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Articles by Rochita Ghosh
AI-assisted model enhances MRI heart scans - West Plains Daily Quill
Posted 8/5/25 An AI-assisted model developed by researchers from the University of Missouri School of Medicine and the School of Engineering in Columbia can take low-quality MRI heart scans and turn them into high quality images, while reducing the time needed to scan the heart by about 90%. This item is available in full to subscribers. E-mail Password Print and web subscribers If you're a print and web subscriber, but do not yet have an online account, click here to create one.
Waterloo school board approves purchase of business software, network security
WATERLOO - The Board of Education on Monday approved the purchase of Linq, an enterprise resource planning software, and the acquisition of network security for Waterloo Community Schools. Board members unanimously approved buying Linq, software that handles day-to-day business items like human resources, payroll and project management, over PowerSchool. The district expects to pay an estimated $506,779 over five years, around $100,000 less than PowerSchool's estimate.
Waverly-Shell Rock school board approves redistricting Prop 1
WAVERLY - Board of Education director districts are changing in Waverly-Shell Rock Community Schools following unanimous approval of a redistricting plan. Two maps were presented Monday and the board chose Proposal 1. Director Districts 1 and 3 largely remain the same across both proposals; the major changes are in Waverly. Compared with the old map, District 4 loses a sizable amount of land to District 1 and some to District 5. The changes are a result of the 2020 census.
Cedar Falls board awards concession stand bid for new high school stadium
CEDAR FALLS - A $210,794 contract was approved by the Board of Education on Monday for concession stand equipment at the new high school. In a 5-1 vote, the board awarded the bid to Horizon Equipment of Eagan, Minnesota. The new Cedar Falls Community Schools' building will open in the fall of 2024. The concession stands will be a part of the stadium adjacent to the high school.
Waterloo school board votes to relax dress code
WATERLOO - In a 5-1 vote, the Board of Education approved a new policy Monday that relaxes the dress code in Waterloo Community Schools. It will take effect Jan. 3, when students return from winter break. The policy expands the choice of clothing students can now wear; for example, they can choose to wear jeans or sweatpants once the policy takes effect.
Cedar Falls High School jazz band to perform in Chicago
CEDAR FALLS - The Cedar Falls High School jazz band will participate in an international band and orchestra conference next week. It is one of three high school jazz ensembles across the country to be selected to perform at The Midwest Clinic Dec. 20 in Chicago. Band director Kyle Engelhardt called it a huge honor to be invited. "It's always one of those places where you go and you hear so many fantastic ensembles play, and you meet some of the best, most important people in our profession.
Computer Science Education Week comes to a close
CEDAR FALLS - Shrieks of preschool children filled the air at Cedar Heights Elementary School as they slapped colored mats on the ground, trying to create a race track for their car to drive on. The car could read the color and perform a corresponding action - a yellow mat meant "keep driving." Chaos ensued as one child attempted to hoard the green mats, which signaled the car to start driving.
Cedar Falls school board to address concessions bid
CEDAR FALLS - A $210,794 bid for concession stand equipment will be considered Monday by the Board of Education. Horizon Equipment of Eagan, Minnesota, was the lowest of two bidders on the project for three stands planned at Cedar Falls Community Schools' new high school. The other bid of $214,358 is from Wilson Restaurant Supply of Cedar Falls. The concession stands will be a part of the stadium being built at the high school, which is expected to open in the fall of 2024.
Waterloo Life Lab gives students life experience
CEDAR FALLS - Waterloo Community Schools' eighth-graders got to experience college life Wednesday. Students visited various buildings around the University of Northern Iowa campus, including the Botanical Center and the Gallagher Bluedorn Performing Arts Center, learning about the different majors and career paths offered.
Waverly to greet Christmas with holiday event
WAVERLY - The Christmas spirit will soon return to Waverly with the annual Christmas Greetings on Main event from 6 to 8 p.m. Thursday. The opening ceremony will be at Santa's House in Kohlmann Park. Storefront windows on Bremer Avenue will come alive in the city's traditional holiday event, featuring various Christmas scenes. Hot cocoa from Nestle USA will be available at certain "hot spots" as carolers and performers roam downtown.
Two chief administrator finalists announced by Central Rivers AEA board
CEDAR FALLS - A longtime Cedar Valley superintendent is a finalist for Central Rivers Area Education Agency's chief administrator position along with the head of the school district in Eldon. The agency's board of directors announced Thursday that Andy Pattee, superintendent of Cedar Falls Community Schools, and Joel Pedersen, superintendent of Cardinal Community Schools, are top candidates for the job.
Hawkeye Community College sets March 7 date for $35 million bond issue vote
WATERLOO - Hawkeye Community College will seek voter approval of a $35 million bond issue in a March 7 referendum. In an 8-0 vote, the board of trustees Tuesday approved placing the measure on the ballot in its 10-county service area. Trustee Teresa Meyer was absent. Passage of the general obligation bond issue requires approval by at least 60% of voters. The bond issue would be repaid over approximately 10 years with property tax revenues.
Waterloo Career Center students sign on to work at UnityPoint hospital
WATERLOO - Applause and cheers of congratulations rang out in the Waterloo Career Center on Tuesday in honor of 28 students who have signed on to work at UnityPoint Health-Allen Hospital. Waterloo Community Schools and UnityPoint Health jointly held the event the mark high schoolers' decision.
Save water, your money and the environment all at the same time
One in nine people globally don’t have access to clean water, according to water.org — that’s 785 million individuals. By 2050, 3.8 million more are expected to be affected by the difference between the water used in their areas and the water available, according to a 2020 World Economic Forum report. Because of these alarming trends, water conservation is becoming increasingly vital. Statistically water access will be different by 2050 but there are ways to prevent this from happening.
CPS school lunch deliveries to end Friday
COLUMBIA - Columbia Public Schools Nutrition Services will stop their meal delivery services Friday, Jan. 15, following the announcement of the return to in-person instruction for most students. Between preparing the buildings for mealtimes and dealing with an understaffed department, the district doesn't have the resources to keep the program, CPS Nutrition Services Director Laina Fullum said. "Since we will be going in-seat, we are short-staffed," Fullum said.
MU to set up testing site at Hearnes for arrival COVID-19 testing
MU sent out an email in late December announcing that all students who live on campus must be tested for COVID-19 before officially moving in for the semester. MU spokesperson Christian Basi said they expect over half of residential life students to get tested prior to traveling to Columbia. In a survey sent out, about 1,000 students will get tested when they arrive in Columbia. Basi said they will set up stations in the Hearnes Center for students to get tested.
Missouri Department of Natural Resources encourages holiday recycling
COLUMBIA- As the holidays come to a close, residents begin to unplug lights and take down Christmas trees. The Missouri Department of Natural Resources asks residents to consider putting holiday items into recycling and not the trash. This is a little tricky in Columbia, which has had recycling issues since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. In July, the city stopped collecting curbside recycling because of staffing shortages.
Missouri gas prices see slight increase
The Missouri gas price average has risen by eight cents since last week, according to a news release from insurance company AAA. This puts the average price for gas at $1.94 per gallon, which is lower than the country average at $2.24 per gallon. The average price for gas in Boone County is $1.96 per gallon, which is two cents above the average, according to AAA Gas Prices. While the increase is slight for some consumers, it didn’t escape others’ eyes.
Boone County COVID-19 Death Toll Reaches 30
By Rochita Ghosh & Columbia Missourian • 21 minutes ago Two more Boone County residents died due to COVID-19 in the past two days, according to the Columbia/Boone County Health Department. This is the fourth death this week and brings the total COVID-19 death count to 30. The health department tweeted Thursday that a resident between the ages of 70-74 died, according to a tweet from the department.
Boone County COVID-19 death toll reaches 30
Two more Boone County residents died because of COVID-19 in the past two days, according to the Columbia/Boone County Health Department. The most recent is the fourth death this week and brings the total COVID-19 death count to 30. The Health Department tweeted Thursday that a resident between the ages of 70-74 died. The department also tweeted Wednesday that the 29th Boone County resident to have died from the virus was between the ages of 75-79.
Boone County COVID-19 death toll reaches 30, hits new single-day case high
Two more Boone County residents died because of COVID-19 in the past two days, according to the Columbia/Boone County Health Department. The most recent is the fourth death this week and brings the total COVID-19 death count to 30. The Health Department tweeted Thursday that a resident between the ages of 70-74 died. On the same day, the county reported 226 new COVID-19 cases, a new single-day high.
Hold on to your steering wheel: wind gusts up to 45 mph expected
The National Weather Service (NWS) issued a wind advisory for portions of northeast, central, east and central Missouri, including the Columbia area. The advisory is in effect from 6 a.m. - 6 p.m, according to the NWS, which forecasts gusts up to 45 mph. The NWS said the gusts could knock down tree branches, which could cause power outages and blow unsecured objects. Drivers should use "extra caution when driving, especially if operating a high profile vehicle," the warning said.
City 'Drive-Boo' event helps keep Halloween spirit alive
Cars lined the roads of Cosmo Park to pick up small bags of candy in the city’s first Drive-Boo trick-or-treat event Saturday evening. The city of Columbia usually puts on Halloween events, but the reality of the pandemic put most of the usual spooky events on hold, said Cassie Brandt, recreation specialist at Columbia Parks and Recreation. “We obviously have seen that community events are decreasing in quantity and size and frequency,” Brandt said.
MU Student Center to become next #CampusClear station
The MU Student Center will become the next health monitoring station starting Nov. 2, according to a Show Me Mizzou email sent out Thursday morning. Anyone entering the building will have to show MU personnel their #CampusClear app or undergo a manual screening. The #CampusClear app is part of MU's efforts to limit the spread of COVID-19, introduced to the MU community in August through a campus email from UM System President and MU Chancellor Mun Choi.
Widespread temporary outage postpones morning classes at MU
A widespread outage of internet, email and other services caused classes to be postponed Thursday at MU. The university announced that, as of 11:35 a.m., the issue was resolved and classes were set to resume at noon. The earliest notice of issues came at 6:54 a.m., when the Division of IT reported the outage on its website. Backed up emails may be delayed while the server is coming back online, according to the IT System Status website.
Widespread outage postpones classes
A widespread outage of internet, email and other services caused the postponement of classes at the University of Missouri on Thursday morning. The issue did not appear to be limited to the Columbia campus, as UMKC also reported similar technical issues. University spokesperson Liz McCune said the extent of the outage was not clear Thursday morning, and that work was underway to diagnose exactly what the problem was.
Back to school means first time face-to-face for new teacher, students
Maggie Robbins was actually starting to enjoy teaching online. The kindergarten teacher spent the beginning of last week planning virtual lessons and creating ways to get kids talking via Zoom — during meet a friend week, for instance, when students have permission to chat with classmates via Zoom. But after the Columbia Public School Board’s vote to send preschoolers through fifth graders into school buildings starting Monday, she’s shifting strategies — again.
Back to school means first time face-to-face for new teacher, students
Maggie Robbins was actually starting to enjoy teaching online. The kindergarten teacher spent the beginning of last week planning virtual lessons and creating ways to get kids talking via Zoom — during meet a friend week, for instance, when students have permission to chat with classmates via Zoom. But after the Columbia Public School Board’s vote to send preschoolers through fifth graders into school buildings starting Monday, she’s shifting strategies — again.
Police identifies man fatally struck in Sept. 5 crash
The Columbia Police Department announced in a press release Oct. 8 that Brian Sam, 43, was the victim of a fatal Sept. 5 accident on westbound I-70. Sam was walking in the driving lane around the 126.6 mile marker when he was hit by two vehicles, according to the Sept. 6 press release when the incident originally occurred. He was pronounced dead at the scene.
Oh deer: MoDOT reminds drivers to stay alert for wildlife
It's that time of year. The Missouri State Highway Patrol (MSHP) sent out a news release asking Missouri drivers to watch out for deer crossing roads and interrupting traffic. Autumn is when deers enter their mating season, which changes their behavior and causes an increase in sightings, according to the MSHP release. Deer may also change their behavior based on hunting and the crop harvest. The news release said last year, there were 4,320 crashes that also involved deer strikes across the state.
Columbia Sees A New Type of Litter - Masks
By Rochita Ghosh & Columbia Missourian • 4 minutes ago The pandemic has altered the face of litter in Columbia, with limp, discarded face masks joining beer cans, plastic bags and burger containers on streets and sidewalks. As COVID-19 continues to affect daily life, the question of how discarded masks affect the environment and public health grows each day, according to research from The Conversation.
Columbia sees a new type of litter - masks
Discarded masks lie on the ground Thursday around downtown Columbia and the MU campus. MU health experts said walking by discarded masks presents no health risk. Grace Noteboom/Missourian The pandemic has altered the face of litter in Columbia, with limp, discarded face masks joining beer cans, plastic bags and burger containers on streets and sidewalks.
Boone County sees ninth COVID-related death
The Columbia/Boone County Public Health and Human Services Department announced Thursday over Twitter that a ninth person that had COVID-19 has died in the county. The tweet provided no further information about the person, except that the individual was over 80 years old. We are sad to announce Boone County has recorded it's ninth COVID-19 related death. The individual was over the age of 80. No other information about this individual will be released at this time.
MU Chancellor Choi draws complaints for blocking students on Twitter Original
MU students say they feel silenced after MU Chancellor Mun Choi blocked and later unblocked them from his personal Twitter account. The anonymous account University of Misery created a thread of those blocked by Choi, who is also president of the UM system. Thirteen students replied to the thread with screenshots indicating that “@Munychoi4545’s blocked you.” Some of those said they were aware of other students who said they had been blocked.
Police arrest man sought in shooting near Douglass Park
The Columbia Police Department said Thursday that it has arrested Rickey Lee Murry, 48, for first-degree murder and criminal action related to an Aug. 25 shooting near Douglass Park. Murry was being sought on those charges after one victim died as a result of being shot, according to past Missourian coverage. The victim — Corey M. Jordan — was taken to a hospital and later died of his injuries. Murry is currently held at the Boone County jail.
MU engineering professor awarded 2020 Kemper fellowship
Craig Kluever Courtesy of MU Craig A. Kluever, an MU mechanical and aerospace engineering professor, received a 2020 Kemper Fellowship for Teaching Excellenceon Thursday. The fellowship is awarded to five peer-nominated University faculty members. It includes a gift of $10,000 as a stipend.
New MU Health Care lab speeds up COVID test reports
A new laboratory at the Mizzou North building will allow for quicker processing of COVID-19 tests per day — up to nearly 1,500 tests, according to an MU Health Care news release. Providence Urgent Care on Nifong Boulevard also provides rapid, in-house, same-day results, according to Area Operations Manager Dan Gear. He said that they currently can perform up to 23 a day but they are expecting an allocation increase that would allow them to do 60.
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