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Once a tornado warning is issued, immediate action needs to be taken. Martina Pounds with Boone Co. Emergency Management said, “The main thing is to get down. Get down to the lowest floor.” Pounds said all commercial buildings in Columbia are required to have a designated storm area. If you find yourself at the mall,

The ABC 17 Stormtrack Weather team is here to alert you immediately if dangerous weather is moving into Mid-Missouri. For this reason, it is our policy to briefly interrupt programming for severe thunderstorm warnings so we can give you the latest information. However, if a tornado warning is issued, we will stay on the air

The weather pattern hasn’t changed much in the past year except to the transition from a weak La Nina condition last spring to a weak El-Nino condition this spring. When we talk about an El Nino pattern, we are referring to the shift in the upper level winds due to warmer than normal water in

A safety report for the Columbia Housing Authority revealed concerns about illegal drug use and harassment issues at Paquin Tower. “We suspect some drug sales going on at Paquin Tower so we’re investigating that,” CEO Phil Steinhaus said. Steinhaus said the Tower does have a slightly higher rate than the other Housing Authority properties. “We

Things got out of control Monday after someone tried to burn trash behind their home in Boone Co. Firefighters told ABC 17 about 5 acres are destroyed on Remie Road off Route Z, about 30 minutes northeast of Columbia. Eight crews responded at around 3:15 Monday, and kept flames from reaching the woods. A few

A cold front moves through by early Tuesday morning leaving us with temperatures more like mid-March. A cool breeze will increase from the northeast up to 20 mph early Tuesday as temperatures hover near 50, only climbing to the upper 50s to near 60 during the afternoon. Tuesday night will also be seasonal with low

A fight between two women in Moberly on Sunday ended with one in the hospital and the other under arrest. According to the Moberly Police Department, 23-year-old Angelica Benitez attacked the other woman on Bedford Street, hitting her with a car and stabbing her with a knife. The victim was treated at a hospital and

Officials plan to fix a small sinkhole in central Columbia early Wednesday. On Monday, crews were on scene taking some measurements to get the right materials. They think the stormwater pipe might have failed last week due to rain. The pipe was installed in the late 1960s. The sinkhole is off Nebraska Avenue near Providence

Police have made another arrest in connection with a chase and crash in south Columbia last week. Jamie Chick, 30, was arrested Sunday evening on suspicion of resisting arrest, domestic assault, driving without a license and failing to yield to an emergency vehicle. On Wednesday, March 11, a Boone County sheriff’s deputy reported seeing the

Those living in a Columbia apartment complex got quite a scare this weekend. The fire department was called out to Eagle Crest Apartments on Queen Ann Drive to investigate a building collapse. Someone living there said they heard a loud boom and the ceiling in the living room looked like it was going to collapse.

Jefferson City fire officials said it was too dry and windy to have open burns. They also said as of March first it’s illegal to burn in the city. The city ordinance changed last year and yesterday Jefferson City fire officials said they were extremely busy going to illegal burns because residents thought it was

A Mid-Missouri man convicted of child sex crimes is back in court. Prosecutors said 36-year-old Jeremy Jennings will be sentenced this Friday after being convicted last month on two counts of statutory sodomy. The victim was only 4 years old. The jury is recommending 10 years in prison for each count.

The Jefferson City Council Monday night is scheduled to read a bill that would authorize a contract with a debris removal company to demolish 3 houses in conflict with an ongoing road project. The bill would authorize a contract with B&N Tree Service and Debris Removal to knock down 1303, 1304, and 1309 Monroe St.,

The Columbia City Council is expecting a big turnout at Monday’s meeting, where the group will vote on construction of a trail project. The Shepherd Boulevard to Rollins east-west trail project is an extension of the Hinkson Creek Trail. Supporters said it will provide a connection east to west connection from near the MU campus

Mid-Missouri law enforcement is still working to crack down on drunk drivers ahead of St. Patrick’s Day. The holiday is on Tuesday, but extra patrols started over the weekend. Columbia Police will have a least one sobriety checkpoint and multiple saturation patrols within the city. Jefferson City Police are also increasing DWI saturation patrols. Last

Mexico police are still looking for a suspect in connection to a fight that ended in gunfire. Police responded to a shots fired call around 5:30 Sunday night in the 1000 block of Carrico. Officers found a 30-year-old man who had been hit in the head by a baseball bat. Officers also arrested a 15-year-old

MoDOT has closed one westbound lane of I-70 in Cooper County due to a bridge crack. Crews were inspecting the bridge at mile marker 93 and found a 2.75″ crack in one of the steel beams in a high tension area of the bridge. MoDOT Director Dave Nichols told ABC 17 the damage on the

Two correctional officers were injured Friday night after being assaulted by an inmate at the Fulton Reception and Diagnostic Center. One officer has minor injuries and the other has moderate. Both are in good condition as of Monday afternoon. According to Communications Director David Owen, the prison went on lockdown on Saturday as a safety

The Columbia Fire Department responded to investigate a building collapse at an apartment complex Sunday morning. It happened in the 1100 block of Queen Ann Drive at Eagle Crest apartments. A resident called 911 after hearing what they described as a loud boom and the ceiling in the living room looked like it was about

Authorities say the 20-year-old man charged in the shooting of two St. Louis area officers had been at the protest earlier that night. St. Louis County Prosecutor Robert McCulloch said 20-year-old Jeffrey Williams is charged with two counts of first-degree assault, one count of firing a weapon from a vehicle and three counts of armed