Two newly-elected Columbia City Council members join us in the studio to share their vision for Columbia... and to take audience questions. The discussion includes their views on topics such as downtown parking, city growth, low-income housing, public safety, city budgeting, and more.
Panelists:
Fred Schmidt, Columbia First Ward city councilman
Helen Anthony, Columbia Fifth Ward city councilwoman
In collaboration with the Columbia Missourian, we follow up on the newspaper's
three-month investigative report on the Columbia Regency Mobile Home Park with a public conversation about what can be done to ensure all levels of housing are safe, clean and up to code. Along with what panelists say, we also hear from several former residents of Columbia Regency who called in to share their experiences.
Panelists:
* Bill Cantin, neighborhood response coordinator, Columbia Office of Neighborhood Services
* Brad Racino, Columbia Missourian reporter
* Phil Steinhaus, CEO, Columbia Housing Authority
A panel of local and state journalists recap the biggest stories of 2010 and explain how those events might shape mid-Missouri in the year ahead.

Panelists:
Marshall Griffin, statehouse reporter for St. Louis Public Radio
Janese Silvey, higher education reporter at the Columbia Daily Tribune
Scott Swafford, senior city editor at the Columbia Missourian and associate professor at the Missouri School of Journalism
Columbia residents are being asked to decide in voting next week whether the City of Columbia should prohibit the use of Tasers within city limits. This program presents views from panelists and callers on various sides of the Proposition 2 measure. The discussion covers the pros and cons of allowing use of Tasers and delves into questions of reliability and police procedures that guide Taser use in arrest situations.
Panelists:
Edward Berg, attorney, and one of the original members of Coalition to Control Tasers
Dwayne Carey, Boone County sheriff
What needs to be done -- by law enforcement and by citizens -- to encourage positive interactions between the police and the diverse members of the community? How should the police handle difficult arrests? And what is Columbia doing to train its officers in these areas? Key figures involved in police and citizen relations discuss these questions and more.
Panelists:
Ken Burton, Columbia Police chief
Don Love, chair of the central Missouri chapter of the
Missouri Association of Social Welfare
David Harris, University of Pittsburgh
law professor and author of “Profiles in Injustice: Why racial profiling cannot work” and “Good Cops: The case for preventive policing” (Joining the program by phone)
Steven Silverman, founder and executive director of
Flex Your Rights (Joining the program by phone)
Almost one year into the job, Chief Burton discusses what he has done so far and his plans for the future.

We're taking a look at the criminal justice system and the complex task of ensuring innocent people don't end up in jail.
