From voting to long-planned celebrations, it seems few aspects of community and civic life this year have been untouched by the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic - and Jefferson City's headlines have reflected that reality.
But 2020 also was highlighted by big changes to recognizable landmarks, achievements for local schools and other front-page-worthy events.
Read on to reflect on Mid-Missouri's top 10 local news stories of 2020, as ranked by the News Tribune's news staff.
1. COVID-19 pandemic dominates headlines, everyday life
For the second year in a row, disaster dominated the headlines in Jefferson City.
But this year's disaster was not limited to a small geographic region in Central Missouri - the COVID-19 pandemic affected everyone around the world. And it continues.
Chinese officials told the World Health Organization on Dec. 31, 2019, about a respiratory infection that broke out in its Hubei Province. In late January, the first case in America is detected in Washington state. The first American death from the coronavirus occurred in early February in California. The virus began to spread on both U.S. coasts.
The World Health Organization declared the outbreak a pandemic March 11. In mid-March the United States banned travel abroad and declared a national emergency.
In Missouri, the first death from the virus occurred March 19 in Columbia, and the state prepared for a shutdown. Schools completed their school years via online courses.
State agencies and many businesses shifted to working from home.
Health leaders sent out guidelines to help "flatten the curve" and slow the spread of the virus, including limiting gatherings and asking people to take precautions like wearing face masks.
Consumers, concerned about being home-bound, cleared store shelves of disinfectant cleaners, hand sanitizer and toilet paper.
Some food products, like meats, became more difficult to obtain as workers at slaughterhouses and other sites became ill with the infection and were sent home.
But Missouri adapted.
Companies that normally bottled beer and other alcoholic beverages began producing hand sanitizer.
Those that could shifted to making personal protective equipment, such as face shields, protective clothing and other garments.
Internationally, pharmaceutical companies sank billions into developing vaccines for the new virus. The federal government fast-tracked approval of vaccines. Pfizer began distribution of its vaccine Dec. 13.
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The Cole County Health Department issued a stay-at-home order March 28, which was expected to last until April 11. But it continued until Missouri lifted a stay-at-home order May 3.
Throughout the pandemic, the Mid-Missouri community learned to live in new ways - wearing masks or face coverings and practicing social distancing.
Many see the production of vaccines as a light at the end of the tunnel.
Although there may be a light, it may take time to get there. It will take months for companies to produce the hundreds of millions of doses of vaccine needed in the United States alone.
As of Dec. 22, about 17.9 million Americans had come down with COVID-19. About 317,000 had died.
Missouri had reported more than 370,000 cases and 5,150 deaths. Cole County had confirmed 89 COVID-19 deaths; while Miller County had 48; Callaway County, 19; Moniteau County, 17; and Osage County, eight.
Notably, the virus was found to be much deadlier to elderly people and people with underlying health conditions.
And as the pandemic continued, it strained hospitals, some of which filled beyond capacity.
2. Pandemic brings voting changes amid contentious November election
The COVID-19 pandemic also changed the options for how Missourians could vote, and that combined with contentious politics to create massive turnout for the November election.
Health concerns about in-person voting during the pandemic prompted Gov. Mike Parson to sign into law in June a bill expanding absentee and mail-in ballot options through the end of the year.
In addition to the existing reasons allowing a registered voter to vote absentee, voters who were incapacitated or confined due to illness - or who taking care of someone who was - or who had contracted or were at high risk for contracting the coronavirus were allowed to vote absentee without needing their ballot envelopes notarized.
All registered voters were allowed to vote by mail, though they had to return the form requesting to do so in-person or by mail and had to get their ballot envelopes notarized.
The changes in the state were not only the source of multiple lawsuits by voter advocates seeking to expand voting access further, but those and similar changes across the country also became the backdrop for a growing lack of faith in the electoral system ahead of the Nov. 3 election.
In what was already a heated election against Democratic rival former Vice President Joe Biden, President Donald Trump whipped up among Republican supporters, in particular, allegations of voter fraud - allegations Trump continued after losing the election and has pursued in courts.
Among Democrats, in particular, concerns grew ahead of the election that changes made by the Trump administration to the U.S. Postal Service - removing mail processing machines and drop boxes and cutting workers' overtime - would lead to ballots not being counted because of delays in delivery.
Missouri voters had their first chance in November since the 2018 resignation of former Gov. Eric Greitens to select their governor, as well as several other officials who had been appointed to their elected offices following Greitens' resignation or after former Attorney General Josh Hawley left to represent the state in the U.S. Senate.
The ballot also presented Missouri voters with a question of whether to overturn the so-called Clean Missouri amendment they passed in 2018 - and voters ultimately did overturn Clean Missouri.
More than 70 percent of registered voters in the state voted in the Nov. 3 general election - the most of any U.S. presidential election in this century so far, topping 2008's 69.4 percent turnout in Missouri.
In Cole County, turnout was 73.63 percent - with more than 2.5 times as many absentee ballots cast than in 2016's presidential election.
Locally, the increase in absentee ballots benefited Gov. Mike Parson - whom Missourians elected to a full term as governor - compared to 2016.
Trump handily won in Cole County and Missouri again, but his majority share of the presidential vote only solidified, with him gaining less than 1 percent more of the electorate this year compared to 2016.
As Trump continued to protest the election and allege fraud in other states, some Missourians rallied to support him - whether at the state Capitol in Jefferson City or in Washington, D.C.
Many state representatives signed their support for a Missouri House of Representatives resolution that expressed no faith in the results of some other key states - Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, Michigan, Georgia, Arizona and Nevada - and called for investigations, though that resolution ultimately died before the House adjourned at the end of a special legislative session.
As with other states, Missouri certified its election results Dec. 8. Missouri's 10 Electoral College members on Dec. 14 cast their votes for Trump and Vice President Mike Pence.
Parson said of that vote: "Every Missourian should be confident in the legitimacy of their vote and take pride in the strength and security of our elections here in Missouri."
As for whether the changes to voting made this year to accommodate pandemic health concerns will remain in place for at least part of next year - and perhaps be further expanded to include ideas such as no-excuse absentee voting - that remains to be seen in the months ahead, pending action by the Legislature or temporary extensions by Gov. Parson.
3. Helias, Blair Oaks win state football championships close to home
The fall of 2020 was already going to have a different feel to it for the high school football season. And the unprecedented times - playing during the COVID-19 pandemic - brought an unexpected change.
In late September, the Missouri State High School Activities Association announced the Class 1-6 state championship games would be moved from Faurot Field in Columbia to three high schools in Cole County: Jefferson City High School's Adkins Stadium, Helias Catholic High School's Ray Hentges Stadium and Blair Oaks High School's Falcon Athletic Complex.
The news came as the Helias Crusaders held the No. 1 ranking in Class 4 in the Missouri Media Rankings. Helias finished 9-0 in the regular season, winning a conference title in its first season in the Central Missouri Activities Conference.
After winning the District 6 championship at home against Warrensburg, the Crusaders held on for a 36-30 win against West Plains in the state quarterfinals, then rallied for a last-minute 13-10 victory at Smithville in the semifinals.
Playing in their first state championship game since 2013, the Crusaders faced the MICDS Rams, who didn't begin play until Week 7 of the regular season due to COVID-19 concerns.
Helias never trailed in the Class 4 title game Dec. 4 at Adkins Stadium, as the Crusaders intercepted a pass on the Rams' opening drive and answered with a touchdown. Helias led 14-10 at halftime and were ahead by as many as 12 points in the second half.
MICDS scored a touchdown to pull within five points of the lead with 4:52 to play, but Helias was able to run out the clock to secure at 35-30 victory.
The state title was the first for the Crusaders in 22 years and their third football state title. Helias won state championships in 1984 and 1998, but they finished with a 14-0 record in 2020, the program's first undefeated state championship season.
The Blair Oaks Falcons were coming off their first loss of the season - a 35-28 decision at Valle Catholic in Ste. Genevieve - when news of the state championships moving to Cole County was announced. They would go on to win their next nine games.
Blair Oaks went 8-1 in the regular season, winning its sixth straight Tri-County Conference championship, and cruised to a Class 3 District 4 championship past Centralia.
The Falcons knocked off No. 1 Lutheran North 44-9 in the state quarterfinals, then won a shootout in the state semifinals, beating Cardinal Ritter 55-46.
Blair Oaks advanced to the Class 3 state championship game and faced a familiar foe in the Maryville Spoofhounds. The two teams met in their season opener in August at Warrensburg.
Maryville held the edge in an early back-and-forth battle, but when the Spoofhounds turned the ball over on downs early in the second quarter, Blair Oaks took advantage, taking a lead it would not relinquish.
Blair Oaks scored five touchdowns in the second quarter, leading 40-21 at halftime. The Falcons added three rushing scores in the second half to pull away to a 62-40 victory Dec. 5 at Adkins Stadium.
The state title is the fourth in Blair Oaks football history. The Falcons' three previous championships - 2004, 2006 and 2018 - all came at the Class 2 level.
4. Civil War marker removed from Moreau Drive
After several months and many meetings of discussion, the Jefferson City Council voted 8-2 in October to remove a controversial Civil War marker from Moreau Drive.
The Sterling Price marker was dedicated to the city in 1933 by the Winnie Davis chapter of the United Daughters of the Confederacy. The plaque read: "Deciding against attack, the Confederate Army under Gen. Sterling Price turned from Jefferson City October 7, 1864."
The city's Human Relations and Historic Preservation commissions recommended removal of the marker due to the UDC's historical ties to the Ku Klux Klan. Those who supported its removal also said the marker did not accurately portray the history of the events in 1864, and it held negative connotations for the city's Black residents.
Opponents of removal said removing the marker would be erasing history and could create a domino effect of changes in the city, such as removing ties to Thomas Jefferson, who was a slave owner.
The council ultimately voted to remove the marker, which was taken to city storage the next morning.
In November, the council voted to return the marker to the Missouri division of the UDC. The marker was removed from city storage Dec. 11.
The UDC told the city it plans to display the marker at the Missouri Civil War Museum at Jefferson Barracks National Cemetery in St. Louis, said City Attorney Ryan Moehlman.
5. Hail storm, flash flooding wreak havoc for some in area
Following in 2019's footsteps, Jefferson City was hit with damage from two more natural disasters in 2020.
On March 27, an intense hail storm with lumps reaching up to baseball size caused millions of dollars in damage to Jefferson City area buildings.
In the first month, between March 29 and April 22, the city issued 217 building permits for hail damage, totaling more than $3 million in value.
Four permits were issued for commercial properties and 213 for residential. Project costs for residential repairs ranged from around $4,000 to a few above $20,000. Most fell between $4,000-$15,000.
Larry Burkhardt, building official for the city at the time, said estimates were that many more buildings had been hit.
Jefferson City residents took to social media following the storm to share photos of damage to vehicles as well.
Auto body and glass repair shops were flooded with calls. Some opened over the weekend when they would normally be closed, and others lowered prices in response to the high volume of repairs.
Then, on July 19, a portion of the city was hit with severe flash flooding that drove some residents out of their homes and destroyed personal property. Residents in the Bald Hill Road and Christopher Place area were heavily hit.
The flooding was caused by unprecedented rainfall that city officials said was more intense than a 100-year rain - an intense rainstorm with rainfall that has only a 1 percent probability of happening in a year. Reports labeled the storm a 500- or even 1,000-year rain.
Jefferson City's stormwater system is designed to handle a 25-year rain and can be routed for a 100-year rain to make sure structures aren't harmed, even if specific areas overflow over streets, city Operations Division Director Britt Smith told the News Tribune.
Flooding issues were also exacerbated by debris buildup in drainage culverts.
Following the damage to their homes, residents were able to seek assistance from Catholic Charities of Central and Northern Missouri, and disaster loans from the U.S. Small Business Administration were made available.
In August, Catholic Charities said it had been working with 34 households in response to the flash flood.
6. Crumbling downtown building finally demolished
Almost 22 months after the west wall of 200 E. High St. collapsed into Madison Street, the building was demolished in April.
The building at 200 E. High St. was owned by Neidert Properties LLC when water infiltration and hidden decay caused the wall to partially collapse. It was then determined the shared wall between that building and 202 E. High St. was failing.
Since fall 2018, Neidert Properties and Carol and Ruben Wieberg, owners of 202 E. High St., argued over who was responsible for repairing and maintaining the common wall, filing petitions with the Cole County Circuit Court.
The two property owners also missed several city deadlines to repair or demolish their buildings. The city later ruled it could abate the nuisance if the property owners didn't repair or demolish the two buildings.
The property at 200 E. High St. is now owned by the city after Neidert Properties LLC transferred ownership as part of a settlement agreement. Civil suits were dismissed as part of the settlement, and the city agreed to not place a tax lien on the property.
The city has not announced any plans for the lot.
After demolition, the shared wall was reinforced to become the exterior west wall of 202 E. High St.
The building at 202 E. High St. has been vacant since fall 2018, when Love2Nourish and Mo Juice had to evacuate after the city ruled the common wall was failing.
7. Cole County celebrates 200th anniversary of founding
Plans had been in place since late 2019 for a major celebration of the 200th anniversary of Cole County in 2020. The big kickoff celebration was scheduled for April at the Missouri state Capitol, but most plans for the year changed after the COVID-19 pandemic hit.
Eventually, a kickoff ceremony was held in June at Marion, the site of the first county seat of Cole County. That event featured keynote speaker historian Bob Priddy, who shared his research finding that Cole County was actually named after William Temple Cole, not Stephen Cole, as had often been referenced.
Two more special events were held in November. One was to dedicate the Cole County Bicentennial monument on the Cole County Courthouse grounds. The monument reflects on key moments in the county's history and was placed at the corner of High and Monroe streets in Jefferson City next to the World War I monument.
On Nov. 16, which marked the 200th birthday of Cole County, a dedication ceremony was held for a tri-county monument at the North Jefferson City trailhead of the Katy Trail. This monument signifies the founding of Cole, Boone and Callaway counties, which all came into being around the same time. The event marked the conclusion of Cole County's celebration and the turning of the keys over to Missouri Gov. Mike Parson for the state of Missouri's bicentennial celebration in 2021.
The Cole County bicentennial committee issued several commemorative items over the course of the year, including coins minted in bronze and pure silver. The coins have Cole County on one side and the courthouse on the other side.
Proceeds from the commemorative item sales will go toward placing bicentennial markers in the seven communities across the county - Centertown, Lohman, Russellville, St. Martins, St. Thomas, Taos and Wardsville. Any excess funds will be placed in an interest-bearing account for the 250th birthday of Cole County in 2070.
8. Ground broken for long-awaited Bicentennial Bridge
Decades of planning reached an important benchmark in August when ground was ceremonially broken for the Bicentennial Bridge to Adrian's Island.
The 765-foot bridge will span the Union Pacific railroad tracks to Adrian's Island - 30 acres of forest and wetlands that lie between the Missouri River and the tracks that stretch about 1 mile from the Missouri Capitol to the former Missouri State Penitentiary.
Plans for a bridge to access Adrian's Island have been in development for years, with residents like Sam Cook, Betty Weldon, Deborah Cooper and Betty "B.J." DeLong pushing for it throughout the years.
In June, the Jefferson City Council approved a $3.75 million construction contract with Phillips Hardy Inc., of Columbia, for the bridge. In total, after design and planning, the project will cost approximately $4.8 million.
Now a few months later, construction still has not begun due to some delays with getting the required approvals from Union Pacific Railroad Company to cross the railroad tracks during construction.
On Dec. 21, city Public Works Director Matt Morasch said they had finally received all of the right-of-entries and permits from the railroad.
"Hopefully we'll be moving forward soon and seeing some action there," Morasch said.
The goal is to have the bridge completed by the state bicentennial on Aug. 10, 2021.
9. Protests reach Jefferson City after George Floyd's death
After the May 25 death of George Floyd, a Black man, in Minneapolis - handcuffed, pleading for air as a white police officer pressed his knee against Floyd's neck for several minutes - the Missouri capital was the site of one of many large protests across the country that followed.
More than 1,000 people gathered June 1 in Jefferson City - first on the lawn of the Capitol, then marching through downtown to the area around Myrtle Smith Livingston Park.
The events drew people from across Mid-Missouri. Speaking at the Capitol, Missouri NAACP president Nimrod Chapel Jr. said: "It's good to see Jefferson City and Mid-Missouri are concerned about civil rights violations that are happening here and around the country. This is a good cross-cut of the community because we have Black and white along with young and old residents. It's a great opportunity for people to come together, and we'll see if some of the issues are addressed."
Though there were concerns ahead of the events about the possibility of violence, Jefferson City's crowds were peaceful.
Local police later reported a few incidents of property damage downtown - smashed windows at three businesses in the 600 block of East High Street, which police said they believed happened as some people headed back to the Capitol after the organized rallies ended - but law enforcement credited the largely peaceful night to good inter-agency communication.
Some Missouri National Guard members were involved with monitoring the protests in Jefferson City. The next day, Gov. Mike Parson called up more than 1,000 National Guard troops to help support the Missouri Highway Patrol and local law enforcement agencies - following a particularly violent night in St. Louis, where a retired police officer was killed by looters and four other officers were shot.
As the COVID-19 pandemic forced economic shutdowns in the spring and people stayed home, there was a corresponding drop in crime - even violent crime - but then homicides surged over the summer. Parson announced in July that he was calling a special legislative session for state lawmakers to give police and prosecutors more tools to go after violent criminals.
The most recent data this month from the Kansas City and St. Louis police departments on homicides show that 2020 will close as the most deadly of recent years. The vast majority of victims and identified suspects are younger men, primarily Black men. The weapons used are firearms, primarily handguns, according to Kansas City data.
Parson asked for a loosening of residency requirements for law enforcement in St. Louis, changes to the juvenile certification for trial as an adult process, changes to witness admissibility, establishment of a pre-trial witness protection fund, increased penalties for those who encourage a child to commit a weapons offense or give a child a firearm, and concurrent jurisdiction over St. Louis homicide cases, under certain circumstances.
Ultimately, after months, lawmakers only delivered the residency requirement changes and the pre-trial witness protection fund.
Protesters repeatedly returned to Jefferson City over the summer, led by a St. Louis group, decrying Parson's agenda - particularly in fear that the juvenile certification proposal would target Black youth and lead to children as young as 12 being tried as adults.
Some legislators also called for Parson to use special session to address calls for police reform, in light of Floyd's death and others, including Breonna Taylor. Parson said such proposals were better suited for regular session.
So far, bills on police reform filed for the 2021 regular session include proposals to limit the use of chokeholds, require pre-employment screenings of law enforcement applicants to look for any history of disciplinary action, require officers to intervene if a colleague is using excessive force, limit use of no-knock warrants and limit use of chemical agents.
10. City selects developer for Missouri State Penitentiary project
In June, the Jefferson City Council selected a St. Louis-based development team to transform approximately 30 acres of land at Missouri State Penitentiary.
The group, made up of Chesterfield Hotels, architecture and design firm Arcturis, Peckham Architecture and Central Missouri Professional Services, was chosen by a 6-4 vote over locally based Farmer Companies.
The Chesterfield group's proposal for the site is divided into phases. Phase one includes a hotel, conference center and parking garage.
Later phases are planned to incorporate mixed-use buildings, a two-sheet ice arena, office buildings, retail space and residential buildings.
In choosing the group, the council gave itself a Dec. 31, 2020, deadline to complete an official developer agreement. At its first meeting in December, the council voted to extend that deadline to Dec. 31, 2021.
Also at that meeting, David Parmley, with Chesterfield Hotels, announced Paric Corporation had joined the team as general contractor.
Don Koster, with Arcturis, said they had been in talks with an administrative state agency and two local nonprofit organizations about securing buildings in the development.
The state-imposed deadline to break ground on the project is July 2022.
News Tribune reporters Emily Cole, Joe Gamm, Jeff Haldiman, Greg Jackson and Phillip Sitter contributed to this feature.