Articles

Experts agree that naps can be beneficial to long-term health and can help alleviate sleep deprivation.

Columbia congregations have been keeping food pantries stocked, but it’s getting harder.

Siddhartha Gautama, otherwise known as the Buddha, or “the awakened one,” was born into royalty but chose to go out into the world to live a life of aestheticism as a monk. He sat under a Bodhi tree at Buddha

When Rock Bridge senior outfielder Sean Zullo was in eighth grade, his parents, Paul and Connie Zullo, were divorced. He said the experience changed his life.

There’s one thing that every bar in the United States has in common. It’s ESPN.

Nick Wilson, a Hickman High School golfer, drives a ball at the 9th hole as his opponent, Rock Bridge High School golfer Mark Kollias, looks on.

When Sycamore's chef and co-owner Mike Odette gets home, he opts change of pace. He treats himself to a home-cooked meal.

I learned to tell stories ... growing up at home. My grandfather couldn’t talk without telling a story or joke or illustration. I learned that is the way that communication works.

Susan Williams’ third-grade class at Grant Elementary wrote essays exploring Columbia’s future.

Imagine: It’s 2032 and you’re tooling around Columbia, driving along U-63 — that’s ‘U’ for underground highway — on your way to the Fun Center, where you’ll deposit the kids for an afternoon of sports, arcade games, working out and playing. Or you’re en route to Columbia National Airport, where you’ll pick up family members and friends who are eager to visit your progressive city. They’ll enjoy spending time in a vibrant central business district, perhaps staying at the 10-story hotel and convention center and taking a stroll to the Historical Society museum just a few blocks away. Maybe they’ll take in a concert at the new MU Performing Arts Center.

Kathy Ennis remembers years ago driving by the cattle farm west of the city where the Columbia Mall now stands. Back then, the Parkade Center, anchored by J.C. Penney, was the mall that attracted shoppers from around the region.

Columbia residents would like to see business leaders offer a hand to citizens on the lower rungs of the employment ladder.

No one can accuse Columbia’s leaders of ignoring residents’ need and desire for more parks.

A few trends emerge when Columbia residents discuss their desires for the future of downtown.

On April 3, 13,032 voters approved a bond referendum to finance $60 million of new construction, building improvements, air conditioning and technology for Columbia Public Schools. School district officials expect the money to help alleviate overcrowding. One-third of schools are overcrowded and nearly a fourth of students attend classes in trailers.

Dareth Goettemoeller believes Columbia has arrived at a pivotal moment in its effort to become an arts and culture center for mid-Missouri and beyond.

Listen to Columbia residents talk about growth and development in the city, and you might get the impression they’re running for City Council.

Steve Schnarr has noticed the growth of Columbia as it pushes south toward his home near Easley. What used to be open pasture land along Route K is now residential subdivisions. And along Smith Hatchery Road, a pasture, feed mill and hog farm have been leveled in preparation for a new development. Schnarr, 34, said the No. 1 priority for Columbia in the future should be the environment, specifically including green space in development plans.

Mid-Missouri wasn’t George Clark’s destination when he set out from New York on a cross-country trip a few years ago, but his vehicle had other ideas.