Missouri Treasurer Vivek Malek will be the keynote speaker at next Monday evening’s (April 17) Boone County Lincoln Days event at Columbia’s Stoney Creek Inn and Resort. Dinner begins at 6, and the program starts at 6:30. Missouri Secretary of State Jay Ashcroft will be the special guest speaker. Mr. Ashcroft is running for governor. Mizzou atmospheric science professor Tony Lupo joined us live this morning on 939 the Eagle’s “Wake Up Mid-Missouri” to preview the event. Mr. Lupo tells listeners that the speaking lineup for next week is impressive. He also says the 19th state senatorial seat is winnable, despite the fact Cooper County is no longer in the district. Former State Rep. Stephen Webber (D-Columbia) is expected to be the Democratic nominee, and he’s been raising money for the race. The seat has been in GOP hands since Kurt Schaefer (R-Columbia) unseated then-State Sen. Chuck Graham (D-Columbia) in 2008:
UPDATE: Two shot near east Columbia Hy-Vee gas station
Columbia Police confirm two people have been shot near the Hy-Vee gas station on Trimble in east Columbia.
CPD spokesman Christian Tabak tells 939 the Eagle that police responded to a report of shots fired in the 2600 block of Trimble. Officers arrived and found two individuals with apparent gunshot wounds.
It’s unclear is the victims were targeted or if this was a random shooting.
Mr. Tabak says there is no suspect information at this time. CPD has posted on Facebook that its officers, detectives and crime scene investigators are currently working the scene. Mr. Tabak is asking everyone to avoid the area. Police thank the public for their patience.
Anyone with information on the shooting is asked to call Columbia Crimestoppers at (573) 875-TIPS.
(AUDIO) Columbia’s mayor says Swift Foods’ opening on Route B is huge
A west-central Missouri congressman who represents part of Columbia and Boone County predicts the new Swift Foods plant will help Columbia and will help feed families.
U.S. Mark Alford (R-Raymore), who serves on the House Agriculture Committee, notes the $200-million plant was built on a former field on Route B.
“You could call this not the field of dreams but the field of meals. People are going to be able to eat quality charcuterie and Italian meats from everything that’s produced here, bringing in jobs, helping the fourth congressional district, the great state of Missouri and Columbia grow,” Alford says.
Congressman Alford joined Missouri Governor Mike Parson, Boone County Presiding Commissioner Kip Kendrick and others at the bipartisan ribbon-cutting ceremony. The plant is still hiring employees, and the average salary is more than $50,000.
Governor Parson says the opening of Swift Foods in Columbia shows Missouri is open for business. The governor tells 939 the Eagle that more companies want to invest in the Show-Me State.
“And I think these facilities are just a huge driver in our economy, and just proves that we’re open for business. We’re expanding, our economy is good, it’s a good place to do business. And I think you’re heard those comments up there from the CEO’s and the companies. That’s why they’re here,” Parson says.
The governor says Swift has a wonderful facility and that it’s a great time for Columbia’s growth. The 325,000 square feet plant is near Como Smoke and Fire on Route B. Mayor Barbara Buffaloe says the plant’s opening is huge for Columbia, and will provide living wage jobs.
“We know we have low unemployment. So we know this is an area in our community where we have a lot of people that want to come to Columbia. So this will help us grow Columbia, getting more people here seeking these good-paying jobs,” Buffaloe says.
(AUDIO): New owner at Columbia’s Welcome Inn says calls for Columbia Police are down significantly there
Columbia’s Welcome Inn near I-70 and Providence was the “Holidome” at one time and was one of the city’s most popular hotels, through about 1995 or so. It has fallen into disrepair in recent years, but now has a new owner whose passions are ministry and real estate.
Kel Beal tells 939 the Eagle’s “CEO Roundtable” that the 80,000 square feet facility has 142 units.
“Many of them still kind of feel like your 1980 hotel room. So the carpet still feels like that, the fixtures kind of feel like that,” Beal says.
Mr. Beal tells listeners the rooms now have a fresh coat of paint. He wants to put new carpet and furniture in each of the units. He also notes the bar for entry into his facility is much lower than anywhere else.
“There’s people across the board, whether they’re chronically unhoused and they kind of choose that. Whether there is substance abuse or mental health. Whether it’s just generational sort of poverty and the things that they’re going through,” says Beal.
Mr. Beal tells listeners that people are spending 30, 40 or in some cases 50 percent of their income on housing, due to rising costs.
Beal also says calls for Columbia Police services are down significantly, under the new ownership.
“Our hope is that it becomes much more about a medical response to issues if and when they have need, as opposed to (a) criminal response …so, yes,” Beal says.
Mr. Beal has been active in Columbia’s Affordable Housing Coalition, and his wife is the head of City Refuge, which helps refugees in the Columbia area. Click here to listen to 939 the Eagle host Fred Parry’s interview with Mr. Beal.
High-profile Columbia murder suspect to appear in court Monday
A Columbia woman charged with the horrific murder of an autistic Mizzou student is set to appear in Boone County Circuit Court this afternoon.
21-year-old Emma Rose Adams is charged with second degree murder and three other felonies. She’s pleaded not guilty.
Boone County prosecutors say Adams killed Mizzou student Samuel Michael Clemons on January 10, then dragged his body through a north Columbia yard and setting it on fire in her fire pit. The graphic four-page Columbia Police Department’s probable cause statement says officers found a smoldering human body in the fire pit, with an odor described as burning flesh.
Court documents quote Adams as telling Columbia Police that she killed Clemons in self-defense after he beat her. However, the Columbia Police Department’s probable cause statement says Adams never called 911, and that Adams “attempted to destroy physical evidence by burning the victim’s body.”
Boone County assistant prosecutor Susan Boresi is prosecuting the case. Ms. Adams is represented by defense attorney Jeffery Hilbrenner.
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