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By ninh pham  ¦   Boonville has decided to renovate the Katy Trail Bridge starting next year. The renovation process would include replacing the missing endspan on the south end of the bridge and removing and replacing railroad ties. Here are two proposed options to transform the bridge.

By travis hartman  ¦   Advertisements during the Super Bowl have become as anticipated as the event itself. Rates for a 30-second ad have grown in tandem with the interest, topping out at almost $4 million this year.

By Elizabeth Scheltens  ¦   Eighty nine Missouri communities participated in a class action lawsuit against Syngenta AG, the maker of weed-killing chemical atrazine. Atrazine has been found to cause serious health problems.

The company agreed to pay $105 million to settle the lawsuit.

The map shows the location of those communities the plaintiffs’ law firm, Korein Tillery, shared with the Missourian.

By Roman Kolgushev  ¦   The January Business Conditions Index for Missouri shows slight growth in economy of the region. This index is a leading economic indicator for a nine-state region, including Missouri. Here is the way the index changed throughout 2011-2012 and in the first month of 2013.

By Veneta Rizvic  ¦   According to a recent study by the Education Department, the nation’s high school graduation rate is the highest since 1976. But in Columbia and Missouri, the rate has been fluctuating for the last five years.

By Jon McClure  ¦   Central Missouri Returned Peace Corps Volunteers distributes small grants to support active volunteers in projects around the world, including HIV/AIDS education, libraries and women’s cooperatives.

By Christina Trester  ¦   The Historic Preservation Commission held a public hearing Thursday evening to get feedback on its alternative plan for addressing traffic congestion in and around the Grasslands neighborhood. Commission members believe that a private alley connecting streets in the neighborhood is a better idea than full-scale streets that would require the demolition of eight homes.

By Colleen Maag  ¦   Recipients of unemployment insurance can avoid unnecessary fees of pre-paid debit cards by choosing to have payments deposited directly into their bank accounts. The chart shows the rate of enrollment for this direct deposit option in Missouri and surrounding states.

By Malory Ensor  ¦   Tuesday’s storm brought much needed rain to Columbia, which has been experiencing a drop in precipitation levels in recent months. Columbia saw 1.53 inches of rainfall, more than double the total precipitation in January 2012.

By Julie Fine  ¦   For the past 10 years, the total enrollment of MU freshmen has steadily increased. As enrollment increases, MU pushes to have enough on-campus housing for freshmen students. This graph shows the percentage of freshmen students living on campus each year. Below is a timeline of the residence hall renovation and remodeling plan.

By Malory Ensor  ¦   Representatives of the Boone Hospital Center met with city planners to discuss development of 13 acres at the corner of Forum and Nifong boulevards. The area is the proposed site of a medical office park.

By Hany Hawasly  ¦   The map shows the proposed location of a Break Time convenience store at Rock Quarry Road and Grindstone Parkway. Neighbors voiced concerns in September about the potential gas station. The city of Columbia recommended the rejection of the proposal while the Planning and Zoning Commission recommended approval. The neighborhood opposition prompted the withdrawal of the request in the fall. The developer is now back with the request to rezone the property.

By Jennifer Bailey  ¦   Crime statistics from 2010 show Columbia’s crime rate to be relatively low compared with three other midsize cities in Missouri. Populations ranged from 91,364 people in Lee’s Summit to 159,488 people in Springfield.

By Christina Trester  ¦   The city of Columbia is calling for bids for construction improvements along Scott Boulevard. This is the second phase of planned reconstruction on the road. The location of the improvements is shown here.

By Rachel Stinebring  ¦   Columbia Public Schools has chosen three possible sites for the construction of the city’s newest elementary school. For the past nine months, members of the district’s Long-range Facilities Planning Committee and the Board of Education have explored land options based on location, acreage, surrounding roads and the owner’s willingness to sell. Members of the committee will tour the three sites Jan. 26.

CORRECTION: Columbia Public Schools is considering a site located at the intersection of Route K and Old Plank Road. An earlier version of the graphic incorrectly identified the location.

By Sarah Hoffman  ¦   Students learn contra dance Tuesday at the International Student Welcome Potluck in Stotler Lounge. The dance was taught by Jim Thaxter.

By Rachel Stinebring  ¦   John and Vicki Ott have worked to preserve historic buildings in downtown Columbia since 2004. Utilizing historic tax-credit funds, the Otts have made renovations to six of downtown’s most historic buildings. These funds spent by the city are matched by private investors to renovate and rejuvinate buildings of historic significance. For every public dollar spent, $4.40 came from private investors.

By Rachel Stinebring  ¦   Mark W. Lee Jr., MU assistant professor of chemistry, and a team of MU medicinal chemists have created a more potent chemotherapy drug. By adding carboranes – clusters of boron, carbon and hydrogen – to the chemical structure of an existing drug, the chemists found the drug was better able to bind to cancerous cells. According to Lee, this tighter bond creates “a more potent mechanism for destroying the cancer cells.”

By Margaret Ng  ¦   Missouri is known as the Cave State because of its large number of caves. The Missouri Speleological Survey lists more than 6,300 recorded caves, a number that continues to grow each year. Caves are home to 900 unique forms of life and one of the last frontiers of exploration for adventure seekers who enjoy the underground.

By Samantha Kubota  ¦   The SEC knows football. But what else is there to the conference Missouri joined? The Missourian took a look at what makes up a college – enrollment, diversity and tuition costs – to see where MU fits into its new conference.