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It’s a hot day at Cooper’s Landing.

The Missouri River stretches to the right. A bluegrass band and crickets hum in the background. And people are scattered about listening, drinking beer and fanning away the heat. I glance around for Sara Dykman, who’s just arrived from Jefferson City by bike and who’s heading toward Mexico. I don’t see her, but I do see her bicycle.

The bike is bright pink and loaded down with stuff. Suddenly, Sara appears with a Mr. Pibb in hand, catching me in the middle of snapping photos.

Next week on Intersection, we look at Missouri's legacy of lead. In this preview of our upcoming show, Intersection host Sara Shahriari talks with photographer Benjamin Hoste about his images from Missouri's old lead belt. 

Hoste's photographs from the old lead belt are on display at the Greg Hardwick Gallery at Columbia College through September 27.

Late summer and early fall might not seem like a very tropical time in Missouri, but it is the best season to find one of the last remaining pieces of the state’s tropical past. I’m talking about the largest edible native fruit in North America – the elusive paw paw. Despite the fruit’s uniquely exotic flavor, and the fact that it grows throughout the Midwest, you won’t find the paw paw in most groceries, which means if you want to taste it, you have to set off into the woods, which is exactly what I did on a recent afternoon.

The civil war in Yemen has garnered many superlatives since it began in force in March 2015. It's generated the world's most dire humanitarian crisis and the largest cholera outbreak in a single year ever recorded – even Forbes ranked its economy as the world's worst. 

Yet despite a conflict that has left 7 million on the brink of starvation, there is little end in sight to fighting between Iranian-backed Houthi rebels and the country's Saudi-backed government. Attempts to spur a U.N. investigation into war crimes committed by both sides have so far failed. Complicating efforts is support for the Saudi-backed government by the U.S., U.K. and France. 

On this edition of Global Journalist, we discuss Yemen's humanitarian crisis, the collapse of independent media in the country and the role of outsiders in fueling a conflict that has generated startling levels of human suffering. 

Emmy host Stephen Colbert invites former White House press secretary Sean Spicer to appear on stage at last Sunday's ceremony. Who wasn't in on the joke? Was Harvard "behaving stupidly" when it rescinded an invitation to Chelsea Manning to become a visiting fellow? Also, reactions by ESPN management after Jemele Hill speaks out against #Trump; and will Ken Burns' latest documentary about the #VietnamWar attract an audience beyond the baby boomers who lived through it? From Missouri School of Journalism professors Mike McKean, Earnest Perry and Jamie Grey. KBIA 91.3 FM

This week on Discover Nature, get outside to enjoy early autumn weather, and keep an eye out for the first signs of fall color.

You’ve read, I hope, the Missourian’s excellent coverage this week of the “climate survey” that was conducted a year ago to assess attitudes and behaviors of students, faculty and staff throughout the University system.

If you have, you know that the findings revealed fairly high levels of discomfort among students and discontent among faculty and staff at MU.

Only two-thirds of the nearly 5,000 MU students who responded to the survey said they felt comfortable on campus. Forty percent of freshmen and 44 percent of sophomores were seriously considering leaving. Sixty percent of faculty respondents and about half the staff said they were serious about seeking other jobs. Minority, female and gay respondents were especially unhappy.

Read the complete column online at the Missourian.