News

On Saturday, a persistent belt of warm, southerly flow brought ample amounts of moisture to the Mid-Missouri region. As a surface low pressure system centered over the panhandle of Texas pushes northeastward into Missouri Saturday night and interacts with this moisture, a widespread rainfall event is expected to ensue. Showers will start out light as

Emergency crews responded to a two-car crash in south Columbia Saturday. It happened on Buttonwood Drive and Nifong Boulevard just before 6:00 p.m. Both lanes of eastbound Nifong were temporarily blocked off. Officers were diverting traffic onto Buttonwood Drive. Crews reopened all lanes and cleared the scene around 6:30. One person was taken to the

Four teens are recovering after a crash on Route B Friday. The crash happened just before 9 p.m. in 11900 block of Route B. Traffic was backed up and both lanes were temporarily shut down. Four teens were taken to University Hospital, according to the Missouri State Highway Patrol. Three of the teens had serious

One person is dead after a car crash in Benton County Saturday. It happened around 10:20 a.m. on Missouri 83 and U.S. 65. Lance Grant, 31, drove off the ride side of the road on a curve, according to the Missouri State Highway Patrol. The car hit an embankment and flipped, throwing Kendra Grant, 28,

A sergeant with the Columbia Police Department confirmed a man stole a small amount of money from a woman after they agreed to meet to buy and sell video games. Police say the suspect arrived in a van with an acquaintance to the meetup spot. The victim and another passenger arrived in a car. When

Right now authorities in Eldon have one suspect in custody and are searching for a second man after a car chase that started in Lake Ozark. The Lake Ozark Police Department tells ABC 17 News officers tried making a traffic stop on a car when the driver took off. The pursuit led authorities to Eldon,

The Columbia Police Department went through federal training and expanded its unit for community policing, according to a staff update given Friday. The Mayor’s Task Force on Community Violence met as part of a series of updates to its 2014 recommendations. The group was formed in 2013 to find ways to reduce violent crime, and

More than 3000 people were killed as a result of texting and driving in 2013, and hundreds of thousands injured. While it is illegal for people under the age of 21 to text and drive in Missouri, State Senator David Pearce has introduced a measure that would ban testing and driving for every driver. As

Authorities in at least five Missouri cities have now gotten reports of suspicious phone purchases at Wal-Mart stores. ABC 17 News reached out to law enforcement in Ava, Missouri and has confirmed through a news release that last Saturday a man purchased a large amount of cell phones from a Walmart there. Police said they

The Macon County Sheriff’s Office released new details from its investigation into reports of several phones being bought at Walmart. The department says after further investigation it believes the purchases were made by a cell phone trafficking ring. Officials do not believe the phones were bought to be used in criminal activity. The sheriff’s office

ABC 17 News has confirmed parts of the city of Fulton lost power on Friday, after a squirrel reportedly tripped a breaker on a local transformer. Officials told ABC 17 News about 3,000 customers were affected, but electricity was restored later that same afternoon. Crews re-routed the electricity until the issue was fixed.

The UM System Board of Curators approved a 5-year contract worth $2.35 million annually for Mizzou football coach Barry Odom on Friday. Odom’s base salary is $450,000. There is an additional guaranteed non-salary compensation amount of $1,900,000. The last figure covers guarantees of $475,000 each in four different categories related to operating the football program:

With two mass shootings fresh in the minds of many around the country, sheriffs from Florida to Ohio have called on people to buy guns for protection. Two mid-Missouri departments are also encouraging people to arm themselves. They said it goes to show everyone, everywhere needs to be ready for any situation. Those phone sales

On Friday police identified a woman they arrested after a chase in Jefferson City. Police said they arrested 40-year-old Katina Daniels after the chase Thursday night. Country Club Drive on the west side of Jefferson City was temporarily closed after the high speed chase Thursday night. Jefferson City police said officers saw Daniels driving without

Columbia police are investigating a road rage incident that ended with shots fired. Police say it happened just before 10 p.m. on the connector. Two drivers were headed northbound on Highway 63 and reportedly started yelling at each other. A man driving a white sedan then shot at the victim. The victim’s truck appeared to

Warm above average temperatures are expected through the weekend as southerly winds continue ahead of our next low pressure system. A cold front will approach Saturday night, and sweep through Mid-Missouri on Sunday, bringing a good dose of rain and changing temperatures. Saturday will be the warmest of the next 7 days, with temperatures reaching

The U.S. Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals set a date for a Columbia man’s argument against the death penalty. A three-judge panel will hear arguments for Ernest Lee Johnson’s case on January 13 at the Thomas Eagleton Courthouse in St. Louis. A Boone County jury convicted Johnson twenty years ago for killing three convenience store

State lawmakers will soon discuss House Bill 1647, which would reform Missouri’s execution process. State Rep. Mike Kelley, R-Lamar, said the bill would require the state Supreme Court to perform a review on all pending death row cases within 30 days of it passing. The bill would also require the court to schedule an execution

A man is facing several drug-related charges Friday morning after he was arrested Wednesday. Deputies with the Callaway County Sheriff’s deputies and the MUSTANG drug task force arrested 52-year-old Billy Owen of Auxvasse Wednesday at 4:04 p.m. They were serving a search warrant in the 200 block of Peach Tree Drive. Officials tell us they

Voters approved a new sales tax for the Business Loop 70 Community Improvement District Thursday night by one vote. Seven of the fifteen registered voters returned their ballots, approving the half-cent sales tax at some stores 4-3. CID Executive Director Carrie Gartner said the tax will take effect April 1. Gartner said six ballots were