It’s been another very interesting year for us. We could all benefit from less interesting.
We took a lot of photos in 2018. Many having to do with the aftermath of the 2016 (yes) and 2018 general elections.
Over the course of the last year we covered a number of government and political events in Missouri (and elsewhere), in the process taking thousands of photographs. Most of them didn’t make it into the blog. Some of the things we saw and heard made us smile, made us think, made us gasp, made us hope, and made us despair.
We thought we’d provide a retrospective of some of the pictures and stories we consider to be memorable.
January
The Missouri General Assembly opened its session on January 3rd.

Assistant Minority Floor Leader Gina Mitten (D) [2018 file photo].

Rep. Bruce Franks, Jr. (D) [2018 file photo].
The opening of the legislative session – in the House – January 3, 2018 (January 3, 2018)
Rep. Bruce Franks, Jr. (D): comforting the afflicted, afflicting the comfortable (January 4, 2018)
HB 1817: Well, what brought that up? (January 4, 2018)
The sordid story of now former Governor Eric Greitens (r) started early in the month.

Eric Greitens (r) [2016 file photo].
Oh, my. (January 11, 2018)
Oh, my – part 2 (January 11, 2018)
Oh, my – part 3 (January 11, 2018)
אַ שאַנדע פֿאַר די גוים and *IOKIYAR (January 11, 2018)
Oh, my – part 4 (January 11, 2018)
Oh, my – part 5 (January 11, 2018)
Oh, my – part 6 (January 12, 2018)
Sen. Denny Hoskins (r): not exactly a ringing endorsement (January 12, 2018)
Gov. Eric Greitens (r): piping (January 16, 2018)
Oh, my – part 7 (January 16, 2018)
On January 20, 2018 close to two thousand people (the organizers’ head count was over 1600) gathered at the amphitheater in the Courthouse Square in Columbia, Missouri for a rally and march to commemorate last year’s Women’s March and to protest Donald Trump, his administration, and his republican enablers.

Marching. Columbia, Missouri – January 20, 2018.

Columbia, Missouri – January 20, 2018.

“Peace” – Columbia, Missouri – January 20, 2018.
Rally and March in Columbia, Missouri – January 20, 2018 (January 20, 2018)
Rally and March in Columbia, Missouri – January 20, 2018 – Valérie Berta-Torales (January 21, 2018)
Rally and March in Columbia, Missouri – January 20, 2018 – part 2 (January 21, 2018)
Welcome to Missouri:

Donald Trump (r) carried the county by 46.855% in 2016 (January 27, 2018)
February
Donald Trump’s (r) draconian immigration enforcement directives had inhumane and devastating effect on families across the United States.

“Support DACA”

The family of Syed Jamal.

Representative Emanuel Cleaver (D) – Press Q and A – Immigration – February 11, 2018.
Immigration: Syed Ahmed Jamal and many other stories like his (February 11, 2018)
Immigration: Representative Emanuel Cleaver (D) – Press Q and A – Kansas City – February 11, 2018 (February 12, 2018)
Immigration: Representative Emanuel Cleaver (D) – Kansas City – February 11, 2018 (February 12, 2018)
Immigration: Rev. Eleanor McCormick – Kansas City – February 11, 2018 (February 13, 2018)
Immigration: on DACA – Kansas City – February 11, 2018 (February 14, 2018)
March
Yet another demonstration after a mass shooting in a school in America.

“We stand with Parkland”

“The only thing easier to buy than a gun is a republican senator.”

“This mom don’t play, stop the NRA.”

“A gun shoud not have more rights than a child.”
March for Our Lives – Kansas City – in Theis Park on Saturday, March 24, 2018 (March 20, 2018)
Another sign for the times (March 23, 2018)
March for Our Lives – Warrensburg, Missouri – March 24, 2018 (March 24, 2017)
March for Our Lives – Kansas City – Theis Park – March 24, 2018 – signs (March 24, 2018)
Are we tired of 2nd Amendment overkill (and I do mean kill) yet? (March 24, 2018)
Until this changes… (March 25, 2018)
March for Our Lives – Kansas City – Theis Park – March 24, 2018 – more signs (March 25, 2018)
March for Our Lives – Kansas City – Theis Park – March 24, 2018 – getting there (March 25, 2018)
There but for the grace of… (March 26, 2018)
Students walked out of class.

Seventeen minutes of silence (March 14, 2018)
Members of the Westboro Baptist Church from Topeka, Kansas came to town:

“Sitting in Silence. For equality, peace and love…in the Quaker tradition.”
A hate group, the First Amendment, and a funeral in a small town (November 23, 2010)
At noon today in Warrensburg (March 12, 2018)
It’s hard out there (March 13, 2018)
April
Everything Eric Greitens (r).

The Report (April 11, 2018)
A CAFO, a neighborhood, a botanical garden, and the Missouri Department of Natural Resources. What could go wrong?

Now that’s a CAFO (March 18, 2018)
Now that’s a CAFO – comments addressed to the Missouri Department of Natural Resources (March 21, 2018)
Suppose you threw a DNR CAFO hearing in Warrensburg and everyone came? (April 3, 2018)
Suppose you threw a DNR CAFO hearing in Warrensburg and everyone came? – photos (April 5, 2018)
Suppose you threw a DNR CAFO hearing in Warrensburg and everyone came? – Tabitha Schmidt, CEO President, Powell Gardens (April 5, 2018)
Suppose you threw a DNR CAFO hearing in Warrensburg and everyone came? – Karen Lux (April 5, 2018)
Suppose you threw a DNR CAFO hearing in Warrensburg and everyone came? – Al Weir (April 6, 2017)
Suppose you threw a DNR CAFO hearing in Warrensburg and everyone came? – Aimee Davenport on behalf of Powell Gardens (April 6, 2018)
Suppose you threw a DNR CAFO hearing in Warrensburg and everyone came? – Eric Tschanz (April 7, 2018)
Suppose you threw a DNR CAFO hearing in Warrensburg and everyone came? – Chuck Petentler (April 7, 2018)