Mayor Brian Treece wanted Columbia City Council members Ian Thomas and Michael Trapp to “evaluate” their ability to serve on the council, according to emails obtained by ABC 17 News. Treece sent a draft statement to at least three council members that they would release to the media after the Cole County Prosecutors Office charged
Continue Reading
UPDATE: The City Council unanimously voted to pass the conversion therapy ban around 9 p.m. Monday. ORIGINAL: A report on dog breed-specific legislation and a vote on a conversion therapy ban are among the items on the agenda for Monday’s Columbia City Council meeting. The Columbia/Boone County Department of Public Health and Human Services is
Continue Reading
A Columbia man was arrested and charged on Friday after he was accused of being a “significant” methamphetamine dealer in the area. In August and September, the Columbia Police Department interviewed multiple people who said Timothy M. Hyde was a significant drug dealer in Columbia. Two concerned citizens told police that Hyde had a storage
Continue Reading
The Special Olympics state summer games are returning to Columbia in 2020. Leaders of Special Olympics Missouri and city of Columbia officials came together at Columbia City Hall on Monday for the announcement. The games have been played since 2015 in Springfield. The games were in Columbia from 2012-2014. Watch the announcement in the player
Continue Reading
UPDATE: Columbia police say the driver of a motorcycle died after a crash on Business Loop 70 on Saturday. Tracy Page, 48, of Moberly was traveling west on Business Loop 70 around 11:40 a.m. when he collided with a Chevrolet Silverado that was attempting to cross the road on Seventh Street. The Silverado was driven
Continue Reading
With more than 10 shootings in the past two months, community members gathered to unite Columbia against violence. Nearly 100 people showed up to both a walk in support of Danielle Marine on Providence Rd. and a block party on Rice Rd. in Columbia on Sunday to stop the violence. “We’ve got to make it
Continue Reading
Columbia firefighters responded to a fire inside a garage on Vandiver Dr. on Sunday. Jerry Jenkins, an assistant fire chief with the Columbia Fire Department, told ABC 17 News around 3:30 p.m. that the fire was put out. Crews were working to get smoke out of the building and check for hotspots, Jenkins said. A
Continue Reading
The Columbia City Council is looking at an agreement to reconstruct and expand a new hangar at the Columbia Regional Airport, according to the council agenda. According to the council memo, “Staff is requesting Council authorize the City Manager to execute a Consultant Agreement with Burns & McDonnell, Inc. to assist the City of Columbia
Continue Reading
A woman whose brother was killed by gun violence 21 years ago is working to put a stop to the recent string of shootings in Columbia. Erica Dickson led an event at Douglas High School Saturday afternoon, focused on starting conversations with children in the community. She said the recent uptick in gun violence in
Continue Reading
Columbia community members are gearing up for a weekend of anti-violence activities. Following a deadly month of violence in Columbia, five ex-convicts said they are hoping to help people avoid lives of crime. The ex-convicts are planning to speak at Douglass High School from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday. The event is called Time
Continue Reading
Columbia Public Schools will bear a greater cost for four police officers to serve as school resource officers under a new proposal. The deal between the city and school district would require CPS to pay 55 percent of the officer’s salaries, amounting to $206,837. The current agreement, which expires on Nov. 1, allowed a 50-50
Continue Reading
A substitute teacher shortage across the nation is affecting Columbia Public Schools. CPS began a contract to supply substitute teachers with a new staffing company July 1. However, every substitute has to reapply with the new company. This means CPS lost the substitute teaching pool it had with the former company, Kelly Services. EduStaff is
Continue Reading
Living in high crime neighborhoods can take a toll on a person’s mental health. MU health officials told us today that a first or second hand experience can result in fear, resentment and even PTSD. Dr. Bruce Harry, an MU Health Care psychiatrist says, “It’s disruptive both to the sense of community but also individual
Continue Reading
A Boone County grand jury indicted a Harrisburg man Friday on four felony counts in connection with a deadly June crash on Rangeline Street. Charles Waddill was indicted on charges of felony driving while intoxicated, involuntary manslaughter, leaving the scene of a crash and felony evidence tampering. Prosecutors originally charged Waddill in July with leaving
Continue ReadingA lieutenant with the Jackson Police Department said Thursday that no reports or statements were filed in the six days following allegations of vandalism and hate speech at a high school football game. The Jackson High School Indians hosted the Battle High School Spartans Friday night, after which, multiple Battle parents told ABC 17 News
Continue Reading
A lawsuit against Columbia Public Schools and members of the Columbia Police Department claim they were negligent in how they questioned a student. The lawsuit said police officers violated the Fourth Amendment of the U.S. Constitution when they spoke to a 16-year-old Rock Bridge High School student about an alleged sexual assault. It also claims
Continue Reading
Prosecutors charged a Columbia man with eight felonies after a shooting Wednesday night in northeast Columbia. The Columbia Police Department arrested Terrell Marquise Lawrence, 21, after reports of shots fired near Rice Road and Boyd Lane. He was charged with unlawful use of a weapon, three counts of armed criminal action, two counts of domestic
Continue Reading
An unlicensed Columbia massage therapist pleaded guilty Wednesday to two misdemeanor charges of sexual misconduct. Karl A. Swope was sentenced to pay a $4,000 fine and register as a sex offender for life. Swope was charged in September 2018 with second-degree sexual abuse after he allegedly touched a woman inappropriately. Police said the victim went
Continue Reading
A data breach Hy-Vee grocery stores reported this summer affected customers at two Columbia locations and in Jefferson City and Osage Beach. The company on Thursday released more information about the breach that it initially reported in mid-August. The release Thursday included a list of affected stores. Malware meant to access card data was used
Continue Reading
Grocery store chain Schnucks will stop selling all tobacco products at all of its locations starting Jan. 1, the company said in a news release Thursday. The company has a store on Forum Boulevard in Columbia. “Tobacco products are certainly a profitable part of our business, but our company’s mission is to nourish people’s lives,”
Continue Reading