Your morning starts here.

A local health alert reported 36 confirmed animal rabies cases from bats and skunks, and the CDC noted a 17% rise in inquiries; Columbia/Boone County official Kevin Meyers advises residents to keep pets up to date on shots and contact Animal Control if bitten (rPEP treatment with four shots is key).

The Department of Veterans Affairs will award nearly $3 million to six Missouri groups through the Staff Sergeant Parker Gordon Fox Suicide Prevention Grant Program starting fiscal year 2027 to expand veteran mental health care.

The program will target veterans outside VA services (supporting community-based care).

Alfred Friendly Press Partners hosted a three-week fellowship at Mizzou that trained journalists in exile on newsroom safety and entrepreneurship (with sessions led by Mizzou experts and CPJ).

The program aims to help participants return to the field and build independent media organizations.

Como Comunidad, a local nonprofit, will host Columbia’s first Hispanic Heritage Festival to celebrate Hispanic culture and build community bridges (further details on timing and location are forthcoming).

Columbia utility customers began paying higher rates for electricity, water, and trash pick-up on Thursday due to inflation; the extra cost averages about $15 monthly while some residents qualify for local utility assistance.

Starting Monday, Go COMO will adjust its Orange Route by removing the stop at Ashley Street Center, adding a new stop at Patriot Place Apartments, and replacing the Voluntary Action Center stop with a westbound stop at Bowling Street — riders can check updates in the ETA Transit app.

The Missouri Department of Social Services now requires extra verification documents for SNAP benefit renewals starting Oct.

1 — current recipients remain under existing rules — though local residents and advocates worry the additional paperwork may delay access to food.

University of Missouri alumni will gather this weekend for the 115th homecoming.

The event includes a parade, pep rallies, and a football game against Florida at 2:30 p.m. on Saturday at Faurot Field, a tradition started in 1911 when athletic director Chester Brewer called alumni home.