From the Round Table: School system should determine why levy failed before trying again
There may be a thousand and one reasons why the Columbia school levy failed so miserably a fortnight ago, but there’s no question the matter was talked to death. After more than a hundred appearances before every forum imaginable, the superintendent and members of the Columbia Board of Education were clearly at the point of […]
From The Roundtable: Pedantic arrogance blocking inclination toward ‘yes’ vote on tax levy
The talk on the street is that this one is going down in defeat big time on April 8. “This one”is the proposal to raise the property tax levy by a substantial amount because the ColumbiaPublic Schools system has fumbled and bumbled its way through financial operations and is now some $10 million in the […]
From the Roundtable: Local housing market decline alarming, but rebound invariable
It began as a tip from a bank president—the news that government-sponsored mortgage agencies Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae had placed the Columbia metropolitan area on its list of declining real estate markets. Including Boone and adjacent Howard counties, this designation aligns our area with McDonald County, hard on the Arkansas border in southwest Missouri. […]
From the Round Table: An ode to easy listening
The following is a personal topic inspired by a 25-year anniversary: It was a dream come true for me on Feb. 23, 1983, when my tiny radio station in Columbia signed on after some four years of planning and petitioning. Filling the vacant 101.7 MHz spot on area FM dials; KARO offered a mixture of […]
From the Round Table: Kirkwood shooting spotlights security needs at local council meetings
There isn’t a municipality anywhere that wasn’t shocked by the shooting rampage a fortnight ago just a few hours’ drive from here in peaceful little old Kirkwood, Mo. It’s difficult to imagine the violence that left six people dead and to wonder whether gunfire could happen during our city council proceedings at 701 E. Broadway—especially […]
From the Roundtable: Return to public civility could aid discourse, development
I never met Hirst Mendenhall, but I understand he was an impressive person, based on what he accomplished here. Mendenhall, who died Jan. 27, set foot in Columbia to study journalism and then went off to help win World War II, the war to end all wars”a member of the vanishing “greatest generation.” Mendenhall came […]
From the Roundtable: April election could be bleak day for local officials
With several bond and tax proposals on the local election ballot, and the potential for a defeat or two, April 7 could turn into Black Tuesday for local officials. There are some pretty heavy revenue issues on the ballot, and the feeling among potential voters toward them seems pretty tepid. The April election typically draws […]
From the Roundtable: Consider creative sentencing for youth causing crime increase
What marvelous timing! After a few weeks of work came this bulletin: The Columbia-area crime task force, involving several police agencies, has been disbanded. This effort from the onset was only temporary—something some of us may have forgotten. But the news and the apparent abruptness of the group’s disbanding could have been handled better from […]
From the Round Table: MU better off with business executive as president
Landing a business executive to preside over the state’s only Land Grant university may be controversial today, especially in the academic community, but I believe great things are in store for us, as we look ahead to the future, once Gary Forsee is on board. The decision by the Board of Curators to select […]
From the Roundtable: Coal fuels Columbia—past, present and future
The first time I flew into Columbia in 1963, one landmark that stuck out in Columbia’s skyline was the Water & Light Department’s power plant on Business Loop 70. At the time, the electric plant included a series of low-slung buildings of different vintages topped by several stubby smokestacks. On the east side was […]
From the Round Table: Casting light on community’s illumination shortcomings
With the approach of the Christmas season, as strings of holiday decorations appear, Columbia, like most places, is turning into a veritable “city of light.” I look forward to these displays, both commercial and residential, as they temporarily overwhelm the place that I’m starting to believe looks more and more like the “city of glare.” […]
From the Roundtable: Worries about commercial vacancies must broaden beyond The District
Another structure was added to Columbia’s roster of empty buildings recently when Everett’s restaurant wound up its affairs, taking with it another stream of sales tax revenue. While there’s been concern about sales taxes falling short of projections—and about the resulting effect on funding for government operations—the community seems lethargic and disinterested about the growing […]