COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) Leila Willmore says she was first alerted to AI-generated content of her son at the end of September. Since then, things have only continued to escalate. “They were seeing Zachary in articles coming to their Facebook, like popping up one after the other,” Willmore said. “When I would try to look up
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COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) A patient at the University of Missouri Psychiatric Center has been charged with a felony after he was accused of attacking a mental health technician on Saturday. Michael Brown Jr. was charged with first-degree assault. He is not listed on the Boone County Jail’s online roster and a court date has not
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COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) A man who was accused of throwing a Molotov cocktail at the entrance of the Boone County Courthouse in January pleaded guilty to two felonies on Tuesday. Nicholas Walters, 39, of Columbia, pleaded guilty to arson and resisting arrest. He was originally charged with first-degree assault, first-degree arson, armed criminal action, resisting
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COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) Tuesday is the first day potential candidates for the Columbia City Council elections can file to run and voters should expect to see some familiar names. Ward 1 Councilwoman Valerie Carroll announced on her social media that she filed for her reelection bid on Monday. Ward 5 Councilman Don Waterman told ABC
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The City of Columbia is inviting community members to learn about its snow removal process.
Part of the city’s new series of interactive sessions called Community Classroom, Tuesday afternoon’s session will feature a presentation from city staff on how it approaches snow removal in the winter.
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COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) Columbia Public Schools’ Adult English Language Learner program secured funding through fiscal year 2026 after facing uncertainty due to potential cuts to adult education grants. The proposed federal budget included a 24% cut to adult education funding, reducing it from $642 million to about $486 million. The CPS program provides free online
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COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) Health care will likely cost you more in 2026, as open enrollment for health insurance is just around the corner. Open enrollment refers to the time of year when people are able to sign up for health care insurance, change their current plans, or cancel their plan all together. However, people may
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COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) A dead man was found by police on Monday after he fell out of a hunting tree stand, according to information provided by the Columbia Police Department. CPD spokesman Colin Imhoff wrote in an email to ABC 17 News that the man was found in a wooded area east of Grace Lane
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COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) The Columbia School District Policy Committee on Monday voted to clarify its tobacco and vaping policy, allowing for the immediate termination of employees after a single violation. It’s one of 180 policies under review by the committee, which hopes to update and eliminate outdated ones. The goal is to complete the full
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COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) A lane of Paris Road in Columbia was closed on Monday evening after a crash occurred near Nelwood Drive. Two vehicles appeared to be involved in the crash and were stopped in the turning lane of Paris Road when an ABC 17 News photographer arrived at 6:30 p.m. The northbound driving lane
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COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) The average time a Missouri resident spends in an emergency department from arriving to leaving is 2 hours and 35 minutes, ranking the state 29th in the longest average wait time. Emergency department wait times have increased across the country and here in Missouri. According to the CDC, emergency departments in the
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COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) A portion of a downtown Columbia street and sidewalk will be closed for roughly a month beginning on Thursday, according to a Monday press release from the city. The release says Park Avenue between Seventh and Eighth streets will be closed as crews make waterline connections for the East Park Avenue Apartments.
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COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) A man accused of killing a Columbia man after setting him on fire over the summer was indicted by a Boone County grand jury on Friday. Brandon Butchkoski, 47, of Columbia is charged with first-degree arson resulting in death, second-degree felony murder, first-degree arson and drug possession. He is being held at
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COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) A man who is accused of shooting and killing a Stephens College student last month in downtown Columbia was indicted by a grand jury on Friday. Misael Covarrubias, 23, is charged in Boone County with second-degree murder, three counts of armed criminal action, two counts of first-degree assault and a single count
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COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) A 19-year-old Columbia man has been charged with three felonies in connection with a reported armed robbery in east Columbia. Prosecutors charged Jordan Hunt on Monday with first-degree robbery, unlawful use of a weapon and armed criminal action. He remained in the Boone County Jail on Monday afternoon on no bond. A
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Editor’s note: The lede of this story was corrected to reflect the crash occurred in 2024. COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) An 18-year-old man from Macon pleaded guilty Monday to four counts, including manslaughter, in a 2024 crash in southern Columbia. Ty Frey pleaded guilty in Boone County before Judge Ben Miller to first-degree involuntary manslaughter, careless
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COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) Governor Mike Kehoe is asking Missourians to support their “neighbors” by donating to local food pantries while the government remains shut down and Congress is gridlocked on a funding bill. Hundreds of thousands of SNAP users won’t receive their November benefits and according to Gov. Kehoe, an estimated 56,000 federal workers won’t
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COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) EDITOR’s NOTE: a reference to a person being shot has been removed. Columbia Police confirmed a person was injured after shots were fired in central Columbia Sunday night on Lincoln Drive. A police lieutenant on scene told ABC 17 News the building in the 200 block of Lincoln Drive was shot at,
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Several law enforcement agencies across Mid-Missouri are accepting unused and expired prescription drugs Saturday for the Drug Enforcement Administration’s national Drug Take Back Day.
Continue Reading COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) The Columbia Police Department announced in a Friday night social media post that officers arrested a man and a youth accused of robbing someone at gunpoint. Police wrote Jordan Hunt, 19, was arrested on suspicion of first-degree robbery, armed criminal action, unlawful use of a weapon and stealing. Officers also arrested a
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