• The Columbia school board on Monday tabled a vote on its revised bullying policy, a year and a half in the making. Board member Paul Harper said some members wanted cleaner language. The vote is now expected at the board's Oct. 21 work session, and the policy would not take effect until January 2027. The revision would require staff, substitutes, contractors and volunteers to intervene in and report bullying, and would require the district to notify the families of both the alleged victim and alleged perpetrator within five school days of a completed investigation.
• The Walmart on Broadway was closed Monday. A worker told ABC 17 News a water main break was responsible. City crews and a floor restoration company were on scene Monday afternoon. A Walmart spokesperson said the company is working to reopen as soon as possible.
• Columbia police were called to a break-in at Fairview United Methodist Church on Chapel Hill Road about 8 a.m. Monday, according to dispatch logs. The Rev. Nancy Martin confirmed a break-in and thanked the community for its concern. Police have not released details on what was taken or whether there are suspects.
• Restoration of the "Keys to the City" sculpture in front of Columbia City Hall will cost $113,011, according to a city news release. Safety fencing goes up Tuesday, glass panels come off Wednesday, and rust and paint removal begins Thursday. The work will continue into early November.
• Boone Electric Cooperative sent 10 lineworkers to Alabama on Saturday to help restore power after Hurricane Isaias. A spokesman says they're among 184 lineworkers from Missouri electric cooperatives, assisting Southern Pine Electric Cooperative in Brewton, Ala.
• Lane closures begin Wednesday at the South Fairview and Chapel Hill roads roundabout project. Flaggers will direct traffic during closures between 7 a.m. and 5 p.m., and the city recommends alternate routes.
• A 16-year-old from Fulton is dead after a UTV crash early Sunday in Callaway County. The Highway Patrol says the side-by-side overturned on Beaver Spur at Chapel Drive around 2:15 a.m. The teen was a passenger and was thrown from the vehicle. The driver was not hurt.
• A Callaway County deputy fired his weapon at the end of a chase Saturday night. Deputies say 29-year-old Sydney Akers of Fulton led them west from Fulton on Route F and braked hard in front of patrol cars, causing crashes. They say she claimed to have a gun, and a deputy fired. She was treated for non-life-threatening injuries and faces allegations including DWI and felony assault. The Highway Patrol is investigating.
• It was a record-breaker Sunday in Columbia. The high hit 91 degrees, topping the old mark of 89 on that day set in 1962. Expect more heat today and Tuesday, then storms midweek and highs in the 60s by Friday.
• A 33-year-old Sturgeon man was found guilty Friday of voluntary manslaughter, armed criminal action, and illegal gun possession. A jury convicted Dalton Perkins for the May 2025 fatal shooting of his 56-year-old father, Steven Perkins. Perkins faces sentencing on Nov. 30.
• The City of Columbia Public Works Department will hold an open house meeting Thursday regarding two upcoming public projects. The meeting takes place from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m. at city hall. Officials will discuss a new roundabout at E. Green Meadows Road and E. Nifong Boulevard, plus a sidewalk project on Pershing Rd.
• Judge Stephanie Morrell was elected last week as the next presiding judge of the 13th Circuit Court, Her fellow judges voted to elect her during a court meeting. She will oversee court operations across Boone and Callaway counties starting Jan. 1.
• Columbia police say Flock cameras helped them catch the man behind five reports of a nude man on the MKT Trail. Officers arrested 32-year-old Draquawn Jennings of Columbia on Tuesday after finding his vehicle in the 800 block of Stadium Boulevard. He faces four counts of sexual misconduct.
• The trial of a Columbia kennel owner charged with animal abuse has been pushed back. Melissa Sanders, 27, was set for trial the week of Oct. 19 on 13 felony counts and one misdemeanor count, but her attorney asked for more time. Investigators found dead dogs and remains at her Magnum Opus German Shepherd kennel last November. Her next hearing is Nov. 9, and she remains jailed without bond.
• Recent headlines:
Prop L would raise $17 million a year for Boone County
Boone County’s jail problem has changed with the inmates
City’s board of adjustment to consider sign exception for Machens Ford
• Recent obituaries are here.