News

New legislation pending before Gov. Jay Nixon could give people running short of money a new alternative for getting some quick cash.

A bill would make it profitable for Missouri-based banks to offer short-term cash advances, similar to payday loans.

Some nationally chartered banks already offer the short-term loans with fees of around $50 on a $500 loan. Missouri law had allowed such loans, but the Missouri Bankers Association says that few banks offered them because the law set the maximum fee too low.

Bicyclists taking part in a cross-country race will be zooming across Missouri this week, and transportation officials hope motorists along the route will be extra cautious.

The annual Race Across America covers a 3,000-mile route from Oceanside, Calif., to Annapolis, Md.

Riders were expected to begin entering western Missouri this past Sunday, traveling via U.S. 54 to the Lake of the Ozarks area and Jefferson City.

The University of Missouri System Board of Curators unanimously passed a proposal to extend employee benefits to eligible adult dependents who meet certain criteria. This extension now means that same-sex partners may be eligible for these benefits, which include health, vision, and dental insurance. John Fougere is the chief spokesperson for the UM system. He said the decision will help the system attract a talented faculty and staff. 

University of Missouri Health Care will lay off or cut the hours and pay for 35 employees and eliminate 90 unfilled jobs in the coming year.

MU Health Care spokesperson Mary Jenkins told The Columbia Daily Tribune the job losses are due to cuts in federal health care payments from Medicare and the failure of legislators to expand Medicaid eligibility.

She says many of the 90 jobs that will be eliminated have been unfilled for most of the past year.

The University of Missouri will be conducting a drill Monday morning at its research nuclear reactor center. The center is located south of Stadium Boulevard and west of Providence Road in Columbia. The drill is meant to simulate what could happen during an emergency situation at the reactor.

When anyone asked Eliot Battle how he was doing, he would always answer, "Super."

Battle, a longtime Columbia educator, died Tuesday (June 11) from injuries sustained after a car crass Friday. He was 88. 

Battle had a key role in the desegregation of Columbia's public schools. And the new high school in town, Muriel Williams Battle High School, was named in honor of his wife, who died in 2003.

Missouri Gov. Jay Nixon has named a former St. Louis-area school official to the State Board of Education.

The University of Missouri System Board of Curators approved its 2014 budget Friday. UM System President Tim Wolfe says the budget identifies strategic areas for funding to help strengthen the university brand.

Famous ragtime pianist Johnny Maddox visited Columbia this week as the guest of honor at the Blind Boone Ragtime Festival.  In the height of his career in the 1950s, Maddox performed with names like Patsy Cline and released the first all-piano record to sell over 1 million copies.    With millions of albums sold and more than 60 years working in the music industry, many ragtime fans would call Maddox a legend.   

Columbia’s southern region is in need of new electrical transmission lines because of the region’s population increase – and Columbia’s Water and Light Department and City Council are discussing options for the region.

Representatives from the Department and council met yesterday (Thursday) afternoon to discuss one project that would create new transmission lines. Water and Light staff have proposed three line options to the council.

Officials say regardless of the option chosen residents should expect to see a utility-rate increase for the project.