Stories by Michael Shine

Jefferson City, Cole County officials confident in economic development approach For the past few years, Jefferson City and Cole County government have taken different approaches to economic development. But after the launching of a new organization aimed specifically for that eff... January 25, 2022

Former Fulton police chief to run for state House Former Fulton Chief of Police Steve Myers announced his bid for Missouri State Representative.Myers will run for Missouri's 49th District, which Travis Fitzwater currently holds. Fitzwater is in h... January 24, 2022

New Callaway County jail, justice center to open this year The Callaway County Courthouse and jail aren't big enough to meet the area's needs. However, two construction projects finishing this year will change that.Last year the county broke ground on... January 23, 2022

City to plan work session for ARPA funds Now equipped with the final guidelines, Jefferson City is ready for conversations about how to spend its American Rescue Plan (ARPA) funds. Jefferson City received the first half of its $7.5 million A... January 21, 2022

Callaway Energy Center gets clean inspection; minor concern noted The Callaway Energy Center received a clean inspection for the end of 2020.According to the report, there were "no findings or violations of more than minor significance" identified during t... January 19, 2022

Expansion of Monroe Street draws most comments in public hearing on COVID funds Community members mostly voiced support Tuesday for projects in Jefferson City's application for $2 million in state COVID-19 relief funding.The plan, which was discussed during a public hearing T... January 19, 2022

Housing Authority OKs plan for historic home; council to consider plan tonight The Jefferson City Housing Authority approved a new proposal for 101 Jackson St. and two neighboring vacant lots.Local non-profit Transformational Housing put in a bid for the property in December tha... January 18, 2022

Childcare grants earmarked for tuition subsidies, teacher pay, building upgrades An infusion of COVID-relief funding for Capital City childcare centers will be used to provide tuition subsidies for low- to moderate-income families, increase teacher pay and staffing, and make impro... January 17, 2022

Hearing on application for COVID funds on tap Tuesday Jefferson City is in the final stage of applying for $2 million in COVID-19 relief funding from the state and is seeking public comments about three proposed projects. The three projects in the applic... January 15, 2022

Effort to put 3 Green Berry homes on historic list advances For the residents of Green Berry Road, Friday morning brought good news in their pursuit of a place on the National Register of Historic Places list.The Missouri Advisory Council on Historic Preservat... January 15, 2022

City looks at new home, expansion for JeffTran facilities A plan to find a new home for the city's transit system may have to take a different route, due to the constraints of available locations and the conditions attached to federal funding.Jefferson C... January 14, 2022

Jefferson City Council panel OKs policy allowing virtual access at meetings For those interested in city government, the Jefferson City Committee on Administration approved a measure to increase accessibility.The new policy requires City Council committees -- administration, ... January 13, 2022

Parks to license property to community garden Jefferson City is looking to have a new community garden in the near future. The Parks and Recreation Commission approved a license agreement Tuesday with Ubuntu for property at 600 E. McCarty St., wh... January 12, 2022

Green Berry Road considered for historic district Three Jefferson City residents are trying to create a new national historic district along Green Berry Road.The Missouri Advisory Council on Historic Preservation will consider Friday if the three hom... January 11, 2022

Historic preservationists explore how to recognize lost history How does a community preserve history that doesn't have a physical home?That's the question a committee charged with revising the Capital City's historic preservation code is asking.The na... January 9, 2022

No review of pavers' messages undertaken after two removed due to Civil War inscription Two weeks after two commemorative pavers were removed from a plaza on Adrian's Island due to the message inscribed on them, no efforts have been made to review and potentially remove other pavers ... January 8, 2022

Report: JC traffic count down in 2020 due to pandemic The area around Jefferson City continues to trend below the state average for fatal and serious injury crashes. While staff expected more crashes in 2020 than 2019 in September based on preliminary st... January 7, 2022

11 childcare facilities receive COVID-19 grants Jefferson City awarded 11 local childcare facilities a total $330,748 in CARES Act funding. The money is going toward financial help for low-to-moderate-income families, but it will also use some for ... January 6, 2022

Binder Park trails to get new signs When walking along the trails at Binder Park, signs may not match the path you're actually walking.Others are broken, falling over or simply made of flimsy material, said Celeste Koon, of the Jeff... January 5, 2022

Jefferson City Council split, fails resolution to recognize Civil War event In a 5-5 vote, the Jefferson City Council voted down conversation about a previously undiscussed resolution recognizing the historical significance of Oct. 7, 1864, for the city.Ward 3 Councilman Scot... January 4, 2022

Jefferson City Council to consider historic survey bids The Jefferson City Council will consider bids for three surveys focused on providing a clearer idea of how the city's history impacts it today and protections for the future.Historic Preservation ... January 2, 2022

Jefferson City officials, staff lay out opportunities, priorities for 2022 The stroke of midnight on New Year's Eve signaled it's time to reset the clock on work Jefferson City officials need to do in the new year.Each of the city's departments has its own priori... January 2, 2022

Parks work is a family tradition for 45-year employee Dennis Sachs is still going strong after 45 years working for the Jefferson City Parks, Recreation and Forestry Department.Sachs works in the maintenance department. He started off at Oak Hills Golf C... January 2, 2022

Two pavers removed from newly opened park due to Civil War inscription Mayor Carrie Tergin had two pavers removed from an Adrian’s Island plaza over concern they too closely resemble a Civil War monument the City Council removed last year after weeks of contentious... December 24, 2021

Holiday snow comes for one Capital City family Christmas came early for one Jefferson City family.Jefferson City Parks, Recreation and Forestry staff transported a dump truck full of snow to the Volmert family home.Every year, the department selec... December 24, 2021

Judge condemns four Capital Avenue properties A Cole County judge Friday condemned four historic Capitol Avenue properties and ordered appraisals of the properties to determine their values as part of an eminent domain lawsuit. Eminent domain is ... December 23, 2021

Jefferson City Council pauses proposal to purchase historic home A proposal for redeveloping the house at 101 Jackson St. is paused while the Jefferson City Council considers its role in the plan.Local nonprofit Transformational Housing offered $1,000 for the histo... December 21, 2021

Bicentennial bridge creates new access for Jefferson City's riverfront Chuck Lahmeyer has made his way down to the Missouri Veterans Memorial several days a week for the better part of 10 months.He, along with others who made the same trip, watched as crews drilled holes... December 21, 2021

Operation TOYS brings students, law enforcement together Local law enforcement officers and elementary school students descended upon Walmart early Saturday morning for one collective goal: Christmas shopping.Operation TOYS brings law enforcement officers t... December 19, 2021

A Christmas Wish: 4-year-old celebrating adoption that changed his life Editor's note: In 2014, the News Tribune began a series called 'A Christmas Wish.' The articles, which are published the week leading up to Christmas, share the stories of people... December 19, 2021

175 wreaths laid for veterans Late Saturday morning, a local group met at Hawthorn Memorial Gardens to lay 175 wreaths on the headstones of veterans. Wreaths Across America is an annual event to honor the nation's fallen heroes du... December 19, 2021

JC Parks uses rhyme to fight crime Jefferson City Parks employed a unique tactic to seek information on vandalism suspects: poetry. The department put out security- camera images along with a poem, "Ode to Public Assistance in Suspect ... December 17, 2021

Volunteers clear invasive honeysuckle from McClung Park The community around McClung Park is banding together to help protect the native plants in its wooded areas. About a month ago, a group of volunteers started going out to the park once a week to clear... December 16, 2021

Amphitheater's first season called success despite deficit Events at the Capital Region MU Health Care Amphitheater made an estimated $756,418 economic impact in its first year, but its budget came out in the hole.In its annual report, VenuWorks, the amphithe... December 16, 2021

Transformational Housing seeks deteriorating historic home One historic downtown home may see new life.The local nonprofit Transformational Housing submitted a proposal to the Jefferson City Housing Authority for 101 Jackson St.The Housing Authority acquired ... December 15, 2021

Bicentennial Bridge to open Monday For some, it's been a 50-year wait. But, the wait is almost over.The Bicentennial Bridge will officially open Monday, after a 1:30 p.m. ribbon cutting."I can't even think of words really.... December 14, 2021

Council debates policies for merit-pay raises The Jefferson City Council said it did not fund merit-pay raises within its budget for the fiscal year ending in 2022, but that may not stop one department from continuing to implement such raises. Th... December 10, 2021

Mural code changes advance to City Council Plans to change the Jefferson City mural code took the next step toward implementation Thursday. The Planning and Zoning Commission approved several changes to the city's mural code, which still needs... December 10, 2021

Bicentennial Bridge could open next week Jefferson City officials hope to open the Bicentennial Bridge and accompanying park by the end of next week. City Engineer David Bange said the project has a few smaller pieces to finish before things... December 9, 2021

Jefferson City to study downtown parking facilities The Jefferson City Council on Monday unanimously agreed to study the current downtown parking situation and offer suggestions on how to improve it.The study will focus on the Madison Street parking ga... December 8, 2021

11 file for municipal, school elections The first day of election filing saw 11 people file for Jefferson City or local school board elections.Filing remains open until Dec. 28 for the April 5 election.By the end of day Tuesday, all five Je... December 8, 2021

Bonding for Jefferson City sewer system to be on April ballot Jefferson City residents will have an additional decision to make on election day in April: Should the city take out bonds to fix weak links in the wastewater system?The Jefferson City Council voted u... December 7, 2021

Bonding for Jefferson City sewer system to be on April ballot Capitol City residents will have an additional decision to make on election day in April: Should the city take out bonds to fix weak links in the wastewater system? The Jefferson City Council voted un... December 7, 2021

Jefferson City Council members mixed on proposal standardizing city meetings Much like most of the world, some Jefferson City Council members want to go back to the way things were before COVID-19 hit while others want to embrace some changes. Ward 2 Councilman Mike Lester ... December 5, 2021

Fitch enjoying being a problem solver Jefferson City Engineer Jon Fitch is getting back to his roots.Fitch started with the city in July, but is far from a newbie in government engineering projects.Rather, working for Jefferson City is hi... December 5, 2021

Jefferson City considers creation of building standards for historic downtown Jefferson City's downtown harkens back to an image of classic Americana. The Capital City's image is certainly well-known by those who call it home, but it's also gained national attention. In 2013... December 5, 2021

Fitch enjoying being a problem solver Jefferson City Engineer Jon Fitch is getting back to his roots. Fitch started with the city in July, but is far from a newbie in government engineering projects. Rather, working for Jefferson City is ... December 5, 2021

Deeken announces Ward 1 election bid Jefferson City resident Jack Deeken has announced his intention to file for the Ward 1 City Council seat.He is the first to announce his intent to run for the seat that is held by Hank Vogt on the Apr... December 4, 2021

Council to consider deadline extension for MSP The Jefferson City Council on Monday will consider extending the deadline to reach an agreement with developers for the Missouri State Penitentiary redevelopment plan.Under the new proposed schedule, ... December 4, 2021

Deeken announces Ward 1 election bid Jefferson City resident Jack Deeken has announced his intention to file for the Ward 1 City Council seat. He is the first to announce his intent to run for the seat that is held by Hank Vogt on the Ap... December 4, 2021

Stories by Michael Shine

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