Month: February 2015

A Columbia man accused of killing his wife in October 2014 appeared in Boone County Court Thursday. 88-year-old Donald Rowland was originally charged with first degree murder and armed criminal action after allegedly stabbing his wife, Betty, at 3426 Woodrail Terrace on October 31. That first degree murder charged was amended to involuntary manslaughter Thursday.

An Osage County firefighter was hospitalized after he was shot in the foot. The accident happened Wednesday in Bonnots Mill when crews were fighting a mobile home fire. The call came in around 7:30 Wednesday morning. Fire officials said heat is what caused a pistol in a drawer to discharge a bullet from a .380

Work is still moving forward on the new Boone Co. 911 center north of Columbia. The facility will be built next to the Boone Co. Sheriff’s Department off Highway 63. ABC 17 News Thursday sat down with Boone County Commissioner Janet Thompson to see how the process is going. The center’s new director has been

The BBB of Mid-Missouri is warning of a fraud scheme involving a fictitious company called “Epic Spirit Survey Inc.” The fraudsters in this scheme are mailing the victims checks from M&T Bank and the attached flier that states the following, verbatim: “I am pleased to inform you that you have been selected to become one

A man is now going to prison for robbing an adult store in Columbia. Derrick Webster pleaded guilty Wednesday to first degree robbery. Webster’s two other please were tossed out for concerns about his public defender, and questions about whether his gun was real. ABC 17 News first reported about Webster in April, after he

A man’s truck was stolen in Columbia while it was warming up in the cold temperatures this week. His work truck was taken outside of the Quality Inn this week near Providence and I-70. It disappeared from the parking lot before 7:00 a.m. Officers found it a few hours later behind the Schnucks off Stadium

Hundreds of residents in Cooper County were without power late Wednesday night into early Thursday morning. Officials say 835 Ameren Missouri customers lost power sometime late Wednesday night. Power was restored to all customers by 1 a.m. Thursday. At one point Ameren’s website showed more than 2,600 customers were without power, but officials say those

A Sturgeon man was arrested early Thursday after deputies say he led them on a cross-county chase. It started shortly before 2:30 a.m. when a deputy saw the suspect run a red light in the area of East Broadway and Keene Street in Columbia. The deputy stopped the car, and said the driver, Dalton Perkins,

ABC 17s Sherree Burruss recaps Hickman high school girls basketball and other local scores.

Bitter temperatures aren’t just uncomfortable, they can be dangerous without the proper precautions. But common cold weather myths can sometimes fool you, so we had an expert weigh in. Dr. Jason Zerrer with Providence Urgent care said he hears lots of these myths. “The biggest one is that cold weather causes you to get sick,”

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. (AP) – Michael Qualls had 21 points and No. 18 Arkansas beat Missouri 84-69 on Wednesday night for its fifth straight victory and eighth in nine games. Bobby Portis added 16 points on 8-of-12 shooting to help the Razorbacks (21-5, 10-3 Southeastern Conference) continue their best start in conference play since the 1997-98

In the bitterly cold temperatures, most of us just take comfort in the warmth of our homes or offices, but some people around mid-Missouri have to brave the elements. For those who have to be outside in this weather, there are some serious health concerns. “There’s nobody that’s going to get that cold unless you

A narrow band of light snow, orientated north west to southeast, will slide across Mid-Missouri Thursday evening and overnight, starting as early as 5 pm near HWY 65 and 8-9 pm near HWY 63. This band will be very light but minor accumulation is expected with most areas receiving a half inch or less of

Lawmakers may be closer to a new tool in the fight against child sex trafficking. Wednesday, representatives testified in support of a new bill. Right now, Missouri law states that recruiting, harboring and enticing children into sex trafficking is illegal. And if this bill passes, it would add advertising children for sex to the definition

Three people are in custody for a Sunday murder in Jefferson City. Cole County Prosecutor Mark Richardson charged Charles Thompson, 17, Vincent Smith, 25, and Robert Burks, 23, with second-degree murder and first-degree burglary. Burks and Smith are also facing additional counts of first-degree robbery and armed criminal action. Court documents claim Thompson and Smith

The Columbia Housing Authority (CHA) may soon ban residents from smoking inside their homes, and the possibility has some residents fired up. The CHA board was scheduled to vote on the “Smoke-Free Lease Addendum V3” Tuesday night, but the vote was tabled because of an administrative error. So residents in public housing can continue smoking

Tax season is in full swing, but so are the con artists working to steal your money and identity, according to authorities. “All it takes to file a fraudulent tax return is for somebody to have your name and Social Security number,” Mike Harrison of the Better Business Bureau said. Scammers use emails and phone

Tuesday, the Columbia Housing Authority Board will vote on banning smoking inside public housing units. If the board passes the smoke-free policy, the housing authority said it will start enforcing it in all of its 719 rental units on May 1. The federal government has been encouraging the housing authority to make the city’s public

A busy intersection in Columbia is getting a major facelift. Columbia city officials said they are improving the Stadium and Old 63 intersection. City officials unveiled the plan for the intersection at an open house Tuesday night. The project includes extra left turning lanes for drivers northbound to westbound and a right turning lane for

The Salvation Army Shelter in Jefferson City, and the Room at the Inn in Columbia were feeling the surge in residents Tuesday night. In Jefferson City, the shelter was nearly to capacity. The Room at the Inn, in Columbia was full. The temperatures were expected to be near ten degrees. Shelter employees tell ABC 17