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By Evan Townsend  ¦   As of 2011, Missouri had more than 15 million acres of forest. They are primarily dominated by oaks and other hardwood species. Here are the Top 10 tree species by the percentage of total Missouri forest area they cover.

By Elizabeth Scheltens  ¦   In the next few days, Columbia residents will have the chance to give some of their civic leaders feedback on their performance. The city of Columbia is sending out 2,400 citizen satisfaction surveys to a random sample of households.

The last time the city commissioned the survey in 2011, the results showed residents were most satisfied with Parks and Recreation programs and facilities and least satisfied with the conditions of city streets.

By ninh pham  ¦   Starting next year, 12,810 people from Boone County will be able to buy subsidized health coverage under the Affordable Care Act. More than 525,000 individuals from the entire state will be eligible. The charts below show the percentage of eligible people distributed by age and race in Missouri and Boone County.

By Miranda Zhang  ¦   Columbia received about 3.86 inches of liquid precipitation in February. The National Weather Service Forecast Office ranked February the tenth wettest since 1889. Thanks to the snow storms in February and March, the city also had 18.1 inches more precipitation of snow, ice pellet and hail than last winter. Last March was also listed as the third warmest in Columbia since 1889.

By Hany Hawasly  ¦   Since 1944, The Missouri School of Journalism annualy hosts ‘Photos of the Year International’ competetion, the world’s oldest photojournalism award. The map shows locations of every submitted photo taken by 2013 medalists in thecategories of Newspaper Photographer Of The Year and Freelance/Agency Photographer Of The Year.

By Yu Yan  ¦   The Kansas City Council's transportation committee agreed Thursday on continuing planning for a new, single-terminal Kansas City International Airport. The $1.2 billion project would take at least six years to complete.

By Yu Yan  ¦   In 2011, Missouri saw the number of farmers’ markets in the state grow to more than 200. Studies found that Missouri farmers’ markets experienced an 80 percent increase in economic impact, which is returned directly to the local community.

By Veneta Rizvic  ¦   More than 360 Missouri schools are set to participate in a pilot project for a new sandardized testing system this spring. This includes 11 Columbia schools. The Smarter Balanced tests are to be distributed to grades 3 through 11.

By Shelly Yang  ¦   State Budget Director Linda Luebering announced Tuesday that 2013 fiscal year-to-date net general revenue collections increased 8.3 percent from $5.06 billion last year to $5.48 billion this year. The chart shows a breakdown of the gross collections by tax type.

By Julie Fine  ¦   By a 21-12 vote, the Senate took the first step Tuesday in repealing a tax break for low-income senior citizens and disabled residents who rent homes. The break offers a maximum of $750 and has been offered since 1973. The map below shows how the senator representing each county voted.

By Elizabeth Scheltens  ¦   The 2013 County Health Rankings show that while Boone and Callaway counties are geographically close, a variety of factors contribute to a health disparity between the counties’ populations. In the study, Boone County ranked sixth out of the 114 counties in Missouri, while Callaway County ranked 80th.

By Kearston Winrow  ¦   Boone County is among the top growing Missouri counties in the state. According to the latest information released by the U.S. Census Bureau, Boone County is the third-highest growing county, seeing an increase of 1.6 percent since 2010. The map below shows population growth in the top five growing counties from 2011 to 2012.

By Travis Hartman  ¦   Missouri goalkeeper Shelby Sonnefeldt had surgery to repair her shoulder capsule, which had been stretched out after an initial injury, due to numerous dislocations. The shoulder capsule is a sheath of tendons that holds the
shoulder together. The surgeon removed some excess tissue, then sutured the rest together, much like a tailor would alter cloth.

By Travis Hartman  ¦   Missouri goalkeeper Shelby Sonnefeldt hurt her shoulder years ago while diving for a ball. She landed on her right shoulder and dislocated it, tearing her labrum, a piece of cartlidge that cups the head of the humerus
in the socket. Despite a successful surgery to repair the labrum, Sonnefeldt has had numerous dislocations since the initial injury and consequently stretched her shoulder capsule, a sheath of tendons that surround the shoulder joint and hold it together.

By Roman Kolgushev  ¦   This is where the new 911 facility might be located in Columbia and its possible layout if voters approve Proposition 1, a proposed three-eighths-cent sales tax for 911 and emergency operations, that will be on the April 2 election ballot.

By Miranda Zhang  ¦   Boone County emerged from a drought for the first time in nine months. The U.S. Drought Monitor classified all of Boone County “abnormally dry” while west Missouri stayed on “moderate” to “severe” drought levels in March.

By Veneta Rizvic  ¦   During its first year in the Southeastern Conference, the Missouri men’s basketball team finished 23-10 overall. Missouri will play Colorado State in the 2013 NCAA Tournament on Thursday. Colorado State finished 25-8 overall. Here’s how the teams compare per game.

By Malory Ensor  ¦   Police responded to a call about an armed robbery at Columbia Coin & Stamp Tuesday morning. There is no information available as of Tuesday afternoon that links this latest robbery to two additional robberies that occurred Monday night, said Latisha Stroer, public information officer for the Columbia Police Department.

By Miranda Zhang  ¦   The Consumer Price Index for all American urban consumers rose 0.7 percent in February after being stable for the two previous months, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported on Friday.

The motor fuel index jumped 9 percent in February, contributing to the 5.4 percent increase of the energy index. Among gocery store food group indexes, the fruit and vegetables index rose 1.4 percent. The index for used vehicles increased 0.8 percent. On the flip side, diary and related products and medical care commodities each declined 0.4 percent.

The CPI is a measure of average prices change in products and services purchased by households over time. The statistics are collected monthly from urban areas across the conutry.

By Evan Townsend  ¦   April showers bring May flowers, but they can also turn a yard into a mosquito breeding ground. Standing water is the perfect habitat for mosquito larva. With a little maintenance and yard work, homeowners can significantly reduce the number of mosquitoes around their house. Here is how to take care of some of the most common mosquito larva sites.