COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) The Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education announced a new head of the state’s K-12 schools on Wednesday. Lisa Sireno will serve as interim commissioner for the department, DESE said in a news release. Sireno was the department’s deputy commissioner of learning services, a job she took over in July. Sireno
Continue Reading
JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (KMIZ) More Mid-Missouri students are exploring careers in the skilled trades, according to construction industry officials. More than 1,500 high school students registered for Build My Future Central Missouri, a construction career showcase held Wednesday at the Jefferson City Jaycees Fairgrounds. The event featured hands-on activities where students could practice laying bricks,
Continue Reading
COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) Officials say a threat a student made at Smith-Cotton Junior High School in Sedalia on Wednesday was not credible. The Sedalia Police Department wrote on its social media that after a threat was made on social media on Wednesday morning, a school resource officer detained the student. “The threat was found not
Continue Reading
JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (KMIZ) Missouri Interim Commissioner of Education Stacey Preis resigned effective immediately on Tuesday afternoon, hours after the State Board of Education selected a firm to assist with its search for a permanent commissioner. Preis did not provide a specific reason for her departure. In a statement, she said she submitted her resignation
Continue Reading
COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) The Boone County prosecutor says he is reviewing “additional information” in the harassment case involving three Mizzou football players before making a decision on whether or not to charge them. Three MU freshmen — — defensive back Ahmod Billins, cornerback Trashundon Neal and wide receiver Karsten Fiene — were arrested on Oct.
Continue Reading
COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) When a restaurant owner refused to serve two Black players on the University of Missouri football team, coach Dan Devine faced a decision. The Tigers were returning from a game at the University of Kansas when they stopped for dinner in Missouri. Jerry Wallach, a tackle who played for the Tigers from
Continue Reading
COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) Having responded to seven school shootings during his career, John McDonald stresses that school districts must first understand where they stand on the spectrum of school safety. As the chief operating officer for the Missouri School Boards’ Association Center for Education Safety, he emphasizes that recognizing this baseline is a critical first
Continue Reading
COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) The Jefferson City Lodging Association has filed an appeal in its case against the city. The lodging association filed a lawsuit in 2025 against the city, the Jefferson City Area Chamber of Commerce and the Jefferson City Convention and Visitors Bureau. It alleges that lodging tax funds collected for the Jefferson City
Continue Reading
COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) So far this year, 54 fans have been ejected from Memorial Stadium during Mizzou home football games. Mizzou (5-1) has played four games so far this year at Faurot Field. The most fans ejections occurred during the Florida game on Oct. 3, which also happened to be Mizzou’s homecoming game. Ejections by
Continue Reading
COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) A Boone County judge could decide by Friday whether guard CJ Gunn will be eligible for his fifth season of college basketball, which he intends to play at Mizzou. Gunn and his legal team on Tuesday appeared in a Boone County courtroom as his eligibility battle with the NCAA continues. He filed
Continue Reading
COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) EDITOR’S NOTE: The number of school resource officers has been corrected, and a video reporting an erroneous number has been deleted. Columbia’s Youth Advisory Council heard from two school resource officers Tuesday about their roles in schools and how students can help improve campus safety. The presentation from Columbia Police Department officers
Continue Reading
COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) Aiyanna Williams’ family is focusing on her legacy after Misael Covarrubias pleaded guilty Tuesday to second-degree murder along with seven other charges in the 2025 downtown Columbia shooting that killed her. A family representative told ABC 17 News the family does not wish to comment on the plea and is focusing on
Continue Reading
COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) The Columbia Board of Education on Monday decided to push the vote on its new policy to address bullying within the school district to Oct. 21. The policy was up for discussion for a fourth time and was expected to be voted on Monday before the board opted to push it back
Continue Reading
The Columbia Public School Board will consider a change to the bullying policy at Monday night’s meeting, according to the school board agenda. The proposed policy has been under consideration since April and would expand who can report bullying and allow intervention.
Continue Reading
COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) Since its announcement Tuesday, 172 high school seniors across Missouri have opted into the University of Missouri’s guaranteed admissions program. Eligible students are high school students with a 3.0 GPA who have completed at least 12 credits of college-level courses through their school district’s early college program. School districts partnering with MU
Continue Reading
JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (KMIZ) A group of Lincoln University students and alumni want a federal judge to fix what they claim is decades of underfunding from the state. Seven people, represented by Calloway Law and the 1890 Project, filed the federal lawsuit against Gov. Mike Kehoe, the state’s higher education departments, and University of Missouri
Continue Reading
COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) A survey conducted by the City of Columbia about road safety on Business Loop 70 showed pedestrians feel unsafe on the road. In fact, no one in the survey wrote that they felt safe on the business loop as a pedestrian or cyclist. The city in 2025 approved a $2.1 million study
Continue Reading
COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) Columbia Public Schools is among the five school districts in the state that is partnering with the University of Missouri for early college direct admission, MU announced in a Tuesday press release. The program “guarantees admission to qualifying students” before their senior year of high school, the release says. Partner school districts
Continue Reading COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) EDITOR’S NOTE: A quote has now been correctly attributed to Boone County Assistant Prosecutor Mel Buchanan. Three freshman Mizzou football players were arrested Monday on suspicion of first-degree harassment, a felony. Defensive back Ahmod Billins, cornerback Trashundon Neal and wide receiver Karsten Fiene were arrested Monday afternoon on suspicion of first-degree harassment,
Continue Reading
University of Missouri students, alumni and fans are gearing up to cheer on the Tigers on Saturday afternoon in the homecoming football game against the University of Florida Gators. Before the 2:30 p.m. kickoff, many fans will start the day at the homecoming parade.
Continue Reading