Wes Duplantier

(Dec. 15, 2011)

(Dec. 7, 2010)

Gov. Jay Nixon speaks at the opening of new facilities at the Thompson Center for Autism and Neurodevelopmental Disorders on Friday. Nixon said expanded treatments like those at the new center were the goal of an autism-related health bill he signed into law this summer.

(Oct. 29, 2010)

Lily Tinker-Fortel, of People for a Taser-Free Columbia, speaks in favor Proposition 2 at a press conference Wednesday. Several members of the group spoke to rally support for the measure on the Nov. 2 ballot that would ban Taser use in Columbia.

(Oct. 26, 2010)

Services for Independent Living executive director Aimee Wehmeier speaks to participants at a forum on hearing disabilities Friday afternoon. SIL hosted the forum and another on visual disabilities to better understand what problems people with disabilities face in their daily lives.

(Sept. 1, 2010)

Columbia Police Department vehicles gather at the home of Columbia resident Michael Joe Robinson on Tuesday night. Robinson was arrested in connection with a robbery earlier this month after police were at his home for eight hours.

(Aug. 31, 2010)

Bill Janocha, assistant to cartoonist Mort Walker (left), and Chancellor Emeritus Richard Wallace pull away a U.S. Postal Service cloth covering a newly released postage stamp commermorating the Beetle Bailey comic strip. Walker, an MU alumnus, has been drawing the strip since 1950.

(Aug. 24, 2010)

Members of People for a Taser-Free Columbia stand at the City Council meeting last week to show the number of people supporting an ordinance that would ban Taser use in Columbia. About a dozen members of the organization were present.

(Aug. 24, 2010)

Name tags for People for a Taser-Free Columbia hang from a toolbox. The group handed out the tags to generate support for an ordinance that, if approved, will ban Tasers.

(Aug. 24, 2010)

Sen. Kit Bond, R-Mo., greets biomass industry representatives at the roundtable he hosted Monday on campus. Bond said biomass is a viable form of alternative energy that Missouri could produce to reduce U.S. dependence on foreign oil.

(Aug. 16, 2010)

Members of People for a Taser-Free Columbia stand at the City Council meeting to show the number of people supporting an ordinance that would ban Taser use in Columbia. About a dozen members of the organization were present for the Council meeting.

(Aug. 16, 2010)

People for a Taser-Free Columbia member Catherine Parke speaks to Council members in support of an ordinance to ban Taser use in the city. Supporters of the ordinance point to injuries and deaths that have resulted from Taser use while critics say police need to have the weapons available for their safety.

(Aug. 16, 2010)

Necklaces for People for a Taser-Free Columbia hang from a toolbox that member Pam Forbes brought to the Columbia City Council meeting. The group handed out the necklaces to generate support for an ordinance that will ban the weapons if the council approves it.

(Aug. 4, 2010)

Supporters of marijuana activist Ed Rosenthal wait for him to speak Wednesday night outside Columbia's city hall. Rosenthal spoke to the Citizens Police Review Board after its members voted to accept Columbia Police Department chief Ken Burton's report.

(Aug. 3, 2010)

Signs in front of Paquin Towers show that it is a polling place for voters in today's primary elections. Voters will choose candidates in several local and state races as well as vote on a proposition

(Aug. 3, 2010)

MU senior Paul Castellano gets checked in by a poll worker using an electronic pollbook at Paquin Tower during Tuesday's primary election. Pollworkers are using the software on laptops to make check-ins more efficient.

(July 28, 2010)

Columbia City Manager Bill Watkins gives his budget message at a press conference at City Hall. Watkins said the city is proposing a conservative budget for FY 2011 in anticipation of tough fiscal straits in the next few years.

(July 21, 2010)

A three-car collision at the intersection of College Avenue and Locust Street blocks traffic. Three people with injuries from the crash, an adult, a child and a baby, were transported to University Hosptial.

(July 21, 2010)

Emergency responders arrive at the scene of the three-car collision at the intersection of College Avenue and Locust Street. Three people with injuries, an adult, a child and a baby, were transported to University Hosptial.

(July 20, 2010)

Democratic U.S. Senate candidate Robin Carnahan speaks to Columbia residents Tuesday at Farm Power Lawn & Leisure in north Columbia. Carnahan, who is currently Missouri's Secretary of State, took swipes at her presumed Republican general election opponent, Roy Blunt, a Republican U.S. represntative, during her remarks.

(July 20, 2010)

(July 16, 2010)

Citizens Police Review Board member Carroll Highbarger (left) holds up a stack of paperwork detailing the investigation of a SWAT raid the Columbia Police Department conducted in February. Highbarger and other board members questioned Columbia police chief Ken Burton about the raid at a meeting Wednesday night.

(June 8, 2010)

(May 20, 2010)

Citizens Police Review Board member John McClure examines a Taser X26 at a presentation by the Columbia Police Department about the weapon Wednesday night. Two CPD officers discussed how the Tasers are constructed and when officers use them.

(May 18, 2010)

(May 18, 2010)

Columbia residents Justin Becker and Randall Thomas protest the actions of Columbia Police SWAT team at the City Council meeting Monday night. Several residents voiced concerns to the Council about the SWAT team's actions in a Feb. 11 raid of a Columbia home, during which a dog was shot and killed.

(May 18, 2010)

Columbia residents Justin Becker and Randall Thomas protest the actions of the Columbia Police SWAT team at the City Council meeting Monday night. Several residents voiced concerns to the council about the SWAT team's actions in a Feb. 11 raid of a Columbia home, during which a dog was shot and killed.

(April 30, 2010)

Freshman Ben Niewoehner speaks to members of the MU College Republicans before the group's executive board election Tuesday night in Allen Auditorium. During the meeting, Brett Dinkins was re-elected chairman of the organization.

(April 4, 2010)

Peg Miller and Eleanor Wickersham of Keep Columbia Free distribute the group's signs to audience members at a screen of '1984' on Friday. The group opposes Proposition 1 and says installing surveillance cameras downtown would be an invasion of privacy.

(April 4, 2010)

Sen. Claire McCaskill talks with Patricia Jackson at a roundtable discussion Thursday in Columbia. Jackson owns Sunshine Cleaning and said the economic downturn has made it more difficult for her company to get loans and pay its workers.

(Feb. 26, 2010)

Students discuss ideas for improving environmental sustainability on campus at a Wednesday night forum. The MU Sustainability Office and the Columbia Office of Sustainability will consider the suggestions for possible future projects.

(Nov. 16, 2009)

Legislators question Randy Scherr, executive director of United Payday Lenders of Missouri, during a hearing on payday loan reform Monday at the Daniel Boone Regional Library. Scherr argued payday loans are a better alternative than other financial penalties.

(Aug. 24, 2009)

U.S. Sen. Claire McCaskill, D-Mo., addresses constituents at a town hall meeting Monday in Moberly. She held the meeting as part of a statewide tour to answer questions about national health care reform.

(Aug. 14, 2009)

Columbia police officer Lindsey Mueller demonstrates the use of the department's new Video-Based Judgment Training Simulator. The simulator allows officers to face virtual suspects in over 900 policing situations.

(Aug. 10, 2009)

Uzma Khan (center) looks for items on a school supply list with her daughters Zoya and Sarah (left to right) on Saturday at Staples during tax free weekend. During the tax free holiday, all school supplies, which include anything from electronics to clothing to office supplies, are exempt from Missouri state taxes.

(Aug. 4, 2009)

CALEA assessor Mark Balazik (left) and chief assessor Gregory King open a meeting for public comment on MUPD compliance with the commission's standards. The assessment team will remain on campus through Aug. 4 to evaluate the department in person, and the commission will decide whether to formally re-accredit the department in November.

(Feb. 10, 2009)

MU NAACP members Lysaundra Campbell, Marcedes LeGrone and Whitney Williams prepare dishes Sunday for the 100 Year Feast. The group will hold a week of events to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the NAACP.

(Feb. 3, 2009)

Junior Alyssa Ruth rings up a customer at University Bookstore on Wednesday. A report issued last week by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics found that 46 percent of 21-year-old women are enrolled in college versus 36 percent of men the same age.

(Jan. 27, 2009)

The MU Navy ROTC Color Guard stands during the performance of the national anthem during Columbia College's Salute to Security Day on Saturday. Several branches of the military have seen increases in enlistment among college students during the economic crisis.

(Dec. 11, 2008)

Jefferson City Kohl's store manager Holly Stump holds a ceremonial check as Columbia store manager Nathen Collins talks about the history of the Kohl's Cares for Kids program. The Jefferson City and Columbia stores raised $22,910 for Children's Hospital through the sale of special merchandise.

(Dec. 11, 2008)

Mayor Darwin Hindman presents former First Ward City Councilwoman Almeta Crayton with a proclamation recognizing her as Outstanding Citizen of the Year. Several City Council members attended the Wednesday luncheon for Crayton, who lost a re-election bid in 2008 after serving three terms.

(Dec. 11, 2008)

Biological sciences assistant professor Dawn Cornelison talks to state legislators Denny Hoskins, R-Warrensburg, and Clint Tracy, R-Cape Girardeau, about projects in her lab at the Life Sciences Center on Wednesday. Incoming legislators toured the center with researchers as MU officials urged them to maintain funding for research projects in the midst of the economic crisis.

(Oct. 20, 2008)

Wine Cellar and Bistro's executive chef Craig Cyr and sous chef Andy Burris prepare chestnut dishes Saturday at the sixth annual Missouri Chestnut Roast. It took place at the Horticulture and Agroforestry Research Center in New Franklin.

(Oct. 20, 2008)

Sophomore Claire Stuckel signs a message on the Fight Back Express bus during its stop on campus Saturday. Volunteers with the bus, which is sponsored by the American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network, shared stories of cancer patients and survivors.

(Oct. 13, 2008)

Former MU football player and former candidate for the 9th U.S. Congressional District Brock Olivo speaks as guest emcee Friday at the Boone County Republican Party's Annual Chili Supper. The event raised money for Republican candidates at local and national levels.

The sights and sounds of health care reform (March 12, 2010)