Missouri Archives

TUESDAY UPDATES: Cole County reports three COVID-19 related deaths; two new cases

February 23, 2021 9:25 AM ABC 17 News Team

Check back for updates on the COVID-19 pandemic.

Hy-Vee in Columbia set to begin coronavirus vaccinations Tuesday.

Hy-Vee coronavirus vaccinations get started

February 23, 2021 5:11 AM Zach Boetto

Each Hy-Vee location in Columbia and Jefferson City has open reservations throughout the week and on Saturday.

2 formerly rejected medical marijuana applications approved

February 23, 2021 3:04 PM Associated Press

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) — Two applications to grow medical marijuana will receive licenses after the state initially rejected them. The state Administrative Hearing Commission on Tuesday approved cultivation licenses for Heye Kirksville and Heya Excello. The decision comes after the state denied hundreds of medical marijuana business applications, many of which prompted challenges to

Missouri House opposes eminent domain for wind-energy line

February 23, 2021 3:02 PM Associated Press

COLUMBIA, Mo. (AP) — Missouri’s Republican-led state House is trying to ban the use of eminent domain for a large wind-energy power line. Lawmakers in a voice vote Tuesday advanced a bill to prevent the use of property owners’ land for the Grain Belt Express power line without their permission. The high-voltage power line would

UK COVID-19 variant found in various locations across Missouri

February 23, 2021 11:27 AM Zola Crowder

As COVID-19 cases in Missouri have been steadily declined, officials are concerned the UK variant is more widespread in Missouri than previously detected.

MONDAY UPDATES: Missouri DHSS adds 175 COVID-19 related deaths to state dashboard

February 22, 2021 11:02 AM ABC 17 News Team

Check back for updates related to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Missouri Capitol evacuated as a precaution

February 22, 2021 7:48 PM ABC 17 News Team

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (KMIZ) The Missouri Capitol was evacuated as a precaution just before 7 p.m. Monday. At least four House committee hearings were in progress at the time. Division Chief Jason Turner said a malfunctioning detector went off in the Capitol. There was no fire or no smoke.

Missouri House tries again with voter photo ID law

February 22, 2021 8:01 PM Associated Press

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) — The Republican-led Missouri House is advancing another version of a Missouri voter photo identification law that was gutted by the state Supreme Court. Judges last year permanently blocked a central provision of the 2016 voter identification law that required voters without a photo ID to make a sworn statement in

Gov. Parson honors supermarket employees

February 22, 2021 7:24 PM ABC 17 News Team

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (KMIZ) Grocery store workers across Missouri were honored today for their efforts during the pandemic. Governor Mike Parson met with employees at the Hy-Vee in Jefferson City to announce supermarket employee day in Missouri. There are around 100,000 grocery store workers across the shoe-me state. Supermarkets in Missouri also make up a

Missouri judge says public defender waitlist unfair

February 22, 2021 7:02 PM Associated Press

COLUMBIA, Mo. (AP) — A Missouri judge says the wait time for some poor defendants to get legal help is unconstitutional. Circuit Judge Will Hickle in an order said a group of poor defendants likely will succeed in a class-action lawsuit against the state. The defendants’ attorneys say some waited in jail for months before

DEFENDERS: Price gouging makes top 10 consumer complaints for the first time

February 22, 2021 4:54 PM Deborah Kendrick

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (KMIZ) Illegal telemarketing calls and no-call violations was the number one complaint the Missouri Attorney General’s Office received in 2020. In 2020, 34,527 Missourians reported a no-call complaint to the office. Those complaints involved phone calls to Missouri residents by businesses or organizations soliciting the purchase of goods or services. Here are

Wastewater testing finds UK variant ‘widespread’ in Missouri

February 22, 2021 1:37 PM Associated Press

The number of new Missouri cases of the coronavirus continues to decline, but state officials say wastewater samples indicate the fast-spreading U.K. variant is “widespread” across the state.

Missouri medical marijuana lawyers worry about discipline

February 22, 2021 3:23 PM Associated Press

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) — Attorneys who represent medical marijuana clients say they are concerned about possible discipline under a directive issued by the state Supreme Court in June. The directive says attorneys cannot participate in, or advise clients on participating in, anything that is illegal under federal law, even if they are legal under

Missouri teen ID’ed as body in 40-year-old Arizona cold case

February 22, 2021 3:10 PM Associated Press

FLAGSTAFF, Ariz. (AP) — Nearly 40 years after a body of a girl was found on Valentine’s Day off a northern Arizona highway, she has been confirmed by police to be a teenage runaway from St. Louis. Coconino County Sheriff Jim Driscoll announced Monday that DNA confirms the victim is 17-year-old Carolyn Eaton. The decades-old

Private bill seeks freedom for man living in Missouri church

February 22, 2021 3:05 PM Associated Press

O’FALLON, Mo. (AP) — Democratic U.S. Rep. Cori Bush has introduced legislation to grant permanent residency to a Honduran immigrant who has spent more than three years inside a Missouri church to avoid deportation. The freshman congressman from St. Louis announced details on Monday of a private bill that would allow Alex Garcia to emerge

Extreme cold weather leads to early pothole repairs

February 22, 2021 11:15 AM Zola Crowder

A MoDOT news release said about 300 pothole patching crews were out Monday working to fix roads statewide.

State continues coronavirus vaccine clinics across Mid-Mo

February 22, 2021 5:27 AM Zach Boetto

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) The Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services along with the Missouri National Guard and SEMA is moving forward with coronavirus vaccination clinics Monday. This comes as both the state and much of the nation faced distribution delays brought about by severe winter weather. Vaccination clinics are taking place in both Versailles

Local fire officials talk about ice safety as temperatures warm up

February 20, 2021 7:14 PM Victoria Bragg

COLUMBIA, MO (KMIZ) Fire officials warn about icy road conditions remaining in some areas, damaged pipes and safety icy ponds and rivers. Brad Fraizer, the Assistant Fire Chief for the Columbia Fire Department says drivers need to remain cautious on roads, especially bridges as some areas still have not thawed out completely. “Even though we’re