COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) Hundreds of weather forecasters and National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration employees were fired Thursday in the latest wave of cuts from Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency, sparking concern among local forecasters and emergency officials. The Associated Press reports that the cuts appear to be happening in two phases, with roughly 1,300
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COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) Measles vaccination rates are declining in Missouri and across the U.S., according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. In the 2023-24 school year 90.4% of kindergarten students were vaccinated for the measles compared to 91.3% during the 2022-2023 school year, according to the CDC. The Missouri Department of Health and
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By Brenda Goodman, CNN (CNN) — Soaring egg prices have consumers boiling, and on Wednesday, the United States Department of Agriculture blamed rising costs on the bird flu epidemic and said it will take new steps to quell the outbreak. The new plan appears to have refocused the department’s efforts around the goal of lowering
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COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) The Columbia Fire Department advises being mindful when storing and using devices with lithium-ion batteries after two fires this month that were reportedly caused by them being overcharged and thrown away improperly. Batteries can be found in various everyday devices like toys, tablets electric vehicles, and vapes. On Saturday morning, Tiger Nutrition owner Sharon
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COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) MU Health Care wrote in an email to patients who use Anthem Blue Cross Shield to apply for “Continuity of Care” in case the two sides don’t come to an agreement. The email recommends Anthem customers call the insurance giant at the number on the back of their insurance cards to learn
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When the wind chill is -15°F or lower, people can get frostbite in 30 minutes or less, according to the Cleveland Clinic. A Cold Weather Advisory has been issued in Mid-Missouri for Tuesday at 6:00 p.m. through Thursday at 12:00 p.m. for wind chills as low as 20 below.
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COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) The Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services reported over 14,000 flu cases in CDC Week 6 (Feb. 2 to Feb. 8). That total is more than double the amount of the 5,000 cases recorded in January (Jan. 5 to Jan. 11). According to previous reporting, the flu and respiratory illnesses have
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By Brenda Goodman and Neha Mukherjee, CNN (CNN) — The US is in the throes of an unusually intense and severe flu season, with hospitalization rates topping the levels seen with Covid-19 at some points of the pandemic. On top of the flu infection itself, doctors say they’re seeing large numbers of patients with some
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COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) Cole County and Jefferson City plan to add AEDs in all new or remodeled county- and city-owned buildings in honor of February being American Heart Month. The county and city set the goal earlier this month, along with plans to establish a defibrillator map and educate the community on CPR and AED
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COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) Universities and research institutions are seeing temporary relief as U.S. District Judge Angel Kelly issued a temporary restraining order to block the Department of Government Efficiency’s hopes to decrease federal funding of National Institute of Health grants. According to ABC News, previously, most universities were able to acquire more than 70% of
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COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) There were 907 cases of influenza reported in Boone County from Jan. 26-Feb. 1, according to a press release from the Columbia/Boone County Public Health and Human Services. This is the highest weekly number of cases the county has reported since it started tracking flu cases in 2004, the release says. The
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COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) Boone County Joint Communications says it received nearly 350 calls during a phone outage on Monday night and Tuesday morning, but all emergency services were dispatched efficiently. BCJC stopped receiving 911 calls around 6:40 pm Monday night. An alert was sent to the public just before 8 p.m., reporting that Brightspeed believed
Continue Reading By Sandee LaMotte, CNN (CNN) — Cognitively normal human brain samples collected at autopsy in early 2024 contained more tiny shards of plastic than samples collected eight years prior, according to a new study. Overall, cadaver brain samples contained seven to 30 times more tiny shards of plastic than their kidneys and liver, said co-lead
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The Missouri Health Department posts updated flu numbers to its website every Friday. Data released Friday brought the Influenza-like Illness Activity Level to moderate.
There were 5,414 influenza cases reported in Missouri between Jan. 24, 2025 and Jan. 31. 2025, according to the department.
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VANDALIA, Mo. (KMIZ) Missouri is now the 10th state to offer a prison nursery to incarcerated mothers. The Women’s Eastern Reception, Diagnostic, and Correctional Center in Vandalia has launched a new program and newly renovated wing that provides mothers with resources to bond with their newborns and prepare for life after incarceration. “Life skills, trauma
Continue Reading COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) A significant portion of the student population at a Camden County school has caused it to call off in-person classes on Friday. The Climax Springs R-4 School District will have its fourth AMI day after about 30% of its 186 students are experiencing flu-like symptoms, a school official said on Thursday. The
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A look at illnesses circulating in Mid-Missouri this week.
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COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) Started back in 2022, the avian flu outbreak that has been increasing egg prices and even killing non-bird animals isn’t expected to slow down soon. “It’s the longest, largest outbreak of bird flu in the U.S. history,” Lincoln University Poultry Extension Specialist Dr. Tatijana Fisher said. According to Fisher, bird flu is
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COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) The former site of a Columbia children’s center has been sold to Burrell Behavioral Health, with plans to turn it into a behavioral health facility. Burrell Behavior Health announced in a Tuesday press release that it had purchased the property on 1611 Towne Drive which was the former home of Rainbow House.
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COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) As mid-Missouri is expecting to face a cold snap on Sunday, officials are bringing awareness to the risks of frozen lakes, with Columbia Parks and Recreation temporarily closing Lakeside Dog Park at Twin Lakes Recreation area to safeguard dogs from falling through the ice. According to the Missouri Department of Public Safety,
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