What was the biggest local news story of 2016?
You tell us.
From major construction projects to bidding farewell to beloved community members, 2016 has been an eventful year in Mid-Missouri.
Whatever news was important to you, we're asking you to vote for it to see how it ranks when the News Tribune publishes the annual list of the top 10 local news stories for the year in the Dec. 25 newspaper.
The stories up for the honor are listed below, along with brief descriptions of what happened.
Make your choice for biggest local news story of 2016 and then vote for it in the poll on this page.
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Reader poll
Has all of the conflict of the off-season eclipsed the Razorbacks football season with fans?
- Yes
- No
39 total votes.
Jefferson City rejects tax increment financing for Truman Hotel redevelopment
In September The Puri Group found they wouldn't get city taxpayers' help to redevelop the nine-acre Truman Hotel site in the 1500 block of Jefferson Street.
Jefferson City's TIF Commission rejected the proposal and state law required a two-thirds council vote to approve the project - but Jefferson City's Council only voted 5-5 near the end of a nearly four-hour meeting to approve tax increment financing (TIF) for the project.
The Puris were seeking an $8.89 million TIF toward an estimated $56.8 million project cost.
Jefferson City loses two long-time community leaders in Carl Vogel, Sam Cook
Sam B. Cook, the long-time head of Central Bank and founder of its holding company, the Central Bancompany, died in 2016. He was 94 and had lived most of his life in Jefferson City. Throughout his life, Cook served on various corporate and civic boards, promoting progress in his hometown.
Former state Sen. Carl Vogel died after a 13-month battle with pancreatic cancer. He was remembered as a quiet-but-active, caring man.
Construction begins on Helias athletic complex
Excavation began in August for the estimated year-long project to build an athletic complex at Helias Catholic High School.
The project originally was broken up into phases. However, because of a boost in donations, Helias decided to construct the entire complex with summer 2017 as the estimated completion date.
As of August, $7.1 million had been raised, and donors have pledged to cover the remainder of expenses.
The new complex will be right across the street from the existing high school on the southwest corner of Myrtle Street and Swift Highway.
Collegiate summer baseball team coming to Jefferson City
After roughly a year of discussion about founding a Frontier League baseball team in Jefferson City, the nonprofit board of Missouri Sports Betterment announced in September their plan to bring a M.I.N.K. League collegiate summer wood-bat team to town.
The Jefferson City Renegades will open their inaugural season in 2017, playing at Jefferson City's Vivion Field. They join seven other M.I.N.K. League teams, including several in Missouri like the Joplin Outlaws, St. Joseph Mustangs and Sedalia Bombers.
Lincoln University celebrates its 150th anniversary
The soldiers agreed to launch their school in January 1866. Classes began the following September.
And this year, Lincoln University celebrated the school's 150th anniversary of teaching people reading, writing, mathematics and science - and, over the years, many other skills, as well.
Lincoln University to cut history, early childhood and two music degrees
New Lincoln University students won't be able to earn a history degree or a degree in music education or sacred music. Lincoln University's curators voted to end the history, music education and sacred music degree programs, along with the two-year associate's degree Lincoln offered in early childhood education.
The music and early childhood degrees were eliminated immediately. But the history degree was "deactivated," creating a three-year wind-up period before the program is cut, giving students already enrolled a chance to finish the program and graduate with the degree.
Missouri Veterans Commission, director found guilty of discrimination
At the end of a two-week civil trial in July, a 12-person Cole County jury decided unanimously in favor of former Missouri Veterans Commission employee Pat Rowe Kerr in her lawsuit against the commission and its director, Larry Kay.
Kerr was dismissed in November 2009 and sued the state agency in July 2011, claiming discrimination and harassment over her dismissal. Kay and the commission had said her dismissal was due to budget cuts at the time.
The jury awarded Kerr $1.3 million in actual damages and $1,575,000 in punitive damages, for a total of $2.875 million.
Historic Parsons House named a place in peril
Perhaps the most historic home in Jefferson City, the Parsons House at 105 Jackson St., has been named to Missouri's 2016 historic "Places in Peril."
The lack of care taking and leaving it vacant, though, have placed the historic property in jeopardy.
Cole County opts not to lower flags after mass shooting in Orlando, then reverses vote
The Cole County Commission voted 2-1 on June 13 to keep the flags up after President Barack Obama issued a proclamation to have flags lowered following the Orlando nightclub shootings.
Presiding Commissioner Sam Bushman voted for lowering the flags, while Western District Commissioner Kris Scheperle joined Hoelscher in voting against.
The next day, Scheperle changed his vote after the commission received many calls and social media messages against its decision, as well as the wide-ranging publicity about the decision.
Hoelscher and Scheperle said they made their decisions based on the Cole County Flag Display Ordinance of 2012. It was done to give direction on county policy regarding lowering flags to half staff, due to a series of proclamations by the president for lowering flags after mass shootings.
Todd Spalding takes helm as Jefferson City Parks, Recreation and Forestry Department director
In March, Todd Spalding replaced the retiring Bill Lockwood as the city's director of Jefferson City's Parks, Recreation and Forestry Department.
At the time, he was director of Parks and Recreation in Belton. He said it was Jefferson City's extensive park system and the new opportunity of the planned Lincoln University/Parks and Recreation Wellness and Multipurpose Recreation Center that interested him in the job.
John Wheeler elected Cole County sheriff
Capt. John Wheeler, 49, will succeed Greg White as Cole County sheriff in January, after winning a three-way Republican primary in August.
White, who is retiring, backed Wheeler in the election. Wheeler has worked as a Jefferson City police officer, firefighter and in the United States Air Force and Missouri Army National Guard.
He said the department doesn't need many changes, but that he does want to expand community programs such as Neighborhood Watch and Rape Aggression Defense and get computer-aided dispatch in the department's fleet of cars.
State joins efforts to restore graves
Help came from the state's Office of Administration after the city Cemetery Resources Board requested a partnership to maintain the state burial lot inside the Old City/Woodland Cemetery.
The Office of Administration staff uncovered the original raised edges of the state burial lot, mulched the walkway and laid sod around the large, flat markers.
"Going forward, the Office of Administration will attend to the area two to three times a year to ensure that the site is properly maintained," said spokesman Ryan Burns. The office "looks forward to contributing to the preservation of this piece of state and local history."
Jefferson City deals with blight conditions on East Capitol Avenue
City officials in 2016 took steps to combat blight problems on the east end.
A blight study was done on a portion of the East Capitol Avenue looked at the area between Adams and Lafayette streets and State and High streets, which encompasses 38.1 acres and 116 parcels. Up to 40 of those could be condemned by the City Council in a redevelopment project.
Twenty-six of the properties, mostly significantly deteriorated, in the area are owned by one person - former funeral home owner Barbara Buescher.
Westbound U.S. 54 Missouri River Bridge closed from April through November
Motorists traveling over the westbound lanes of the Missouri River Bridge faced delays at peak times during a good stretch of the year.
From April 15 to Nov. 13, the westbound lanes of the Missouri River bridge were diverted to the eastbound lanes while a $7 million renovation project took place on the bridge.
LU provost takes leave of absence after faculty 'no confidence' vote
Citing personal reasons, Said Sewell - Lincoln University's provost and vice president for Academic Affairs - started an extended leave of absence.
For much of the past year, Sewell, now 46, has been in a growing dispute with members of LU's faculty, culminating in last month's 88-18 Faculty Senate vote of "no confidence" in Sewell's work as provost and VPAA.
County partners with state archive to digitize property records
The Secretary of State's office will help Cole County's Recorder of Deeds office digitize nearly 200-year-old paper records of some of the county's earliest recorded properties and land deed transfers.
The project also will make the county's earliest deed records easier to access for the general public.
Missouri State Penitentiary is used as concert venue for first time
Despite the rain, organizers were still pleased with how things went at the Inside the Walls Outlaw Country Concert featuring Travis Tritt over the Fourth of July weekend at the Missouri State Penitentiary.
It was the first time the state, which owns the property, gave permission to the city for such a use. City officials and Salute to America festival organizers hope to make it an annual event.
St. Thomas church restores 1897 organ
The sanctuary at St. Thomas the Apostle Church was again filled with a long-lost voice - the 1897 Pfeffer pipe organ.
The 490 pipes were re-installed by Quimby Pipe Organs Inc. of Warrensburg. For now, the restored organ is one of only three remaining Pfeffer organs, of more than 600 made, still playable in Mid-Missouri.
Lincoln University drops baseball, women's tennis
Lincoln University is dropping its baseball and women's tennis programs at the end of this school year.
The decision to discontinue offering both sports was made in a conference call of the Lincoln Board of Curators. The university said the decision came after a 10-month study of the school's athletic offerings.
Former teachers' discrimination lawsuits against Jefferson City Public Schools end in teachers' favor
Two former teachers prevailed in their discrimination cases against the Jefferson City school district this year.
In May, Karen Ray, former high school journalism teacher, was awarded $235,000 in damages plus attorney's fees. In September, the district settled with Laura Cooper, a former Jefferson City High School english teacher, for $450,000.