News

A suspect landed behind bars following a drug bust on Tuesday southwest of Jefferson City. ABC 17 News has confirmed Kenneth Spears is now facing two felony drug charges in Cole County. The sheriff’s department searched his home off Shagbark Circle between Route C and Highway 54. Deputies claim they found some meth, a large

Due to an unexpected zero-growth in sales tax revenue, Columbia city officials have introduced a 30-day hiring freeze for its employees to help adjust the city’s budget. Tony St. Romaine, Deputy City Manager, said the city usually sees it’s highest sales tax revenue during the months of December and January. He said the city budgets

The third suspect in last week’s shooting which damaged a school bus full of students has been caught. Craig Hawkins was caught in Springfield, and has been moved to the jail in Cole County. Jefferson City police officers, acting on tips Hawkins had fled to Springfield, got in touch with that city’s street crimes unit.

Some security cameras in downtown Columbia will eventually no longer be used by the Columbia Police Department. ABC 17 News confirmed with the Columbia Police Department Wednesday that the department did not budget for camera replacements or maintenance to the cameras. This only affects six cameras downtown and does not include the garage cameras maintained

Looking back at 30 years of data, our last freeze in Mid-Missouri is usually April 10 for areas along the Missouri River to April 20th in the Ozarks. The latest date of freezing temperatures in Columbia is May 9th which occurred in 1906. Our last freeze last year was April 4th. It looks unlikely that

The flu season is winding down, but Mid-Missouri doctors tell ABC 17 they’re still seeing cases of the flu. Some doctors said they’ve seen more cases in just the past couple weeks than they’ve seen all season. Dr. Tara Flynn told ABC 17, “It’s always hard to know when flu season ends. We kind of

University of Missouri officials announced Tuesday they were eliminating about 50 jobs in addition to several other departmental changes in their expected budget cuts. The cuts are in response to the larger than expected drop in enrollment for the 2016-2017 school year. City of Columbia leaders are now working to address those cuts and come

The Missouri Senate committee on education approved the “Walter Cronkite New Voices Act“Wednesday. If passed the bill would allow student journalists more comprehensive editorial control over publications. Currently, under theHazelwood School District v. Kuhlmeier decision, student journalists bear the responsibility of justifying any questionable or controversial news content for publication. “(The Walter Cronkite New Voices

COLUMBIA, Mo- Ten detention officers are needed at the Boone County Jail. The jail has continuously had a problem with keeping a full staff. It was so in need of officers at one point that they had to move some inmates to another facility. Luckily the pod was reopened just last month but the search

Missouri lawmakers heard hours of testimony Tuesday night about Senate Joint Resolution 39. Supporters of the religious freedom say the bill would protect businesses who refuse service to customers based on religious reasons. If this bill were to become law, it could have an effect on Mid-Missouri businesses. Other states have already seen a lose

Officials at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention are now saying that the Zika virus could be serious and that they are worried about the impact. Zike “seems to be a bit scarier than we initially thought,” said Anne Schuchat, the principal deputy director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. While it’s

Police in Holts Summit are looking for a driver who led officers on a chase before running away on foot. The chase happened early Wednesday after police tried to stop a vehicle on East Center Street for a traffic violation. The driver sped off, leading a chase through town and out into a rural part

Multiple residents were displaced Tuesday after an apartment fire in central Columbia. At least eight units responded to the structure fire near Columbia College at the corner of Wilkes and Eighth Street. Firefighters said the fire broke out just after 2:30 Tuesday morning. Fire crews said multiple callers reported seeing flames showing from a 6-plex

UPDATE: A public hearing at the state capitol over a controversial so-called religious freedom bill wrapped up early Wednesday morning – at 12:25 a.m. The sponsors of Senate Joint Resolution 39, or SJR 39, said the bill would protect companies that refuse service to same-sex couples over religious beliefs. Supporters and opponents of the bill

The MU Operations department announced earlier on Tuesday that it would be eliminating more than 50 jobs from their fiscal budget for 2017. The University told ABC 17 that due to the lower amount in enrollment, budget cuts needed to be made and they felt that by eliminating certain jobs, that would help keep that

NAACP Day was held at the Missouri state capitol Tuesday – an event where activists and state officials rally in support of the civil rights group and its agenda. Hundreds gathered in Jefferson City to oppose the voter ID bill that is before the Missouri legislature. Several executive branch members appeared at the rally. State

Ameren Missouri made a historic donation to the Millbottom Center in Jefferson City Tuesday. For nearly 80 years, the center was an Ameren plant. Tuesday, the power company donated several architectural drawings and photos of the former plant. Chip Webb, Director of Central Missouri Division, Ameren Missouri said, “It’s all about preserving the heritage of

A new study of the University of Missouri System’s impact on Missouri shows some impressive numbers. The study is titled “Economic Impact on Missouri of the UM System.” It was funded by The Missouri 100, an advocacy group supporting “the most pressing priorities of the UM System, its four campuses, MU Healthcare and Extension.” The

A Jefferson City man was charged Tuesday after allegedly crashing into a Jefferson City police officer’s patrol car while drunk. Sulaimaan Habeel is charged with driving while intoxicated, leaving the scene of a crash and resisting arrest. ABC 17 News obtained court documents that claim Habeel struck the patrol vehicle parked in the 1000 block

A drop-off recycling center in Columbia will be unavailable starting Wednesday April 13 until the week of April 18. Repairs are being made to the Moser’s parking lot on Keene street. The recycling containers will be temporarily removed during this time. The city hopes to have the recycling containers back the week of April 18