Fentanyl takes over as a leading factor in Missouri overdose deaths
Drug overdose deaths continue to climb every year across the U.S. and in Mid-Missouri. And one Mid-Missouri county is among the top in the state.
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Call response times grow as Columbia Police Department deals with staffing issues
When calling the police, people typically expect a speedy response, but that’s not always the case — or even possible — as staffing shortages across the country continue to affect police departments, including Columbia’s.
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CPD sees improvement in clearance rates amid short staffing, slower responses
The Columbia Police Department has been solving crimes at a better rate the past couple of years but is still struggling with too few officers and slower responses to calls, according to official data.
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Mid-Missouri schools, volunteers try to help large numbers of homeless children
Some have signs of depression and some are diagnosed with it. Some have been diagnosed with PTSD, says Angelayah Carter, the Rainbow House shelter program director.
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Booming Missouri recreational marijuana sales bring in cash for vets, treatment, courts
Nearly one year later, adult-use marijuana has made nearly $2 billion in Missouri. With a 6% state sales tax, Missouri racked in around $120 million.
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Amendment 3 expert says local marijuana sales taxes should not stack
A member of the team who wrote the constitutional amendment that legalized recreational marijuana in Missouri says local governments are not following the law when they double up on sales taxes.
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Ten years after task force, Columbia still looking to curb violent crime
In the past 10 years, Columbia has seen three mayors, three city managers and now three police chiefs. Every one of these city leaders attempted to address community violence. Despite their efforts, FBI statistics show a rise in violent crime.
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Residents who remain one year after Wooldridge wildfire are still rebuilding
One year after the Wooldridge fire burned over 3,000 acres and destroyed at least 23 buildings in the Cooper County town, the rebuilding continues for those affected by the natural disaster.
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Cooper County Fire Protection District using lessons from Wooldridge wildfire a year later
Sunday marks one year since the small Cooper County community of Wooldridge was burned by a wildfire.
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More Missouri schools using safety app as 2023-24 year begins
Hundreds of Missouri schools have signed up for a new tool they hope will increase campus safety — an app meant to improve the response to school safety threats.
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Why Missouri educators are leaving the profession and what’s being done to stop it
More than 60% of Missouri teachers leave the profession in their first five years on the job, education officials say.
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How Missouri’s full abortion ban reverberates a year after Roe was overturned
The ban was written to go into effect after a decision overturning the precedent.
Continue Reading In Missouri, marijuana legalization is just the beginning of policy work
After recreational marijuana became legal in Missouri some lawmakers saw an opportunity, while others saw problems.
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Missouri’s neighbor has years of experience with recreational marijuana
What Missouri law enforcement officers are grappling with right now – newly legalized recreational marijuana for adults – Illinois went through three years ago.
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What Amendment 3 says about growing marijuana in Missouri
Under Amendment 3, Missourians can now legally grow their own marijuana.
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Cities such as Columbia, Jefferson City studying uses for recreational marijuana taxes
Recreational marijuana sales began in early February in Missouri but after April they could become more expensive for some Mid-Missouri consumers.
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Missouri has legal pot, but restrictions on use remain
The passing of Amendment 3 in the Show-Me State in November has prompted questions about where adults 21 or older can legally use marijuana products.
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Columbia water treatment plant overdue for upgrades
Columbia’s water treatment plant was built in 1970 and while it’s expanded since then, it has not been upgraded.
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More than 1 million Missourians lack internet but the issue in Columbia is reliability
Even in metropolitan areas, such as Columbia, access is not always reliable.
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As medical marijuana thrives, Missourians could see recreational use on November ballot
In the four years since the program was first approved by Missouri voters, it’s grown to having dispensaries and cultivators in nearly every corner of the state.
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