Business

An auction of assets left from a failed artificial sweetener factory in Moberly is drawing curious onlookers but few big buyers.

The auction of Mamtek U.S. property drew more than 20 prospective bidders Wednesday morning to a Moberly hotel ballroom, joined by online participants.

Buyers sought deals on individual pieces of equipment owned by Mamtek, but no one submitted a bid for the company's real estate or its intellectual property.

Missouri isn’t a place normally associated with child hunger.  Still over 56,000 kids qualify for the Buddy Pack Program.  The program sends a backpack of nutritious food home students from low-income families every weekend.

When it comes to the business of food, there’s a rivalry around every corner. You’ve got fights for prime farmland, wars over water use, even buying food at the grocery store has its competition with household bills encroaching on family budgets for the shopping list.

The northern Missouri artificial sweetener plant project that turned sour when its financing collapsed last year is holding an out-of-business sale.

Mamtek U.S. received $39 million of industrial development bonds from the city of Moberly and could have earned up to $17 million of state tax incentives to build the factory. Construction ceased on the partially complete factory after Mamtek missed a bond payment in August 2011. Former CEO Bruce Cole faces fraud and stealing charges and remains in the Randolph County Jail awaiting trial.

TransCanada has restarted the Keystone oil pipeline that carries about 590,000 barrels of crude oil each day from Canada to facilities in the Midwest.

Oil began flowing again Monday afternoon. Company spokesman Shawn Howard says the system will be operated at a slightly reduced pressure for about 24 hours. Contractual delivery levels will resume in November.

TransCanada had shut down the pipeline Wednesday after tests showed possible safety issues.