Columbia Fire Department

Fire protection in fast-growing east Columbia to be discussed tonight

September 5, 2023 By Brian Hauswirth

Columbia’s city council will hear a three-page report Tuesday evening about fire service in fast-growing east-central Columbia, specifically the acquisition of a building in the El Chaparral subdivision that will be used as a temporary fire station. A permanent one will be built on that site later.

The Columbia Fire Department wants to convert the 7,000 square feet building into office space on the upper level and, on an interim basis, space for a fire station on the lower level. Design costs are about $130,000.

Staff would like to use the architectural firm that is building fire station 11 on Scott Boulevard in southwest Columbia, which is expected to be finished this month.

Tonight’s council meeting begins at 7. This agenda item will be a report, so the council will not be taking any action this evening.

(AUDIO): Parole expected to be revoked for suspect captured by CPD after manhunt

June 30, 2023 By Brian Hauswirth

Columbia Police have released this undated photo of parolee Brandt Feutz, who’s been captured (photo courtesy of CPD Facebook page)

Columbia Police are crediting residents for providing information that led to the capture of a parolee they considered armed and dangerous.

Columbia Police spent hours on Wednesday night and Thursday searching for 36-year-old Brandt Feutz, who’s been in and out of Missouri prisons for the past 17 years. CPD assistant chief Lance Bolinger announced announced Feutz’s capture during a Thursday afternoon press briefing at the Elks lodge.

“One of the big things that led to the success of this was just the community. We provided a lot of information out to the community, the community in turn provided us with good information to help us lead to the whereabouts and ultimately the safe apprehension of the suspect,” Bolinger tells reporters, including 939 the Eagle.

Residents in Columbia’s Old Hawthorne area were urged to shelter in place, as CPD searched for the suspect. CPD assistant chief Bolinger tells reporters that a citizen called Boone County 911 with a tip.

“We got information from a citizen is what I’ll tell you that led to us ultimately determining where he was at. He was located at an address on the northern side of Boone County. I don’t have that address to give out at this point,” says Bolinger.

Missouri’s Probation and Parole Board is expected to revoke Feutz’s parole, and he’ll have to return to prison to finish his drug sentences. That’s on top of the new felony charges of arson and harassment. Feutz has numerous prior convictions, including for child molestation, second degree robbery and victim tampering.

Mr. Bolinger says Feutz also allegedly led Columbia Police on a high-speed pursuit down Nifong and Grindstone and evaded capture several times was finally caught Thursday afternoon, after hours of searching.

Bolinger praises Columbia Police and all of the other agencies involved in the search. They include Columbia Fire, the Boone County Fire Protection District, Boone County Sheriff’s Department, Missouri State Highway Patrol and others. They worked in temperatures of around 100 degrees, during the search.

(AUDIO): Columbia’s mayor pushes back against Minchew’s council comments about public safety

June 28, 2023 By Brian Hauswirth

Columbia Mayor Barbara Buffaloe (2022 photo courtesy of city of Columbia’s website)

A former Columbia mayoral candidate wants the city council to publicly recognize the danger that CPD officers put themselves in each day.

Businessman Randy Minchew spoke from the podium at last week’s council meeting. He called on those in power “to respond appropriately and not make public statements about city employees before the facts are known about high-profile issues.” Mayor Barbara Buffaloe is pushing back on the comments, telling 939 the Eagle that the majority of Columbia’s city council supports CPD.

“When we had the comments about the incident that we had the video surrounding the incident at Harpo’s, council commented like asking the public to give us pause. Give us the patience to have the process followed. And obviously you know if we saw was what we saw, we don’t encourage you know bad behavior, but we obviously support our good cops, our police department. And right now you have a council that supports and asks questions. But at the end of the day, the majority of us support (the) Columbia Police Department,” Mayor Buffaloe says.

Mr. Minchew is calling on the city council to give CPD and the Columbia Fire Department the tools, equipment and manpower they need to keep the city safe. He says their silence about public safety is, quote, “deafening.” Mayor Buffaloe disagrees.

“That’s not what I’ve heard or what I’ve seen in both the council’s voting as well as the public statements that we’ve put out there acknowledging when we had that shootout at the (Forest Village) apartments after we lost Art’s wife (Janet Jago). You know, the comments about thanking our police department for going out there and putting up with gunfire was there,” says Buffaloe.

Mayor Buffaloe is referring to the May robbery and murder of 72-year-old Janet Jago in the Highlands, and the subsequent standoff at Forest Village apartments. Columbia Police say murder suspect Jermaine Montez Burnett apparently shot and killed himself during the standoff. Police say Burnett fired at them and that they returned fire that day. Ms. Jago was married to Art Jago, a retired Mizzou professor.

While Minchew won several wards in Columbia’s April 2022 mayoral election, Barbara Buffaloe beat him citywide by about 800 votes. The fourth ward provided her margin of victory.

(AUDIO): Excitement and optimism about Columbia’s newest park near Cafe Berlin

June 23, 2023 By Brian Hauswirth

The Columbia Chamber of Commerce ambassadors joined Mayor Barbara Buffaloe, state Department of Economic Development (DED) acting director Michelle Hataway and other dignitaries at Thursday’s groundbreaking ceremony for the new Orr street park (June 22, 2023 photo courtesy of Columbia Parks and Recreation spokeswoman Tammy Miller)

Columbia’s city manager is excited about the new Orr street park that will be developed near Orr and Park, northeast of Café Berlin.

City manager De’Carlon Seewood took his sports coat and tie off in the heat and grabbed a shovel during Thursday afternoon’s groundbreaking ceremony. Mr. Seewood tells 939 the Eagle he’s thrilled with the large turnout.

“When you look at economic development, when you look at communities, you know having a green space that allows for festivals, allow for just a walking path so people can have a green place to just get out of the concrete jungle of the downtown area … it’s just exciting to have,” Seewood says.

Mr. Seewood was joined at the groundbreaking ceremony by Columbia Mayor Barbara Buffaloe, first ward city councilman Nick Knoth, acting state Department of Economic Development (DED) director Michelle Hataway and others.

Columbia has been awarded a $1.25 million dollar DED grant to develop the property. Seewood says Columbia’s voter-approved park sales tax will fund the rest of the $1.5 million project.

Columbia’s mayor says the Orr Street park that will be developed in the North Village Arts District is a huge deal for the area. The park will be located near Orr and Park Avenue, across the street from the Columbia Fire Department. A manufactured gas plant had been located there, at one time. Mayor Buffaloe tells 939 the Eagle that the location has been an eyesore in downtown and in the North Village Arts District.

“So many people have been like why don’t you do something with it. And it’s like well we just need to have the right partners and the right investment of funds to actually make it happen,” Buffaloe says.

Columbia Parks and Recreation says some of the park features may include open greenspace, a walking trail, outdoor art areas and a playground.

“So right now we’re about ready to start doing our interested parties meeting. As you’re looking around here, we have a lot of the renderings up and so staff will be doing an interested parties meeting and then coming back to us with official plans for the timeline of the project,” says Buffaloe.

Columbia fourth ward city councilman Nick Thomas also attended the groundbreaking, as did former Columbia sixth ward councilman Barbara Hoppe. All three Boone County commissioners attended as well.

(AUDIO): Former Columbia mayoral candidate Minchew says silence from council on public safety is deafening

June 21, 2023 By Brian Hauswirth

A former Columbia mayoral candidate is urging Columbia’s city council to give CPD and the Columbia Fire Department the tools, equipment and manpower they need to keep the city safe.

Randy Minchew spoke from the podium during Tuesday night’s council meeting.

“But the last time I checked, when a Columbia citizen or a member of the public calls 911, the mayor or city council members or any of the anti law-and-order police-hating activists who stand in front of you every week ever take the call, hop in a squad car, jump on a fire truck or in an ambulance and show up for us,” Minchew says.

Minchew tells the council that their silence about public safety is, quote, “deafening.” He’s calling on them to publicly recognize the dangers that CPD officers put themselves in every day.

“We must ask those in power to respond appropriately and not make public statements about city employees before the facts are known about high-profile issues. We cannot have our elected officials publicly degrading or demoralizing the first responders who go out and put their lives on the line every day to keep us safe,” says Minchew.

He also emphasized integrity, while speaking at the podium.

“We must demand that you uphold the principles of democracy and act with integrity, stand up for all the people you lead. The public’s trust is a precious commodity, and it must not be taken for granted,” Minchew says.

He concluded his presentation by thanking Columbia’s seven council members, including Mayor Barbara Buffaloe, for their time and for their willingness to serve on the council. Buffaloe beat Minchew by about 800 votes in the April 2022 election.