Your five-minute catch-up for Tuesday, August 4. Here’s what matters on our stretch of the river today.
Election Day
Polls are open right now, 6 a.m. to 7 p.m. If you haven’t looked at your ballot yet, we put together a county-by-county guide to what’s on it. Turnout is already running hot — Boone County counted a record 7,500 early ballots before today even started, and the Missouri Independent reports statewide turnout could reach 1.4 million, driven by this year’s ballot measures. It’ll be warm out there — highs near 90 — so bring water if you’re standing in line.
Around the Counties
Columbia may trim its utility-assistance program. An efficiency audit found the city pays out an average $874 a year per household — well above what similar-size cities offer — and the council is weighing dropping the cap to $600 for electric and $200 for other utilities, which would spread the smaller fiscal 2027 budget across roughly 900 households. Public hearings are set for Aug. 16 and Sept. 8, with a final vote Sept. 21, per the Columbia Missourian. If you or a neighbor rely on the program, this one’s worth watching.
South Columbia has a new ambulance station. Boone Health dedicated Station No. 12 at 5801 S. Route K on Monday, right next to the county fire department’s Station No. 8. EMS chief Josh Peak told the Columbia Missourian it should cut ambulance response times for that end of town.
The Columbia Public Schools charter-school lawsuit has a trial date. CPS sued the state last December over a 2024 law that opened the door to charter schools in Boone County, arguing it unconstitutionally singles out one county. Cole County Judge Emily Fretwell set trial for Sept. 10 in Jefferson City, per the Columbia Missourian. Meanwhile, Frontier Schools is still on track to open a charter school in Columbia this fall.
Happening Soon
Locals Night is back Thursday. Join your neighbors at Katy’s Fork in the Trail in Rocheport starting at 4 p.m. on Aug. 6 — details here, via Diane’s weekly roundup.
Roads & I-70
Ramps stay tight around the St. Charles Road interchange — the westbound-I-70-to-St. Charles Road ramp, the MO-163-to-eastbound ramp, and stretches of the outer road are all closed, so budget extra time through that stretch. The wait’s for a reason: MoDOT will cut the ribbon on the new St. Charles Road bridge over I-70 (mile marker 131, the Lake of the Woods exit) at 10:30 a.m. on Aug. 10. The new span replaces a 1957 bridge that couldn’t clear six lanes of traffic underneath and adds room for pedestrians on both sides — part of the $405 million Improve I-70: Columbia to Kingdom City project. It won’t open to traffic the moment the ribbon’s cut, but MoDOT says the work is tracking ahead of schedule.
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