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She lets 2-year-old daughter Isadora roam the house without wearing a diaper because that’s what Isadora likes to do.

She studied women’s studies at the University of Manchester in England.

New housing developments and commercial activity popped up all over Columbia in 2003, forcing city officials to come up with ways to keep up with the city’s rapid growth. The same challenges face the city as it moves into 2004, said City Manager Ray Beck.

SHREVEPORT, La. -- Some Missouri Tigers football fans spent Tuesday night in a field outside Independence Stadium. Barb Dillon and her friends have spent three nights there — in an RV.

Dillon, her husband, Harry, and three others arrived Sunday night from Portland, Mo., and took up temporary residence in an RV park set aside for fans in town for tonight’s Independence Bowl game against Arkansas.

The MU School of Medicine typically receives $100 million less in research grants than more prominent public medical schools, largely because it does not have the necessary laboratory space.

But a state bond issue proposed Monday could lead to a massive revamping of the medical research program, including the addition of a 411,000-square-foot Health Sciences Research Center, said Associate Dean for Research Bill Folk.

Three people were injured Tuesday morning when a vehicle traveling north on U.S. 63 collided with a COLT train at a railroad crossing just north of the Route B overpass.

Emergency crews arrived at 11:43 a.m. and evacuated three people from the vehicle. Kathryn Toal, 53, and Shannon Toal, 19, both of Clarence, suffered moderate injuries, according to the Columbia Fire Department. The driver, Robert C. Toal, 73, also of Clarence, suffered minor injuries. All three were transported to the trauma center at University Hospital.

A resident of Reality House, an alternative sentencing facility, died Monday from extensive coronary artery disease, the Boone County Sheriff’s Department said.

“The death appears natural, but toxicology is still going to be done,” said Boone County Sgt. Tom Reddin.

James Roger Davis II, the Columbia man convicted of sodomizing his 15-year-old daughter, was given the maximum penalty of two concurrent seven-year prison terms Tuesday.

Boone County Circuit Judge Gene Hamilton sentenced Davis, who had waived his right to be sentenced by the jury that found him guilty on two counts of second-degree statutory sodomy Oct. 9.

Boone County Commissioners approved a $41.7 million budget for fiscal year 2004 Tuesday, an increase of about $200,000 over the previous year. Costs related to coming county elections, employee health care and inmate health care account for the increase. Southern District Commissioner Karen M. Miller said the change in this year’s budget was the smallest she had seen in her 10 years in office.

— Gillian O’Brien

Missouri’s legislative leaders and MU officials hope that a $190.4 million bond plan will create jobs in Missouri and strengthen scientific research.

The bond proposal, outlined on Monday by MU chancellor Richard Wallace, is for the construction and renovation of six health sciences and engineering facilities at all four University of Missouri System campuses. For every dollar the state invests in life sciences projects, the university expects to raise $5 in federal and private funds. Wallace said that over the span of 10 years, the initiative could generate about $1 billion.

The Scruggs family was together for the holidays and, as always, Kenny played Santa. Like the good umpire he was, he made sure there were no phone calls or other interruptions while presents were being opened. Brenda Berstler said her brother had everyone talk about the gifts they gave and received, and it took four hours to open presents.

The day after Christmas, Kenny Scruggs, 49, suffered a cerebral hemorrhage while working at For Your Entertainment, a music store at Columbia Mall. He died on Saturday, Dec. 27, 2003, at University Hospital.

While the holidays are notorious for low blood supplies, the American Red Cross on Monday said supplies were also being pinched because of sickness this holiday season.

The Red Cross regional office in St. Louis is appealing for blood to serve 120 counties, including Boone.

The Missouri Bird Conservation Initiative is among the benefactors of more than $1.23 million in federal funds coming to Missouri for conservation projects.

The bird initiative is in line for $100,000 of the federal conservation money. The coalition of 28 organizations — from hunting groups to those who enjoy bird watching — will survey local bird populations and create management conservation plans for Missouri birds.

First Night 2004, Columbia’s downtown celebration of New Year’s is coming up Wednesday. The festivities start at 5:30 p.m. Wednesday, and admission buttons cost $7.

SHREVEPORT, La. — Playing in its first bowl game in five years, the MU football team is by no means picky. Even so, when the Tigers arrived in Shreveport on Saturday afternoon to prepare for Wednesday’s Independence Bowl, they were surprised with the city that greeted them.

“It was a lot different than we expected — in a good way,” offensive tackle Rob Droege said.

JEFFERSON CITY — Nearly a year ago, Missouri’s job situation appeared to be one of Gov. Bob Holden’s greatest liabilities. Now, Holden is trying to turn it into one of his greatest strengths.

What a difference a year can make.

Except for his time-share in Branson, Greg Tyndall has no ties to Missouri. But the resident of Shreveport, La., has taken it upon himself to help out fans planning to attend the Independence Bowl on New Year’s Eve.

Tyndall, who was born and raised in Shreveport, says hearing the city’s name on national news is a pretty big deal. And he likes to help people who haven’t visited his hometown.

On the first day of winter, when a lot of folks are doing their final countdown to Christmas, I begin my countdown to the first day of spring. From this account you can see that I’m ending another year, exactly like I began it, with my name stamped in, on the minority opinion side of the ledger. So, I might as well go ahead and confess all of my digressions from popular opinions while I have a few days left on this year’s calendar.

MOBERLY — Little evidence of the sport of boxing shows in this small, quaint town that was left on the economic ropes after an exodus of jobs in the late 1980s and early 1991.

But boxing equipment manufacturer Everlast is doing its part to beat back more job losses after it consolidated its operations and made its Moberly plant the only place in the United States to produce a range of equipment for professional and amateur boxing.

Eight state champion fiddlers, free cake and four hours of old-time fiddling — all in a church on New Year’s Eve.

The Missouri United Methodist Church at 204 S. Ninth St., along with the Missouri Traditional Fiddle and Dance Network, is hosting a traditional fiddle exhibition as part of Columbia’s First Night 2004. The fiddle music, along with other entertainment and activities, begins at 6 p.m. in the church with a cake walk.

Voters’ rejection of five involuntary annexation proposals in August 2002 hasn’t prevented Columbia from expanding its borders.

In the 17 months since that vote, the city has approved 24 voluntary annexations encompassing nearly 400 acres. Much of that land is within the 8.6 square miles of territory targeted by the ballot issues. The vast majority has been zoned for single- or multi-family homes.