Month: March 2017

Firefighters were working to extinguish a blaze at a business in Columbia Thursday night. Crews were called to Ashland Auto Sales around 5:45 p.m. after employees were closing up shop for the day and smelled something burning. Part of the Business Loop was closed while crews responded. Flames died out and smoke continued to rise

MU Interim Chancellor Hank Foley has released a full breakdown of the withholdings from each college, school or division that will be used to make up the university’s $20 million shortfall in its current budget. College, division or department leaders are now being asked to decide how they will supply those funds by April 28.

New numbers obtained from the city’s finance department for 2016 give a clearer picture of how much hotel tax revenue could be raised to pay for terminal renovations at the Columbia Regional Airport. The city started collecting the tax in January so only January 2017 tax revenue numbers are available. The February taxes are due

After the warmest February on record, Mid-Missourians were met with a cold start to March. Those cold temperatures were really felt the past few mornings, where a hard freeze was occurring. This hard freeze follows one of the earliest blooming seasons, that Peach Tree Farms Bruce Arnett has ever seen. “I know that we went

Missouri lawmakers began a week-long spring break Thursday, marking the halfway point for the 99th General Assembly. Missouri government is controlled by the Republican party in 2017 with a Republican governor and strong GOP majorities in both the House and Senate. “We’ve done some labor reform, some tort reform and some other legislation I never

TONIGHT: Low clouds will increase tonight, and there is a chance for drizzle after midnight. It will be mild with lows in the upper 40s as a southerly breeze continues at 10-15 mph overnight. FRIDAY: Light showers are possible in the morning, moving to near I-44 and ending by 2 PM. Under .10″ rain is

Another man has been arrested after his involvement in the Ludwick Boulevard assault case, where one man was shot in the face. Melvin Richard Copeland III was arrested on March 13 for assisting in first degree assault. Copeland carried the suspect, Rusty McGrath, away from the crime scene before law enforcement officers arrived on scene,

A Jefferson City man has been arrested for stealing taxidermy mounts, animal traps, arrowheads, guns and a television from a storage unit on Old Lohman Drive. Cole County Deputies received a report that the unit was robbed on Dec. 18, 2016. The investigation led to Mark Bax, who had been involved in a Eugene theft

A Jefferson City man was arrested after police found him loading stolen items into the trunk of his car. Jefferson City Police responded to a burglary in progress in the 800 block of Montana Street Thursday morning. According to the witnesses, 37-year-old Christopher Thompson of Jefferson City was seen going into the home on Montana

MU is creating two new budget committees as the university continues to battle a $20 million shortfall. University administrators announced the creation of the committees Thursday. According to a release, the committees will “advise administrators on specific aspects of the MU budget.” Student, faculty and staff representatives will serve on the committees. The Resource Allocation

TODAY: We’ll get back to more typical March weather today, thanks to some sunshine and a lifting warm front. As this warm front gradually lifts northward through the day, a south breeze will pick up near 15 mph. Afternoon temperatures will climb to the mid 50s under partly cloudy skies. Some light drizzle/rain is possible

In 2016, you’ll notice from January through December the spikes in fatal crashes were in March, September, October, and December. I used only fatal crashes as to limit counting the numerous car crashes per county. I also only used Boone and Cole counties. One could argue if more crashes are occurring during the morning commute

TODAY: More clouds are expected today with temperatures more typical for March, in the mid to upper 50s. A southeast wind will increase during the afternoon where sustained winds of 13-16 mph is possible. Wind gusts upwards to 20 mph is possible for those west of US 63. TONIGHT: More clouds and drizzle is expected.

Back in February, demonstrators protested outside the Columbia Chamber of Congress, where Rep. Vicky Hartzler was holding a roundtable discussion. One protester said they thought they were not being well represented because they said Hartzler didn’t listen to their concerns. On Wednesday, the congresswoman made an effort to hear from her constituents through a town

Cuonzo Martin has been announced as the next men’s basketball coach at Mizzou, according to the University of Missouri. “We are thrilled that Cuonzo is returning to the Midwest and that his family will now call Columbia home,” Mizzou athletic director Jim Sterk said. “From the outset of our search, our goal was to find

TODAY: We’ll get back to more typical March weather a today. It will start off cool in the low 30s, and upper 20s. A south breeze will pick up during the day up to 15 mph. Afternoon temperatures will climb to the mid 50s under mostly cloudy skies. TONIGHT: Low clouds will increase tonight, and

Columbia Police were called to the area of Sylvan Lane and Hendrix Drive around 6:30 p.m. Wednesday for reports of shots heard. Officers found a car in the 2400 block of Hendrix Drive that was hit by gunfire. They also found a home hit by gunfire in the 2300 block of Hendrix. Police said no

A long-term contract for Mizzou’s men’s basketball program may bring a stronger connection to an area one local alum called a “tough nut to crack.” The school offered Cuonzo Martin the role as head coach of men’s basketball Wednesday, reported to be worth $3 million a year for the next seven years. If Martin coached

Sturgeon’s chief of police was asked to resign Wednesday. The request comes nearly a week after Chief Greg Halderman filed a complaint with the state attorney general’s office against a city councilman. In the complaint, Halderman said Tyler Patterson came to City Hall March 9 and demanded the key to personnel files. The councilman then

Semi-trucks filled with hay bales, fencing material and other donations are set to hit the road from mid-Missouri Friday to help farmers affected by the wildfires in Kansas, Oklahoma and Texas. “If you ask a farmer, they’re going to lend you a hand no matter what,” said Courtney Collins, a cattle farmer from Ashland, who