Going For Gold
Powerlifter Charlie Phillips gears up for Medal Run Amid the roar of the crowd and the music, Charlie Phillips takes the stage. Grasping almost a quarter-ton of weight between his hands, the 26-year-old straightens his legs and rises on the cheers as if carried on a cloud. The only thing bigger than the plates on his barbell is the smile on his face. Doctors once thought Charlie would never...
Porcelain Perfection
Julia Allspach passes down the art of china painting Looking back on a lifetime of drawing and painting, Julia Allspach can’t estimate how many different artworks she’s made. While her home is adorned with tiles, vases, plates, Christmas ornaments, lampshapes and tea...
A lady on the line
Kimberly Bradshaw makes history as State Tech’s first woman lineworker Kimberly Bradshaw had no idea she was breaking new ground the day she toured State Technical College of Missouri. “I came here and I toured after I got accepted,” she says. “The guide at the end...
Community, Creativity and Culture
Columbia rapper NicDanger plans a better future, one track at a time Growing up in Columbia, Nicholas Rodriguez, or NicDanger, as he’s better known around town, felt like the odd kid out around his peers. The 32-year-old’s rise from being a frustrated grade schooler...