News

The Jefferson City Police Department told ABC 17 News Thursday staffing levels are critically low. The department is short 16 staff members. Six are out on medical or military leave, four positions will be left vacant because of city budget issues, and five or six police officer positions are vacant after the city offered employees

Morris Converting, LLC says it is looking to hire former RR Donnelley workers for its new facility in the capital city. Morris is opening a packaging plant in east Jefferson City sometime next year. This site will specialize in dog food packaging and will bring in at least 20 new jobs to the city. Representatives

Gov. Jay Nixon has directed his administration to develop plans that would allow for the reopening of National Park Service assets in Missouri. Those assets include the Gateway Arch and grounds in St. Louis as well as the Ozarks National Scenic Riverways Park. “These parks and riverways are national treasures that draw millions of visitors

Officials in the capital city say two outdoor warning sirens are inoperable following a September thunderstorm. Capt. Doug Shoemaker said the Jefferson City Emergency Operations Center tested the sirens in the city and Cole County on Oct. 3 and discovered two failed to sound. The sirens were inspected and had damage consistent with a lightning

Deputies with the Boone County Sheriff’s Department seized drugs and firearms during a search warrant. Deputies served the warrant in the 4500 block of O’Neal Road, north of Columbia, around 9:30 a.m. Friday. In the home, law enforcement found firearms, meth, scales, packaging materials and drug paraphernalia. Authorities said the residents of the home were

The condition of former Columbia City Councilwoman Almeta Crayton has worsened. Crayton is in a coma at Boone Hospital Center, suffering from heart and kidney problems. Friday morning, hospital officials said she had been downgraded to critical condition. Family friends said Clayton remains in a coma. Crayton is known throughout Mid-Missouri for her numerous community

The Cooper County Sheriff’s Department has made an arrest in the murder of a woman from Columbia. Bryant Holmes, Jr., 23, was arrested on suspicion of murder, but the time and details of his arrest have not yet been released. Satina Beckner’s body was found on the side of a rural road south of Boonville

Softball Blair Oaks 15Osage 0 Bowling Green 1North Callaway 0 Warrenton 5Fulton 1 Hickman 7Jefferson City 1 Rock Bridge 8Battle 2 Volleyball Rock Bridge 25 25Hannibal 17 15 Kirksville 20 15Tolten 25 25

A Rolla man has been indicted for the Jan. 2013 abuse and murder of an 11-month-old infant. A Phelps County grand jury indicted 25-year-old Brent Black with child abuse and second-degree murder for the death of Sapphire Jade Gibbs. According to the county prosecutor, emergency responders were dispatched on Jan. 26 to a home on

The biggest road project in Columbia is nearing completion. The Stadium Boulevard and Interstate 70 interchange will close Friday evening for the weekend to finish a multimillion-dollar, months-long makeover. The intersection will turn into a so-called diverging diamond interchange, which the Missouri Department of Transportation said will make the road faster and safer. Officials also

Police have identified the suspect in the armed robbery of Kaldi’s Coffee in Columbia last week. Investigators say Anthony Paine, 47, of Fulton, is the man who robbed a coffeehouse employee at gunpoint on the morning of Oct. 4. Columbia police have issued a warrant for his arrest on charges of first-degree robbery and armed

Around 55,000 people are expected to attend this year’s Hartsburg Pumpkin Festival. Locals say the event usually goes on without a hitch. “The only time that we’ve had any problem is if we get rain,” said festival planner Jo Hackman. “We normally park everyone in the fields, but if it rains, we need to park

Over the years, the Internet has transformed the way the world thinks, socializes and researches. Thursday morning, the University of Missouri announced their connection to one of the fastest Internet connections the world has seen. Internet2 is connected to other American universities and government agencies. “MU became one of the select institutions to actually get

Two workers were seriously injured Wednesday morning when their scaffolding collapsed. The men were working on the siding of a building at Katy Place Apartments on Forum Boulevard when their ladders and scaffolding collapsed around 8:40 a.m. According to authorities, the men fell approximately 30 feet to the ground. Columbia Fire Department crews University Hospital

ABC News is set to air a story on Ryan Ferguson, the man convicted of killing a Columbia Tribune sports editor, and his fight to prove his innocence. The story will air Thursday night at 11:35 p.m. CT on “Nightline.” Ryan Ferguson has spent almost a decade in a maximum security prison for a brutal

The mayor of Ashland will remain in his role, a day after he had sent a letter to the city stating he was resigning “effective immediately.” Gene Rhorer submitted his resignation letter to the city Wednesday, but Ashland city officials confirm Rhorer rescinded his resignation on Thursday. ABC 17 News has requested a copy of

Thursday morning fire crews responded to an accident involving a school bus in Boone County. The accident happened in the 10000 block of I-70 Drive Southeast. Columbia school officials confirm it was a Cedar Ridge bus that was rear-ended. Officials say three kids were on board at the time, none of those children or anyone

Jefferson City firefighters handed out free smoke detectors on Wednesday night. October is Fire Prevention Month and Lowe’s Home Improvement donated 150 detectors to the department to distribute to the public. Every year, almost two-thirds of home fire deaths are in homes with no smoke detectors or ones that don’t work. One homeowner told ABC

As the government shutdown freezes some benefits for families of U.S. service members, a Columbia nonprofit group is stepping in to help the family of a fallen Marine. MarineParents.com raised $10,000 Wednesday for the family of Lance Corporal Jeremiah Collins. He was killed Saturday while serving in Afghanistan. Because of the shutdown, benefits typically given

Two years after asking taxpayers for a twelve cent tax levy increase, the Columbia Public School district plans to ask for another 4 cents. This is part of just one bond issue the district hopes voters approve over the next seven years. By 2020, the total could reach $170 million in bonds. In order to