Briefly in the News: September
The King has left the building!
The Blue Note and Mojo’s will soon have new ownership. Owner Richard King sold both venues to Majestic Live LLC of Madison, Wisconsin. The contract was signed on April 24.
Matt Gerding and Scott Leslie, owners of Majestic Live, own The Majestic Theater in Madison; produce the Live on King Street Summer Concert Series; are partners on the Summer Set Music and Camping Festival in Somerset, Wisconsin; and produce events at all of Madison’s music venues. Gerding is also a Missouri native and University of Missouri alum.
King expects business at The Blue Note and Mojo’s to carry on as usual and will be working with Gerding and Leslie over the next three to six months to help with the transition.
“The Blue Note and Mojo’s will not skip a beat,” King says.
Mid-Mo health network
Five area hospitals have formed a network to improve health care access and better coordinate patient care.
The five founding members of the Health Network of Missouri include Bothwell Regional Health Center in Sedalia, Capital Region Medical Center in Jefferson City, Hannibal Regional Healthcare System, Lake Regional Health System in Osage Beach and MU Health Care in Columbia. Each of the five members will have equal representation in governance of the network.
Combined, the Health Network of Missouri has more than 1,000 hospital beds, more than 9,300 employees and approximately 1,000 physicians.
The Health Network of Missouri will not only share data but also best practices in business, clinical and operational procedures. It will also coordinate seamless patient care, improve health care access and outcomes of patients and lower health care costs through efficiency.
Welcome, Paul Mitchell
The Cosmetology Concepts Institute at 1611 Burlington St. is now a Paul Mitchell cosmetology school franchise. Partners Eddie Davis and Greg Kellogg opened the franchise on Aug. 4.
Davis and Kellogg bought the Cosmetology Concepts Institute from its owners. The school prepared for its opening by remodeling, buying new equipment and switching over the training programs to the Paul Mitchell curriculum.
$20 million
Senior citizens in Columbia looking for assisted living facilities will soon receive an additional option, courtesy of Provision Living, starting in the fall of 2015.
Provision Living, a St. Louis-based senior living company, will construct a $20 million assisted living and memory care community on 2333 Chapel Hill Road. The building will be three stories tall and offer 63 assisted living residences.
It will also have a 32-unit memory care neighborhood for people with Alzheimer’s and other forms of dementia.
Missouri growing small businesses
Missouri has awarded $23.9 million dollars to small businesses from the U.S. Treasury Department’s State Small Business Credit Initiative. Missouri is the leading state in giving funds to help grow local businesses.
“We’re working every day to help more entrepreneurs, startups and small businesses find success in Missouri and create jobs in their communities,” Gov. Jay Nixon says. “Today, Missouri is the No. 1 state in the nation for high-tech job growth, and we will continue to maintain fiscal discipline and make the targeted investments necessary to create jobs and keep our economy moving forward.”
Record shattering
MU recently announced that it raised an all-time record of $164.5 million for fiscal year 2013-2014, surpassing its previous fundraising record of $160.5 million in 2008.
Bright Flight
For the first time since the 2009-2010 academic year, Missouri’s Bright Flight Scholarship will be fully funded for the state’s top-scoring students for the upcoming academic year. Students receiving the Missouri Higher Education Academic Scholarship, known as “Bright Flight,” will see a $500 increase in the scholarship amount for the 2014-2015 school year.
In-home health
MU researchers are developing an in-home health monitoring and alert system that can sync patients’ individualized health information between homes and hospitals.
Marjorie Skubic, an MU professor of electrical and computer engineering, and her colleagues are fronting the new “closed loop” health care system initiative. The new sensor technologies will allow doctors to monitor patients while at home.
Belle Bash
Columbians Emily Clapp and Melody Bezenek started Belle Bash to help people socialize. Belle Bash was created to make hosting a party or starting a social club easier.The first product will be a wine club starter kit, Wine Belle Uncorked Kit, which includes items such as glasses and wine charms.
The Terrace new groundbreaking
The Terrace Retirement Community at 1408 Business Loop 70 W. celebrated the beginning of construction on its new wing with a groundbreaking ceremony. The new wing will have 48 units and is expected to be complete for fall 2015.
Columbia Foundation
The Columbia Foundation is giving a grant totaling $23,000 to Great Circle of Columbia, Voluntary Action Center and Saving Sight.
One month, two awards
Boone County received two national awards in the span of one month. In June, Boone County was awarded the 2014 Achievement Award for developing the Field Assessment Management and Operations Systems program. Boone County was also ranked in the top 10 for the 2014 Digital Counties Survey for its use of technology to improve services and efficiency.
Partners in education
Columbia College and the Southern Boone School District have forged a partnership. Southern Boone will host college-preparation events on the Columbia College campus, while Columbia College will provide career-related activities and service leadership opportunities and will sponsor various events on campus.
Bluebird Network
Columbia’s telecommunications company Bluebird Network completed its Broadband Technology Opportunity Program infrastructure grant. The grant added 1,300 route miles to its existing telecommunications network.