Roy Lovelady’s Last Dance
Between a morning of City Council meetings and a night filled with dance rehearsals, Roy Lovelady sits in the center of 360 Star Styling Studio, dipping rhinestones in glue and pressing them, one by one, into the brown, pink and orange fabric of a drag costume. Lovelady has never been just one thing.
Story by Anna Coletto; Photos by Bailey Stover; Video by Jacob Luebbert
One voice for many: First-generation MU students explain what's driving them to the polls
University of Missouri senior Maria Yepez Damian was 7 when she began wrestling with government bureaucracy. The first person in a family of Mexican immigrants to be born in the United States, she was the one her mom relied on to translate legal documents as she applied for permanent U.S. residency.
From a young age, Yepez Damian realized she had privileges her older sisters didn’t. She could join her high school’s Junior Reserve Officers’ Training Corp, while her oldest sister — the first in the family to express interest in the program — couldn’t.
Story by Kyle Pinnell; Photos by Masart Zahra, Catie Cobble, Sophia Douglas and Jacob Luebbert
True/False Film Fest brings the streets of Columbia alive with colorful Q Queens and the excited buzz of film enthusiasts hoping to get a last-minute ticket.
The visual theme ties the experience together — from the T-shirts to the artwork lining the streets. This year, True/False explores “The Human Paradox.”
Ragtag Film Society explains the theme on the True/False Film Fest website by writing that even though humans are often illogical, “instead of passing judgment on inconsistency, we are reframing contradiction, looking towards the possibility in paradox and the expansion in the ability to exist outside of the expected.”
Story by Cara Penquite; Photos by Ashlee Klotzbuecher, Jacob Luebbert, Thomas Gleason, Ellie Frysztak and Vanina Dimitrova
Visualizing "the human paradox"
When Dorsa Derakhshani was 19 years old, she came to the United States with six suitcases and a passport. St. Louis University offered her a full ride scholarship if she played on the chess team for up to six years, and she knew she couldn't pass it up.
The chess federation in Iran, her home country, had just banned her from playing for its national team because she didn’t wear a hijab in international chess matches. She wrote an opinion article for the New York Times about the experience.
“I (didn’t) have a family I can rely on in (the United States) at the time. I didn’t have any money. I was on my own,” she said. “If I fail out of college, nobody’s going to take care of me.”
Story by Aryana Hadjimohammadi; Photos by Bailey Stover
Real life 'Queen's Gambit': From chess grandmaster to med school
'It should have been yesterday:' Family criticizes delayed police co-responder program
Katiana Edwards believes that her brother would still be alive today if he'd gotten the help he needed. On Aug. 4, Marquis Rivera, 22, called 911 from his apartment in Columbia, reporting that he was suicidal. Within hours, he was shot and killed by police.
Story by Camryn Kessling and Erica Little; Photos by Taylor Emrey Glascock
An appearance by Israeli Consul General Maor Elbaz-Starinsky in the state Capitol on Tuesday prompted demonstrations by Palestinian supporters and contentious exchanges later in the day during a committee hearing.
Supporters of Israel and Palestinians crammed the hearing rooms and hallways outside throughout the day.
Story by Madeline Shannon and Aidan Pittman; Photos by Joe Feduccia, Cara Penquite and Elise-Wilke Grimm
Protests accompany Capitol speech by Israeli consul general
Over a million snow geese migrate over northwest Missouri
Millions of snow geese fly north over the Midwest every spring on a mission to reach the Hudson Bay. The birds’ annual spring passage through Missouri began last month and continues on through mid-March.
At the Loess Bluffs National Wildlife Refuge in northwest Missouri, gaggles make a crucial pit stop in their journey alongside other waterfowl like ducks and swans. Since February, over a million geese have migrated through the historical refuge, flying over or stopping for a few weeks to rest.
Photos by Darby Hodge
Since 2012, Muse has grown into a thriving business, and Mazur de Vries emphasized how she and the rest of the staff work to keep it a safe space for people of all ages, races, body types, genders and sexualities.
“One of my biggest things through classes and philosophies for the business is having zero judgment or expectation about what you're going through or where you're at or where you're starting,” Mazur de Vries said.
Story and photos by Bailey Stover
Muse Pole Fitness builds a ‘zero judgment’ community
The day darkened slightly at 1:57 p.m. Monday when a near-total eclipse caused a marked drop in temperature and lengthened the shadows of buildings around Columbia.
For over four minutes, the earth, moon and sun moved into almost complete alignment within an observer’s line of sight on the ground.
Story and photos by Missourian Staff
Looking up: Solar eclipse draws thousands to Missouri to share a celestial show
One arena, one state title, four days, eight mats, and hundreds of students. High schoolers from across the state closed out the MSHSAA Wrestling Championships on Saturday.
While some athletes walk away with a state title, all athletes walk away with the memories of four long days. Ashton Mayes will remember taking a nap during day three, Aidan Ward will think of the cold hallway floor after being eliminated and Aroma Marrufo will remember the shirt gifted to her by her coach after a title win. These are moments that the crowds of fans can’t see, but the student athletes will not forget.
Story by Jamie Maron; Photos by Jamie Maron and Bailey Stover
Whirlwind of emotions: Moments of the mat
As a basketball player and coach, Morgan Scott has always tried to bring out the best in those around her, an attitude she's also brought to being a new mother.
“Let’s finish on a make,” Scott told her one-year-old son, Jalyn, repeating a common phrase in the basketball community that refers to ending a practice with a successful shot.
This time, the Hickman girls basketball coach is not on the hardwood — she’s talking to Jalyn as they finish up bath time. Born to two basketball coaches, Jalyn has been lulled to sleep by the serenade of sneaker squeaks, adopted by his mom’s players, and grown up in gyms where his parents are at work. Basketball is the engine that drives the Scott household and a force that brings them all together.
Story and photos by Clayton Steward
'I can't not be invested': Hickman girls basketball coach reflects on time coaching
The silence inside the locker room is broken occasionally by the cheers of a distant crowd. Milton McHenry bends and picks up anything that is not in its proper place.
Every move matches the crowd going crazy. It’s the third quarter, and a sold-out stadium is pumping up the Mizzou football team. McHenry is getting the locker room ready for when the home team comes back to celebrate their victory.
Nine minutes on the clock. It’s the fourth quarter.
Story and photos by Sharon Quintana Ortiz
The Original Gentleman: 24 hours in Milton McHenry’s life
Adventurer Holden Ringer stops in Columbia during walk across U.S.
When Holden Ringer began his trek from La Push, Washington to Washington, D.C. in March, he was bald. Roughly 8 months, 7 states and around 2,000 miles later, Ringer — whose hair is now chin-length — made it to Columbia.
The 25-year-old caught his first glimpse of the city Wednesday afternoon. After traversing the Katy Trail on the heels of last week’s cold and rain, Ringer had a warm place to sleep in Columbia resident Matt Fetterly's home that night.
Story by Savvy Sleevar; Photos by Amy Schaffer