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1 week ago | 
columbiamissourian.com | Amber Roldan |Lucy Valeski
By Amber Roldan,Lucy Valeski Diversity, equity and inclusion language in Columbia's strategic plan might be on the chopping block Monday. The Columbia City Council is scheduled to decide whether to change language in the strategic plan at its bimonthly meeting. The change is aimed at complying with the Trump administration's demands to cut DEI programs, according to a council memo.
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3 weeks ago | 
columbiamissourian.com | Amber Roldan |Lucy Valeski
The City of Columbia expects to spend $31.1 million from its cash reserves over the next six years, as forecasts indicate lower-than-expected sales tax revenue this year and soaring employee wages and benefits. The city is expected to end fiscal year 2025 with almost $37.7 million in the general fund cash reserve, according to a presentation that will be shown to the Columbia City Council on Monday. By fiscal year 2031, forecasts show the city will have only $6.5 million on hand in the reserve.
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3 weeks ago | 
columbiamissourian.com | Faith Boyd |Lucy Valeski
By Faith Boyd,Lucy Valeski Video game enthusiasts and retro media fans gathered Saturday for a convention organized by 19-year-old Columbia resident Sumner Henry. Henry walked around the CoMo Retro Game Convention, chatting with attendees, vendors and online influencers during the fourth CoMo Retro Game Convention, an event that brings people with similar interests and hobbies to town.
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1 month ago | 
columbiamissourian.com | Yong Li Xuan |Amber Roldan |Lucy Valeski
Two weeks after stepping into his new role leading Columbia's Office of Violence Prevention, D'Markus Thomas-Brown was faced with the news of three shootings over the weekend. His response: tackling the root causes of violent crime and deploying de-escalation strategies. The Office of Violence Prevention will facilitate collaboration between the Columbia Police Department and community organizations to identify and target root causes of crime in Columbia, Thomas-Brown said.
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1 month ago | 
columbiamissourian.com | Yong Li Xuan |Amber Roldan |Lucy Valeski
Two weeks after stepping into his new role leading Columbia's Office of Violence Prevention, D'Markus Thomas-Brown was faced with the news of three shootings over the weekend. His response: tackling the root causes of violent crime and deploying de-escalation strategies. The Office of Violence Prevention will facilitate collaboration between the police department and community organizations to identify and target root causes of crime in Columbia, Thomas-Brown said.
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1 month ago | 
columbiamissourian.com | Ren Ohlmeier |Amber Roldan |Lucy Valeski
By Ren Ohlmeier/Missourian,Amber Roldan,Lucy Valeski Some Columbia residents are still pushing to halt construction of new recreational trails at the Gans Creek Recreation Area. The Columbia City Council approved construction of two hiking and mountain biking trails in January. Local activists will try to persuade council members at Monday's City Council meeting.
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1 month ago | 
columbiamissourian.com | Annie Goldman |Lucy Valeski |Gordon Dickson
By Annie Goldman,Lucy Valeski,Gordon Dickson The largest donor to mayoral candidate Blair Murphy's campaign is mysterious, to say the least. A political action committee known as Citizens for a Better Columbia, which donated $25,000 to Murphy's election bid, lists its treasurer on Missouri Ethics Commission documents as a Hallsville man who died in 2022.
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2 months ago | 
columbiamissourian.com | Jackson Cooper |Lucy Valeski
By Jackson Cooper,Lucy Valeski Efforts to revitalize Business Loop 70 are in question following a federal funding freeze on diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives. About $2.13 million in federal funding for the planning stage of the beautification project could be in jeopardy. The grant is currently on hold, and the state and federal transportation departments have advised the city to suspend work on projects associated with the grant until further notice.
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2 months ago | 
columbiamissourian.com | Lauryn Rhodes |Anna Colletto |Lucy Valeski
This year, attendees flocked to Columbia's annual True/False Film Fest that ended Sunday. Beginning Feb. 27, the festival hosted four days of screenings for dozens of feature films and shorts, art installations and musicians. True/False had 40,913 ticket sales ahead of the festival, and 31,099 "butts in seats" over the weekend. The latter metric is based on the number of redeemed tickets, clicker counts or door sales and represents attendance most accurately, said festival representatives.
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2 months ago | 
columbiamissourian.com | Jacob Richey |Lucy Valeski
By Jacob Richey,Lucy Valeski A semitruck driver was taken to the hospital with minor injuries following a one vehicle crash on Interstate 70 in Boone County, according to a post from Missouri State Highway Patrol Troop F. The crash happened on westbound I-70 around the 117-mile marker. A semitruck overturned due to wind, according to Troop F.
