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By Colleen Maag  ¦   In the past decade, MU has targeted out-of-state students to boost enrollment growth and revenue. However, recent forecasts predict a decline in the number of high school graduates in some states targeted by MU. The map below includes the states with more than 100 undergraduate students enrolled at MU in fall 2012 and the chart shows the projected percent change in the number of high school graduates in those states over the next decade.

By Colleen Maag  ¦   While state support decreases, the percentage of MU's budget that is funded by tuition (a product of enrollment growth) has increased.

By Malory Ensor  ¦   The number of HIV-related deaths has dramatically decreased since 2009, according to data compiled by the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services. In 2009, 216 deaths were reported to have been caused by HIV. Full-year data for 2012 was not yet available; 45 HIV-related deaths in 2012 through the first half of the year were reported as of Sept. 30.

By Yu Yan  ¦   The majority of people read to learn, gain knowledge or discover information, according to a study by the Pew Research Center. The charts and graphs here show other reading facts from the study.

By Christina Trester  ¦   The location of a proposed five-mile water loop in northeast Columbia is shown.

By Christina Trester  ¦   "Reading wars" have been waged in elementary schools for the past 50 years. Changes in the debate between different styles of literacy instruction are shown.

By Christina Trester  ¦   The principle that gives children a jumping-off point for reading instruction is called the alphabetic principle, which is the concept that letters in words represent sounds. Once this clicks with students, they can start learning to read. Before this point, however, they have to go through a few other phases, which could overlap and don’t necessarily end before the next phase begins.

By Julie Fine  ¦   Electric car models’ battery capacity, driving range and charging time are shown.

By Christina Trester, Rachel Stinebring  ¦   Electric cars use regenerative braking, which captures the energy created by the brakes to recharge the battery.

By Rachel Stinebring  ¦   In 2009, the Columbia City Council approved a capital improvement plan aimed at improving safety through redesigning and rebuilding elements of the airport. The plan would add 1,998 feet to the airport's two runways, extend taxiways, reroute sections of Route H and South Rangeline Road and repave the airfield. The plan will cost the city $65 million. The diagrams show each phase of the plan and where improvements are being made.

By Malory Ensor  ¦   The U.S. post office originated in 1775 during the Revolutionary War, with Benjamin Franklin serving as the first postmaster general. The U.S. Postal Service continues to change, most recently with the Postal Accountability and Enhancement Act. The act requires the U.S. Postal Service to prefund retiree health benefits, putting $5.5 billion into a health fund each year.

By Hany Hawasly  ¦   The enactment of the 2006 Postal Accountability and Enhancement Act, designed to reform the postal laws of the United States, created a shift in the financial health of the U.S. Postal Service. The total number of domestic mail pieces delivered by U.S. Postal Service significantly decreased beginning in 2006. The enactment of the act, increased use of email and greater competition from private delivery services all led to a drop in the total number of domestic mail pieces delivered by the U.S. Postal Service.

By Christina Trester  ¦   A St. Louis-based company is proposing to build a six-story student apartment building. The building would house nearly 400 students across from Mark Twain Residence Hall on Conley Avenue.

By Kearston Winrow  ¦   The Columbia Parks and Recreation Department joined with MU’s Department of Parks, Recreation and Tourism to conduct a study of property owners about the impact of the MKT Nature and Fitness Trail. The graphs here show some of the property owners’ opinions about the trail.

By travis hartman  ¦   The Doris Overton Trust is asking the Columbia City Council to approve a request that High Hill Courts mobile home park be annexed into the city.

By Courtney Lindbeck  ¦   The Southeastern Conference and ESPN announced a launch of the SEC network, a 24/7 cable channel dedicated to all things SEC, beginning in August 2014. The plan was introduced last year, after Missouri and Texas A&M were added to the SEC. The addition of Missouri and Texas A&M expanded the possible audience size for cable networks based on each state’s population. The pie chart below shows the total population of Missouri and Texas compared with the total population of the remaining SEC states: Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, South Carolina and Tennessee.

By Ben Walton  ¦   Rock Bridge junior Laurie Frew and Hickman junior Erika Storvick battle for the ball during the first annual Anna Alioto Memorial Classic on Wednesday at Rock Bridge High School. The Bruins would go on to beat the Kewpies 2-1 in the second overtime.

By Shelly Yang  ¦   According to report released in April by Aging America, a joint AP-APME project, nearly 7 in 10 Americans will need long-term care at some point after they reach age 65. The population of people over 65 and 85 in Missouri is projected to be more than 1.3 million in 2012, a 5 percent increase from 2005.

By The Associated Press  ¦   Orb drew the No. 16 post and was made the early 7-2 favorite for the 139th running of the Kentucky Derby.

By Rachel Stinebring  ¦   Across the U.S., heavy rain and snow events are increasing 2 percent per decade, according to a recent analysis by NOAA and several universities. The chart shows the number of storms that dumped 4 inches or more on Columbia since record-keeping began in the 1890s. Local weather can seem out-of-step with national trends – Columbia experienced the most snow during the 1970s.