Incumbent Columbia Mayor Barbara Buffaloe faces three challengers in the April 8, 2025, municipal election. Challengers are longtime Columbia business owner Blair “Murph” Murphy, Tanya Heath, and write-in candidate Lucio Bitoy. Buffaloe won the mayor’s seat in 2022, garnering 43 percent of the vote. She is the city’s second female mayor and previously served the […]
Murphy and Heath Challenge Buffaloe for Mayor’s Seat Read More »
Voters in the Columbia Public Schools on April 8 will choose two candidates from the three individuals vying for a pair of three-year terms on the board of education. The candidates are Erica Dickson, Ken Rice, and incumbent school board President Suzette Waters. Blake Willoughby, whose term expires in April, didn’t seek re-election. Dickson is
CPS Board Candidates Talk Yearwood Departure, Charter Schools Read More »
African American Heritage Trail Columbia’s African-American Heritage Trail is a two-mile walking trail in central Columbia with dozens of historical markers highlighting Columbia’s Black community. The trail is centered around the Sharp End, the Black business district that thrived until 1950s urban renewal projects decimated much of Columbia’s vibrant Black community, leaving only fading memories
(Re)Discover COMO: True/False, Heritage Trail, and the Gateway Read More »
If money was no object, what passion project would you pursue? (And if you’re already living that dream, what is it?) Does “Start a whiskey distillery count?!” Lionheart Whiskey Co. (Open since June 2022). – Marie Newell The Fight Abuse Program is dedicated to creating sustainable revenue streams to support nonprofit organizations helping abused and
At 76,700 square feet, the stately building at the corner of Sixth and Elm streets borders the University of Missouri-Columbia campus and the eastern edge of downtown Columbia’s Flat Branch area. You can’t miss it, but it still seems that the State Historical Society of Missouri (SHSMO) Center for Missouri Studies is something of a
Missouri’s ‘Unofficial’ State Historian is Retiring Read More »
I will confess — I do appreciate a good Hallmark movie. I like to get caught up in a story of romance occasionally. I am all for celebrating love with a bouquet of roses, a box of truffles, and a glass of Moscato. I enjoy feeling valued and treasured. In fact, last month my husband
The night sky has shone over humans for all of existence. Its vast mysteries blanket the earth each night, inspiring generations to look up. Stars, planets, galaxies, and meteors light up the sky night after night, as it has been for millennia. “Astronomy lends itself to looking at a long view. You realize pretty quickly
Entering Jowin’s Kitchen feels like stepping into a cherished memory. Vivid yet dreamlike, it’s a place you won’t want to leave once you’re seated — a crossroads between nostalgia and the present. The comforting aroma of sugar and butter clings to the air as if the space itself had absorbed years of baking despite only opening
It’s the time of year when humanity is coming out of the mid-winter doldrums. Dry January is over for the hapless souls who thought that they needed to detox for a month, and everyone’s favorite Hallmark holiday is coming up. Yes, I’m referring to Valentine’s Day, the economic shot in the arm for florists, candy
When I first moved to Columbia in 1998 to attend the University of Missouri, the city had a sleepy, small-town charm that was impossible to miss. During university breaks, the town seemed to exhale. Students left, traffic thinned, and downtown quieted. It felt like the whole city hit pause. Fast forward to 2025, and Columbia
