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JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) - A former Jefferson City middle and high school band teacher has been sentenced to 60 days in jail for having sexual contact with a student.

The Jefferson City News-Tribune reports that Christopher Knehans's attorney argued for a 30-day sentence Wednesday. But Judge Dan Green Wednesday ordered the maximum 60 days allowed by the plea agreement, beginning immediately.

The 39-year-old pleaded guilty in September to two counts of sexual contact with a student.

Under the sentence, Knehans will serve serve three years supervised probation after he is released from the jail. He also will be required to register as a sex offender.

The indictment said he inappropriately touched a 17-year-old student in September 2011.

SPRINGFIELD, Mo. (AP) - You may have heard of the phenomenon known as "thundersnow." But have you ever heard of "thundersleet?"

Springfield radio station KTTS reports that's a problem now in southwest Missouri, where the winter storm that's dumping huge amounts of snow in the north is bringing sleet and ice to the south.

In "thundersnow" events, thunderstorms form higher in the atmosphere where temperatures are warmer. That rain turns to snow before reaching the ground, with the above thunderstorm pushing the precipitation down with extra intensity.

Today, that precipitation is becoming sleet across portions of southwest Missouri, and it's causing concerns about collecting on power lines.

So far, only a handful of power outages have been reported.

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) - Missouri Gov. Jay Nixon has declared a state of emergency in response to a winter storm sweeping across the state.

Nixon said Thursday that the State Emergency Operations Center has been activated. The declaration also allows state agencies to coordinate directly with cities and counties to provide emergency services.

The governor issued the declaration from his office in the Capitol, where he was one of only a few people actually in the building. The House and Senate canceled their sessions Thursday, and most of their offices were closed.

A lone tour guide staffed a Capitol reception desk, but no one had braved the snow to visit the Capitol.