Our Town 2020

2020

OUR TOWN THE ESSENTIAL GUIDE FOR EVERYTHING COLUMBIA

Scenes from a Difficult Year: The people and ideas that kept Columbia going The places we missed most

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OUR TOWN 2020 A publication of the

EXECUTIVE EDITOR

JIM VAN NOSTRAND PROJECT EDITOR

AARIK DANIELSEN NEWS EDITOR

RUDI KELLER EDITORIAL ASSISTANT

ELENA K. CRUZ SALES DIRECTOR

JOSEPH LEONG STAFF WRITERS

ERIC BLUM, ANNA BRUGMANN, ELENA K. CRUZ, AARIK DANIELSEN, RUDI KELLER, ROGER MCKINNEY, JAMES OWEN

CONTENTS

STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER

DON SHRUBSHELL

REFLECTIONS 6 | The Places We Missed

ADVERTISING INQUIRIES

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CALENDAR 10 | Annual Events

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2020

OUR TOWN THE ESSENTIAL GUIDE FOR EVERYTHING COLUMBIA

Scenes from a Difficult Year:

FEATURES 12 | One Read 13 | Downtown Churches 16 | Journey Toward Inclusive Excellence 18 | Moms Demand Action 20 | A Historic Year 24 | The Year in Arts (so far) EDUCATION 25 | Surveying our Schools 26 | School profiles

34 | Alternative school models 35 | Home School Communicators 36 | Athletes Give Back 38 | School listings HEALTH CARE 39 | Hospital profiles 41 | Health listings LIVING IN COLUMBIA 42 | Recreation 44 | Real estate and business 45 | Parking 46 | Senior Services 47 | Local Resources 48 | Go-to Information 50 | Veterans Services

The people and ideas that kept Columbia going The places we missed most

ON THE COVER: Lana Zerrer, chief of staff at the Harry S. Truman Veterans’ Memorial Hospital, dressed as Wonder Woman in April to greet fellow employees coming to work and thank them for the work they are doing during the COVID-19 virus crisis.

[PHOTO BY DON SHRUBSHELL, ILLUSTRATION BY GANNETT DESIGN CENTER - AUSTIN]

ABOVE: People participating in the 2020 True/False Film Fest March March line up for a photo at the courthouse columns before walking in the parade down Eighth Street. [DON SHRUBSHELL/TRIBUNE]

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CELEBRATING LIFE — AMID A PANDEMIC

Jim Van Nostrand 2020, to put it mildly, has been a year like no other in our lifetimes.

As in the rest of America, the coronavirus pandemic brought much of civic and social life in Columbia to a standstill.

The treasures that we would normally celebrate on the pages of Our Town — our annual guide to all things that make this community special — have been largely postponed or moved online.

The Unbound Book Festival (April) and the Roots N Blues music festival (October) are among the big-name events that

were pushed back to 2021. The True/False Film Fest (March) was the last major Columbia event that took place as planned this year.

Those organizations that have not entirely postponed this year’s events have had to adjust to the new reality. For example, the Odyssey Chamber Music Series, which normally performs at the First Baptist Church of Columbia, plans to livestream its fall concerts without audiences in the pews.

If the church opens its doors to the public, Odyssey will consider opening the concerts to no more than 70 people, maintaining social distancing.

“Despite the social distancing, musicians are eager to bring music right to your living room ...,” wrote artistic director Ayako Tsuruta in an email to patrons.

Anthony Wu, 15, a sophomore at Rock Bridge High School, rehearses Beethoven’s “Piano Concerto No. 1 in C Major, Opus 15” with the Odyssey Chamber Ensemble, led by conductor Kirk Trevor, at the First Baptist Church earlier this year. Odyssey plans to livestream its performances this fall, with no audience in the pews. [DON SHRUBSHELL/TRIBUNE]

“With some luck, I sincerely hope that things will improve soon, but if not, we are prepared, ready, and excited!”

We share Tsuruta’s excitement about life returning to some semblance of normalcy.

Be sure to check out news editor Rudi Keller’s centerpiece story,which raises a cheer for some of the people who have stepped up in 2020, meeting needs in health care and education in the midst of difficult choices.

Also, don’t miss features editor Aarik Danielsen’s look at the places we’ve missed the most during the pandemic.

As relative newcomers to Columbia, my wife and I plan on using Our Town as a resource for our exploration of our new home.

We hope it is useful to you as well.

For life will return to normal.

The only question is when.

Jim Van Nostrand is executive editor of the Columbia Daily Tribune.

WELCOME TO

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REFLECTIONS

The Places We Missed the Most

T

o say COVID-19 interrupted our sense of place and routine would be among the year’s greatest understatements. Columbia residents bid an abrupt farewell to many of their favorite haunts and hangouts.

As spring rounded into summer, Tribune writers and community members waxed nostalgic for the places they were missing most. Several of these spots, including Columbia Public Library and Ragtag Cinema, reopened in part or full by press time.

Aarik Danielsen

COLUMBIA PUBLIC LIBRARY Columbia Public Library [COURTESY DANIEL BOONE REGIONAL LIBRARY]

Equidistant from my home and work, Columbia Public Library represents a frequent refuge as I navigate the chaos of any given moment.

Two or three times a week — at least — my feet lead me there. To order an inexpensive cup of coffee. To browse the shelf of new poetry releases. For a quiet change-of-pace when I’m writing on deadline. Sometimes all of the above.

As you might guess, the library contains two of the truest treasures in my life — books and the people who love them.

During days of self-isolation, holed up at home without physical access to the library, my reading habit didn’t slow. It remained as steady as ever, as if the days remained normal.

I spent time with the fiction of James Baldwin and Flannery O’Connor, the poems of John Berryman and Tommy Pico, the clever cultural analysis of Shea Serrano and a graphic novel about

Thelonious Monk penned (in more ways than one) by Youssef Daoudi.

I didn’t miss, or even miss out on, books because the library was closed.

Rather, I missed the two-way scope of what the place provides. By one measure, the library is immense, almost overwhelming. Multiple floors populated with books, rack after rack of jazz records and Elvis Costello CDs I need to catch up on, sensory delights for my 7-year-old son. It is a cathedral devoted to the sacredness of self-expression and human contact.

And yet it feels so intimate. The library is a place by, of and for people. People whose hearts leap within them when you ask for a book recommendation. People hoping to discover authors whose words will come to define their lives. People who shop at the same grocery stores as you, swill beer at the same bars as you, take their kids to the same school as yours

— and yet, it’s at the library where they look up, notice you and offer a glance of recognition. “Oh, I see we are the same kind of people,” their eyes seem to say.

This spring, I took to Twitter and said, only half-joking, that I’d probably cry when I walked through the library’s doors again for the first time. I think that might be right. Not because I’m overly sensitive or because I’ve experienced the worst of this pandemic. But because the library, as much as any other place in our community, reminds me I’m not alone.

Books are there, and they have my proverbial back. People are there too, and they are worth reading just as much as the books. Traveling, quietly as one should, among both will not restore my sense that all's right with the world. But it will remind me that something is.

Aarik Danielsen is the Tribune’s arts editor.

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James Owen

RAGTAG CINEMA So much of what’s wrong with how we classify films is asking whether they are “good” or “bad” — as though a subjective opinion matters to someone trying to evaluate the merits of an individual piece of cinema.

More worthwhile is whether you, as an audience member, gained an experience from watching a movie. Did you see something you’d never imagined before?

Did you experience a story from a perspective of which you weren’t aware?

Just about every time I visit Ragtag Cinema off Hitt and Broadway, I have an experience. Sure, independent films sometimes fall into patterns and clichés like their higher-budget counterparts.

Arthouse darling Wes Anderson, for one, has developed a look and a pattern that borders on predictable.

But will I go see Anderson’s “The French Dispatch (of the Liberty, Kansas Evening Sun)” when it (hopefully) gets released later this year!

One thing I can always count on: Ragtag going beyond the obvious, popular titles to find something offbeat and unique.

There are foreign films that plunk you deep outside the normal existence of living in the Midwest, and make you think about the world in larger, grander terms.

There’s also documentaries that probe deeply into a subject you might already know — or think you knew.

It’s sad to see some of these films play to an auditorium with one or two people.

That’s when the reality of economies of scale kick in, reminding us that independent theaters must have members paying a yearly fee to ensure doors remain open.

Every now and then, one of these oddballs strikes a collective. I couldn’t believe, in one of my last Ragtag experiences, that I was in a nearly-sold out

screening of a documentary about fungus.

(It’s called “Fantastic Fungi” and you can now stream it online.)

There’s also the experience of preservation. Not simply from watching revivals of older films, but preserving the way we used to watch films. You had to look far and wide to find another venue that took the effort to screen a 35 mm copy of Greta Gerwig’s masterful smash “Little Women.” But Ragtag screened this print for weeks, with its projectionist standing back and changing reels just so the audience could watch a version of the film that lent to its rustic backdrop.

It’s not simply about digging some old format because it seems cool. Film prints enhance candlelit interiors and exteriors shots at dusk, bringing a depth to the image not available from digital. Virtually every film in the country is delivered to theaters digitally, which means having a projector on site takes a lot of effort and resources. Ragtag invests in this, because they know the experience is worth it.

While I enjoy partaking in a lovely beverage while catching a flick, the bar I can

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Jason T. Koreckij, MD Alan G. Anz, MD Matt L. Jones, MD Tameem Yehyawi, MD Joshua C. Hamann, MD Shannon E. Yehyawi, MD Thomas Aleto, MD

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The Hitttsville complex now includes Ragtag Cinema, Hitt Records and Uprise Bakery.

[TRIBUNE FILE PHOTO]

take or leave. It’s owned separately and there’s never, ever much motivation to get Ragtag patrons a drink when a movie is about to start. Even if you’re sitting there with your ticket stub displayed. (If there’s Ragtag people reading this, please help.)

Even this is part of the ritual: eating some stale popcorn and washing it down with a Logboat Denim Jean & The Jammers IPA while taking in the newest flick.

Folks, drink local if you must. For all my complaints, this is something I miss.

Multiplexes can give you an experience too. They are more like Disney World: slick, safe and good for some big thrills or laughs. That’s fun too, and I miss it.

Ragtag is more like hiking along the side of a steep hill: challenging and a little uncertain with your footing, but always worth the view.

James Owen is the Tribune’s film critic.

NINTH AND LOCUST The place I miss the most in Columbia is a stretch of sidewalk leading from campus uphill to the intersection of Ninth

Sarah Medcalf and Locust. If you time it just right, you can look up the long set of stairs to your right and see the red doors and beautiful stonework of the old part of the Methodist church.

Across the street, on your left, you can see the Missouri Theatre marquee flashing this month’s events of interest. As you keep walking, you soon see Cafe Poland tucked behind the Episcopal church, another beautiful work of stone in architecture, with its gorgeous, if just smaller red doors, squished beneath the backwards letters of the Tiger Hotel sign.

As you approach this corner and consider what direction to turn, you’ll start to see the awnings of the heart of downtown pop up like a children’s book come to life before you.

It’s not that this stretch of sidewalk is the most picturesque; parts of it are beautiful to be sure, my nostalgia-tinted,

rose-colored glasses aside. But parts of it are not. One corner, in particular, has been changed so drastically that it took a good few minutes for me to remember what is actually there now. It is another building, with apartments on the top floors. I assume those floors are now nearly empty. The first floor is a brandnew chain restaurant that I’ve heard more concretely is also now empty. I remember it originally as an adorable boutique with a cute awning wrapping the corner like a bow. But that’s a topic for another day.

So, why does this particular patch of concrete (with the one oddly modern corner) give me so much nostalgia? It’s longing for a time when I would come to that corner and know it’s where I would decide to jump off. The place where autopilot turned off and the things I could do came into focus. It was a point of possibility.

I came to Columbia for school in 2006, and walked this stretch between campus and downtown for years. I spent my first free pliable years growing up, working and playing on Ninth Street and throughout downtown. My best and longest friendships were forged in these businesses and on the sidewalks on these

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streets. I always knew that I could walk downtown and find someone I knew.

I left for a few years, like so many of us do, and came back, like so many of us also do (even though we swore we never would) because of the community I have here. I settled down. I took the job I have now. I started my family with my husband Rob. (Hi, Archer! You’re the invisible member of the family in that last sentence. I love you!)

The business where I work, Top Ten Wines, is still on Ninth Street. I, however, am not. Of course I miss the actual places, too numerous to name, that make the physical structure of our downtown. But what I really miss is the heart-swelling anticipation of what will happen when I see the people who make these places breathe. I miss stepping into the point of possibility and wondering what will come next.

I don’t know what will come next now, though it’s not the same sort of heart-swelling anticipation that the idea of seeing friends would bring. It’s more of a dull, constant uneasiness in my chest, waiting for the next shoe to drop, wondering how long it will be until I can safely see those friends again.

It’s wondering what the world will look like then.

What I do take comfort in is the fact that we are a smart and resilient species.

We’ve always depended on our human connections to get through life. Nothing has become more apparent than that in these last months as we’ve floundered to find each other virtually. I still have hope that we will find our way through this, with each other, even if it is on the page or screen. I still hope that I will get to see my best friends at the corner of Ninth and Locust, give them hugs and decide what the evening holds for us.

It may be a long way off, but I am willing to wait.

I do so hope that someday I’ll get to walk back up that hill and have the world of possibilities that downtown will offer to stir the butterflies in the pit of my stomach again, when I see those backwards letters and those red doors.

Sarah Medcalf is a Columbia resident and owner of Sarah Medcalf Stronger.

The community weighs in When I miss Southeast Asia, I usually head for Tiger Chef, my favorite place for Thai (and the only place for Burmese!) food in town. This restaurant was opened just a year ago by Sai Tai and Neng Seng Lont, who came to Columbia as refugees from Myanmar in 2011. Since restaurants went to take-out only, we've been ordering in: curries, tea leaf salad, and the fried noodles my kids love. But I miss getting the food piping hot from their kitchen, which always made me feel like I was a guest in their home. Tiger Chef symbolizes to me what I love about Columbia — its diversity, its welcoming spirit, and the hardworking people who make it such a great place to live.

— Rose Metro, University of Missouri professor and novelist I don't think it's a surprise to anyone who knows me that the thing I'm missing the most during stay-at-home orders is watching live music at The Blue Note. Watching music surrounded by hundreds of strangers who, like you, just love the energy this band brings to your hometown, is not that hard to miss. What I've surprised myself by missing recently is all the things I thought I hated about going to a show at The Blue Note.

Right now, I'm missing getting my feet stepped on, getting stuck behind someone that is too tall or dancing too wildly, getting beer spilled on me, staying out way past my bedtime, and my ears ringing a day or two after standing just a little too close to the speakers. All those things sound like heaven right about now.

— Emily Larkin, program director and DJ, 102.3 FM KBXR One thing I’ve missed since we started staying at home is seeing my sons’ band and other bands, young and older, play shows in town. The local music scene here is great, especially for younger bands like The Sweaters, whose members are in high school and middle school, and the opportunity for them to play in clubs and for their fans (including their parents) to go see them has been tremendous and is sorely, sorely missed.

— Sam Cohen, University of Missouri professor and author

I actually miss being at The Lyceum the most. I miss hearing singing coming from the house during rehearsals, the sounds of set construction, all the jokes and fun with co-workers, the thrill of the actors and tech people coming to what is sort of an adult arts summer camp for them, all the love from people coming to shows, the theater lore I've learned and the Lyceum history that's been shared with me. It's such an unlikely theater out there in the middle of absolutely nowhere. I really do love the magic and the strange blend of excited energy and the peacefulness of the village that I associate with being at the theater.

— Amy Wilder, Arrow Rock Lyceum Theatre director of marketing and communications and former Tribune reporter

“SIX FEET APART” A poem by Lena Wamsley

I took my life for granted Now I sorely regret it.

I look back on it, And remember good times I had.

Laughing and talking with friends, Enjoying walking through the community.

Now is different.

Now is lonely.

Now our faces buried in screens.

Tired of hearing, “Stay home, stay safe.”

Tired of hearing, “Stay apart, stand together.”

Ready to hear voices that aren’t glitched, Ready to feel the touch of a hand.

So a question that rings through all our heads: How do you wipe a tear away?

When all has been taken away?

How do you wipe a tear away?

When a simple hug could mean the world?

When a hand to hold is six feet away?

We can only know, God has control of the wheel.

Lena Wamsley will be a seventh-grader this year at Heritage Academy.

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CA L E NDAR OF EVENTS Editor’s note: These events typically take place in Mid-Missouri on an annual basis.

COVID-19 has greatly altered the landscape of live events; check event websites for info on what is or isn’t being held, and what is being moved to virtual venues.

Anne Jacobson of Columbia prepares for the 2020 True/ False Film Fest March March at the Boone County Courthouse lawn.

JANUARY

[DON SHRUBSHELL/ TRIBUNE]

Martin Luther King Jr. Celebration Through art, music, dance, awards, discussion and food, residents celebrate diversity and the memory of Martin Luther King Jr. www.gocolumbiamo.com.

North Village Arts District First Fridays The first Friday of each month, venues in the North Village Arts District host a crawl with entertainment and educational opportunities. www.facebook.com/ NorthVillageArts-District.

FEBRUARY Black History Month Art and film events, community conversations and celebrations featuring food and gospel music gather residents to celebrate Black History Month. www.gocolumbiamo. com.

MARCH True/False Film Fest Drawing in documentary filmmakers and fans from across the country, the annual event features some films discovered at Sundance, Toronto and other festivals as well as world premieres. Attendees watch screenings, talk with directors, listen to buskers and celebrate at parties. www. truefalse.org.

Missouri Beer Festival At this festival held sometime each spring, attendees sample various microbrews and craft beers, including a number of selections from Missouri breweries. Local vendors create a food court, and live music is performed. www.missouribeerfestival. com.

APRIL Unbound Book Festival A free book festival celebrating literature and bringing in authors across a number of different genres, including fiction, nonfiction, children’s literature and poetry. The event features author interviews, panels on a range of book-related subjects and writing contests. www.unboundbookfestival. com.

Earth Day Hosted by the Columbia Earth Day Coalition, the event features music, games, workshops and displays on going green. It takes place in MU’s Peace Park and on surrounding streets. www.columbiaearthday.org.

MAY Bike, Walk & Wheel Week The week of events promoting non-motorized transportation includes a focus on bicycle commuting, safety, trail riding and more. www.gocolumbiamo.com.

Movies in the Park Family-friendly films are screened outdoors in Flat Branch Park on Friday evenings, once a month, May through September. www. gocolumbiamo.com.

Family Fun Fest Held the third Wednesday of every month from May through September. Located at Cosmo Park, the event features a new theme each month and provides familyfocused entertainment through music, performances, art activities and more. www.gocolumbiamo.com.

Stephens Lake Park Amphitheater Concert Series This series of free musical performances runs from May through September featuring local acts in an outdoor setting. www. gocolumbiamo.com.

Pedaler’s Jamboree Held each Memorial Day weekend, this event combines a music festival and trail ride with stops along the Katy Trail. www. pedalersjamboree.com.

Centralia Anchor Fest A part of life in Centralia since 1987, this family-friendly festival features live music, food, sports, car and tractor shows and more. Traditionally held the weekend after Memorial Day. www.centraliamochamber. com/anchor-festival.html.

JUNE Columbia Art League’s Art in the Park During this weekend of June, this free-entry, family-oriented event celebrates art by bringing in artists from across the country.

This year’s physical event was canceled, but CAL featured exhibiting artists in a virtual fashion. www.artintheparkcolumbia.org.

Shelter Gardens Concert Series Columbia ensembles perform free Sundayevening concerts, typically in June and July in this pastoral setting. Styles and performers range from community bands and classical music to bluegrass and Cajun bands. www.shelterinsurance.com/ aboutshelter/companyevents.

Juneteenth Black heritage is celebrated at Douglass Park with bands, choirs, speakers, games and food. www.gocolumbiamo.com.

Hot Summer Nights A six-week lineup of musical performances ranges from classical to pop. The event, featuring the Missouri Symphony Orchestra, provides entertainment to all ages. This year, in lieu of a physical festival, the MOSY presented a “Greatest Hits” festival online, drawing from performance archives. www. themosy.org.

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JULY Fire in the Sky Annual free fireworks celebration of the Fourth of July takes place in downtown Columbia. www.gocolumbiamo.com Show-Me State Games This Olympic-style sports event hosts competitors in approximately 40 sports, including judo, tennis, golf and soccer, to promote healthy competition and sportsmanship. www.smsg.org.

Mizzou International Composers Festival Audiences are exposed to world premieres during this festival, where established composers mingle with and coach emerging composers from across the globe. newmusic.missouri.edu.

AUGUST MidMo Pridefest An annual celebration of the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, questioning and ally community in Mid-Missouri.

This event features music, food, vendors, children’s activities and information on community organizers. www.midmopride. org.

Boone Dawdle The True/False Film Fest hosts this annual summer bike ride from Columbia to Rocheport, where a dinner is served and a film is screened. www.truefalse.org/dawdle.

SEPTEMBER One Read Daniel Boone Regional Library patrons vote to select an annual One Read, a fiction or nonfiction title for the community to explore and emphasize. The book’s themes are then fleshed out through author talks, panel discussions, art exhibits and more. oneread.dbrl.org.

Boone County Heritage Festival and Craft Show The festival celebrates the history of Mid-Missouri by bringing in artisans and tradesmen to demonstrate their trades and sell their wares. The event also provides music, hay ride, children’s activities and more. www.gocolumbiamo.com.

OCTOBER Roots N Blues festival Held in Stephens Lake Park, this large celebration features a variety of music, food and other entertainment, drawing in thousands of people from across the country.

The 2020 edition is canceled, but the fest plans to return in September 2021. www. rootsnbluesfestival.com.

Hartsburg Pumpkin Festival Held the second full weekend in October in Hartsburg, the event features craft vendors and a variety of pumpkin-related activities, plus lots of pumpkins for sale. www.hartsburgpumpkinfest.com.

University of Missouri Homecoming Celebrate with a parade and tailgates, plus myriad campus activities over the preceding week, including extravagant Greektown house decorations. www.missouri.edu.

“We Always Swing” Jazz Series The jazz program brings in top talents to Columbia, offering an educational program and films to promote, preserve and celebrate jazz. Performances generally start in October and are scheduled through the following spring. www.wealwaysswing.org.

Odyssey Chamber Music Series This concert series presents intimate yet ambitious chamber music performances at First Baptist Church. The series consistently calls on local talent, yet mingles in guest performers from across the country and world. Concerts generally get underway in

October and run through May. Odyssey also works with a number of other cultural organizations to present The Plowman Chamber Music Competition and Festival during the spring of odd-number years. odysseymissouri.org.

Spooktacular This annual and free alternative to door-todoor trick-or-treating on Halloween night features games, activities and treats. www. gocolumbiamo.com.

NOVEMBER Columbia Jaycees Holiday Parade On the Sunday before Thanksgiving, this kid-friendly event includes a parade with visits by Santa and Mrs. Claus. www.columbiamojaycees.com.

Black Culture Awareness Week Centered on the mission of the Gaines/ Oldham Black Culture Center at MU, the weeklong event features a soul food dinner, musical performances, guest speakers and discussions. diversity.missouri.edu.

DECEMBER Living Windows Festival On the first Friday in December, the downtown district hosts live window displays, strolling carolers, visits with Santa and more. www.discoverthedistrict.com.

Holiday Homes Tour Serving as the primary fundraiser for the Women’s Symphony League, the tour features some of Columbia’s most decorated homes to celebrate the holiday season. The event hosts a silent auction and bake sale. www.themosy.org.

City Kwanzaa Celebration This annual event celebrates the black holiday based around family and community. A free holiday feast, entertainment and community awards will be given at the event. www.gocolumbiamo.com.

Since 1981

2020-2021: Season 17 OdysseyMissouri.org (573) 825-0079

Denis Swope Paul Copenhaver MUSIC MUSIC DIRECTOR

City City of Columbia Office of Cultural Affairs Office

Founded in 1981, 1981, CCB CCB performs performs wide variety variety year-round in aa wide venues. The The band’s band’s of concert venues. repertoire ranges ranges from from traditional traditional patriotic selections, selections, marches, patriotic of popular popular songs songs and medleys of and show tunes tunes to to more more modern modern The group group also also compositions. The House Memorial Memorial offers the Keith House local graduating graduating Scholarship to local musicians. high school musicians. visit ccbonline.org ccbonline.org For more info, visit or call 573-446-BAND 573-446-BAND (2263) (2263)

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FEATURES

ON THE

same page

Library program gathers community around One Read

P

oliticians, advocates and artists know how hard it is to get their communities on the same page.

Somehow, Daniel Boone Regional Library has pulled off the feat for more than 18 years. Through its One Read program, the library system brings readers together around a single text and then fleshes out its themes through discussions, exhibits and other programming.

This year’s One Read, Amor Towles’ historical novel “A Gentleman In Moscow,” will gather MidMissourians to reflect upon the ways our lives intersect, even if we’re forced to stay in one place.

Towles’ work sticks with a Russian count as he fulfills a decadeslong house arrest in a quirky hotel.

If we are what we read, looking through the program’s history shows how a community slowly, surely reshapes itself over time. Here are a few of the more significant One Reads since the program’s inception. Find more information about One Read at oneread.dbrl.org.

2002: “Plainsong” by Kent Haruf The first One Read came from the pen of the late novelist, detailing tenuous lives in his native Colorado. Teachers,

BY AARIK DANIELSEN Columbia Daily Tribune

students and makeshift families offer each chances for redemption.

2011: “The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks” by Rebecca Skloot A groundbreaking work of storytelling and investigative science journalism, Skloot’s book tells of the title figure, a black woman whose cells were unethically harvested to create a number of medical solutions. Skloot’s work led to a 2017 HBO film starring Oprah Winfrey and Rose Byrne.

2013: “The Ruins of Us” by Keija Parssinen One Read went local and global with this novel from thenColumbia resident Parssinen. Drawing on her childhood as an American in Saudi Arabia, she unspools the complicated lineage and legacy of a bi-cultural family in a patriarchal society.

2015: “Station Eleven”

by Emily St. John Mandel One of the strongest novels to be named a One Read — and a book that turned out to be oddly prophetic — is Mandel’s tale of what survives a global

pandemic. The Canadian writer sensitively sifts sadness and heightens the inherent tension of trying to stay alive. But the book is ultimately a meditation on the need for what keeps us human: art, music, literature, love and companionship.

2016: “Bettyville”

by George Hodgman The wider world fell in love with MidMissouri’s own Hodgman through this memoir about coming home to care for an aging mother. Hodgman’s humor shines through each page, as does his ability to handle topics such as small-town living, sexuality, mental health and the pitfalls of growing old with care. Hodgman died last year, but so many pieces of him live on and in this beloved title.

2019: “Nomadland”

by Jessica Bruder Our most recent One Read is both an on-the-road story ala Kerouac and a subtly searing cultural analysis in the vein of Barbara Ehrenreich’s 2004 One Read “Nickel and Dimed.” With peerless levity and compassion, Bruder tags along with a growing segment of the workforce — mostly middle-age and senior adults — who remagine America as a series of destinations with seasonal jobs. adanielsen@columbiatribune.com 573-815-1731

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Calvary Episcopal Church [PHOTOS BY ANNA BRUGMANN]

Living testimonies Downtown churches offer history, architecture lessons

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BY ANNA BRUGMANN Columbia Daily Tribune

estled between downtown housing developments, Columbia’s historic churches still sit, if maybe a little quieter than usual.

Their doors might be closed or

capacities limited in light of pandemic-related precautions, but that shouldn’t stop residents from getting to know some of downtown Columbia’s longest-standing structures.

Whether you're looking for a new church home or trying to get to know The District, a walking tour of our city’s downtown historic churches is the perfect activity for a late-summer evening.

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An architectural detail above the entrance to Second Baptist Church.

Second Missionary Baptist

First Christian Church

First Baptist Church

407 E. Broadway

101 N. 10th St.

1112 E. Broadway

Heading west on Broadway, Second Missionary Baptist Church welcomes Columbia residents and visitors to downtown. The Romanesque Revival building was completed in 1894; however members of the church had been meeting since 1865. The congregation from which Second Missionary Baptist finds its roots was formed after slavery was abolished.

First Baptist Church, which was at the time located on the courthouse square, allowed enslaved people to sit in on Sunday services.

However, after emancipation, Black community members sought to form a congregation of their own. The church went through many iterations, ultimately culminating in its current location next to the historic Blind Boone Home on the corner of Broadway and Fourth Street.

Although the church has suspended many of its usual services, according to its website, it has been hosting some outdoor worship events. Stay tuned on its Facebook page for updates on upcoming services.

The First Christian Church building at the intersection of 10th and Walnut is another example of the Romanesque Revival in downtown Columbia. The current building, completed in 1861, was actually the second building after the congregation outgrew a structure built in 1832. The first church was a one-story brick structure on 7th Street. Some of the bricks from the original structure were used to create the placard that sits on the 10th Street side of the current building. Although the date of the church’s first meeting is unknown, it was officially organized in 1832.

As of July, First Christian Church was still meeting virtually. Visitors can tune into the church’s YouTube channel for weekly services and its website, firstchristian.org, for updates on future in-person worship services.

With one of downtown’s most visible steeples, First Baptist Church sits at the top of Broadway on the eastern end of downtown. The church was the first congregation in Columbia when it was organized in 1823. The congregation met in private homes, the Boone County Courthouse and a building on the courthouse square before moving to its current location. First, a Neo-Gothic Victorian building was built on the land. However, when the congregation outgrew the original structure, the current Colonial Revival building was constructed in 1957.

First Baptist Church as been offering online service options since March, but will be introducing an outdoor worship option 9:15 a.m. Aug. 9.

For more information on its Sunday morning webcast, visit the church’s website at fbc-columbia.org.

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Calvary Episcopal Church 123 S. Ninth St.

Calvary Episcopal Church finds its beginnings in 1955 when 10 Columbia residents petitioned the Episcopal Diocese to create a branch of the church in Columbia. The congregation met in private homes, the courthouse or other Columbia churches until it could build its own building in 1872 on Broadway between 5th and 6th Street. The building had to be repaired after a fire destroyed the church offices on Easter morning in 1898. The current building was finished in 1899 and designed

by Mary Louise Hale. She managed to incorporate pieces of the original building including bell, memorial windows, brass alter railing and other church fixtures.

The church will remain closed until at least September 1, according to its website, but visitors are encouraged to participate in its online services. Services are made available on its YouTube channel.

First Christian Church

Sacred Heart Catholic Church 105 Waugh St.

Mass was held in Columbia as early as 1835, but it would be until between 1876 and 1877 that mass was held more regularly. Catholic worshipers met at the Boone County Courthouse until the 1880s when Sacred Heart Church on Waugh Street was dedicated. A larger church was completed on the original plot in 1914.

In-person mass has resumed at Sacred Heart Catholic Church. For more information on precautions, visit sacredheart-church.org.

A window faces out from Calvary Episcopal Church.

First Baptist Church

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Doing the work Program educates Columbia about range of disparities

BY ELENA K. CRUZ Columbia Daily Tribune

S

ince March, we have heard it in email openings, phone greetings and casual conversations: a shared expression of care, hoping people stay well during “these unprecedented times.”

Since 2017, three years before the coronavirus pandemic began, Journey Toward Inclusive Excellence has been in place to care for community members facing inequalities that are, however, formed by historical and systemic precedents.

These precedents have also led to inequalities involving comfort and safety within the pre-COVID-19 world.

As summer hit, the local program kept working to mend the gaps and improve Columbia’s future through education about disparities in race, gender, class, ability, ethnicity, sexuality and more.

“We wanted to provide opportunities to address our biases, which is a difficult topic for any human being, but recognize that we all have privilege, there's oppression, and those things impact our community,” Inclusive Impact Institute Director Nikki McGruder said.

“So, if we truly want to create a community where everyone feels like they still have value and they can thrive, then this work is necessary.”

Organized by the Inclusive Impact Institute, the program focuses on having difficult conversations about people’s positions among social power structures.

The institute collaborates with community organizations to set up meetings, conferences, conversations and events that immerse locals in activities that educate them about others’ experiences.

Its next big summer event, the State of Inclusivity Conference, was set for Aug. 6.

The Journey Toward Inclusive

The planning team for 2019’s State of Inclusivity Conference poses for a photo. [COURTESY INCLUSIVE IMPACT INSTITUTE]

Excellence also shares public discussions on Facebook, which have been viewed by hundreds of viewers.

“Equity can't just be a checkbox, and it's not like you just attend an event and magically you have mitigated all your biases, and you are crowned as equitable,” said Kari Utterback, Inclusive Excellence committee member and senior administrative supervisor of the City of Columbia.

“It has to be uncomfortable, and it has to be an ongoing process.”

However, the process has been stalled due to stay-at-home orders and safety precautions. To replace in-person events, McGruder has held virtual conversations with community leaders and an American Sign Language

interpreter every other Wednesday.

In past years, the institute has worked with Columbia Public Schools to set up a black history mobile museum and with Public Health and Human Services to discuss health disparities, Utterback said.

It has also partnered with Daniel Boone Regional Library to offer workshops about religion, and with other groups ranging from the Central Bank of Boone County to the City of Columbia. Participants are asked to attend many events to better learn about the community, Utterback said.

“It’s important to understand that there are systems that have been put in place and have been operational for centuries, and they're working as

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they were designed, which is the problem,” McGruder said. “They were designed centuries ago to hold people in certain places, and if we don't change that, then they're going to continue, and that's what we're seeing.

“So we tell the individuals, it's not about pointing the finger at you, but it is about creating awareness that you know what activities that you are participating in that keep the system operational.”

McGruder said now is the right time to administer change.

“I think about my brothers and sisters in this disability community, my fellow humans with disabilities, whether visible or nonvisible, that have been asking for accommodations for forever,” she said. “Then we have this global pandemic, and all of a sudden, we can get the software, the technology, in people's homes to allow them to continue to work.”

McGruder added that what the public considered normal before the pandemic “needs to be redefined, and it needs to be considered through the lens of the most disadvantaged.”

The State of Inclusivity Conference was designed to offer outlets for conversations with community organizations and leaders. It also offers access to data to provide hard evidence of inequalities.

There are 14 committee members who work to put together the events; one member, Kristin Commons, is also program manager of the Boone County Community Services Department. She hopes to reach rural communities through the larger scope of a virtual platform.

Commons, Utterback and McGruder said they have learned from their experiences leading the program, and hope more community members will follow. Utterback said she has privileges involving race, ability, class and sexuality, and it’s important for people like her to identify these privileges and learn how to apply them to help others.

“It is the job of the privileged to talk to other people with privilege,” she said.

“It shouldn't be the job of black mothers everywhere to talk about their high rate of miscarriages,” Utterback added.

“I should just be able to say I've never had that experience, and I know what the data says, and the studies show that is happening because

Verna Laboy, a member of the Journey Toward Inclusive Excellence, holds a sign during the March for Inclusive Excellence, held during the first-ever Inclusive Excellence Day. [COURTESY INCLUSIVE IMPACT INSTITUTE]

of racism here in America.”

Other events will continue to be available, but organizers are still developing them in a rapidly changing environment.

“What disparities have been made even more clear? What do we need to do

differently going forward that we didn't think about or didn't give ourselves time to consider pre-pandemic?” McGruder said. “Those are the conversations that we need to be having now especially as we're re-opening the country.”

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FAMILY MATTERS Moms Demand Action mixes parenting with push for gun reform

BY ELENA K. CRUZ Columbia Daily Tribune

Members of the local chapter of Moms Demand Action pose at a monthly meeting held in-person before the coronavirus pandemic moved the meetings online. [COURTESY KRISTIN BOWEN]

A

s the founder of the Columbia group of Moms Demand Action For Gun Sense in America discussed the organization’s summer plans, she made sure to sit far from her son and disconnect her phone from wi-fi. He was taking his AP Spanish exam online, and as a conscientious mom, she didn’t want to interfere.

Kristin Bowen, also the deputy chapter leader for Missouri Moms Demand Action, is one of the group’s many members blending parenting with the fight for gun regulations. The Columbia group is one of 20 in the state, and since 2015, it has worked with legislators and community members to reduce gun violence.

“We support the Second Amendment, and we support the culture in Missouri,” Columbia group spokesperson Catey Terry said. “But there just are some common-sense gun laws that can make us all safer, and that's what Moms is fighting for.”

Originally Moms Demand Action began as a group asking for gun regulations within schools. It was created in 2012 following the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting, according to the national organization’s Facebook page, but now has a broader scope.

According to a 2019 Moms Demand Action one-pager, the organization calls for: • A stricter background check system • Red flag laws and safe storage of firearms • More education for law enforcement officers and funding toward research about gun violence • Preventing domestic abusers from owning a gun Almost 40,000 people died from gunrelated injuries in the United States in 2017 alone, according to the Pew Research Center. For every 100,000 people,

O UR TOW N 2020 | www.co l um bi a t r i b u n e.com | 19

21.5 residents in Missouri died from related injuries.

“With every person who dies in general, two more are wounded, and it's just the ripple effect of who all are impacted by that: parents, grandparents, siblings, aunts, uncles, anyone who's lost a loved one is impacted by gun violence,” Terry said.

As the lockdown hit and social distancing was in place, the organization continued to meet monthly this summer using Zoom calls. Bowen said about the same number of people have shown up to the virtual meetings as they did in person, with about 20 to 30 attendees.

“The sad reality is that any moment could be a crisis for any one of our communities, and we always want to have a way for people to engage with us and take meaningful local actions,” she said.

Although many public gathering spaces are closed due to the coronavirus pandemic, people living with domestic abusers or who have suicidal thoughts are at risk, Bowen said.

“I think that we have to remind ourselves about what happened when this pandemic first began to really register with us,” she said, “and that is that there was this huge spike in gun purchases and ammunition purchases, and that in combination with shelter-in-place orders has left a lot people really vulnerable.”

Following recent national news about the murders of George Floyd and Breonna Taylor at the hands of police, Terry did not know of any upcoming events discussing the effects of racism on police gun violence. She said members of Moms Demand Action, which does not release its racial demographic information, informally post tips with each other about white privilege over social media.

June 6, the Missouri chapter hosted a Wear Orange Facebook Live event, in which people dressed in orange and listened to virtual speakers in solidarity against gun violence. Group members will also spend the summer doing election work, in which they will meet with legislators, rate the degree to which candidates share similar interests on gun control and try to encourage the removal of lawmakers with unfavorable gun views.

A good year for the Columbia group is

During its 2019 Wear Orange awareness event, Moms Demand Action Members Carin Huffman Grinch, left, and Kristin Bowen accept a proclamation from Columbia Mayor Brian Treece marking National Gun Violence Awareness Day. [COURTESY KRISTIN BOWEN]

when no “bad bills” are passed, Bowen said, which basically are bills calling for gun deregulations.

“One thing that's difficult in Missouri, I would say specifically, is we're always playing defense,” Terry said. “These senators and representatives propose guns everywhere, so we sort of have to go to work, and call constituents in their area and advocate why that's a bad bill.”

So, as the members of Moms Demand Action raise their children, they fight for more gun rules and education — in

schools and out of it.

“We don't have to live like this,” Terry said. “Living in Missouri, I respect the gun culture on hunting, but I just feel like we don't all have to live in fear of going to school and having a school shooter or going to a movie or synagogues or churches or anywhere.”

To join, you also don’t have to be a mom; the organization accepts all members. Additionally, they have a survivor network, which anyone affected by gun violence can join.

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Boone Hospital Center Registered Nurse Phyliss Golden performs a nasopharyngeal swab on a person at the Boone Hospital Center Mobile Health Unit located in the parking lot near Anthony and Ann Streets. [DON SHRUBSHELL/TRIBUNE]

WE CAN BE

heroes

Many stepped up for Our Town during pandemic

BY RUDI KELLER | Columbia Daily Tribune

E

very year, throngs cheer athletic heroics on the gridiron in Memorial Stadium at the University of Missouri.

Thousands more give throat to their appreciation of a hot guitar lick laid down during the Roots N Blues festival.

But not this year. This is a year to cheer those who do their jobs quietly, out of the view of most and without a thought to who notices or not.

"The popular saying 'not all heroes wear capes' applies to these people who wear scrubs and white coats, as well as the people who provide food and housekeeping services to our patients," Stephen Keithahn, specialist in internal medicine pediatrics and chief wellness officer for MU Health Care wrote in April about health care workers.

And in May, Patricia Hall, medical director of Truman Memorial Veterans Hospital, echoed that sentiment.

O UR TOW N 2020 | www.co l um bi a t r i b u n e.com | 21 Bryan Maness of Ozark Mountain Biscuit Company hands out a Scrappy Meal at Cafe Berlin. Michelle La Fata of Pasta La Fata and Maness created Scrappy Meals from leftover pasta along with restaurants Pizza Tree, Cafe Berlin, Scott’s Baked Goods and Fiddle and Stone Bread Company. The meals were offered in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

[DON SHRUBSHELL/TRIBUNE]

movie theater or other gathering.

“The COVID-19 pandemic has shown us how everyone’s health depends on cooperation,” Browning said in June. “We must keep working together to save lives and protect our health care system by slowing the spread of the virus.”

So far, Boone County has been relatively fortunate. Missouri’s infection rate has been below the national average and Boone County’s rate is below Missouri’s.

There have been five deaths through the second week of August, including the first one in the state in March, but the rate of deaths here is one of the lowest in the state among counties that have experienced deaths and less than 10 percent of the statewide rate.

A big part of preventing spread of COVID-19 is tracing contacts for each

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infected person and investigating how they may have caught it and where they may have spread it.

That job has fallen on the health department. It is not new, and before COVID-19, contact tracing for various diseases was part of the health department’s job. When someone in food service had hepatitis A, for example, the department would work to identify when they were at work and where they might have contracted the disease.

But before COVID-19, no one at the health department was a full-time contact tracer and case investigator. That’s changed, with as many as 20 employees, full and part-time assigned to the duties and, as those employees return to regular functions, a dozen dedicated case investigators and tracers.

OF

“Police officers, firefighters and health care workers wrestle with an enemy — COVID-19 — that they cannot see,” Hall wrote. “They are on the front lines of this battle.

“These men and women are our mothers, fathers, sisters, brothers, husbands, wives, and friends. They are what we refer to as ‘essential,’ but really, they should be called heroes. They put themselves at risk daily for the health of their community, spending countless, sleepless hours caring for the ill and keeping our public safe.”

Some of the people who have worked daily to keep Our Town safe and functioning during the coronavirus pandemic by necessity did so in public.

Stephanie Browning, after 21 years of leading the Columbia-Boone County Health and Human Services Department, has been one of the most visible. For years, her department provided services in a routine and professional way, and among her biggest concerns was whether there would be a shortage of flu vaccine each year.

On her orders and recommendations, businesses and government offices in the county shut down in late March. The health orders she signs set rules for how many people can be in a bar or restaurant,

22 | w w w.co l u m bi a t ri b u n e.co m | O U R TOWN 2 0 2 0 LEFT: Stephanie Browning, director of the Columbia/Boone County Public Health and Human Services, talks about preparations already made in the event of an outbreak of the coronavirus in Columbia and Boone County. Health officials gave information about the virus during a press conference at City Hall.

RIGHT: Harry S Truman Veterans’ Memorial Hospital employees from left, Stephanie Absher, RN, MSN, associate director of patient care services, Lana Zerrer, MD, chief of staff, Heather Brown, strategic partnership officer, Patricia Hall, PhD, FACHE, medical center director and Robert Ritter, FACHE, associate director, greet fellow employees coming to work and thank them for the work they are doing during the COVID-19 virus crisis. About a half dozen employees wore costumes and stood outside the employee entrance for 90 minutes to greet employees.

[PHOTOS BY DON SHRUBSHELL/TRIBUNE]

Their cheers go to a retired physician who has volunteered to help train and mentor them.

Jeffrey Belden, who Assistant Director Scott Clardy previously met for the first and only time on the day his daughter was born in 1994, has worked almost daily to support the teams, Clardy said.

“He sits in on their conference calls, he has provided guidance to them on symptoms and ways to ask questions,” Clardy said.

A professor emeritus in the School of Medicine, Belden researched electronic health record keeping and has been advising the department as it uses the REDCap Cloud clinical software, advising on the data that is most important.

Most mornings, he is on the investigative team meetings, Rebecca Roesslet, leader of the department’s disease investigation team, wrote to explain his role.

“During this time, he can be counted on for his clinical guidance as well as his willingness to research complex issues for the team,” Roesslet wrote. “He has even served as our AV support on occasion.

He balances this with his daily bike ride, often pulling over during his ride to chime in when we have questions.

“We are grateful to have him in our team.”

Belden also takes on the job of boosting team morale, important when the number of new cases has been ranging between 10 and 60 a day.

“More than anything he has been a cheerleader and he has provide them some positive feedback from a provider standpoint,” Clardy said.

Brenda Selman, registrar of the University of Missouri, said she likes to think of her office as the hook behind the picture — preparing the course catalog, sending out diplomas, processing applications for students who want to become Missouri residents and, of course registering students.

“We don't brag a lot, we're not flashy but we are there and everybody expects us to be there,” Selman said.

The work she would like to raise a cheer for has been performed by the team that, over the summer, prepare for returning students under new social distancing rules that dramatically reduced the capacity of each classroom and laboratory.

Decisions had to be made about how approximately 17,000 course sections would be delivered. She credits a fourperson team led by Assistant Registrar Carla Whitney with doing that while making an absolute minimum of changes in when the courses would offered.

Students sign up for particular sections for a variety of reasons, sometimes to avoid conflicts with other required courses or so they have days open for a job, Whitney said. Those plans had to be taken into account.

Whitney, with student support

specialist Jessica Bowen and administrative aides Patty Luckenotte and Tammy Limbach, had to rearrange the entire fall schedule. That was after all the returning students had made their selections and while new students were enrolling, she noted.

“It was very much rebuilding the airplane while it is flying,” she said.

First, a decision had to be made for each section — would it be entirely online, mainly online, blended or traditional. The goal was to put as much online as possible, Selman said.

A small class, generally under 10, can meet as normal, as long as the proper space can be found at the time needed.

Large lecture classes that in the past would put hundreds of students together in an auditorium are out, Selman said.

Classes have been categorized based on how much is done online. Some are entirely online, with no need to even visit campus. Another category is for courses where more than 80 percent of the work can be done online, with visits to campus for one-on-one meetings or taking exams.

Most of the remaining classes will be blended. In some cases, students will be in classrooms each day the section is held but in half sessions, leaving so the other half can come in.

A class offered on Monday, Wednesday and Friday, for example, could have onethird of students in class each of those

O UR TOW N 2020 | www.co l um bi a t r i bu n e.com | 23

days and the remainder joining online. Each third would be assigned one day for in-class attendance and two days for online learning.

“There's all kinds of combinations based on what is needed, the capacities of the rooms and other factors,” Selman said. “They are working inside of a lot of parameters and were under a lot of pressure to get it done.”

All of the work was done in consultation with deans and departments and operations staff to understand the new capacity limits and the need for space for each class. They created a spreadsheet to track where each class was originally slated to be held, the previous and current capacity of the space and whether it could accommodate the full or blended class, Selman said.

Throughout all that work, the other functions of the office had to be maintained and moved online.

All the while, like every other department at the university, managers took salary cuts and lowerlevel employees were put on furlough.

Between them, the team has almost 100 years of experience at the university.

“They were really the team that did the class thing and that has been truly amazing,” Selman said. “They were calm, and we talked and worked together about how to approach it and to move those things through.”

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CARRY ON

Columbia writers, musicians make something of a tough year

BY AARIK DANIELSEN Columbia Daily Tribune

During a year in which chances to leave the house and enjoy the arts in-person were few and far between, Columbia culture-makers had us covered.

Musicians released albums and authors wrote books that were easy to access and explore from the safety of home.

Here are just a few of the more interesting local artifacts made to this point of the year: TO STREAM OR SPIN Maxito Lindo, “Furthest Friends” With a little help from friends, Max Garcia-Rubio delivers one of the most weird, wonderful local records of the year. The Maxito Lindo sound deftly manages to unite spare singer-songwriter tropes with lovely, disruptive flourishes of sound and noise.

The Burney Sisters, “Letter to You EP” This youthful sister act just keeps turning in songs that are mature beyond most artists’ years. Kind-hearted folk, Beatle-esque melodic sensibilities and the sandpaper edges of Americana find balance with the Burneys.

OK Samaritan, “Wobble Top EP” There’s only three songs here, but these locals prize quality over quantity, dialing in to the heart of alternative-rock and making a record marked

by great guitar sounds and thoughtful songcraft.

common ground across the ages.

The music of John Galbraith Where to start? Galbraith’s various projects have released three albums so far in 2020 — unless something dropped in the middle of this sentence — touching various corners of indie-rock and bluegrass.

Galbraith even managed to release a concept album about COVID-19, finding both wry and poignant angles on the pandemic.

“The Full Scoop” by Jill Orr Orr concluded her Riley Ellison mystery series in 2020, a string of books that nimbly weaves together twists, turns and belly laughs. Orr’s protagonist, a fumbling 20-something obituary writer, is incredibly endearing and has kept readers anticipating her every next move.

TURN THE PAGE “The Paris Hours” by Alex George There’s rarely a dull moment for this local author, who also heads the Unbound Book Festival and co-owns Skylark Bookshop. In a work that has been widely reviewed — all the way to the New York Times — George transposes the class struggle of “Les Miserables” into the Jazz Age. His prose is as exquisite as the Parisian cityscape, yet keeps time with the aching heartbeat within.

“Pole Dancing in the Night Club of God” by Walter Bargen Missouri’s first poet laureate — and a proud Boone County resident — Bargen writes poems full of history and humor. Here, he imagines a Biblical cast of characters at a moment resembling our present day. Rather than mock fish out of water, Bargen’s verses level the playing field, finding

LOCAL FOLKS MADE GOOD With its long history, and inextricable ties to higher education, Columbia has been a home or a waystation for many creators who have kept the country humming. Here are a few more great works of music, literature and film that have been brushed in some way by the area.

Sheryl Crow, “The Globe Sessions” (1998) Crow’s third album is her darkest — and perhaps her best. Songs like “My Favorite Mistake” and “Anything But Down” convey the acute angles of heartbreak while “There Goes the Neighborhood” satirizes suburban ideals. Crow famously attended the University of Missouri, graduating with a degree in music.

White Rabbits, “Milk Famous” (2012) Convening in Columbia as college kids, this band went on to Brooklyn and a three-record run of terrific, moody indie rock, capped off by their best.

William Least Heat-Moon, “Blue Highways” (1982) One of the most famous modern travelogues — perhaps second only to Kerouac’s “On the Road” — came from the author born William Trogdon, an MU grad who continues to make his home away from the road in the area.

Scott Cairns, “Idiot Psalms” (2014) Until recently, the soulful poet called Columbia home and taught at MU. Cairns remains one of our truly great American poets, excavating the roots of Western Christianity as he considers every element of what it means to be human.

The poets abide: Many terrific poets still share a Columbia area code, including former Missouri poet laureate Aliki Barnstone, Marc McKee, Gabriel Fried and Jennifer Maritza McCauley. Dive into their work wherever and whenever you can.

The films of Robert Greene A True/False Film Fest favorite, Greene kept coming back to Columbia until he decided to stay, taking a job at MU’s Murray Documentary Journalism Center. All of Greene’s works blur boundaries and take long, hard looks at the almost imperceptible line between reality and performance. His two most recent, “Bisbee ‘17” (2018) and “Kate Plays Christine” (2016), are revolutionary acts of filmmaking. adanielsen@columbiatribune.com 573-815-1731

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EDUCATION IN COLUMBIA [METRO CREATIVE CONNECTION]

W

ith the state’s flagship university, award-winning public schools and a slew of private options, education is one of the cornerstones of Columbia.

With more than 13,000 full-time faculty and staff members, the University of Missouri is Columbia’s largest employer.

As a member of the Southeastern Conference and a major research university, the campus is a more-than-$3 billion enterprise that makes a large impact on the local economy.

Columbia College and Stephens College

— which together serve more than 3,000 students — also count among Columbia’s cultural and educational assets and are a big reason why Columbia is consistently named in the Top 10 Best College Towns by livability.com.

The fifth-largest district in the state, Columbia Public Schools has an enrollment of over 19,000 students and is another top employer with over 2,500 faculty and staff.

The district’s ACT and SAT scores regularly exceed state and national averages, and 80-90 percent of Columbia students extend their education beyond

high school. More than 75 percent attend a college or university. Columbia Public Schools has been recognized as a District of Distinction by District Administration magazine, a Top 25 School District ranking by Niche.com, and has been nationally recognized by SchoolMatch with a “What Parents Want” award.

Columbia also offers a number of private school options from preschool through high school, with two Catholic schools and several other faith-based academies, Montessori options for early childhood education and a secular independent school.

LEADERSHIP Columbia Public Schools Administration

Columbia Public Schools Board of Education

Peter Stiepleman, superintendent

Helen Wade, president (term expires April 2023) hwade@cpsk12.org

Jill Dunlap Brown, assistant superintendent for elementary education Jen Rukstad, assistant superintendent for secondary education Carla London, chief equity officer Heather McArthur, chief financial officer Randy Gooch, chief operations officer Nickie Smith, chief HR officer

Susan Blackburn, vice president (term expires April 2021) sblackburn@cpsk12.org Chris Horn, member (term expires April 2023) chorn@cpsk12.org

Teresa Maledy, member (term expires April 2021) tmaledy@cpsk12.org David Seamon, member (term expires April 2021) dseamon@cpsk12.org Della Streaty-Wilhoit, member (term expires April 2022) dwilhoit@cpsk12.org Blake Willoughby, member (term expires April 2022) bwilloughby@cpsk12.org

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EDUCATI O N HIG H SCHOOLS

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Battle High School 7575 St. Charles Road | 573-214-3300 | www.cpsk12.org/Page/45

Mascot: Spartans Year opened: 2013 Number of students: 1,479 Students per teacher: 14.17 Feeder Schools: 2 Lange Middle School: Alpha Hart Lewis Elementary, Blue Ridge Elementary, Derby Ridge Elementary, Eliot Battle Elementary, Two Mile Prairie Elementary Oakland Middle School: Alpha Hart Lewis Elementary, Blue Ridge Elementary, Cedar Ridge Elementary, New Haven Elementary, Shepard Boulevard Elementary

Opened in fall 2013, Battle High School was named in honor of Dr. Muriel Battle, an educator who served Columbia Public Schools for 40 years. Battle was a pioneer in the desegregation of both the school district and the community at large. Starting as a social studies teacher at Douglass High School, Battle spent the bulk of her time with CPS at West Junior High School where she worked as a teacher, department chairperson, assistant principal and principal. The motto at West Junior High while Battle at the helm was “we’re glad you’re here.” She retired as the first female associate superintendent of CPS. The Battle Spartans have achieved success in the short time they have been competing, having won a state championship in football in 2014.

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[TRIBUNE FILE PHOTO]

Douglass High School 310 N. Providence Road | 573-214-3680 | www.cpsk12.org/Domain/15

Mascot: Bulldogs Year Opened: 1885 Number of students: 185 Students per teacher: 11

Frederick Douglass High School has been many things since it was first incorporated into the Columbia School District in 1865 as an all-black school.

The high school program is believed to have been started around 1887. After Brown vs. Board of Education in 1954, Douglass was designated one of Columbia’s seven elementary schools and the junior and senior high programs were slowly phased out. In 1967, Douglass became the home of the district’s new continuing education program created by former principal Eliot Battle. The district’s Secondary Learning Center — recognized by the district and former Gov. John Ashcroft as a model program — was relocated to the Douglass building in 1985. In November 1992, the Columbia School Board voted a name change for the Secondary Learning Center back to Frederick Douglass High School.

Douglass once again became an official, accredited high school in 1993, and its mascot was changed to the original bulldog. Douglass’ mission is to “re-engage students at risk of dropping out to achieve successful high school completion and design a positive, productive post-secondary transition plan.”

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Hickman High School 1104 N. Providence Road | 537-214-3000 | www.cpsk12.org/HHS Mascot: Kewpies Year opened: 1927 Number of students: 1,725 Students per teacher: 15.54 Feeder Schools: 2 Smithton Middle School: Alpha Hart Lewis Elementary, Derby Ridge Elementary, Midway Heights Elementary, Parkade Elementary, Paxton Keeley Elementary, Russell Boulevard Elementary, Shepard Boulevard Elementary, West Boulevard Elementary West Middle School: Benton Elementary, Fairview Elementary, Grant Elementary, Parkade Elementary, Russell Boulevard Elementary, West Boulevard Elementary

Columbia’s oldest operating high school is named for David Henry Hickman, who donated part of his estate — which formerly had been home to a horse race track and grandstand — for construction of the new school in 1927. Legend has it, the school gained its Kewpie mascot after a school secretary placed her Kewpie doll in the center of the court during a basketball game, and the entire game was played around it without it being broken. As the team won, it became a good luck charm. The school’s motto is “keep smiling.” As a two-time Blue Ribbon School, Hickman has a lot to smile about.

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Rock Bridge High School 4303 S. Providence Road 573-214-3100 www.cpsk12.org/rbhs Mascot: Bruins Year opened: 1973 Number of students: 1,997 Students per teacher: 18.23 Feeder Schools: 2 Gentry Middle School: Grant Elementary, Locust Street Elementary, Midway Heights Elementary, Mill Creek Elementary, New Haven Elementary, Paxton Keeley Elementary, Rock Bridge Elementary, Russell Boulevard Elementary Oakland Middle School: Benton Elementary, Blue Ridge Elementary, Fairview Elementary, Grant Elementary, Lee Elementary, Mill Creek Elementary, New Haven Elementary, Paxton Keeley Elementary, Russell Boulevard Elementary, Shepard Boulevard Elementary

[DON SHRUBSHELL/TRIBUNE]

Opened in 1973 to meet the needs of a growing Columbia, Rock Bridge is named for the state park just two miles away. The school’s original architectural design won a national award in school design. It was the student body that decided on the Bruins mascot (patriots, turtles, road runners and rebels were also considered) and the Kelly green

and new gold school colors. Student Sam Smith also designed the Bruins logo.

Continuing that student-led theme, in 1973, a humanities class created the school crest with the motto “Omnes Vincent Ursi,” or “Bruins Conquer all.” The Bruins have indeed conquered all with a number of state athletic titles, one of the most recent being the boys basketball team’s 2019 championship.

T HRI V E

CO N N ECT

AC H I E V E

SUPPORTING INDIVIDUALS WITH DEVELOPMENTAL DISABILITIES SINCE1976 1976 SUPPORTING INDIVIDUALS WITH DEVELOPMENTAL DISABILITIES SINCE

We promote inclusion for people developmentaldisabilities disabilities by We promote inclusion for people withwith developmental by helping helping create a plan to thrive in the community, connect with others and achieve create a plan to thrive in the community, connect with others and achieve SUPPORTING INDIVIDUALS WITH DEVELOPMENTAL DISABILITIES SINCE 1976 personal goals.

Visit WWW.BCFR.ORG to: personal goals. mote inclusion for people withWWW.BCFR.ORG developmental disabilities Visit to: by helping · Refer someone for services plan to thrive in the community, connect with others and achieve · Refer· someone for services Explore career opportunities goals. · Read success stories of persons served · Explore career opportunities Visit WWW.BCFR.ORG to: · success Learn how you can BCFR · Read stories ofsupport persons served · Refer someone for services · Learn how you can support BCFR · Explore career opportunities · Read success stories of persons served · Learn how you can support BCFR

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WWW.BCFR.ORG | 573-874-1995

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Fr. Tolton Catholic High School 3351 E. Gans Road | 573-445-7700 | www.toltoncatholic.org

Mascot: Trailblazer Year opened: 2011 Number of students: 250 Students per teacher: 15.6 Feeder School: Our Lady of Lourdes Interparish School

Opened in fall 2011, Fr. Tolton Catholic High School was the result of years of grassroots fundraising and planning efforts by local Catholic parishes and families. The high school was named for John Augustin Tolton, America’s first black priest. Tolton was born a slave in Brush Creek, Missouri. In 1854, he escaped to join the Union Army.

He was ordained to the priesthood in Rome because no American seminary would accept him. Fr. Tolton High school started off with just over 50 ninth and 10th graders, expanded the next year to serve grades nine to 11 and graduated its first senior class in spring 2014. The school’s mission is to educate students “within a community of faith founded upon the teachings of Jesus Christ and His Church” and “facilitate the growth of the whole student: spirit, heart, mind and body.” Fr. Tolton has nationally recognized AdvanceEd accreditation. The girls track team secured the Trailblazers’ first team state championship in 2015, then again in 2016. The school also has two state titles in cheerleading from 2015 and 2018.

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EDUCATION POSTSECONDARY SC H OOLS

Columbia College

[TRIBUNE FILE PHOTO]

1001 Rogers St. | 573-875-8700 | www.ccis.edu

Originally founded in 1851 as Christian Female College, the school was the first women’s college west of the Mississippi River to be chartered by a state legislature.

Today, Columbia College is a fouryear, coeducational liberal arts and sciences college that prides itself on its faculty, quality of educational programs and small class sizes.

The school offers 10 associate degree programs, over 30 bachelor’s degree programs and eight master’s degree programs in Columbia and at 30 extended campuses in multiple states and Cuba, as well as an online program.

Columbia College has accumulated a number of accolades, including being named to the U.S. News and World Report’s list of best online programs for its bachelor’s degree offerings, criminal justice, education and MBA programs and as a “best buy” by GetEducated.com for affordability and for its business, criminal justice, MBA and psychology and human services programs. It was named a “college of distinction” by Student Horizons Inc., and was recognized with a “most affordable” award as the most popular online school in Missouri by Online U. Columbia College also has received

recognition for its service and educational support for veterans. The school made Military Times’ list of “Best for Vets: Colleges” and was named a top school for military and veteran education by Military Advanced Education and was named to the Military Friendly Schools list.

Columbia College is a member of the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics and of the American Midwest Conference. The Cougars compete in 15 sports including baseball, softball, men’s and women’s basketball, soccer and track and field. The school has earned national titles in volleyball and men’s basketball.

[TRIBUNE FILE PHOTO]

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University of Missouri 573-882-2121 | www.missouri.edu

Founded in 1839, the University of Missouri was the first state university west of the Mississippi River.

Other firsts for the university include the world’s first School of Journalism, founded in 1908; Missouri’s first College of Veterinary Medicine, founded in 1940; the first engineering program west of the Mississippi, founded in 1849; and the nation’s first College of Education at a public university, founded in 1868.

Also known as MU and Mizzou, the school is a major land-grant institution and is the state’s largest public research university, conducting $205 million in research each year. It is one of only 36 public universities (and the only in Missouri) selected for membership in the Association of American Universities.

Mizzou offers more than 300 degree programs and is among only five institutions

in the country with law, medicine, veterinary medicine and a nuclear research center — the largest and most powerful university research reactor in the country — on one campus. The campus itself is a designated botanic garden, with more than 42,000 plants and trees and serves as an outdoor laboratory for several academic programs. MU also operates a Museum of Art and Archaeology and Museum of Anthropology, both of which are open to the public.

The university has been nationally recognized by the National Science Foundation as one of the top 10 universities in the country for undergraduate research opportunities. Other accolades include being labeled “Research University/Very High” and “Community Engaged” by the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching; accreditation through

the Higher Learning Commission; named a veteran-friendly school by G.I. Jobs, U.S. News and World Report and other national media; the College of Education’s graduate programs are listed in the top 50 by the U.S. News and World Report; the Journalism School is consistently a top-ranked program by organizations and publications such as the NewsPro-Radio Television Digital News Association, USA Today and College Magazine; and the Energy Star CHP Award from the Environmental Protection Agency for significant pollution reduction and energy efficiency.

MU is a Division I member of the NCAA and joined the Southeastern Conference in 2012. The Tigers compete in 20 sports and have achieved notable success in everything from gymnastics to wrestling to football and basketball.

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Stephens College 1200 E. Broadway | 573-442-2211 | www.stephens.edu

Stephens College has been educating women for more than 180 years. Founded in 1833 as the Columbia Female Academy, Stephens is the second-oldest women’s college in the country and prides itself on its emphasis on leadership.

The school offers 22 undergraduate degree programs and four graduate and continuing education programs — including the master of science In health information management, which is completely online.

Stephens is also home to the TRYPS

Institute — a children and youth theater program — and the Children’s School — a lab embedded within the teacher education program that educates children from preschool through fifth grade.

Pride points for Stephens include being the only private college in Mid-Missouri to be included in the Princeton Review’s Best 385 Colleges 2020; its theater program is rated ninth in the nation by the Princeton Review; it was rated as one of the top 10 schools for fashion art direction and communication by the Business of Fashion,

London, as well as first for learning experience; it consistently ranks among the top regional colleges in the Midwest by U.S. News and World Report; and its master’s program in strategic leadership is ranked No. 2 in the country for quality and affordability by GetEducated.com Stephens is a member of the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics and is a member of the American Midwest Conference. The Stars compete in eight sports including basketball, soccer, softball, tennis and volleyball.

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EMBRACING THE

ALTERNATIVE Specialty schools offer education options to parents

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or most education niches there is probably an option for Columbia parents, including schools with a focus on language, nature and art or sometimes a combination.

Starting its 16th academic year, La Petite Ecole, a dual-language immersion school at 1111 S. Fairview Road, is expanding to include fifth grade this year.

Eighty percent of students’ days are immersed in French, with 20 percent in English, said Principal Joelle Quoirin. When students are studying in one language, it is only that language.

Its preschool program is from age 18 months to 5 years, followed by the K-5 elementary program.

Studying other languages helps children with their cognitive development, Quoirin said.

“It helps them be better humans,” Quoirin said. “It helps them see the world through another person’s perspective.”

The school made a quick turnaround and switched to all online courses in March, but returned with its summer program on June 1, with many measures in place to mitigate COVID-19 risks. Families aren’t allowed in the building. Temperature checks are conducted each morning. Children are kept in stable groups. Face coverings are required.

The academic year begins Sept. 8. In addition to the school operation, it offers enrichment programs for adults, a babyand-me program, and afterschool program for middle-schoolers.

New this year will be twice-weekly high school French classes for credit, Quoirin said.

Another Columbia school with a language focus is Language Tree, at 2311 E. Walnut St. It has education in French and Spanish for children ages 2-10.

A group of families started the school in 2012, said director Natalia Prats. It moved to its current location adjacent to

BY ROGER MCKINNEY | Columbia Daily Tribune

Stephens Lake Park after starting in a church basement.

There’s an early years classroom, preschool, pre-K and Kindergarten.

“After that when they graduate, they come to our graduate program once a week to keep the language alive,” Prats said.

The school had to close for two months, but before even before that, teachers wore face coverings. Enrollment has declined a little, she said.

“We’re using extreme sanitation and taking temperatures,” Prats said. “Now the kids don’t change classrooms.”

With Stephens Lake Park nearby, nature is included in the experience. Summer camps were taking place in July.

“The time to start immersion education is the early years,” Prats said. “That exposure you give to kids makes them global citizens.”

City Garden School at 123 S. Ninth St., offers another alternative.

“City Garden School is Waldorf-inspired, community-based, art-based and naturebased,” said Tory Kassabaum, director of school affairs. “We have a tiered tuition model that allows parents to volunteer for lower tuition.”

The school plans to operate completely outdoors in the fall, using a private wooded area and a shelter for bad weather.

“We felt that the climbing COVID numbers and child and teacher safety is too important to risk being indoors unless absolutely necessary,” Kassabaum said.

Connecting children with the natural world always has been an essential aspect of City Garden School, Kassabaum said.

Arts is integral to the Waldorf curriculum, she said. There is spoken storytelling; hand work including knitting, crocheting and sewing; dance and movement; and vocal and instrumental music “We definitely reach children with parents who value an arts education,” Kassabaum said.

It also appeals to parents whose children don’t respond to a public school education, she said.

The school with no electronics or technology went online when it closed in March. It was an adjustment to learning on screens when students were in classes with none.

Another school with a nature and art focus is Meadowlark School, 705 N. Providence Road. It serves children ages 3-6. The school has operated for two years.

Lead teacher and founder Matthew Hawley said the school uses a play-based learning model that is inspired by the Reggio Emilia education philosophy.

“We do a lot of art and creative expression,” Hawley said.

Several hours of each day is spent outdoors on the school’s one-acre property that includes a garden tended by the children, he said.

“We try to get outside as much as possible,” Hawley said.

The school closed for eight weeks. Teachers have been provided a 20 percent raise for hazard pay, he said.

Many changes have been made, including requiring parents to pick up and drop off their children at the gate.

The amount of time children spend outside has worked in the school’s favor in terms of avoiding illness, Hawley said.

Not all specialty schools survived the hardships of the pandemic. Wild Folk Forest School announced on its website that the school wouldn’t continue.

A message on its website reads: “The big news, however, is that this year, amidst personal and global upheaval, we have decided to shift: we have decided to no longer run summer camps or a forest school. This does not mean that Wild Folk is done for though!

Like so many of you, we are also seeking innovative ways to share our passions and skills in this new reality.”

It had been open for five years.

BACK TO

BASICS

B

eulah Ralph Elementary School is a testament to its namesake's contributions to Columbia Public Schools. The school opened in 2016 and commemorates the longtime educator and advocate Beulah Ralph. But her legacy lives on in practice as well as in name.

She created the district’s home school communicator program in 1968 to create channels of trust between Black families and white faculty at recently desegregated schools.

“I think she started herself going from building to building,” Ralph’s daughter Monica Naylor said. “And she decided ‘I’m going to select some members of the community from neighborhoods where these people live, so when they see this person in the building, they feel comfortable going to that person.’ ” Home school communicators have continued to be an integral part of Columbia Public School District’s mission to its students. They connect students with community resources, working closely with teachers to address student needs. They are the first line of trust between families whose experiences with education might affect the degree to which they are comfortable engaging with school staff.

The program is also part of what makes the district unique.

Other districts have home school communicators, though they are often called parent or community teacher liaisons. But CPS home school communicators are distinct in at least one way.

They have been and still are typically Black. The idea, Naylor said, was that students would have a person of authority who looked like them in a time when

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50-year-old program continues to make community impact

BY ANNA BRUGMANN Columbia Daily Tribune

teachers of color were far from the norm.

“She (Ralph) wanted it to be that way because they were working with families in the community who were making that transition,” Naylor said.

Historically, home school communicators have been a familiar face for Black and brown students. Lately, they have been the only familiar CPS face some students have seen since the district transitioned to distance learning in March.

“People start to trust you so they will tell you more of their story,” Tammy Redden said.

Redden has been a home school communicator for 24 years.

“I think with COVID going on, people are not able to navigate themselves … so I feel they are leaning on us more than normal.”

CPS Chief Equity Officer Carla London runs the program and was once a home school communicator herself.

“When COVID hit, we had a lot of things in place, so our district was able to get together really quickly,” London said. “But there was this missing piece.”

The district had a food assistance program through the food bank for example, but no way to get those resources to students. It also had the added hurdle of making sure everyone was technologically suited for the switch.

“So (home school communicators) continued to deliver food all through this to as many (students) as they needed,” London said. “Also, this group, because they are who they are, if a teacher hadn’t heard from (a student) for a couple weeks … in many instances the family was more responsive to the home school communicator.”

In many cases, the internet was out or

some other logistical issue was keeping students from connecting with teachers.

Home school communicators were able to address the issue from the ground.

“They are just such an integral, important group in our school district,” London said.

Often, Redden says students might know a home school communicator by name, but not know what their particular role is within the school. That, she said, is a good thing. It means they are visible and flexible advocates, which, she said, families need now more than ever.

CPS has a plan for the 2020-21 school year. Parents have a choice to enroll their children in online or in-person classes. The district has said that all social programs like the food assistance programs and school counseling services will also have an off-campus option.

Still, as has been with the pandemic, there is a degree of uncertainty with what exactly the coming months will look like for parents, teachers and students. But it was precisely a period of uncertainty that the home school communicators were made for.

Naylor said her mother probably never foresaw a pandemic, let alone one that coincided with demonstrations against systemic racism and police brutality.

“She was pretty smart but I don’t think she knew that,” Naylor said with a laugh.

However, the vision Ralph had for her home school communicators is particularly relevant today – to be active and visible advocates for the students they serve.

“Mrs. Ralph, that was her thing, supporting those who don’t have a big voice,” Redden said. “… And I feel like we are doing that more now, because so many voices aren’t being heard.”

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Tolton head football coach Michael Egnew, a former All-American tight end at MU, instructs players in a drill during practice last year. [BRIAR NAPIER/ TRIBUNE FILE PHOTO]

Former MU athletes give back as high school coaches

T

BY ERIC BLUM Columbia Daily Tribune

he city of Columbia’s identity wouldn’t be the same without the University of Missouri — and vice versa.

The relationship, particularly within athletics, extends well beyond campus.

There are several examples of former MU student-athletes staying in the town where they once starred in their

respective collegiate sports. Now, they’re passing their knowledge to the next generation of Mid-Missouri athletes.

There are a number of Tigersturned-coaches within Columbia high schools, such as Tolton’s Michael Egnew, Rock Bridge’s Lisa Alvis (Simmons), Hickman’s Morgan Scott (Eye) and Battle’s Atiyyah Ellison.

“Me being a representative of Mizzou in all the things that I do, they changed me, they changed the person I was coming in,”

said Ellison, a former All-Big 12 defensive lineman, earlier this year. “So you carry some pride being a couple miles from where you learned so many good lessons.

“You want to instill those into the next generation coming up.”

Alongside being Tolton’s head football coach, Egnew has been the coowner of API Project Fitness, a gym on East Nifong Boulevard in Columbia.

Egnew co-owns the gym with fellow MU football alumnus Jerrell Jackson, who

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has been an offensive assistant with the Trailblazers each of the past two seasons.

Over the past few years, studentathletes from Missouri, Columbia Public Schools and Tolton have trained at the gym.

“Besides what they do on the field, it’s how they approach their work ethic. Their grind determines how successful you are on the field,” Jackson said in 2018. “There’s a few reasons why I made it to the NFL. For one, no one outworked me. For two, I was one of the smartest people on the field.

For three, I just had the skill set.

“If I can give a kid the mentality, give a kid the skill set — that gives them a better opportunity to reach it. I played the game, now I want to give the game, and that’s the same thing I can do out here.”

Entering his second year heading the Tolton football program, Egnew has a greater understanding of the position and his players, who represent what originally drew him to be a head coach in the community where he was an All-American tight end for MU. “The kids, they’re godly, and like a lot of schools, these kids are really good kids and it just makes for a positive environment to be around,” Egnew said last year.

“It’s where you want to coach, honestly.

You want a place like this where you’re not necessarily worried about all the little things. The kids are responsible, respectful. It’s just very attractive to me.”

After being signed by the Jacksonville Jaguars, former Tigers offensive lineman Tre’Vour Wallace-Simms worked out at API. Jackson recently posted a photo on Instagram with Missouri men’s basketball standout Jeremiah Tilmon after an API workout.

“We train elite athletes all the way from 6 (years old) to the pro level,” Jackson said in 2018. “We also do adult training, personal training, partner training — whatever we can do to enhance a person’s physical aspect of their life.”

Before taking over Rock Bridge’s softball program, Alvis spent four seasons as an assistant coach at Battle.

Alvis also coached the Missouri Stealth softball club team from 2015-18, a run

ABOVE: Rock Bridge head softball coach Lisa Alvis, a former MU standout, talks with Jillian Larkin (14) during a game last season.

[CHRIS BOWIE/ TRIBUNE FILE PHOTO]

LEFT: Battle head football coach Atiyyah Ellison, a former All-Big 12 defensive lineman at Missouri, talks to Trevonne Hicks (1) during a game last season.

[DON SHRUBSHELL/ TRIBUNE FILE PHOTO]

that included the USSSA Midwest 18A national championship in 2018.

In her first season guiding the Bruins, Alvis, a former MU softball standout, led Rock Bridge to its first district championship since 2010 and its programbest season with a third-place finish in the state’s highest classification.

“Before I had Lachlen, I kind of thought about my athletes as my kids, my children, and taking care of them,” Alvis said of her son in 2019, during her first year of motherhood. “... Each of

these athletes is somebody else’s child.

So how would I want someone to treat Lachlen? I’ve always been conscious of that, but I think I’m a little bit more aware ... and giving them the care that I would want my child to receive is always in the back of my head. “... If nobody learns any softball skill from me at all, at the end of the day, I’d hope my kids know that I care about them outside of sport.” eblum@columbiatribune.com

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EDUCATI O N SCHOOL LISTINGS HIGH SCHOOLS (Grades 9-12)

ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS (Grades K-5)

Battle High School 7575 St. Charles Road 573-214-3300 www.cpsk12.org.bhs Columbia Area Career Center 4203 S. Providence Road 573-214-3800 career-center.org Douglass High School 310 N. Providence Road 573-214-3680 www.cpsk12.org/dhss Hickman High School 1104 N. Providence Road 573-214-3000 www.cpsk12.org/hhs Rock Bridge High School 4303 S. Providence Road 573-214-3100 www.cpsk12.org/rbhs

Alpha Hart Lewis Elementary 5801 Arbor Pointe Parkway 573-214-3200 www.cpsk12.org/ahl Benton STEM Elementary 1410 Hinkson Avenue 573-214-3610 www.cpsk12.org/bee Beulah Ralph Elementary 5806 S. Hwy. KK 573-214-3840 www.cpsk12.org/beu Blue Ridge Elementary 3700 Woodland Drive 573-214-3580 www.cpsk12.org/bre Cedar Ridge Elementary 2345 Howell Mountain Drive 573-214-3510 www.cpsk12.org/cre Derby Ridge Elementary 4000 Derby Ridge Drive 573-214-3270 wwwcpsk12.org/dre Eliot Battle Elementary 2600 Battle Avenue 573-214-3790 www.cpsk12.org/bes Fairview Elementary 909 Fairview Road 573-214-3590 www.cpsk12.org/fve Grant Elementary 10 E. Broadway 573-214-3520 www.cpsk12.org/gre Locust Street Expressive Arts Elementary 1208 Locust Street 573-214-3530 www.cpsk12.org/lee Midway Heights Elementary 8130 W. Highway 40 573-214-3540 www.cpsk12.org/mwe Mill Creek Elementary 2200 W. Nifong Boulevard 573-214-3280 www.cpsk12.org/mce New Haven Elementary 3301 New Haven Road 573-214-3640 www.cpsk12.org/mce

MIDDLE SCHOOLS (Grades 6-8) Gentry Middle School 4200 Bethel Street 573-214-3240 www.cpsk12.org/gms Jefferson Middle School 713 Rogers Street 573-214-3210 www.cpsk12.org/jms Lange Middle School 2201 E. Smiley Lane 573-214-3250 www.cpsk12.org/lms Oakland Middle School 3405 Oakland Place 573-214-3220 www.cpsk12.org/oms Smithton Middle School 3600 W. Worley Street 573-214-3260 www.cpsk12.org/sms West Middle School 401 Clinkscales Road 573-214-3230 www.cpsk12.org/wms

Parkade Elementary 111 Parkade Boulevard 573-214-3630 www.cpsk12.org/pke Mary Paxton Keeley Elementary 201 Park DeVille Drive 573-214-3570 www.cpsk12.org/pax Ridgeway Elementary 107 E. Sexton Road 573-214-3550 www.cpsk12.org/rwe Rock Bridge Elementary 5151 Highway 163 S. 573-214-3290 www.cpsk12.org/rbe Russell Boulevard Elementary 1800 W. Rollins Road 573-214-3650 www.cpsk12.org/rus Shepard Boulevard Elementary 2616 Shepard Boulevard 573-214-3660 www.cpsk12.org/she Two Mile Prairie Elementary 5450 N. Route Z 573-214-3560 www.cpsk12.org/tmp West Boulevard Elementary 319 West Boulevard 573-214-3670 www.cpsk12.org/wbe PRIVATE SCHOOLS Apple School 573-449-7527 www.appleschoolmo.org Children’s House Montessori of Columbia 573-443-2825 www.comomontessori.com Christian Chapel Academy 573-874-2325 www.cca-columbia.com Christian Fellowship School 573-445-8565 www.cfsknights.org College Park Christian Academy 573-445-6315 www.cpchristian.org Columbia Christian Academy 573-441-1140, ext. 206 www.columbiachristianacademy.com

Columbia Independent School 573-777-9250 www.cislions.org Columbia Montessori School 573-449-5418 www.columbiamontessori.org Good Shepherd Lutheran School 573-445-5878 www.columbialutheran.org Heritage Academy 573-449-2252 heritageacademyofcolumbia. com Our Lady of Lourdes Interparish School 573-445-6516 ollisk8.org Shalom Christian Academy 573-256-4824 shalomchristianacademy.com Stephens College Children’s School 573-876-7260 stephens.edu/services/youth-programs/ childrens-school The Community Montessori 573-777-3131 www.facebook.com/columbiacommunitymontessori/ The Islamic School 573-442-1556 www.theiscm.org Tolton Catholic High School 573-445-7700 www.toltoncatholic.org Windsor Street Montessori School 573-441-9767 windsorstreetmontessori.com OTHER EDUCATION Center of Responsive Education www.cpsk12.org/core Field School www.cpsk12.org/eee Center for Early Learning-North www.cpsk12.org/domain/6540

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HEALTH CARE HOSPITAL PROF I LES

Boone Hospital Center 1600 E. Broadway Find a doctor/make appt.: 573-815-6400 General info: 573-815-6400 www.boone.org

Boone Hospital Center consistently ranks as a top health care provider in the region, the state and even the nation.

It has earned special recognition for its nursing staff, obstetrics and stroke care.

Boone is a 392-bed, full-service regional referral center covering 25 counties. It is ranked No. 1 among MidMissouri hospitals and No. 5 among state hospitals, according to the U.S. News and World Report.

Boone is the only Magnet hospital for nursing excellence in the area. It has received the designation three consecutive times, placing its nursing staff in the top 1% worldwide. This year, the Women’s Choice Award placed Boone in the top 1% of hospitals for heart care, top 4% of hospitals for cancer care, top 4% for stroke care, top 7% for obstetrics and one of the best 100 hospitals for patient experience.

“Our award gives a woman the confidence that her choice of a hospital for her delivery will be the best in terms of quality care and patient safety for her and her baby,” said Delia Passi, founder and CEO of the Women’s Choice Award.

“As the trend of women waiting longer to start their families continues, having the

[DON SHRUBSHELL/TRIBUNE]

Women’s Choice Award seal is especially important for older moms who face increased risk and need a top hospital to provide her care.”

U.S. News and World Report also rated Boone as high performing in orthopedics, which means it is in the top 10% of hospitals in this specialty, for knee and hip replacement.

Boone has worked to achieve highquality facilities as well. In 2011, the

hospital completed work on a state-ofthe-art addition that provides patients with private rooms. Boone continues to expand its services. It leads the market in imaging technology and in minimally invasive robotic surgery.

Improving patient access to quality care is a priority moving forward. Boone is growing its primary care and specialty care clinic networks, including with a new specialty clinic in Moberly.

Harry S. Truman Memorial Veterans’ Hospital 800 Hospital Drive 573-814-6000 www.columbiamo.va.gov

In a time when veterans’ services are often in the news because of issues with the quality of service provided, Harry S. Truman Memorial Veterans’ Hospital continues to receive recognition for the opposite.

Truman is a four-star facility, and Public Affairs Officer Larry S. Gaither said

there is an overall high quality of patient care. He said Truman consistently ranks high in satisfaction for customer service.

Truman serves 43 counties in Missouri and Pike County, Illinois, has 126 operating beds and provides both inpatient and outpatient services in primary care, medical and surgical specialty care,

behavioral health, physical rehabilitation and pharmacy services, as well as serving as a referral center for heart care services.

It also offers home-based primary care, a seamless transition clinic for newly enrolled combat veterans, an addiction TRUMAN continues on 40

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treatment program, suicide awareness and prevention and support for homeless veterans among other services.

Truman maintains eight community-based outpatient clinics located in Jefferson City, Fort Leonard Wood, Kirksville, Lake of the Ozarks, Marshfield, Mexico, Sedalia and St. James. The hospital also has affiliations with the University of Missouri’s School of Medicine, the Sinclair School of Nursing and the School of Health Professionals, among others, providing training opportunities for about 900 students each year.

The Harry S. Truman Memorial Veterans’ Hospital [DON SHRUBSHELL/TRIBUNE]

MU Health Care One Hospital Drive 573-882-4141 www.muhealth.org

As the state’s premier academic health center, University of Missouri Health Care provides patient-centered care that is at the forefront of medical research and technology. With six hospitals and more than 50 outpatient clinics throughout central Missouri, MU Health Care offers patients a full spectrum of care.

Patients and families who choose MU Health Care also have access to more than 600 physicians trained in more than 80 specialties and subspecialties, whether they are receiving primary care or highly specialized, multidisciplinary treatments for the most severe illnesses and injuries.

MU Health Care’s family medicine physicians are recognized as national leaders in their field. The MU School of Medicine’s Department of Family and Community Medicine has been ranked among the top 10 family medicine programs for more than two decades by U.S. news and World Report.

MU Health Care’s Women’s and Children’s Hospital is the only dedicated women’s and children’s hospital within 120 miles. Its pediatric specialists offer exceptional care in more than 30 pediatric sub-specialties. MU Women’s and Children’s Hospital earned the global Baby-Friendly® designation from the

University Hospital [DON SHRUBSHELL/TRIBUNE]

World Health Organization and the United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund. Expectant mothers can choose to have a birthing experience with minimal medical intervention through Mid-Missouri’s first and only low-intervention birthing program.

Ellis Fischel Cancer Center’s medical teams work together with a common goal: To provide the latest cancer treatments and to improve and extend quality of life for thousands of people each year.

Ellis Fischel is the first academic, certified member of MD Anderson Cancer Network, a program of the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center. Ellis Fischel offers patients access to specialists who provide treatment for a whole range of cancers including colorectal

cancer, breast cancer, melanoma and skin cancer, prostate cancer and pediatric cancer.

MU Health Care offers the region’s only American College of Surgeons-verified Level I trauma center and a Level I stroke center at the University Hospital.

MU cardiovascular specialists were the first in Mid-Missouri to offer Transcatheter Aortic Valve Replacement, a heart valve-replacement procedure for high risk surgical patients.

MU Health Care’s neuroscience specialists provide care through nationally recognized programs, making MU Health Care a leader in the areas of sleep disorders, stroke and epilepsy and movement MU HEALTH CARE continues on 41

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HEALTH CARE HEALTH LI ST I NGS

EMERGENCY Boone Hospital Center 1600 E. Broadway 573-815-8000

PHARMACIES Boone Plaza Pharmacy 1600 E. Broadway 573-815-6255

University Hospital 1 Hospital Drive 573-882-4141

D&H Drugstore 1001 W. Broadway 573-777-7333 1814 Paris Road 573-777-7373

Women & Children’s Hospital 404 N. Keene St. 573-771-9400 URGENT CARE Boone Convenient Care 601 Business Loop 70 W., Suite 275 573-874-0008 900 W. Nifong Blvd., Suite 101 573-815-6631 Columbia Urgent Care 619 N. Providence Rd. 573-234-1070 Mizzou Quick Care Clinics 3100 W. Broadway 573-884-0036 25 Conley Road 573-884-1069 405 E. Nifong Blvd.

573-884-1046 Mizzou Urgent Care 3916 S. Providence Rd. 573-882-1662 Providence Urgent Care 202 E. Nifong Blvd.

573-874-6824 403 N. Stadium Blvd.

573-818-6500 2910 Trimble Rd. 573-397-7434

MU HEALTH CARE continued from 40

disorders.

At the Missouri Orthopaedic Institute, Missouri’s largest and most comprehensive freestanding orthopedic center, more than 30 expert orthopedic surgeons

Flow’s Pharmacy 1506 E. Broadway 573-449-5366 303 N. Keene St. 573-447-8093 Gerbes Supermarket Pharmacy 1729 W. Broadway 573-445-9451 2900 Paris Road 573-474-9418 205 E. Nifong Blvd.

573-442-2951

101 S. Fairview Road 573-884-1100 Hitt Street 1020 Hitt Street, Room 1001 573-882-8300 Keene Street 404 N. Keene St. 573-499-6022 Orthopaedic Institute 1100 Virginia Ave. 573-884-3020 Smiley Lane 2325 Smiley Lane 573-817-3555 South Providence 551 E. Southampton Dr. 573-882-3151 University Hospital 1 Hospital Dr. 573-882-8600 Sam’s Club Pharmacy 1010 Conley Road 573-875-1095

Hy-Vee Pharmacy 25 Conley Road 573-442-7706 3100 W. Broadway 573-447-0133 405 E. Nifong Blvd.

573-442-8616

Schnuck’s CVS Pharmacy 1400 Forum Blvd.

573-446-2800

Kilgore’s Medical Pharmacy 700 N. Providence Rd. 573-442-0194 1608 Chapel Hill Rd. 573-447-4444

Walgreens Pharmacy 222 E. Broadway 573-874-3562 1000 Club Village Dr. 573-449-8330

Mizzou Pharmacy Ellis Fischel 1 Hospital Drive 573-882-8890 Fairview

Walmart Pharmacy 3001 W. Broadway 573-445-3708 415 Conley Road 573-499-1933

offer team-approach care. Mizzou BioJoint® is the first and only treatment of its kind, bringing biological solutions to knee, hip, shoulder, ankle and other joint problems. Rather than using artificial joint replacements, our surgeons utilize natural tissue grafts of tendons,

Target CVS Pharmacy 2400 Bernadette Drive 573-445-9545

ligaments, cartilage, menisci and bone to improve joint function. University of Missouri researches have developed the Missouri Osteochondral Allograft Preservation System. It more than doubles the storage life of bone and cartilage grafts from organ donors.

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RECRE ATI O N

Bicycle riders, walkers and joggers use the MKT Trail east of Scott Boulevard. [DON SHRUBSHELL/TRIBUNE]

With more than 3,300 acres of parks, green space and recreation facilities — not to mention over 65 miles of trails — Columbia offers a plethora of options for individuals and families seeking to spend a little time outdoors.

The city maintains 31 neighborhood parks, two regional parks, nine nature parks, 17 community parks and six special-purpose parks. Amenities include two golf courses, an archery range, four disc golf courses, 10 garden plots available for rent, two skate parks, three pools, two water play areas and a swimming lake. Whether you want to have a picnic, go fishing, play anything from soccer to roller hockey or simply take your kids to the playground, Columbia has what you’re looking for.

On the recreation side, the department is working on growing popular events such as the Splat! youth mud run and new programs like Yappy Hour — a social hour at Twin Lakes Recreation Area for dogs and their owners — as well as expanding events that use the city’s trail system, such as relatively recent offerings like the Roc 7K trail run and Bear Creek half marathon.

“In the past few years, our programs geared toward active lifestyles have been very popular,” Tammy Miller, marketing specialist with Columbia Parks and Recreation, previously told the Tribune.

“Our enrichment programs — martial arts, dance and fitness at the ARC also continue to be well-received and well-attended.

ATHLETIC GROUPS AMF Town & Country Lanes www.amf.com Big Tree Cycling Team www.bigtreecycling.com Columbia Bike Club www.columbiabikeclub.com Columbia Disc Golf Club www.cdgc.org Columbia Multisport Club www.columbiamultisport.com Columbia Rugby Football Club https://www.pitchero.com/clubs/ columbiarugbyfootballclub CRFC Black Sheep Women’s Rugby Club www.facebook.com/MidMoRugby Columbia Track Club www.columbiatrackclub.com

GOLF (PRIVATE COURSES) A.L. Gustin Golf Course, University of Missouri 573-882-6016 www.gustingolfcourse.com Columbia Country Club 573-449-4115 www.columbiacc.net Country Club of Missouri 1300 Woodrail Ave. 573-449-7201 www.ccmo.net Midway Golf 573-445-8100 www.midwaygolfgames.com Old Hawthorne 573-442-5280 www.oldhawthorne.com Poe Golf Co. 573-445-7546 www.poegolf.com

Deuce Pub and Pit www.deucepub.com/leagues Show-Me Pickleball Club www.facebook.com/ShowMePickleballClub

PARKS (PARTIAL LIST) Albert-Oakland Park 1900 Blue Ridge Road

Ultramax Sports www.ultramaxsports.com

Bethel Park 4500 Bethel Street

GOLF (PUBLIC COURSES) L.A. Nickell Golf Course 1800 Parkside Drive 573-499-4653 www.gogolflan.com

Bonnie View Nature Sanctuary 3300 Rollins Road

Lake of the Woods Golf Course 6700 E. St. Charles Road 573-499-4653 www.gogolflow.com

Douglass Park 400 N. Providence Road

Cosmo Park 1615 Business Loop 70W

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Nifong Park 2900 E. Nifong Boulevard A. Perry Phillips Park 5050 Bristol Lake Parkway Shelter Gardens 1817 W. Broadway Stephens Lake Park 2001 E. Broadway POOLS & WATER PARKS Albert-Oakland Family Aquatic Center 573-474-5331 https://www.como.gov/ parksandrec/facilities/ albert-oakland-family-aquatic-center/ ARC Water Zone 573-874-7700 https://www.como.gov/parksandrec/ facilities/arc-water-zone/ Douglass Family Aquatic Center 573-442-5019 https://www.como.gov/parksandrec/ facilities/douglass-family-aquatic-center/ Hickman Pool 573-874-7476 https://www.como.gov/parksandrec/ facilities/hickman-pool/ Lake of the Woods Pool 573-474-7878 https://www.como.gov/parksandrec/ facilities/lake-of-the-woods-pool/ Little Mates Cove 573-445-8839 https://www.como.gov/parksandrec/ facilities/little-mates-cove/

Flat Branch Sprayground https://www.como.gov/parksandrec/ facilities/1131-2/ Douglass Park Sprayground https://www.como.gov/parksandrec/ facilities/douglass-spraygrounds/ STATE PARKS Finger Lakes State Park 1505 Peabody Road 573-443-5315 Open: 6 a.m. to 10 p.m. on season (April through October), 6 a.m. to 9 p.m. off-season (November through March) https://mostateparks.com/park/ finger-lakes-state-park Katy Trail State Park Open: Sunrise to sunset https://mostateparks.com/park/ katy-trail-state-park Rock Bridge Memorial State Park 5901 S. Highway 163 Office: 573-449-7402 Trail hotline: 573-442-2249 Open: Sunrise to sunset https://mostateparks.com/park/ rock-bridge-memorial-state-park TRAILS Albert-Oakland Park Trail 1900 Blue Ridge Road, 1 mile Bear Creek Trail Access points at: 1615 Business Loop 70 W. 3201 Creasy Springs Road 2799 N. Garth Avenue 2304 Northland Drive 1900 Blue Ridge Road, 4.8 miles

Stephens Lake Park https://www.como.gov/parksandrec/park/ stephens-lake-park/

Historic Route 66 ▪ Meramec State Park ▪ Camping Floating ▪ Fishing ▪ Festivities ▪ Walking Trails Boutique Shopping ▪ Airport ▪ Historic Downtown www.sullivanmochamber.com

Cosmo Park 1615 Business Loop 70 W. Includes Cosmo Nature Trail, 1.75 miles; Cosmo Fitness Trail, 1.25 miles; and Rhett’s Run Mountain Bike Trail, 2.4 miles County House Trail Twin Lakes Recreation Area, Stadium Boulevard at College Park Drive, 2 miles Garth Nature Area Trail 2799 N. Garth Avenue, 1.1 miles Grindstone Nature Area and Capen Park Trail 2011 Old 63 S., 3 miles Hinkson Creek Trail 2011 Old 63 S. 1600 Capen Park Drive; 2 miles Indian Hills Park Trail 5009 Aztec Boulevard, 1.25 miles MKT Nature/Fitness Trail Access points at: Fourth and Cherry streets 501 S. Providence Road 800 S. Stadium Boulevard 2701 Forum Boulevard 3662 Scott Boulevard 4.7 miles of city trail, plus another 4.2 miles of county-owned trail Nifong Park Trail 3700 Ponderosa Street, 1.3 miles Philips Lake Trail 5050 Bristol Lake Parkway, 1.44 miles South Providence Trail Runs alongside Providence Road between Old Plank and Green Meadows, 1.7 miles Stephens Lake Park Trail Old 63 and S. Broadway, 0.4 miles lake trail and 1.7 mile park perimeter trail

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LIVING IN CO LUMBIA

I

n addition to being a great place to live and buy a home, Columbia offers a unique lifestyle that includes an active art scene, the world-renowned True/ False Film Fest and the Roots N Blues music festival that draws big-name acts each year, and was recognized by Forbes magazine in 2015 as one of the Top 25 places to retire.

Columbia is home to Missouri’s ShowMe State Games, the largest state games in the country with more than 32,000 amateur athletes of all ages competing in Olympic-style competition.

• Expedia.com included Columbia in a list of 20 Must-see Literary Destinations Around the World, citing its independent bookstores, the number of acclaimed local authors, literary events like the Unbound Book Festival and its writing programs.

• Livability.com ranked Columbia No. 6 on its 2019 list of 100 Best Places to Live, citing “its strong economy and its easy access to shopping, culture, arts and activities”; as well as No. 3 on its 2015 list of Top 10 College Towns; and No. 16 on its 2017 list of Best Cities for Entrepreneurs.

• Smartasset.com ranked Columbia No. 3 on its Best Places for Working Women for 2017.

• In 2019, Forbes ranked Columbia No. 9 in Best Small Places for Education, No. 43 in Best Small Places for Business and Careers and No. 61 for Best Small Places for Cost of Doing Business.

COMO HOUSING BREAKDOWN Single-family home sales in Boone County: 2019: 2368 2018: 2274 2017: 2202 Existing single-family home sales in Boone County: 2019: 2066 2018: 1989 2017: 1917 New-construction single-family home sales in Boone County: 2019: 292 2018: 273 2017: 285 Single-family homes average sale price in Boone County: 2019: $236,200 2018: $226,530 2017: $212,004 Existing single-family home average sale price in Boone County: 2019: $228,300 2018: $220,230 2017: $202,266 Single-family home average days on market: 2019: 60 2018: 56 2017: 57 Sources: Columbia Board of Realtors, past Tribune reports

TOP EMPLOYERS IN COLUMBIA AND BOONE COUNTY *University of Missouri ........................10,723 University Hospital and Clinics .............5,858 Columbia Public Schools .......................2,530 Veterans United Home Loans ...............1,817 Harry St. Truman Memorial Veterans’ Hospital ..................................1,602 City of Columbia .....................................1,369

Boone Hospital Center ...........................1,175 Shelter Insurance Companies ...............1,175 MBS Textbook Exchange ..........................746 Columbia College ......................................697 Joe Machens Dealerships .........................681 State Farm Insurance Companies ...........600 ~Hubbell Power Systems, Inc. .................580 3M ...............................................................520 State of Missouri (excludes MU) .............503 ^IBM ............................................................515 Kraft Heinz .................................................481 Boone County Government ......................465 Eurofins BioPharma Product Testing ......345 Central Bank of Boone County .................310 ~U.S. Postal Service ..................................303 MidwayUSA ................................................292 ~Missouri Employers Mutual ...................291 Landmark Bank .........................................276 Woodhaven ................................................247 MFA, Inc. .....................................................241 ~Pepsico/Quaker Oats ..............................219 ~Schneider Electric: Square D .................214 Burrell Behavioral Health .........................188 ~U.S. Dept. of Agriculture .........................185 ~AAF Flanders ............................................180 ~CenturyLink ..............................................180 Columbia Insurance Group ......................161 Dana Light Axle Products .........................160 ~Columbia Orthopaedic Group ................130 OTSCON ......................................................125 Environmental Dynamics International, Inc. (EDI) ............................100 The above numbers represent the number of full-time benefited employees each company employs in Boone County only.

Source: Regional Economic Development Inc. 2019 Annual Report ~Figures reported 2017 or prior. ^Does not publicly disclose. Reported to state July 2018. *Includes MU, Extension and System employees.

[METRO CREATIVE CONNECTION]

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PA RK I NG

The Fifth and Walnut Street garage. [DON SHRUBSHELL/TRIBUNE]

Columbia’s population swells with the start of each new school year, and all those new people mean more cars. As you head into the community, here’s what you need to know about parking:

Tenth and Cherry Garage 1000 Cherry St.: 104 hourly spaces

PARKING GARAGES

Eighth and Cherry Garage 14 S. Eighth St.: 39 hourly spaces

The city has six multi-level parking garages in downtown Columbia, which all include hourly spaces. Most utilize pay machines that use a pay-in-advance system — a patron notes their parking space number and pays the machine for that space for the anticipated time they will be parked — though there are exceptions. Meter rates are 50 cents per houor in the hourly spaces.

Sixth and Cherry Garage 555 Locust St.: 78 hourly spaces

Eighth and Walnut Plaza Garage 17 N. Eighth St.: 99 hourly spaces Fifth and Walnut Garage 500 E. Walnut St.: 78 hourly spaces Short Street Garage 1110 E. Walnut St.: 26 hourly spaces

Parking enforcement in city garages runs from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday. Parking in city garages is free on Saturday and Sunday.

METERS The city has 138 metered off-street parking spaces and 1,683 metered on-street spaces. Time limits on most downtown spaces range from 24 minutes to four hours, with some as long as 10 hours. There are also 80 disabled access parking spaces. Metered parking enforcement is from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. Saturday.

Meter rates are 60 cents per hour downtown and $1 per hour in the campus zone.

FINES Parking violations and fines include: Public parking violation: $15 Parking in municipal rental lots: $15 Parked in rental space-municipal garage: $15 Overtime parking in disabled zone: $15 Parked overtime at time limited space: $15 Parked overtime at time limited meter: $15 Handicapped parking violation: $100

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LO CAL RESOURCES ANIMAL SERVICES All Creatures Animal Hospital 1300 Business Loop 70 West 573-875-0907 Bed and Biscuit LLC 1412 Jade Road (573) 474-3515 Columbia Pet Hospital 400 Nebraska Ave (573) 443-7274 Creekside Pet Center 5820 Missouri Highway 163 (573) 256-7387 Dog Daze Playcare LLC 815B Blue Ridge Road (573) 999-5077 Greenridge Farm Pet Resort and AKC Handling 9535 I-70 Drive Northeast (573) 474-7500 Horton Animal Hospital Central location: 1700 I-70 Drive Southwest (573) 445-4466 Forum location: 2200 Chapel Plaza Court (573) 446-3227 Northeast location: 2608 Paris Road (573) 474 9508 Noah’s Ark Animal Hospital and Bird Clinic 1003 N. Fairview Road (573) 445-1388 Pet Center Ltd 2504 W. Worley St. (573) 445-3000 The Pet Fair 1706 I-70 Drive Southwest (573) 445-7783 South Paw Acres LLC 5550 W. Gillespie Bridge Road (573) 446-2733 GOVERNMENT (CITY) Columbia Police Department Geoff Jones, Chief policepio@como.gov (573) 874-7652 (main office) Columbia Fire Department Andy Woody, Chief fire@como.gov (573) 874-7391 (573) 874-7450 (weekends and after-hours) Office of Neighborhood Services (573) 817-5050

[METRO CREATIVE CONNECTION]

Public Works Department David Nichols, Director pubw@como.gov (573) 874-2489 Columbia/Boone County Department of Public Health and Human Services Stephanie Browning, Director (573) 874-7355 PRESCHOOLS/DAYCARES A Discovery Zone Child Care www.adiscoveryzonechildcare. com A Good Start agoodstartpreschool.com Academy of Early Childhood Learning – East academycastle.com Academy of Early Childhood Learning — South academycastle.com Apple School appleschoolmo.org Big Steps Early Learning Center LLC bigstepselc.com Bright Star Learning Center LLC brightstar-kids.com Bright Start Academy (East) bsacolumbia.com Bright Start Academy (West) brightstartcolumbia.com Building Blocks Learning Center (573) 445-9768 Carousel Playschool carouselplayschool.com Columbia’s Finest Child Development Center columbiafinestcdc.com

Columbia KinderCare kindercare.com/our-centers/ columbia/mo Columbia Montessori School columbiamontessori.org Countryside Nursery School cnskds.com Discovery Days Preschool–MUMC

moumc.org/discoverydays Down to Earth Preschool downtoearthpreschool.com Green Meadows Preschool greenmeadowspreschool.com Humpty Dumpty Preschool humptydumptypreschool.org King’s Kids facebook.com/kingskidscomo/ Little Miracles Preschool littlemiraclespreschool.webs. com Luke’s Treehouse Child Care & Preschool lukestreehousechildcare.com Nora Stewart Early Learning Center norastewart.com Precious Hearts Learning Center preciousheartslearningcenter. com Ready Set Learn Early Childhood Learning Center readysetlearnpreschool.com RESOURCES continues on 49

8 LOCATIONS TO SERVE YOU DOWN 150 MILES OF HWY 70 FROM SEDALIA ALL THE WAY TO WENTZVILLE!

2500 Rangeline Rd. COLUMBIA 573-777-1000 3320 Bluff Creek Dr. Suite 107 COLUMBIA 573-777-9500

SEDALIA SMITHTON FORISTELL HERMANN WARRENTON WENTZVILLE

WWW.THEMISSOURIBANK.COM MEMBER FDIC | EQUAL HOUSING LENDER

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S ENI O R SE RV I CES The Senior Network of Columbia is composed of representatives of area organizations, agencies and businesses, as well as individuals who are interested in promoting the quality of life for the senior citizens of Boone County. A directory can be found at www. silcolumbia.org. The directory, updated in 2016, has listings for everything from food and home-delivered meals to volunteer opportunities.

50+ Program and 50+ Trips 1907 Hillcrest Drive (Hillcrest Community Center, Waters-Moss Memorial Wildlife Area) 573-874-7475 Activities: Music, dances, painting, crafts, instructional classes, social activities, travel opportunities. A function of the Columbia Parks and Recreation Department.

AARP Missouri 9200 Ward Parkway, Suite 350, Kansas City 866-389-5627 Local meetings at 10 a.m. every second Monday of the month at Boone Electric Cooperative’s community room for Mid-Missouri Chapter 5390, 1413 Range Line St. Services: Advocacy, travel, tax assistance, driver safety program.

Aging Best (formerly Central Missouri Area Agency on Aging) 1121 Business Loop 70 E., Suite 2A 573-443-5823 agingbest.org Hours: 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday-Friday Services: Information and assistance, care coordination, case management, options counseling. Respite assistance program.

Long-term care ombudsman program for nursing home residents.

Transportation assistance (call for details). Medicare education and assistance with enrollment.

Alzheimer’s Association 2400 Bluff Creek Drive 573-443-8665; help line, 800-272-3900 www.alz.org/greatermissouri/ Services: Referrals, help line, patient and caregiver support groups, newsletters and educational materials, respite funds, advocacy.

Central Missouri Community Action 807B N. Providence Road 573-443-8706 www.showmeaction.org Services: Emergency utility assistance, weatherization, tax assistance, foster grandparent program.

Central Missouri Regional Arthritis Center 1205 University Ave., Suite 1100 573-884-1220 www.moarthritis.org Services: Arthritis Foundation exercise program; arthritis selfmanagement program; chronic disease management program; other services.

Central Pantry 1007 Big Bear Blvd.

573-874-7848 Hours: 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., MondayFriday, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday Services: Provides supplemental food to low-income individuals; emergency food assistance; shopping assistance can be arranged.

Columbia/Boone County Department of Public Health and Human Services 1005 W. Worley St. 573-874-7355 www.como.gov/Health Services: Flu and pneumonia shots, immunizations, assistance with prescription medications, rural health screenings, hypertension/blood glucose screenings, tuberculosis testing, utility assistance, in-home services.

Columbia Housing Authority 201 Switzler St. 573-443-2556

www.columbiaha.com Services: Low-income public housing for seniors and people with disabilities.

Columbia Senior Activity Center 1121 Business Loop 70 E. 573-874-2050 www.columbiaseniorcenter.com Hours: 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. MondayFriday; 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Sunday Services: Daily meals, blood pressure and glucose screenings, volunteer opportunities and activities, including cards, dances, dominoes, exercise, pool, educational seminars Experience Works 573-442-0067or 573-445-4509 www.experienceworks.org Services: Training, employment and community service opportunities for workers 55 and older.

Family Support Division www.dss.mo.gov/fsd/ Services: Food stamps, supplemental aid to the blind, Blind Pension, nursing home assistance, MO HealthNet (based on age eligibility or disability).

LEAD Institute (Leadership through Education and Advocacy for the Deaf) 2502 W. Ash St., Suite B Phone/TTY: 573-445-5005 Crisis line: 800-380-3323 www.deaflead.com Services: Education, advocacy, crisis intervention services, free counseling and other direct services for the deaf, hard of hearing or deaf and blind. Free counseling for hearing and deaf individuals who are victims of domestic violence, sexual assault, rape, incest and child abuse.

Meals on Wheels 800 Hospital Drive 573-886-7554 www.mealsonwheelscolumbia.org Services: Meal delivery to Columbia residents, hot noon meals, box suppers Mid-Missouri Legal Services 1201 W. Broadway

573-442-0116 www.lsmo.org Services: Free legal services for qualified low-income individuals.

Civil cases only.

Missouri Veterans Commission 1500 Vandiver Drive, Suite 107 573-817-4270 mvc.dps.mo.gov Services: No-fee services for honorably discharged veterans, their dependents and survivors.

Assists in filing for VA benefits, compensation pensions, death benefits/burial allowances, military grave markers, education and training. Applications for state veterans’ homes and the Missouri Veterans Cemetery System.

OATS Inc. 2501 Maguire Blvd.

888-875-6287 www.oatstransit.org Services: Door-to-door transportation on a scheduled basis.

Fees: Donations accepted.

Services for Independent Living 1401 Hathman Place 573-874-1646 www.silcolumbia.org Services: Services for seniors and people with mental or physical disabilities, with door-to-door transportation for grocery shopping and medical appointments.

Call for intake process and for fee information.

Voluntary Action Center 403A Vandiver Drive 573-874-2273 www.vacmo.org Services: Referral, client advocacy, emergency assistance, transportation, food, shelter, clothing, medical needs, volunteer recruitment and placement.

Other resources Columbia Disabilities Commission: 573-874-7235 Division of Senior and Disability Services: 573-441-6222 Elder Abuse Hotline: 800-392-0210 Osher Lifelong Learning Institute: 573-882-8189

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GO TO INFORMATI ON according to a U.S. News and World Report profile.

Other higher-education institutions with Columbia campuses include Moberly Area Community College, Central Methodist University and William Woods University.

POPULATION Columbia: 123,195 (2019 census estimate) Boone County: 180,463 (2019 census estimate) LEADERSHIP Columbia mayor: Brian Treece (term expires April 2022) mayor@CoMo.gov City manager: John Glascock cmo@CoMo.gov City Council: Ward 1 council member: Pat Fowler (term expires April 2023) ward1@CoMo.gov Ward 2 council member: Mike Trapp (term expires April 2021) ward2@CoMo.gov Ward 3 council member: Karl Skala (term expires April 2022) ward3@CoMo.gov Ward 4 council member: Ian Thomas (term expires April 2022) ward4@CoMo.gov Ward 5 council member: Matt Pitzer (term expires April 2023) ward5@CoMo.gov Ward 6 council member: Betsy Peters (term expires April 2021) ward6@CoMo.gov Boone County Commission: Daniel Atwill, presiding commissioner datwill@boonecountymo.org Fred Parry, District I commissioner fparry@boonecountymo.org Janet Thompson, District II commissioner jthompson@boonecountymo.org CLIMATE Temperature: Columbia’s mean temperature is 54.6 degrees, with highs averaging 64.8 degrees and lows averaging 44.5 degrees.

Precipitation: Annual precipitation averages 42.6 inches; snowfall averages 18 inches.

CONVENTION AND TOURISM Lodging: There are dozens of hotels, bed and breakfasts and rooms available online through

MAIN LIBRARIES Daniel Boone Regional Library, including Columbia Public Library: More than 554,000 items, including more than 421,000 books, plus recordings, videos and electronic materials.

University of Missouri libraries: More than 3 million volumes and 6 million microforms.

sites such as Airbnb.

Exhibition: The Hearnes Center totals 67,584 square feet; Midway Expo Center, more than 50,000 square feet; Columbia Expo Center, 18,612 square feet.

Information on events, points of interest, meeting plans and tour arrangements is available through the Convention and Visitors Bureau, 300 S. Providence Road, P.O. Box 6015, Columbia, Mo, 65205.

The bureau can be reached by phone at 573-875-1231 or 800-652-0987, or online at www. visitcolumbiamo.com.

EDUCATION Elementary and secondary: Columbia Public Schools has four high schools, six middle schools and 21 elementary schools. Enrollment to start the

2019-20 school year was 19,052 students. There are 17 private and parochial schools.

Career-technical: The Columbia Area Career Center offers classes for ninth- through 12thgrade students as well as a variety of courses each semester for adults and customized training for local businesses.

Colleges: The University of Missouri recorded a total enrollment of 30,046 students in fall 2019, including 22,616 undergraduate students.

Columbia also has two private college campuses based here: Columbia College, which had more than 2,300 students enrolled on its Columbia campus in 2019, and around 18,000 total at its nationwide campuses and online; and Stephens College, with an enrollment of 752,

RECREATION Three movie theaters More than 70 city parks, with eight destination trails 27 city-maintained tennis courts Two public and three private golf courses Two outdoor skateparks and one outdoor roller rink More than 65 miles of nature and fitness trails More than 20 city-maintained soccer fields PRINT MEDIA Daily newspapers include: Columbia Daily Tribune: Publishes 365 days a year in the morning in print and online.

Columbia Missourian: Morning paper published daily except Saturdays and Mondays by the MU School of Journalism.

Other area publications include the monthly city magazine Inside Columbia and its sister publications, CEO and Boom.

Also publishing monthly is Como, a magazine which incorporates the previous Columbia Business Times and CoMo Living.

The Boone County Journal and Centralia Fireside Guard newspapers and the Add Sheet shopper all publish weekly.

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AM RADIO STATIONS KFRU, Columbia, 1400 KTGR, Columbia, 1580 KFAL, Fulton, 900 KWRT, Boonville, 1370 KRLL, California, 1420 KLIK, Jefferson City, 1240 KWOS, Jefferson City, 950 KXEO, Mexico, 1340 KWIX, Moberly, 1230 KMMO, Marshall, 1300 KSIS, Sedalia, 1050 KDRO, Sedalia, 1490 KLTI, Macon, 1560 KRMS, Osage Beach, 1150 KWRE, Warrenton, 730 FM RADIO STATIONS KCOU, Columbia, 88.1 KJAB, Mexico, 88.3 KSDQ, Moberly, 88.7 KJLU, Jefferson City, 88.9 KOPN, Columbia, 89.5 KMCV, High Point, 89.9 KBKC, Moberly, 90.1 KNLG, New Bloomfield, 90.3 KMUC, Columbia, 90.5 KAUD, Mexico, 90.5 KBIA, Columbia, 91.3 KMFC, Centralia, 92.1 KSDL, Sedalia, 92.3 KWJK, Boonville, 93.1 KSSZ, Fayette, 93.9 KATI, California, 94.3 KSDC, Centralia, 94.9 KWWU, Fulton, 94.9 KTKS, Versailles, 95.1 KWWR, Mexico, 95.7 KCMQ, Columbia, 96.7 KPOW, La Monte, 97.7 KCLR, Boonville, 99.3 KBBM, Jefferson City, 100.1 KTGR, Fulton, 100.5 KPLA, Columbia, 101.5 KBXR, Columbia, 102.3 KZJF, Jefferson City, 104.1 KRES, Moberly, 104.7 KZZT, Moberly, 105.5 KOQL, Ashland, 106.1 KTXY, Jefferson City, 106.9 KLJE, Columbia, 107.9 KRFL, Fulton, 107.9 TELEVISION STATIONS KOMU-8, Columbia, NBC affiliate KZOU-11, Columbia, MyTV affiliate KMIZ-17, Columbia, ABC affiliate KQFX-22, Columbia, FOX

affiliate KRCG-13, Jefferson City, CBS affiliate KMOS-6, Warrensburg, PBS affiliate EMERGENCY SERVICES Columbia Police Department: 173 sworn officers in 20190 budget Boone County Sheriff’s Department: About 140 employees Fire departments: The Columbia Fire Department has 145 full-time employees, and the Boone County Fire Protection District has a volunteer staff of about 200 and 24 employees.

POST OFFICES 511 E. Walnut St. 2300 Bernadette Drive, Suite 200 3709 Sandman Lane 3212B Lemone Industrial Blvd.

UTILITIES AND SERVICES Natural gas: Ameren Missouri Electricity: Ameren UE, Columbia Water and Light, Boone Electric Cooperative, Centralia Municipal Water and Light Cable TV: Mediacom, Charter, CenturyLink, Spectrum Water: The city system has a capacity of 28 million gallons per day. Rural water districts supply county residents.

Sewer: The city wastewater treatment plant near McBaine has a capacity of 20.6 million gallons per day with an average flow of 15.4 million gallons per day. The Boone County Regional Sewer District serves the county.

Recycling: Columbia’s recycling program is active in the city limits and is operated by Columbia Public Works’ Solid Waste Division.

Sources: Regional Economic Development Inc, Columbia Convention and Visitors Bureau, city of Columbia, state of Missouri, U.S. Census Bureau, media reports and institution websites and representatives

RESOURCES continued from 47

Sprout Academy Pre-school LLC sproutacademypreschool.com Stephens College Children’s School stephens.edu/ childrens-school Tiger Tots Academy of Early Learning tigertots.com TigerSide Intergenerational Preschool tigersideigp.com Trinity Lutheran Child Learning Center tlclckids.com Turn the Page Child Development Center turnthepagecdc.com A World of Discoveries Daycare aworldofdiscoveries.com TELECOMMUNICATIONS Bluebird Network, LLC (573) 777-4200 bluebirdnetwork.com Boone County Electric Satellite Systems (573) 449-4181 https://business.columbiamochamber.com/list/member/ boone-electric-satellite-systems-inc-2915 CenturyLink (573) 886-3336 centurylink.com/local/mo/ columbia.html Lamm Tech (660) 827-9944 lammtech.com Mediacom mediacomcable.com (855) 633-4226 Socket (573) 817-0000 socket.net Spectrum (888) 438-2427 spectrum.com Spectrum Business (855) 614-1223 business.spectrum.com Towner Communications Systems (573) 634-3339 calltcs.com Quantum Wireless Internet

(573) 256-1166 quantumwirelessinternet. com TRANSPORTATION Go COMO Bus Service (573) 874-2489 gocomotransit.com OATS Inc. 888-875-6287 oatstransit.org OATS is a public transportation for medical, essential shopping, business and nutrition purposes that is available to everyone.

Columbia Para-Transit (573) 874-7290 gocomotransit.com/services/ para-transit Columbia Regional Airport (573) 874-2489 flycou.com American Airlines offers two daily round flights between Columbia Airport and Chicago O’Hare International Airport and two daily round trip flights between COU and Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport.

Additional transportation services include Amtrak out of Jefferson City, Greyhound, limousine, shuttles to the airports at Kansas City and St. Louis along with local taxis.

UTILITIES City of Columbia Utilities (573) 874-7380 como.gov/utilities/ucs Alliance Water Resources Inc. (573) 874-8080 alliancewater.com Ameren Missouri (electric and gas) (800) 552-7583 ameren.com/Missouri Boone County Regional Sewer District (573) 443-2774 bcrsd.com Boone Electric Cooperative (573) 449-4181 booneelectric.coop Public Water Districts (573) 474-9521 pwsd9.com

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VET E RANS’ SE RVICES According to the 2018 census, Boone County is home to more than 9,300 veterans. As of 2019, Kim Wischmeyer, quartermaster at VFW Post 280, said the post had more than 600 combat veterans in the area as members; he estimated that about 20 percent of area veterans are women. In 2015, the U.S. Census Bureau’s website tallied 479,828 veterans in Missouri.

Missouri Veterans Commission 601 Business Loop 70 W., Suite 214A 573-817-4270 mvc.dps.mo.gov U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs Columbia Vet Center 4040 Rangeline Street 573-814-6206 www.va.gov

Welcome Home Inc. 2120 Business Loop 70 E 573-443-8001 www.welcomeveterans.org.

Harry S. Truman Memorial Veterans’ Hospital 800 Hospital Drive 573-814-6000 www.columbiamo.va.gov VFW Post 280 1509 Ashley Road 573-442-8413 vfw280.org American Legion Herbert Williams Post 202 3669 Legion Lane 573-442-2950 www.americanlegionpost202. org Central Missouri Women Post 1111 Meets the third Wednesday of each month at Truman Hospital, Room 546 https://centralmissouriwomenveterans.us/

Ousley Family Veterans Service Center, Columbia College 226 Missouri Hall, 1001 Rogers Street 573-875-7504 web.ccis.edu/Military/ veteranscenter MU Veterans Center 518 Hitt Street 573-884-4383 veterans.missouri.edu Show-Me Heroes Veteran Employment Services, Missouri Job Center jobs.mo.gov/vets

Since 1820

We are Columbia’s historic cemetery, and burial sites are still available.

As a non-profit, every penny we earn goes back into the cemetery.

Call us today to learn more and schedule a visit.

Thank You Listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

Contact Tanja Patton for prices on burial sites, urn niches & monuments.

449.6320 | www.columbiacemetery.org | 30 E. Broadway

jobs.

columbiatribune.com

The best way to find a job in Mid-Missouri Variety of local jobs posted daily, hundreds of jobs weekly Trusted source of listings from quality Mid-Missouri employers Always free online, in print 7 days a week

Visit jobs.columbiatribune.com in the Tribune and online.

Once you learn to read, Once you learn you will be forever free. to read, you will be forever free.

—Frederick Douglass —Frederick Douglass

313 E. Ash St., Columbia, MO 65201313 E. Ash St., 573-815-1600 Columbia, MO 65201 573-815-1600