Month: February 2016

Officials confirm a home’s kitchen and dining area were seriously damaged during an early morning cooking fire Thursday in southeast Jefferson City. Crews were called to 2116 Louis Circle near Eastland Drive and Highway 50 around 8:15 a.m. One adult and four children live inside the one-story brick duplex. They escaped without getting hurt, after

A second suspect charged in connection to a Sedalia teenager’s death is set to be in court next week. Second-degree murder charges were just filed against 21-year-old Kenneth McGee. Another man, Brian Young, was also charged this week, accused of shooting 16-year-old Andrew Meyers during a drug deal on July 24 , 2015. Court documents

Investigators are asking the public for help investigating an arson fire at a Sedalia home where a body was found. 53-year-old Daniel Smith was found inside the home after the fire was extinguished in December. The Springfield Police Department and the Missouri Fire Marshal’s Office have determined the fire was intentionally set. A reward up

Flint, Michigan is making national headlines as the FBI joins in the investigation about lead poisoning in their water. U.S. lawmakers also wracked their brains Wednesday to figure out why no improvements have been made to Flint’s quality of water during a congressional hearing. While Flint is struggling, Columbia’s water supply is being drawn from

A man is in custody Thursday morning after ramming his car into the front of a downtown Columbia restaurant. Clinton Daniels was arrested on charges of felony leaving the scene of an accident and driving while intoxicated. It happened shortly before 1 a.m. at Umbria Rustic Italian restaurant on Elm Street. Police said witnesses reported

Through February 20th, Mercury, Venus, Mars, Saturn, and Jupiter will be aligned in the morning sky. Approximately 60-80 minutes before sunrise, look low in the horizon and to the south/southeast. The best time to view this will come in the morning on Friday February 5th. Jupiter looks to rise first, followed by Mars-then Saturn and

A city councilwoman believes progress made to build a transmission line should stave off federal fines for electric reliability. Fifth Ward Councilwoman Laura Nauser, along with three other members of the Columbia City Council, voted on January 19 to re-examine a high-voltage transmission line project planned for south city. Columbia Water & Light said the

A House Appropriations Committee on higher education wrapped up Wednesday afternoon at the state Capitol after hearing presentations from colleges and universities from across the state. Interim UM System President Mike Middleton was at the Capitol to testify before the committee. Middleton discussed what a budget cut for the University of Missouri System would mean.

In the last three years, the Columbia Public Schools district has lost hundreds of thousands of dollars in its meal program. Wednesday night, the CPS finance committee met with the Nutrition Services Director to talk about the future of that program. CPS Nutrition Services expected to make a loss of nearly $241,000 this school year,

A burglar made off with highly addictive prescription drugs from a local pharmacy Wednesday morning. First, a burglar tried to get into D&H Pharmacy on Broadway around 3:45 a.m. The burglar was not able to get into the pharmacy, but did damage the door. While investigating that attempted burglary, officers got another call about a

Columbia will soon have a second driver’s license office after the state Department of Revenue approved a contract with the Elle Management company based in O’Fallon near St. Louis, which is going to run the new location. An opening date and location is expected to be announced after the terms officially take on March 2.

A national association is calling for the reinstatement of a suspended University of Missouri assistant professor who was involved in a run-in with two student journalists during campus protests. The American Association of University Professors sent a letter Tuesday to the Columbia campus’ interim chancellor, Hank Foley. The group’ associate secretary, Hans-Joerg Tiede, wrote that

ABC 17 News confirmed Wednesday a plan to build a municipal center in north Columbia is still on track, though the land was deemed unfit to support a fire station. Monday night, the City Council approved the purchase of eight acres of land in the north part of the city for a building that would

One U.S. representative spoke out Wednesday after learning the Jefferson City branch of the IRS will be closed through next week. The office has been closed since January 25, and will be until February 12. U.S. Rep. Blaine Luetkemeyer demanded from the IRS a plan to help Mid-Missouri taxpayers. Luetkemeyer in a release Wednesday, “With

New plans for a new Columbia Regional Airport Terminal got underway Wednesday. An engineering firm presented 3 options to the Airport Advisory Board at its monthly meeting. The current terminal was built in the 1960s. Members said they hope for a new and modern terminal that can handle more passengers. Engineers initially had 6 options,

ABC 17 News confirms only a few customers will be affected by a 12″ water main break Wednesday in north Columbia. The city’s Water & Light department said crews will turn off valves near Northland Drive and Blue Ridge Road in order to isolate the problem, and once that is done, pressure issues for most

The Columbia Police Officers’ Association will focus on getting more of the city’s police to the median pay level in the next budget year. CPOA Director Dale Roberts said officer pay will play a priority in this year’s collective bargaining with the City of Columbia. Negotiations are set to start later this month, ahead of

Another salvo was fired Tuesday, in the battle of words between the University of Missouri system and its former leader, Tim Wolfe. The latest exchange after the unrest and transition at the university comes in an article from the Chronicle of Higher Education. In the article, interim president Michael Middleton acknowledges the concerns of some

The latest Uniform Crime Reporting numbers indicate an overall downward crime trend in Jefferson City over the past 10 years. Violent crime, which includes homicide, rape, robbery and assault, decreased by 50 percent from 2006 to 2015. The city had its highest rate of violent crime in 2006 with 324 reported offenses. In that same

A Mid-Missouri woman was sentenced in federal court for embezzling almost $500,000 while on the job. A judge sentenced Katherine Brown to 15 months in federal prison without parole. The court also ordered Brown to pay $410,000 in restitution. Brown used to work as the lead teller at Hawthorn Bank in Jefferson City, and pleaded