Your five-minute catch-up for Thursday, July 16. Here’s what matters on our stretch of the river today.
Around the Counties
A stomach bug going around Boone County has a name. Health officials now count nine confirmed cyclosporiasis cases in the county this week, with five people hospitalized, according to ABC 17 News — up from eight cases reported a day earlier by KBIA, which put the statewide count at 43. The parasite spreads through contaminated produce or water, not person-to-person, and symptoms — watery diarrhea, nausea, bloating, fatigue — can show up about a week after exposure and linger for weeks. Boone County epidemiologist Nathan Koffarnus says anyone “immunocompromised, very young, older adults” or with persistent stomach symptoms should call their doctor. Officials are still checking whether the local cases tie to a wider outbreak already affecting Michigan and Ohio.
Your electric bill may be headed up again. Ameren Missouri has asked state regulators for $343 million more in annual revenue — about $13 a month for the average residential customer, on top of last year’s $14-a-month increase — to pay for aging-equipment replacement, smart-grid upgrades, and 400 megawatts of new power generation, KBIA reports. The Public Service Commission’s review is expected to take about 11 months, with public hearings along the way before any new rates would take effect in 2027.
Mark your calendar for November, not August. If you’d been holding August 4 in your head for the Boone County jail sales tax question, cross it out — commissioners pushed Prop L to the November ballot this spring, as we reported Tuesday.
Roads & I-70
The Boonville-to-Rocheport lane project is still chewing up pavement. Closures remain in effect this week on the outer roads, the MO-163 ramp, and county roads around the interchange as the widening project continues, the same stretch we’ve been tracking — budget extra time if you’re headed toward the Providence Road interchange.
Outdoors & River
The river’s behaving itself for now. The gauge at Boonville reads 10.2 feet and falling, well under flood stage, this morning. Even so, mid-Missouri fire departments spent time this week running water-rescue drills with inflatable boats ahead of the next round of storms, KBIA reports — a good reminder to take the Katy Trail’s low-water crossings seriously if rain moves back in.
Happening Soon
Grab a chair on the bluff tomorrow evening. The Summer Music Series continues Friday, July 17 from 6 to 9 p.m. with the A-Frame Trio featuring vocalist Liz Cordray at the Les Bourgeois Vineyards A-Frame on Highway BB — river views, wine, and live music to close out the week. Details and directions here.
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