Darris Smith

The Tigers continue to find success from the pair of Millie Skelton and Evelyn Whiteside in the Husker Invitational. The Tigers again saw a trio of both wins and losses today. 

Skelton and Whiteside controlled the match against the Denver team of Yunfei Cai and Ruby Hansen. The Tigers won 8-2. 

In singles play, Skelton dominated. She beat Kansas' Caroline Manzi while only dropping three games across two sets. She won the first 6-1 and the second 6-2.

Whiteside prevailed in a hard-fought singles match. Playing against Ruby Hansen, she won the first set 7-6, winning 8-6 in tiebreakers. She then put the match to bed, winning 6-4 in another close set. 

The young duo of Leticia Bazan and Alba Salles Canudas lost for a second day in a row, but showed fight in an 8-6 loss against Alina Vysochenko (Wichita State) and Neda Rahimkhani (Nebraska). 

Bazan lost to Minnesota's Massiva Boukirat in singles play, 6-3 (Bazan), 6-4 (Boukirat) and 6-1 (Boukirat).

Salles Canudas lost her singles match to KU's Nahyeong Cho. Salles Canudas won the first set 6-2, then dropped the next set 6-2 before losing the final set 6-4.

Day 3 of the Husker Invitational will start at 9 a.m. Sunday in Lincoln, Nebraska.

Mizzou men's golf finished 14th, second-to-last, in the University of New Mexico's William H. Tucker Invitational on Saturday in Albuquerque, New Mexico. 

The Tigers buried themselves into a deep hole with a 10-over par second round, but rebounded to shoot a 1-over 289 in Round 3 on Saturday.

Antoni Hawkins was the best Mizzou individual in the tournament, ending in a tie for 35th at even par.

Trent Mierl had a promising start for MU, sitting at 3-under par after Round 1. However, the junior bogeyed 14 of 36 holes in the final two rounds, placing in a tie for 63rd at 5-over par.

Mizzou has a pair of weeks to regroup, next taking to the tees at The Bryson Invitational on Oct. 12 in Miami.

Mizzou baseball faces Iowa in 18-inning scrimmage

Mizzou baseball began its 2026 fall campaign Saturday, falling 18-7 to Iowa in an 18-inning matchup in Columbia.

The Tigers totaled 10 hits and struck out 28 times against 15 Hawkeye pitchers.

Mizzou trailed 6-3 after nine innings. It was scoreless through six, but then tacked on a run in each of the next three frames.

Breaking the game open in the 14th, the Hawkeyes plated six runs and took a commanding 14-4 lead.

MU will continue its fall exhibition competition against Bradley on Oct. 17 at Taylor Stadium.

Columbia men's soccer secures senior day shutout

Columbia College won at home with a 4-0 win over Maharisi International University on Saturday.

The first three goals of the game were scored within the first half. Pedro Moutinho tallied the first goal first in the 13th minute. Drew Schlimme notched the second in the 23rd minute. Joshua Peterson extended the lead to 3-0 in the 33rd minute.

Following halftime, the Cougars added one more in the 66th minute by Freddie Fenton to seal the victory.

Columbia's goalkeepers Mason Beck and Caden Hof combined their stellar work at the net for a clean sheet. Meanwhile, the Cougars offense outshot the Pioneers 17-10, maintaining the ball on Maharisi's side of the field majority of the time.

After a short break, Columbia will face Principia College in Elsah, Illinois, at 5:30 p.m. Oct. 6 before beginning American Midwest Conference play Oct. 10 against Central Baptist College.

Stephens volleyball sweeps Baptist Central

Stephens volleyball defeated Baptist Central in three sets 25-14, 25-22, 25-14 on Saturday afternoon.

Junior outside hitter Jocelyn Rios led the match with 11 kills. Freshman defensive specialist Audrey Dinwiddie recorded 37 assists during the three sets.

The Stars ended the match with 43 kills, 39 assists and nine service aces.

Stephens volleyball will play a double header against Columbia College at 3 p.m. and Crowleys Ridge College 6 p.m. on Oct. 3 at the Carter Activities Center in Paragould, Arizona.

Columbia volleyball takes one win in two matches

Columbia College volleyball lost to McPherson College on Saturday morning in four sets before turning around and sweeping Haskell Indian Nations University.

Columbia started strong winning the first set 25-19 before McPherson college took the match's momentum and won the next three sets 25-23, 25-16 and 25-17.

Junior outside hitter Isabella Kinciad, sophomore middle hitter Kenedi Canty, and freshman middle hitter Alayna Backes all ended the match with nine kills.

Junior setter Hannah Vogt recorded seven out of the team's 10 aces throughout the match. Vogt also recorded 24 assists during the match.

After the loss, Columbia quickly turned things around and defeated Haskell Indian Nations University in three sets 25-18, 25-15, 25-16.

Senior outside hitter Viola Giangreco led the match in kills, with 10. She recorded one attack error and a hitting percentage of .563. Junior setter Alexa Olson led the match in assists with 18.

Columbia out-attacked Haskell 42-23 with the Cougars getting 16 kills in both the first and second set.

Columbia will play a doubleheader in the Hannibal-La Grange University tri-match against Hannibal LeGrange University at 3 p.m. and Evangel University at 5 p.m. Tuesday in Hannibal.

Stephens soccer ties Dakota State

Stephens soccer tied Dakota State 3-3 on Saturday afternoon.

Stephens opened up the match strong when sophomore forward Amaura Austell scored in the 10th minute, her first of the season.

Miscommunication between goalkeeper Petra Brncova and senior midfielder Abi Leake gave Dakota State their first goal. Leake miss-hit a pass and Brncova was unable to chase it down.

The Cybers scored their second goal during the 41st minute. They then scored their third goal in the 54th minute.

Stephens retaliated only three minutes later when Austell scored her second goal, bringing the score to 3-2.

Junior forward Eastin Coyler tied the game for the Stars after she scored in the 85th minute.

Stephens will face Mission at 1 p.m. next Saturday at Battle High School.

(The Center Square) – U.S. Sen. John Fetterman, once again, was the only Democrat on Thursday to vote against a resolution which would limit President Donald Trump’s military actions against Iran.

Fetterman and U.S. Sen. Dave McCormick, R-Pa., were among the 50 who voted to reject the effort, while 49 voted in favor.

While a majority of Republicans voted to reject this resolution, four Republicans crossed the aisle to support it. Several votes have been decided by a one-vote margin since the war began, while Reuters notes that it was the 14th time that the Senate has voted on this war powers resolution.

Fetterman didn’t issue a public statement following his vote on Thursday. However, he has been a vocal opponent against the effort from his fellow Democrats since the beginning of the war, despite growing opposition from members of his own party. 

On Feb. 28, Fetterman shared a screenshot of an Axios article titled “Democrats demand war powers vote after U.S. strikes Iran.”

Fetterman’s response to that was “Committed Democrat here. I’m a hard no. My vote is Operation Epic Fury.”

McCormick, a military veteran who served in the 82nd Airborne Division during the Gulf War, also didn’t issue a public statement regarding that vote on Thursday. However, he’s also been a Trump ally during this military operation and defended the president’s actions as recently as Sunday. 

“I've been very supportive of the president's actions to ensure Iran doesn't have a nuclear weapon,” McCormick said on Fox News Sunday on Sept. 20. “It was a courageous decision, not an easy decision, but imagine the idea of Iran having a nuclear weapon on his watch, which I believe would have happened had we not intervened.” 

“We've made huge progress on diminishing their military,” he added. “They still have some capability, but it's been significant, and our economic efforts are working.”

U.S. Sen. Tim Kaine, D-Va., who has led the effort since late February, described the military action against Iran as “illegal” and called on the U.S. Senate to return to session and “vote on my War Powers Resolution to block the use of U.S. forces in hostilities against Iran.”

The 1973 War Powers Resolution “requires military operations to wind down after 60 days, unless Congress authorizes continued action,” according to Politico. Multiple votes have taken place since the legal deadline has passed. 

While the last several attempts have failed by a one-vote margin, more Republicans running in battleground states have expressed opposition to the war. 

NBC News reports that in recent days, GOP Senate candidates Mike Rogers in Michigan and Rep. Ashley Hinson in Iowa have called for ending the war after siding with Trump on it for months.

Recent polling also indicates that the war is not popular in Pennsylvania. 

Just 31% of Pennsylvanians either strongly or somewhat approve of Trump’s handling of the war in Iran, while 67% strongly or somewhat disapprove, according to a New York Times/Philadelphia Inquirer/Siena poll conducted among 615 voters from Sept. 15 to 22. 

The U.S. House has supported the resolution on multiple occasions. On Sept. 15, the chamber voted to pass the resolution, which would restrict Trump’s military actions against Iran. While the vote mostly fell along party lines for Pennsylvania’s congressional delegation, GOP U.S. Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick joined Democrats in voting in support.

Fetterman, who has been viewed as the deciding vote on multiple occasions for this resolution, has been sharply criticized by his fellow Democrats, including those who have been named as potential primary challengers in 2028. 

U.S. Rep. Chris Deluzio, D-17th District, is a Navy veteran and has been outspoken in his criticism of the war since Feb. 28. 

“John Fetterman just cast the deciding vote to keep the Iran War raging,” Deluzio wrote on social media Thursday. “This reckless war has cost American lives, innocent lives, tens of billions of dollars, and higher prices on nearly everything here at home. John and 49 Republican Senators voted in favor of all of that. Change is coming…”

(The Center Square) – A stretch of federal land in southeastern Ohio is about to hold one of the largest data center projects in the world, and the debate surrounding the facility has come to dominate Ohio’s battleground Senate race.

U.S. Sen. Jon Husted, R-Ohio, is defending his seat against former Sen. Sherrod Brown, a Democrat who represented Ohio in the Senate from 2007 to 2025. The nonpartisan Cook Political Report rates the matchup a toss up, and it has quickly become one of the most watched races of the midterm election season.

Ohio’s Senate seat will be key to determining which party controls the chamber during the final two years of President Donald Trump’s term in the White House. With a slim 6-seat voting advantage by Republicans, Brown’s candidacy is central to Democrats’ hopes of flipping the Senate in their favor.

Husted has held the seat since 2025, when Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine appointed him to fill Vice President JD Vance’s seat. Brown is chasing a comeback after losing Ohio’s other Senate seat to Sen. Bernie Moreno, R-Ohio, in 2024.

Data centers have emerged as a defining issue for voters across the country in the 2026 midterm cycle. The debate in Ohio ramped up when OpenAI signed on to a project in Pike County, partnering with S.B. Energy, NVIDIA and the U.S. Department of Energy to build a multibillion-dollar site.

The project could bring 35,000 new jobs to Ohio through 2032 and $120 million in community investment. It will also draw 8 gigawatts of electricity, roughly equivalent to the output of eight large power plants.

Husted and Brown both say tech companies should pay for the power their data centers use, instead of passing those costs on to households. Neither candidate has called for the kind of construction moratorium New York Gov. Kathy Hochul announced earlier this year.

What the candidates clash over, however, is who is responsible for the data center projects already underway and whether Ohio should keep paying to attract more companies.

In July, Husted introduced a bill to require state utility regulators to consider standards making the largest power users cover the costs of the plants, transmission lines and substations built to serve them. The standards could also require companies to provide financial assurances so families aren't left footing the bill if a project is delayed, downsized or abandoned.

"Working families, small businesses and senior citizens should not open up their electric bills and discover the pain for the power infrastructure needed by some large tech company," Husted said on the Senate floor.

While the bill passed the House 417-3 earlier this month, it stalled in the Senate after Sen. Martin Heinrich, D-New Mexico, objected to Husted's request to pass it by unanimous consent.

Trump has embraced the issue of data centers since returning to the White House last year, pushing for rapid construction of facilities to remain ahead of competitors like China. Husted has taken a more cautious approach to the issue, arguing that decisions should remain in the hands of local communities.

"This should be a local decision. Local elected officials [and] local citizens should decide whether they want a data center or not," Husted said on CBS’s Face the Nation. "No one in Washington should be telling them that they need one or they can't have one.”

Brown’s campaign has utilized TV ads to push for an end to the tax breaks Ohio uses to court tech companies. He has run at least eight ads on the issue, according to ad-tracking firm AdImpact, while Husted has aired none.

"These out-of-state corporations have come in," Brown said in an interview with NBC. "Local communities had no say over this, taking their land, swallowing up their water, and then they have to pay more in electric bills."

One of Brown’s ads features an Ohio man who opposes Google’s data center in Lancaster.

"No one asked for that data center to be built here. And no one here is getting a damn thing from it, except higher electric bills,” he says.

Brown’s ad accuses Husted of leading "the push to bring data centers to Ohio" and giving away "billions of tax dollars to make it happen."

As Ohio’s lieutenant governor from 2019 to 2025, Husted defended tax breaks for Google’s New Albany facility. According to the Ohio Chamber of Commerce, data centers in Ohio collected $2.5 billion in state and local tax breaks between 2017 and 2024.

Brown has supported data centers in the past. In 2015, Brown called a Licking County data center “great news” for central Ohio and secured $2.8 million in 2010 for a Dayton research center working on data center cooling technology.

Brown holds a significant fundraising edge over Husted, having raised more than double that of his opponent. Brown reported $38.6 million in funds in his latest Federal Election Commission filings, while Husted reported $14.4 million. As of June 30, Brown still had $16.2 million on hand and Husted $9.4 million.

Voters will head to the polls for the midterm elections on Nov. 3. Polls in Ohio are open from 6:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. on Election Day.

(The Center Square) – The shooting of an alleged armed robber by an Illinois concealed-carry license holder at an Orland Park gas station highlights the potential role of lawfully armed citizens during violent encounters, according to John Boch of Guns Save Life.

Boch said the surveillance video made the circumstances particularly clear to him.

“The thug thought he was going to win the confrontation, and he thought wrong, because of course the victim, he had a gun too, and he got a vote in the matter,” Boch said.

“Instead of being a victim, the concealed-carry holder ended up just being a witness and survived it uninjured,” he said.

Orland Park police said a citizen was pumping gas at a Shell station in the 15100 block of Harlem Avenue around 9 a.m. Tuesday when an individual attempted an armed robbery. The CCL holder fired a handgun, striking the suspect. The citizen was not injured and cooperated with investigators.

The suspect was taken to a hospital.

Boch said the incident demonstrates why he believes concealed carry can provide an option for people confronted by an armed attacker.

“It means they're not a defenseless victim and the bad guys don't get a run rough shot over them without fear of meaningful resistance,” Boch said.

“The gun obviously provided the good guy in this case, meaningful resistance against a criminal attack,” he said.

Illinois law permits deadly force when a person reasonably believes it is necessary to prevent imminent death or great bodily harm to themselves or another person, or the commission of a forcible felony.

Boch said understanding those legal requirements is an important part of concealed-carry training.

“Basically, if you have a reasonable fear of death or great bodily injury at that particular moment, you can use lethal force to protect yourself or another innocent,” he said.

Whether deadly force is legally justified depends on the circumstances of each case. The Orland Park investigation remains ongoing.

Boch said Illinois’ concealed-carry training framework addresses the use of force but said the quality of instruction can vary.

“Officially, yes, it does,” Boch said when asked whether the framework prepares license holders for armed attacks. “In the real world, it depends on how good your instructor or instructors are that are delivering the material.”

He also warned Illinois gun owners about misconceptions surrounding self-defense law.

“There are a lot of misconceptions by people who aren't educated in what the law is,” Boch said.

Boch said the surveillance video also appeared to show the CCL holder paying attention to his surroundings before the confrontation escalated.

“To the good guy's credit, he was paying attention to his surroundings,” Boch said.

“Crime happens everywhere,” Boch added. “It doesn't matter how nice your neighborhood is or, you know, how you perceive it. It's everywhere.”

The incident has renewed discussion about concealed carry and self-defense in Illinois as police continue investigating the circumstances surrounding the shooting.

Missouri starting edge rusher Darris Smith has been ruled out for Saturday's game against Mississippi State, the team revealed Friday in its availability report.

Smith had been listed as questionable on the Wednesday and Thursday reports. He exited Missouri's Week 3 game against Troy in the first quarter, limping to the locker room with the help of trainers. He did return briefly in the third quarter but did not complete the game.

In Smith's absence against Troy, MU relied on sophomore Daeden Hopkins and Florida State transfer Jaden Jones to take his starting spot.

Smith is in his third year with the Tigers and his first as a starter. After missing all of 2024 with a knee injury, he earned a contributing role with the Tigers in 2025, recording 15 total tackles, four sacks and two pass deflections.

In addition to Smith, Missouri ruled out running backs Ahmad Hardy and Malae Fonoti, tight end Gavin Hoffman, safety JaDon Blair and offensive tackle Josh Atkins for the game against the No. 24 Bulldogs.

Missouri will kick off against Mississippi State at 6:45 p.m. Saturday at Davis Wade Stadium in Starkville, Mississippi. The game will be broadcast on the SEC Network.

(The Center Square) – The Pentagon still will not say what testosterone screening will cost for male service members 30 and older, and a national group of hormone specialists says the testing is expensive and will produce false positives.

The Endocrine Society, a national group of physicians who specialize in hormone disorders, said in a statement to The Center Square that screening men over 30 "is likely to result in a high number of false positives, and the testing process is expensive and time-consuming."

The Department of War did not respond to a request for a cost estimate Friday. The Center Square asked in July, when Secretary of War Pete Hegseth ordered the screening, and again after the Defense Health Agency issued its clinical guidance Sept. 17. The health agency said Friday that the Pentagon press office "is indeed handling all queries on the topic."

Neither Hegseth's July 15 memo nor the clinical guidance carries a cost estimate. The guidance says the number of service members to be screened, tested, diagnosed and treated is "not currently known," and that no prior guidance projected those figures. The department says it will report those numbers 12 months after the guidance is published.

Hegseth's July memo applied to all service members 30 and older. The clinical guidance covers male service members only, and the Defense Health Agency says a companion guideline for women is still under review.

The department has not said how many men the mandate reaches. Not all of them will be tested: the guidance directs providers to screen with a symptom and risk-factor questionnaire and to order a blood test only when that screen is positive or a risk factor is present.

The Endocrine Society also faulted the guidance for how it handles obesity. Obesity among active-duty service members rose from 14.7% in 2013 to 24.2% in 2023, according to the Medical Surveillance Monthly Report, the military's own health surveillance journal.

Men with obesity are more likely to show low testosterone on a blood test, the Society said. The guidance offers those men weight management and testosterone therapy together, and says treatment will not be withheld while the weight is addressed. The Society said that obesity should be treated first.

The Society also said the guidance's fertility safeguard may not work as intended. The guidance tells providers that men who want to preserve fertility should receive human chorionic gonadotropin, a hormone therapy known as hCG, rather than testosterone. But hCG suppresses FSH, the hormone needed for normal sperm production, the Society said, and that will reduce sperm production in men whose low testosterone stems from obesity, who typically have normal FSH levels.

The guidance supports the Society's concern about false positives. It says about 30% of men with an initial low testosterone reading are normal on a repeat test, and it requires two morning fasting testosterone tests, taken at least 30 days after training involving extreme physical or mental stress, before any diagnosis is made.

Dr. Richard Auchus, an endocrinologist at the University of Michigan, told The Center Square last week that the guidance is "largely evidence-based" because it screens for symptoms before ordering blood tests, an approach "consistent with society guidelines and good clinical practice." He said he was relieved it was "not recommending broadly blood-test based screening everyone over 30."

The House and Senate Armed Services committees and the defense appropriations subcommittees did not respond Friday to questions about whether the department has given them a cost estimate.

The department's fiscal 2027 budget request eliminates the Defense Health Program appropriation and splits it into two new accounts, the Combat and Operational Medicine Program at $20.3 billion and the Private Sector Care Program at $22.2 billion, a change the department says will improve accountability and transparency. The budget overview does not identify the screening program as a separate line in either account.

The guidance says the department will report the number of service members screened, tested, diagnosed and treated 12 months after publication. Until then, the program runs at a size and cost the department has not disclosed and, by its own account, does not yet know.

GREAT FALLS, Mont. - Great Falls-area residents have several upcoming events to keep on their calendars, including a Mary Fields statue dedication in Cascade, the Women’s Expo and a centennial celebration tied to Charlie Russell.

The Mary Fields Statue Dedication is scheduled for Saturday, September 26 from 3 to 5 p.m. at Wedsworth Hall in Cascade, 13 Front Street South. Organizers plan speakers, a slide show and more.

Fields, also known as “Stagecoach Mary,” delivered mail using a stagecoach in northern Montana. She was the first African American woman and the second woman to receive a Star Route contract from the United States Post Office Department, according to the Smithsonian. 

The Women’s Expo is scheduled for Friday, October 2 through Sunday, October 4. You can get tickets and learn more about this year’s expo on their website here. 

Kick off the centennial celebration for Charlie Russell Friday, October 9 at thew Newberry with Mississippi native Landon Wilks.

Charlie Russell’s Legacy: Celebrating 100 Years, is set to run Friday, October 9 through Sunday, October 11, 2026.

“Charlie Russell’s Legacy: Celebrating 100 years is a once-in-a-generation celebration honoring the artist who captured the spirit, humor, people and stories of the American West like no one else. Hosted by the C.M. Russell Museum, this special weekend invites our community and visitors from across the region to experience the West through art, storytelling, history and family fun. From inspiring speakers and cowboy poets to traditional games, hands-on crafts for kids, food, live music and an unforgettable evening in collaboration with the Great Falls Symphony, the weekend will be filled with experiences that bring people together and celebrate the enduring spirit of the West. But at its heart, this celebration is about something bigger: the remarkable legacy Charlie Russell left behind and the way his work continues to connect us to the people, places, stores and spirit of the West,” the C.M. Russell Museum said.

Mizzou men's golf struggled to a 6-over par showing on Day 1 of the William H. Tucker Invitational in Albuquerque, New Mexico, sitting 15th out of 15 schools.

The Tigers were tied for eighth after a 2-under-par 286 in Round 1, but could not maintain their success in the second round.

While Round 2 was suspended because of weather, Mizzou began it with an 8-over par showing. Each MU golfer has either four or five holes remaining in their second set of 18 holes.

Antoni Hawkins fared the best out of the MU individuals on Day 1. He is tied for 26th at one-under par with five holes remaining in his second round.

Trent Mieri had a 3-under-par 69 in Round 1, including an eagle on Hole 18. However, Mieri bogeyed seven of 14 holes to start his second round, ending Friday at 3-over par overall. He sits tied for 58th in the individual portion.

Mizzou golfer Andy Yang is competing as an individual, meaning his overall score is not included with the Tigers' team score. He finished his day even par and tied for 32nd. Yang still has to complete holes 14-17 in Round 2. 

He will play holes 15-18 on Saturday, following it by playing another round to complete the 54-hole tournament.

The second round will resume at 8:30 a.m. Saturday at The Championship Course at the University of New Mexico. The final round will immediately follow its conclusion.

2028 four-star prospect Annie Cole committed to Mizzou gymnastics on Friday.

Cole was born in Mankato, Minnesota, and attends high school in Milton, Wisconsin.

Her standout performance the latest season was at the 2026 Women's Development Program National Championships, where Cole tied for third in floor exercise and fifth in the all-around.

Cole officially visited Mizzou in late August, the first stop she made in her recruitment. After coming to Columbia, she also took visits to Auburn, Nebraska and Minnesota.

The first commit of Mizzou coach Shannon Welker's 2028 recruiting class. Cole is expected to join the Mizzou team in the 2029 season. 

The Tigers recorded the No. 6 recruiting class in 2026 and the No. 22 class in 2027. Cole is the first step in building another top 25 class for 2028.