The health care we enjoy today helps us live longer. But a recent study from the University of Pennsylvania reveals that we aren’t feeling particularly great. And the largest decline in self-reported health status was in people ages 25 to 54—not the elderly. What accounts for the disparity? Researchers indicate that although we’re living longer, […]
Growing wellness industry good for our bodies, businesses Read More »
For a news conference intended to celebrate high points of the 2007 legislative session, the questions recently posed to Gov. Matt Blunt and House and Senate Republican leaders were jarring. The Capitol press corps was intent on asking whether term limits—which led to enormous turnover in the 2002 election as they took their main effect—had
State Assembly faces sticky issues as session closes Read More »
After being shortened because of drought, the barge traffic season on the Missouri River has lost another 10 days due to flooding. Relentless rainfall in the upper Missouri River Basin during the first week in May, and in western and central Missouri the following week, caused river levels in Jefferson City to rise as high
Flooding deals another blow to already lagging Missouri River shipping Read More »
For years, textbooks and restaurant consultants have contended that menu item placement directly influenced how frequently customers chose certain dishes. Not so, according to two independent studies by a pair of University of Missouri-Columbia hotel and restaurant management students in two Columbia restaurants. “While it appears in textbooks, there are very few studies to validate
Performance appraisals valuable only if they are conducted properly Most of the organizations with whom I consult have some version of a performance appraisal process. Many have a process in place in theory, but the implementation of the process has a great degree of variability. When employees tell me how performance appraisals are used in
To Mike Cooper, a riverside resident since 1981, the muddy Missouri River means business. As the owner of Cooper’s Landing—full-service marina, campgrounds, lodge, country store and live-music venue—his service sinks with the river’s rage. On Tuesday, May 8, floodwaters reached the road to Cooper’s Landing, limiting public access. In this situation, the only dry detour
Cooper’s Landing negotiates space with the raging river Read More »
Central Bank ended months of speculation about its leadership when the parent company’s chairman, Sam Cook, announced that Kenneth Littlefield would take over as president when Bob Robuck retired May 29. Littlefield, executive vice president of Central Bancompany, whick owns Columbia’s largest bank, Boone County National Bank, was one of five finalists for the leadership
Robuck retires, Littlefield takes over Central Bank leadership Read More »
Manufacturing-friendly town adapts to change At first glance, California appears to be a typical small town in the rural Midwest. It has one stoplight, a central square with a courthouse, and a few mom-and-pop grocery stores. Downtown highlights include antique gaslight fixtures, each purchased by a community member in honor of a loved one, and
While Columbia’s overall economy is healthy, last year the city experienced steep declines in the housing and construction markets, which will continue to be stymied by excess inventory, a leading banker says. Fueled by years of low interest rates, builders set a pace that was too brisk to sustain, said Jeff MacLellan, chairman of the
Banker’s annual review charts dip in parts of economy Read More »
The Missouri legislature this year took incremental steps to help the state’s businesses—particularly smaller employers—provide health insurance coverage for workers. Gov. Matt Blunt said he plans to sign House Bill 818, health insurance legislation. One of the governor’s highest priorities when the session opened was reducing the number of uninsured Missourians. That number is currently
Missouri General Assembly broadens insurance coverage Read More »
