News

At a press conference Monday, Columbia Mayor Bob McDavid proposed a new property tax increase as a way to raise funds to hire additional police officers. Right now, the property tax rate is at a little over 6.6 percent in Columbia. McDavid wants to raise it three percent, with 20 cents of every $100 going

The Columbia Public School District wants federal grant money to improve one local high school’s graduation rates. Two months ago, the district planned to ask for more money for Douglass High School. Three years ago, Douglass was first recognized as a school in need of improvement in the classroom, with a graduation rate lower than

One man is behind bars for allegedly starting a fire in Jefferson City that gutted an abandoned house at 111 Adams Street early Tuesday morning. Interim Fire Chief Jason Turner confirmed the blaze and second alarm for ABC 17 News just after 2 a.m. Smoke could be seen rolling through Olde Town East and the

An elderly woman was seriously injured in a car crash in Jefferson City Tuesday afternoon. Emergency officials say the woman, Judy Veit, 70, of New Bloomfield, crashed her car underneath a 53-foot unattached trailer near Highway 179 and Main Street around 12:40 p.m. The impact of the crash caused the top of the car to

A gas line break in Columbia has forced the evacuation of a Stephens College residence hall. The Columbia Fire Department says a contractor installing fiber optic line hit the gas pipe around 11:25 a.m. Tuesday. Firefighters responded the scene and Ameren crews shut off the gas by 12:45 p.m. The gas leak was fixed promptly,

Officials are blaming lightning for the a fire this morning at a Boonville nursing home. Residents at Lakeview Health Care had to be evacuated early Tuesday after they started smelling smoke. Firefighters say lightning hit the roof of the nursing home, catching attic insulation on fire. 44 residents were evacuated safely and moved to temporary

A young child drowned and dozens of people were out of their homes after flash flooding hit south-central Missouri. Pulaski County Sheriff Ron Long says the child’s body was found early Tuesday near Mitchell Creek on the west side of Waynesville. The child was between 4 and 6 years old. According to affiliate KSPR, the

A Columbia pleaded guilty in court Tuesday to a March 2012 murder. Durantrae Logan, 21, pleaded guilty to second-degree murder and armed criminal action. The judge sentenced Logan to 20 years for each count. The terms will be served concurrently. Logan admitted to his involvement in the murder of Lamont Sargent during a drug deal

A Mid-Missouri woman and her two grandchildren were found Tuesday morning, hours after they had been reported missing. According to the Callaway County Sheriff’s Office, family members reported a 58-year-old woman and her two grandchildren, a 10-year-old male and a 12-year-old female, missing from their Millersburg residence around 1 a.m. Tuesday. The two children are

The mother of a terminally ill 2-year-old western Pennsylvania boy who served as his parents’ best man, says he has died. Christine Swidorsky Stevenson says on her Facebook page that little Logan Stevenson died in her arms at 8:18 p.m. Monday at the home she shared with the boy’s father, and her new husband, Sean

Mayor Bob McDavid held a press conference Monday morning to address recent crime in Columbia. Since the City Council held its first news conference regarding crime, there has been another shooting downtown and four other crimes involving gun. “Columbia has too much crime. Nobody disputes that,” McDavid said. McDavid proposed six initiatives to crack down

The city council in Jefferson City discussed the RR Donnelley plant closure as well as a deal to build a new multimillion dollar road at its meeting Monday night. Chamber of Commerce president talked about the loss of 500 jobs due to RR Donnelley’s announcement it will close its operations in the capital city. City

Mizzou practiced in full pads for the first time this fall, Monday morning, and what he saw on the field pleased head coach Gary Pinkel he told the media after the session. Injury update: CB Xavier Smith had his right foot in a boot and wore a red jersey Monday. Smith has a bruised foot

The Columbia Police Department announced Monday that 40 people were arrested during a three-day crime sweep. Between August 1 and 3, police conducted more than 200 traffic stops, 60 check subjects and arrested dozens of people. Authorities say they used call data and intelligence-gathering efforts as part of the operation. The 40 arrests included traffic

A change in Columbia’s red light camera ordinance will be presented Monday night at the City Council meeting. If passed, a clear picture of the driver running a red light will no longer be needed to issue a ticket. Tickets would automatically be sent to the registered car owner, even if they are not the

Concerns of terrorists planning a major attack against the United States is causing U.S. embassies in nearly 24 locations to stay closed. U.S. intelligence officials say they’ve heard terrorist talk about an attack that is “going to be big” and strategically significant. The embassies and consulates in the Middle East and North Africa, including Yemen,

Columbia police are investigating a shots fired incident that happened Saturday afternoon. According to police, officers were flagged down by a resident near the intersection of Sexton Road and Jewell Avenue around 3:30 p.m. The resident informed officers of a disturbance in the 300 block of Highview Avenue. Officers at the scene determined at least

The personal information of nearly 1,500 Missourians was mailed to the wrong address following a software glitch. MO HealthNet says it is notifying 1,357 individuals that some of their information was mailed to an incorrect address by Infocrossing, Inc., one of the agency’s contractors. The Department of Social Services says no medical or financial information

Moberly police arrested a man Friday for allegedly selling drugs near a school. Police say 61-year-old Gregory L. Robinson was arrested while officers were serving a search warrant in the 500 block of Porter Street. Randolph County prosecutors charged Robinson for manufacturing and producing marijuana in a residence with a child or within 200 feet

Police say two young boys are dead after they were strangled by a python that escaped its enclosure at a pet store in Canada. Royal Canadian Mounted Police Const. Julie Rogers-Marsh said Monday the boys, aged five and seven, were sleeping in an apartment above Reptile Ocean Inc. when the incident occurred in Campbellton, New