as your elected prosecutor has been a great honor,” Johnson said in the release. “It has deepened my
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COLUMBIA, MO. (KMIZ) Columbia Ward 2 candidates talked Diversity, Equity and Inclusion practices in the city on Tuesday. The Columbia NAACP hosted an election forum at Second Baptist Church downtown. Ken Rice and Vera Elwood are both vying for the seat, after former councilwoman Lisa Meyer announced her resignation in May. The special election for
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COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) Donations continue to come in for both of Columbia’s candidates in the Second Ward special election. Election Day is Aug. 5 and both candidates have filed their eight-day-before-the-election report. Elwood’s has totaled $19,245.54 in donations this election and currently has $7,306.21 on hand; while Rice raised $7,519.30 this election and currently has
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COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) Voters in Boone County have taken advantage of in-person no-excuse absentee voting ahead of the Aug. 5 special election. In-person, no-excuse absentee voting began on July 22 and Boone County Clerk Brianna Lennon said turnout has been steady so far. “In-person that have come in the office to vote we’ve had almost
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COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) The quarterly report filing for the Missouri Ethics Commission shows a few high-dollar donations being made in Columbia’s Ward 2 race. Campaigns for Vera Elwood and Ken Rice submitted reports for the July 15 quarterly filing. Rice’s was submitted on July 10, while Elwood’s was submitted on July 14. Documents show that
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COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) Sample ballots were sent out this week, letting Boone County voters know about the option to expand the senior property tax relief during the August special election. In 2024, Boone County voters approved a measure to freeze property taxes for homeowners aged 62 and older. However, county commissioners made two exceptions to
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