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TODAY: Temperatures this afternoon are significantly cooler than what we have been seeing thanks to a frontal boundary. Even with the frontal passage, cloudy skies and light rain showers are still with us this afternoon. The light rain will gradually pull to the south, as the surface front continues to track out of Missouri. Temperatures

UPDATE 10:34 am: Judges continued Cortez’s plea hearing. ORIGINAL STORY: A Mexico High School band director has a plea hearing scheduled a full year after the high school was first told about inappropriate touching between the director and a student. Robert Cortez was arrested last year and charged with two counts of sexual contact with

Attorney General Josh Hawley announced on Wednesday that a Chariton County jury found Kris Ward, 40, of Columbia guilty of statutory rape and endangering the welfare of a child. Ward is accused of sexually abusing an 11-year-old girl over the course of several months. Hawley said the jury watched a recorded interview with the victim

TODAY: Waking up temperatures will be in the low 60s with a spot shower chance through the morning hours south of I-70, more likely along I-44. Morning clouds will slowly clear to partly sunny skies. By the afternoon, it will feel much more like September as highs top out in the low to mid 70

The Columbia Fire Department is investigating a small fire that caused minor damage to JJ’s Cafe Wednesday morning. According to Division Chief Jerry Jenkins, employees saw smoke coming from an electrical outlet in the front wall of the restaurant. Jenkins said it’s not clear if it was an electrical problem that started the fire. Minimal

Attorneys for a man accused of murder want to keep some jail visits private. Pablo Serrano-Vitorino is being held in the St. Louis City Jail, accused of killing a man in Montgomery County as well as four others. Serrano’s attorneys said the request was made to protect their trial strategy. Serrano, an undocumented immigrant, faces

A Cooper County woman claims a massage business put her and others at risk when it hired a masseuse with a troubled history. The woman claims Zeqiu Feng, an employee at Relax Station in Columbia Mall, touched her inappropriately during a massage in July 2016. The lawsuit claims the company should have known the state

The number of stolen guns is on the rise and recovering those weapons is getting harder. Last year, more than $120,000 worth of guns were reported stolen. If you peg the average price of a gun at $300, about one gun a day was reported stolen last year in Columbia. In Boone County, the number

The University of Missouri hired a consulting group, Keeling and Associates, to assess the Student Affairs department during its restructuring phase. The cost of the group to survey students and submit its findings is about $150,000. As a part of Keeling and Associates’ work, consultants will hold idea walls and open forums Tuesday and Wednesday

The Osage County Sheriff’s Department announced on Tuesday they are looking for a person of interest in a domestic assault that occurred on Osage County Road. Deputies said Todd Redel, 40, allegedly left the location of the assault at a high rate of speed and headed south on U.S. Highway 63. Deputies said they were

Roots N Blues N BBQ music festival will go cashless for the first time this year. Festival goers will only be able to use their wristbands to pay vendors. Festival officials said people can create an account and load money onto their wristband before the event this weekend. They can do that here, and the

On Tuesday, Attorney General Josh Hawley announced the formation of a new coalition of Missouri business committed to fighting human trafficking in the state. This is the latest initiative in Hawley’s crackdown on human trafficking in Missouri and as part of the effort, Hawley has issued new regulations targeting traffickers. The new business council will

Doctors at MU Healthcare are seeing an increase in patients coming in with strep throat and mono. Dr. Tara Fynn said, “Out Quick Cares are seeing strep throat for kids in elementary school and mono is being seeing more in the Urgent Care.” Flynn said sometimes the two illnesses can be difficult to tell apart,

Tuesday Belle City Marshal Joe Turnbough announced his disappointment in the city’s mayor and city council. Turnbough said that the Belle City Council and the Belle Mayor Steve Vogt have decided to allow a former Belle police officer to be paid out of the City of Belle’s police department budget. Turnbough said the action jeopardizes

Pettis County deputies arrested Justin Bales after they were granted a search warrant for a residence in the 700 block of East 4th Street in Sedalia. According to the probable cause statement, the Mid-Missouri Drug Task Force and the Pettis County Sheriff’s Office entered the residence and found Bales in one of the rooms. Deputies

Callaway County deputies arrested Nathaniel Chiles Sunday for burglary, stealing and property damage. According to the probable cause statement, deputies responded to reports of property damage and burglary at the Chiles Land Company. Deputies said Chiles was suspected of causing the damage and burglary. Chiles had worked at the company but had been let go

On Monday, the Boone Boone County deputies arrested Benjamin Reid in the 5900 block of Wagon Trail Road. According to the probable cause statement, deputies found Reid inside an abandoned building. Deputies said Reid did not have permission to be in the structure. Forced entry had been made on the west side of the building,

A new K-9 officer is joining the Moniteau County Sheriff’s Office. Through private donations from businesses and individuals along with a BBQ fundraiser, the department raised over $15,000. K-9 Apollo will begin two months od training with handler Lt. Kevin Morse starting next week. The K-9 Team will be certified and on patrol by December.

On September 26, 2017, at approximately 1:21 a.m., a Rolla police officer saw a Silver Dodge Stratus driving erratically through the round-about at Kingshighway and Interstate 44/Martin Springs Drive. The vehicle was traveling at a speed too fast to negotiate the roundabout, which caused the tires on the suspect vehicle to skid and squeal. The

Columbia police arrested Raymona McGinnist after she was allegedly caught stealing from Wal Mart. According to the probable cause statement, police responded to the Walmart on West Broadway for embezzlement. Police said they contacted an employee from loss prevention associate who was conducting the investigation into an employee. Police said a witness saw McGinnist via