Columbia Archives

Republicans continue efforts to stop abortion in Missouri as Columbia Planned Parenthood gets ready to offer procedure again

February 26, 2025 6:15 PM Erika McGuire

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) Missouri Republicans are continuing their efforts to stop abortions in the state as the Columbia Planned Parenthood location is preparing to start the procedure again. Planned Parenthood will begin offering abortion care at its Columbia clinic on Monday, according to a Planned Parenthood Great Plains spokesperson. The clinic is currently offering appointments.

North Carolina man found guilty of 1984 Columbia rape, assault asks for new trial

February 26, 2025 2:20 PM Ryan Shiner

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) A North Carolina man who was found guilty earlier this month of a rape and stabbing that occurred more than 40 years ago is asking for a new trial. James Wilson, 61, of Mooresville, North Carolina, was found guilty on Feb. 6 of forcible rape and first-degree assault. His sentencing is scheduled

A fleet of Broward County School buses are parked in a lot on July 21

New district bus service to provide updates at Columbia BOE meeting Wednesday

February 26, 2025 4:44 AM Jazsmin Halliburton

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) The Columbia Board of Education’s Long Range Planning Committee will hear updates regarding the district’s new bus service on Wednesday. The board approved a contract with DS Bus Line to provide transportation for the district earlier this month, and now the bus line is providing an update on its transition. According to

Columbia Fire Department warns about lithium-ion battery safety risks

February 25, 2025 2:29 PM Marie Moyer

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

Planned Parenthood Columbia clinic set to offer abortions first week of March

February 25, 2025 2:12 PM Erika McGuire

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) Planned Parenthood’s Columbia clinic is offering abortion appointments, according to a Planned Parenthood Great Plains spokesperson. Abortion appointments are first available on Monday, a Planned Parenthood Great Plains spokesperson said in an email Tuesday afternoon. Appointments are also available at the midtown Kansas City clinic. Both the Columbia and midtown KC clinics

Missouri sports betting delayed until August after secretary of state rejects emergency rule

February 24, 2025 5:01 PM Nia Hinson

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) Missourians will not be able to start betting on sports as soon as was originally planned. A spokesperson for the Missouri Gaming Commission told ABC 17 News that the commission was made aware on Thursday that Secretary of State Denny Hoskins had rejected the commission’s emergency licensing rules. The decision now pushes

Local governments monitor House bill that may eliminate sales tax on food

February 24, 2025 12:24 PM Marie Moyer

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) City of Columbia officials estimate the elimination of sales tax on groceries will cost $10 million in its first year. House Bill 432 is making its way through the Missouri Legislature and is now awaiting a committee assignment. If passed, HB 432 will remove sales tax on food. This tax elimination will

University of Missouri leader Choi says federal cuts require trimming budget

February 24, 2025 10:49 AM Matthew Sanders, Erika McGuire

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) The president of the University of Missouri warned Monday of budget cuts coming because of a pullback of federal funding. UM System President Mun Choi wrote in a letter to staff that the current fiscal year budget will be trimmed, citing a change to research funding from the National Institutes of Health

Alford says town hall was ‘hijacked’ after facing barrage of boos

February 24, 2025 5:55 PM Ryan Shiner

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) U.S. Rep. Make Alford (R-MO) was faced with jeers and boos during a town hall event in Belton, according to video captured by KMBC and shared by MeidasTouch. Alford – who represents Missouri’s 4th District, which includes Columbia, as well as Howard, Cooper and Pettis counties and areas near Kansas City –

Friday’s power outage in Central Columbia caused by balloons

February 24, 2025 4:52 PM Ryan Shiner

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) A power outage that impacted nearly 2,200 Columbia electricity customers on Friday was caused by balloons. City Utilities spokesman Jason West told ABC 17 News in an email that it was caused by “a few balloons that drifted away from their owner and got caught in the wrong spot of a power

Joann to close all stores after company was purchased in bankruptcy

February 24, 2025 3:40 PM Matthew Sanders

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) Crafts retailer Joann will close all its stores and hold liquidation sales. The company released a list of stores that would close two weeks ago, including the Jefferson City location. Since then, GA Group bought the company at auction and has decided to close down all stores, according to a customer FAQ

Woman charged with domestic assault after allegedly admitting to stabbing man on Sunday morning

February 24, 2025 3:11 PM Ryan Shiner

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) A Columbia woman was charged with three felonies after she allegedly admitted to stabbing a man on Sunday morning. Brianna Boone, 35, was charged on Monday with first-degree domestic assault, armed criminal action and unlawful use of a weapon. She is being held at the Boone County Jail without bond. A court

Multi-vehicle crash shuts down part of I-70 Drive Southwest in Columbia

February 23, 2025 6:09 PM Nia Hinson

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) A crash involving two vehicles shut down a portion of I-70 Drive Southwest in west Columbia Sunday evening. An ABC 17 News reporter on scene saw one vehicle on its side in a ditch near Spencer Avenue around 5:15 p.m. A second vehicle appeared to have damage to its front passenger side.

Columbia woman arrested after early morning assault in northwest Columbia, man hospitalized

February 23, 2025 2:42 PM Nia Hinson

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) A woman was arrested early Sunday morning after allegedly assaulting a man in northwest Columbia. According to a release from the Columbia Police Department, police responded to an assault in the 2700 block of Mayflower Drive at 5:15 a.m. Police say they found a man with serious injuries. He was taken to

Majority of volunteers feel their work made a difference in annual Columbia volunteer survey

February 23, 2025 7:15 AM Marie Moyer

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) In the 14th annual City of Columbia Volunteer Satisfaction survey of 92 volunteers, around 98% of participants felt their volunteer activity was meaningful. During the 2024 fiscal year from Oct. 1, 2023 to Sept. 30, 2024, the City of Columbia estimated that 8,000 volunteers worked over 32,000 hours of service valued at

Firefighters battle multiple fires across Mid-Missouri in frigid conditions

February 22, 2025 10:03 PM Euphenie Andre

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) A series of devastating fires swept through Boone County this week, leaving behind widespread destruction and challenging fire crews as they battled not only the flames, but also brutal winter weather. This week alone, Boone County firefighters responded to several house fires, many resulting in severe destruction. One of the most severe

When She Votes to host community forum Saturday

February 22, 2025 5:08 AM Marie Moyer

Group When She Votes will host a community “Issues and Actions” forum on Saturday to discuss current issues and connect citizens to resources on how to get involved in the community.

Columbia mayoral candidate Blair Murphy nets third five-figure donation

February 21, 2025 8:50 PM Lucas Geisler

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) A Columbia mayoral candidate this week collected another five-figure check, his third such donation this winter. Blair Murphy’s campaign took a $10,000 donation from Richard Miller, owner of Miller’s Professional Imaging. The picture printing company has a location in east Columbia. Miller is also a prominent University of Missouri athletics booster, having

Power restored after outage impacts nearly 2,200 Columbia Water and Light customers

February 21, 2025 6:01 PM Ryan Shiner

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) Nearly 2,200 electricity customers in Columbia were impacted by a power outage on Friday evening. An outage was reported at 5:41 p.m. Friday near the Columbia Municipal Power Plant on Business Loop 70, just east of Edison Street, according to the city’s outage map. The outage impacted 2,178 customers. A crew was

Missouri Task Force 1 arrives home from Kentucky

February 21, 2025 6:05 PM Ryan Shiner

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) Missouri Task Force 1 members came back to its headquarters in Columbia on Friday after being deployed in Kentucky for several days. Eighty members were sent to Kentucky on Sunday to focus on water rescues after the region experienced historic flooding. At least 12 people in the state have died from the