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JEFFERSON CITY — An attorney for several school districts argued Wednesday that the governor has no authority to withhold money from public schools even if revenues fall short.

The state countered the governor has an obligation to balance the budget, and the Missouri Constitution expressly grants the governor the ability to withhold funds from any area of government when finances dictate.

If students want to cheat, they’ll find a way to do it, said Bryan Maggard, the director of MU’s athletic tutoring program. But the program is designed to stop cheating before it starts.

Since Maggard joined the Total Person Program in 1995, no tutor has been charged with academic dishonesty.

Instructor Phil Silverman doesn’t seem fazed by the bustling chatter of General Chemistry Lab DD-1.

“It can actually sound like a successful party if you do it right,” said Silverman, lab coordinator for MU’s chemistry department.

The VFW Post 280 has the feel of a grade school cafeteria. The beige linoleum floor and rows of tables bring back memories of 25-cent milk and smashed PB&J sandwiches.

The Matrix movies are among the most incomprehensible of sci-fi action flicks. It doesn’t help that writer-directors Andy and Larry Wachowski don’t talk about the meanings behind the trilogy. They have, however, acknowledged an interest in mythology, theology and some higher-level mathematics, so let’s use those fancy “ologies” as a key to cinematic nirvana. If you were lost at the end of The Matrix Reloaded (and let’s face it, most people were), here’s a handy guide to understanding the movie in terms of religion, philosophy and mathematics. From Platonic theory to religious imagery, somewhere between the Alice in Wonderland references ...

Stella comics recline on Vox’s couch and open up about the ’80s and summer camp

Cheese, steak, eggs and Atkins: the ideal dieting combination

Adults with anorexia or bulimia face a unique set of challenges and must balance family with their own internal struggleswo refrigerators always graced my family’s kitchen: one for my mother and one for the rest of the family. Ours had regular salad dressing and Creamsicles while hers was packed with fat-free this and sugar-free that, a lot of bulk but hardly any calories. She was so afraid that something she was comfortable eating would be discontinued that she hoarded enough to last through a long flood. Anything in the back fridge was Mom’s. If you knew what was good for ...

Playing amateur psychologist can make for hours of Freudian fun, but be careful before you slap someone with a personality disorder diagnosis — this game isn’t as easy as it looks. There is a common phenomenon in medical school called second-year syndrome. As students read about the symptoms of different illnesses in their second year of study, some begin to imagine that they have rare diseases. A sinus headache is interpreted as a brain tumor. A skin rash from cosmetics is the first manifestation of the Ebola virus.

Spiders, dead people and the dark sure can be scary, but watch out for the weirdos who suffer from these 10 freaky phobias. Now they’re creepy.

Artists have issues. Lest it’s forgotten,they are human. Unchecked issues can be overwhelming, and, tragically, some who create art in life take a permanent detour to quiet their minds. Over the years, suicide has erased from the world many painters (Vincent van Gogh), poets (Sylvia Plath) and, recently, musician Elliott Smith.

The band legendary for its flamboyant live performances also provides plenty of inspiration for fanatic consumers

Even though juvenile crime in Columbia tends to cool down with the onset of cold weather, the Columbia branch of the NAACP is still discussing ways to keep children out of trouble.

The NAACP has been trying to gather community feedback and invited First Ward residents to attend its meeting Tuesday night to discuss alternatives to a proposed curfew.

Flushing your toilet just got a bit more expensive — water and sewer bills are going up.

Capping a campaign that featured a public conversation on the role of sewers in determining growth, Columbia and Boone County voters Tuesday overwhelmingly approved two bond issues that will allot more than $20 million to sewer upgrades and extensions over the next eight years.

Consolidation of administration at the University of Missouri system and MU moved forward Tuesday with the announcement that the system’s Outreach and Extension office and MU Extension will merge and become the responsibility of MU’s provost.

Starting Jan. 1, MU Provost Brady Deaton will oversee the new office, which makes the research and knowledge base of the university available to citizens of the state.

The Improve I-70 Advisory Group conducted a drop-in center Tuesday to provide information on the effects of widening the interstate to eight lanes in Columbia.

Maps of widening options for the Columbia corridor wallpapered the room inside the Days Inn Conference Center. Engineers hovered over desks explaining the options, while survey specialists helped owners of businesses along Interstate 70 fill out surveys that were distributed to nearly 400 businesses. The surveys are meant to help engineers and Missouri Department of Transportation officials determine potential economic effects of widening I-70 .

Turnout at the first Drug Task Force meeting in Ashland was a disappointment to the 18 people who showed up.

Those present were all members of organizations involved in reducing tobacco, alcohol and illegal substance use among Ashland’s youth. Members of the Boone County Sheriff’s Department and the Ashland Police Department, the PTA president, City Administrator Ken Eftink and some teachers were all there.

The Fayette Board of Aldermen voted 4-2 Tuesday to keep a controversial ordinance. The ordinance sets minimum standards for property maintenance and requires owners to finance city inspections to ensure compliance with these requirements. The board reconsidered the ordinance after landlords voiced concerns at an Oct. 21 hearing that the law was too vaguely worded.

For Rocheport senior citizens living in Moniteau Housing, doing the laundry is about to get a lot easier.

Since 1974, residents of the eight apartments in the housing complex have washed clothes in the bathtub or used the machines of family or church members. Others load up their cars and drive to Columbia or Boonville to reach laundromats.

JEFFERSON CITY — The state Highways and Transportation Commission received a citizen panel’s report Tuesday on how to improve its credibility with the public but passed over its first opportunity to publicly apologize for dropping a 1992 highway plan.

A public apology was among the report’s recommendations.