Local

Police found unidentified skeletal remains in a homemade shed Wednesday morning in a wooded area just north of Conley Road, said Capt. Brad Nelson of the Columbia Police Department's Major Crimes Unit.

The recovery search for 20-year-old John Paul Forget of Chesterfield resumed Wednesday on the Missouri River. An officer with the State Water Patrol performed a surface and sonar search for the man who has been missing since Dec. 16.

Participants can dress formally or informally for the free party from 6 to 11 p.m. on Jan. 20 at The Blue Note.

Columbia's  25 National Merit semifinalists are, by and large, the cream of the academic crop. But to understand them requires consideration of much more than their scores.

The Columbia Art League has received a $20,000 grant from the 3M Foundation. It will be used for arts education programs for youth.  “It's such a tremendous boost for the Columbia Art League at a time when everyone in the arts is feeling the pinch, and a great endorsement for creativity in our community by a national foundation,” said Diana Moxon, the art league's executive director.

The commission is preparing a report, due March 31, on how it will measure its progress over the coming months.

Two attempted burglaries awakened residents early this morning in north Columbia, according to a Columbia Police Department news release.

The documentary was shot by feature film maker Randy Sinquefield, an MU graduate, and follows students for one week. "We're all music geeks, which has kind of made us bond," said one student.

Garten, who filed for school board candidacy on Friday, withdrew his name on Monday, citing scheduling conflicts.

Even rocks are feeling the pinch of the economic downturn, and Boone County Public Works is preparing for a 10 percent increase in prices.

The Columbia Fire Department has improved in the fire protection service rankings, from a Class 3 to a Class 2.  This makes the department one of only seven in Missouri to have received such a ranking.

Democratic floor leader Rep. Paul LeVota says Missouri voters have sent the General Assembly a clear message for the 2009 legislative session, which begins Wednesday: "Work together; cooperation is key."

The State Historical Society of Missouri has carefully stowed the state’s daily newspapers in the basement of Ellis Library for more than a century, but looming budget cuts have at least temporarily ended this tradition.

The candidates will answer questions and make personal statements in a session open to the public on Jan. 12.

The Columbia City Council unanimously approved $83,593.50 to be used for furnishings for the Columbia Police Department’s future regional training facility.

A plan to provide wireless Internet on Columbia Public Transit buses is on hold while the city looks into ways to fund it.

The City Council is expected to decide whether Columbia will have a new park and a trail for Perche Creek at its meeting on Jan. 20.

Cathy Cox, the home school communicator at Benton Elementary, created the program R.I.S.E. to help unite young girls during weekly discussions about respect.

Residents of the Brookside Square Subdivision, who were concerned that their interests were not fully represented by the already existing homeowners' association, have formed a neighborhood association to take up issues of fire protection, crime and construction.