News

Columbia is one of 75 cities nationwide taking part in TEDx, an effort by the nonprofit TED to promote dialogue  in communities. On Saturday, the TEDx City 2.0 event sought to showcase people’s ideas to better city living.

Forty-seven percent of respondents to a recent survey conducted by the Jefferson City School Board favor a plan to build a new high school in the city. The school board purchased a tract of land in the beginning of October to build a replacement campus for the city’s current high school.

Jefferson City voters will need to approve the proposal because it would cause a property tax increase. Joy Sweeney, president of the city’s Board of Education, explains how taxpayers would help fund the new campus.

The story of David O. Dodd is relatively unknown outside of Arkansas, but the teenage spy who chose to hang rather than betray the Confederate cause is seen as a folk hero by many in his home state.

Street signs and an elementary school in Little Rock have long borne Dodd's name.

Now, a state commission has approved an application for another tribute to Dodd and revived an age-old question: Should states look for ways to commemorate historical figures who fought to defend unjust institutions?

Ahead of the holiday season, a Missouri fish farmer and black caviar producer faces challenges distributing and exporting his gourmet product.

The main challenge comes from the neighboring state of Oklahoma where there are no restrictions on wild fish catching. The co-owner of L’Osage Caviar Company, Steve Kahrs, said a state agency in Oklahoma accumulates caviar from all sturgeon fishermen catch and then sells it at a much cheaper price making the industry more difficult for farmers.

Jefferson City Council will hold a public hearing to discuss a proposed noise ordinance Monday.

The proposed noise ordinance limits sound levels in both commercial and industrial zones, as well as in residential areas. The ordinance contains limits that specify maximum noise levels for both day and night. Ralph Bray, Fifth Ward City Council member, said the proposed ordinance will be beneficial because it establishes a way to measure noise levels efficiently.

This week Missouri law enforcement will be paying more attention to careless drivers as part of MoDOT’s Operation Safe Driver Week.

The event aims to raise awareness about safety issues when dealing with aggressive drivers and when driving near large trucks.

The Missouri Department of Higher Education recently received $500,000 grant from the Lumina Foundation to increase the number of Associate’s Degree recipients in the state.

Thanks to a new initiative from five foundations and 12 states, more students might be able to receive a degree through the process of  “reverse transfer.” This happens when a student has enough credits for an Associate’s Degree from a two-year college, but for some reason didn’t finish.

Democratic Governor Jay Nixon and Republican challenger Dave Spence both oppose a ballot measure that would give the governor greater power in picking Missouri's top judges.

A November ballot measure would change the seven-person panel that nominates judicial candidates to the governor. It would increase the number of citizens named to the panel by the governor to four instead of three, with the rest selected by an attorneys' association. It also would increase the number of judicial nominees the panel submits to the governor to four instead of three.

The Columbia Public School district is training students to respond to active shooters on school grounds.

The Lange Middle School Cinema Club created an instructional video that demonstrates the "A.L.i.C.E" active shooter response method. A.L.i.C.E stands for Alert, Lockdown, Inform, Counter, Escape. This new procedure teaches students that in certain situations it may be necessary to counter the intruder.

Missouri's department of higher education has received a $500,000 grant from the Lumina Foundation to increase the number of Missourians who receive an associate degree.