News

  Five colleagues of a former Boone County medical examiner are challenging his findings as a Kirksville man seeks a new trial in a woman's 1997 death.

Former medical examiner Jay Dix, who died in 2002, ruled that Wendy Wagnon died from suffocation. That led to the conviction of Jessie McKim and James Peavler in 1999.

The Missouri House is creating a committee to study itself.

House Speaker Tim Jones says he has formed a new committee to examine the operations of the House of Representatives and recommend potential changes to the way it conducts business.

The panel will have a long name. It’s called the Interim House Committee on Legislative Institutional Infrastructure and Process. It will be led by Rep. Dwight Scharnhorst, a Republican from St. Louis County.

Missouri Gov. Jay Nixon is deciding whether to sign recently passed legislation that would bolster gun rights.

The legislature approved measures that would tackle federal gun laws, allow certain trained school personnel to carry a concealed weapon and change the process for issuing concealed gun permits.

Nixon has until mid-July to sign the bills, veto them or allow them to take effect without his signature.

Missouri's Republican-led Legislature put a priority on cutting taxes this year. But the same lawmakers who passed a $700 million income tax cut also approved numerous little-known fee increases.

One of those measures could increase fees on driver's licenses and vehicle registrations, costing Missourians almost $22 million annually. Another bill would impose fees on mailed-in speeding traffic tickets, affecting an estimated 170,000 cases annually.

The Columbia/Boone County Department of Public Health and Human Services will start a summer food program from Monday, June 10, at Douglass Park in Columbia.

This is the 13th year of providing nutritional summertime lunches in Columbia. Because the program is federally subsidized, the U.S. Department of Agriculture mandates that every meal contain a serving of milk, protein, grains, fruit and vegetables. Meals will be prepared by Columbia Public Schools and served by volunteers. There will be five volunteers serving pre-wrapped food and drink as cafeteria line. 

When Gavin Hooks' parents divorced, his Christian faith faded.

"I felt like God had left me, or I felt like my faith wasn't sufficient to work through this problem," he said. He didn't stop believe in God, but for about a year, he "dropped out" of his faith walk. 

Eventually, he returned. He'd worked through the issues of his parents' volatile split – or so he thought. 

Fast forward 20 years. Hooks' mother died, and he realized something: He still had deep issues that he hadn't dealt with. 

Members of Columbia’s city council gathered at the Activity and Recreation Center Friday to discuss the city’s strategic planning.

The Columbia Planning and Zoning Commission has approved a recommendation to build The Residences at Fifth and Conley, an apartment building able to house up to 354 students. Development Services Manager Pat Zenner says the developers of the new apartment complex are working well with the city and taking an innovative approach to avoid problems.

The Jefferson City Council held a meeting Thursday to discuss the construction of a conference center and hotel. City Administrator Nathan Nickolaus said the city has been considering such a project for 80 years.

Many MU faculty members are upset at how they found about the University’s plan to temporarily close some campus buildings next year for renovations. They're also concerned about the future of the Museum of Art & Archeology and the Museum of Anthropology

Jesse Hall, Swallow Hall and Pickard Hall will all close for about a year. Vice Chancellor for Administrative Services Jackie Jones presented the steps of the project and answered questions at the MU Faculty Council meeting yesterday.  But, department of geography faculty member Mike Urban wasn’t satisfied.