Michael Franzese and the appeal of the mafia

Each week, ten of America’s top 20 TV shows are crime dramas, which signal a national passion for criminals as long as they’re not in our neighborhood. No fictional or true crime grips our attention quite like the Mafia. Maybe it’s the secrecy, the close family bonds or the Italian flare, but the mob definitely intrigues.

It Figures: Republican Caucus

A grand old party will be held March 17 in Boone County, the Republican Caucus.

Reported Commentary: Conservatives in college

Rick Santorum says colleges are "indoctrination mills" for the liberal agenda. Conservatives students in Columbia discuss their views on liberal biases in higher education.

Collegiate comics

Who wouldn’t want powers? Superpowers to be exact, which would mean being able to make the world a safer place, but they inevitably come with sacrifice. For Virginia, protagonist of the graphic novel Anyone But Virginia, that means leaving family and friends behind ... at least until her 10-year high school reunion.

A Conversation with Rachel Updike

From climbing on couches as a kid to climbing up the Big 12 rankings, Rachel Updike has always had athletic ability.

Vox asks Columbians: Where would you not want to be seen?

Pint-sized Picassos

The students at Lee Elementary School might become the next Monet or Michelangelo, but the Silent Film/Silent Art Auction this Saturday at the Windsor Auditorium at Stephens College might be the place where they first hit success.

In the Studio: Kate Moore

Artist and entrepreneur Kate Moore explores and explains her studio space.

Columbia chicken owners squak about friendship

From backyards to plush greens, Columbia chickens and their owners find comfort in numbers.

Saturday night fever

Mary Lou Scott is a member of the Show Me Boot Scooters, a club for country line dancers in mid-Missouri. They meet on Monday nights at McClung Park Pavilion in Jefferson City and on Saturday nights at KC Country in Kingdom City.

Raw-abiding citizens

The self-proclaimed raw foodists believe the ideal diet not only excludes processed foods and animal byproducts but also cooked foods, which they consider anything heated above 115 degrees. Organized by Jane Smith in August of 2008 through the group’s meetup.com page, some of the Raw Food Feasters’ 187 members come together once a month to celebrate the benefits of raw eating

Breakfast club

They are a group of Lakota customers referred to as “the regulars” by Lakota’s employees, and they’ve been meeting for their morning coffee here for about 15 years. They’ve formed friendships as strong as the coffee and as intrinsically a part of their morning routine.

Outside the cage

Daniel “Red” McClendon enters the small cage in the middle of what is usually the dance floor of the Whiskey Wild Saloon. The crowd of people is shoulder to shoulder watching his mixed martial arts fight in January. McClendon follows his opponent, Alejandro Jimenez, around the seven-sided cage.

A team of tinkerers

At Brad Collette’s workshop, tucked into the woods near the Columbia Regional Airport, a crowd of about a dozen stands around a steel box that whines and at moments flashes erratically. Under the machine’s lid, a high-powered laser zaps a small, thin block of wood. Collette tests the attention span of his computer by feeding design instructions to the laser cutter at the same time as it directs a 3-D printer. The 3-D printer sits on a shelf above the laser cutter, its robotic arm toiling inside a cubic cage, pouring in short, jerky passes a goopy molten plastic that will eventually form a functional gear.

Common threads

When Ruth Hollister’s niece was diagnosed with cervical cancer in October, Hollister couldn’t start knitting her hats fast enough. She told her knitting group that her niece would be starting chemotherapy soon and asked if there were any volunteers to help make hand-knit hats.

Columbia's social circles

A last-minute shuffle to talk to DGB

The No. 1 football recruit in the nation talks to Vox about his favorite movie, his love of stars and why he wants his jersey to read "15."

The Columbia Star Dinner Train hosts murder mystery

Hop on the Columbia Star Dinner Train and head back to the 1920's with a murder mystery. Actors aboard the train will use the audience to tell a story. It's up to the riders to find the killer.

Catching up with Dorial Green-Beckham

On February 1, the number one football recruit in the nation signed with MU. Dorial Green-Beckham, the 6’6”, 220-pound wide receiver, who is often shy, opens up about everything from Gucci Mane to grilled cheese.

Eat This: Quesadilla Loca

The Quesadilla Loca combines spinach, mushrooms and American white cheese to create a flavorful Mexican dish.

The March Madness Playlist

(Web Exclusive) March Madness can only be described one way — pure madness. Here are some songs to get you pumped up before the big game.

I want your six with Breathe Carolina

(Web Exclusive) Now and then, Vox asks performers answer the following six personal questions. This week, Breathe Carolina’s front man David Schmitt tackles the questions.

See this: Pepperland

Pepperland is not what you would expect from a Beatles cover band. There are no phony accents or silly wigs. The band doesn’t play the same equipment as The Beatles or hit everything exactly right, but it’s not trying to. Pepperland is its own flavor, and the members want to be appreciated for it.

Preview: Breathe Carolina

One of the oddest combinations of genres, a patchwork of screamo, pop and electronica, somehow seems to come together perfectly, creating Breathe Carolina.

One love, one mission

(Web Exclusive) The internationally acclaimed Soweto Gospel Choir has been touring the United States for the past several months and will perform at Jesse Auditorium on Tuesday, March 20.