News

Texting by the pilot of a medical helicopter contributed to a crash that killed four people, federal accident investigators declared Tuesday, and they approved a safety alert cautioning all pilots against using cellphones or other distracting devices during critical operations. It was the first fatal commercial aircraft accident investigated by the National Transportation Safety Board

Children younger than 17 would need parental consent to use tanning machines that emit ultraviolet rays at salons under legislation advanced by the Missouri House. The bill given first-round approval Tuesday would penalize tanning salons $500 for providing services to children without parental consent. Those who use a tanning device without consent would face a

Gov. Jay Nixon wants to know what modifications to Missouri’s Medicaid system may be acceptable to federal health care officials. Nixon talked over the phone Tuesday with Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius about a potential Medicaid expansion. Specifically, Nixon wanted to know how much flexibility Missouri has to make market-based changes or require

On Tuesday,University of Missouri researchersannounced analternative medicine for allergy relief. The new allergy drop is another form ofrelief,instead of usingover-the-counterdrugs or weekly allergy shots. Each prescription is tailored to eachpatient’sparticular allergy. New research shows the allergy drop is an effective alternative to relieve itchy eyes, sneezing and runny noses, while also being more convenient. Patients

Columbia police arrested two teenagers for several thefts, including one at the Columbia Public Library. Police say 18-year-old Derek David and 17-year-old Robert Worthington were arrested for stealing items from a home, the library and a Joe Machens dealership. Officers detained both David and Worthington on April 8 and say David stole a library staff

An investigation is underway after the death of a 2-month-old child. On Thursday, police and fire crews were called to a home in Eldon for a report of a baby that was unresponsive. The child was transported to Lake Regional Hospital where death was pronounced dead. The case has been turned over to investigators with

A piece of local history went up in flames Sunday and now many are left with only memories. Multiple fire crews were called to Lee Mace’s Ozark Opry Sunday morning for reports of smoke and fire coming from the building. The State Fire Marshal was investigating the cause Sunday night, but crews at the scene

New Columbia City Council members could shift priorities for Columbia leaders. Mayor Bob McDavid is starting a second term, however both the third and fourth ward have new council members. With new people on council, new opinions are likely to change the future of decisions. Many people wonder though, if this could move the focus

The trial for a woman facing forgery and murder charges is now delayed. Stacy Dory was in court on Monday in Columbia. Dory is accused of helping Liz Van Note pull her father off life support. Liz is a former lawyer from Kansas City and went to high school with Dory. William Van Note was

A Mid-Missouri man appeared in court Monday on charges of statutory sodomy. Allan Petty was arrested Sunday east of Columbia. Boone County detectives say the sexual assault happened near his home on Hogan Drive by the Lake of the Woods, and the girl was younger than 14. Petty’s bond was set at $40,000.

The number of burglaries in Columbia increased during the week many went on Spring Break when compared to lastyear’snumbers. Thepolicedepartment released those numbers Monday. Twenty-five homes and businesses were broken into during the12-dayspan. On College Avenue, four houses in a row were burglarized. Twohomeownersson the 100blockof College Avenue “springbreak-proofed”their homes before leaving. They locked the

(AP) – Luke Hancock made all five of his 3-pointers and led Louisville to its first NCAA men’s basketball championship since 1986 with a 82-76 victory over Michigan on Monday night. Coach Rick Pitino added this title to the one he won at Kentucky in 1996 and is the first coach to win a championship

A man convicted of sex crimes in Callaway County turned himself in to his bondsman Monday. Sean Price failed to show up to a March sentencing hearing and never returned to his Calwood home. Since then, deputies have been looking for him and feared he had fled the state. Price was convicted on two counts

Two people in Eldon are behind bars as investigators are trying to figure out how a two-month old Eldon baby died. Graham Bond and Elizabeth Burnett were arrested on drug charges and endangering the welfare of a child. Burnett was arraigned on Monday. An autopsy was done on the child in Columbia on Monday. ABC

The man charged withkilling a fellow patient at Columbia’s VA hospital told a Boone County judge he is not guilty Monday. Rudy Perez is accused of beatingRobert Hill to deathin a common room inside the veteran’s hospital Feb. 1. Defense attorney David Smith said Perez suffers from schizophrenia and was off his medications during the

Ervin Santana pitched eight strong innings, Alcides Escobar doubled home the go-ahead run and the Kansas City Royals rallied to beat the Minnesota Twins 3-1 on Monday in their home opener. Santana (1-1), who the Royals acquired in an Oct. 31 trade from the Los Angeles Angels for minor-league left-hander Brandon Sisk, gave up a

ST. LOUIS (AP) – Brandon Phillips kick-started a nine-run ninth inning with a tiebreaking bloop double and Shin-Soo Choo made amends for two botched fly balls with a three-run double, and the Cincinnati Reds spoiled the St. Louis Cardinals’ home opener with a 13-4 victory on Monday. Mitchell Boggs (0-1), the stand-in closer for St.

Columbia’s cultural affairs manager is stepping down. On Monday Assistant City Manager Carol Rhodes announced that Chris Stevens will resign his position. It will be effective at the end of July. Stevens and his family will be relocating to Denver where they will continue their work with the arts. Stevens was hired in December of

Just before 8 a.m. Sunday, the body 39-year-old Christie Ottowas found in Jefferson City on West McCarty Street near Industrial Drive under the overpass. Jefferson City police said the death is not associated with any train. As of 2:30 p.m., police were doing leg work to investigate if the death was suspicious or not. At

Some random and varied observations from the weekend in sports. 1) I had Louisville and Syracuse in the NCAA Tournament final Monday night with the Cardinals winning it all. Saturday, Rick Pitino and his boys took care of business. Their pressure defense was too much for the Wichita State Shockers to handle, especially in the