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New data from the Missouri Department of Economic Development released Tuesday shows the state’s unemployment rate at its lowest level in over four years.The seasonally-adjusted unemployment rate dropped to 6.7 percent. That figure is down two-tenths of a point from the October 2012 level.The national rate for November was 7.7 percentThe state says employment dropped

A strong storm system will move in from the west on Wednesday. The storm will likely track along or north of I-44, which means that the heaviest snowfall will be across central Kansas to far northwest Missouri and Iowa. Some of those areas could receive more than six inches of snow. In Mid-Missouri, our weather

In the face of budget cuts, local school administrators look to fund student safety, but tight budgets can make security upgrades a challenge. It is a challenge officials say they have to overcome. School leaders in Columbia are working to install a police sub-station inside Jefferson Junior High in central Columbia. It’s one of a

***UPDATE: TUESDAY, 3:20 P.M.***Freshman safety Ka’Ra Stewart has been dismissed from the Missouri Tiger football team. Stewart was arrested Monday afternoon by MUPD for possession of marijuana. It was the second time in two months that Stewart had been arrested for the offense. ABC17 learned he plead guilty on December 5th to possession of up

***UPDATE 3:20 P.M.***The University of Missouri Athletics Department confirmed today that Ka’Ra Stewart has been dismissed from the football program.***ORIGINAL STORY***Another University of Missouri football player has been arrested for drug possession.University of Missouri police arrested freshman safety Ka’Ra Stewart, 18, Monday afternoon for drug possession of under 35 grams.MUPD Captain Brian Weimer says Stewart

BUFFALO, Mo. (AP) – The cause of death for a southwest Missouri teenager whose body was found weighted down in a lake is still a mystery.Benton County Coroner Jim Miller said Monday that the autopsy on 15-year-old Khighla Parks of Willard did not determine a cause of her death.Her body was found Sept. 30 in

***UPDATE 4 P.M.***Law enforcement confirms Daremiah Gibson, 30, of Wright City is the driver involved in Tuesday’s car chase.***UPDATE 12:35 P.M.***The car chase suspect that prompted Columbia schools to lock down this morning has been captured in Shelby County. Officials say the suspect pulled over and surrendered to authorities.Law enforcement says the chase began on

A sporting goods chain says it’s suspending sales of modern rifles nationwide because of the school shooting in Connecticut.Dick’s Sporting Goods also says it’s removing all guns from display at its store closest to Newtown, where the massacre took place.Authorities say a gunman killed 26 people, mostly children, with a military-style rifle at Sandy Hook

Columbia police arrested a fugitive Monday morning, who was wanted on several felony warrants.Around 1 a.m. Monday, CPD officers were called to the 1500 block of Tupelo Place in order to find 25-year-old Rashad Washington. Officers found Washington hiding in the attic of the residence and arrested him around 5:45 a.m.Washington was arrested for a

***UPDATE 11:20 A.M.****Cassidy King took a plea deal, admitting to first-degree involuntary manslaughter and drug charges. In exchange, prosecutors dropped the murder charges.King was sentenced to eight years in prison. She was already serving seven years for other charges. ***ORIGINAL STORY***A Mid-Missouri woman is changing her plea in a case involved the death of her

The Capital Mall in Jefferson City is under new ownership, however the identity of the new owners is still unknown.General Growth Properties, which owns the Columbia Mall, closed on the sale of the Capital Mall on Friday. Its new owners have not been named though.The mall is currently being managed by Chicago-based Covington Realty Partners.

Dozens of news jobs are headed to Mid-Missouri after Cargill announced plans to add 50 jobs to its Marshall plant.The $15 million expansion will include a new production line for value-added food products at the facility. That production line has already been built, which means the company expects to begin hiring soon.The jobs announcement came

The Food Bank of Central & Northeast Missouri collected more than one million pounds of donations during the second year of the “Mayor’s Million Pound Food Challenge.”Columbia mayor Bob McDavid asked the community to raise one million pounds for the food bank and residents answered competitively. Between 5 and 6 p.m., the food bank collected

Sedalia police have stepped up patrols near its schools in the aftermath of the Connecticut school shooting.The Sedalia School District was already on high alert before Friday’s tragedy due to circulating rumors that a student made a threat against the high school last week.”Some kids talking about end of the world, no plans, no guns,”

A man wanted for allegedly assaulting a Callaway County deputy is now in jail.Deputies have been looking for Jeffery Strickland after a traffic stop last week in which he injured a deputy’s hand and got away.Strickland turned himself in Tuesday evening. Elizabeth Erbschloe turned herself in an outstanding warrant as well.Deputies are still looking for

A Boone County grand jury indicted a Columbia teenager on additional charges for his role in the March murder of another teen.Anthony Graves, 19, now faces unlawful use of a weapon in addition to second degree murder and armed criminal action.Court documents state around 8 p.m. on March 12th, police responded to the area near

MIDWEST:A powerful storm system will move east from the Rockies bringing rain, severe t-storms, snow, blizzard conditions, strong winds and plunging temperatures Wednesday through Thursday afternoon for the Midwest.MID-MISSOURI: (WEDNESDAY)Showers will become likely Wednesday late-afternoon and evening with some t-storms possible, mainly south of HWY 54. There is a slight risk of severe storms with

***UPDATED 1:20 P.M.***Jefferson City Schools leaders said Wednesday that a Simonsen Ninth Grade Center student is being disciplined for making a verbal threat. Principals and staff at all secondary schools were meeting with students Wednesday to discuss consequences of making threats, even as a joke. The district said it is taking even minor incidents extremely

A strong low pressure area will move into southwestern Missouri this evening. Showers and t-storms will develop ahead of the low by early evening in southwestern Missouri and quickly move to the northeast into the Lake of the Ozarks area by mid-evening giving areas along and south of I-70 a severe threat through 2 a.m.

Missouri Department of Transportation crews have completed construction on the $2 million Route K project in Boone County.Crews resurfaced the road and added shoulders and bicycle lanes to a seven-mile stretch of the road.The project is expected to increase safety and to boost tourism in the area.In 2009, there were three injury accidents along Route