Missouri
Officers and crew members of USS Columbia visited one of its namesake cities last week
The commanding officer of the U.S. Navy Los Angeles Class attack submarine USS Columbia encountered a pleasant coincidence Wednesday when visiting Columbia.
The submarine and Flat Branch Pub and Brewing both are celebrating 30-year anniversaries. The vessel’s mess hall is known as Flat Branch Café.
“The Flat Branch anniversary is a happy accident for us,” said Cmdr. Brad Foster, noting this week’s visit was coordinated via the Mayor’s Task Force on the USS Columbia and Friends of the USS Columbia Submarine SSN-771 headed up by chair Anne Moore of D&M Sound. “My first tour on submarines was on the Columbia, so I knew her from before. When I got this command, I remembered there was this lady that worked in Columbia, Missouri.”
So, he reached out to Moore about a visit to one of the vessel’s namesake cities. Others are in Illinois and South Carolina.
Columbia could see a crew member return visit in October 2025, based on a recent task force meeting agenda.
Those who were here this week were Foster; Lt. j.g. Zachary Rosen, the junior officer of the year; Chief Petty Officer and Missouri native Matt Choiniere; and Petty Officer 1st Class Billy Kilmer, the junior sailor of the year.
Along with recognition at Tuesday’s city council meeting, the crew members met with the University of Missouri ROTC, visited Columbia College and its veterans center, presented at Benton Elementary School, which has a roughly decade-long relationship with USS Columbia, Foster said, and the meet-and-greet event Wednesday at Flat Branch.
The visit this week was about getting familiar with the submarine’s namesake city, so that information can be brought back to the upward 150-strong crew, Foster said.
“This city is great,” he said, adding students at Benton Elementary had lots of questions to ask. “(Columbia College) does a lot with satellite campuses to help service members get a college degree. … Long story short, we’ve seen an awful lot of Columbia and everything we have seen has been great.”
Columbia has been very welcoming, Foster said. He also was impressed by how many people in the community know the connections between the city and the submarine.
Making the Columbia connection
The USS Columbia is stationed at Pearl Harbor in Hawaii. When the relationship first was established, it was overseen by then Mayor Mary Anne McCollum and the submarine itself was sponsored by former first lady Hillary Clinton.
The vessel is unique in that it is known as “the last slider,” said Columbia Mayor Barbara Buffaloe, who issued a proclamation about the city’s affiliation with the USS Columbia.
“When the submarine was christened, Mayor McCollum and a delegation traveled to Groton, Connecticut for that ceremony,” she said. “It was the last time a submarine was launched by dramatically sliding 1,400 feet down a wooden ramp into the river.”
The relationship with Flat Branch and naming of the mess hall came from when then crew members had come to work out the namesake city details and ate at Flat Branch Pub, which was greatly enjoyed, Buffaloe said. Some of the interior design and even some of the equipment was designed in Columbia, thanks to D&M Sound, she added.
“The crew’s entertainment system was a gift from all three namesake cities and custom designed by Moore. The submarine proudly displays the black and gold from (the University of Missouri) with banners and posters from Mizzou athletics,” Buffaloe said.
The USS Columbia will be in service at least another 10 years, Foster said. Around the time it reaches the 40 years of service mark, the U.S. Navy will make a determination on whether that service will continue, he said.
Charles Dunlap covers local government, community stories and other general subjects for the Tribune. You can reach him at cdunlap@columbiatribune.com or @CD_CDT on Twitter. Subscribe to support vital local journalism.
KSHB 41 reporter Tod Palmer covers sports business and eastern Jackson County. Share your story idea with Tod.
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In less than six weeks, fans will be able to live bet sports from their game-day tailgate or inside GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium during Chiefs games.
Sporting gambling in Missouri: Betting coming to Chiefs tailgates in less than 6 weeks
When Kansas City hosts the Washington Commanders on Monday Night Football next week, it will mark the last home primetime game before legalized sports gambling goes live in Missouri.
“I’ll be thankful, very thankful,” Marcus Burns, a former Chiefs season ticket member, said Tuesday after buying a hat at the team store inside Arrowhead.
He’s among the Chiefs fans who have been forced to go to great lengths to put money on a game as sports gambling became legal in seven of the eight states surrounding Missouri, including Kansas and Illinois, while infighting within the Show-Me State legislature scuttled legalization efforts year after year.
“Normally, friends I go (to games) with are on the Kansas side, so we go over there, pick them up and place our bets,” Burns said. “Then, we come over here.”
If a player is a surprise inactive and you’re already at the tailgate, too bad. That net is locked in there’s no changing it from the Arrowhead parking — at least not until Dec. 1.
“We expect big things out of Missouri sports betting out of the gate,” Christopher Boan, an analyst for BetMissouri.com, said. “This is a market that has been pent up for a long time.”
BetMissouri projects more than $65.6 million in total wagers during the first week sports gambling is legal in Missouri.
The Chiefs host the Houston Texans on Sunday Night Football to cap the week. The Dec. 7 game will air on KSHB 41.
Earlier that day, the Border Showdown between No. 19 Kansas and arch-rival Mizzou takes place at the T-Mobile Center in downtown Kansas City, while the week also features four St. Louis Blues games and a full slate of college football conference championships games.
The NFL playoffs arrive during the second month sports gambling is legal in Missouri followed by the Super Bowl, the Winter Olympics and March Madness, leading BetMissouri to project a total handle of more than $262.6 million in the first four months.
“It’s one of the best sports markets in America, and it’s got a real potential from day one to kind of become one of the upper echelon states sports betting-wise,” Boan said.
Missouri voters narrowly approved Amendment 2 in November 2024, which legalized betting on sports in the state. Sports-gambling revenues are subject to a 10% tax and player props for in-state college athletes are prohibited under Missouri law, though they are legal in neighboring states.
Missouri Gaming Commission Chair Jan Zimmerman is in charge of managing the rollout of sports gambling in the state.
I’ve spoken with Zimmerman, who is also the director of the Kansas City Metropolitan Crime Commission’s SAFE Fund, several times about sports gambling in Missouri during last year’s election and in the months since Amendment 2’s passage.
On Tuesday, I asked her, “If you needed, could you guys go live today?”
Zimmerman laughed: “No, absolutely not. I know everybody would like for us to go live, but we’ve got to make sure we do it right.”
Before the geofencing on apps comes down and sports books open up, the Gaming Commission must finish vetting all prospective employees in the sports-wagering industry, a process that includes Missouri State Highway Patrol background checks among other things.
“Our folks have worked so hard,” Zimmerman said. “I know that they’re anxious to see all their work come to fruition. … Anytime you’re building something from scratch, you’re really invested in seeing it be successful.”
The wait will be over soon.
“It’ll be something different to be able to do that here and stay in Missouri, to go to the local bars and be able to place your bets while you’re there as well,” Burns said.
Missouri’s total handle in the first year is expected to approach $3.88 billion dollars, according to Boan.
“That money has been exiting the state, going to Iowa, going to Kansas, going to Illinois, pretty much going everywhere except Missouri,” Boan said. “You have markets all around you. You know — water, water everywhere, but none to drink.”
Missouri is the only state launching sports gambling in 2025, so the Dec. 1 launch is expected to draw a tremendous amount of attention.
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Lost in the shuffle of Saturday’s dramatic double-OT win: Missouri football is bowl eligible.
No. 14/15 Missouri football secured its sixth win of the season and qualified for a postseason berth courtesy of a 23-17, double-overtime win over Auburn on Saturday in Auburn, Alabama.
Mizzou (6-1, 2-1 SEC) has bigger ambitions for the season, all of which are still on the table. MU’s trip to Vanderbilt (6-1, 2-1) this upcoming Saturday in Nashville, Tennessee, was selected as the College GameDay matchup, partly because both teams still have a say in the College Football Playoff and SEC title races.
We know it’s early. Missouri has five games left and a lot can and will change over the upcoming weeks and months.
But the Tigers are bowl eligible, so let’s see what folks are saying.
With five games left to play in the regular season, here is where various national media outlets have Missouri projected to play in the postseason in their updated bowl projections:
ESPN: ReliaQuest Bowl vs. Michigan; Duke’s Mayo Bowl vs. Duke
Neither Kyle Bonagura nor Mark Schlabach of ESPN have Mizzou in the College Football Playoff field, instead opting for Alabama, Georgia, Ole Miss and Texas A&M out of the SEC — popular choices in most projections.
Bonagura, in his updated projections, has tabbed the Tigers for a ReliaQuest Bowl appearance on Dec. 31 in Tampa, Florida, against Michigan — a battle of the Block Ms. Michigan is currently 5-2 with a 3-1 mark in Big Ten play. One of the Wolverines’ losses this year was to Oklahoma.
Schlabach currently projects Mizzou to go to Charlotte, North Carolina, for a Jan. 2 game against Duke in the Duke’s Mayo Bowl. Duke is 4-3, but the Blue Devils have a 3-1 mark in ACC play and absolutely could factor into the conference’s title race.
Missouri has never appeared in either bowl game, but did travel to Tampa for the Gasparilla Bowl in 2022, when it lost to Wake Forest.
CBS Sports: Texas Bowl vs. TCU
Brad Crawford of CBS Sports projected that Missouri will take on TCU on Dec. 27 in the Texas Bowl in Houston.
The Horned Frogs are 5-2 with two losses in Big 12 Conference play, coming against Kansas State and Arizona State.
Mizzou last played in the Texas Bowl in 2017, falling to Texas under then-head coach Barry Odom.
Sports Illustrated: Liberty Bowl vs. Cincinnati
Bryan Fischer of Sports Illustrated has tabbed Missouri for a Jan. 2 game against Cincinnati in Memphis, Tennessee, in the Liberty Bowl. The Gator Bowl is one of the final non-CFP games on the college football calendar.
The Bearcats are ranked No. 21 in the latest US LBM Coaches Poll and shape up as a contender for the Big 12 title. They’re unbeaten through four games in conference play after losing their season-opening game against Nebraska in Kansas City.
The game would take place a day after the final College Football Playoff quarterfinals matchups.
Mizzou last played in the Liberty Bowl in 2018, losing to Oklahoma State.
Pro Football Sports Network: Texas Bowl vs Houston
Pro Football Sports Network’s updated prognostications have Mizzou facing Houston in its hometown in the Texas Bowl.
The Cougars are putting together a strong season under second-year head coach Willie Fritz, who was a longtime coach at Central Missouri in Warrensburg. Houston is currently 6-1, with its lone loss coming against Texas Tech.
Mizzou hasn’t faced the Cougars since 1994.
NEW MADRID COUNTY, Ark. (KAIT) – Monday morning in the Missouri Bootheel began with a minor earthquake.
The U.S. Geological Survey registered the quake at 2:58 a.m. Oct. 20. It had a preliminary magnitude of 2.3.
The tremor was located less than a mile west of Risco and about 25 miles north-northeast of Kennett. It had a depth of approximately 3.7 miles.
As of 8 a.m. Monday, no one had reported feeling it to the USGS.
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