News

A man accused of hitting a car head-on while he was drunk on Halloween night is behind bars. On Friday, ABC 17 News confirmed 25-year-old Louis Simmons was just caught over the weekend at a motel bar near the Midway exit off I-70. Simmons went to the hospital after last month’s crash, but he left

Columbia Police are looking for a man who has been charged in connection with an attempted robbery and shooting in central Columbia in late October. Davontay Hayes, 20, was charged Thursday with first degree robbery, armed criminal action and unlawful use of a weapon. He has a warrant out for his arrest. The prosecuting attorney

ABC 17 News confirmed Thursday night that someone was assaulted at Speaker’s Circle on the MU campus on Thursday. MUPD told ABC 17 took the report at around 2:00 p.m. The victim was not a MU student and suffered a bloodied lip in the incident. MUPD said it is still working to identify a suspect

As high pressure moves east this weekend, winds will shift to the southwest sending mild air into Mid-Missouri. After a cold morning, temperatures will reach the mid 60s Saturday afternoon under sunny skies. Sunday will start with low temperatures in the lower 40s and climb to the low 60s in the afternoon. Clouds will increase

A new report is raising concerns about money management at the Missouri Department of Conservation. The auditor just released the findings Friday. It claims the agency does not follow set policies for reimbursements when state workers are traveling. That includes daily limits on expenses, including meals. Officials also failed to report payments for staff clothing

Columbia Police are investigating a shots heard incident that happened on October 25. A 17-year-old victim told police he was parked in a driveway in the 300 block of west Worley with a friend. The victim said he saw several people standing around in front of the house. The victim was waiting in the car

The Columbia Regional Airport passenger numbers hit a record high. October was a banner month for the airport with 12,017 passengers flying through. The airport opened in 1968 and has never seen passenger levels as high as last month. Last month, 5,974 passengers flew out of COU and 6,043 passengers flew into the airport. A

Protests and unrest continue on the University of Missouri campus following the resignation of UM System President Tim Wolfe and Chancellor R. Bowen Loftin. A group gathered Friday continuing to protest racism and MU’s official response to racism on campus. The turmoil has forced several MU officials out of their jobs and has lead some

Governor Jay Nixon announced the appointment of Yvonne S. Sparks (D), of St. Louis, to serve on the University of Missouri Board of Curators Friday. Under the Missouri Constitution, governance of the University of Missouri System is vested in an independent board of curators, appointed by the Governor with the advice and consent of the

An Ashland man convicted of second degree murder for the brutal 2014 death of a Columbia infant will have to wait until Nov. 30 to learn his fate. A Boone County jury convicted 33-year-old Cody Marshall Baker of second degree murder in September. Baker appeared in court Friday in Columbia, and Judge Jodie Asel rejected

The University of Missouri Board of Curators Thursday announced a new interim President for the UM System. In addition, the board turned over MU Chancellor responsibilities from R. Bowen Loftin to interim Chancellor Hank Foley effective immediately. Mike Middleton is currently deputy chancellor emeritus and professor emeritus at the MU law school. Middleton has had

Cyberbullying is a 21st century problem and it affects millions of students. Tina Meier is one person trying to do something about it. Meier created the Megan Meier Foundation to educate students about cyberbullying. It’s become her life’s work and it was born out of tragedy. “It’s kind of nice to be able to be

Winds will shift to the southwest Friday night, sending milder air into Mid-Missouri for the weekend as high temperatures reach into the lower 60s. Most of the weekend will be dry but clouds will increase Sunday as a storm system approaches from the southwest. Rain will increase from west to east Sunday night as an

Following days of turmoil on the University of Missouri campus, ABC 17 News talked with city officials about how the unrest is affecting Columbia as a whole. Second Ward Councilman Michael Trapp said he met with some of the protesters on campus Friday and said although things have been eventful, he feels this is bringing

Thursday afternoon, Hunter Park, 19, appeared for a video arraignment hearing at the Boone County Courthouse. Jeff Hillbrenner, who is representing Park, asked Judge Kimberly Shaw to set the defendant’s bond to $10,000 along with certain conditions. Park is currently being held in the Boone County Jail without a set bond. He has been charged

Sources confirm Mike Middleton will become the new interim president for the University of Missouri System. The Board of Curators is set to officially make the announcement during a 1:30 p.m. news conference Thursday. Middleton is currently deputy chancellor emeritus and professor emeritus at the MU law school. The board ended a closed executive session

Road work that was scheduled to wrap up Tuesday is now getting pushed back until Friday. Crews in central Columbia said they need more time to work on the area near Providence and I-70. They’re burying cable and electric lines along the Business Loop. Parts of Grand Avenue have been closed for more than a

Other campuses across the U.S. are reacting Thursday following this week’s events and protests at the University of Missouri. Officials at Howard University in Washington D.C. said the school learned about a threatening online post Wednesday night on social media. Local and federal agencies and the field office for the FBI have been briefed about

State officials are considering some new projects at the Mid-Missouri veterans home in Mexico. Missouri’s Public Safety Director and the Executive Director of the Missouri Veterans Commission met with residents and staff. They talked about nearly $3 million in planned renovations at the facility. The projects include replacing the nurse call and fire alarm systems,