PHOTO GALLERY: 45th district is eclectic, diverse

Cameron Taylor, 8, fetches the mail in his socks for his mother Oct. 21 on Elleta Boulevard. Taylor, who was excited about going to the neighborhood park later that day, needed to finish cleaning before he could enjoy the sunny day. “I have to take more responsibilities before I can be allowed to stay home alone,” Taylor said. The better he does at school and helping around the house, the sooner he will be able to stay home alone, Taylor said.   |  Jaime Henry-White

State Rep. Chris Kelly, D-Columbia, waits for filming crews to set up a commercial promoting Proposition B on Oct. 9 at Mel Carnahan Quadrangle. Kelly, who is unopposed in his bid to represent the new 45th House District, thinks a higher tobacco tax will discourage young people from smoking, save on health-care costs and provide much-needed revenue for education. Kelly filmed the commercial at MU to show both his support of the institution and his need for the youth vote.   |  Jaime Henry-White

Dawn Brown, left, and Felicia Jones wait tables at the 63 Diner an hour before the restaurant closed Oct. 20. The diner lies on the outskirts of the 45th District, which includes an eclectic mix of northern and central Columbia neighborhoods and commercial areas. The diner known for its '50s decor and atmosphere serves burgers, fries, shakes and homemade pies reminiscent of the decade.   |  Jaime Henry-White

Artist Frank Stack hangs his artwork on the first day of his show Oct. 20 at the Orr Street Gallery in Columbia’s North Village Arts District. The 45th House District includes a mix of Columbia neighborhoods, including some of the city's most active and outspoken.   |  Jaime Henry-White

Chuck Miler, left, talks with Brian Lease before the start of the Boone County Cattlemen’s annual scholarship fundraising auction Oct. 20 at Kemper Arena. The fundraiser, which also included a dinner of fresh-cut beef, baked potatoes and peach cobbler, is meant to raise seven scholarships of $1,000 for Boone County high school seniors, typically one from each major school. Preference is given to area youth who belong to the organization. This year, the group added an additional scholarship at the state level.   |  Jaime Henry-White

Janet Hannah helps fill bags with pretzels in the back warehouse at the Food Bank for Central and Northeast Missouri on Oct. 22. The food bank is the centralized food collection and distribution facility that provides food and household products to partner agencies serving people in need throughout Missouri. On average, the food bank distributes 28 million pounds of food and household products in a 32-county service area.
  |  Jaime Henry-White

From left, Jimmy Ronaldo, 16, and his brother Claude Ronaldo, 12, play with a soccer ball Oct. 21 in an empty grass lot on Elleta Boulevard. The brothers immigrated with their family from Rwanda two years ago and did not know English before arriving in the U.S.   |  Jaime Henry-White

From left, MU students Darbi Ellis and Lora Sharp enjoy ice cream Oct. 15 outside Sparky’s Homemade Ice Cream. The 45th District in the Missouri House of Representatives includes Columbia’s downtown, home to many local stores and restaurants.   |  Jaime Henry-White