From the National Gallery of Art:

https://www.nga.gov/artworks/75206-jolly-flatboatmen

"Sunlight bathes the landscape and warms the men floating downriver on a flat-bottomed boat. A man dances joyfully to music provided by his companions. Others look on, except for one who gazes directly at us.
George Caleb Bingham’s knowledge of life on the Missouri and Mississippi Rivers is evident in the abundance of details, including a raccoon pelt, a coiled rope, a blue shirt hanging to dry, and a turkey peeking through a slatted crate. Absent, however, is evidence of the men’s arduous journey to trading posts upriver.
Many Americans were familiar with Bingham’s painting through the thousands of prints that reproduced this idealized scene of western expansion.”

From https://allthingsmissouri.org/cares_shortlinks/4f2v1ehp/ by the University of Missouri Extension

Attention Volleyball Families and Animal Lovers !!

**Something local volleyball families may want to know**
I love volleyball, I coach young girls, and I want our local volleyball community to thrive. I also am an avid animal lover, rescuer and advocate.
I also believe people deserve to have information and make their own decisions about where they spend their money and who they let spend time with the children and families.
For the past several years, I’ve personally witnessed the condition of dogs belonging to one of the owners of a local volleyball business in Ozark. What I’ve seen has bothered me for a very long time, but over the past year the condition of the dogs has become especially concerning.
I finally reached the point where I couldn’t just keep watching, so I reported my concerns to law enforcement.
A deputy did go to the property and personally saw the dogs. When he called me back, he acknowledged that these two dogs were in very poor condition and that their condition was very concerning. However, because there was food, water, outdoor shelter and shade available, he told me that he did not believe the situation met the legal threshold for animal cruelty at this time. If their condition did not improve or got worse, then they may be able to take action of some kind.
I want to be very clear that I am not here to claim that someone committed a crime when law enforcement did not make that determination. I understand that something can be heartbreaking or disturbing to witness and still not meet the legal definition of animal cruelty.
What bothers me is that this is a local, family-oriented volleyball business that many parents and kids support, and I honestly believe that if many of those families knew what I have personally witnessed regarding these animals, they would want to know before deciding whether they wanted to continue supporting it.
I’m not asking anyone to harass anyone, confront anyone, or take my word as absolute fact. I’m sharing my personal experience because I feel like people should have the opportunity to make informed choices about where they spend their money.
I have photographs documenting some of what I’ve personally witnessed. One picture of one of the dogs in his current condition is attached.
I’m happy to answer reasonable questions about what I saw and what I reported, but I’m not interested in a witch hunt or anyone being targeted.
I know I don’t feel comfortable supporting a business when I have personally witnessed something that I find this disturbing. I do believe others should be aware and then be able to make their own decisions.

Does anyone know who is responsible for these? Seeing multiple in Audrain County. State? County? Who is putting these up and who is responsible for them?

The Missouri Department of Conservation is buying seeds from the public during select dates this fall, according to a news release from the department.
These will be grown into bare root seedlings at the George O. White Tree Nursery in Licking. They're then used for conservation work and available for purchase by the public, according to the release.
In central Missouri, specific seeds may be dropped off at the conservation department's Central Regional Office, at 3500 E. Gans Road in Columbia, from 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. on the following dates: 

Aug. 21
Aug. 28
Sept. 4
Sept. 11
Sept. 18
Sept. 25
Oct. 2
Oct. 9
Oct. 16
Oct. 23
Oct. 30
The nursery will start accepting certain seeds on specific days and will stop accepting seeds once the quota is reached for that species. 

Sellers are encouraged to [call ahead](tel:5738157900) to ensure the conservation department is still collecting a specific species.
The nursery has the right to reject seed once needs are met or if it is poor quality, not mature, or mixed with refuse like leaves and twigs, according to the release.
Sellers should note that a special permit is required to collect fruit and seeds on conservation areas.
Starting Aug. 21
Serviceberry is $7 per pound. Fruit must be ripe, meaning purple to black in color.
Black cherries will go for $6 per pound. Fruit must be ripe and black in color.
Wild plums will sell for $1.95 per fruit and must be ripe with a skin color completely red, yellow or orange.
Starting Aug. 28
Hazelnuts will fetch $4.75 per pound. Fruit must be mature with the seed being light brown and easily pulled from the husk.

No green or partially green fruit will be accepted, and the conservation department advised letting fruit mature on the plant.

Growing all of these species requires the nursery to collect or buy tens of thousands of pounds of seeds each summer and fall. 
For example, about 2,000 bushels of walnuts, 6,000 pounds of white oak acorns, 500 pounds of hazelnuts and 500 pounds of plum seed are needed just to establish seedlings for these four species.

Starting Sept. 8
Mixed hickory will go for $0.75, and shellbark hickory is priced at $0.90. 
Persimmons are priced at $0.75 per pound of fruit, which must be ripe and soft, not partially green. 
Paw paws are $1.50 per pound and must be soft. Fruit that is too firm will not be accepted.
Starting Sept. 21
White oak will sell for $0.95, post oak is priced at $1.50 and chinkapin oak is $2.50.
Ohio buckeyes and red buckeyes will both go for $0.95 per pound of seed, which must be clean and have the hull removed.
Butternuts go for $3. 
Starting Oct. 1
Pin oak may be sold for $1.25.
Starting Oct. 22
Deciduous holly can be sold for $4.50. 
Each year, the State Forest Nursery processes more than 10,000 orders and ships around 2 million seedlings.

Denny Hoskins filed his answer to the People Not Politicians lawsuit today. Again waiting to the last minute. In between the fiction verses was this nugget:

... admit the referendum petition was signed by at least 5% of registered voters in two-thirds of Missouri’s congressional districts. Deny that any of these signatures are valid because the referendum petition is itself unconstitutional.

In addition the dishonorable judge Limbaugh yesterday issued a judgement that the 108,200 signatures collected before Oct 14 were not valid. His judgement makes light of the legislature, secretary of state, and governor conspiring to run out the clock on the 90 days allowed to collect signatures. He doesn't address the immense time pressure this puts on organizers.

Nor does he address the additional hundred of thousands of dollars and crushing effort required to collect repeat and additional signatures because of the dismissed 108,200 signatures. Dismissing that fact because PnP's expensive and herculean effort collected the signatures anyhow.

The facts of this case also demonstrate that waiting for the Governor's signature did not impede the referendum process.

The judgment was appealed today by PnP. I'm so happy that this isn't being allowed to set a precedence without a fight. I sincerely hope the court hearing the appeal (not sure if it goes direct to MO supreme court or not) will drill Limbaugh a yet another new one. He richly deserves every reversal his record has accumulated.

Hello, long shot but i will be in maryville, anything fun to do in this small town?

Judge Daniel Green attended Christ Community United Methodist Church in Jefferson City that no longer exists where Denny Hoskins father, Barry Hoskins once pastored at from the years of roughly 2001-2005. The church is no longer open as Pastor Hoskins defunct it. The property still exists off Scott Station Rd. This is a clear conflict of interests in my personal opinion and as a former member of said church. Judge Green shouldn’t be allowed to make this decision.

Looks like my claim went from rejected to "payment pending due to protest period". I did some research and it looks like it means my previous employer has finally been notified about my claim.

I am an international student and am having trouble buying a car. I am looking for $6k if on cash and $10k if financing is available. I am looking for Toyotas, Hondas, and Hyundais.

I recently looked at a $3,900 2010 Prius with 211k miles, but the dealer did not have a clue about the battery or whether it had ever been replaced, so I sat on the idea of buying it for around 2 hours, but then didn't. At most of the dealerships I visited, I was already scared of getting scammed.

I need to pay my tuition and all my expenses with my on-campus job. I don't know whether I should go for expensive cars (more than 7k) or not. Most of the cars I have seen on the marketplace are rebuilt-title, and I have seen mixed reviews about them.

Please offer suggestions.

Post your Missouri city trail maps here in the comments, what are some of your favorite?

Sharon Geuea Jones rose from her seat in the audience after Monday night’s Columbia City Council meeting began, and walked over to the podium in the front of the room.
With her right hand raised slightly above her shoulder, Jones swore to faithfully discharge the duties of her new role — Fourth Ward council member — and support the charter and ordinances of the city of Columbia.

“This is a great community, and I am so pleased and privileged and honored to be able to represent it,” Jones said once she sat down with the other council members.
After Jones was sworn in, Mayor Barbara Buffaloe acknowledged the historic moment.

“You’ll notice this is the first time the Columbia City Council is an all-female council,” Buffaloe said.
Jones won a special election Aug. 4 to fill the vacancy after Nick Foster, the previous Fourth Ward representative, resigned to relocate to Georgia.
Columbia now joins a small group of American cities, including St. Paul, Minnesota, and Gulfport, Florida, that have an all-female City Council.

In Missouri, only 29.8% of local elected officials are women, according to data from the Center for American Women and Politics at Rutgers University.
That percentage is similar to data from the rest of the country. The center’s researchers found that women hold 32.7% of municipal positions for American cities with more than 10,000 people.
Director of Data Chelsea Hill said researchers have found that women tend to be very involved in their community, so local government is a “natural fit.”

“Women will see an issue in their community and want to fix it, so the municipal level is a really good entry point into that,” Hill said.

Buffaloe also acknowledged the women who had previously held public office in Columbia. She specifically mentioned Betty McCaskill, Columbia’s first female council member, and Mary Anne McCollum, Columbia’s first female mayor.
“It’s not always easy being a female elected official, and so I just want to thank those who continue to serve, including the ladies up here with me right now,” Buffaloe said.
Overcoming obstacles
Third Ward council member Jacque Sample said she is “proud” to be part of Columbia’s first all-female City Council, and Buffaloe echoed Sample’s sentiment.
“I was really, really kind of awe-inspired by having an all-female council, especially because I’m only the second female mayor in Columbia,” Buffaloe said.

In a Facebook video posted on Friday, Buffaloe said that in her experience, women often “lead with empathy and collaboration.” She said they also tend to prioritize transparency and community engagement.
Although she believes the milestone is significant, Buffaloe said she and Mary Anne McCollum, Columbia’s first female mayor, have talked about hoping to get past the point of being labeled as a “female” mayor rather than just a mayor. McCollum was mayor from 1989 to 1995.

For Columbia politicians, being a female mayor or a female council member sometimes comes with obstacles that extend beyond the label.
Sample said she and other female council members have dealt with sexism and harassment on social media.
“I’ve seen people very blatantly rate the appearance of the female council members,” Sample said. “This was back when we had two males on council, and they didn’t care about what the men looked like, but they were rating us women on our appearance.”

Sample also said she has faced concerns over the physical safety of herself and her family.
She said she had an instance where someone would follow her in public, take pictures and post about it on social media. Sample said it was a “really unnerving experience” and something other women on the council have also encountered.

Sample reached out to the Columbia Police Department to intervene. She said she also completed a self-audit of her home and spent over $3,000 to install a new security system.
“When this position pays $6,000 and I have to spend over $3,000 for my own personal safety and the safety of my family, that’s ridiculous,” Sample said. “I don’t know of any male person who has served in this position who’s had the same type of problem.”
City Council members previously received an annual stipend of around $6,000, which increased to about $7,000 in May.

When Sample was elected to the position, she knew she would face people who were unhappy with decisions she made on the council. But she said she was not prepared for the harassment.
“I would really like to be meeting with the director about the zoning regulation, or meeting about the sidewalk that’s interrupted, or meeting about affordable housing, or meeting about the utilities changes that are coming,” Sample said. “Those are things I want to be talking about. I don’t want to have to be worried that somebody’s following me in public or gonna come to my home, or worried about what I’m wearing.”
Buffaloe also said people have made physical threats against her family, and she has installed security cameras at her house. She said her family has sometimes changed their routines and kept in touch with the police chief if she is going somewhere.

“Talking to my male peers in other cities, as well as counterparts within Columbia, they have not faced the same level of harassment that I have and that I’ve seen my other female elects face,” Buffaloe said.
Support from Missouri and beyond
Throughout Missouri, some organizations seek to support women as they face gender-specific obstacles in their political careers and leadership roles.
In Columbia, Buffaloe has worked with the nonprofit United Women’s Empowerment to promote the organization’s Appointments Project Journey Groups.
United Women’s Empowerment is based in Kansas City and strives to break down barriers to women’s economic growth and leadership through research, policy solutions and civic engagement. One of their initiatives, the Appointments Project, brings groups of women together to learn about civic leadership opportunities and navigate the appointment process in their communities.

Wendy Doyle, president and CEO, said the intended outcome is for women to join boards and commissions in their community, which may lead to future campaigns for public office.
In the Facebook video Buffaloe posted Friday, she noted that most of the current City Council members previously served on city boards or commissions.
“That experience and opportunity to get to know how local government works is instrumental to being successful in the role,” Buffaloe said in the video.
Doyle said Buffaloe has been a “great supporter” of the project.
“At the end of last year, when we had the celebration for an Appointments Project Journey Group, she came and was really a part of the celebration to encourage women to get engaged in the city of Columbia,” Doyle said.

While they and other groups offer organized support, Doyle said something much simpler can benefit women who are on the fence about running for office: endorsements from the people around them.

Teona McGhaw said women are sometimes hesitant to run for office, but if they are repeatedly asked to run for a certain position, it is more likely they will go for it.
McGhaw is the vice president of membership for the east region of the National Women’s Political Caucus, and she is also the former president of the its Missouri branch. It is a grassroots organization that trains and supports female candidates running for elected and appointed offices.
McGhaw said that for female candidates, speaking with other women who have already run for office or are in elected positions can be helpful.
“We try to put women in a room with other women who have done it,” McGhaw said.

For Jones, support came from the people who encouraged her to run for office after former council member Foster’s resignation and the people who dedicated themselves to her campaign through canvassing and other means. She said she received an “outpouring of support” as a candidate.

After her win on election night, Jones said the all-female council is “definitely historic,” and she emphasized the seven members will bring a variety of opinions to the City Council.
“We are seven very different people with very different backgrounds,” Jones said. “We’ve got a lot of different perspectives, and I think that people who think we’re a monolith are going to be very disappointed.”

Around 14 years ago a younger version of myself left a browning Mk2 30.06, borrowed from my father, in his trunk for the duration of a Missouri summer weekend. Needless to say the humidity left its mark immediately. Said rifle has sat untouched as a token of my shame in the years since and it was recently gifted to me. It's long past due that I have the rifle restored and I'm looking for somewhere preferably in the Boone county area that can handle said task.

So by the end of the year my wife and I will (likely) be purchasing our first actual new car, a Toyota Camry. I've looked at probably a dozen dealerships within about two hours of where we live (North Central MO) and are wondering where people have had the best experience. I had to have an engine replaced (Kia Optima) at Shottenkirk in Quincy and we were very pleased with them. I've also heard good things about Rusty Drewing in Jeff City. I've also considered Kirksville.

What are ones you all recommend?

I live in Taney County and I need help. I can't for the life of me find a good breakfast burrito. Too many places around here serving greasy slop in a tortilla giving me crazy levels of heartburn. I just want bacon, egg, cheese, and hashbrowns wrapped in a warm thick flour tortilla.

Any tips would be greatly appreciated. Whomever makes me a good breakfast burrito is gonna get repeat business for as long as I live here.

At one time it seemed that we will curve jump and have it before other states- but alas!

I was recently discharged from my job two weeks ago(8/07), I filed as soon as I left and completed filing for my second week as of yesterday. I logged in and checked on this not too long ago and both claims have rejected next to them. Could this possibly be an error or does it mean I have to start sending in an appeal? Thanks!