Wednesday, October 21

Around the Counties

Today’s the deadline to request a mailed absentee ballot. Boone, Howard and Cooper county clerks all list Wednesday, Oct. 21 as the last day to request that an absentee ballot be mailed to you ahead of the Nov. 3 general election, per the Boone County Clerk’s election calendar, the Howard County Clerk’s office and the Cooper County Clerk. No-excuse in-person absentee voting stays open through Monday, Nov. 2 — at the Boone County Government Center in Columbia (801 E. Walnut, Room 236; absentee@boonemo.gov or fax 573-886-4300), the Howard County Clerk’s office in Fayette (One Courthouse Square, weekdays 8:30 a.m.–4:30 p.m.), and the Cooper County Clerk’s office in Boonville (200 Main St., Room 23; Saturday hours 8 a.m.–noon on Oct. 31). For what’s actually on your ballot, see our guides to the Boone, Howard and Cooper county ballots, or how the same counties voted on similar questions back in 2024.

Route J’s reopening slips to mid-December. MoDOT now says the Route J interchange on I-70 in Boone County, closed for the Rocheport-to-Columbia improvement project, won’t reopen until mid-December — a few weeks later than the late-November date the agency gave last month. Read more.

State’s school-funding fight reaches local budgets. Missouri’s interim education commissioner, Stacey Preis, resigned Tuesday after about four months in the job, saying the state board’s agenda was “better served by a different commissioner.” The board had just declined to ask lawmakers for the roughly $300 million increase the state says is needed to fully fund the school formula next year — a formula that helps pay for classrooms from Columbia Public Schools to Fayette R-III and Boonville R-1, according to the Missouri Independent.

Happening Soon

This morning through the weekend: Community Coffee at the Rocheport Christian Church Annex, Wed., Oct. 21, 8:30 a.m. Flu shots at the Moniteau Housing laundry room, Wed., Oct. 21, 2 p.m. Locals Night downtown, Thurs., Oct. 22, 4 p.m. The Daniel Boone Regional Library bookmobile stops in Rocheport Thurs., Oct. 22, 3 p.m. And the Sam Luetkemeyer Trio plays the Tasting Room Fri., Oct. 23, 6 p.m.

Outdoors & River

River’s holding steady. The Missouri River gauge at Boonville read 10.43 feet this morning — well below flood stage and trending steady overnight.

Roads & I-70

Overpass coming down near Kingdom City. MoDOT plans to demolish the two aging U.S. 54 bridges over I-70 at Kingdom City between 7 p.m. Fri., Oct. 30 and 5 a.m. Mon., Nov. 2, part of the Improve I-70: Rocheport to Columbia project. The roundabout at I-70 and U.S. 54 will close, I-70 narrows to one lane each direction with traffic routed over the Exit 148 ramps, and U.S. 54 traffic detours via Exit 155 (eastbound) or Exit 144 (westbound) until cleanup wraps up. Questions go to MoDOT’s Central District customer service at CDCR@modot.mo.gov or 573-522-5178, per MoDOT.

Closer to home, MoDOT’s closure list still shows the I-70/Route 163 interchange ramps on Columbia’s east side closed in both directions, so budget extra time if that’s your route this morning.