Columbia Daily Tribune (Columbia, MO) articles from December 2001

Columbia Daily Tribune (Columbia, MO) archives from December 2001

Company to Reopen Automotive Parts Plant in Columbia, Mo.
December 6, 2001... Byline: Steve Friedman Dec. 6--A Columbia automotive parts manufacturing plant that has been idle for three years will be revived next spring by an international conglomerate. A division of the Denver-based Gates Rubber Co. announced...

Columbia Daily Tribune, Mo., Top Drawer Column.
December 6, 2001... Dec. 6--ONWARD & UPWARD: Randy Ballew has joined Jacobs and Kemper Auction & Realty Co. He is a graduate of the World Wide College of Auctioneering and the Certified Appraisers Guild of America. Ballew conducted real estate, farm, auto, estate...

Columbia Daily Tribune, Mo., Street Talk Column.
December 6, 2001... Byline: Andrew Waters Dec. 6--After 27 years in the business, Deja Vu comedy club owner Fred DeMarco has decided it's time to deliver the punch line. DeMarco has reached an agreement to sell the night club to Patrick and Michael...

Experts in Columbia, Mo., Area Question Economy.
December 6, 2001... Byline: Steve Friedman Dec. 6--Brother, can you spare a crystal ball? Now that the nation and the state are officially in economic recession, the next obvious question analysts are being asked is when it is going to end. Taking...

Account Manager Takes Hospital Job in Columbia, Mo., Area.
December 6, 2001... Byline: Steve Friedman Dec. 6--Renee Hulshof already feels a part of Boone Hospital Center. As an account manager with the local advertising firm Vangel Associates, she has serviced the hospital's account for four years. Just two...

University Researcher Makes Waves As Storm-Water Advisor in Columbia, Mo.
December 6, 2001... Byline: Didi Tang Dec. 6--Jim Davis is not an elected official. But by virtue of his involvement in a thorny public issue, the university researcher has generated more interest and controversy in the community than many local officials....

Study Shows Business Travelers Bypass Columbia, Mo., Regional Airport.
December 11, 2001... Byline: Justin Willett Dec. 11--The Columbia Regional Airport's origin and destination study painted a picture of a rarely used local airport that business travelers often bypass for St. Louis. The study sponsors must now figure out...

Columbia Daily Tribune, Mo., Top Drawer Column.
December 11, 2001... Dec. 11--ONWARD & UPWARD: Ayyasamy Panneerselvam has been appointed as director of the primary care service line at Truman Memorial Veterans Hospital. --The IDPgroup has announced that Angela Stanfield will join the firm. Stanfield's...

More State Budget Cuts on Horizon as Missouri Struggles with Balancing Act.
December 11, 2001... Byline: Josh Flory Dec. 11--State officials have confirmed more cuts are necessary to balance the Missouri budget, and they'll be even worse than anticipated only three weeks ago. Jerry Nachtigal, spokesman for Gov. Bob Holden, said...

Casino Finally Opens in Boonville, Mo., Ending Eight-Year Odyssey.
December 11, 2001... Byline: Steve Friedman Dec. 11--On a cold November morning along Boonville's riverfront, dignitaries and residents have gathered to celebrate the end of the city's long wait to get a casino. "Good morning, and it is a beautiful, good...

Isle of Capri Wins Approval to Open Riverboat Casino in Boonville, Mo.
December 11, 2001... Byline: Liz Van Hooser Dec. 11--Georgia Chester had never been to a casino before she attended the "dry run" at the Isle of Capri casino. She had never even gambled. Chester, a 64-year-old lifelong Boonville resident, said her late...

Columbia, Mo., Festival Lures Shoppers.
December 11, 2001... Byline: Mary Jo Feldstein Dec. 11--Downtown shoppers bustled beneath the glow of holiday lights and the sounds of Christmas carols during last night's Downtown Holiday Festival. Columbia shoppers came out in droves for the annual...

Missouri Legislators Look at Gaming `Loss Limits'.
December 11, 2001... Byline: Josh Flory Dec. 11--The brief evolutionary history of riverboat casinos in Missouri is similar to a typical gambling excursion: lots of noise and fistfuls of money, and the casinos win in the end. Riverboat casinos have been...

Isle of Capri Casino Opens to Long Lines in Boonville, Mo.
December 11, 2001... Byline: Liz Van Hooser Dec. 11--While VIPs were inside the Isle of Capri Casino snacking on prime rib and coconut shrimp, hundreds of eager gamblers clad in white tennis shoes and lucky charms were outside waiting for the 2 p.m. opening....

Low Mortgage Rates Keep Lenders Busy As Homeowners Rush to Refinance.
December 11, 2001... Byline: Steve Friedman Dec. 11--Ralph Gates has been feeling more like a plumber than a mortgage expert in recent months. Low interest rates have led to a flood of calls from local homeowners about whether they should refinance their...

Columbia, Mo.-Based Internet Consortium Leads Next Wave of Online Expansion.
December 11, 2001... Byline: Steve Friedman Dec. 11--A couple of shelves down from the Kansas Jayhawks cap on Bill Mitchell's office bookcase is a depiction of a straitjacket-wearing cartoon character -- complete with bloodshot, bulging eyes -- exclaiming...

Doctor Says He'll Buy Columbia, Mo.-Area Nursing Home.
December 11, 2001... Byline: Cory de Vera Dec. 11--A St. Louis-area doctor who said he enjoys the challenge of getting troubled nursing homes back in shape last night told residents at The Williamsburg and their families that he intends to buy and operate the...

Columbia, Mo., Commission Votes against Shopping Center Plan.
December 11, 2001... Byline: Justin Willett Dec. 11--Incomplete plans, last-minute revelations and a simple question led the Columbia Planning and Zoning Commission to recommend denial of the proposed 47-acre Columbia Commons shopping center on North Stadium...

University of Missouri Permit for Waste Storage Allowed to Expire.
December 11, 2001... Byline: Steve Friedman Dec. 11--Hazardous waste that the University of Missouri-Columbia generates typically finds short-term storage in four tan, metal-fabricated buildings on the southeastern end of campus. Under state guidelines,...

Columbia, Mo.-Area Businesswomen Believe in Running Own Firms.
December 11, 2001... Byline: Julia Anderson Dec. 11--It was not a surprise to two local businesswomen to learn last week that Portland-Vancouver leads the nation in its percentage of businesses owned by women. Of all the privately owned firms in our...

Columbia, Mo.-Area Planning, Zoning Panelists Pledge Spirit of Cooperation.
December 11, 2001... Byline: Didi Tang Dec. 11--It's not an arranged wedding, but then again it's not exactly a marriage of love. Planning and zoning commissioners from the city of Columbia and from Boone County -- citing a desire to work more closely...

Missouri GOP Squawks Over House Agriculture Chairman Choice.
December 13, 2001... Byline: Josh Flory Dec. 13--Is a former high school teacher and coach the right man to lead the House agriculture committee? The Missouri Republican Party says no. While the appointment of committee members and chairs is not normally...

Experts Forecast Dire Straits for Missouri Budget.
December 13, 2001... Byline: Josh Flory Dec. 13--JEFFERSON CITY, Mo.--The bad news could be worse. That's the message one legislator took from a Capitol briefing by two economic experts this morning. With the General Assembly set to kick off its session...

Columbia, Mo., Design Group Trims Expense.
December 13, 2001... Byline: Justin Willett Dec. 13--In an attempt to bring down the price of an Eighth Street master plan, the Avenue of the Columns Committee yesterday decided to ask Jeffrey L. Bruce & Co. of Kansas City to drop Chiodini & Associates from...

State Plans New Stoplight by Grocery Store in Columbia, Mo.
December 13, 2001... Byline: Justin Willett Dec. 13--It looks like there will be a traffic signal near the Hy-Vee grocery store after all. The Columbia Board of Adjustment last night approved a conditional use permit for Hy-Vee on its property at 3100 W....

University of Missouri to Work on Medical Research with Kansas City Institute.
December 13, 2001... Byline: Josh Flory Dec. 13--A new, high-power research institute in Kansas City will work closely with the University of Missouri-Columbia to expand the boundaries of medical knowledge under an agreement signed this morning. The...

Boone County, Mo., Manufacturer Settle Tax Flap Involving Property Assessments.
December 13, 2001... Byline: Steve Friedman Dec. 13--A compromise settlement has been reached between the Boone County assessor's office and Square D Corp. involving two disputed property assessments. Square D, which owns a 166,000-square-foot...

Missouri Man Educates Railroad Professionals on Safety Issues.
December 13, 2001... Byline: Mary Jo Feldstein Dec. 13--Buzz Stone has been involved in 15 railroad accidents. Six or seven of the collisions resulted in fatalities. Thirteen of the accidents involved vehicles. Twice he hit pedestrians. Now Stone travels...

Parent Firm of Columbia, Mo.-Area TV Affiliate Is in Financial Straits.
December 13, 2001... Byline: Steve Friedman Dec. 13--The parent company of local ABC affiliate KMIZ-TV is exploring the sale of some of its 23 stations to reduce its mounting debts and avoid liquidation or bankruptcy. Hoffman Estates, Ill.-based Benedek...

Wal-Mart Limits Charity Time in Front of Stores.
December 13, 2001... Byline: Bertram Rantin Dec. 13--Holiday shoppers might see fewer Salvation Army bell ringers at area Wal-Mart stores this Christmas season. In a move to better accommodate the growing number of nonprofit agencies, school groups and...

Baseball Developer Wants Beer, Bigger Stadium in Columbia, Mo.
December 19, 2001... Byline: Justin Willett Dec. 19--After visiting four Missouri cities this spring and summer, St. Louis native Gary Wendt and partner Jack Donovan thought Columbia would be the best site for an unaffiliated minor league baseball team. ...

Baseball Promoters Compete for Favor in Columbia, Mo., Area.
December 19, 2001... Dec. 19--Jefferson City businessman Brad Oxenhandler is trying to counter a proposal by two Arizona investors who hope to bring an unaffiliated minor league baseball team to the University of Missouri-Columbia's Simmons Field, but his plan...

Columbia, Mo., Neighborhood Worries about Baseball Team's Impact.
December 19, 2001... Byline: Justin Willett Dec. 19--While city officials say minor league baseball could bring money, jobs and affordable family entertainment to Columbia, some Grasslands residents fear it could also bring more noise and light. The...

Columbia Daily Tribune, Mo., Top Drawer Column.
December 19, 2001... Dec. 19--ONWARD & UPWARD: Isle of Capri Casino in Boonville announced its top executives: --Jeff King is general manager and vice president. King is responsible for the overall operations and success at the casino. Before joining Isle of...

Columbia Daily Tribune, Mo., Street Talk Column.
December 19, 2001... Byline: Andrew Waters Dec. 19--A Lawrence, Kan., real estate development company plans to build an upscale student apartment complex on Old 63, roughly across the street from the 260-unit Jefferson Commons complex that opened earlier this...

New Boonville, Mo., Casino Brings No Trouble in Its First Week of Operation.
December 19, 2001... Byline: Liz Van Hooser Dec. 19--BOONVILLE, Mo.--Marty Wimmer looks begrudgingly at the neon parrot at the Isle of Capri casino every night out his bedroom window. Wimmer, who worried about the traffic the casino might bring, said Week...

Attorney Asks Columbia, Mo., Council to Delay Development Plan Consideration.
December 19, 2001... Byline: Justin Willett Dec. 19--In order to focus the debate over Columbia Commons on the issue of what constitutes appropriate development on the former Toastmaster site, local attorney Dan Simon has asked the Columbia City Council to...

Developers Strive to Fill Empty Tracts in Columbia, Mo.
December 19, 2001... Byline: Justin Willett Dec. 19--If the Columbia Commons plan doesn't win city approval, local developer Gary Evans hopes The Herring Group and the May Department Stores Co. will give his 50-plus acres at Lake of the Woods Road a closer...

Construction Delays Push New Columbia, Mo., Library Behind Schedule.
December 19, 2001... Byline: Liz Van Hooser Dec. 19--Construction on the $22 million Columbia library has slumped further behind, and officials now believe their move-in date will also be delayed. Library official Elinor Barrett, liaison between the board...

New Nursing Home in Columbia, Mo., Area Touts Amenities.
December 19, 2001... Byline: Didi Tang Dec. 19--Instead of being assigned room numbers, residents of the replacement for the Boone Retirement Center will be moving to Cherry, Elm, Maple, Oak and Walnut streets when the nursing home -- renamed The Bluffs --...

Fate of Columbia, Mo., Nursing Home Undecided as Deadline Looms.
December 19, 2001... Byline: Mike Fuhrman Dec. 19--The proposed sale of The Williamsburg nursing home remained in limbo this morning as state regulators haggled with the prospective buyer over licensing requirements. Lawyers for Farmington physician Sharo...

Columbia, Mo., Leaps Ahead on Railroad Project.
December 19, 2001... Byline: Steve Friedman Dec. 19--Bill Bushman looks at Columbia from his office in Roanoke, Va., and sees potential. Bushman is not a retail site developer. He's a materials manager with the national railroad giant Norfolk Southern...

For Some Missouri Tree Farmers, Christmas Lasts All Year.
December 19, 2001... Byline: Ashley Ernst Dec. 19--For some Missouri farmers, it began to feel a lot like Christmas last June, when the smell of fresh-cut pine filled the warm summer air. It was then that their Christmas crops of Scotch pines and white pines...

Business Magnate Confirms $25 Million Donation to University of Missouri.
December 19, 2001... Byline: Josh Flory Dec. 19--Ending months of speculation, Columbia business magnate Bill Laurie this morning confirmed at an MU ceremony that his family gave the anonymous $25 million gift for a new basketball arena. Laurie also...

Missouri Governor Issues New Order to Promote Downtowns.
December 22, 2001... Byline: Josh Flory Dec. 22--JEFFERSON CITY, Mo.--In a move praised by local officials, Gov. Bob Holden has ordered that preference be given to downtown locations when sites are chosen for state buildings throughout Missouri. The policy...

Fiberglass Tigers Could Roam Columbia, Mo., Streets for Theater, Museum Fund.
December 22, 2001... Byline: Liz Van Hooser Dec. 22--The University of Missouri Museum of Art and Archaeology and the Missouri Theatre are hoping to put together a public art display of 100-pound, fiberglass tigers to be painted and decorated by local artists....

University of Missouri Administrator Seeks Top Job at Tennessee.
December 22, 2001... Byline: Mary Jo Feldstein Dec. 22--Another top University of Missouri administrator is looking for a new job. UM Vice President of Academic Affairs Stephen Lehmkuhle is the second of the school's five vice presidents to appear on short...

Curators Honor Six University of Missouri-Columbia Professors.
December 25, 2001... Byline: Chris Birk Dec. 25--While there are myriad awards and honors handed out at the University of Missouri-Columbia and within the UM system, the annual Curators' Professorship reigns paramount: Faculty members without outstanding...

Columbia Daily Tribune, Mo., Top Drawer Column.
December 25, 2001... Dec. 25--ONWARD & UPWARD: Craig Brumfield has been promoted to assistant vice president and trust officer at First National Bank. Brumfield has been with the bank since 1990 and most recently worked in the bank's business development...

Columbia Daily Tribune, Mo., Street Talk Column.
December 25, 2001... Byline: Andrew Waters Dec. 25--When architect Nick Peckham's proposed his NewTown development some four years ago, he saw it as the perfect answer to urban sprawl. Relying on traditional design principles, Peckham mapped out an...

Engineers Address Technical Challenges of Columbia, Mo., `Specialty Center'.
December 25, 2001... Byline: Justin Willett Dec. 25--Buddy Herring and his cadre came to Columbia last week and lobbied hard for their plan to bring Famous-Barr and the Columbia Commons "specialty center" to the Toastmaster site on north Stadium Boulevard. ...

Columbia, Mo., Retailers Fend Off National Recession.
December 25, 2001... Byline: Steve Friedman Dec. 25--This Christmas season has done its best to test the business fortitude of many a local retail owner and manager. This shopping season was expected to be a challenge, considering a national recession and...

Job Vacancies Challenge University of Missouri's Medical School.
December 25, 2001... Byline: Josh Flory Dec. 25--As the University of Missouri's health arm wrestles with financial difficulties, administrators are also dealing with the departures of key doctors and continued vacancies for physicians in certain departments....

University of Missouri-Columbia Fund-Raiser Tackles Ambitious Goal.
December 25, 2001... Byline: Ty Hawkins Dec. 25--As a salesman, David Housh has pitched everything from paper products to women's pantsuits. Now he's selling the University of Missouri-Columbia. As MU's vice chancellor for development and alumni relations,...

Columbia, Mo., Christmas Tree Sales Spread Cheer Year-Round.
December 25, 2001... Byline: Justin Willett Dec. 25--After helping their parents pick out a large, healthy Christmas tree, two young sisters asked Max Miller to help them find a small tree of their own. Miller took the girls back to the scrap pile and...

Attacks Causes Federal Officials to Yank Open Records.
December 27, 2001... Byline: Mike Fuhrman Dec. 27--It seemed like a strange request for an obscure document. But when combined with the federal government's decision to remove other "public" information from the public domain, does it represent an affront...

Post-Holiday Sales Draw Shoppers in Columbia, Mo., Area.
December 27, 2001... Byline: Josh Flory Dec. 27--Around the time Debi Valdez and her family pulled up to aisle 15 at Target this morning, the store began to look less like a department store and more like a train depot. Valdez, her two sisters, a niece and...