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Boone County voters will decide on a use tax in a special election in November. The Boone County Commission unanimously approved the ballot measure at its meeting Thursday. “We want to make sure our businesses here in Boone County are put on a level playing field of those outside of Boone County,” said Commissioner Janet

Columbia’s utilities department officials have proposed rate increases for five utilities, but council members questioned some of them at Wednesday’s public hearing on the FY2018 budget. Voters approved gradual storm water and sewer rates in the past few years and solid waste rates are on the increase because the cost of dumping into a new

The Callaway County inmate who died on Wednesday after a stand-off was a registered sex offender, Callaway County Sheriff Chism confirmed. According to court documents, MacVittie was charged with first degree rape and sodomy back in March of 2000. Seth MacVittie was in the Department of Corrections for possession of contraband inside a correctional facility

A Columbia man who was involved in a shooting at a local gas station was sentenced in federal court Thursday for illegally possessing a firearm. Turbo Lindsey Midgyett, 31, was sentenced to five years in federal prison without parole. Midgyett pleaded guilty on April 3, 2017, to being a felon in possession of a firearm.

TONIGHT: With passing clouds, low temperatures will drop to near 60 by morning with a slight breeze out of the east up to 7 mph. FRIDAY: We will have a nice end to the work week with partly cloudy skies and high temperatures near 80. Winds will stay under 10 mph from the southeast. The

UPDATE, 12:08 a.m.: Just after midnight, the Callaway County Sheriff’s Office confirmed the person involved in the standoff, Seth MacVittie, was found dead. For more information, click here. UPDATE 5:32 p.m.: The Callaway County sheriff confirms that the subject is believed to be escaped jail inmate Seth MacVittie. The homeowners in the area were asked

CrimeStoppers is now offering a cash reward for information leading to an arrest after recent copper thefts at Columbia parks. ABC 17 News has reported on multiple thefts since March from locations including Cosmo Park, Stephens Lake Park, Lake of the Woods Golf Course and LA Nickell Golf Clubhouse. The Columbia/Boone County CrimeStoppers Board of

An hours-long standoff came to an end Wednesday night in Callaway County. The Callaway County Sheriff’s Office confirmed escaped inmate Seth MacVittie was found dead inside a home on Primrose Lane. MacVittie escaped the county jail last Friday. At about 2 p.m. Wednesday, deputies believed they saw MacVittie inside the home. Deputies and Missouri State

TODAY: Thursday will feel very similar to Wednesday with high temperatures right around 80 degrees. We will see more clouds stream in as moisture begins to slowly creep back into Mid-Missouri, though humidity values will still remain on the low side. Winds will remain out of the southeast under 10 mph. TONIGHT: Partly cloudy skies

On Wednesday at 2:31 p.m., the Mid-County Fire Protection District was dispatched to a technical rescue on the island at Ha Ha Tonka State Park. Firefighters got to the scene and found a man that had fallen 75 feet down the side of the island and was injured. Firefighters loaded the man into a stokes

A Missouri man is among the sailors still missing after the U.S. Navy called off a search for survivors of a collision between a destroyer and an oil tanker in the ocean near Singapore. Thirty-one-year-old Charles Nathan Findley and nine other sailors went missing after the accident, which occurred Monday as the USS John S.

Columbia police arrested 32-year-old Kenneth Blanford just before 1 a.m. Thursday after a traffic stop at Lakeview Avenue and Poplar Street. Officers say they smelled marijuana in the car, prompting them to search it. According to the report, officers found a black digital scale and a gram of cocaine in the center console. Police say

UPDATE: A mobile home in Ashland is a complete loss after a fire destroyed it Wednesday night. ABC 17 News is told the home was vacant and fire officials are talking with a person of interest. A shed also caught fire and a separate home was slightly damaged just off Eastside Drive. No one was

A local prosecutor is reviewing the investigation into a deadly officer-involved shooting in Columbia. Boone County prosecutor Dan Knight tells ABC 17 News he forwarded the investigation into Clarence E. Coats Jr.’s death to Callaway County prosecutor Chris Wilson. Sgt. Shawn Griggs with the Highway Patrol’s Division of Drug and Crime Control tells ABC 17

Columbia leaders met with the public Wednesday to talk about traffic-calming ideas on a West Columbia road. Several dozen people showed up to the meeting centered around improvements on Rollins Road near Russell Boulevard Elementary School. The city said it’s thinking about adding speed bumps and other safety measures to slow speeding drivers. The project

The City of Columbia is holding a work session to discuss its proposed FY 2018 budget which city officials say faces some challenges. The city said lower sales tax, rising health care and pension costs and transit costs are some of the challenges they’re dealing with while trying to balance the budget. The city has

The bus system in Columbia continues to lose money, but some City Council members said Wednesday they don’t think cutting three routes with low ridership and raising paratransit fees are necessarily the best option. Councilman Ian Thomas said he was uncomfortable with cutting the pink, light green and dark green loops even with the low

The University of Missouri has released a statement on discrimination less than two weeks after a white nationalist protest on the University of Virginia campus turned deadly. “We are aware that white supremacists groups are recruiting on college campuses across the U.S. If you become aware of any activity that might violate university policies, please

UPDATE 1:15 p.m: Police confirm gunshots were fired in the 1200 block of Grand Avenue around 11:30 a.m. Wednesday. Police said when officers arrived at the area, they found 14 bullet casings. They said after a preliminary investigation, they know a male pedestrian began shooting from an alleyway at a vehicle that was driving down

The owner of 2 Real Fitness is putting on an event in Columbia Saturday to benefit area teens. “Breaking Chains, Making Ways” will be held in the Hickman High School Parking Lot from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 26. Cory Crosby organized the event to bring the community together. There will be business/job