Month: July 2016

As the temperature gets hotter and the days get longer, Columbia’s Animal Control officers are responding to more calls then usual. “People see more violations with longer daylight hours than they do when the daylight hours are shorter,” said Brandon Anderson, an Animal Control officer. Anderson has worked for the department for almost a decade,

Severe storms hit Mid-Missouri Thursday morning, knocking down trees and knocking out power in Audrain and Callaway counties. In New Bloomfield, ABC 17 News crews saw a downed tree on Route J. The property owner said with every storm, the tree leaned a little further. The owner said he was chopping it up for firewood

Another round of storms are expected to develop Thursday evening along and north of I-70 and gradually spread to the east then southeast overnight. These storms could develop as early as 8 PM, increasing through late evening and moving out by 4 AM in our southeast counties near I-44. The main threat with the storms

Four people, including two teenagers, have been arrested following a drug bust in Vandalia. Late Wednesday, authorities with the East Central Drug Task Force served a search warrant at a home on West Haig Street, where they found methamphetamine, cocaine, marijuana, drug paraphernalia, sixteen guns, and ammunition. The four people arrested include John Couch, 42;

Deputies in Camden County have arrested two Columbia women following a burglary near the Lake of the Ozarks. The burglary happened near midnight on July 5; deputies responded to Scarsdale Circle for reports of two women with flashlights breaking into an apartment. At the scene, deputies found Kimberly Hoffman, 45, and Christine Nowlin, 20, inside.

A line of storms impacted Mid-Missouri through the morning hours on Thursday. It’s these storms that caused a plethora of damage across Mid-Missouri. The vast majority of the damage was caused by thunderstorm wind damage, but there was at least one report of a tornado that touched down in Boone County. Here’s a list of

Viewers from all over Mid-Missouri have sent in photos of the damage in their neighborhoods following Thursday’s severe storms. You can e-mail photos or video you have to news@kmiz.com, or post them on our ABC 17 News Facebook page.

Camden County deputies have arrested a man from Macks Creek in connection with a sexual abuse investigation. Officials at the Department of Social Services Children’s Division contacted the sheriff’s office after learning about alleged sexual abuse over the course of several years. The allegations involved Robert Taylor, 39, who reportedly abused members of his own

The Missouri State Highway Patrol has identified a body found at the Lake of the Ozarks as Alexander Keith. The body was found in the lake’s main channel by a boater, who called law enforcement. Keith was 19 and lived in Lake Ozark at the time of his death. He was reported missing July 1

A line of severe thunderstorms moved across Mid-Missouri Thursday morning, even spawning what the National Weather Service is calling a tornado in the Hallsville area. ABC 17 News has been getting damage reports and images from Boone, Randolph, Pettis, Benton, Morgan, Camden, and Cole counties, and are expecting more reports throughout the morning. We have

Jefferson City Mayor Carrie Tergin attended Wednesday’s Airport Advisory Board meeting to officially declare support for the city of Columbia’s ballot issue to increase the hotel tax from 4 to 5 percent. According to city leaders, the one percent increase will be used to fund improvements to the airport’s aging and out-of-date terminal. “I reached

UPDATE 9:09 a.m: More than a thousand people in Boone County are still without power following Thursday’s severe storms. According to Boone Electric Cooperative, at one point, 2,340 customers lost power around 7:15 a.m. Downed power lines are also being reported in North Boone County near Robinson Lane. Ameren Missouri is reporting nearly 5,000 power

From 2014 to 2015, violent crime increased significantly in Mid-Missouri, but are we on the same pace for this year? ABC 17’s Taylor Petras crunches the newest numbers and asks police and community leaders what’s being done to combat them in “Crime Hot Spots” tonight, July 7, on ABC 17 News at 10 on KMIZ.

Jefferson City officials are asking residents to take precautions to protect the city’s storm water quality. More possible rain is predicted in parts of Mid-Missouri for Thursday and Friday. When it rains, runoff can carry hazardous chemicals like fertilizer or other wastes to storm drains, creeks and rivers. Most storm drains go straight to creeks

Power outages in Southern Columbia seem like they’ve been happening frequently. ABC 17 News asked what the city is doing to prevent the problem from happening in the future, and they tell us “we are doing everything possible to make sure we are maintaining our systems to not have these problems.” Columbia Water & Light

As desire for better, quicker police service increases, Columbia Mayor Brian Treece offered a new plan to hire more officers. The mayor spoke about his idea Tuesday night at the Columbia City Council meeting, during a discussion of the city’s FY 2017 Capital Improvement Projects. Treece asked to bring the list back, after shuffling money

Crews responded to reports of a gas leak in Ashland around 8:45 a.m. Wednesday. Work crews were forced to close Ash Street, between Main and Bass, while they repaired the line. The leak prompted officials to evacuate Southern Boone Middle School. There were no students, but a handful of administrative staff members were moved to

Fire crews and an ambulance responded to a crash Wednesday night. It happened just after 5:00 p.m. on Stadium Boulevard at College Park Drive. Columbia Fire officials confirm two cars and one truck were involved in the crash. One person was taken to the hospital. Crews started clearing the crash before 6:30 p.m.

On a straight piece of highway, it’s not easy for a Missouri State Highway Patrol trooper to do traffic enforcement. But with the help of a plane flying 2,000 feet above, the highway patrol has another tool to keep the roadways safe. With 14 aircraft across the state of Missouri, the MSHP Aircraft Division’s main

A federal judge has sentenced an Osage County man to more than seven years in prison for having child pornography. Richard Hays, 50, of Loose Creek pleaded guilty in February, nearly a year and a half after his arrest. In October 2014, Google told law enforcement officers an image of child porn was uploaded to