Articles

Catching the softball is just as important as hitting it. Rock Bridge’s play Monday night bolsters that theory.

The Bruins (4-6) defeated Hermann 8-0 at Rock Bridge despite being outhit 8-6. Half of Rock Bridge’s runs were unearned thanks to three errors and several other defensive miscues by the Bearcats.

Rock Bridge's win Monday against Helias was typicial in many ways, except one.

The defending state champion Bruins sweep the match 9-0, but it was the fifth shutout for them this season. It was special for coach Ben Loeb, though, who earned his 399th victory in Columbia with the win. Loeb goes for his 400th win today at Jefferson City.

A new law allowing Missouri citizens to carry concealed weapons is only a few days old, but Boone County Sheriff Ted Boehm is already worried that his department might not be able to handle the additional duties.

“I think there is a lot for us to do,” Boehm said. “I know our role is going to take more work than issuing the permits.”

When diagnosed with a chronic disease such as diabetes, most people wouldn’t think twice about scheduling regular doctor’s appointments. But the federal government is reminding people today that the best way to combat these diseases is to visit the doctor — even in times of good health.

“Take a Loved One to the Doctor Day,” a program that began two years ago, is being celebrated nationally today. The event is directed toward minority populations. A report by the Missouri Hospital Association shows that minorities have a higher rate of certain chronic diseases and as a result tend to have lower life expectancies than the rest of the population.

The Columbia City Council approved the final annual budget for the 2004 fiscal year on Monday night.

The budget of about $236 million is a 3.3 percent increase over the city’s 2003 amended budget.

Sitting on the counter at Main Squeeze, a natural foods restaurant on Ninth Street, is a petition calling for an end to junk food in public school vending machines.

Leigh Lockhart, owner of Main Squeeze, said that since she displayed the petition started by a Columbia group many people have signed. She thinks allowing the sale of junk food in schools contributes to the growing problem of Americans’ obesity.

A pilot literacy project sponsored by the Columbia branch of the American Association of University Women will be unveiled tonight at Field Elementary School.

The new curriculum, spotlighting the lives of 10 Missouri women, is being prepared by freelance author Carlynn Trout of Columbia.

A small herd of cattle grazes in the pasture north of Brown School Road and a stone’s throw from a farmhouse that sits at the end of a winding driveway. Steep ditches, not shoulders, line either side of the gently sloping two-lane county road, and the stop sign atop the hill catches unsuspecting drivers off guard.

The oasis of country living, however, is now part of the city of Columbia, a target for the kind of growth that has transformed the northern fringes of the city over the past several years. At its Sept. 2 meeting, the Columbia City Council annexed and rezoned the 86-acre property, between Shalimar Gardens on the east and Crestwood Hills on the west. Owned by Forrest and Elizabeth Sappington, the land will be developed by PGS Development LLC. Plans call for as many as 150 single-family homes and 66 duplexes.

ST. LOUIS — During the first half Sunday, it looked like Joe Montana wouldn’t have been able to fix the St. Louis Rams’ anemic offense.

Then Marc Bulger came to life.

In her third month leading the Columbia Public School District, Superintendent Phyllis Chase still has some empty bookcases and piles of papers and books on her desk. Busy as she is, she doesn’t have time to notice.

Fresh off two weeks of answering questions about newly released Missouri Assessment Program test results and less positive No Child Left Behind Act statistics, Chase stressed the importance of accountability.

The crowd sat silent between intermittent cheers. Missouri’s Urska Juric and Illinois State’s Liina Suurvarik showed they deserved to be considered two of the nation’s best.

Juric, ranked No. 24 in the Intercollegiate Tennis Association rankings, and Suurvarik, No. 30, captivated spectators Sunday at the Mizzou Four-Way Tournament at the Green Tennis Center in both singles and doubles play .

This is the time of year when I once envied football fans. I thought it was pretty wonderful that they could so casually shrug off the cares of the world around them and throw themselves whole-heartedly into a sports contest. It seemed to me that it was a grand thing to be in such superb control of one’s emotions that they could be shifted to and fro at will.

Chronic disease is the leading killer of Missourians older than 35, and blacks exhibit a much higher risk of suffering from some of these diseases.

The Missouri Hospital Association, in a report released last week, said chronic diseases — including heart disease, diabetes and cancer — accounted for 64 percent of deaths in Missouri in 2001.

Three games into its season, the Missouri football team has made its mark on school history in several areas. Some are for the first time under third-year coach Gary Pinkel, and some are for the first time in decades.

The history is not lost on the players.

BOONVILLE — A forest green shroud flapped in the light September breeze. The stern lines of a bronze sculpture could just barely be made out beneath the cloak.

KANSAS CITY – Less than a minute into Sunday’s matchup against the Pittsburgh Steelers, the Kansas City Chiefs were desperately seeking some inspiration.

Dante Hall’s 100-yard kickoff return for a touchdown was the spark the Chiefs needed. They recovered from a miserable start to beat the Steelers 41-20 at Arrowhead Stadium.

It’s not always a good thing to finish what you start.

Missouri showed that Saturday, turning around a dismal offensive start to beat Eastern Illinois 37-0.

Among the results is the Tigers’ first 3-0 start since 1981 and their first shutout since 1998, leading to a combination of relief and elation among the players and the crowd of 44,490.

Columbia officials are considering two steps to save money and reduce the environmental impact of government vehicles: switching to B-20 biodiesel fuel and buying up to three hybrid cars.

Both measures are included in the proposed budget for fiscal year 2004, which is up for final approval by the Columbia City Council on Monday night.

After two weeks and one meeting between both sides, neighbors and developers remain at odds over the proposed 53-acre Grindstone Plaza project, which is scheduled for a public hearing and vote by the Columbia City Council on Monday night.

Members of the Grindstone-Rock Quarry Road Neighborhood Association and representatives of Aspen Acquisitions asked the City Council two weeks ago to table a vote on the project so the developer could have more time to address neighbors’ problems with the plan.

Brock Olivo, a star tailback for MU from 1994-97, was so glad to return to Columbia that he hugged almost everyone he recognized at the Missouri football game Saturday.