Month: September 2014

Several suspects are on the loose after stealing items during a party in downtown Columbia. According to a police report, it happened Monday night just after midnight at the Brookside Apartments on Walnut Street. The victims told police they let people into their apartment for a party, and during the course of the night, three

A Columbia man who spent several years in prison is now helping other former prisoners find a second chance. Fred Barney struggled with alcohol and drug addiction, but after after he got treatment and was released from prison last year, he got a job and began volunteering in the community. And now, he’s working to

Columbia Police are investigating a shooting in north Columbia. Just before 8 p.m. Tuesday, officers were called out to the area of Derby Ridge and High Quest Circle after getting multiple calls of shots fired. Police found two homes had been hit, with one bullet each in the 1600 block of High Quest Circle. They

Karen Ray, a veteran journalism teacher at Jefferson City High School claims principal Jeff Dodson bullied her and intimidated her into resigning. She did leave the district at the end of last school year. Dodson announced he was leaving just this week. Ray’s claims don’t just stop with bullying, though. She claims other administrators even

A new retail store opened its doors at the Columbia mall Wednesday, bringing hundreds of people to shop. “I love H&M, they don’t really have that many good stores in this mall. I’m just really excited and hope I get a gift card today,” said Destiny Johnson, an H&M shopper. H&M offers affordable trendy clothes

Cole County Commissioners have given new property owners two additional weeks to clean up the filthy property at 813 Schumate Chapel Road. At Wednesday’s council meeting the new property owner William Ott stepped forward saying that he has started to clean the property, that was filed with feces and trash. “I saw it on the

Earl Ringo, Jr. has been put to death by the state of Missouri for killing two people at a Columbia restaurant in 1998. The Department of Corrections says Ringo died by lethal injection at 12:31 a.m. The execution happened after both Governor Jay Nixon and courts refused to grant a stay or clemency. Ringo was

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A Moberly woman was hospitalized Tuesday night after she was hit by a car. According to police, Virgil Wamsher, 64, was driving north on Morley Street when he hit Tiara Smith, 33, who had just walked out onto the road. Smith got serious injuries and was taken to University Hospital in Columbia.

Columbia city leaders have asked for residents’ ideas about how to improve aspects of the city. Monday night, the Mayor’s Task Force on Community Violence met for the first “listening discussion” where residents gave their input on how to reduce crime in the city. Tuesday night, leaders and citizens met once again for the First

A University of Missouri student claims she was sexually assaulted on the Columbia campus. Tuesday night the MU Police Department released information about a Friday incident. The student says between midnight and 1 a.m. a man she did not know attacked her near the benches between Jesse Hall and Hill Hall. The only suspect description

The Higbee Senior Center is being forced to close its doors on Friday. This comes after years of running in the red. The center delivers food to many seniors, and now, those seniors don’t know where they’ll get their meals. Senior center administrators said there is no plan to replace the food delivery services the

The Higbee Senior Center is being forced to close its doors Friday. This comes after years of running in the red. The center delivers food to many seniors, and now, those seniors don’t know where they’ll get their meals. Senior center administrators said there is no plan to replace the food delivery services the center

Jefferson City High School is undergoing an administrative change. Principal Jeff Dodson submitted his resignation, effective Monday, after he claims recent complaints made him a “lightning rod for unrest.” School officials announced Dodson’s resignation Tuesday. Sharon Longan will serve as the interim principal for the rest of the school year, and the search for a

A Columbia man faces possible charges for allegedly stealing scrap metal from the site of a future veterans project off the Business Loop. Nicholas Hock was arrested on Sunday, after police say he took copper from the old Deluxe Inn, where officials are planning to create a new housing complex for vets. Hock was only

A former serviceman now faces charges in Mid-Missouri, after deputies allegedly found drugs and a dangerous pipe bomb in Chamois. The Osage County sheriff’s office says Zachary Reed just recently came back from active military duty. Deputies were investigating an August 22 shooting in Chamois City Park when they got a search warrant for 324

Harrisburg R-VIII schools closed down Tuesday because of unexpected sewer repairs. Officials say major plumbing problems backed up sewage on Friday in both the middle and elementary schools. On Tuesday crews worked to replace pipes at the school that were over 50 years old. Officials hope the issue will not reappear once the work is

The Columbia Parks and Recreation Department is almost finished putting parking spots in on the side of Fifth Street. The spaces will replace the parking lot farther inside the park, an area that has experienced a large volume of crime recently. This is just one of 20 projects the Parks and Recreation Department plans to

Columbia Public Schools will start construction on a new elementary school in southwest Columbia. It is one of three new elementary schools approved, which is starting the discussion of redistricting. Assistant Superintendent of Elementary Schools Ben Tilley is attending PTA meetings at elementary schools across the city to talk about that process. The new Columbia

Columbia Public Schools has made security enhancements it says increases safety for students. “Every school year we do a safety and security evaluation and make a determination about additional concerns or additional needs,” said Michelle Baumstark with Columbia Public Schools. This year, the district saw the need for adding the “buzz-in” system at Rock Bridge