Columbia Archives

Alumni return to Mizzou’s campus for homecoming festivities

October 8, 2021 7:45 PM Hannah Falcon

After homecoming was canceled last year due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, festivities return to the University of Missouri this week.

Columbia hotel occupancy rebounds to pre-pandemic levels

October 8, 2021 4:10 PM Kennedy Miller

Numbers provided by the Columbia Convention and Visitors Bureau show a 66.9% occupancy rate for August, the highest in more than three years. The hospitality industry will see more visitors coming through the doors this weekend as the University of Missouri celebrates Homecoming.

Boone County working to find new home for Sidney Larson murals

October 8, 2021 3:54 PM Joushua Blount

The commission’s order requires the murals to be moved to a secure location where the art can be cared for appropriately. The murals, for now, are still hanging in the courthouse.

Mizzou Homecoming festivities ramp up ahead of Saturday’s game and parade

October 8, 2021 5:26 AM Ben Fein

Homecoming events are scheduled throughout the day Friday as The University of Missouri welcomes back thousands of graduates for the annual homecoming celebration.

QUESTION OF THE DAY: Did the Boone County Commission make the right decision about courthouse murals?

October 8, 2021 2:04 AM ABC 17 News Team

Several lawyers and judges asked for the removal of the murals painted in 1994, citing their depictions of violence and slavery. But others defended the murals, saying they showed local history, which has its ugly side.

Boone County Commission votes to move courthouse murals to ‘secure location’

October 7, 2021 3:51 AM Matthew Sanders

he Boone County Commission is set to meet Thursday and take action on murals in the Boone County Courthouse after lawyers called for them to be moved.

MU Faculty Council endorses indoor masking, coronavirus vaccine mandate

October 7, 2021 3:26 PM Hannah Falcon

One motion asks President Mun Choi, who is also the UM System president, to renew current requirements that include masks in classrooms but revise them to require everyone to wear masks indoors at all times. Another motion asks Choi to require vaccinations for students and staff.

THURSDAY UPDATES: Boone County reports two more coronavirus deaths; 50 new coronavirus cases

October 7, 2021 6:30 AM ABC 17 News Team

Check back for updates related to the coronavirus pandemic in Missouri.

Fire marshal: Test smoke alarms during fire prevention week

October 6, 2021 9:08 PM Hannah Falcon

The winter months are the busiest time for fire departments, and as temperatures drop, fire officials are reminding people to check if their smoke alarms are correctly installed and working.

Workers seek health care jobs amid high demand for employees

October 6, 2021 3:14 PM Joushua Blount

The health care industry is in need of people, with many hospitals reporting staffing shortages that have become a familiar sight during the coronavirus pandemic.

QUESTION OF THE DAY: Was justice served in the Ernest Johnson case?

October 6, 2021 10:18 AM ABC 17 News Team

Johnson had been convicted of the 1994 murders of Fred Jones, Mary Bratcher and Mable Scruggs in Columbia and had awaited execution for about 25 years.

Ameren Missouri customers can apply for a utility assistance program due to pandemic

October 5, 2021 5:15 PM Chanel Porter

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) An additional $1.5 million is now available by Ameren Missouri for families struggling to pay their utility bills due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Ameren is directing $1.2 million to its Clean Slate program to support moderate-income customers who do not qualify for low-income programs. The company is also directing $300,000 to support

Columbia Job Center to host special health care hiring event

October 6, 2021 4:44 AM Ben Fein

The Columbia Job Center is set to host a special health care hiring event from 10 a.m. until 1 p.m. Wednesday, according to a release.

No charges in deadly south Columbia officer-involved shooting

October 6, 2021 7:04 AM Zachary Farwell

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) A special prosecutor will not file charges against three Columbia police officers involved in a deadly shooting. According to the Columbia Police Department, Callaway County Prosecutor Christopher D. Wilson told the Missouri State Highway Patrol in a letter on Oct. 1 the officers acted lawfully in their use of deadly force. Special

State executes Ernest Lee Johnson for Columbia triple murder; state releases last offender statement

October 5, 2021 11:08 AM Matthew Sanders

The state executed Ernest Lee Johnson on Tuesday, 25 years after he killed three gas station workers and following a last-ditch effort by his lawyers to save him, The Associated Press reported.

Rallies, vigils hope to stop Ernest Lee Johnson execution

October 5, 2021 11:52 AM Joushua Blount

Johnson is set to be executed by lethal injection at 6 p.m. at a state prison in Bonne Terre for the 1994 murders of Mary Bratcher, Fred Jones and Mable Scruggs at a Columbia gas station.

WATCH: Savannah Guthrie reports on Ernest Lee Johnson murders in 1994

October 5, 2021 3:54 PM ABC 17 News Team

These videos pulled from the ABC 17 News archive show the station’s original reporting in the aftermath of a 1994 triple murder at a Casey’s gas station.

Two Columbia liquor stores robbed Monday night

October 5, 2021 9:49 AM Matthew Sanders

The first one hit was the new Arena Wine and Spirits at 515 S. Scott Blvd. at about 9:40 p.m. The second robbery happened at 10:25 p.m. at Arena Liquor, 208 Corporate Lake Drive.

Convicted Columbia murderer Ernest Lee Johnson set to be executed Tuesday

October 5, 2021 5:24 AM Meghan Drakas

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) Convicted Columbia murderer Ernest Lee Johnson is set to be executed Tuesday night in Bonne Terre, Missouri. Johnson was convicted of a triple murder at Casey’s General Store along Rice Road in Columbia in 1995. In February of 1994, Johnson robbed the convenience store after using drugs and hit, shot, and stabbed

Former CPD officer recounts murders 27 years later as governor confirms plans to execute Ernest Johnson

October 4, 2021 11:37 AM Leila Mitchell

Randy Boehm, a former Columbia police officer and chief, arrived at the Columbia Casey’s General Store 27 years ago, the morning after the horrific murders of three of the store’s employees.