News

One Mid-Missouri woman says her 21-year-old son is dead after inhaling a compressed air duster can. Jerrad “J.B.” Bassett died in a hospital just north of St. Louis this past June. His mother, who lives in Howard County, says the autopsy report came back and the cause of death was a chemical found in air

Temperatures are dropping in Mid-Missouri, which for many means utility bills are on the rise. In Columbia, it is not too late to sign up for heating assistance for those who are in need. The application period for the Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program, or LIHEAP, has opened. It is available through March. This year

Governor Nixon held a news conference in Weldon Spring Tuesday afternoon to outline law enforcement and security plans ahead of a grand jury decision in the shooting death of 18-year-old Michael Brown. Brown was allegedly shot on August 9 by Ferguson Police Officer Darren Wilson. Brown’s parents told CNN if there is no indictment in

Black Friday is just around the corner and sales are expected to be increasingly high this year. With many stores opening up with deals on Thanksgiving Day, many are wondering when is the right time to start. “It is chaos. It is people wall-to-wall”, said Judy Blair, owner of Blair’s Landing. For local shop owners

Jefferson City school officials wrapped up a tour of the newly remodeled West Elementary Monday night. The school is the first to receive major security upgrades as the district is trying to revamp every building following several shooting incidents around the country. The new secure buzz-in system will basically allow visitors to step into a

For the time in nearly 40 years, Columbia Public Schools will have a new bus company. The board of education voted Monday night to change from First Student to Student Transportation of America for school buses. The decision was a big one because it is a more than 50 million dollar contract over the next

Monday night Columbia school board members are meeting to vote and discuss some big issues. On the agenda is a vote on a school bus contract worth more than $50 million. There will also be discussion about plans to allow the safety and security director and his assistant to carry guns in schools. For the

The Jefferson City Public Schools long-range planning committee made its official recommendation to the school board Monday night, saying two high schools should be in the city’s future. The board’s recommendation was respectful and agreeable, as they’ve actually known what the recommendation would be since last month when a public meeting was held at Lewis

The owner of the Columbia Party Bus said he is working with the Missouri Attorney General’s office to make sure customers who were treated unfairly are refunded. ABC 17 News reported two weeks ago that multiple people claimed to have paid for a party bus service only to have the bus no show. The story

Construction began Monday on a new elementary school in southwest Columbia. Columbia Public Schools held the groundbreaking for the new school at the corner of Scott and Route KK. The 650 student school will be the city’s 21st elementary school. It will help ease the large number of students at other schools in that part

Detective Tom O’Sullivan at the Boone County Sheriff’s Department said they typically see a spike in crime right before the holiday season starts, so the 7 businesses that have been targets of robberies recently is quite normal for this time of year. “Many times those robberies are committed by the same person and you’ll get

The man behind the failed Mamtek plant in Moberly learned his punishment Monday afternoon. Bruce Cole was sentenced to 7 years in prison, the maximum possible. Cole addressed the court to say he was devastated that he let people down, and said his life will never be the same. Cole claimed he didn’t know he

Lincoln University campus was locked down after someone flashed a gun near one of the dorms Monday afternoon. Campus officials were saddened by the news, as they were hoping to spread a message of peace. “It’s very concerning to us that they are not able to just walk here, within the area, without having to

A man who was convicted in October of multiple charges stemming from shooting his girlfriend was sentenced to life in prison. Alfonso Rodriguez was charged with domestic assault, armed criminal action, and resisting arrest for the May 2013 shooting of his girlfriend, Giesela Angel-Lopez. The shooting happened in the 5600 block of South Route K

A former Morgan County employee was charged with 7 counts of felony stealing after an investigation spanning from January 2013 to October of this year. Tami Davis allegedly stole money from the Morgan County Sheriff’s Office during this time period. The Morgan County Prosecutor has requested a special prosecutor from Laclede County for the case.

Columbia police arrested a man the department believes robbed two stores this weekend. According to a news release from the department, officers arrested Robert L. Buck for robbing both the Dollar General on Vandiver Dr. Sunday night and the BreakTime store on Smiley Lane Saturday night. Around 5 p.m. Sunday, police responded to a robbery

ABC 17s Sherree Burruss talks with Helias senior tight end Hale Hentges about setting new school career records in touch downs, receptions and sacks – all beating his Uncle’s previous records.

Columbia police are investigating after an armed robbery at a gas station in north Columbia Saturday night. Police were called to the Break Time on Smiley Lane off Rangeline just before 10 p.m. Officers said a white man came into the gas station, indicated he had a gun and demanded money from the two clerks.

A Columbia man was arrested Friday night after threatening a woman at gunpoint following a minor car accident. Police arrested Antoine Johnson-Harris for unlawful use of a weapon. Officers said he was involved in a minor traffic accident with a 27-year-old woman near Business Loop 70 East and Rangeline. The woman didn’t stop her car

The peak of flu season starts next month, and the Center for Disease Control is recommending people to get vaccinations as soon as possible. The CDC says it takes about two weeks after getting vaccinated for antibodies to develop and provide protection against the flu. The CDC says it is impossible to predict what this