News

A Columbia man has been indicted on murder and assault charges for a deadly March accident on Highway 54. 28-year-old Dennis Leporin was indicted Wednesday for second-degree murder, second-degree assault, driving while intoxicated and two misdemeanors. The indictment replaced earlier charges filed against Leporin. Court documents state on Wednesday, March 6, Leporin was driving the

Mid-Missouri law enforcement agencies announced they will begin a crackdown on impaired drivers. The Columbia Police Department and Jefferson City Police Department, along with other Missouri law enforcement agencies, will be on the lookout for drunk drivers from May 2 to 13. The crackdown coincides with prom and graduation season. Officers remind anyone under the

The Missouri Department of Transportation’s Central District says it fixed more than 10,000 potholes during its 2013 Pothole Patrol. Road crews used approximately 350 tons of asphalt to fix the potholes. Across Missouri, MoDOT filled about 75,000 potholes using more than 3,000 tons of asphalt. MoDOT launched the month-long program on March 18 to fix

The Southeastern Conference and ESPN have announced a 20-year agreement to operate a SEC network that is scheduled to debut in August 2014. SEC Commissioner Mike Slive said Thursday the SEC network will produce 1,000 live events each year, including 450 televised on the network and 550 distributed digitally. Slive says the network will carry

The Missouri Highway Commission met Wednesday to discuss the possibility of making Highways 50 and 63 four lanes. Theplans would make it easier to get in and out of town. The Jefferson City Area Chamber of Commerce’s Transportation Committee chair proposed adding two more lanes on those highways. A local restaurant owner who has been

On Wednesday, a Columbia man was found guilty in the death of a teenager in 2012. The jury recommended Anthony Graves receive a life sentence of 30 years for the murder, and another 20 years for armed criminal action. The formal sentencing will now be up to a judge in a few weeks. Graves, 20,

A retired University of Missouri historian who broke racial barriers as the school’s first tenured black professor has died. The university announced Wednesday that Arvarh Strickland died on Tuesday. He was 82. Strickland retired from the university in 1996 but remained active in Columbia as a community leader. The university honored him in 2007 by

Callaway County Sheriff’s deputies are searching for a person or persons, suspected of throwing items onto Highway 54 from an overpass. Deputies say there have been two incidents where items were thrown off the State Road AE/TT overpass onto Highway 54. One was around 1:35 a.m. Tuesday and another around 3:30 a.m. Wednesday. The items

A tractor trailer crashed on I-70 westbound in Columbia Wednesday afternoon, causing traffic to backup through the central part of the city. Just after 5:30 p.m., emergency crews responded to the extrication accident at the 123 mile marker, just west of Stadium Boulevard. Crews had to free the truck driver from the cabin. The driver

Two men charged with first-degree murder after an Easter Sunday crime spree are now facing additional charges. Randolph County prosecuting attorney Mike Fusselman told ABC 17 News that he filed 18 new charges against Christopher Lewis, 18, and Jeffrey Nichols, 22. Those 18 counts include four counts of first-degree robbery and three counts of armed

Missouri senators questioned the person responsible for requesting a list of personal information for more than 160,000 residents. Social Security Administration agent Kevin Schilb testified under oath in front of a Senate committee Wednesday. He claimed he requested the list of all concealed carry permit holders in the state in order to find cases of

Deputies say they have arrested two men after a shots fired incident and car chase Tuesday night, but two suspects are still on the loose. Marland Lane, 22, and Jamil Edwards, 21, were arrested after the chase. Lane is still in the Boone County Jail as of Wednesday morning. He was arrested for receiving stolen

Two people suffered minor injuries during a Wednesday afternoon apartment fire in Columbia. The Columbia Fire Department responded to a fire at the Columbia Crossing Apartments off White Gate Drive around 4:30 p.m. Dispatchers stated there was a grease fire on the stove and the residents had sustained grease burns while attempting to remove a

Frontier Airlines is adding a fee for carry-on bags, and plans to start charging $2 for soda and coffee. The new carry-on fee announced Wednesday will be $25 if paid in advance, and $100 if paid at the gate. It applies to bags in the overhead bin, so small bags under the seat will still

A Columbia man is behind bars and facing prostitution charges after an online investigation. The Boone County Sheriff’s Department Cyber Crimes Task Force said 32-year-old Kenyata D. Miles was arrested for suspicion of promoting prostitution, trafficking for the purpose of sexual exploitation, being a convicted felon in possession of a handgun and third-degree domestic assault.

Missouri Secretary of State Jason Kander presented four veterans with the Silver Star banner and certificate during a ceremony Wednesday morning. The Silver Star medal honors veterans’ dedication and sacrifice. All of the recipients, including two from Mid-Missouri, served during times of war and were wounded or sustained serious injury. John Clark of Columbia was

A man pleaded guilty and was sentenced to prison for scamming residents in a multi-county asphalt-paving scam. Attorney General Chris Koster said Wednesday that Terry Wayne Phelps pleaded guilty to financial exploitation of the elderly, stealing by deceit, and unlawful merchandising practices. Phelps was sentenced to ten years in prison on seven counts of financial

Columbia is the hardest-working city in the country, according to a new report from PARADE magazine. The magazine analyzed the number of hours worked per capita, people’s willingness to work during personal time, the number of double-income families, and unemployment rates. According to PARADE, Columbia managed to keep its unemployment rate near 6 percent during

A Sedalia man charged with killing a fellow patient at a Columbia veterans’ hospital will receive a court-ordered psychiatric exam after an earlier plea of not guilty by reason of mental disease or defect. Boone County prosecutors and the lawyer for 33-year-old Rudy Perez Jr. agreed on the medical evaluation at a Monday hearing. He’s

A Sedalia man charged with killing a fellow patient at a Columbia veterans’ hospital will receive a court-ordered psychiatric exam after an earlier plea of not guilty by reason of mental disease or defect. Boone County prosecutors and the lawyer for 33-year-old Rudy Perez Jr. agreed on the medical evaluation at a Monday hearing. He’s