Missouri Archives

QUESTION OF THE DAY: Are you ready Missouri’s hands-free driving law?

August 24, 2023 2:12 AM ABC 17 News Team

Missouri was long a holdout when it came to hands-free driving laws.

Missouri hands-free driving law goes into effect Monday with grace period

August 23, 2023 11:18 AM Hannah Falcon

A new law going into effect Monday makes it illegal for Missourians to hold their phones while driving, but there are some caveats when it comes to enforcing the law.

38 Red Cross volunteers from Missouri sent around country for natural disaster response

August 23, 2023 5:01 PM Marina Diaz

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) The American Red Cross of Missouri and Arkansas Region continue to have crews in several different locations across the United States as they respond to multiple different natural disasters. According to a press release from the Red Cross, 47 volunteers from Missouri and Arkansas have been deployed to help with these disasters

Columbia man pleads guilty to murder in St. Louis

August 23, 2023 3:20 PM Ryan Shiner

ST. LOUIS (KMIZ) A Columbia man pleaded guilty on Wednesday to a 2020 murder in St. Louis. Jamar Burns, 32, pleaded guilty to second-degree murder and armed criminal action. He was sentenced to 15 years in the Missouri Department of Corrections. He will be credited with three years of time served, according to a press

More Missouri schools using safety app as 2023-24 year begins

August 22, 2023 3:46 PM Hannah Falcon

Hundreds of Missouri schools have signed up for a new tool they hope will increase campus safety — an app meant to improve the response to school safety threats.

Coaches, athletes make adjustments during heat wave

August 22, 2023 3:43 PM Mitchell Kaminski

HALLSVILLE, Mo. (KMIZ) The recent heat wave has forced high school athletic programs to move practice times to early in the morning or later in the evening to reduce the risk of heat-related illness. This week, temperatures in Mid-Missouri are expected to reach high 90s and low 100s between Tuesday and Thursday, with heat indexes

Why Missouri educators are leaving the profession and what’s being done to stop it

August 21, 2023 3:11 PM Hannah Falcon

More than 60% of Missouri teachers leave the profession in their first five years on the job, education officials say.

New area code to be introduced to Mid-Missouri

August 21, 2023 4:39 PM Ryan Shiner

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) Mid-Missouri will soon be introduced to a new area code, according to a Monday press release from the Missouri Public Service Commission. The new area code – 235 – will not replace numbers that currently use 573. New numbers using the 235 area code will begin being assigned on March 24, 2024.

Former respiratory therapist in Missouri sentenced in connection with patient deaths

August 20, 2023 4:40 PM Associated Press

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — A former Missouri respiratory therapist who pleaded guilty in the deaths of two hospital patients has been sentenced to 18 years in prison. Jennifer Hall was initially charged with two counts of first-degree murder but pleaded guilty in April to reduced first-degree involuntary manslaughter counts in the deaths of 75-year-old

Fitzpatrick begins audit on Missouri’s medical, recreational marijuana programs

August 16, 2023 9:21 PM Ryan Shiner

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) Missouri Auditor Scott Fitzpatrick announced in a statement that his office is auditing the state’s marijuana programs. An Auditor’s Office spokesman said in an email that the audit began Aug. 2 and it will cover a five-year period that ended June 30, 2023. Medical marijuana was legalized during the November 2018 election

Breach affects companies that handle UM System data

August 16, 2023 10:29 AM Matthew Sanders

The University of Missouri System confirmed Wednesday that a data breach of a file transfer system compromised information about employees, students and retirees.

More Missouri Task Force One members, dogs headed to Maui in search of human remains

August 15, 2023 7:33 PM Ryan Shiner, Marina Diaz

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) The Boone County Fire Protection District announced in a Tuesday social media post that four more members of Missouri Task Force One will be heading to Maui to search for human remains. Four Human Remains Detection K-9s and Task Force One members will head to St. Louis on Tuesday night before flying

Business leaders mixed reactions to I-70 expansion through Columbia

August 15, 2023 11:45 AM Hannah Falcon

Gov. Mike Parson will ceremoniously sign the bill funding the expansion of Interstate 70 on Tuesday afternoon on The Loop in Columbia.

Missouri Division of Cannabis Regulation announces recall for more than 1,000 products

August 14, 2023 7:12 PM Ryan Shiner

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (KMIZ) The Missouri Division of Cannabis Regulation issued a recall for more than 1,000 products from Delta Extraction, LLC., according to a press release from the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services. According to the press release, products were not compliantly tracked in the statewide track and trace system, METRC, to

Missouri’s political leaders discuss how Farm Bill extension could impact drought, broadband at State Fair

August 14, 2023 10:24 AM Hannah Falcon

Farmers and politicians gathered Monday at the Missouri State Fair to talk about the next extension of the Farm Bill.

More states expect schools to keep trans girls off girls teams as K-12 classes resume

August 14, 2023 11:18 AM Associated Press

As children across the U.S. head back to classes and practices for fall sports, four more states are expecting their K-12 schools to keep transgender girls off their girls teams.

Ameren reminds Missourians about digging safety on National 811 Day

August 11, 2023 12:34 PM Grace Pankey

According to a press release sent by Ameren Communications, there have been a total of 1.5 million requests to mark utilities on Missouri and Illinois properties in 2022.