Reporter for ABC 17 News
In a couple of minutes, the St. Charles bridge above I-70 will shut down for demolition. The reconstruction is expected to take about five months. Join us tonight at 9 and 10 to see how this closure will impact students in Columbia Public Schools.
03/22/2026
Fayette community to honor student with balloon release following su***de FAYETTE, Mo. (KMIZ) The Fayette community will hold a balloon release Saturday at Paige-Liberty Park to honor Zyairah Barney, a seventh grader at Fayette R-3’s Clark Middle School who died by su***de. Family members and friends said Barney had been experiencing intense bullying, which they claim w...
02/10/2026
Late Cole County farmer's land heads to auction Saturday after three-year legal battle A late Cole County farmer's 178-acre Elston land is set to be auctioned Saturday morning, despite his reported wishes for it to become a public park. Lawrence Renn Jr., who passed away in 2021, left behind a trust intended to turn his farmland into a county park.
02/10/2026
Columbia mobile home residents launch tenants union, demand negotiations with corporate owner COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) Residents from three Columbia mobile home parks publicly launched a tenants union Sunday, calling on their corporate landlord to negotiate over rising costs, safety concerns, and alleged retaliation. Tenants from Richland Heights North, Richland Heights South, and Creekwood Esta...
One last look inside Turning Point before the center moves to Opportunity Campus this summer. The Executive Director Darren Morton walks me through the space and its operations.
Catch the full story tonight at 9/10 p.m.
01/26/2026
Crews continue clearing Mid-Missouri roads after heavy snowfall Snow and slick roads have kept drivers on high alert all weekend, but for many who chose to stay home, a different challenge waited right outside their front doors. Mid-Missouri was blanketed with five to nine inches of snow, according to the ABC 17 StormTrack Weather Team, leaving residents shoveli...
01/25/2026
Woke up in a Winter Wonderland ❄️
For those in Columbia, the city said crews will begin plowing residential neighborhoods on Monday.
Watch my story tonight at 9 p.m. and 10 p.m. to learn more, plus important safety tips for shoveling snow.
01/24/2026
It’s Meghan Drakas ABC 17 News last day! Thank you so much for helping me become a better journalist. You will be truly missed, and I know you’re going to absolutely kill it in your next chapter! ❤️
12/27/2025
Hope everyone had a wonderful holiday. 🤍
Join me on ABC 17 News KMIZ tonight as I anchor the 9 & 10.
12/26/2025
Police shoot man armed with knife at Columbia gas station COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) Police shot a man armed with a knife on Christmas morning at a southeast Columbia gas station. Officers were called to the Break Time at East Stadium and Maguire boulevards a little after 10:30 a.m. Thursday. They shot a man who had a knife, and he was taken to a hospital, a
12/26/2025
Happy Holidays, Mid-Missouri ❤️