News

A Texan who led one of the country’s largest universities has been hired as the University of Missouri’s new chancellor. R. Bowen Loftin, the outgoing president of Texas A&M, succeeds Brady Deaton, who retired in November after overseeing the Columbia campus since 2004. UM System president Tim Wolfe formally announced Loftin’s hiring Thursday. “It has

The cold weather is moving into Columbia, causing Central Missouri Community Action to worry about their utility assistance program that is running out of funding. The Low Income Home and Energy Assistance Program, also called LIHEAP, provides financial help to the elderly, disabled, and poor with their utility bills. Last year the program helped nearly

Missouri Gov. Jay Nixon has activated the State Emergency Operations Center for round-the-clock operation in response to the winter storm bearing down on the state. The storm on Thursday brought sleet, freezing rain and snow to Missouri, creating hazardous driving conditions in the southern part of the state. Temperatures were 40 degrees colder than Wednesday,

SCHOOLS DISMISSING EARLY Newburg R-II: Dismissing at 12:45 p.m. Rolla Public Schools: Dismissing at 1 p.m.

Fulton police arrested a Columbia man Wednesday for having drugs in his car. An officer tried to stop a driver for speeding on Tennyson Road. The driver didn’t stop, leading to a vehicle chase around the city. Police say the car finally stopped on a dead-end street, and the driver tried to run away. Officers

According to the Columbia Fire Department, there have been six dryer fires so far this year; two in the last week. “The leading cause of dryer lint fires is failure to clean,” said Battalion Chief Brad Fraizer with the Columbia Fire Department. Most people know to clean out the filter before or after every load,

The Missouri Women’s Basketball team cruised to an 86-64 win over Oral Roberts on Wednesday. The Tigers hit 17 three-pointers in the win over the Golden Eagles and improved to 8-1 on the year. In a first half full of momentum swings, the Tigers were able to deliver the decisive plays with the game in

The University of Missouri Tigers take the field in the SEC Championship game in just three days. According to local businesses, the Tigers’ winning ways this season have done more than just make people feel good. “It impacts Columbia in a very positive way, winning football much more so than a program that is not

Jefferson City Public Schools updated parents and students about the district’s snow day procedures as winter weather approaches Mid-Missouri. The district alerts parents that school is canceled through an automated calling system and the media. Closings and delays are also available on ABC 17 News and abc17news.com. The district schedules six snow days into its

Lawyers for a convicted mid-Missouri killer are fighting for their client’s life. In 2008 Brian Dorsey pleaded guilty to shooting and killing his cousin and her husband. The murders happened on Christmas Eve 2006 near New Bloomfield. Dorsey was sentenced to death twice, prompting an automatic Missouri Supreme Court appeal. It was denied and Dorsey

Columbia Public Schools notified parents of the district’s school closing protocol, ahead of wintry weather expected by Thursday. The district said schools are only closed after roads throughout the city have been tested. Officials say they will try to make a decision by 6 a.m. If school stays in session on a day when snow

Missouri Department of Transportation crews will shut down Route 179 in Cole County to clear an accident. The agency says an Allied Equipment Sales Company, Inc. tractor trailer hauling a crane crashed on Route 179, south of Route T around 11:45 a.m. MoDOT will close the entire road Wednesday afternoon to clear the accident, however,

The University of Missouri-Columbia will announce its new chancellor Thursday. According to UM System officials, President Tim Wolfe will make the announcement at 11 a.m. Thursday in the Reynolds Alumni Center. The university’s former chancellor, Brady Deaton, retired from the position on Nov. 15.General counsel Steve Owens served as the interim chancellor, pending the selection

A dryer fire forced guests at a Columbia hotel to evacuate late Tuesday. Firefighters responded to fire alarms at the Hilton Garden Inn on Vandiver Drive shortly before midnight. They found smoke in the lobby and traced the fire to a commercial dryer. An automatic sprinkler head put out the fire. No one was hurt,

Police are investigating a reported robbery that resulted in the victim being stabbed in the thigh. Columbia police say around 4 p.m. Tuesday, they responded to a car accident near Providence Road and Mick Deaver Drive. While working the accident scene, police learned that one of the drivers had been a stab wound to his

The Cole County Commission is dedicating $15,000 to study how county bridges can be maintained at the safest and most cost-effective way possible. Commissioners say they want to make sure the bridges are not only safe and strong for these upcoming winter months, but also for the long-term. That five-year plan will include nearly 100

Police arrested a Columbia man after he was caught masturbating in a store. Officers say a shopper at Hobby Lobby found 58-year-old William Carver exposing himself in one of the aisles. While the witness went to tell an employee, Carver fled the store. Officers later caught up to Carver and compiled a line-up for the

A Jefferson City man was arrested on charges of sexual solicitation of a teenage girl. Mark Ruediger, 49, had been communicating with what he thought was a 13-year-old girl in Indiana since May. He was actually talking to an undercover Indiana police detective. Ruediger is a long-distance truck driver who reportedly tried to get the

MFA Oil Company announced Tuesday it will purchase the site of the failed Mamtek plant in Moberly. MFA says it has a contract to purchase the 33-acre site, where Mamtek was supposed to build a new sweetener plant. “This property provides MFA Oil with some strategic opportunities,” said MFA chief operating officer in a statement.

A Columbia man was arrested Monday night after he allegedly threatened to kill another man over a cigarette. Police say the incident happened at Broadway and Seventh Street, on a bench outside of Sycamore Restaurant. Chasmen Foster, 24, asked the victim for a cigarette, according to officers. When the victim responded he did not have