Latest entries in City, State and Nation
News on a local and national level that matters to students.
Nov. 18, 2011
UT Austin College Republicans leader tweets assassinating Obama ‘tempting’
The president of the College Republicans at the University of Texas at Austin posted Wednesday on Twitter that the idea of assassinating President Obama was “tempting.”
“Y’all as tempting as it may be, don’t shoot Obama,” Lauren Pierce said. “We need him to go down in history as the WORST president we’ve EVER had! #2012.”
This tweet was posted at 2:29 p.m., a few hours after police arrested Ramiro Ortega-Hernandez for allegedly firing shots at the White House last Friday.
ABC News interviewed both Pierce and the vice president of the College Republicans about the controversial statement.
Pierce referred to her statement as a “joke” and called the earlier shooting incident “stupid.”
The statement was posted under Pierce’s personal account, not that of the College Republicans.
According to ABC News, Cassie Wright, the vice president of the College Republicans, said because the comment was voiced personally and not through the organization, she saw nothing wrong with it. She attributed the statement to utilizing freedom of speech.
“If it’s coming from her own personal Twitter, it’s reflective of her as a person, not the organization,” MU College Democrats President Matthew Tharp said. “I don’t think it’s smart, but I don’t think the organization should be held responsible for it.”
MU College Republicans President Craig Arnzen said there is no such thing as personal when one is a leader of an organization.
“If you represent a group, then you represent that group in every aspect of your life,” Arnzen said.
After attracting a large amount of scrutiny, Pierce removed her post later that day and tweeted an apology.
“I apologize for my previous tweet,” Pierce said. “It was in poor taste and should never have been written.”
The presidents of the MU College Democrats and MU College Republicans commented on the appropriateness of the statement.
“I think that it was the wrong thing for Lauren to tweet,” Arnzen said. “It’s the wrong thing for anyone to tweet. If you don’t like who’s in office, we’ve got an election coming up in a year.”
MU College Democrats president Matt Tharp upholds the stance made by the two organizations last year after the shooting of congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords.
“Violence has no place in the realm of political discourse,” Tharp said. “We are free to disagree, and sometimes we’ll disagree very adamantly, but violence doesn’t solve anything.”
Nov. 8, 2011
Voters approve downtown sales tax in mail vote
A small number of Columbia voters have approved an additional one-half percent sales tax for businesses in the downtown Community Improvement District.
Voters approved the tax 25-15 in an election conducted by mail over the last two weeks, according to results posted on the Boone County Clerk’s website. Ballots were due at 7 p.m. Tuesday and final results were posted moments ago.
Clerk Wendy Noren estimated that about 150 voters who live within the boundaries of the Community Improvement District were eligible to vote in the mail election.
The new tax would add about five cents to the cost of a $10 purchase. Community Improvement District Executive Director Carrie Gartner said in a previous Maneater report that the tax revenue would be used for projects such as the installation of free wireless Internet access and sidewalk recycling bins.
The tax proposal drew criticism from Keep Columbia Free, a local civil liberties group. In a letter posted to the group’s website, group members Eapen Thampy and Mitch Richards said taxes in the downtown area should be lowered and that the proposed improvements are unncecessary. They said tax revenue should instead be used to add more police and fire protection for the district.
The additional sales tax is slated to take effect April 1.
Nov. 6, 2011
Blunt pushes disaster funding forward
The Senate passed a new spending bill Tuesday that includes $400 million in disaster relief to help rebuild communities ravaged by natural disasters, such as areas in Missouri affected by severe tornadoes and flooding earlier this year.
Sen. Roy Blunt, R-Mo., introduced the amendment, according to his spokeswoman Amber Marchand. It was included in the fiscal year 2012 spending bill for Transportation, Housing and Urban Development, and Related Agencies.
The $400 million will be added to the federal Community Development Block Grant program, a program that provides money for infrastructure development, urban renewal projects and disaster aid.
“This funding will help repair homes for low- and moderate-income households, pay for debris removal, and assist with communities’ sewer maintenance,” Blunt said in a news release. “This money will also keep energy and water costs low for the people of Joplin, and provide support and incentives for job creators who have lost revenues and agree to keep their businesses here in the region.”
The next step for the spending bill will be its reconciliation with the House’s version in the following weeks.
A partisan schism on federal disaster spending nearly brought a federal government shutdown earlier this year, but members of both major Senate parties supported Tuesday’s legislation.
“I’m proud that my colleagues on both sides of the aisle voted to pass this funding,” Blunt said in the release.
Oct. 27, 2011
Nixon works on trade during his trip to China
Gov. Jay Nixon will return Saturday from an eight-day trade trip to China.
Accompanied by Missouri business and agriculture leaders, Nixon focused on Missouri agricultural products, export agreements and presenting information to Chinese economic agencies and students at Shanghai Normal University, among other issues.
China is Missouri’s third-largest trading partner. A total of $987.4 million goods were exported to China in 2010. As of August 2011, Missouri exports to China have totaled nearly $773 million, a 25 percent jump since the same period in 2010, according to a news release.
The trade mission is focused on export agreements. The agreements would significantly increase Missouri’s exports to China from 2012 to 2014. These exports include manufactured goods, agricultural products, chemicals and other products.
“China is already a major export market for Missouri businesses, and this trade mission will ensure that Missouri exports to this nation continue to grow in the years to come,” Nixon said in the news release.
The final amounts of the trade agreements will be released upon being signed.
Oct. 5, 2011
Apple's Steve Jobs passes away
Apple Inc. has reported that Apple Inc. co-founder, Steve Jobs, has died.
According to marketwatch.com, Apple's Board of Directors issued a statement regarding his death.
"We are deeply saddened to announce that Steve Jobs passed away today," the board stated. "Steve's brilliance, passion and energy were the source of countless innovations that enrich and improve all of our lives. The world is immeasurably better because of Steve. His greatest love was for his wife, Laurene, and his family. Our hearts go out to them and to all who were touched by his extraordinary gifts."
Sept. 22, 2011
U.S. House renames federal courthouse in honor of former Sen. Kit Bond
The U.S. House of Representatives passed legislation Wednesday to name a new federal courthouse in Jefferson City after former U.S. Sen. Christopher "Kit" Bond, R-Mo.
Sen. Roy Blunt, R-Mo., introduced the bill in the Senate and it was subsequently passed by unanimous vote in July 2011. Sen. Claire McCaskill, D-Mo., cosponsored the legislation, which was passed in the House by a vote of 407-2-2.
“I am so pleased that my colleagues in the House passed this bill today in honor of our colleague and one of Missouri’s great public servants, Kit Bond,” Blunt stated in a press release. “I look forward to attending the courthouse dedication in Jefferson City next week as we celebrate Kit Bond’s service to our state and our nation.”
Bond was in office from 1987 to 2011. He also served as the governor of Missouri from 1973 to 1977 and again from 1981 to 1985, as well as being elected as the State Auditor in 1970.
Aug. 29, 2011
El Rancho reopens doors
El Rancho, a popular Mexican restaurant, reopened its doors this week after closing down from a ceiling collapse a couple of weeks prior.
"We had part of the ceiling fall down," El Rancho owner Faustino Vasquez said. "Then we had to tear the whole ceiling down just in case."
The temporary closing of the restaurant was met by a wave of disappointment from El Rancho regulars, many of whom are MU students.
"At first I thought it wasn't going to come back," sophomore Dylan Barnard said. "I felt really sad because we went there pretty much every weekend. It became an institution to us."
After its closing, El Rancho immediately began rebuilding. After repairs to the ceiling and remodeling in other parts of the building, the restaurant was inspected so similar occurrences could be avoided in the future.
Following the reopening of El Rancho, Vasquez said business is as good as ever.
"Business is good and I think that business is still going to be good because there are a lot of people that come," Vasquez said. "I was talking to my employees, and they said that they're glad that we're open because they can't find any food that tastes like El Rancho."
Freshman Colin Duft said El Rancho is home to the best Mexican food he has had in town.
"I'm a big fan of Mexican food, and El Rancho is the best Mexican food I've had in Columbia so far," Duft said. "There are so many dishes to choose from."
El Rancho is located at 1014 E. Broadway in downtown Columbia.
Aug. 28, 2011
FEMA's funding to Joplin temporarily suspended to pay for Hurricane Irene
Money from the Federal Emergency Management Agency that was previously allocated to rebuild devastated areas like Joplin, Mo., has been temporarily suspended to pay for Hurricane Irene damage, various news outlets have reported.
According to The Washington Post, FEMA currently has less than $1 billion available to pay for disaster assistance.
Sen. Claire McCaskill, D-Mo., condemned FEMA's decision, stating she thinks the organization should have enough money to pay for all disaster damages.
"I warned FEMA and assured victims in Joplin that they would not be forgotten after the camera trucks lowered their antennas and rolled out of town, I will fight to make sure that promise is kept," McCaskill stated in a news release. "FEMA should be prepared for all types of disasters and have the resources to respond rapidly and stay until the work is done, and until the community is made whole again."
Aug. 26, 2011
State auditor sues Gov. Jay Nixon
State Auditor Tom Schweich sued Gov. Jay Nixon on Friday, saying Nixon is withholding $170 million of state funding from organizations statewide, including the UM System, according to a news release from the state auditor's office.
The lawsuit comes after Schweich's office sent a letter to Nixon's office Aug. 19 expressing concern over Nixon's reasoning behind withholding the funds that were appropriated with the state budget.
According to the news release, the auditor said he believes the governor withheld funds from the Republican-controlled legislature and auditor but did not hold funds from any Democrats.
"The governor has no excuse to violate the Missouri Constitution," Auditor Schweich said in the release. "He has the same obligation of transparency and accountability as any other elected official."
Social media regulation law blocked by judge
The Associated Press reported that SB54, a Missouri law regulating social media contact between teachers and students in Missouri public schools, was blocked by Cole County Circuit Court Judge Jon Beetem.
Beetem said the law goes against free speech. The law will now be put on hold until February 2012, the AP reported.
SB54, also known as the Amy Hestir Student Protection Act, would prohibit exclusive interaction between students and teachers over social media sites. All online contact would have to be done in a public forum where anyone could see. Organizations like the Missouri State Teachers Association expressed concern over the bill's lack of clarity, they said.