News

Columbia police searched two homes Wednesday night, looking for evidence connected to the murder of a 17-year-old teenager at McKee Street Park nearly two weeks ago. Relatives say two people were taken in for questioning. As of Thursday night, both of the teens have been released. Police confirmed their SWAT team served a search warrant

A car crashed into a Columbia Break Time Thursday evening. Around 6:30 p.m., emergency crews were dispatched to the gas station off Old Highway 63 and Stadium Boulevard after a sedan crashed into the building’s front windows. Crews said the driver’s foot slipped and hit the accelerator. No one was hurt, but the crash caused

Cole County officials announces a new program Thursday that will put criminals back on the streets. The county is nearing limits on how many inmates it can keep in its 2-year-old jail and needs to make space. Currently, the jail has 206 beds and one day last month, it topped off at 203 inmates. That

Fulton’s Veteran’s Park playground is in the process of being torn down because of multiple safety hazards. According to officials, the dangers include head entrapment, swinging into a fence, getting hit by a golf ball and being hit by a car from a nearby intersection. The City Council was alerted by its insurance company that

More than 200 volunteers continued the search for a missing Buckner, Mo. woman who went missing in Benton County July 13. Hellen Cook, 72, has been missing for nearly two weeks when she wandered away from a home in Warsaw. She suffered from Alzheimer’s and her family and authorities believe she may have become confused

As Columbia city leaders talk about gang activity, a group of middle schoolers are trying to erase some signs of it. On Thursday, more than 20 Truman Leadership Project campers hit the streets in downtown Columbia to pick up trash and clean up graffiti. Camp leaders say cleaning up the streets isn’t only a message

The University of Missouri System announced Thursday it has formed a search committee tasked with finding a new chancellor. The chancellor will replace Chancellor Brady Deaton, who is retiring effective Nov. 15. The 18-person committee will be co-chaired by curator Ann Covington and the dean of the School of Journalism Dean Mills. Faculty, staff, alumni,

The Columbia Police Officers’ Association held a press conference Thursday to discuss the city’s increasing crime. The CPOA press conference is in response to the city’s news conference about crime several weeks ago. “We don’t have criminals that are out of control, we have criminals that are in control,” said CPOA Executive Director Dale Roberts.

Law enforcement in Boone have arrested a Jefferson City man in a sting operation. On Thursday, Jeremy Bappert, 29, was arrested on several charges including attempted statutory rape and the possession of child pornography. The investigation against Bappert started in early July when the Cyber Crimes Task Force in Boone County received information that Bappert

Boone County will hire six new Public Safety Joint Communications employees thanks to the passage of a sales tax earlier this year. The county commission unanimously approved the hires Thursday. Five positions will be for emergency dispatchers, who answer 911 calls and dispatch emergency crews. According to the county, the new hires will bring the

A Columbia man was arrested Wednesday for allegedly assaulting a woman and threatening to harm her with a knife. Police say 27-year-old Steven Gholson repeatedly assaulted the victim while she was driving on Warwick Street on Sunday night. Once the pair arrived at her home, Gholson reportedly pulled a knife on her and threatened to

Two people were arrested in Jefferson City Wednesday during a drug search. Police served a narcotics search warrants at 203 Pine Street around 2 p.m. Wednesday. A K-9 unit involved in the search found a half-pound of marijuana and more than $800 in cash hidden in a locked safe in a closet. Officers say the

A tanker truck carrying fuel overturned on Highway 54 Wednesday afternoon, causing major traffic delays and some fuel to leak. The Missouri State Highway Patrol says around 2 p.m., the tanker truck had a mechanical failure, causing it to travel off the roadway on Highway 54 near Route 52 in Miller County. The truck rolled

The Pettis County Sheriff’s Office confirmed Tuesday that they are investigating the deaths of two people found inside a burning home as homicides. Investigators identified the victims as 56-year-old Barbara A. Hudson and her 26-year-old son, Jeremiah A. Hudson. Autopsies were performed on the two victims Tuesday in Boone County, but no cause of death

President Barack Obama is praising a Missouri program that fast-tracks students to low-cost college degrees as a model for the nation. Obama spoke Wednesday at the University of Central Missouri. The Warrensburg school is a partner with Metropolitan Community College and the Lee’s Summit School District in a program known as the “Missouri Innovation Campus.”

State lawmakers have identified the person responsible for giving permission to scan and retain personal documents at licensing bureaus. This was the second day a House committee questioned high-level members of Gov. Jay Nixon’s staff. The committee is tasked to find why documents like birth certificates and mortgage statements were needed to get a driver’s

Former President George H.W. Bush has shaved his head to show solidarity for the sick child of a Secret Service agent. A statement issued by a Bush spokesman Wednesday says the 89-year-old former president acted earlier this week at his summer home in Kennebunkport, Maine. That was after he saw members of his Secret Service

Governor Jay Nixon’s veto of House Bill 253 caused great controversy this week. “Now is not the time to divert that into a risky scheme that includes dramatically cutting public education and taxing seniors and students more,” said Nixon. The bill would be the first income state tax reduction in nearly 100 years. Legislators across

Jefferson City Public Schools purchased around 2,000 new iPads at $379 each for this upcoming school year. The district hopes that this purchase will increase state and federal testing scores. The tests are transitioning online, so district officials feel that it is important students be as tech-savvy as possible. “It’s a teaching tool,” said David

The Liquor Control Board in Jefferson City suspended Lush Nightclub’s license for 20 business days. The suspension is for tattooing without a proper license, as well as tattooing people who may be under the influence of alcohol. Officials said the tattoo artist was tattooing clubgoers in the middle of the bar, which is a violation