Articles

The Homestead Preservation Act has been in the works since Sen. Chuck Gross, R-St. Charles, knocked on the door of an elderly man. Gross was canvassing a neighborhood, attempting to pinpoint the concerns of his constituents.

“Yes, there is something you can do for me,” the man said.

Although a grand opening was held last week, officials have yet to allow public access to the new playground at the Children’s Hospital because of concerns that the park’s rubber matting might contain lead.

“We are just being extra, extra safe and cautious,” said Mary Jenkins, spokeswoman for University Hospitals.

In an evening work session Wednesday, the Columbia City Council discussed tax proposals that will largely decide who will pay for growth for the next decade. Among the funding options the council considered introducing to voters in coming weeks was a five-fold increase in the fees developers pay on new construction.

The council considered several ways to pay for more than $140 million in estimated roads, public safety and parks projects over the next 10 years. There will be several meetings this summer to solicit public comments and finalize plans for a November ballot issue.

As president of MU’s SunTiger VI solar car team, senior Justin Wilson’s life for the past two years has been dedication and sacrifice. Since the last race ended in 2003, he and his fellow team members have been preparing for the North American Solar Challenge, the longest solar race to date.

During 11 days, 32 teams will travel 2,500 miles from Austin, Texas, to Calgary, Alberta, in Canada. As Wilson worked on his computer, he said time was running out. The race begins July 17.

Columbia police have identified two suspects in a shooting in a central Columbia neighborhood Tuesday night, but no arrests have been made.

Police said two men began shooting at each other at 11:40 p.m. Tuesday night at the corner of Trinity Place and Park Avenue, near Douglass Park. Witnesses said one of the shooters was in a car and the other was on foot, Sgt. Don Hawkins said in a news release.

Near Hikkaduwa, Sri Lanka, a dilapidated train lay at its final depot stop. Chandra Weerasinghe, 56, could see that the windows had been broken from the interior, and the dirt surrounding the tracks seemed eerily flat and smooth.

As passengers began to exit the train and go about their days on Dec. 26, they saw a tidal wave in the distance and instinctively ran back into the train for protection.

KANSAS CITY — Joe Torre thinks the Yankees need some of the spirit Kansas City is playing with.

Energized by the arrival of a new manager, the resurgent Royals beat old nemesis Randy Johnson 3-1 on Wednesday night, handing the Yankees their fourth straight loss and prompting Torre to call an angry closed-door team meeting.

DENVER — Mark Grudzie-lanek had four hits and two RBIs, and Matt Morris fought through six shaky innings to remain unbeaten in the St. Louis Cardinals’ 8-6 victory against the Colorado Rockies on Wednesday night.

Some of the Mile High air had been taken out of Coors Field, with just 21 runs scored the previous four games at the hitter-friendly park.

Columbia’s Rod Stevens had just enough time after completing the 10th annual Boone Hospital Center WELLAWARE 5K Run/Walk Monday to catch his breath and get a drink of water before running in the Kids on Track race with his two children, ages 5 and 3.

Stevens’ 3-year-old son ran a quarter of the Kids on Track mile race before being placed on his dad’s shoulders to finish.