Gallery

By Sarah Bricker  ¦   Runners race in the Roots 'N' Blues 'N' BBQ 10K Saturday morning in downtown Columbia.

By Sarah Bricker  ¦   Members of CRUSH Hunger gathered Saturday at Columbia Mall to pack dry food that will help those in need. The group welcomes anyone who wants to volunteer at its larger-scale food packaging event on Sept. 30.

By Jaime Henry-White  ¦   Fans in Columbia, S.C., get ready Friday for South Carolina to meet Missouri on Saturday in the Tigers' first away Southeastern Conference football game.

By Connie McCollom, Kayla Kauffman  ¦   Missouri's gubernatorial and senatorial debates took place Friday at the Holiday Inn Executive Center hosted by the Missouri Press Association.

By Zac Boesch  ¦   Before Missouri joined the SEC, Marching Mizzou sent a pep band to one or two away football games each season. Now, Marching Mizzou will travel to every away conference game.

By Stuart Palley  ¦   Members of Body Combat Chicks, a women's running group, run early Tuesday morning. The women schedule their runs early to accommodate their busy schedules.

By Jaime Henry-White  ¦   Students and marching band members gather in places at the University of South Carolina on Thursday. South Carolina will host the Missouri Tigers on Saturday in the Tigers' first away game as a member of the SEC.

By Missourian staff  ¦   Crops and plants are seeing some improvement after recent rains in Missouri, but most of Boone County still remains in severe drought.

By Benjamin Hoste  ¦   Second-graders from Russell Boulevard and Lee Expressive Arts elementary schools took a field trip Thursday to the Columbia Audubon Nature Sanctuary. The students watched demonstrations on bird banding.

By Emma Kessinger  ¦   Workers prepare Thursday for the Roots 'N' Blues 'N' BBQ Festival.

By Kile Brewer  ¦   The newly formed soccer team at Stephens College will play its first game on Saturday against Missouri Baptist College. The team practiced Thursday morning at Stephens Lake Park.

Students gawked as an inferno raged in MU's Speaker's Circle on Wednesday as part of the 12th annual Fire Factor event. The Columbia Fire Department set a mock dorm room ablaze in the circle to show students how quickly a fire can spread and to demonstrate the importance of responding to fire alarms.

By Benjamin Hoste  ¦   The Missouri State Treasurer held an unclaimed property auction Wednesday at the Hilton Garden Inn in Columbia. Currency, coins and jewelry made up the bulk of the items up for auction, and bids ranged from $1 up into the thousands.

Although the Occupy movement has dropped in intensity a year after it started, some people still remain active in the protest in Columbia, including Dave Dollens who crusades for several issues.

By Marysa Greenawalt  ¦   Missouri men's golfer Jace Long, a senior on the team, could be headed to the PGA Tour. Long will begin the first of a four-stage qualifying process to earn his PGA Tour card Wednesday at ArborLinks Golf Course in Nebraska City, Neb.

T.J. Wheeler, a blues and jazz artist in residence at Grant Elementary School, trains students Tuesday for their upcoming Roots 'N' Blues 'N' BBQ performance.

The Doggy Drill team performed Tuesday at the Doggy Drill Team and Reading to Rover Celebration at the Columbia Public Library. This event was celebrating the 10th anniversary of Reading to Rover.

Rock Bridge High School students play Humans vs. Zombies on Thursday at Cosmo-Bethel Park.

Rain at the shooting range at Finger Lakes State Park on Monday evening did not deter shooters.

By Kile Brewer  ¦   Helena Shih, who has been baking since she was a teenager, is the owner of the new UKneadSweets bakery. Shih plans to feature unique items such as Asian sweet breads and French style treats, as well as traditional baked goods in her bakery.