News

A celebration of life service for Eliot Battle was held in downtown Columbia Saturday. Battle’s family, friends and many former students gathered at 11 a.m. in the sanctuary of Missouri United Methodist Church on Ninth Street. He helped integrate students during his 40-year tenure with the district. Dr. Battle leaves behind a legacy that touched

22-year-old Jernail Hickmon was arrested on Friday for allegedly knocking a woman unconscious at a Jefferson City gas station. A car tried to pull into the Break Time on Clark Avenue Thursday night, but a crowd blocking the lot refused to move. After a long pause, pedestrians stepped aside, and the suspect went to a

A group of concerned citizens are taking to the streets of downtown Columbia tonight to do what they can to reduce crime. They hope their efforts will show how a community can prevent violence. The group met at 10th and Broadway where a witness’s video showed someone firing shots into a large crowd. The goal

A Rolla woman is in jail, accused of stabbing her boyfriend this week. Phelps County deputies responded to a call of a disturbance with a knife in the 900 block of Lanning Lane Wednesday. They found a 49-year-old man with stab wounds. The man claimed his girlfriend, 48-year-old Patsy Beal, had attacked him. Beal remained

A man wanted in Callaway County and the state of Illinois was arrested in Columbia Thursday night. Officers located Jamaal Radcliffe in Douglass Park around 10 p.m. in a car with expired tags. Radcliffe has an active felony warrant out of Illinois for a robbery charge and a misdemeanor warrant from Callaway County for speeding.

Funeral services have been announced for Macala Shelton, the Iberia teenager murdered over the weekend. Visitation will be Tuesday, July 2 from 9 to 11 a.m. at the Fancher-Rekus Funeral Home in Iberia. Services will follow immediately at 11 a.m. with interment in Hawkins Cemetery near Iberia. The City of Iberia has set up a

Governor Jay Nixon said Friday he is restricting $400 million from the state’s budget, three days before it goes into effect. The $25 billion budget is for the fiscal year which starts July 1. The restrictions include more than $100 million from education, state workers won’t be getting pay raises, and lay offs to 1,000

Jefferson City officials closed America’s Best Value Inn on Jefferson Street and a local business structure on Industrial Drive for multiple violations. At America’s Best Value Inn, inspectors found life and safety violations, including a non-functioning alarm system, along with compromised fire walls and electrical violations. Inspectors also found hotels room that were being used

A Friday morning accident prompted emergency crews to shut down both lanes of I-70 near the Highway 63 connector. The interstate was closed for about 15 minutes. According to the Columbia Police Department, traffic ahead of the tractor-trailer stopped abruptly, causing the driver to veer off the side of the road to avoid hitting cars.

Less than 24 hours after the NBA Draft, former Missouri Tiger point guard Phil Pressey has found a new home. Yahoo’s Adrian Wojnarowski is reporting Pressey signed a free agent contract with the Boston Celtics. Phil Pressey averaged 11.9 points and 7.1 assists per game as a Junior with Missouri last season. He decided to

Crowded sidewalks and long waits for a taxi are common scenes in downtown Columbia, especially on weekends. The city wants feedback on whether bar and restaurant owners think a soft bar closing could solve those problems. It would give bars the option to stay open an extra hour. Last call is at 1 a.m. and

On Wednesday night Alex Oriahki posted a video singing along to the Destiny’s Child song “Say My Name”. On Thursday night, in the second round of the NBA Draft with the 57th pick, the Phoenix Suns said his name. “I’m tremendously happy for Alex, we had 3 guys drafted in two years.” Missouri head coach

As ABC 17 News reported Wednesday, Columbia Police Chief Ken Burton pitched a new city curfew as an answer to reduce crime. Now, we’re looking at how curfews affect crime in other cities. Wednesday, city officials held a press conference at City Hall to talk proposals to help solve crime. One of those ideas has

The mother of the man accused of being the gunman in the downtown Columbia shooting tells ABC 17 News her son did not do it. Eric Cravens, 20, made his first appearance in a Boone County courtroom Thursday after prosecutors charged him with three counts of first-degree assault and armed criminal action. Teresa Smith said

Columbia police arrested a man Wednesday for numerous charges, including burglary and assaulting police officers. Officers responded to the 4800 block of Clark Lane just before 5 a.m. Wednesday to arrest 25-year-old Zachary P. Connor, a wanted person. On June 14, officers say Connor assaulted a female victim by forcing his way into her home

The Columbia School Board approved the district’s budget for the 2013-2014 fiscal year. The $266 million budget includes a planned excess in spending over revenues by nearly $3 million. Columbia Public Schools spokeswoman Michelle Baumstark says the deficit spending is intentional because of the Battle High School opening.

The Jefferson City Police Department cracks down on heroin usage once again, in the arrests of three alleged heroin distributors. This crack down is in conjunction with The Heroin Overdose Prevention And Education campaign that began last January. Steven Dennis, Tatum Carter, and Gregory Wright were arrested Sunday for distribution on the drug. The three

Police arrested three Chicago men for heroin distribution in the Capital City. 33-year-old Steven L. Dennis, 32-year-old Tatum Cater, and 23-year-old Gregory White were arrested earlier this week. Police say Dennis has been identified as a “relatively high level” heroin distributor and is also a suspect in recent cases of heroin overdoses. Dennis has been

The State Fire Marshal is investigating after Lawrence Flax, 41, was found dead inside a Macon apartment during a fire. According to the Macon Police Department, fire crews were called to a structure fire in the 100 block of N. Rollins Street just before 7 a.m. Wednesday. Firefighters were able to evacuate an apartment in

After a rash of shootings in recent days, Columbia city leaders held a news conference Wednesday afternoon to discuss the crimes and crime prevention strategies. City Manager Mike Matthes, Columbia Police Chief Ken Burton and all City Council members attended the news conference in City Council chambers. Matthes began the meeting highlighting how public safety