A look back at 2022 in Mid-Missouri

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

Here is a look at some of the top stories of 2022, as chosen by the ABC 17 News staff:

The New Year would start with a shooting in downtown Columbia that would leave four people injured.

Attorney General Eric Schmitt would bring lawsuits against Columbia Public Schools administrators related to masking students in the classroom.

First lady Jill Biden would visit Missouri in April.

And there would be a national manhunt for the Alabama fugitive and the jailer who helped him escape ends just three hours away from Mid-Missouri in Evansville, Indiana.

The state capital would see the debate on congressional districts include readings from books and reciting Taylor Swift lyrics in filibusterers. 

June would see another downtown shooting this time with two receiving non-life-threatening injuries.

June would also see the death of long-time Boone County prosecuting attorney Dan Knight.

An Amtrak train carrying hundreds of passengers derailed in June after colliding with a fully loaded dump truck in Chariton County. The crash would lead to four people being killed and numerous lawsuits. 

On June 24 Mid-Missouri along with the rest of the country would see the supreme court overturn Roe v. Wade.

In the early morning hours on July 14, a charter bus carrying a church youth group returning from Houston would be involved in a crash. Only minor injuries were reported after the driver fell asleep at the wheel.

The community of Woolridge would be devastated by a massive fire whipped up by strong winds. Large sections of the town burned. Days later parts of the town would still be smoldering.

Homecoming weekend for the University of Missouri would see a shooting in the Downtown Columbia area -- a crime scene that stretched blocks.

What is November without elections? Missouri voters would legalize recreational marijuana and Eric Schmitt would be elected to the United States Senate.

Thanksgiving weekend would be overshadowed by the loss of two lives at a Jefferson City nightclub.

And on Dec. 14 Mid-Missouri would mourn the loss of two young children in an overnight apartment fire.