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With a new school year underway, bullying is at the forefront of policy. Columbia school staff and volunteers must report bullying they have witnessed or have first-hand knowledge of within two business days of the incident. Kelli Hopkins, associate executive director for the Missouri School Boards Association, said bullying is taken seriously. “For our staff,

Bishop Shawn McKnight held a media conference at the Diocese of Jefferson City’s offices Friday to announce his voluntary participation in Attorney General Josh Hawley’s investigation into clergy abuse. “I want them to see the step I’m already taking to make sure that we have the proper protocols in place and that we have an

TONIGHT: The first half of the night will be mild with temperatures in the 70s. Breezy conditions will stick around with winds out of the south up to 15 mph. Scattered showers and storms are expected to develop in southern Iowa into the night, along a cold front. As those storms track to the southeast,

Cheddar’s Scratch Kitchen is warning of a data breach that could put customers of its Missouri locations at risk for fraud. The restaurant said in a statement posted online that it learned last week that someone gained access to its network between Nov. 3 and Jan. 2. The breach applies to restaurants in Alabama, Arizona,

Audrain County police said a man they were looking for after a Wednesday chase was arrested Friday morning in Ralls County, Missouri. The Audrain County Sheriff’s Office said Tanner Spurlock of Paris, Missouri, was arrested at about 11:45 a.m. Spurlock was wanted after he allegedly ran from a Missouri State Highway Patrol trooper tried to

UPDATE: Click here to read and watch the complete report right now. ORIGINAL STORY: It’s been 25 years since the Great Flood of 1993 devastated the Midwest along the Missouri and Mississippi Rivers, causing $15 billion in damage. A report from the Missouri Dept. of Natural Resources in 1996 highlighted the devastation Missouri and eight

UPDATE: The complete report on James Scott is now online. For the story and extended interviews, click here. ORIGINAL: James Scott is the only person convicted of, and currently serving 20 years to life for causing a catastrophe in Missouri. Tonight, he’s telling ABC 17’s Joey Parker what he really thinks put him behind bars.

Causing a catastrophe is a criminal statute in Missouri. and it’s one you may have never heard of. If you Google the crime of causing a catastrophe in Missouri, you’ll certainly find the name James Scott. He is the only person in the state to ever be convicted of that crime and serving time for

THIS AFTERNOON: Much of Mid-Missouri is drying out this afternoon after a round of overnight thunderstorms. Places along HWY 54 near the Lake of the Ozarks and points eastward are continuing to see wet conditions this afternoon. If you, or anyone you know is planning an afternoon at The Lake, be advised that there’s likely

A man was taken into custody early Friday after allegedly hitting a building with his pick-up truck and driving away. Moberly police were sent to 1408 N. Morley St. at 5:12 a.m. and determined a 2001 Dodge truck failed to stop at a stop sign on Sparks Avenue, drove across North Morley Street and hit

The ongoing conversation over racial disparities in traffic stops will once more come to City Hall on Thursday night. The Columbia City Council will host a work session at 6 p.m. over the Missouri Attorney General’s Office vehicle stops report. The report shows, among many things, that black drivers in Columbia are pulled over more

Columbia police responded to a report of an armed robbery late Thursday night. It happened in the 1100 block of Woodland Springs Court near the Fairfield Inn and Suites around 11:00 p.m. A man pulled a gun on another person outside, took items and fled eastbound along I-70 between Clark Lane and I-70, according to

Officials said Cole County Emergency Medical Services is out of the woods after a staffing shortfall in early 2018. In a social media post Thursday night, the department announced the number of recently hired full-time and part-time employees has reached 13. “We are excited and proud to announce that our recruitment team has done an

A man is now in custody after an incident on I-70 just east of the Lake of the Woods exit in Columbia. ABC 17 News crews saw a man in handcuffs on the eastbound side of I-70 while Boone County deputies searched the nearby area off the highway just after 1 a.m. Friday. Initial reports

FRIDAY: Morning storms are continuing to track to the east through the morning commute, and we are watching for storm development to the southwest. You’ll want ot grab that umbrella for the morning commute, as rain will still be with us. Rain is expected to come to an end from west to east into the

The FBI was on scene investigating in 1000 block of Southampton Drive in Columbia Thursday afternoon. The Columbia Police Department assisted in the investigation, according to officers on scene. Law enforcement searched a home on the corner of Forum Boulevard and Southampton Drive. ABC 17 News crews observed officers come in and out of the

On Thursday the Planning and Zoning Commission voted 7-0 to approve an 88-acre solar farm in east Columbia just south of I-70. The Truman Solar project by Cypress Creek Renewables would involve 44,000 solar panels able to rotate while the sun moves east to west. Columbia Water & Light estimates that the project will generate

Human traffickers often use social media to choose their victims. “There is a high demand to purchase young people for sex and they’re finding every mean because the payoff is so high,” said Nanette Ward, founding member of the Central Missouri Stop Human Trafficking Coalition. Charges filed this week against Renee Collins on suspicion of

EDITOR’S NOTE: Because of a source error it was reported that the suspect was in custody. However, he was not in custody late Thursday afternoon. A Columbia man has been charged with shooting another man four times at a north Columbia apartment building. Prosecutors charged Derrick Smith, 30, on Thursday with first-degree assault and armed

An eastern Missouri man filed a lawsuit against two Jefferson City bars Tuesday. James Lovelace, of Moscow Mills, filed the suit in Moniteau County court against Spectators and The Mission. The bars played a “direct and proximate” role in the death of his 20-year-old son, Graden Lovelace, who died after crashing into Joshua Blankenship on