News

Governor Jay Nixon has appointed Columbia lawyer Jeff Harris as a circuit judge for the 13th Judicial Circuit, which covers Boone and Callaway Counties. Harris, who will take the place vacated when Judge Gary Oxenhandler retired, will be sworn in Monday. Harris has been serving as policy director for Governor Nixon since 2009. Before that,

Thursday night and Friday morning the full moon was in true Apogee, the farthest point from earth to the moon at approximately 267,000 miles. Tonight the moon will be full coming out of Apogee, but you’ll still be able to see the micro moon under a mostly clear sky. The next full moon in Apogee

Workers are getting ready to close a different part of Scott Boulevard in south Columbia this weekend and reopen another one ahead of schedule. On Friday they are closing a section between the roundabout at Vawter School Road and Sawgrass Drive. It will stay like that until late summer. Drivers will still be able to

A man has been charged with statutory sodomy in Boone County. Court documents claim Jerry Venneman allegedly sexually abused a minor last year. He’s also accused of blackmailing and bribing the victim. Venneman is due back in court in May.

Jimmy Thomas, the Texas man charged with aggravated stalking was out of jail Thursday. He was being held without bond in the Boone County Jail, but Judge Deborah Daniels lowered his bond Thursday to $25,000, cash or surety. He’s accused of making harassing phone calls to an employee at University Hospital. Gregory McClain, a former

A Texas man wanted for aggravated stalking was being held without bond in the Boone County Jail as of Friday night. ABC 17 News broke the story when Jimmy Thomas was charged in March, accused of making harassing phone calls to a worker at University Hospital in Columbia. Just last week, a former surgeon at

Boone County Joint Communications has begun accepting applications for emergency telecommunicators. According to the Human Resource Director of Boone County, approximately 40 people have been applying to these jobs and are being put thru the hiring process. According to Joint Communications, there is a turnover rate and that’s the reason they need more emergency dispatchers.

One Jefferson City fire station is in dire need of replacement or remodeling. ABC 17 News reported earlier this month, Jefferson City voters will decide on extending the city’s half-cent capital improvement sales tax in August. If the extension passes, $912,500 would go toward fixing Fire Station 2. Station 2 was built more than 45

The Jefferson City Fire Department responded to a fire Thursday night on Plymouth Rock. Someone called 911 just before 9 pm after spotting smoke coming from the home. crews arrived on scene and brought the fire under control in about 45 minutes. The fire department says no one was home at the time, but a

UPDATE:Fikri Muhamed Djulpiqo has now been placed on probation after he was indicted on child porn charges earlier in 2016. He is set to serve five years of supervised probation after pleading guilty. ORIGINAL STORY, 2/16/16: A Jefferson City man is facing grand jury charges after investigators said he shared child porn through Twitter. The

As the legislative session begins to wind down, the Missouri House and Senate approve a $27 billion budget. The budget includes a 2 percent pay raise for state workers, an additional $71 million for K-12 education and $500,000 for a statewide web portal. One of the most debated issues this session has been higher education

Columbia city leaders will participate in a presentation and discussion about the budget at their annual spring retreat Thursday. According to Deputy City Manager Tony St. Romaine, the discussion will involve a high-level overview of Columbia’s approximately $450 million dollar budget. Newly-elected mayor Brian Treece says his top priority for the budget is public safety.

The Regional Economic Development Inc., or REDI, held a ribbon cutting Thursday morning to open its newly remodeled innovation hub. According to REDI, the hub is “a collaborative workspace and business development program for entrepreneurs.” Many local start ups have taken a leap of faith with REDI in the past few years. Sam Bodine is

A Columbia man has been arrested on suspicion of armed robbery following an incident in late March. On March 31, police responded to a robbery call on south Providence. The victim told officers Trevon Green came into the home and robbed the victim at gunpoint. A week prior, Green thought the victim stole his wallet;

The Thompson Center at the University of Missouri is now taking part in the country’s largest autism study to date. It is one of just 21 institutions helping collect data from 50,000 people and their families. Researchers want to study factors involved in the spectrum disorders. So far, 50 genes have been identified as playing

UPDATE: An Auxvasse man has pleaded guilty to two charges in a situation where prosecutors consolidated unrelated cases to get to a quicker resolution. After the consolidation, Sammy Magruder faced charges of domestic assault and receiving stolen propert. Magruder was then sentenced to 294 days in jail for the assault, and 174 days in jail

An approaching upper level system over the course of the next week, could potentially bring Mid-Missouri the first real threat of severe weather this Spring. While we saw some storms track across the region most of this week, the threat remained negligent at best, due to the lack of ingredients and a relatively stable air

Jefferson City’s Liquor and Control Board voted to temporarily suspend the liquor licenses of two businesses Wednesday. Earlier this month, Jefferson City police had minors go into businesses and try to buy alcohol. Employees at Xpress Liquor & Smokes and JC Mart did not ask for identification. “That’s why we have these kinds of compliance

One westbound lane of Interstate 70 has reopened after a crash Thursday morning. Emergency crews had closed the lane after the crash near the Missouri River Bridge in Rocheport. It happened just before 9:00 Thursday morning on the Boone and Cooper County line. MoDOT Central District tweeted a picture of the crash. It appears a

The Columbia School Board met for a special session Thursday morning. The board heard a presentation from CPS’s Director of Custodial Services Department, Mike Jones, reviewing the custodial program. Much of the presentation was about the changes Jones has implemented since August of 2014. But it also highlighted the high turnover rate CPS has experienced