News

Dust from the Sahara Desert is moving into the United States, traveling thousands of miles from Africa and could make it into Missouri by Sunday morning. Saharan dust tracks as far west as the Caribbean Sea, Florida and the Gulf of Mexico multiple times each year. It’s called the Saharan air layer (SAL) and pushes

The Cole County judge overseeing a civil case that involves the use of an messaging app used by the former governor of Missouri issued a protective order Friday in favor of the defendant. In December, a member of the Sunshine Project filed a lawsuit against former Gov. Eric Greitens’ office, alleging the use of the

The National Weather Service has issued an excessive heat warning for Chariton, Cooper, Howard, Pettis, Randolph and Saline counties until 7 p.m. Saturday, and a heat advisory for the rest of mid-Missouri until 10 p.m. ABC 17 Stormtrack meteorologist Kevin Schneider said the humidity will make the outside temperatures feel like almost 110 degrees in

A Centralia man was taken to the hospital early Saturday morning after his motorcycle hit a deer, according to online Missouri State Highway Patrol crash reports. The report said Justin Ludwig, 37, was riding his motorcycle on Route E near County Road 245 around 1:15 a.m. when he struck a deer. The crash caused Ludwig’s

The Columbia Regional Airport (COU) has two big projects in the works: a new terminal and a new security line. In May, the Columbia City Council approved the location for the new terminal. It will be just south of the current terminal, where an airport hangar is now. The multi-million-dollar project will also include relocation

UPDATE 10:54: Columbia Water & Light is fixing the damaged pole. ABC 17 News has reached out to police, fire and water & light for more information. ORIGINAL: Columbia police are investigating after a car crashed into a pole on Willowbrook and Nelwood Drive near Clark Lane in Columbia. Police say two people got into

Three people are in custody Wednesday after a drug bust. The East Central Drug Task Force assisted by the Audrain County Sheriff’s Office and Missouri State Highway Patrol investigated a house in the 8700 block of Missouri Highway 15 with a search warrant. Officials confiscated methamphetamine, marijuana, drug paraphernalia and a Doolittle trailer with a

Scorching heat continues Friday and into the weekend with highs close to 100 degrees. Boone County Fire tweeted Friday morning that with a heat index near or above 110 degrees, it’s important to check on elderly individuals. {“url”:”https://twitter.com/BooneCountyFire/status/1012675197344866305″,”author_name”:”Boone County Fire”,”author_url”:”https://twitter.com/BooneCountyFire”,”html”:”&#lt;blockquote class=”twitter-tweet”&#gt;&#lt;p lang=”en” dir=”ltr”&#gt;Dangerous, and really deadly heat continues to end the work week. Highs close

Chuck Graham lost the use of his legs in a car crash when he was 16. Years later, he uses a wheelchair and likes to get exercise by wheeling to work. “Columbia’s blessed to have a lot of good trails,” he said. “One of them is between Green Meadows and my office, which is about

Many locals said they are still very surprised by the two shootings this week in Jefferson City. “I think it’s kinda crazy and scary for a small town,” said Jefferson City resident Susan Rogers. In 2017, 17 crimes in Cole County involved firearms. In the first five months of 2018, January through May, 15 crimes

A St. Louis judge appointed a special prosecutor on Friday to assist in the case looking into perjury claims against an FBI agent who investigated former Governor Eric Greitens. Gerard Carmody, who is a former assistant circuit attorney for St. Louis, will help police investigate and pursue criminal charges if enough evidence is found, according

The Audrain County Sheriff’s Office has asked the Callaway Sheriff’s Office to investigate a possible assault of an Audrain County inmate by jail staff. According to Callaway County Sheriff Clay Chism, his office was asked to investigate the incident on Sunday, June 25. Richard Henry II, a current inmate at the jail, said he was

*EXCESSIVE HEAT WARNING (CHARITON, COOPER, HOWARD, PETTIS, RANDOLPH, & SALINE) 12 PM THURSDAY UNTIL 7 PM SATURDAY.* *HEAT ADVISORY ISSUED FOR THE REST OF MID-MISSOURI UNITL 10 PM SATURDAY* TONIGHT: Temperatures will only drop into the mid to upper 70s by daybreak Saturday. Skies remain mostly clear with winds out of the south from 5

A Salisbury woman has died after a crash on a highway in Boone County this week. University Hospital in Columbia confirmed to ABC 17 News on Friday that Lindsey N. Levett, 33, of Salisbury, died following the crash on northbound Highway 63 at Old Highway 63. According to the Missouri State Highway Patrol, Levett was

The Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC) is searching for a suspect or suspects after about 60 tires were dumped on public land in Cole County. According to the MDC, Agent Chris Horn got information from a citizen about the tires being dumped at Stringtown Bridge Access, 10 miles southwest of Jefferson City on Highway C.

Gov. Mike Parson signs the state budget today. The budget prioritizes improving infrastructure, increasing workforce development, curbing opioid abuse, funding K-12 education and stabilizing higher education budgets. “We applaud the General Assembly for their efforts to fund critical functions of government, including infrastructure, workforce development and education funding,” Parson said. The budget includes a $99

*EXCESSIVE HEAT WARNING (CHARITON, COOPER, HOWARD, PETTIS, RANDOLPH, & SALINE) 12 PM THURSDAY UNTIL 7 PM SATURDAY.* *HEAT ADVISORY ISSUED FOR THE REST OF MID-MISSOURI UNITL 10 PM SATURDAY* TODAY: With abundant sunshine, temperatures will heat up quickly into the upper 90s this afternoon. The humidity will make it feel like 105 to 112, with

Missouri Representative Cheri Reisch (R-Hallsville) is being sued for blocking a constituent on Twitter. Attorney Andy Hirth sued Reisch on behalf of Mike Campbell, a local attorney. According to the lawsuit, Campbell re-tweeted Representative Kip Kendrick’s (D-Columbia) tweet criticizing Reisch for pointing out her Democratic opponent in the November election had put her hands behind

On Friday, Gov. Mike Parson is expected to sign the state’s nearly $29 billion budget. The $28.3 billion budget plan includes a nearly $99 million funding increase to K-12 public schools. The plan would meet funding goals for elementary and secondary education as outlined in state law. It also would add another $10 million for

At least one person is in custody after ABC 17 News received tips from viewers about a police investigation that took place in central Columbia on Thursday afternoon. According to police officers, at least one person was taken into custody in the 700 block of Business Loop 70 East around 5:30 p.m for an active