Your five-minute catch-up for Wednesday, July 22. Here’s what matters on our stretch of the river today.
Roads & I-70
New shift on westbound I-70 starting Friday night. MoDOT is rebuilding the westbound I-70 bridge over Route J (mile marker 117) in Boone County, and the traffic shift begins overnight this Friday, July 24. Westbound traffic will move onto the newly rebuilt Route J ramps, with speeds dropped to 35 mph through the work zone — two lanes stay open, and crews expect the new bridge finished by the end of November. It’s part of the Improve I-70: Rocheport to Columbia project, the $441 million job widening 14 miles from the Missouri River bridge here in Rocheport into Columbia. Full details from MoDOT.
Outdoors & River
River’s still falling, and the heat advisory has lifted. The Missouri River gauge at Boonville read 7.74 feet this morning and is trending down — well under flood stage. The heat advisory that covered Howard and Cooper counties through last night has expired; there are no active weather alerts for our area as of this morning, and it’s a mild, mostly clear start in the mid-60s.
Around the Counties
Circle Aug. 7–9 for tax-free school shopping. Missouri’s annual Back-to-School Sales Tax Holiday runs from 12:01 a.m. Friday, August 7 through Sunday, August 9. Clothing, school supplies, computers, and similar items are exempt from state and local sales tax those three days, statewide — including here in Howard, Boone, and Cooper counties. Details via the Boonville Daily News.
A familiar face at SFCC’s Boonville campus got some recognition. Bethany Pfeiffer, who has directed State Fair Community College’s Boonville campus since 2018, was named the college’s 2026 Outstanding Employee of the Year by her peers at June’s employee recognition dinner. More from the Boonville Daily News.
Check your fridge: an iceberg lettuce recall is tied to a growing outbreak. State health officials say Missouri’s cyclosporiasis case count has climbed to 216 this month, and the FDA has issued a voluntary recall of iceberg lettuce linked to the outbreak. Investigators haven’t pinned down an exact source yet, so if you’ve bought iceberg lettuce recently and aren’t sure where it came from, it’s worth a second look. Reported by Missourinet.
Happening Soon
Live music in town Friday night. Wes Wingate and Friends play Rocheport at 801 First Street starting at 7 p.m. this Friday, July 24 — a good excuse for a downtown evening. Details and location here.
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