Rates of gun violence have spiked across Missouri, including in areas around UM System schools.  Near the UM System’s Columbia campus alone, there have been four shootings since the beginning of August. The most recent incident, on Nov. 14, left one person dead and...

Homicide rates in Kansas City have been on a steady incline for years.  With 138 homicides in 2018 and 151 in 2019, criminal justice professor Ken Novak took note of the homicide trends by recording each one on a sticky note and posting them on his office door. The chilling...

This pain I have runs deep.  There have been times since the murder that I’ve sat in class and looked around at my peers and thought, “You have no idea what I’ve been through.” It’s mentally, physically and emotionally tearing me apart. It’s like every...