As the year comes to a close, we recap some of the stories that made headlines over the past 12 months, and take a look ahead into what 2013 might bring. | Panelists: Scott Swafford, senior city editor, Columbia Missourian Lora Wegman, city editor, Columbia Daily Tribune David Lieb, correspondent, The Associated Press (joining by phone) |
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Discussions about balancing the budget for the state of Missouri tend to focus on ways to cut spending. Today we look at the other side of the equation and explore some ideas for increasing revenue to pay for state government programs. Panelists:
Amy Blouin, executive director, Missouri Budget Project Chris Kelly, 24th District Missouri House Representative Misty Snodgrass, legislative and government relations director for the American Cancer Society. An effort to convert much of Columbia to an enhanced enterprise zone is underway, but not everyone is pleased with the idea. At issue is a blight decree that has some concerned. Panelists explain what goes into making an enhanced enterprise zone and discuss what it’ll mean for the city. Bernie Andrews, executive vice president, Regional Economic Development Inc. (REDI) Greg Williams, director, University of Missouri Research Parks Tracy Greever Rice, interim director, Office of Social and Economic Data Analysis The Rise of the Creative Class," are playing out across the country. We'll also find out how mid-Missouri fares as a creative place. A emerging theory suggests that clusters of creative talent might be the determining factor between regions whose economies flourish and those that fall behind. We explore how these ideas, brought to the fore by Richard Florida's book "Panelists:
Kelsey Meyer, vice president for Digital Talent Agents. She’s also involved with the League of Innovators, a group that works to connect mid-Missouri entrepreneurs. Chris Stevens, manager of the City of Columbia’s Office of Cultural Affairs Steven Pedigo, director of research for Creative Class Group, a consulting firm that advises communities on how to attract creative workers. (Joining the program by phone) Gov. Jay Nixon has been promoting his Missouri Works Plan as a driver of job creation in the state. But will it succeed? We discuss the latest government efforts to create jobs in Missouri and consider the prospects of the various proposals as they move forward through the legislature. Panelists: Rep. Stephen Webber, Democrat, 23rd District Rep. Anne Zerr, Republican, 18th District Daniel Mehan, President/CEO, Missouri Chamber of Commerce and Industry (joining by phone) What do you think could be done to create more jobs in the state? Add your comments by clicking here.
A new Mamtek artificial sweetener factory in Moberly promised a win-win all around: Jobs for mid-Missouri residents, profits for the company, and a bump in tax revenues well into the future. But with construction halted, the city's credit rating severely damaged, and a state legislative inquiry still under way, many questions remain. We examine what happened, how problems like this might be avoided in the future, and how to attract jobs without putting taxpayers unduly at risk. Panelists: Benjamin Herrold, city editor, The Moberly Monitor Index Rudi Keller, reporter, Columbia Daily Tribune Tina Hoffman, marketing and communications director, Iowa Economic Development Authority (joining the program by phone) CORRECTION: During this Intersection discussion, Columbia Daily Tribune reporter Rudi Keller is incorrectly credited with being the first to break the Mamtek story in the spring. The Tribune and other news organizations have been reporting on Mamtek since the deal was announced in mid-2010. Keller's articles about troubles with the Mamtek deal began appearing in September 2011.
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