Scott Pham

  A transportation advocacy site called Transportation For America has released an interactive map that shows where the structurally deficient bridges in your community are. 

Updated 4:12 p.m. with quotes and graphics

 The University of Missouri announced today that all employees working in MU's main administrative building, Jesse Hall, will be moved to a new location to allow for the installation of sprinkler systems, improvements to the heating and cooling systems, and an additional elevator. Nearby Swallow Hall which houses MU's Museum of Anthropology, will also undergo repairs including an increase in classroom, lab and office space totaling up to 5,000 square feet.  The project, called "Renew Mizzou," will cost more than $22.8 million.

This is the first year in modern history that we've seen a Republican veto-proof super majority: that's a two-thirds majority that allows Republicans to not only push through most any legislation they want, but also nullify a possible veto from their Democratic Governor, Jay Nixon.

This week we note the last departure of Frontier Airlines from Columbia Regional Airport and try to figure out how we ended up with just one airline.

Edited at 3:30 pm with quotes from Columbia Public Works

Columbia Regional Airport (COU) issued a press released Friday afternoon announcing it had received word that its tower will remain open thanks to new federal funding. As we've reported before, the air control tower serving Columbia Regional Airport was on a list [pdf] of regional towers that the FAA was planning to close.

A Fox news affiliate in Kansas City reported that police were upset about a recent "publicity stunt" at the opening of Iron Man 3 in a movie theater in Jefferson City.  The stunt seemed to involve a person in an Iron Man costume fending off several intruders brandishing fake weapons.

This one's a fun one. The Missouri State Senate grilled the Department of Revenue over whether the state agency (which oversees the DMV) made copies of Concealed Carry Licenses and sent them to the federal government. What started as a kind of weird, bureaucratic witch hunt became a lot more interesting--turns out they actually did it!  But why would the DMV send these documents to the higher ups.  And is it as illegal as it sounds?

CoMo Explained breaks it down in the podcast:  

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Earlier this month, a “Gang of Eight” bipartisan senators introduced an immigration bill that would grant low-skilled immigrant workers the opportunity to stay in the United States legally without a green card, among other reforms. Called “W-visas,” these visas would allow immigrants to fill positions that don’t require bachelor’s degrees for three years.

Most of downtown Columbia is zoned for "central business."  But the same zone that lets developers build small boutiques with loft apartments lets in huge, disruptive housing complexes like the Brookside Apartments.