COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) Hurricane Melissa has left a path of devastation across the Caribbean, slamming Jamaica as a Category 5 storm — the strongest hurricane the island has ever recorded. Officials in Jamaica have confirmed 19 deaths, with the government warning that the death toll could continue to rise as crews search through hard-hit areas.
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COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) Starting Saturday, SNAP benefits won’t be loaded onto EBT cards for people to buy food, which may put an extra financial strain on SNAP recipients that are pet owners. Unchained Melodies Dog Rescue Director Melody Whitworth said she’s seen a year-long trend of people rehoming pets because they can no longer afford
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COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) Columbia residents Saturday raised nearly $45,000 in a fundraiser walk to end amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, or ALS. Some people got together in teams to raise large sums of money to donate, while others donated individually to the national ALS Association for research on the disease. The one-mile walk at the Cosmo-Bethel Park
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COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) Thousands of Mid-Missourians could soon face food insecurity as the federal government halts SNAP benefits on Nov. 1. In response, Boone County and the City of Columbia are redirecting money and reactivating CoMoHelps, an emergency relief portal created to coordinate community aid. The effort is led by Boone County, the City of
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COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) Military veteran Joseph Gray was approved to receive disability pension, but that — and his Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits — were put on pause once the federal government shut down. Now, he’s struggling to eat a meal every day. “Usually, I eat OK and have never needed any help before, but
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COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) Supporters of Columbia resident Owen Ramsingh, a citizen of the Netherlands who is being held in an El Paso, Texas, immigration detention center, rallied Friday night ahead of his detention hearing next week. Ramsingh was detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement at Chicago O’Hare Airport in September as he returned from a
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COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) The Columbia City Council will vote on Monday to allocate $50,000 to the Food Bank for Central & Northeast Missouri, as the federal government shutdown continues. The item appears on the city council’s consent agenda in Monday’s meeting. Consent agenda items are voted on in a block without discussion. The city government
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COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) A second wrongful death lawsuit against the truck driver in a crash that killed two women on Interstate 70 in Columbia was filed Thursday. The lawsuit, filed by three of Melvina Colin’s children, seeks damages from the driver, Walter Montejo, and four companies connected to the load he was carrying when he
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COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) – Missouri’s Cold Weather Rule restricting when utilities can shut off people’s gas or electricity is expanding under a new state law. Investor-owned utilities cannot shut off people’s services for nonpayment for 72 hours after temperatures reach below freezing during the day from November 1 to March 31. Those shutoffs were before
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COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) The Columbia Police Department continues to feel the strain of staffing shortages that have resulted in gaps in the department in crisis intervention-trained officers. On Thursday, CPD command staff began a two-day “in-town retreat” to discuss to address staffing needs. Schlude told a crowd at Tuesday’s “Let’s Talk Local” event that the
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COLUMBIA, Mo (KMIZ). Columbia Public Schools held a meeting Thursday evening to discuss a project worth more than $560,000 focused on a master plan, space utilization, and facility condition audit. The district said the plan is crucial to help maintain and improve its buildings. Board members said they recently met with several agencies before deciding
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COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) The Columbia Police Department is searching for a suspect after an armed robbery Thursday evening in the 2100 block of Paris Road. According to a release, a cashier told police that a black man entered the store wearing a black hoodie, a black mask, black pants with white markings on the legs,
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COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) Minutes before the opening of the new Trader Joe’s in Columbia, hundreds of people were in a line wrapped around the Shoppes at Stadium from the new store to Old Navy. “This is my first grand opening, but I just love the atmosphere and the fun,” said Columbia resident Tim Dollens. According
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COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) SNAP users won’t receive new funds for November starting Saturday, unless Congress can find a way to fund the government. This means grocery stores are losing out on SNAP dollars. Dan Shaul, the Missouri Grocers Association Executive State Director, said this could be detrimental to grocery stores in food deserts, which are
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COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) Schnucks is helping out Missourians who lost their November SNAP benefits with a food drive at all stores across the state starting Thursday and running through Nov. 11, according to a press release. The chain is asking people to donate shelf-stable, nonperishable items like canned goods, noodles and pasta sauce. A manager
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COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) Part of Business Loop 70 will be closed for two weeks next month for roundabout construction. The Missouri Department of Transportation said Thursday that the closure between Hathman Place and Eastland Circle will start Nov. 12 and continue through Nov. 26. The closure will allow contractors to build a new roundabout. MoDOT
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COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) Columbia police officers could be on hand to help with traffic outside the new Trader Joe’s all weekend. Mid-Missouri residents welcomed Trader Joe’s Thursday morning, as the grocery store officially opened its doors at 9 a.m. The opening of the store attracted many shoppers. Some expressed traffic concerns about the opening in
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COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) It’s not uncommon to walk into an emergency department waiting room full of people, so many that some have to sit on the floor. Patients waiting hours in emergency departments is becoming a more familiar story across the nation. Two hours. Three hours. Five hours. Six hours. Twelve hours. This is how
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COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) A Boone County judge ordered a Columbia man committed indefinitely to the Missouri Department of Mental Health on Wednesday after accepting his insanity plea in the death of his father and subsequent fire. Steven Strumpf had been set for trial on first-degree murder, armed criminal action, second-degree arson and credit card fraud
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COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) The Columbia Police Department will dedicate extra resources for the Trader Joe’s grand opening in Columbia on Thursday. A CPD spokesperson said extra officers will be assigned to the area, and some off-duty officers will work traffic control. Trader Joe’s will be located at 201 N. Stadium Blvd. at the Shoppes at
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