Immediately following Missouri Gov. Jay Nixon's annual State of the State address, we brought together panelists inside the Missouri Capitol in Jefferson City to provide a first round of analysis. Together we go through the governor's main points and discuss the specific proposals, which include a significant expansion of Medicaid in Missouri, increased funding for education at all levels, consolidation within the Department of Natural Resources, and the elimination of some of the state's 61 different tax credit programs.

Panelists:
Phill Brooks, director of Missouri Digital News and statehouse correspondent for KMOX
Rep. Chris Kelly, D-Columbia, 45th District
Rep. Caleb Jones, R-California, 50th District

How much do you know about the food you eat? With all the competing information out there, what sources can you really trust? And how much do you really want to know? Intersection teams up with Harvest Public Media to talk about the obstacles that get in the way of discovering the truth about our food, in particular looking at the beef industry.

Panelists:
Peggy Lowe, Harvest Network analyst, Harvest Public Media
Ray Massey, extension professor, MU Department of Agricultural and Applied Economics
Mike McGraw, projects reporter, The Kansas City Star

The Columbia Public School district is in the midst of deciding new start times for the district's elementary, middle and high schools. We discuss the options on the table and explore how the changes could affect parents, students and teachers.

Panelists:
Christine King, vice president, Columbia Board of Education
Mark Maus, principal, Rock Bridge High School

As the Columbia City Council considers a halt on downtown demolitions, we explore the factors that are leading to the recent spate of new development, and take a look at the future of Columbia’s downtown area.

Panelists:
Brent Gardner, chairman of the Downtown Columbia Leadership Council and member of the historic preservation commission
Barbara Hoppe, Columbia City Council representative for the sixth ward
Craig van Matre, attorney representing several developers including the Odles, who built the Brookside student housing complexes in downtown Columbia
Brandt Stiles, director of development for Collegiate Housing Partners, a St. Louis-based group seeking to build student housing on the Niedermeyer site in downtown Columbia (joining by phone)