Slideshow

By ANN HERMES and Associated Press  ¦   The bells tolled at Memorial Union along with several other locations on and off MU's campus at 11 a.m. on April 20. Gov. Matt Blunt announced a day of mourning for Missouri and the bells were rung in response to a request made by Virginia governor Timothy Kaine. The bells rang 32 times, once for each of the shooting victims.

By Emily Rose Sutton and Adam Wisneski  ¦   Members of the MU community gathered Tuesday night to mourn the deaths of the shootings at Virginia Tech .

Participants lit candles and observed a moment of silence. The event was filled with tears, stories, and prayers.

By ROBIN HOECKER  ¦   On March 9, three vans full of MU students drove to Kearney, Ne. to witness the migration of Sandhill Cranes, the largest concentration of cranes in the world.
Ph.D. students Jen Hamel and Andrew Cox talk about their experiences and what birding means to them.

By ALEX GRIGSBY  ¦   Amy Preckshot says all her kids are grown up. One is a college professor, one an engineer and the other a lawyer , and as she puts it, "They support themselves."
Last summer, at age 93, Preckshot decided to indulge herself. She filled her empty nest with a $12,000 loom.

By EDDIE QUINONES and YUE LI  ¦   University of Missouri system president Elson Floyd narrates Aaron Copland’s “Lincoln Portrait,” part of the University of Missouri School of Music’s The Music of Pulitzer Prize Winning Composers, performed Monday night, March 19, at Jesse Auditorium.

By AROLINE ZILK and REBEKAH HEIL  ¦   Alumni from the University Singers at MU gathered for what they called a "sing-along" in McKee Gymnasium March 17, 2007. School of Music Faculty and students also attended the reunion.

By ALEX GRIGSBY  ¦   P.A.C.E., a kids-only theater company, delves into the racism that plagued the deep South in 1935 through the play "To Kill a Mockingbird." Based on the Pulitzer Prize winning novel by Harper Lee, "To Kill a Mockingbird" illustrates what happens to a black man accused of raping a white woman even though overwhelming evidence shows his innocence.

By Missourian photographers  ¦   Hundreds of people turned out for events around Columbia Saturday to counter the efforts of the National Socialist Movement, which came to Columbia to protest. Hundreds of spectators were on hand for the neo-Nazi group's march, which lasted less than an hour

By Jessica Nunez  ¦   On the final day of screenings, the Missourian tracked down spectators to find out which movies lived up to the festival's name. Here, four True/False attendees sound off on what made certain films true or false.

By Robin Hoecker  ¦   Sally Erickson first knew she wanted to be a minister in high school. Now an ordained minister in the Christian Church Desciples of Christ, she is returning to the church where her father and husband served for a combined 28 years.

By ALISON FONTE and JAMIE KANKI  ¦   Hip-hop artist Ray Pierce, a.k.a. Steddy P, will release his second album, “Last Man Standing,” on March 30. The album title “signifies somebody who doesn’t fall or falter,” he said. “It’s just a phrase to be like, ‘no matter what, I’m going to make it through there, I’m going to be standing at the end of this.’”

Listen to Steddy talk through “That’s Life,” a song he has been performing off of “Last Man Standing.”

By ADAM WISNESKI  ¦   Beth and Ross Fitzgerald opened Ashland's only pet shop in April 2006. The mix of animals draws two types of customers: those on official business and those who'd rather kill time and talk about their pets. Mikaela Adams-Lasater, 11, helps out at the store when she's not in school by showing customers around and helping Beth Fitzgerald clean animal cages.

By Robin Hoecker  ¦   To open the automatic wash, the temperature must be higher than 25 degrees, or customers will be frozen into their cars. At 11 a.m., orange cones still block the washing bays.

By ANN HERMES/Missourian  ¦   Joe Szalka, Bart Entrikin, Harlan Hackettt and Charles Tutt with Harmony Grits Quartet deliver singing Valentines to unsuspecting loved ones in Columbia. The quartet is part of a larger choir of 30 men, The Boonslick Chordbusters. Choir members broke off into quartets to send out these Valentines greetings including a flower, card, and song.

By Alison Fonte and Jesse King  ¦   Curator Jennifer Perlow won't say if she has a favorite piece in this exhibit at the Perlow-Stevens Gallery (“It’s like asking somebody who their favorite kid is”). She says the exhibit “shows well together, but each component stands out independently.”

By ANTHONY CASTELLANO  ¦   On Feb. 8, 2007, Helena Glay finally rejoined her family, which came to America from an Ivory Coast refugee camp in 2003.

But the waiting isn't over: Helena's year-old son is stilling living with her aunt in Liberia.

By ROBIN HOECKER  ¦   Whether it's frozen diesel fuel, broken indicator lights or an unruly heater fan, Forrest Cunningham almost always has a solution. As the independent contractor responsible for maintaining Hallsville's fleet of school buses, Cunningham uses his 22 years of experience working with diesel engines to fix whatever comes his way. His attention to detail and "git-r-done" attitude have earned him success in his business as well as the respect of his coworkers.

By ADAM WISNESKI  ¦   Naomi Allen's seventieth birthday celebration brings together family, friends and neighbors from the Harrisburg community.

By Brandon Kruse  ¦   Decades past its hayday, Bunceton is a small town trying to hang on.

Missourian photographer Brandon Kruse documented a slice of life in Bunceton.

By EMILY GOLDSTEIN and ADAM WISNESKI/Missourain  ¦   Columbia’s record snowfall on Dec. 1 of 15.3 inches affected many families – and their pets. After a few worrisome hours, members of one Columbia family were reunited with their missing dog.