January 2010

One thing is sure about the health care legislation being crafted in Washington: The overhaul, even if modified to pass a Senate now lacking a Democratic supermajority, will affect virtually every citizen and shake up health care markets large and small.
In Columbia, with two major hospitals, many specialty care providers and a growing senior population, the reform’s impact on the local economy looms large.

 The Special Business District is considering a new concept to keep downtown Columbia safe while encouraging nighttime activity: hospitality zones. The idea is to nurture the popularity of dining, shopping and seeking entertainment downtown while reducing disturbances, SBD Director Carrie Gartner said. To do that, she said, you have to make sure everyone has enough

The city plans to apply for a grant Friday that would use federal stimulus funds to subsidize energy audits and retrofits of downtown buildings.  The federal government would fund 75 percent of the energy audit and the city would fund half of the remaining balance, leaving property owners on the hook for only 12.5 percent

When Dean Sherrill first moved Midwest Rare Coins into the Parkade Center 13 years ago, the complex had long ceased to be the hotspot it once was as Columbia’s first shopping mall.
“There was a time when I first moved here when it was like a ghost mall,” Sherrill said.
His store is one of the longest-serving tenants at Parkade, which has changed hands twice since Sherrill arrived. After the Burnam family, owners of Storage Mart, bought the property in 2004, the historic shopping center’s revival began. “They’ve made a big difference,” Sherrill said.