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A firenado forms with very hot temperatures. The heat creates low pressure, and induces the rising of air. This is similar to an updraft in a thunderstorm. The rising of air can spin and creates a whirlwind. Important to note though, a firenado is much different than a real tornado. An actual tornado descends from

A Columbia man pleaded guilty in federal court Monday to robbing six banks in Columbia, using a bicycle as his getaway vehicle. 43-year-old Shaun Becker admitted that he robbed the banks between November 20, 2014 and January 3. Becker took $3,890 from the Missouri Bank II on November 20. Eight days later, on November 28,

Two people from Columbia pleaded guilty Monday to heroin trafficking. 20-year-old Alec Ell and 20-year-old Angelica Polston pleaded guilty to charges from an April 2 indictment. The two were boyfriend and girlfriend. Ell pleaded guilty to distributing 100 grams or more of heroin in Boone Co. from July through October 2014. Ell admitted that he

Gov. Nixon’s youngest son, Willson, was arrested over the weekend for his second DWI in Columbia in less than six months. Police records show Willson Nixon, 25, was booked into the Boone County jail early Sunday, before bonding out. Police claim he was pulled over around 3 a.m. Sunday for driving with no headlights on

As of Monday afternoon, the cause of the fire that destroyed the Missouri Better Bean plant in Bunceton is undetermined. Mike O’Connell, Missouri Department of Public Safety Communications Director, said an electrical cause could not be eliminated due to the extent of the damage. Investigators have determined the fire started in the lower level of

UPDATED at 11:55: The MU Alert website reports “Columbia Police believe there is no threat to campus at this time.” An MU text alert first warned of a report of gunfire near campus. A posting on MU Alert Emergency Information Center said the shots fired incident was near the intersection of Hitt and Cherry Streets.

The Bunceton community is working to clean up the damage from a fire that destroyed the Missouri Better Bean plant on West Main Street Saturday. Cooper County officials are hopeful the economic impact from the loss of the business will be short. A Missouri Better Bean plant employee said about five or six people worked

Columbia police arrested one man after he crashed his car and ran from authorities Sunday. Emergency crews responded to the crash just before 6:00 p.m. Officers originally followed the man for speeding, Kevin Purdy with the Columbia Police Department said. The man crashed his car twice, once near Highway 63 and Vandiver and a second

Missouri State Highway Patrol troopers arrested an Osage Beach man after two others are hurt in a car crash Friday night. It happened on Blue Spring Drive just before 5:00 p.m. Evan Gamm, 28, drove into oncoming traffic, hitting another car head on, the highway patrol said. Emergency crews took Gamm and two teens in

One person is recovering after a boating accident at the Lake of the Ozarks. It happened Saturday afternoon at the 31 mile marker in the main channel, the Missouri State Highway Patrol said. Around 4:15 p.m., Jeffrey Gaines, 40, of Colorado, was boating at excessive speed and hit a wake. The impact damaged the boat’s

The motorcyclist involved in the crash that killed a Missouri State Highway Patrol trooper Friday has been found. ABC 17 News confirmed a trooper with the Missouri State Highway Patrol died in a car crash Friday morning in Audrain County near the Boone County line. MoDOT closed Highway FF between County Road 989 and Route

As September quickly approaches and the summer season nears its last few weeks, hot temperatures are not expected to make an exit from our region, at least for this upcoming week. As an upper-level ridge that has been residing over states just to the west of Missouri begins to make a shift eastward, it will

Jefferson City officials and the State Fire Marshal are working to find what started a fire on East McCarty Street early Sunday morning. The Jefferson City Fire Department arrived to the scene at 1:45 a.m. According to Division Chief Jason Turner, heavy smoke was coming from the two-story home. Firefighters went inside the building and

There is a cold front moving southeastward – at a rather slow pace – that will bring a chance of isolated showers and thunderstorms for mainly our southeastern counties tonight. The main chance for rain is before 2AM for areas south and along I-44. As we head into Sunday morning, this already sluggish front is

Columbia Regional Airport closed after a single engine plane suffered a collapsed nose gear during landing just after 2:00 this afternoon. Airport police say the airport has reopened. The airport says a Mooney single engine aircraft had one person on board when it landed on the main runway, Runway 2-20. The person in the aircraft

Columbia Police are investigating a home invasion that happened in the 1700 block of Stanford Drive early Saturday morning. Police arrived to the home just after 3 o’clock in the morning. Officers found the front door was kicked open. Three people were inside sleeping at the time of the break in. Police say two male

Columbia police collected several shell casings in the south part of town, after bullets struck two men there Saturday morning. Sergeant Don Hawkins tells ABC 17 News someone reported the shooting at 1:53 a.m. Police found two men near the sidewalk of the 3900 block of Peachtree Drive, near the Nifong Square shopping center. Sgt.

A new lawsuit claims the company that arranged the Second Missouri Classic Game still owes Lincoln University thousands of dollars. Lincoln University filed the suit Thursday against ALW Entertainment of Carrollton, Texas. The company, owned by Al Wash, arranged and promoted the football game, played on September 6, 2014 at Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City

The 2016 budget is being hammered out between Columbia City Manager Mike Matthes and the Columbia City Council. It’s about a 440-million dollar plan that includes money for essential services, public safety, veterans services and even some new city jobs. Mike Matthes: We don’t often get to add employees, most of those are in the

The 2016 budget is being hammered out between Columbia City Manager Mike Matthes and the Columbia City Council. It’s about a 440-million dollar plan that includes money for essential services, public safety, veterans services and even some new city jobs. The city manager is our guest for “This Week.” This is a transcript of our