COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) A Brunswick man was charged in Chariton County with a slew of sex crimes on Thursday. Kenneth Paul Jr. was charged with six counts of first-degree rape, two counts of first-degree sodomy, two counts of fourth-degree child molestation and a lone count of third-degree assault. He was arrested on Thursday and his
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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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COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) Gov. Mike Kehoe is expected to sign the new congressional map within the state into law this Sunday, according to a Thursday press release from the governor’s office. The new congressional map – named the “Missouri First” map – was approved during a special session earlier this month. The new map has
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JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (KMIZ) Missouri first lady Claudia Kehoe is serving as treasurer of a political action committee that is leading the support of a ballot issue to curtail abortion. Kehoe, wife of Republican Gov. Mike Kehoe, was listed on paperwork filed Sept. 8 as treasurer of the Her Health, Her Future PAC. The group
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COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) Nearly two weeks have passed since the Missouri General Assembly adjourned its special session, and Gov. Mike Kehoe has yet to sign either of the bills the Republican majority sent to his desk. The Missouri House of Representatives spent $159,706.60 on the special session, according to an email from the House spokesman
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JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (KMIZ) Gov. Mike Kehoe signed an executive order on Monday declaring a drought alert in Missouri. The executive order gives state agencies the authority to direct resources to communities and farmers struggling with dry conditions. The order, which runs through Dec. 1, covers 85 counties experiencing moderate, severe, or extreme drought. “This executive
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COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) The number of visitors to the 2025 Missouri State Fair was more than 15,000 fewer than the year before. The fair announced Monday that more than 329,000 people attended this year’s fair in Sedalia. That’s compared to more than 345,000 in attendance last year. The fair, which takes place in Sedalia each
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COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) The Missouri State Highway Patrol and the Missouri Department of Transportation are working together to curb aggressive driving as crash hot spots emerge in work zones along the Improve I-70 Project. “This last week has been very challenging for our team across the state,” MDOT Improve I-70 Program Director Eric Kopinski told
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JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (KMIZ) A Cole County judge on Friday ruled that language for a measure placed on the November 2026 ballot by Republican legislators was unconstitutional, ordering the state to go back to the drawing board. Judge Daniel Green ruled in favor of Anna Fitz-James in her lawsuit against Secretary of State Denny Hoskins,
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COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) Boone County was middle-of-the-pack among the state’s biggest counties in wage gains over the first quarter of the year, the Bureau of Labor Statistics reported this week. Wages reported to the bureau increased by close to 3% in Boone County in the first quarter, which covers the period of January to March.
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COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) A former substitute teacher from a Pulaski County school district pleaded guilty on Wednesday to child sex crimes. Carissa Smith, of Dixon, Missouri, pleaded guilty to first-degree endangering the welfare of a child and two counts of having sexual contact with a student. She was previously charged with 19 felonies, including statutory
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COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) Gov. Mike Kehoe and U.S. Sens. Josh Hawley and Eric Schmitt are united in their drive to get the Trump administration to designate Fort Leonard Wood in Pulaski County as a training center for ICE agents. On Thursday, Schmitt sent a letter to Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth highlighting that the military base
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COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) Nearly 1,400 electricity customers around Mid-Missouri were without power on Thursday night as thunderstorms entered the area. According to the Association of Missouri Electric Cooperatives’ map, there were nearly 600 consumers without electricity, with 587 coming around Southwest Electric Cooperative and 10 coming from Co-Mo Electric Cooperative, Inc. Benton County had nearly
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COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) A legal expert claims the removal of “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” by ABC Network executives is not a violation of his First Amendment rights. Kimmel’s show was pulled after he made comments about supporters of President Donald Trump in the opening of his show on Monday. Kimmel called them the “MAGA Gang” and
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COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) Fatal crashes in Missouri decreased by 2% in 2025 compared to this time last year, according to the Missouri State Highway Patrol. Deadly crashes are down by 8% across the nation, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. More than 17,000 people died in a car crash between January and June
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COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) Two people were injured – one seriously – in a crash Thursday on Highway 52 in Miller County, east of Admire Road, a crash report from the Missouri State Highway Patrol says. The report says three vehicles – a 2017 Nissan Armada, 2024 Genesis GV70 and 2001 Chevrolet Silverado – were stopped,
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COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) The Missouri State Highway Patrol in a Thursday press release announced that it will continue its use of planes for traffic enforcement. The release says the patrol formed the Strategic Traffic Operations and Rapid Mobilization team on Sept. 1. Storm is made up of 23 troopers and is expected to “aggressively enforce
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JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (KMIZ) A few hundred people have arrived at the Capitol steps in Jefferson City on Wednesday to honor political commentator Charlie Kirk. Kirk was shot and killed last week during a speaking event at a Utah college. Events honoring the conservative activist have been held throughout Mid-Missouri since his death, including on
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FULTON, Mo. (KMIZ) Former Missouri Gov. Jay Nixon delivered a speech Wednesday afternoon at Westminster College as part of the annual Hancock Symposium. His speech focused on pressing national issues including political violence, democracy and misinformation, with a strong emphasis on “justice for all.” The Hancock Symposium is a two-day event held on the Westminster
Continue Reading Both of Missouri’s U.S. senators are telling the Trump administration that a Missouri location would be a great place to train new ICE officers. Sen. Josh Hawley wrote a letter last week saying Fort Leonard Wood in Pulaski County would be an ideal place to train ICE agents. In his letter, Hawley noted the agency’s
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