News

THIS AFTERNOON: We’re tracking a line of showers pushing across Mid-MO this morning, mainly east of HWY 65 and along and north of I-70. This will continue to press off to the northeast. As the afternoon approaches, we can expect some of these showers to strengthen into thunderstorms especially just south of and along I-70.

UPDATE 10:15: MPSD said all of Monday’s railroad fires were most likely caused from rail grinding maintenance being completed by Norfolk Southern Railroad. ORIGINAL: Multiple railroad fires broke out Monday in Mexico, Missouri. Mexico Public Safety officials responded to a grass fire on Morris Street Monday morning, but Norfolk Southern Railroad employees had already extinguished

TUESDAY: Showers and a few t-storms will spread to the northeast in the morning and taper off by early afternoon, becoming more scattered from afternoon into early evening. Temperatures will only reach the upper 70s due to clouds and rain with south winds up to 10 mph. TONIGHT: Rain chances decrease overnight with cloudy skies

The Columbia Board of Education voted to raise the property tax ceiling in order to give employees a raise. The board voted unanimously on Monday night on a 9-cent increase in its tax ceiling. The board will set the tax rate at a special meeting on Aug. 23. The 9-cent raise would be the last

Columbia Water and Light staff is proposing a new way to encourage water conservation and cover increased costs in its 2019 budget. A three-tiered system would target those who use more than the recommended amount of water during the summer. From June through September, water usage between 0 and 200 cubic feet would cost $2.79.

Officials at the Missouri State Fair said they reassess their safety process every year and make changes as necessary. ABC 17 News Investigates traveled to the fair to find out how past tragedies have played into the decision-making process. Fair Director Mark Wolfe said it’s important to react to any accident that might happen. “Accidents

UPDATE: In today’s meeting, city leaders spoke about the decreasing revenue stream. They said other cities seem to be facing the same issue, but they are not in the negative percentage like Columbia. Mayor Brian Treece said he is optimistic in making the budget work. “One of my priorities is, of course, to ensure budget

Concerns of a multi-state dog fight involving mid-Missourians have swirled around social media recently. The Audrain Humane Society posted this message on its Facebook page: “IMPORTANT! PLEASE READ! PLEASE BE AWARE! THERE IS WORD GOING AROUND OF A MULTI-STATE DOG FIGHT COMING UP IN THE FALL. THEY WILL BE LOOKING FOR STRAYS, FREE PETS AND

Students are beginning to move back to campus in preparation for school to begin Aug 20 amid continued reports of late-night weekend violence in downtown Columbia. Angie Billington said she was unaware of the violence downtown as she moved her daughter, a University of Missouri freshman, into her dorm this week. Billington said the university

TONIGHT: Clouds will increase through the night with a few showers and t-storms late-night into early Tuesday morning mainly in our west-southwest counties. Lows will drop to near 70. TUESDAY: Showers and a few t-storms will spread to the northeast in the morning and taper off by early afternoon, becoming more scattered from afternoon into

The Moberly Police Department investigated a crash Monday morning that injured one person. According to a news release, officers responded to the crash in the area of Route A and Route AA before 11:45 a.m. Police said an 18-year-old woman was driving a 2002 Ford F-350 eastbound on Route A behind a 61-year-old woman who

Westminster College announced Monday it received $3.88 million from late Ronald J. Kostich, a former trustee from California. The money will go toward the college’s endowment for scholarships, the National Churchill Museum and the Sigma Chi fraternity. A portion of the money will also support the Westminster Fund and renovations to the Sigma Chi house.

There were several reports of vehicle thefts on Saturday in Mexico. According to the Mexico Public Safety Department, the thefts occurred on Friday night in the northeast part of town. The Safety Department said the vehicles were not damaged or stolen but other items such as purses bags, identification information, money and a handgun were

THIS AFTERNOON: The weather stays quiet this afternoon as an approaching storm system increased cloud coverage steadily through the afternoon hours. We’ll see temperatures in the lower 90s for afternoon highs. We stay dry until early tomorrow morning, so any evening plans you have won’t be affected by rain. TONIGHT: Increasing clouds expected through the

Every year, the Missouri State Fair claims it makes changes to improve public safety. On Aug. 13, ABC 17’s Alyssa Toomey will show viewers what those changes are and how past tragedies, like the deadly ride malfunction at the Ohio State Fair in 2017 and the race car crash at the Missouri State Fair in

Ash Street was closed from Bernadette Drive to Clinkscales Road, just east of Stadium Boulevard, starting Monday as a contractor extends utility lines. The closure will last until Aug. 20. Remsel Corporation is extending utilities under a contract with Shelter Insurance Cos., causing the closure of the road and sidewalk, according to a city of

University of Missouri leaders will be in close contact with fraternities seeking to come back to campus after their suspensions end. Seven fraternities have either ended their Columbia-based chapters or been booted as a student organization by the school in the last several years. Many of them are for an indefinite amount of time, while

Columbia fire officials said “improperly discarded smoking materials” were the cause of a house fire Sunday. Fire crews were sent to 1701 Cliff Drive near Boone Hospital Center at about 2:36 p.m. for a house fire, according to a Columbia Fire Department press release. Crews arrived four minutes later and found the rear deck and

One person is dead after a crash Sunday night in Cooper County. It happened on Route U at Debo Road just after 9 p.m. Raymond Johnston, 60, drove off the right side of the road and overcorrected, according to a Missouri State Highway Patrol crash report. His vehicle rolled and Johnston was thrown from the

The Columbia City Council is scheduled to hold a work session to focus on the FY 2019 budget. “This FY 2019 budget is defined primarily by a lack of revenue,” according to the city manager’s presentation. “Our ability to balance the expectations of a ‘full service city’ with our ability to pay for those services