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Downtown Columbia business owners voice support for urban camping ordinance, dissenter questions effectiveness in other cities

July 8, 2026 8:08 PM Olivia Hayes

Editor’s note: This article has been adjusted to reflect the correct city council meeting date. COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) Two local downtown business owners are putting their support behind a proposal for an urban camping ordinance for downtown Columbia. Executive Director of Columbia’s Downtown Community Improvement District Nickie Davis said the CID plans to submit a

City collects 110 tons of recycling in first 10 days of resuming weekly curbside pickup

July 8, 2026 7:36 PM Melissa Houston

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) The City of Columbia collected nearly 110 tons of recycling materials in the first 10 days after curbside pickup resumed. Utilities spokesman Jason West told ABC 17 News that is more than 25 tons of recycling materials that were collected during the same period in 2025. An EF-1 tornado hit the city’s

Graham Platner speaks during a May Day rally organized by local unions in Portland

Graham Platner drops Maine Senate bid, clearing way for Democrats to pick new nominee

July 8, 2026 7:20 PM CNN Newsource

By Eric Bradner, Jeff Zeleny, Arlette Saenz, Alison Main, CNN (CNN) — Maine Democratic Senate nominee Graham Platner said in a video statement Wednesday he was suspending his campaign, taking aim at the Democratic establishment while clearing the way for the party to select a new candidate to take on Republican Sen. Susan Collins in

Teen girl wont face adult charges in stabbing of youth in April

July 8, 2026 6:58 PM Sutton Parker

COLUMBIA Mo. (KMIZ) A teenage girl accused of stabbing another youth in April will not stand trial, according to the Boone County Juvenile Office. Boone County Juvenile Officer Angie Bezoni told ABC 17 that the girl accused of stabbing someone in central Columbia will not face adult charges. Instead, the Juvenile Office recommended the girl

Columbia City Council receives ordinance outlawing water pollution from camps

July 8, 2026 3:08 PM Marie Moyer

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) The City of Columbia is expected to receive the required waterway permit from the Department of Natural Resources, with an ordinance to manage encampments near bodies of water up for a final vote in the coming weeks. “The department expects to issue the permit by the end of this month,” DNR spokesman

Judge dismisses final group of defendants in Riley Strain lawsuit

July 8, 2026 6:02 PM Ryan Shiner

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) A Boone County judge dismissed the final group of defendants who were remaining in the wrongful death lawsuit surrounding University of Missouri student Riley Strain. Strain died during a fraternity trip to Nashville, Tennessee, in 2024. Strain’s family sued the Delta Chi fraternity and its members, claiming the chapter did not follow

Biker accused of pulling out gun during road rage incident

July 8, 2026 4:26 PM Ryan Shiner

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) A man was charged with a felony on Tuesday in Morgan County after he allegedly pulled out a gun during a road rage incident on Monday. Robert Riggs, 60, of Cole Camp, was charged with unlawful use of a weapon. He was brought to the Morgan County Jail and posted a $10,000

Portion of East Ash Street to close for a month for mural painting

July 8, 2026 3:31 PM Ryan Shiner

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) A portion of East Ash Street in downtown Columbia will close for about a month beginning on Thursday so a mural can by painted on a building at 110 Orr Street, a Wednesday press release from the City of Columbia says. The closure between Orr and St. James streets will begin 7

Lohman man pleads guilty to federal child porn charges

July 8, 2026 3:15 PM Ryan Shiner

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) A Lohman man pleaded guilty on Wednesday to federal child sex abuse material charges, according to a press release from the Department of Justice. Anthony Dale Pitts-Fugate, 33, pleaded guilty to two counts of producing child sex abuse materials in separate cases. Charges were filed in 2023. The release says an undercover

Judge denies bond for suspect in Moberly teen murder case

July 8, 2026 10:24 AM Matthew Sanders

HUNTSVILLE, Mo. (KMIZ) A Randolph County judge denied bond Wednesday for one of six suspects in the death of a Moberly teenager. Julian Mason, 26, made his first court appearance in the death of Kayla Huff before Judge Mason Gebhardt. Mason is charged with kidnapping, tampering with evidence, second-degree burglary and first-degree property damage. Mason

Judge issues 7-year prison sentence in Jefferson City bar homicide

July 8, 2026 9:16 AM Matthew Sanders

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (KMIZ) A Jefferson City man was sentenced Tuesday to seven years in prison for a homicide outside of a bar. Kamari Balton had been charged with murder in the August 2024 death of 49-year-old Rafael Ayala at Twisted Chicks, a Jefferson City bar. The owner told ABC 17 News at the time

Woman seriously injured in semi-truck crash in Moniteau County

July 8, 2026 9:01 AM Jazsmin Halliburton

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) A California, Missouri, woman suffered serious injuries in a crash involving a semi truck in Moniteau County on Wednesday night. According to the Missouri State Highway Patrol, a 52-year-old California woman was driving a 2004 Chrysler PT Cruiser west on Highway 50 at Route H just south of Clarksburg at 8:55 p.m.

QUESTION OF THE DAY: Do you support renewed military strikes on Iran?

July 8, 2026 4:12 AM Matthew Sanders

The ceasefire based on a “memorandum of understanding” between the United States and Iran might be on its shakiest ground yet. The week started with Iran firing on ships in the Strait of Hormuz, which led to an American military response against Iranian targets. It’s the most significant outbreak of fighting since the two countries

Jefferson City sees 18% more expired meter tickets after parking fine rate change

July 7, 2026 3:29 PM Mitchell Kaminski

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (KMIZ) Jefferson City has issued about 18% more parking tickets for expired meters through the first half of 2026 than it did during the same period last year, the first year the city has contracted with a private company to manage parking enforcement. Records obtained by ABC 17 News show the city

Eldon woman seriously injured in Miller County crash

July 7, 2026 10:43 PM Ryan Shiner

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) A 22-year-old Eldon woman was seriously injured in a crash on Tuesday on Highway 42 near Pine Tree Lane in Miller County, according to a crash report from the Missouri State Highway Patrol. The report says the woman drove her 2018 Chevrolet Equinox eastbound when it went off the road and hit

Man accuses Jefferson City nursing home of medical neglect in wrongful death lawsuit

July 7, 2026 8:04 PM Olivia Hayes

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (KMIZ) A Jefferson City man filed a wrongful death lawsuit on Tuesday against a local senior care facility. James Callison’s mother Mary Carter was admitted to Heisinger Bluffs Senior Living Community on Aug. 6, 2024, after being hospitalized from a fall while facing other medical diagnoses, like dementia, the petition says. She

Linn man dies in Osage County ATV crash

July 7, 2026 10:36 PM Ryan Shiner

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) A 69-year-old man from Linn died Tuesday night in an ATV cash near a residence in Osage County, according to a crash report from the Missouri State Highway Patrol. The report says the crash occurred as a 2025 Honda Rancher started to slide and then overturned. The man was ejected from the

Troopers arrest Kansas man accused of child abduction after chase on I-70

July 7, 2026 9:50 PM Ryan Shiner

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) A Kansas man was arrested and charged after a short chase on Tuesday that began in Cooper County and ended just before the Stadium Boulevard exit on Interstate 70 in Columbia. Jonathan Myles, 36, of Topeka, Kansas, was charged in Cooper County with aggravated fleeing, first-degree endangering the welfare of a child,

Cole County Commission approves contract for emergency communications study

July 7, 2026 9:14 PM Ryan Shiner

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) The Cole County Commission on Tuesday unanimously approved a contract for a strategic assessment study of emergency communications. The consulting contract with TUSA will cost $29,725. A packet from the county shows TUSA have assisted agencies in Jasper, Grundy, Johnson, Christian, Jackson, Platte, Clay, Gentry and Newton counties as well as the

US Senate candidate Graham Platner speaks at an event at the University of Maine campus in Orono

Former Graham Platner girlfriend describes alleged violence, which he denies

July 7, 2026 8:00 PM CNN

CNN By Jake Tapper, Allison Gordon, Casey Tolan, Curt Devine, CNN (CNN) — A former girlfriend of Maine Senate candidate Graham Platner who had previously accused him of violence told CNN she was heartened that he was facing broad calls to drop out of the race after another woman accused him of rape. Lyndsey Fifield