News

The state’s Highways and Transportation Commission approved the Missouri Department of Transportation’s statewide construction program this week. The $700 million transportation improvement program lists all projects planned for a five-year period, from 2014 to 2018. The largest project in Mid-Missouri will be a new interchange at Route 50 and Lafayette Street in Jefferson City. MODOT

Jefferson City is planning on adding three new roundabouts to cut back on traffic congestion on US Highway 54 and Stadium Boulevard. This $3 million project is expected to dramatically cut back on congestion that can go on for blocks during the school year. The city is calling this a safety project because of three

Two red panda cubs were recently born at the Kansas City Zoo. Zoo officials said the male cubs were both born on June 26, according to affiliate KMBC. Adult red pandas can grow to about the size of a house cat. The cubs are currently smaller than a can of soup. The babies are staying

Two red panda cubs were born at the Kansas City Zoo recently. Zoo officials said the male cubs were born on June 26. Adult red pandas can grow to about the size of a house cat. These cubs are currently smaller than a can of soup. The babies are staying close to their mom and

Missouri’s only state-funded, two-year technical college is getting a new name. Gov. Jay Nixon signed legislation Thursday that will change the name of Linn State Technical College to the State Technical College of Missouri. The name change for the central Missouri school will take effect July 1, 2014. The college offers certificates and associate degrees

As gang crime spills into the community, frustrated family members of those involved say police aren’t listening. One mother took her concerns to the Columbia’s Citizen’s Police Review Board Wednesday night. Andrea Brookins is the mother of a teenager driving one of the cars involved in a car wreck after a car chase and shooting

The state has reached a deal with a Jefferson City day care after it lost a child twice. Kids Unlimited on Fairgrounds Road was closed last month after two incidents involving a child getting out of a gate. A passerby found the child in the street the first time and called police. State documents showed

A public swimming area at the Lake of the Ozarks reopened after closing for E.coli. On Wednesday, officials at the Department of Natural Resources confirmed the weekly test taken Monday came back with acceptable levels. Authorities closed Grand Glaize Beach for three weeks in a row due to high bacteria. Public Beach No. 1 remained

The man who crashed into a Columbia home last week turned himself into police Tuesday. Arthur Evans, 74, turned himself into authorities at the request of the Traffic Unit officer who worked at the scene. Evans was arrested for driving while intoxicated, a repeat offense, and careless and imprudent driving. The morning of July 2,

The Columbia Fire Department ruled a weekend house fire was arson. Investigators say the Saturday fire in the 800 block of West Boulevard was intentionally set. Columbia’s fire marshal says the arson started with a dispute. Officials say there was apparently an argument between another person and someone inside the home, but investigators have not

Two men were arrested Wednesday morning after a high-speed chase in Mid-Missouri. Around 8:15 a.m., Jefferson City police informed Callaway County Sheriff’s deputies of a stolen pickup truck traveling eastbound on Highway 54. Law enforcement followed the truck on Highway 54 toward Kingdom City until the truck crossed over the median and started to head

A woman who had been missing since tubing on the Gasconade River Monday has been found alive. The Maries County Sheriff’s Office says 34-year-old Penny D. Curtner was found Wednesday. She was able to walk to a campground after being lost in the woods. “I’ll be honest, I was water searching when dispatch contacted me

Local law enforcement has received several complaints of door-to-door salespeople from Columbia residents over the last several weeks. Residents say they are concerned the salespeople have more dangerous motives than just making sales; they believe they are casing homes, or worse, trying to abduct children. Boone County Sheriff’s Detective Tom O’Sullivan says that most of

Firefighters extinguished a small fire at the University of Missouri Power Plant Wednesday morning. Around 7 a.m., the Columbia Fire Department responded to the plant off Fifth Street for a report of a fire. Firefighters found a small fire in the west ash collection silo. Crews shut down airflow to the silo and the fire

Crews repaired a gas line that was ruptured during construction on Stadium Boulevard. Around 11:15 a.m. Wednesday, the Columbia Fire Department was called to the intersection of Stadium and Broadway for a report of broken gas line. According to Columbia Public Works spokesperson Steve Sapp, crews hit a two-inch gas line while doing construction for

Lightning is being blamed for a building fire Wednesday morning near the Lake of the Ozarks. Firefighters were called to a commercial structure fire around 3:37 a.m. at the Porter’s Building Center in Greenview. The business is located at 143 North State Highway 7. It took firefighters about one hour to put out the fire,

The Jefferson City Animal Shelter is now under new leadership. Dr. Corey McCann is now the official animal shelter veterinarian and animal control program director. Under McCann’s advice, the shelter will now be euthanizing sick and dangerous animals through injection instead of a gas chamber. The gas chamber was unpopular with the public, as many

Locating a 911 caller can be the difference between life or death in some situations. But some counties in rural areas can’t afford the technology allowing emergency crews to locate callers on cellphones. “The new 911 systems will allow a cellphone to be picked up, and the location,” Randolph County Sheriff Mark Nichols told ABC

The Osage County Sheriff’s Office has issued a public safety alert after several complaints by residents of people going door-to-door to sell educational materials. Some of the residents claim the salespeople are casing homes in the western and southern parts of Osage County to potentially abduct children. The Sheriff’s Office confirms this is only speculation

Callaway County sheriff’s deputies arrested an Auxvasse man for outstanding warrants that were issued in 2012. They saw Tyron Trower, 40, driving on Highway 54 near Kingdom City and pulled him over. In addition to the warrants – one for resisting arrest (running from police), the other for violating his parole – the deputies arrested