A Voice for the Silent
Laura Nauser was the 5th Ward Columbia City councilwoman in 2006 when she saw an ad in the newspaper. It was a time when her community was seeing increased juvenile crime rates, and Nauser knew something needed to be done. The ad was for Heart of Missouri Court Appointed Special Advocates, or CASA, seeking volunteers. […]
Supporting Independence
Boone County Family Resources helps individuals with developmental disabilities lead more independent lives For more than three decades, Boone County Family Resources has provided support and assistance to individuals and families with developmental disabilities. Today, serving the needs of 1,400 individuals, from infants to adults, it continues a tradition dedicated to helping people lead more […]
Our City of the Future
The visitors were impressed. Squiring a couple of old Mizzou grads around town recently left them rather impressed by all the development and construction both on and adjacent to the University of Missouri campus. Taking note of the considerable sprawl that has appeared since their last visit left them wondering what the city of Columbia would look like in, say, another 20 years. Although not in residence to participate […]
Prepped for Employment
At the turn of the decade, the American economy was speedily racing toward rock bottom. Likened to the Great Depression, the economic downfall of the 21st century nearly brought an entire country to its knees — and all of its citizens along with it. Stock investors forgot what a green arrow looked like. Real estate […]
I’m a Mac
MAC VS. PC isn’t a new debate, and many of the arguments from 10 years ago are still true today. The discussion is usually filled with as much emotion as supporting fact. Apple users have a unique relationship with their devices; the cold aluminum case on the MacBook and the simple, sleek mouse for the […]
A Future for Columbia Skies
DOWNWIND FROM A TRYING election cycle, amidst gasps of relief that it’s over, conservatives and many business people are frustrated and depressed in the aftermath. With more and more people sustained by food stamps, EBT cards and other forms of public assistance, the Election Day outcomes on all levels were hardly surprising. Some post-election analysts […]
Where There’s a Need
HORRIFIC TRAGEDIES, when embraced by the community, can lead to some good. This was the case when Spc. Sterling Wyatt was killed in Afghanistan in July and a memorial fund to provide scholarships to Columbia Boy Scouts was set up in his name. A donor presented an idea, community members backed it, and it gained […]
Show Us New Business
SAY YOU’RE the decision-maker at a business located in Illinois. You alone — if the entity is larger, the stockholders and board of directors — are troubled by the Prairie State’s declining business climate. You’re faced with rising taxes, difficulties recruiting and retaining employees complicated in some cases by being compelled to deal with organized […]
Justice is Not for Sale
THE NONPARTISAN Court Plan has been working for Missourians for 72 years by taking politics out of the courts and focusing on the qualifications and experience of judges. Our system has worked so well that more than 30 other states have copied it in whole or in part. But a few politicians and their financial […]
A Move Toward Independence
Services for Independent Living imporves the lives of people with disabilities FROM THE OUTSIDE, 1401 Hathman Place looks like any other building. Yet after meeting those on the other side of the automatic front doors, it’s clear that Services for Independent Living is anything but ordinary. For 32 years — since the independent living movement […]
How Amendment 3 Will Help
AMENDMENT 3, the proposal to make changes to the Missouri Plan to enable Missouri citizens to exercise more accountability over judicial selection, is not a radical change from the way the system currently works. Instead, it is a package of modest reforms — the most modest package ever offered — that will make small but […]
Columbia’s Medical Hub
THE NUMBERS for the Columbia area’s burgeoning medical industry are ever changing and sometimes difficult to quantify. There are questions such as the number of practicing physicians, assistants, technicians, lab personnel, office and support staff as well as the number of outside entities connecting with the medical community. More questions: What are the number and […]