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The saying goes that when you want something done you search for the busiest person you can find because he or she will add it to his or her list. This doctor’s wife is one of the busiest retired women in town, and she has a long list of activities, including making her bread.

Gardening can be such a reflection of life. We are all drawn to different aspects, but the beautiful color of flowers en masse causes all of us to stop and admire. This is probably why annuals are such a favorite every spring. Something about those vibrant, tropical colors draws us in after a winter of gray and white.

Columbia Catholics are planning the construction of a school that could open as soon as fall 2008 on 22.6 acres of land within the former Phillips farm, now known as the Bristol Lake Development.

A tri-parish committee, created by Sacred Heart, Our Lady of Lourdes and St. Thomas More Newman Center, recommended last month that the building serve as an interim facility for grades six through eight, and that higher grades be added over three successive years.

ST. LOUIS — Union-backed workers for a St. Louis-based beer wholesaler have gone on strike as the Memorial Day weekend approaches, disrupting deliveries of Anheuser-Busch beers to retailers, taverns and Busch Stadium in the brewer’s hometown.

Lohr Distributing Co. workers — about 25 full-time and about a dozen who work as needed — began their strike Sunday night, having worked without a contract since February, said Dan McCay, president of International Brotherhood of Teamsters Local 600.

Columbia police have taken disciplinary action against an officer who police said provided information that led to an unjustified break-up of a party in the 1000 block of Rogers Street on Feb. 12. But on Tuesday, Police Chief Randy Boehm denied allegations by some of the partygoers that officers used unnecessary force to make arrests, bringing a birthday party to an abrupt and disturbing halt.

Boehm said the disciplinary action stemmed from Columbia police Officer Alan Mitchell’s “improper conduct.” He refused to say whether the action against Mitchell was connected to partygoers’ complaints, citing the disciplinary action as a “personnel issue.”

A panel of government officials and community leaders made little progress Tuesday on a proposed city curfew, but participants did agree that such a law still would not solve the broader problem of juvenile crime.

“We don’t see (a curfew) as a cure-all,” said Columbia police Chief Randy Boehm, who supports the measure. “It would be an additional tool to remove young people from an unfavorable situation.”

Donna Martz is well-acquainted with the work of Hallsville cakemaker Edith Hall. After all, Hall made the cakes for the weddings of three of Martz’s five children. “She does a terrific job in making them,” Martz, of Columbia, said. “I would say she’s an artist in cake decorating.” Hall has made and sold wedding cakes since 1984 and this week receives national recognition for her talents as a cake decorator. One of her cakes is on display through Thursday at Grand Central Station in New York City, as part of a gallery sponsored by Brides magazine. “I feel very honored,” ...

As Aimee Wehmeier adjusts the seat of her wheelchair, it makes a “zzt” when it goes up and a “zzt” when it goes down — like a Lexus owner getting comfortable behind the wheel.

“The accessories keep getting better and better,” she said.

The University of Missouri System is expected to terminate its contract with one of its investment managers Thursday at a meeting of the UM Board of Curators.

DKR Capital Inc., an asset management firm in Stamford, Conn., has managed UM money since 2002 and is one of many investment managers for the system, according to documents prepared for the curators’ meeting at MU.

Athletes from across the state converge on the MU campus tonight to “Feel the Glow,” the theme of this year’s Special Olympics Missouri State Summer Games.

The opening ceremony, on Stankowski Field at 7 p.m., precedes two days of competition and celebration of sports and camaraderie.

Some of the world’s top pistol shooters are gathering in Columbia for the NRA National Action Pistol Championship.

The tournament, also referred to as the Bianchi Cup, begins with opening ceremonies at 8 p.m. and continues through Saturday.

Mid-Missouri Mavericks manager Jim Gentile said he has gambled once in his life.

It was a successful endeavor, one he remembered fondly Monday.

Eight Missouri baseball players were named to the Academic All-Big 12 Team on Tuesday.

Juniors James Boone and Travis Wendte were named to the first team for the second time. Senior Cosme Caballero and sophomores Max Scherzer and Nathan Culp were also named to the first team.

It’s Wednesday night at the local mosque on the corner of Locust and Fifth Street.

Upstairs, in the prayer room, about 40 men of all ages stand next to each other in elbow-rubbing distance — all facing east toward Mecca, the holy city of Islam. They bend over, kneel, then prostrate, a process repeated several times. The women do the same in a separate room. When prayer ends, I shake hands with most of those present — a sign of respect and friendship.

It is a mild Saturday morning in February when we meet at Hasan Askari’s Columbia home to talk about Islam. He is over 6 feet tall, lean, almost like a stick figure, with salt-and-pepper hair and a trim beard. He wears light brown slacks and a black collarless button-down shirt wrapped tight around his neck. The shadows under his eyes betray the few — if any — hours of sleep. He flew in late from Bethesda, Md., where he does research on strokes at the National Institutes of Health. He commutes about twice a month to spend the weekend with his family.

He sketches the world’s religions in my notebook.