News

Lawmakers may be closer to a new tool in the fight against child sex trafficking. Wednesday, representatives testified in support of a new bill. Right now, Missouri law states that recruiting, harboring and enticing children into sex trafficking is illegal. And if this bill passes, it would add advertising children for sex to the definition

Three people are in custody for a Sunday murder in Jefferson City. Cole County Prosecutor Mark Richardson charged Charles Thompson, 17, Vincent Smith, 25, and Robert Burks, 23, with second-degree murder and first-degree burglary. Burks and Smith are also facing additional counts of first-degree robbery and armed criminal action. Court documents claim Thompson and Smith

The Columbia Housing Authority (CHA) may soon ban residents from smoking inside their homes, and the possibility has some residents fired up. The CHA board was scheduled to vote on the “Smoke-Free Lease Addendum V3” Tuesday night, but the vote was tabled because of an administrative error. So residents in public housing can continue smoking

Tax season is in full swing, but so are the con artists working to steal your money and identity, according to authorities. “All it takes to file a fraudulent tax return is for somebody to have your name and Social Security number,” Mike Harrison of the Better Business Bureau said. Scammers use emails and phone

Tuesday, the Columbia Housing Authority Board will vote on banning smoking inside public housing units. If the board passes the smoke-free policy, the housing authority said it will start enforcing it in all of its 719 rental units on May 1. The federal government has been encouraging the housing authority to make the city’s public

A busy intersection in Columbia is getting a major facelift. Columbia city officials said they are improving the Stadium and Old 63 intersection. City officials unveiled the plan for the intersection at an open house Tuesday night. The project includes extra left turning lanes for drivers northbound to westbound and a right turning lane for

The Salvation Army Shelter in Jefferson City, and the Room at the Inn in Columbia were feeling the surge in residents Tuesday night. In Jefferson City, the shelter was nearly to capacity. The Room at the Inn, in Columbia was full. The temperatures were expected to be near ten degrees. Shelter employees tell ABC 17

Bitterly cold air will settle over Mid-Missouri Wednesday with temperatures starting off in the single digits and only rising into the low to mid teens in the afternoon under partly cloudy skies. Northwesterly winds at 14-18 mph will gust to 25 mph at times making it feel like 0 to -10 Wednesday. Lows Wednesday night

Jefferson City Council is gearing up for a busy meeting Tuesday night. The council is set to vote on an agreement to complete the design and installation of signs in the downtown and surrounding areas. The council will discuss other changes with the signs at the Capital Mall as they’re working on upgrades. The council

Jefferson City Public Schools has named a new principal for the high school, who will replace Jeff Dodson. He resigned back in September, saying he had become a lightning rod for unrest. The district superintendent also announced he’s leaving less than a month later. The district has named Robert James as the new principal of

Three people were charged with distributing meth after leading Jefferson City Police, Cole County Sheriff’s deputies, and Missouri State Highway Patrol troopers on a manhunt in west Jefferson City Friday. ABC 17 reported Friday two people were arrested after they led JCPD on a high speed chase into a rock quarry near Binder Lake Park.

Accidents like Monday’s sledding incident is one reason why some areas are banning sledding. However, officials in Jefferson City said they haven’t had the discussion, yet. McKay Park in Jefferson City is a popular place for people to go sledding on snow days. A Jefferson City mother, whose daughter enjoys sledding at the park, said

The head of a major charity in Columbia is resigning. Timothy Rich, the director at the United Way’s Heart of Missouri chapter, announced he’s leaving after almost 6 years. Rich will officially step down in March and join a technology firm in Texas. The board is working on a plan for naming his replacement.

A Columbia man sentenced to 20 years in federal prison for child porn pleaded guilty to state charges Tuesday. ABC 17 News reported in January Ian Burow was using a fake identity of a woman to lure boys into child pornography. Burow pleaded guilty to three state charges in Boone County and was sentenced to

Columbia’s city website is recovering from yet another cyber attack Tuesday. Officials told ABC 17 News gocolumbiamo.com was attacked between 9:00 and 10:00 Tuesday morning, making it the third attack in 5 days. Officials want to remind you that the online billing system will be down over the weekend for maintenance. Customers won’t be able

Road crews in Columbia continued to clear roads Tuesday morning. Thirty trucks are out focusing on residential streets. As of 7 a.m. many residential streets are still covered with snow. Columbia Public Works officials are warning people about refreezing. ABC 17 News crews out on the roads Tuesday morning saw a lot of refreezing on

Emergency crews responded to a sledding accident in southwest Columbia near the Country Club of Missouri on La Rail Drive off Forum Boulevard. 20-year-old Kathleen Oglesby was sledding down the hill and hit a tree, and she was unable to move after the collision. The woman was being transported to a local hospital for a

The ride-sharing, app-based program Uber is now legally able to operate in Columbia…as long as they follow the rules set by city council Monday night. After months of research and deliberation and close to an hour and a half of discussion at the city council meeting, council members unanimously passed new ordinances for ride-sharing programs

A quick moving wave of low pressure aloft will ride along an arctic cold front moving in early Tuesday morning. This wave will bring a chance of brief light snow mainly to west and southwestern Missouri, clipping parts of Mid-Missouri. The snow will move into the Kansas City area for the morning commute and quickly

Missouri’s “Main Street” is in need of a revamp. Studies have shown that Interstate 70 is becoming too congested. Officials from the Missouri Department of Transportation predict that in the next 15 years, much of the traffic on the corridor will be in stop-and-go condition. While many are in favor of of reconstruction, the debate