News

Residents were evacuated after a blaze at the Heisinger Bluffs retirement home on West Main Street near the capitol in Jefferson City.Crews responded to an deck on fire around 9:15 p.m. Sunday. Officials cleared a wing in the facility, but no injuries were reported.Damage was contained to the outside structure. Investigators think a discarded cigarette

***UPDATE 6:10 PThe Fulton fire chief tells ABC 17 News the state fire marshal looking into this and does not know the cause or where it started. Right now, he says there is no indication there is foul play involved. Chief Dean Buffington tells us the building is a total loss. He says anytime there

A mother was arrested in south Columbia for allegedly driving drunk with a 2-year-old in the car.Lisa Dodds was arrested Sunday night. People claim her vehicle was heading into on-coming traffic near Scott and Chapel Hill. Witnesses followed her vehicle to a home off West Broadway.Officers also claim she smelled like alcohol. Her 12-year-old child

Columbia School Administrators have been working with retired police officers for the past year on a security plan to make children safer. On Monday night those officers and administration presented the plan to the Columbia Public School Board.At both Jefferson Junior and Douglass High School administrators are already adding new lights, but more cameras and

Monday night’s chilly forecast had ABC 17 News crews checking in with Columbia and Jefferson City shelters.As of 9 p.m on Monday night, out of the 67 beds available at the Harbor House only two cots, one woman’s bed and one family room were open.At that same point all of the men’s beds were full.

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) – If officials in Washington don’t reach a deal to avert the “fiscal cliff,” Missouri could see a hit to its economy and budget.The Federal Funds Information for States estimates Missouri could lose $1 billion of Defense Department spending on contracts and military institutions if federal spending cuts take effect in

Firefighters responded to 3501 Clark Lane in Columbia, just before 2:30 Tuesday afternoon. When they arrived, they reported a working structure fire in the home on lot 72 of creekwood estates. Crews are continuing efforts to extinguish the flames as of 2:45 p.m. Check back for more details as this story develops.

The Jefferson City Board of Education said Monday night it will hold at least two more town hall meetings to talk about future plans for Jefferson City High School.During a regularly scheduled meeting Monday, dozens of people spoke and more than 100 showed up in support of both sides of an issue that’s long-divided the

***UPDATE 11:37 A.M.***Prosecutors confirmed Robbins appeared in court and waived his formal arraignment, pleading not guilty. His preliminary hearing was also set for March 1.***ORIGINAL STORY***A Jefferson City lawyer accused of trying to sneak drugs into the Cole County jail will be in court Tuesday.Back in October Thomas Robbins was caught allegedly trying to sneak

A new president was named Tuesday for Moberly Area Community College.Dr. Jeffrey Lashley was approved with a unanimous from the board of trustees. He will start July 1, taking over for longtime president Dr. Evelyn Jorgenson, who retired earlier this year after 15 years.Dr. Lashley was vice-president of instruction and a dean of academic affairs

After a frigid start to the morning, highs on Tuesday will climb into the low 40s across Mid-Missouri, which is seasonal for this time in December. The average high temperature at Columbia is 42 for December 11th. Sunshine will be abundant all day, except for a few high, thin afternoon clouds.Warmer and above average temperatures

*** UPDATE 9:56 P.M. *** A Mid-Missouri man is in jail for his part in a violent kidnapping and rape. Michael Wright pleaded guilty to aggressively stalking a woman and helping a group hold her against her will.Along with Wright, Tracy Stodgell and Sean Williams allegedly kept a woman hostage in a deep freeze after

Police are searching for a gunman who they say got into a woman’s car in the parking lot at the UM – ENT & Allergy Center on Keene Street. The victim alleged that the suspect demanded her to drive. When she panicked and started screaming, police say the man got out of her car and

*** UPDATED 3:58 P.M. ***Spencer Gordon made his first court appearance today via a video arraignment from the Boone County Sheriff’s Department. He remains in jail with a $200,000 bond.Court documents reveal officers had suspicion Gordon was under the influence of alcohol when they first spoke with him after Thursday night’s crash. Documents say officers

More than a hundred doctors and nurses from around the state were in Columbia to get answers about the Affordable Care Act. Health officials went over things like new programs, and how the healthcare law will have an effect on the local level.Currently there are about 875,000 Missourians that don’t have health insurance. Health experts

All it took was a brand new gym. For the first time in 21 contests on the hardwood, the Hickman (7-1) boys basketball team beat their cross-town rival, Rock Bridge (2-2). In the first varsity game ever played in the Kewpies new 1,300-seat facility, Hickman scored a 55-48 win over the Bruins. Sophomore guard Jimmy

Sedalia police officers are looking for the driver in a hit-and-run at the AutoZone store on West Broadway. According to the police report, a 60-year-old woman was in the parking lot helping her daughter with car problems. Another driver started honking because the daughter’s car was in the way. When the driver tried to go

Tuesday in Mid-Missouri marked the 302nd consecutive day of no measurable snow at the Columbia Regional Airport. That makes it the sixth longest streak of snowless days in Columbia since records began in 1889.With no snow in the forecast through the weekend, our current streak will climb into the top five.

A Columbia man is sentenced after admitting to his role in a string of robberies.Donald Clark is accused of holiday up a Break Time and Dollar General Store. He’s also accused of robbing a Landmark Bank and a Boone County National Bank, back in February.Clark pled guilty this week and was sentenced to 15 years

Police responded to an armed robbery in Columbia at around 8:30 Wednesday night.Officers were dispatched to the downtown Brookside apartments for reports of a robbery. Scanner traffic indicated the suspect descriptions may be similar to previous home invasions in Boone County. Police were looking for three black men wearing masks.ABC 17 crews saw officers taking