Clips
Columbia residents find a community in Paquin Tower
“The longer you stay here, you’ve seen a lot of things happening,” Bishop says. “You’ve seen people that shoot themselves, bring guns in here just shooting themselves in the head. ... You’ve seen it all, so it’s like nothing makes any difference to you anymore.”
Photography by Lauren Richey
Can you spell nectarivorous? This spelling bee-winning 13-year-old can
L-E-E-C-H-C-R-A-F-T.
Fifty students from mid-Missouri competed in the Regional Scripps National Spelling Bee on Tuesday.
G-R-A-D-I-E-N-T.
They spelled word after word, which started with "bagel" and got increasingly difficult as the competition wore on.
A-M-P-H-I-V-O-R-O-U-S.
Photography by Meiying Wu
Experience, data drive calls for change in traffic stop approach
In April 2016, less than one month after buying his new BMW, community activist Mar’kiez Smith was sitting in the backseat of a police car for doing nothing illegal at all.
Graphic by Elena K. Cruz and Gabriela Velasquez
Coronavirus ramps up truck driver shortage
Driver Joe Baker sat at the helm of a 10-wheeled, 80,000-pound truck chugging along under a vast, clear sky. His cargo: recycled glass from a manufacturer outside St. Paul, Minnesota. His destination: Muscatine, Iowa.
Photography by Julia Hansen
'Stand with us' — Columbia rallies in largest local protest since Floyd death
People chanted in voices that rose and fell and rose again. Together, they highlighted the injustices Black people face in society and in front of police officers, as well as the change needed to prevent future harm.
Photography by Elena K. Cruz
Local band blends backgrounds to create cheerful, skillful jazz
When Columbia band Loose Loose takes the stage, the mood brightens. The musicians, the audience, the guest artists — they bob their heads and grin.
Photography by Elena K. Cruz
Workers can be fired for denying the COVID-19 vaccine
The at-will law’s history dates back well before the coronavirus existed. It originated over 200 years ago.
“Really, it’s a holdover back from the Industrial Revolution before labor unions existed and the most powerful lobbyists were businesses,” McNairy said.
Photography by Julia Hansen
Family to restore dad's truck after his death from COVID-19
A 200-year-old house, a farm, silver barns and barrels of hay. This is the home Tom Adams left behind. His pickup truck is still parked in the driveway.
Photography by Julia Hansen
Demand up across the region for live Christmas trees
If a white pine tree fell in Pea Ridge Forest, chances are someone would be around to hear it.
Photography by Julia Hansen
Immigrants learn English, build community, join 'el barrio' through ECC class
When Antonio Ceballos moved from Mexico to Washington four years ago, he joined a community that prides itself on legacy. Neighborhoods, or "barrios," are filled with people who can trace their family lineage through generations of Franklin County citizenship. The title of “local” is given with honor and is only offered with time.
Photography by Julia Hansen
Hotels lament: Too much room at the inn
Decades of experience could not have prepared the hotel industry for what 2020 was to bring. They could not have prepared Alexander, Patel nor the two-thirds of all hotels nationwide that will close in six months without the government's assistance.
Photography by Julia Hansen
Living on the cusp: Daily life in a pandemic
The society I’ve anticipated joining in full force now has revealed itself to be unsupportive. The governmental systems meant to uphold me are struggling. The health care configuration is wavering, a recession has begun, and I’m meant to join this new realm with a youthful determination. I am terrified.
Photography by Elena K. Cruz
Life lessons: Music teacher pursues rhythms of mentorship
It was a normal Monday night. Warden perched in his usual spot, played with his usual band, King Daddy and the Boogie Children, and in the crowd, as usual, was blues mogul Albert King. He’d hang out with the band during its break.
Photography by Hunter Dyke
Family business: Sibling playwrights share Columbia theater calendar
In 1980, 255 people lived in Nerstrand, Minn., according to the United States Census Bureau. Four of those members were part of the Braaten family — which was soon to welcome a new member, the now-Elizabeth Braaten Palmieri.
Photography by Anastasia Pottinger
