May 16, 2008

I recently met with City Manager Bill Watkins. Our visit took place over dinner the day following a Columbia City Council meeting that went until 1:30 a.m. The major topic of discussion was the proposed Landmark Hospital on old Highway 63, which would provide long-term acute care and had the support of, among others, the

Bob Cron bought his wife an unusual gift for Mothers Day—a Smith & Wesson 38 special. The handgun weighs 15 ounces and comes with a crimson laser grip that indicates the point of impact. Cost: $1,000.

Cron, a salesperson for Target Masters, 4141 Rangeline Road, said his gift really isn’t so unusual. “I sold four of these to women in the past few weeks,” he said.

Such purchases may reflect a growing concern among citizens about the recent rise in violent crimes in Columbia.

Spamalot is not just the name of a Monty Python Broadway production. It’s an Internet threat that continues to grow. The volume of spam has increased 100 percent in the past year, and spam has become more dangerous, with URL-based viruses increasing 256 percent, Steve Powell, president of Delta Systems Group, said. What once was

Working from home offers many advantages, both in convenience and economic terms, but it also can make you vulnerable. According to the FBI, a violent crime is committed every 16 seconds. A theft occurs every four seconds, a burglary every 12 seconds, a vehicle theft every 20 seconds, an aggravated assault every 28 seconds, a