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The Roots N Blues N BBQ Festival is going smoothly, organizers say. They also say much of this is thanks to the large number of volunteers. More than 100 volunteers are placed throughout the park to keep the crowds under control. Festival leader Richard King said, “There was a lot of planning that went into

Rock Bridge 21 Ray-Pec 31 Helias 17 Hickman 27 Battle 49 Carnahan 28 Centralia50 South Shelby 0 Blair Oaks 48 Southern Boone 0 Moberly 43 Fulton 7 North Callaway 35 Bowling Green 49 Tolton 13 Tipton 20 Salisbury 57 North Shelby 0 Westran 54 Schuyler County 16 California 57 Hallsville 8 Versailles 0 Osage 57

Eric Cravens is a free man after nearly three months in jail on assault and armed criminal action charges. Columbia police accused him of shooting three in downtown Columbia. Prosecutors say they dropped the charges because of a lack of evidence and cooperation from witnesses. ABC 17 talked to Cravens today. He was so happy,

The Roots N Blues N BBQ Festival is now underway, lasting until Sunday. There are several changes this year. The biggest one is location. The festival used to be in downtown Columbia. But this year, the venue is Stephens Lake Park. That means far less parking than in years past. “Essentially there is not a

The 2014 Columbia budget goes into effect in less than two weeks after the council passed it unanimously on Monday. ABC 17 News found funding for social services remains at the same levels as 2009. It’s happening at a time when there’s still a high percentage of Columbia residents living in poverty. Columbia City Manager

Moberly’s widely popular bowling alley that closed in May is being reopened by Moberly natives Rich and Meg Morenz. The name of the building is Memory Lanes and the owners say it’s because so many Moberly natives have lifelong memories at the bowling alley. Debbie Miller of the Moberly Chamber of Commerce said that the

Charges have been dropped on the man arrested for the shooting in downtown Columbia earlier in the summer. Officers originally arrested Eric Cravens, 20, of Columbia, for the June 15 shooting that injured three people at Broadway and 10th Street. Police made the arrest less than two weeks after the incident following a “determined and

A Columbia man with a long criminal record finds himself in trouble again. Boone County prosecutors charged Malcolm Redmon with assault for allegedly attacking a fellow inmate inside the Boone County jail. Investigators tell us the incident centered around a privilege system inside the jail. Redmon faces a trial later this year for tampering with

The crosswalks at Eighth Street and Broadway in Columbia are expected to be fully repaired by Friday which is ahead of schedule. Columbia Public Works tells us the problem area will be done before the weekend. They were originally planned to be finished by October 14th. The crosswalks quickly deteriorated just months after being put

The Columbia Planning and Zoning Commission approved a proposal to build a CVS at Broadway and Providence Road 6-3. But the commissioners proposed four amendments to the project. They want to move the location of the drive-through further south and make two changes to the turns in and out of the site. They also want

Fifth-graders going to school in the woods could soon be a reality for students in the Columbia Public School District. This would be the first in the nation, where a school is in a state park. This nature school would be four classrooms with 100 fifth-graders. “Instead of learning math by itself and language arts

Marijuana could become legal inMissouri if a national group gets its way. The National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws plans to file a bill next year to regulate and tax marijuana. A proposal is being drafted right now and may be introduced for the 2014 General Assembly session. Local coordinator Dan Viets said

A man was taken into custody two days after a storage facility in Mid-Missouri goes up flames. Firefighters spent more than four hours at the scene early Monday in Mexico, Mo. Most of the 18 units off South Olive were damaged. Officials called in the State Fire Marshals office to investigate the possible arson. They

A Mid-Missouri teen is facing possible charges for allegedly threatening his classmates. Michael Markwell, 18, was arrested in Mexico., Mo., Thursday morning. He claims he was joking when he wore a mask on a school bus and made threats against the bus driver and other students. Police confirmed they did not find any evidence, and

The Jefferson City conference center debate had its backers Thursday, but one group came out and trying to change some of the plans. The group know as the Citizens Against Convention Center filed petitions with the city. Group leaders tell ABC 17 News they filed two petitions. One is to lower the lodging tax from

Employees on the Business Loop are going to extra lengths to protect themselves and their businesses after a rash of robberies in central Columbia. “We have lots of cameras and try to leave in pairs and we make sure at least two people are here all the time,” said Amber Pilchner, an employee at Payday

Here is a look at the police department’s reported crimes compared to last year. There is a large dip in the number of reported assaults and larceny. Reported robbery, rape and burglary are all the same or slightly less. Reported vehicle theft and arson are the only two with a slight increase. Even with the

The Roots N Blues N BBQ Festival is starting a day earlier, adding bands to the lineup on Friday. But this year’s biggest change will be parking. The festival is now at Stephens Park, which means traffic will be directed downtown with the use of a shuttle. There will be no spots available at Boone

The Roots N Blues N BBQ Festival is starting a day earlier, adding bands to the lineup on Friday. But this year’s biggest change will be parking. The festival is now at Stephens Park, which means traffic will be directed downtown with the use of a shuttle. There will be no spots available at Boone

A home in Ashland suffered damage after a Thursday morning fire. Southern Boone firefighters were called out just before 7 a.m. to the 200 block of Walnut. They arrived to flames showing in the attic. Investigators say an attic fan caught fire, but caused minimal damage. No one was hurt.