Articles

It was lonely inside the administration building this morning, unless you happened to be a member of the school board itself. Despite the growth of Columbia’s school system as reflected by the 2007-08 proposed budget, only one parent attended Columbia School Board’s 7:30 a.m. budget proposal meeting.

The old saying “nipped in the bud” has rarely seemed more real than what we experienced this spring when two weeks of unusual heat for the season were followed by two weeks of intense cold. The four week period marked the greatest short-term weather variance in our area over the past 118 years — as I have been repeatedly told by gardener upon gardener. Their tone is always one of resignation rather than defeat as they speak their litany of losses.

One young artist’s paintings appear on a different type of canvas — slip-on shoes. Anna Fleischer painted on her first two pairs of canvas shoes two years ago during her senior year of high school. After realizing that she and her best friend had purchased an identical pair of shoes, the then 16-year-old from Valencia, Calif., decided she needed to make the shoes appear different.

A retired professor of physics from the University of Hawaii came to Columbia at the invitation of the Show-me Skeptics and the MU Brights to discuss his new book, “God: The Failed Hypothesis.” The thrust of his argument is that the question whether God exists is one that can be answered by applying the scientific method.

Throughout the season, the Missouri baseball team stood by one motto.

“Hijack their happiness,” designated hitter Jacob Priday said.

The Tigers approached every game looking to derail the opposing team’s aspirations.

Missouri outfielders Ryan Lollis and Aaron Senne and designated hitter Jacob Priday were named to the Columbia regional all-tournament team Monday.

In the 30 hours Creighton went without a men’s basketball coach, fans on Internet message boards buzzed that athletic director Bruce Rasmussen was taking too long to make a hire.

A friend recently visited relatives in a Southern city, and he was impressed with the way the folks he stayed with clung to their family traditions. He was particularly struck by how the entire family gathered at the breakfast and dinner table, morning and evening, every day for meals and conversation. This was not common practice among his friends.

Over the weekend, Columbia’s Matthew Montgomery celebrated his 20th birthday with two of his closest friends, but that’s not the only reason he’s smiling.

After another weekend of nonstop Earnhardt speculation, Truex gave the Dale Earnhardt Inc. team a much-needed victory Monday in the 400-mile race at Dover International Speedway.

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — No one in Tampa Bay’s clubhouse is ready to declare James Shields the ace of the Devil Rays’ young pitching staff. But he just might be the most consistent starter.

OTTAWA — Andy McDonald bailed out Chris Pronger and set up Southern California for a playoff party like never before. The Anaheim Ducks are within a win of their first Stanley Cup championship.

For Bill France Jr., it was never about fame or fortune. Everything he did — helping build Daytona International Speedway, moving the annual awards banquet to New York City and negotiating the first billion-dollar TV contract — he did with NASCAR’s best interests at heart.

A new Web site called Thankaprof gives students an opportunity to heap praise on their favorite teachers and write positive comments, which are sent to their professors. The site has gotten more than 100 responses so far, according to Andrew White, MU’s director of educational technology, who oversees the site at thankaprof.missouri.edu.

The Columbia School Board will hold two open sessions at 7:30 a.m. and 7 p.m. today to discuss the proposed 2007-08 school budget.

A federal appeals court on Monday opened the way for Missouri to renew execution of condemned inmates, ruling the state’s three-drug method of execution is not unconstitutionally cruel and unusual punishment.

Michael Jordan praised 22-year-old LeBron James for leading the Cleveland Cavaliers to victory over the Detroit Pistons in the Eastern Conference finals. The Cavaliers advanced to the finals for the first time in their 37-year history.

Despite the nearly 30 commercial uses listed in his statement of intent, and the expectations of city and council officials, Ron Netemeyer says he will continue to operate his mobile home parks even if the City Council agrees to annex and rezone them.