News

About 18,000 Columbia students will be in their classrooms Tuesday morning for the first official day of school. With one of the hottest stretches of the year coming up, Columbia Public Schools officials won’t have to worry about the health of their students inside buildings. That’s because every school will now have some form of

An investigator with the Callaway County Sheriff’s Department is this year’s recipient of a statewide honor. Sgt. Shannon Jeffries received the 2013 Enoch B. Morelock Award, which recognizes individuals with outstanding moral character, service to law enforcement and to the community outside of law enforcement. The award is presented by the U.S. Attorney’s Office. Sgt.

A car crash in Columbia caused electricity to go out for approximately 50 Boone Electric Cooperative customers. According to officials, the driver of a PT Cruiser sideswiped a mailbox in the 4400 block of Derby Ridge Drive. The car then traveled through a yard, hitting a power transformer, a street light and another vehicle. Witnesses

Two Columbia men pleaded guilty to felony charges of stealing and merchandising practices in connection with a contracting scam. Missouri Attorney Genral Chris Koster says Kendale Lamont Williams and Joshua B. Whitlock each pleaded guilty to two counts of felony stealing by deceit and one count of felony merchandising practices. Koster says the pair took

Nearly two dozen University of Missouri men’s basketball players and coaches will undergo leadership training with the Missouri National Guard this weekend. The National Guard says the team will have leadership and team-building training at Camp Crowder in Neosho on Sunday. “The Mizzou players and coaches will experience the military steps taken to prepare and

More than three weeks after a fire shut down the Ameren Missouri Callaway Energy Center, the facility has reopened. Ameren officials say the plant is back in service as of Monday. On July 26, a small fire on the main electrical power cables leaving the plant caused the company to close the facility. Ameren says

The University of Missouri officially kicked off its 2013-2014 school year Monday with the most diverse student body in the school’s history, according to officials. The university has 34,111 students enrolled, with a total minority enrollment of 5,116. That’s an increase of 3.6 percent from last year. “We are pleased to once again welcome another

A family in Howard County was able to escape an early morning fire, but only with the clothes they were wearing. The fire happened early Monday morning on County Road 424 near Fayette. No word on what caused the fire. Red Cross volunteers have been called in to help out. The family is now staying

Classes started at the University of Missouri Monday and recent violent crime and two downtown shootings less than a mile from campus have some students worried about safety. The Greek houses on campus are taking action to increase awareness and security. Dacie Cowles, the house mom for Tri Delta, told ABC 17 News that residents

Thousands of people showed up in downtown Columbia for the ninth annual PrideFest Sunday. Organizers said the event was expected to draw more than 8,000 people. That is up from last year, possibly because of several landmark advances for gay causes this year. Those include a Supreme Court ruling overturning the Defense of Marriage Act.

Moberly Public Schools officials unveiled a remodeled high school Sunday afternoon. The multimillion dollar project upgraded the building’s exterior and roof and added four classrooms. A new cafeteria/gymnasium was also built. Security features such as locks and cameras were also added to the building, which will hold about 750 students this school year. Electric infrastructure

A Latham man remained in serious condition Saturday night after a crash that morning. According to the Missouri State Highway Patrol, 31-year-old James Pace was driving his motorcycle on Route W near Maupin Road when he crossed the center line. Pace hit a Chevy van and his motorcycle rolled off the road. He was flown

Five hundred students have been waiting 16 days to move into their apartments. “Everything else has just been a normal move-in process,” said Derek Wimmer, an Aspen Heights new resident. It’s just in time because school starts at Mizzou on Monday. “I’m here now. I’m done with all of it and I think that I’m

After four weeks of searching, the body of missing Benton County woman was found in an area that had been previously searched. Now Hellen Cook’s family says it will take up a push for changes to state law. Kansas City affiliate WDAF reported Friday the family made the announcement at a Blue Springs memorial for

A multi-talented mid-Missouri teen is facing an uphill battle against a disease she will have for the rest of her life. Tanneal Cheshire is a 15-year-old New Franklin girl who has been battling muscular dystrophy — a progressive disease without a cure — for nearly a decade. She’s also been named central Missouri’s ambassador for

One man was killed and another man was arrested following a Friday afternoon crash on the Lake of the Ozarks. According to the Missouri State Highway Patrol, Blake Briner, 22, and Brett Keith, 28, both of Chillicothe, were each driving separate jet skis near the 18.8 mile marker on the main channel of the Osage

A Mid-Missouri teenager was killed in a Friday morning car crash in Saline County. Dusty A. Reeves, 19, of Miami, Mo. was traveling northbound on Thompson Lane when he pulled into the path of another car headed eastbound on Missouri Route 240, according to the Missouri State Highway Patrol. Troopers say Reeves was pronounced dead

About 600 displaced students will move into their new housing development on Saturday just two days before classes start at the University of Missouri. City inspectors went to the Aspen Heights complex near Grindstone Parkway and Highway 63 in south Columbia multiple times on Friday. According to Aspen Heights spokesman Stuart Watkins, the walk-through went

Boone Hospital’s new president is finishing up his first week on the job. Jim Sinek was named to the position last month. He previously was the president and CEO at Faith Regional Health Services in Nebraska. ABC 17 News was able to sit down with Sinek for his first interview as president. Sinek said he’s

Two teenagers charged with the murder of another Columbia teen appeared in court Friday. Joshua D. Murray and Nicholas R. Thomas were charged with the first-degree murder of Tre’Veon Marshall on Thursday. Both men waived the reading of the charges and the judge ordered a bond investigation to determine whether to lower bail. Thomas’ bond