News

Officials announced Wednesday that the McDonald’s restaurant located on the Business Loop will close Sunday night so a new restaurant can be built. McDonald’s plans to demolish the current structure then rebuild a new restaurant set to open in the same location by late October. Business representatives say the Business Loop location was chosen by

Columbia Public Schools welcomed more than 200 new employees to the district prior to the 2013-2014 school year. On Wednesday, the new employees took part in a special welcome breakfast and orientation. CPS officials say they received nearly 2,600 applications for teaching and administrative positions. As of Wednesday, 206 employees were hired by the district.

The Missouri Department of Transportation opened the roundabout at Route Z and St. Charles Road in east Columbia Wednesday. The roundabout is the second of three major projects along Route Z completed so far. The final phase will be to resurface Route Z from I-70 to St. Charles Road and to widen shoulders. MoDOT expects

Ameren Missouri opened most of the floodgates at the Bagnell Dam around 11:30 a.m. Wednesday. Affiliate KSPR reported that the continued heavy rain and rain runoff caused the lake to rise to 661 feet above sea level. The gates will remain open until the lake drops to 660 feet. The Miller County 911 Dispatch Center

Heavy rains continued Wednesday morning, causing continued flooding in south-central Missouri. The National Weather Service has issued a Flash Flood Emergency for western Maries, eastern Miller, northwest Phelps and northwest Pulaski counties until 3 p.m. Wednesday. Gauges in streams have shown record flooding, according to affiliate KSPR. The Gasconade River at Jerome reached 31.5 feet.

Gov. Jay Nixon ordered the deployment of 50 military policemen of the Missouri National Guard on Wednesday to assist local authorities with flood response efforts in southern Missouri. “The Citizen-Soldiers of the Missouri National Guard are one of our most valuable assets in helping Missourians during and after natural disasters, and their skill and training

Crime continues to be a topic in Columbia, and Tuesday night, officers and residents used the annual “National Night Out” event to reconnect with the community. The Neighborhood Watch Association set up 13 locations and officers went to each location to talk with residents about crime prevention and awareness. This came just days after about

A dispute between the Cole County Sheriff and the Jefferson City Police Chief over communication technology has at least one claiming public safety may be negatively impacted. ABC 17 News obtained letters between the sheriff and chief and discovered Cole County commissioners are stepping in to moderate for the two agencies. A couple weeks ago,

Rain forced Gary Pinkel and the Missouri Tiger football team indoors for the first time this fall camp, Tuesday morning. Once again, Mizzou was in full pads, and to kick off the practice, Pinkel called linebacker Darvin Ruise into the middle of a team huddle before stretching to tell a joke about practicing in pads

A Cole County man is in the hospital after going over a cliff and falling six stories into the Osage River. The Cole County Sheriff’s Office said the man was on a riding lawnmower when he backed into a retaining wall Tuesday evening. The wall gave way and the man fell 65 feet into the

Ashland residents decided to approve a half-cent sales tax for transportation improvements at the polls Tuesday. The tax money will be used for improving roads and upgrading driving surfaces within the city limits. The sales tax will be added onto all retail sales in the city. According to the Boone County Clerk, residents voted to

At a press conference Monday, Columbia Mayor Bob McDavid proposed a new property tax increase as a way to raise funds to hire additional police officers. Right now, the property tax rate is at a little over 6.6 percent in Columbia. McDavid wants to raise it three percent, with 20 cents of every $100 going

The Columbia Public School District wants federal grant money to improve one local high school’s graduation rates. Two months ago, the district planned to ask for more money for Douglass High School. Three years ago, Douglass was first recognized as a school in need of improvement in the classroom, with a graduation rate lower than

One man is behind bars for allegedly starting a fire in Jefferson City that gutted an abandoned house at 111 Adams Street early Tuesday morning. Interim Fire Chief Jason Turner confirmed the blaze and second alarm for ABC 17 News just after 2 a.m. Smoke could be seen rolling through Olde Town East and the

An elderly woman was seriously injured in a car crash in Jefferson City Tuesday afternoon. Emergency officials say the woman, Judy Veit, 70, of New Bloomfield, crashed her car underneath a 53-foot unattached trailer near Highway 179 and Main Street around 12:40 p.m. The impact of the crash caused the top of the car to

A gas line break in Columbia has forced the evacuation of a Stephens College residence hall. The Columbia Fire Department says a contractor installing fiber optic line hit the gas pipe around 11:25 a.m. Tuesday. Firefighters responded the scene and Ameren crews shut off the gas by 12:45 p.m. The gas leak was fixed promptly,

Officials are blaming lightning for the a fire this morning at a Boonville nursing home. Residents at Lakeview Health Care had to be evacuated early Tuesday after they started smelling smoke. Firefighters say lightning hit the roof of the nursing home, catching attic insulation on fire. 44 residents were evacuated safely and moved to temporary

A young child drowned and dozens of people were out of their homes after flash flooding hit south-central Missouri. Pulaski County Sheriff Ron Long says the child’s body was found early Tuesday near Mitchell Creek on the west side of Waynesville. The child was between 4 and 6 years old. According to affiliate KSPR, the

A Columbia pleaded guilty in court Tuesday to a March 2012 murder. Durantrae Logan, 21, pleaded guilty to second-degree murder and armed criminal action. The judge sentenced Logan to 20 years for each count. The terms will be served concurrently. Logan admitted to his involvement in the murder of Lamont Sargent during a drug deal

A Mid-Missouri woman and her two grandchildren were found Tuesday morning, hours after they had been reported missing. According to the Callaway County Sheriff’s Office, family members reported a 58-year-old woman and her two grandchildren, a 10-year-old male and a 12-year-old female, missing from their Millersburg residence around 1 a.m. Tuesday. The two children are