lily dozier

From left to right, third grade students Lavelle Buchanan, Tamajah Hayes, Natasha Corona de la Torre, Demetrianna Spivey and Mhegan Smithee sit on a rug across from a group of chicks on Thursday, Sept. 30, 2021, at Blue Ridge Elementary School in Columbia, Mo. Smithee said her favorite thing about the chicks is that they chirp and feel soft.

Rock Bridge sophomore Zack Steding helps freshman cheerleader Natalie Hayes adjust her medical boot on Friday, Sept. 24, 2021, at Rock Bridge High School in Columbia, Mo. Hayes, who needs six weeks off of cheer for her foot, said "it's horrible" being injured.

Peoples’ Defense founder Roy Lovelady gazes into a mirror on Tuesday, Sept. 7, 2021, at 360 Star Styling Studio in Columbia, Mo. Lovelady was an activist leader with Peoples’ Defense during the 2020 protests. In 2021, he ran for city council, tying with the incumbent. Months later, he won the follow up election.

St. Louis University High School students prepare to cheer on their teammates at the MSHSAA Cross Country State Championships on Friday, Nov. 4, 2022, at Gans Creek Cross Country Course in Columbia, Mo. Their boys' team placed ninth out of 16 teams.

From left, Jackie Sample, Dawn Plank, Adrian Plank and Dylan Plank embrace after Adrian won the State Representative District 47 race with 52% of the vote on Tuesday, Nov. 8, 2022, at The Roof in Columbia, Mo. Four of the five Democratic candidates who ran for Boone County’s state House seats won their races. “This is insane to me,” said Dawn, who is Adrian’s wife. “We are over the moon right now.”

Sixth grader Jeremiah James lets a snake slither through his hair on Friday, Dec. 17, 2021, at Jefferson Middle School in Columbia, Mo. "My mom's gonna make me take a shower when I get home. She hates snakes," Jeremiah said.

From left, Kim Wiemholt, Kami Hodges, 3, and Deanna Hodges walk toward train tracks while observing the aftermath of a natural cover fire that burned over 3,000 acres on Monday, Oct. 24, 2022 in Wooldridge, Mo. Kim and Deanna, who are sisters, said they spent a lot of their childhood coming to the village to buy candy and sodas. “I was watching it burn,” said Kim, who lives up on a bluff near the village. “I was thinking, ‘Oh, too close.’”

Brian Burns, left, attempts to put carrots back on Connor Burns' plate faster than Connor can remove them on Wednesday, Aug. 24, 2022, at the family's home in Ashland, Mo. "I tell Connor he has to pack a vegetable for lunch every day," said his mom, Alana Burns. "He usually packs two baby carrots in a Ziploc baggy and calls it good."

Lizzie Kalinka sits in her family's pew on Friday, May 6, 2022, at the church she attended growing up in Dalton, Mo. The church closed in 2019 due to a flood, but Lizzie bought it and is hoping to fix it up by August so the community can continue using it.

Cooper County Fire Captain Nathan Brandes, left, and Lieutenant Jeff Jackson, top right, stand in the grain bin of a combine and work with firefighter David Schmidt to put out the fire in the bin on Monday, Oct. 24, 2022, in Wooldridge. A fire that started in this combine on Saturday burned over 3,000 acres of land. The fire razed 23 buildings, or approximately half of Wooldridge, a small village that sits along the Missouri River. “We have smaller natural cover fires, but normally we don’t have to deal with sustained winds like this,” Brandes said. He said they would probably have another few days working in Wooldridge if the wind did not calm down.