Here are the stories that shaped 2022 in mid-Missouri

As we look forward to what 2023 brings, we can officially close the door on the year that was. Comprising this past year were a pandemic, tragedy, triumph in elections and much more.

These are the stories that shaped mid-Missouri and Columbia in the year 2022.

The pandemic continues into 2022 with the Omicron variant

As the COVID-19 pandemic continued into 2022, the newest variant, "Omicron," began infecting those in Boone County and worldwide.

University of Missouri research, which studied the mutation, found that evolved mutations of Omicron allow it to evade antibodies humans have developed, which was a key to its increased transmissibility.

Hickman High Schools students walk out in protest of dropping the CPS Mask Mandate

Around 120 masked Hickman High School students in early January walked out of class in protest of the Columbia School Board's decision to drop a mask mandate that was in place due to the number of rising COVID-19 cases.

The protest lasted approximately 20 minutes, as the participating students said fellow classmates were falling ill to COVID-19.

"This pandemic is not over," Alex Moore, 16, said in January.

Columbia hospitals assist after fatal trail derailment in Mendon, Mo.

An Amtrak train derailed in Mendon, Mo, when a truck collided with the train in July. Mendon, just over 60 miles away from Columbia, sent victims to local hospitals for treatment.

Boone Hospital Center and MU Health Care received patients from the fatal accident.

"There are a lot of folks out there that did really, really great work today and should be commended for it," Dr. Jeffrey Coughenour said during a media briefing in July.

A raging wildfire devastates Wooldridge, Mo.

A natural cover fire — one of many across mid-Missouri in October but by far the largest — created heavy smoke that became a hazard to weekend travelers on nearby Interstate 70, prompting the closure of the major roadway for about two hours on October 22.

Over 4,000 acres burned and more than a dozen homes were destroyed.

The McCombs family, which moved to Wooldridge in April 2021, lost everything. The family lost their pet doves, named Speckles and Tux, and a beloved dog Olaf in the fire.

"It's something to say, though, that we can have tragedy and still be OK with the reality of it," Jessica McCombs said. "For us, having the reality and being OK with this has to happen."

MU students watch as their families endure the Russia-Ukraine War

In February 2022, Russia began invading Ukraine. Thousands have died in the conflict as those abroad watched as their families were placed in the middle of the fighting.

MU student Vlad Sazhen, 19, is from Kharkiv, Ukraine. When the war began, he had an aunt and grandfather in the capital, Kyiv. He was one of a group of MU students who hail from Ukraine

Sazhen and his girlfriend, Alina Rohulia, were reunited in August. She escaped the conflict and met at the Columbia Regional Airport after seven months apart. Rohulia had flown from Krakow, Poland, to Chicago, to Columbia.

Local elections sow drama and bring new leadership

Columbia Mayor Brian Treece's term ended in 2022 and gave way to Barbara Buffaloe's victory in March.

With all 34 precincts reporting in the general election on April 5, Buffaloe unofficially received 8,528 votes ahead of Randy Minchew's 7,728 votes. Buffaloe is the second woman mayor of Columbia.

"This is not just my victory; this is all of our victory," Buffaloe said in April. "I hope to be all of your leader. ... I will be very authentically me."

The elections also brought drama, as Karl Skala and Roy Lovelady tied in the April election. This meant an August runoff would decide who would preside over Columbia's Third Ward

Lovelady won the runoff election and is the Third Ward's councilman. Nick Foster also won the city's Fourth Ward Seat.

Columbia reacts to the overturning of Roe V. Wade

In early May, a leaked Supreme Court opinion revealed the court's intention to overturn Roe V. Wade's decision to legalize abortion in the United States.

This led to months of demonstrations and protests advocating for women's rights and the ability to choose. The court's decision became official in June 2022.

Jodie Ashby graduated from the University of Missouri on May 15. With a sign and her graduation cap still donned, she made her way to downtown Columbia to protest the decision to overturn Roe V. Wade.

"We knew that we were wanting to come here, and we weren't going to let graduation get in the way of that," Ashby said. "This is more important."

Marching Mizzou performs at the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade

Marching Mizzou's moment of national attention in Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade came with hard work and preparation. Breanna Derritt, 19, second-year alto sax player from Warrensburg, spoke before practice on Nov. 3.

"We ran it multiple times yesterday — at least 20," Derritt said of the 34th Street performance.

The band performed on Thanksgiving morning on Nov. 24 and hustled back to Columbia to perform the halftime show at the Missouri-Arkansas football game on Nov. 25.

Defendants in the Danny Santulli hazing case settle with the Santulli family

The defendants in a hazing lawsuit against the national Phi Gamma Delta fraternity and local fraternity members at the University of Missouri, all 23, settled with the Santulli Family in May.

Danny Santulli, who was in a Colorado rehabilitation hospital with severe brain injuries resulting from alcohol poisoning he experienced at the Phi Gamma Delta house on campus in October 2021, was unable to walk, speak or respond to commands, the family's lawyer said in May.

Columbia Regional Airport opens new terminal

Columbia Mayor Barbara Buffaloe welcomed the community and guest speakers in October 2022 to an official opening of the newest terminal at the Columbia Regional Airport.

The 52,000-square-foot, $23 million terminal that utilized about $10 million in CARES Act federal funding acquired due to the pandemic, is about three times the size of the airport's current terminal.

Columbia mourns the losses of Dan Knight and Stephen Wyse

Within three days in June, the law community and Columbia mourned the losses of defense attorney Stephen Wyse and Boone County Prosecutor Dan Knight.

Knight had been the county prosecutor since he was sworn into office in 2007. In 2021, Knight led the prosecutor's office in the high-profile murder case against Joseph Elledge, a Columbia man who was convicted of second-degree murder in the 2019 killing of Elledge's wife, Mengqi Ji.

Wyse founded the Wyse Law Firm in 2002. At the time of his passing, Wyse had been defending former McLanks Restaurant manager Jeffrey McWilliams in his second-degree murder trial.

There was no foul play suspected in either of the deaths.

Columbia debates what to do with its trash

Roll carts, or no? Trash bags with city logos, or no? One person's trash was a council's year-long debate.

The Columbia City Council voted on April 4 to send the option of repealing the city's ban on rolling trash carts to a public vote on Aug. 2. In May, the council voted 4-3 Monday to lift the city's ban on residential roll carts.

In early December, the latest decision in a 6-0 vote from the Columbia City Council, said Columbia residents with curbside trash collection no longer will have to put their trash in bags with the city's logo.

This article originally appeared on Columbia Daily Tribune: Here are the stories that shaped 2022 in Columbia