News

Missouri Public Service Commission staff say in a report that Missouri Gas Energy failed to take “prompt and adequate” steps to ensure safety before a fatal restaurant explosion in Kansas City. The 120-page report released Thursday says Missouri Gas Energy workers waited too long before checking whether gas levels had reached unsafe conditions inside JJ’s

Two Camden County men were arrested this week on felony drug charges. Brandon Arnett, 30, of Climax Springs is accused of having marijuana and psilocybin mushrooms during a search of his Simpson Drive home, near a school. Camden County Street Crimes investigators and Lake Area Narcotics Task Force members arrested him and he was charged

The electric utility that owns Lake of the Ozarks is urging property owners to be on the alert for water level fluctuations and icing conditions. Ameren Missouri says the latest round of severe winter weather and plunging temperatures means increased demand for electricity. That requires releasing water into the Osage River, which feeds the lake.

MoDOT planned to have major roads in Columbia cleared by Thursday morning, after focusing on highways and major routes Wednesday. Engineers at the Central District office told ABC 17 News a pending salt shortage and ballooning budget for winter roadwork statewide would not affect cleanup operations for this storm. “We’re spending the majority of our

There may be an abundance of snow in Boone County right now, but it’s not the same situation for the amount of salt Public Works has to clear it. Bryan Boyce with the Boone County Public Works Department said they have 300 tons of salt and 600 tons of mixture right now. “We’re probably as

Mizzou football signed 28 players on Wednesday, including several stars like Andy Bauer and Nate Brown. Bauer’s situation was particularly interesting. He was a Missouri commit before Ole Miss came in and wooed the Under Armour All-American out of De Smet High School. In the middle of Missouri’s 12-2 season, however, Bauer had a change

Street crews in Columbia started hitting neighborhoods on Wednesday after working overnight to clear major roads. According to a news release, road crews were still focusing on first and second priority routes Tuesday night with the help of employees from other departments like Parks and Recreation, Water and Light, Parking Utilities, Sewer Utilities and outside

A Mid-Missouri woman was sentenced to 10 years in prison on Tuesday for the death of an 11 week-old baby. ABC 17 News confirmed Treschell Kemp pleaded guilty in Cooper County to charges of involuntary manslaughter and child endangerment. Prosecutors say Kemp shoved a pacifier into the girl’s mouth in May of 2012, suffocating her

A potato chip plant in Fulton will remained closed for the rest of the week after a brief fire caused some damage but no injuries. The fire at Backer’s Potato Chips on Tuesday apparently began when oil clogged a heat exchanger and caught fire. Plant manager Bill Metz told The Fulton Sun the plant has

Battalion Chief Gary Warren, with the Columbia Fire Department, told ABC 17 News that regardless of weather conditions they still get out of the door within 60 seconds of a call and plan to be there within 5 minutes. “The bad weather conditions are really no different for us than normal motors. We still have

On Wednesday the Columbia Police Department confirmed they are investigating two overnight shootings, more than 12 hours after the initial call. Officers set up a crime scene in 100 block Woodlawn Avenue late Tuesday night. Investigators only told ABC 17 News that they were investigating a crime scene, despite initial reports of shots fired from

The Missouri Attorney General is asking consumers to be aware of tow truck services price gouging during winter storms. The agency says it is normal for tow trucks to raise their rates slightly during a winter storm because of the amount of overtime their employees accumulate. It says there are also scammers out there looking

An SUV hit a MoDot plow truck head-on just before 5 p.m. Tuesday night. The collision happened on Route E, just south of Sweringen Road near Harrisburg. The driver of the SUV told ABC 17 News he was heading north on Route E when he lost control rounding a corner. He said he tried to

While road officials urge everyone to stay off the street Tuesday, tow truck companies are making sure all of their trucks are on the roads. ABC 17 News rode along with Tiger Towing owner, David DeBates today. “The roads are not too awfully slick. I guess they are in some areas, but snow covered is

Roads crews in mid-Missouri were busy trying to keep up with snowfall Tuesday afternoon. The city of Columbia reached two inches of snow before noon, meaning no parking on snow routes kicked into effect across town. Any cars parked on those streets would towed at the owners expense Tuesday so city streets crews could plow

Columbia police have made an arrest in a Sunday night shooting that sent two to the hospital. Monday night police arrested Eugenia Dyer, 36, of Columbia for the shooting in the 5000 block of Rice Road. Just after 10 p.m. Sunday officers were called to a local hospital in reference to two male gunshot victims.

Tuesday’s snowstorm has prompted many schools and businesses to close for the day. The University of Missouri-Columbia, Columbia College, Stephens College and William Woods University are among the area schools of higher learning to cancel classes on Tuesday. Most public school districts closed even before the snow started, including Columbia, Jefferson City, Fulton, Moberly and

The Maries County Sheriff’s Office was investigating a suspicious death Monday night. Nichole Bailey, 24, died this morning after being taken by Staff for Life to University Hospital in Columbia. A deputy told ABC 17 News Bailey is believed to have been left out in the cold and may have died from hypothermia. She was

The Missouri State Highway Patrol has canceled an advisory for a missing child from Knox County, Missouri. Troopers said early Tuesday they thought Gabrial Muzolf had been taken by his biological father, Patrick Muzolf. Patrick was thought to be headed to Texas. Shortly after 5:30 Tuesday morning, the advisory was canceled after Gabrial was found

Steady snowfall caused chaos on mid-Missouri roads throughout the morning and early afternoon Tuesday. You can keep track of road conditions using MoDOT’s Traveler Information Map and snow maps for both Columbia and Jefferson City here. Interstate 70 just west of Columbia has just started to reopen after closing around 9:30 a.m. due to several