News

This is severe storm season and it’s best to be prepared and know ahead of time what storms could bring. A thunderstorm is considered severe if it contains hail 1 inch in diameter or greater, and/ or wind at 58 mph or greater and/ or a tornado. ABC17 Stormtrack meteorologists show the Storm Prediction Center

ABC 17s Sherree Burruss highlights the Missouri, St. Louis University softball match up Wednesday afternoon.

Columbia police are cracking down on pedestrian violations as part of a new campaign. According to Columbia police, there were about 20 pedestrians hit by vehicles last year and 15 hit by cyclists. And three of those crashes killed pedestrians in the last six months. In January, police said the pedestrian who was killed on

Three University of Missouri professors Wednesday were selected as 2015 Kemper Fellows. Elisa Glick, Hudson Berkley, and Nicole Monnier were given the award for their excellence in teaching. The associate professors come from the MU magazine journalism, women and gender studies, and Russian and German Studies departments. The award includes a $10,000 check, and is

A Cooper Co. railroad crossing is scheduled to close this Friday for rail repairs. Union Pacific Railroad will close Route 41 at the railroad crossing just south of the Lamine River until Monday, April 6. Traffic will be detoured around the area by using I-70 to Route K back to Route 41.

The Missouri Department of Transportation has named its chief financial officer the interim department director. The Highways and Transportation Commission on Wednesday appointed Roberta Broeker to take over when Dave Nichols retires on May 1. Broeker has been the CFO for the past 10 years. The commission plans to name a permanent director in the

Missouri is joining an effort to stop Radio Shack from selling customers’ private data. The national electronics retailer proposed selling the information to help generate assets during bankruptcy. However, Attorney General Kris Koster has now joined 30 other states in objecting the plan. Koster said Radio Shack promised its 117 million customers it would never

A Columbia elementary school Wednesday won a $2,000 technology grant from CenturyLink. Derby Ridge Elementary was one of 13 schools in Missouri to win the grant. The award is given to schools on behalf of teachers who have created specific plans to implement technology in their classrooms. Derby Ridge plans to use the grant to

A major manufacturing announcement was made Tuesday in the Capital City. ABC 17 News has confirmed a St. Louis manufacturer is taking over the old R.R. Donnelly facility in Jefferson City. ABC 17’s Daniel Winn has been working with sources for the last two weeks to confirm the developments. Katy Industries in St. Louis County

A Columbia man was arrested Tuesday after allegedly hitting a woman with a car. 34-year-old Jerol Lee apparently got into an argument with a woman he had a previous relationship with in the 3300 block of Dove Drive. Lee became violently angry at the woman and began damaging her property. Lee damaged the woman’s front

Hundreds of residents are now being forced to move at two mobile parks just south of Columbia. Monday, Whirlwind Properties told residents at Ed’s and Sunset Mobile Home Parks they have six months to get off the property. There are about 90 mobile homes at the two parks, and many homes have two or more

Two people pleaded guilty in federal court Monday to selling thousands of pounds of synthetic marijuana. 27-year-old Sharon Harrington of Bunceton pleaded guilty to mail fraud in Boone Co. between March 2011 and December 2013. Harrington was the manager at Impulse Market, and was responsible for overseeing the production of synthetic drugs falsely labeled as

An iconic Columbia restaurant is changing locations next month. Shakespeare’s Pizza announced Wednesday that it will temporarily relocate its downtown location while the current site is redeveloped. In late May, Shakespeare’s will move into a nearby building on South Eighth Street, which used to house BBC II. Property owners and developers will then begin construction

A Centralia woman has been arrested for allegedly stealing from a local wrestling club. The Centralia Police Department says Maggie Schmidt stole more than $3,000 from the Centralia Wrestling Club while acting as treasurer. The investigation revealed Schmidt had been using funds from the program to make personal purchases and cash withdrawals. Schmidt was arrested

The St. Louis County Prosecutor who gained national attention during the Ferguson protests spoke at the University of Missouri Tuesday night. Administrators locked the doors of Hulston Hall during Prosecutor Robert McCulloch’s speech to the students, faculty and other prosecutors. The event, organized by the student chapter of the Missouri Association of Prosecuting Attorneys, filled

The Columbia Missouri National Education Association, or teachers’ union, met Tuesday night to present a counter proposal to the Columbia school district’s final proposal on teacher contract negotiations. But half the seats at the table were empty, as the district team was absent. The teachers’ union is asking for approximately $6.6 million in pay increases

More than 100,000 pounds sail through the air as Ameren gently lifts a new 22-mega watt transformer into place. Ameren crews replaced a Boonville transformer with one that supplies more power. Currently, the transformer powers Boonville, Pilot Grove and Jamestown. “We’ve gotten enough load growth in the area, enough new customers that we needed to

Freedom of religion or freedom to discriminate? It is a topic swarming the nation right now as Indiana faces backlash for a bill it just passed. The act prohibits laws that substantially burden a person’s religion, but those against this say now businesses can discriminate against gays and lesbians. ABC 17 News looked through Missouri

Firefighters had their hands full Tuesday after several calls across Mid-Missouri. A large portion of a field burned near Richland and Rangeline streets east of Columbia, about one mile south of the Route Z exit off I-70. Officials with the Boone County Fire Department also told ABC 17 News another controlled burn spread Tuesday afternoon

Jefferson City Police held a second news conference to release more details into the apparent suicide of Spence Jackson, the late media director for former Missouri Auditor Tom Schweich, who killed himself last month. Police on Tuesday released a suicide note that was handwritten in ink and dated March 27. Police said it was the