Decades of Debris, For Jefferson County Leader
Missouri waterways are full of tires—petroleum-based monuments to the misguided waterway management of the mid-20th century. They were placed with intention in the 1950s. Back then, using tires along waterways to control erosion was viewed as an economical way to repurpose waste rubber.
Today, after decades of decay, they pose a substantial risk to the health of Missouri waters. Volunteers from the Missouri Stream Team spend afternoons in the hot sun dragging aluminum canoes for miles along the state's rivers and streams digging these tires up from the silt. It's a labor of love. Their back-breaking and unpaid work cuts off one of the state's most significant sources of microplastic pollution and protects the ecosystems that rely on Missouri's fresh water.
Puzzling Pursuit, for Columbia Missourian
A crew of 6, assembled from across the United States, gathered in Columbia Missouri for an unusual task–finding a hidden diamond worth more than $10,000.
Led by Jeopardy champion Will Stewart, the group spent more than a week working through a series of high-difficulty puzzles hoping to win the gem. They were aided by an additional group of puzzle fanatics who contributed virtually through Discord and worked around the clock in shifts to maintain a competitive edge against the 52 other teams in the hunt.
In the end, the group did not take home the diamond but did complete the challenge just after the winning team, earning gold coins instead.