Missouri Archives

USDA invests more than $250,000 to support rural Missouri communities

October 16, 2020 3:36 PM Karl Wehmhoener

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) USDA announced they are investing $254,621 in Rural Community Development Initiative (RCDI) grant funds to bolster rural housing, community programs, and economic development. “The USDA Rural Development RCDI program capitalizes on public/private partnerships to provide training and technical assistance that boosts the capacity of local groups to implement economic development plans,” said

Kansas City tops record for killings with 2 1/2 months left

October 16, 2020 3:06 PM Associated Press

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Missouri’s largest city has reached an unwanted milestone — a new record for homicides in a year. Two people died in separate shootings Thursday in Kansas City, the 155th and 156th killings in 2020. The Kansas City Star reports that breaks the record set in 2017. The first shooting happened

The state health department reported a record breaking rise in COVID-19 cases on Saturday.

Kansas City-area hospitals overwhelmed, turn away ambulances

October 16, 2020 3:01 PM Associated Press

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — The surge in coronavirus cases and hospitalizations is so severe in the Kansas City area that some hospitals were forced at one point to refuse ambulances due to a lack of space. Officials at St. Luke’s Health System say eight hospitals, in both Missouri and Kansas, reported such high volumes

Sen. Josh Hawley writing book: ‘The Tyranny of Big Tech’

October 16, 2020 9:58 AM Associated Press

Sen. Josh Hawley is working on a book about one of the Missouri Republican’s ongoing targets.

Missouri unemployment claims rise for 2nd week in a row

October 15, 2020 11:23 PM Karl Wehmhoener

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) The Missouri Department of Labor and Industrial Relations is reporting unemployment claims rose for the second week in a row. The department reported 1,705 more people applied for unemployment last week raising the total to 10,502 claims. Those claims is the highest number of people seeking unemployment benefit since the week ending

THURSDAY UPDATES: Camden and Cole County provide updates on COVID-19 cases

October 15, 2020 5:42 AM ABC 17 News Team

Get live updates on the COVID-19 pandemic here.

Missouri releases COVID-19 vaccination plan

October 15, 2020 1:42 PM Matthew Sanders

Missouri Gov. Mike Parson is scheduled to make an announcement about the rollout of the COVID-19 vaccine during a briefing Thursday afternoon.

Missouri COVID-19 hospitalizations ‘obviously concerning’ health officials

October 15, 2020 11:55 AM Zola Crowder

Coronavirus hospitalizations have reached an all-time high in Missouri, hitting 1,443 on Wednesday.

St. Louis couple who waved guns at protest plead not guilty

October 14, 2020 10:09 AM ABC 17 News Team

ST. LOUIS (AP) A St. Louis couple celebrated in some circles and vilified in others for waving guns at protesters near their home have pleaded not guilty to two felony charges. Mark and Patricia McCloskey appeared during a brief hearing Wednesday. The McCloskeys, who are both attorneys in their early 60s, have been charged with

Missouri police chief warns: Drugs that look like kids’ vitamins

October 13, 2020 5:24 PM Associated Press

POTOSI, Mo. (AP) — The police chief in a small eastern Missouri town is warning that illegal drugs found on the street look like candy or children’s vitamins. KTVI-TV reports that officers in Potosi recently seized the drugs during a traffic stop. Potosi Police Chief Michael Gum posted photos of the drugs on the department’s

Man accused in August killing is shot to death

October 13, 2020 5:25 PM Associated Press

RIVERVIEW, Mo. (AP) — A man charged with murder in August in St. Louis County is dead following another shooting. The St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports that 21-year-old Demarcus Pierce was found by Riverview police Friday morning. He died Saturday at a hospital. St. Louis County police took over the investigation and are trying to determine

State fire marshal, citing drought, urges no outdoor burning

October 13, 2020 5:20 PM Associated Press

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) — Missouri’s state fire marshal is encouraging people to avoid outside burning amid a statewide drought that has gripped the state for several weeks. Fire Marshal Tim Bean said in a news release Tuesday that under the current dry conditions, even a small outdoor fire can get out of control and

Missouri outsources contact tracing in coronavirus battle

October 13, 2020 5:15 PM Associated Press

ST. LOUIS (AP) — Missouri is outsourcing contact tracing to private companies as part of the effort to contain the spread of the coronavirus. The St. Louis Post-Dispatch reported Tuesday that the state this week approved contracts with nine companies to help track down people who may have been in contact with those who test

Missouri State Highway Patrol crash unit

Boy, 11, struck and killed trying to cross interstate

October 13, 2020 1:47 PM Associated Press

ST. LOUIS (AP) An 11-year-old boy is dead after being struck by a car while trying to walk across a busy suburban St. Louis interstate highway. The Missouri State Highway Patrol says the accident happened just before 6:30 a.m. Tuesday on Interstate 270 in western St. Louis County. The child’s name has not been released.

Former Missouri youth pastor charged with child sex abuse

October 12, 2020 3:34 PM Associated Press

SPRINGFIELD, Mo. (AP) — A former youth pastor was charged with seven felonies following accusations he sexually abused a child in Missouri. The Springfield News-Leader reports 46-year-old Jeff Taylor of Strafford, Missouri, was charged Thursday with five counts of statutory sodomy and two counts of statutory rape. Taylor is accused of sexually abusing a

Missouri S&T announces ‘transformative’ $300 million gift

October 12, 2020 3:30 PM Associated Press

ROLLA, Mo. (AP) — A St. Louis businessman and his wife have donated $300 million to a foundation to support Missouri University of Science and Technology in what the university said is believed to be the largest single gift to a higher education institution in Missouri. Missouri S&T announced the gift Monday from Fred and

Missouri agency working to fix state’s COVID-19 dashboard

October 12, 2020 3:27 PM Associated Press

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) — Two days after a “database extract error” incorrectly showed a massive one-day increase in coronavirus cases in Missouri, the problem remains unresolved. Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services spokeswoman Lisa Cox said Monday that the state is still working to pinpoint the cause of the problem, which is related

Governor Parson awards more than $870,000 to Missouri libraries to expand broadband access

October 9, 2020 5:36 PM Karl Wehmhoener

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. Missouri Governor Mike Parson announced 39 Missouri libraries were awarded more than $870,000 through the Missouri State Library to help residents access high speed internet for telehealth and distance learning in response to COVID-19. “COVID-19 has created a massive shift to online services,” Governor Parson said. “Providing our public libraries with the

Missouri’s COVID-19 response in spotlight at governor forum

October 9, 2020 5:11 PM Associated Press

O’FALLON, Mo. (AP) — Republican Missouri Gov. Mike Parson and his Democratic opponent spent much of a candidate forum on Friday sparring over the governor’s response to the coronavirus pandemic. Parson and Democratic candidate Nicole Galloway, along with Libertarian candidate Rik Combs and Green Party candidate Jerome Bauer, spoke at the forum in Columbia. Galloway,

Lawsuit filed over man’s death after arrest in Kansas City

October 9, 2020 5:10 PM Associated Press

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — The husband of a man who died after he was found unresponsive in a Kansas City police station is suing the Kansas City Board of Police Commissioners. Terry Farmer died at a hospital on Dec. 31 and his death was ruled a suicide. His husband, Bradley Farmer, alleges in the