audio features 2006
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12/15/06: University of Missouri System President Elson Floyd's announcement that he is leaving Missouri for Washington State University has left many in the state stunned. Even some of Floyd's closest coworkers say they are still reeling from the news. KBIA's Sarah Ashworth has more on the reaction to Floyd's departure.
12/14/06: Outgoing UM System President Elson Floyd (above, hugging UM curator Marion Cairns), who is assuming the presidency at Washington State University, met with reporters today at Reynolds Alumni Center on the MU campus. Hear streaming audio of the full conference here. (photo courtesy Columbia Missourian)
12/11/06: More and more college students are giving caffeine the cold shoulder and turning to prescription ADHD drugs, such as Adderall, to help them stay awake and study. KBIA reporters Justin Ray and Alison Fonte uncover the dangers of using Adderall illegally and the reasons students still decide to use it.
Hear the story here.
View bonus Web-only coverage here.
12/8/06: Democratic Senator-elect Claire McCaskill talks with KBIA's Janet Saidi about her to-do list, as she prepares to represent Missouri in the U.S. Senate next month. Listen to the full conversation here.
12/8/06: Joan Cheever is the author of the book Back from the Dead, one woman's search for the men who walked off of America's death row. Cheever spoke with students at MU and Hickman High School as part of her recent book tour through Columbia. KBIA's Erika Thomas caught up with Cheever. Listen to the interview here.
11/24/06: Director Robert Altman died recently in Los Angeles at the age of 81. Missourians have a right to be somewhat proud of the directors' illustrious career ... Altman was a Kansas City native who grew up hanging out in the city's jazz clubs, then studied engineering at MU before going on to make classic films like "The Player," "Nashville," and "M*A*S*H*." Ken LaZebnik, artistic director of the Stephens College School of Performing Arts in Columbia and a screenwriter who lives part-time in Los Angeles, worked with Altman on what will go down as the director's last film, the film version of "A Prairie Home Companion." KBIA's Janet Saidi spoke with LaZebnik the day Altman's death was announced.
11/8/06: What happens when a group of people go car-free for a month? Columbia got a chance to find out with the Low Car Diet Challenge, a community effort designed to encourage better awareness about our community's alternate routes and transportation methods and to encourage creativity about the prospect of getting around town.
KBIA's Janet Saidi brings us a roundtable discussion with two organizers of the Low Car Challenge - Ian Thomas, founder of the PedNet Coalition, and Paul Sturtz, founder of RagTag Cinema and True/False Film Festival - and with Low Car Diet Challenge participants Susan Robertson and Steve Nothwehr about walking and riding and blogging in Columbia, our cars, and the film that inspires - "An Inconvenient Truth."
Find out more about the challenge and read blogs from participants here.
11/6/06: Tomorrow, voters head to polling places to cast ballots in a number of highly contested races ... and pundits and candidates keep saying voter turnout is key, and that every vote counts. But as KBIA's August Skamenca reports, on the eve of this year's mid-term election in Missouri, there are more than 10,000 people registered to vote who shouldn't be because they're no longer among the living.
10/30/06: The stem cell amendment is one of the most widely discussed issues on the ballot. KBIA's Sean Powers examines the political and scientific aspects of the stem cell initiative.
10/26/06: Since the World Series began last weekend, viewers have heard Trace Adkins, Billy Ray Cyrus, Anita Baker, and Bob Seger all sing "The Star Spangled Banner." And for some viewers it might even be the highlight of the game. KBIA's own Nick Renkoski found that the National Anthem has a rich and varied history. Here's his story.
8/23/06: As MU students went to class on Wednesday, they were greeted by Wal-Mart. The retail store set up a mock dormitory on campus and provided shop shuttles for students to Super Wal-Mart. KBIA's Sean Powers visited the Wal-Mart equipped dorm room.
8/14/06: As energy prices have been rising in the last few years, renewable energy has become a hot topic. Politicians are talking about it in election years, and the change can even be seen at the pump in the form of ethanol. But KBIA's Ryan Famuliner tells us about a place where the importance of renewable energy hits even closer to home; and in this case, creates one.
KBIA's Sean Powers gives us a four-part series about underage drinking in Missouri.
8/15/06: For many incoming freshmen at MU, it's the first time they've spent any real time away from home. And with that freedom comes temptation, often in the form of alcohol. In part one, a look at STRIPES, a transportation service available to students.
8/16/06: In part two, a look at how state, local, and campus authorities are trying to crack down on underage drinking.
8/17/06: In part three, a look at the influences on minors to drink, particularly alcohol advertising.
8/18/06: In part four, a serious consequence of drinking ... alcoholism ... and how one area student is battling the disease.
7/31/06: Since Trans States Airlines announced in February it would stop service to Columbia Regional Airport, officials had been struggling to find a way for commercial airlines to continue flying to and from Columbia. The answer came in the form of essential air service, or EAS. But KBIA's Ryan Famuliner explains why some people feel this isn't the answer the airport's looking for.
7/20/06: Columbia's Planning and Zoning Commission will decide whether or not to sign off on zoning changes requested by the non-profit Covenant Community Development Corporation. The group wants to build a retail development in Columbia's first ward. But the proposal has brought up issues of who decides what's best for an area: the city, the developers, or the residents. KBIA's Sarah Ashworth hears both sides of the issue.
What's cooking?: Every Friday in July KBIA is taking you to dinner. Join reporter Hayley Salvo and photographer Shannon Sibayan as they share recipes, traditions and an inside look at meal time in Mid-Missouri.Click here to view an interactive Flash presentation with pictures and recipes from the four meals.
7/28/06: This week, join four foreign exchange students for a traditional Korean meal.
7/21/06: This week join the luncheon club at Columbia's Lenoir Woods retirement community.
7/14/06: This week try a firehouse favorite with the crew at Columbia's Fire Station Number One, taco salad.
7/7/06: This week enjoy a tasty Puerto Rican treat and a twist on your traditional chicken and rice dish at the Meyer's house.
6/22/06: The Islamic Center of Mid-Missouri is growing. Observers can find evidence in a recent building renovation that brought in more money in one day than some churches receive in a year. KBIA's Charlotte Bellis and Paul David Lampe explore how the Center is growing and how faith guides the way.
6/19/06: Archaeologists set up shop in mid-Missouri looking for the remains of the historic town of Lexington. While the excavation ended Saturday, this site is just one of the major archaeological projects in the state. KBIA's John Minton, with producer Erin K. O'Neill, dig deeper into this season's excavations.
Click here for an interactive map of past and present Missouri dig sites and here for a slideshow with pictures from this year's Lexington dig.
6/7/06: This November, the biggest political race in Missouri is shaping up to be between incumbent Republican Senator Jim Talent and Democratic challenger Claire McCaskill. And though the election is still five months away, the campaigns are already underway. KBIA's Sarah Ashworth takes a closer look at the race so far.
5/29-31/06: Earlier this month, the state of Missouri failed to stop the Army Corps of Engineers from conducting a spring rise on the Missouri River. Environmentalists said the rise was needed to help the endangered pallid sturgeon. Missouri argued it would flood its cities and farms. KBIA and KWMU bring you a three-part series on the Missouri River.
Kevin Lavery recently traveled to North Dakota to see the upstream side of the issue. In part one of our series, Kevin explores how the river shapes the economy.
On their journey up the Missouri River, Lewis and Clark took detailed notes about the natural environment. Their descriptions of big bison and fragile flowers became a scientific primer for countless expeditions that followed. America saw little need to protect its wildlife 200 years ago. Today, the Missouri River is a whirlpool of environmental politics. In part two of our series, Kevin Lavery reports on how river communities co-exist with nature.
The Missouri River touches millions of people across seven states. When water is plentiful, its benefits are often taken for granted. But when it's not, life becomes a struggle to fulfill the most basic needs. In the final part of our series, Kevin Lavery shows us what happens when the tap runs dry in one small river town.
5/23/06: So much of the discussion about Mexican immigrants working in the United States centers on illegal workers. However, one farm in Farmington, Missouri, is bucking that trend and employing legal immigrants from Mexico. KBIA's Alecia Warren traveled to the farm on the eastern edge of the state and has this profile of the owner, and why he hires only legal workers.
4/13/06: Mid-Missouri pharmacists are concerned about Medicare Part D, a new drug insurance program. The program has been helpful for millions, but may have a severe impact on pharmacists. In a partnership with the Missouri School of Journalism's Media Convergence classes, KBIA brings you a look at how area pharmacists are coping. Mark Johnson reports.
3/21/06: Teams from FEMA have arrived in rural Randolph County and are assessing the damage left by a tornado just more than a week ago. Some of the most severe destruction lies in the small community of Renick, with a population of just 221. The rebuilding process has been moving along steadily, but as KBIA's August Skamenca reports, the healing process will take much longer.
Organizers of Renick's recovery process say they're still in need of donations. If you'd like to help out, you can call the Renick Disaster Relief Center at 660-676-4672.
3/20/06: Ever since the war in Iraq began three years ago, protests against the conflict have been a common sight around Columbia ... from the local post office to the street corners downtown to spots on the MU campus. A movement has even begun protesting the protestors. However, this weekend marked the third anniversary of the war ... a milestone that led many anti-war protestors to gather at Columbia's Courthouse Square. KBIA's Hayley Salvo collected sounds from the event. Hear them here.
Click here to view a QuickTime audio slide show about the March 19th war protest in Columbia.
3/14/06: The village of Renick sits just south of Moberly along Highway 63. The community is so small that is has no discernible downtown ... only a strip of road with a handful of buildings including a small cafe, an antiques shop and the post office. But it was here that one of the many tornadoes that blazed through Missouri Sunday night hit hardest. Just outside the community of 221 people, four died.
KBIA's August Skamenca and Sarah Ashworth spent yesterday in Renick and have the following two profiles of people just beginning to rebuild.
Along Highway 63 sits the area's single business: Rebarco. The company manufactures rebar or concrete reinforcements ... and was nearly demolished by the tornado. KBIA's Sarah Ashworth has more on how they're cleaning up.
2/23/06: In two short years, the True/False Film Festival in Columbia has become one of the most respected festivals for independent documentaries in the country. This year's festival gets under way Thursday, beginning three-and-a-half days of films shown at various spots around Columbia's downtown, with 40 films getting their full premieres. And as KBIA's August Skamenca reports, what began as a purely grassroots project is starting to turn heads across the world.
1/27/06: The recent announcement that Governor Matt Blunt will try to push through a sale of MOHELA, the state-run student loan agency, had some excited over the prospect of increased higher education spending. But it also had others worried, over the future of Missouri student loans. KBIA's Kyle Palmer takes a closer look.
1/22/06: Far from mid-Missouri, the AIDS epidemic is taking a vast toll on society in sub-Saharan Africa. The United Nations estimates that nearly 26 million of the world's 40 million AIDS cases - or about 64 percent - are in that region. This problem is both physically and psychologically distant from central Missouri, but a pioneering AIDS researcher came to the University of Missouri recently to bring the problem closer to home. He starkly laid out the challenges facing AIDS research but offered hope for the future. KBIA's Kyle Palmer has more.
Probation and Parole
KBIA News brings you a four-part series of stories about the state's Probation and Parole system.
We begin with the struggles people face upon release. The Missouri Department of Corrections says close to half of the people getting out of prison on parole will commit another offense within two years. The state has started a program to deal with the problem, but right now, as KBIA's Bente Birkeland reports in part one, it's easy to see why so many people end up back in prison.
In part two, KBIA's Bente Birkeland spends time with the people in charge of supervising offenders in the community.
The Missouri Department of Corrections says close to half of the people getting out of prison on parole will commit another offense within two years. In the third part of our series, KBIA's Bente Birkeland examines one man's journey.
The Missouri Department of Corrections has started an initiative to help prevent people on parole from going back to prison. The most recent numbers from the Corrections Department indicate two out of five people on parole go back to prison within two years of leaving. In the last part of our series, KBIA's Bente Birkeland takes a look inside a medium security prison located in central Missouri.
1/10/06: Have you heard of Columbia's Medical Reserve Corps? Probably not, but as KBIA's Kyle Palmer tells us, they're looking for new members and it's easy to join.
1/9/06: A door connects Governor Matt Blunt's office to the office of his former Sunday school teacher ... who is now his Chief of Staff. The two met when the Governor was in high school. Ken McClure is 20 years older than Governor Blunt and brings a unique set of experiences to the Chief of Staff position. But as KBIA's Bente Birkeland discovered, McClure tries to bring harmony to more than just state politics.
To hear audio features that aired prior to 2006, visit our archive here.
