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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

Crews across Mid-Missouri are preparing for Thursday’s chance of snow and warning drivers to be ready for a slower-than-normal commute.The ABC 17 Stormtrack weather team is forecasting a light amount of snow to fall during Thursday morning’s commute, which could make traffic difficult.”Historically, on the day of the first significant snowfall in Columbia, our call

JEFFERSON CITY (AP) – More than two dozen Missouri lawmakers are backing legislation that would allow teachers and administrators with concealed gun permits to carry weapons in schools.The legislation comes after 20 students and six adults were killed by a shooter at a Connecticut elementary school last week.The Missouri bill is sponsored by Republican Rep.

A Jefferson City man was found guilty on four charges for a gruesome June 2010 rape.A jury found Clifton S. Sparkling, 21, guilty of forcible rape, forcible sodomy, kidnapping and armed criminal action.Prosecutors say Sparkling and a co-defendant, Gregory Vowels, took the victim to an abandoned apartment in the 400 block of E. Capitol Avenue.

A Centralia man is behind bars and charged for molesting a child and selling her drugs near a school.Court documents state 20-year-old Jacob Van Gilder was selling marijuana to a 14-year-old girl at his home in Centralia. He is also accused of having sexual contact with her there.Centralia police say they began to interview Van

A growing city population and new schools is causing the Columbia Public Schools administration to look for better ways to operate the district, which could mean changing school starts.The district emailed a survey to parents asking for feedback on the topic Tuesday evening. Some parents are not thrilled about different starting times, but district officials

Whether you’re traveling for the holidays or staying close to home, emergency crews urge drivers to get vehicles ready.The first and easiest thing people can do is check their tires for safety. Using the penny trick people can see if their tread is worn out by how much of the penny is visible. “You always

*********Thursday Late-Morning Update********Snow will continue to spread across Mid-Missouri with strong northwest winds. Gusts may be as high as 45-50 mph. Snowfall amounts will range from 1 to 3 inches. Blowing snow will reduce visibilities to less than a mile as the snow falls. Snow will end from west to east between noon to 4pm.

Callaway County Sheriff’s deputies are searching for a fugitive who they believe may be armed.Deputies say Joseph B. Wyatt, 24, of Auxvasse was a passenger in a vehicle that crashed on Highway 54 around 12:30 a.m. Thursday. Wyatt apparently fled the scene before deputies and troopers arrived at the scene.According to officials, Wyatt then posted

The City of Columbia has announced ways for residents to safely dispose of and recycle Christmas trees.Residents can place trees on the curbs for normal trash pickup between December 26th and January 31st. The city says trees do not need to be into four-foot segments and does not need to be stripped of decorations. However,

***UPDATE 11 A.M.***Columbia Power and Light confirms that this morning’s large power outage in the city was caused by two overhead electrical lines coming into contact with each other. A spokesperson says 450 customers were affected, but power has been restored.The utility company is now dealing with six to eight other smaller outages. Crews are

***UPDATE 6:07 P.M.***Several roads around Mid-Missouri were shut down for hours at a time for weather and crashes. ABC 17 News called several counties and learned many experienced the problem. But even the counties that didn’t have any confirmed crashes had several calls for slide offs.As the snow continued to fall and gathered on the

The Columbia community came together to answer a young teenager’s wish.Jodie Bappe, 15, who goes to West Jr. High, created a website to collect donations to help pay for her parents’ hospital bills.A nurse at Boone Hospital gathered about 60 people to light candles and carol outside of the Bappe’s home in freezing temperatures Thursday

Columbia Public Schools leaders are taking extra safety precautions on Friday, December 21st due to safety concerns.In a letter sent out to students and parents, the district is hoping to discourage the spread of rumors of a “possible planned violent act” at one of the district’s high schools. The letter states a rumor is being

Dropping temperatures could lead to more slick roads through the night and into the morning commute. While the more traveled roads such at I-70 and Highways 63 and 54 were fairly clear by 10:30 p.m., streets in neighborhoods were pretty icy at the same time.Even with crews out plowing and salting roads overnight, the elements

As ABC 17 News reported earlier this week, F&F Development has purchased Jefferson City’s Capital Mall from General Growth Properties..The owners, Mike and Kirk Farmer, are part of F&F Development and explained what general ideas they have in mind for the property.”We are excited about this opportunity to bring good changes to the mall,” partial

***UPDATE FRIDAY 4:51 P.M.***Columbia Fire Captain John Metz briefed ABC 17 News Friday evening on the ongoing investigation into the fire at Sound Performance overnight. Metz said that in addition to the total destruction of the business and building, seven vehicles inside the building were also destroyed in the fire. The building has been turned