COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

Several counties and cities within Mid-Missouri, including Columbia, Jefferson City and Cole County have received the Missouri Blue Shield Designation from the Missouri Department of Public Safety.

However, Boone County did not apply for the designation. The deadline to was June 1.

Capt. Brian Leer, with the Boone County Sheriff’s Office told ABC 17 News the county chose not to pursue it at this time, as they’re still looking into it.

The Blue Shield Program was created by Gov. Mike Kehoe on his first day in office, aimed at increasing public safety. Counties and cities who receive the designation are able to apply for grants in July, when the fiscal year begins.

According to Department of Public Safety spokesman Mike O’Connell, every community will be allowed to apply for the same amount of grant funds.

“The grant notice of funding opportunity will go out in July. Agencies will then be reimbursed for their expenditures,” O’Connell wrote via email to ABC 17 News.

According to O’Connell, some of the eligible equipment that law enforcement can apply for includes:

Radio equipment;

Personal protective equipment;

Body worn cameras;

Gunshot detection technology; and

Training.

O’Connell said cities and counties cannot apply for ammunition/weapons, construction, drones, lobbying or military type equipment.

Those who apply have to meet several requirements in order to be eligible, including demonstrating a commitment to public safety, making investments in public safety and having a police officer recruitment-and-retention program.

Cities and counties also have to demonstrate efforts to reduce crime, including creating programs to help do so.

According to documents obtained by ABC 17 News through a records request, the Columbia Police Department’s goals over the next five years includes establishing a “Real Time Crime Center.”

CPD also wants a certification for Achieve Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies (CALEA) and work to enhance resource sharing through regional law enforcement.

The Jefferson City Police Department lists that it plans to work to expand its efforts to target guns, drugs and victim support by continuing its Community Resource Officer program. The department also wants to build on recruitment and internships through Lincoln University and make upgrades to technology, including body-worn cameras.

Documents show Cole County is hoping to achieve accreditation for the Cole County Sheriff’s Office and jail, as well as take part in a domestic violence unit within the county.

Several other cities and counties within Mid-Missouri have received the designation including Ashland, Fulton, Audrain County, California and Randolph County.

By Mike Duffy

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DETROIT (WXYZ) — The state of Michigan understands many businesses are facing uncertainty right now, so they’re looking to the future by helping businesses get the support and funding they need.

I was at New Center Stamping in Detroit on Wednesday learning about a new program.

It may have been around for a long time, but the New Center Stamping plant in Detroit helps make the parts on all your favorite cars. And today, it’s the staging ground for the official launch of MI Hub for Manufacturers, which connects businesses looking for help with providers and state resources.

“There’s a lot of pressure on the automotive companies right now, both with tariffs and then also international competition. So, companies might also be considering, ‘can I diversify?’ Aerospace, space, defense, those are all aspects of manufacturing that are growing exponentially,” said Ingrid Tighe, the president of the Michigan Manufacturing Technology Center.

She told me the MI Hub for Manufacturers streamlines the process.

“What we need to do is identify who’s out there, who’s doing well, who might need some assistance and how do we help those companies come along and either stay where they are or diversify or jump into new sectors,” Tighe said.

Bobbie and Dominick Squires are the marketing director and the chief operating officer at Petronus Industries. They came to the launch event from Wixom.

“We are a family business, a small manufacturer of prototypes, tooling, fixtures, a lot of customized precision work,” Bobbie Squires said.

The program is also providing businesses with an opportunity to pivot to think about how they might want to change the nature of their business. It’s something the Squires are thinking about.

“I think we have to. And working within industries that we traditionally haven’t, whether that’s more medical, EV. Defense is a huge area of opportunity for us,” Bobbie Squires said. “So to have free resources like this, it’s pretty significant for us, especially with the variety of options from succession planning to financing, to all the things as a small business we really need today.”

Tom Aepelbacher, the president of New Center Stamping, told me he was happy to host the MI Hub for Manufacturers and he’s glad to see the new innovations.

“Momentum is now building again like it used to in the 80s where ‘made in America’ is a big deal. And just to have it here at New Center Stamping and downtown Detroit, 106-year-old plant, I think it epitomizes what we’re trying to do for the state of Michigan and for Detroit,” Aepelbacher said.

And does Michigan have an advantage?

“Oh, for sure. Our resources are unbelievable here. We have more engineers coming out of school, we have more AI technology coming out right now,” Aepelbacher said.

He sees the world is changing, but that doesn’t change the pride he feels for Detroit.

“We can reinvent ourselves. Right now, I make body sides, I make a bunch of panels, I make a bunch of automotive parts,” Aepelbacher said. “Somebody just approached me a little bit ago about making solar panel housings.”

He says it seems like Michigan is moving toward aerospace.

“We have the infrastructure, we have the people making automotive parts to standards that we have to have and aerospace parts that they have to have, pretty much the same.”

For more information about the program, visit MI Hub for Manufacturers’ website.

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COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

Several Columbia community members on Wednesday gathered at Rose Music Hall in Columbia, soaking in the time to celebrate, before rain brought the celebration to an early end.

“It’s just very important for us to recognize how much people have to go through for us to be free and give people in our community of space to come together,” Charlee’ette Glover, lead program assistant of Moving Ahead, said.

The event was one of the many celebrations that will be held this week throughout Columbia for Juneteenth, a federal holiday that commemorates the end of slavery in the United States. The City of Columbia awarded funds to 12 events this year.

The city was awarded $29,800 in grant funding from the Missouri Arts Council.

While the event aims to serve as a celebration, some say recent political tensions– including President Donald Trump’s efforts to roll back diversity, equity and inclusion efforts have crossed their mind.

“I can see how it makes some people feel unsafe,” Glover said. “But I think in the midst of that, this event is just a really good example of the fact that people do prevail, that when we come together as a community, we can stand against these sorts of things.”

James Gray also helped organize a Juneteenth celebration and luncheon that will take place at Douglass Park Thursday morning. He’s also a part of the Juneteenth parade scheduled for Saturday morning in Downtown Columbia.

Gray said both political tensions and Sunday’s shooting that left an 18-year-old dead may have some in the community feeling uneasy heading into celebrations. However, Gray said that makes celebrations more important than ever.

“It’s time that we stop talking and it’s time that we put out and do something,” Gray said. “That’s why it’s important that we come together. That’s why it’s important that we speak the same language.”

Gray said police will be at both events and members of the group have been trained to watch for suspicious behavior. The Columbia Police Department told ABC 17 News it plans to have normal patrols on Thursday and over the weekend.

A full list of Juneteenth events can be found here.

LAKE ORION, Mich. (WXYZ) — A 12-year-old girl from Lake Orion has turned a Mother’s Day gift into a successful small business, selling hundreds of handcrafted birdhouses.

Watch Demetrios Sanders’ video report:

Lake Orion girl creates birdhouse business

Mia Malover has sold around 300 custom birdhouses through her business, Mia’s Corner, which she operates from a space in her family’s barn. What started as a simple gift for her mother when she was 9 years old has blossomed into an entrepreneurial venture.

“It was really cool that I had made something that was really cool and people actually wanted it, that I could actually make a business out of,” Mia said.

The young entrepreneur handles most aspects of production herself, from cutting and assembling to painting the birdhouses in various styles.

“I do almost everything. I do the cutting, I help plane with them, I paint them, I put them together, and nail them together. So I do most of the process,” Mia said.

Mia sells her creations through social media and at local art and craft shows, where she enjoys interacting with customers.

“My favorite part of the bird houses is the craft show and getting to actually talk to people and asking questions about them and like really showing them what I do, and it’s like it’s my own thing,” Mia said.

Her father, Mike Malover, has been by her side throughout the journey, teaching her woodworking skills while ensuring she works safely.

“She’s been my sidekick and my shadow since the day she arrived. Just always hanging with dad, whether I’m working on the car or building this barn we’re standing in,” Mike said.

For Mike, the business has created valuable bonding time with his daughter.

“I get to spend so much time with my daughter doing something cool, something I would enjoy doing anyways,” Mike said.

He’s also proud of the business and life skills Mia is developing.

“The actual craft of doing the work to the business end of it, understanding how much money she has in the material versus how much she profited,” Mike said. “I’m just beaming when I watch her at a craft show talking to everyone.”

Mia is saving her earnings toward purchasing a Ford Bronco when she’s old enough to drive, and reflects on how far her simple Mother’s Day gift has come.

“I just thought it was a cool Mother’s Day gift to make, and it’s taken off so far,” Mia said.

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This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.

By WCCO Staff

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BROOKLYN Park, Minnesota (WCCO) — Three men, two of them brothers, have been charged in connection with a shooting that left a promising young football player paralyzed.

Each of the men is charged with first-degree assault, second-degree assault and a dangerous weapons charge, court records show.

According to a criminal complaint, one of the three men shot Michael Blidi Jr. on May 29 while they were inside a vehicle and Blidi was standing outside his home in Brooklyn Park, Minnesota. It’s unclear who actually fired at Blidi.

The complaint states Blidi had punched one of the men during an altercation at a basketball game a few days before the shooting. One of the men made threats toward Blidi both in person and on social media, investigators said.

Blidi was a star outside linebacker at a central Pennsylvania high school and had a scholarship to play football at an Iowa community college. The shooting left him paraplegic, according to the complaint, but he told WCCO he hopes to someday walk and play football again.

The suspect vehicle fled after the shooting, but police tracked it to an apartment building in Brooklyn Park via surveillance video. Three men exited the vehicle and entered the apartment building, investigators said, and a fourth later left the building and moved the car.

The fourth man, who lived in the apartment building, told police the three men said “something had gone down,” according to the complaint, and gave him a handgun. During a search of the apartment, police found two handguns and additional ammunition. A cartridge casing found inside the vehicle matched one of the handguns.

All three men charged are in custody. The fourth man is not charged.

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