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Columbia Daily Tribune

Schedule change boosts Society Horse Show

Tracy Mulligan expected that switching the Boone County Fair Society Horse Show from summer — during the Boone County Fair — to autumn would attract a larger field of horses, but she didn't expect the number to more than double.

"It's a good problem to have," said Mulligan, coordinator for TAG Events, the management firm for the Central Missouri Events Center.

More than 200 horses — American Saddlebreds, Arabians and Morgans — were expected for the Society Horse Show that began at 11 a.m. today. The show runs through 7 p.m. Saturday and is free to the public.

"It's going to be a lot bigger than anticipated," Mulligan said. "That's what we had hoped would happen."

The show has been associated with the county fair for 68 years, even though this week's event is taking place three months after the conclusion of the weeklong county fair. Mulligan said the date was changed "mostly due to the heat and the timing," which had led to decreased participation.

The new timing of the show will be especially advantageous for the Saddlebred breed, said Ellen Beard, assistant professor of equestrian studies at Stephens College.

The national finals for ...

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UM Press crew eyes new path

Panel has plenty of ideas going forward.

A 21-member committee is trying to determine what types of books the University of Missouri Press should publish in the future now that the press is staying open for the foreseeable future.

Panel lauds UM Press editor, calls work a ‘small miracle’

That's one of the new charges of a UM Press Advisory Committee. Originally, the group was formed to help administrators transition the press from the UM System to the MU campus, but that transition has already happened.

The committee met for the first time yesterday and spent about two hours figuring out how to move forward after the university scrapped its plan to close the press. Although some members of the group said the primary concern right now is restoring the press operations, others said the committee should be figuring out how the press should evolve in a changing market.

That includes determining what types of manuscripts the press should be accepting. Right now, many books on the UM Press backlist are biographies and historical in nature. UM President Tim Wolfe and Board of Curators Chairman David Bradley have criticized the press for not publishing more manuscripts from MU authors.

Craig Roberts, a plant ...

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Complex lacks permit for late-hours work

Tenants of Brookside on College, a student apartment complex partially under construction at College Avenue and Walnut Street, have been told contractors have a permit allowing them to work at the site after-hours, but the city of Columbia verified that no such permit has been issued.

Developers for the complex planned to have all residents living in the building on the northwest corner of the intersection by the end of this month. Move-ins were scheduled for today and tomorrow, according to an email to residents.

"In an effort to make sure everything is ready when they move in, we have obtained a permit to work 24 hours/day for the next week. We enjoyed this permit throughout the summer months and it was extremely helpful in moving everyone in before the start of school," the email said. "Please understand that there may be a few disruptions the next few days with work beginning early and ending late."

Leighton McCabe, a Brookside on College resident, said he received the email about contractors obtaining a permit to work after-hours. He lives on the north side of the complex, though, and said the noise hasn't bothered him, as most heavy construction work is ...

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Akin says foe profits from spouse’s deals

Ad is 'insulting,' McCaskill says.

An ad from Republican Todd Akin calling U.S. Sen. Claire McCaskill "Corrupt Claire" because of federal subsidies of low-income housing owned in part by her husband is "ludicrous, insulting and hurtful," she said.

Akin, a six-term St. Louis congressman, is seeking to deny McCaskill, a Democrat, a second term in the Senate. His attack ad, which began running earlier this week, accuses McCaskill of playing "a corrupt Washington game" that sends money to her husband Joe Shepard's businesses.

"McCaskill's family pocketed $40 million in federal subsidies," the ad asserts. The claim is based on an Associated Press report that low-income housing projects owned in part by Shepard received $39 million in rent subsidies from 2007 to 2011. The subsidies cover the difference between rents collected and the cost of operating the apartments.

Many of those properties were built with low-income housing tax credits.

The report looked at subsidies to properties listed on McCaskill's personal financial disclosure, which covers both her and Shepard. In the interview, McCaskill said her personal finances are kept completely separate from those of her husband.

In addition, she said, the subsidies are used exclusively for maintenance and upkeep of the properties and do ...

Amendment 3 seeks changes to judge plan

On Nov. 6, Missouri voters will be asked to weigh in on a proposed constitutional amendment that is no longer backed by its primary supporters.

Shall the Missouri Constitution be amended to change the current nonpartisan selection of supreme court and court of appeals judges to a process that gives the governor increased authority to:

Appoint a majority of the commission that selects these court nominees; and

Appoint all lawyers to the commission by removing the requirement that the governor's appointees be nonlawyers?

Amendment 3, if approved, will change the process by which top judges are selected. But the group Better Courts for Missouri dropped its support this month after a Missouri appeals court panel upheld the ballot summary voters will see — language written by Secretary of State Robin Carnahan that the group sees as biased enough to make the item "unwinnable."

The summary asks voters whether the Missouri Constitution should be amended to give the governor more authority to "appoint a majority of the commission that selects these court nominees" and "appoint all lawyers to the commission." The measure would not require lawyers to be appointed, however; it only removes a prohibition on certain members being attorneys.

"The ...

Putting on the glitz

Dustin Hampton, dressed as Miranda L'Amour, prepares to perform onstage yesterday during the Homecoming Drag Show at The Shack on the University of Missouri campus

Prop B language concerns some

Control of fund draws scrutiny.

If Missouri voters approve raising taxes on cigarettes and other tobacco products, a portion of the revenue would go into a fund controlled by a board of health care professionals who could, per statute, be affiliated with organizations receiving those funds.

And, according to the ballot language, that board would not be required to follow state procurement and purchasing laws.

The latter is an "unworkable provision" in the statute and likely would be changed by lawmakers, said state Rep. Chris Kelly, D-Columbia. "That's wishful thinking on the part of the proponents," he said.

Proposition B asks voters to increase state taxes on a pack of cigarettes from 17 cents to 90 cents and to raise taxes on other tobacco products. If approved, 20 percent of the revenue — estimated to be at least $56 million a year — would be required to go into a Tobacco Use Prevention and Quit Assistance Account.

Overseeing the fund would be a new commission made up of members appointed by the governor to serve seven-year terms. At least three members would be required to have experience in or oversight of tobacco control programs, and the board also would be required ...

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Cessation program part of tobacco plan

At a bus stop on Ash Street this week, Mona Merkel put out what she hoped was her last cigarette.

“I have to quit,” she said, citing health problems. “I don’t have a choice.”

Merkel is considering her cessation options, but she’s against using a tobacco tax increase to fund those programs. She said she believes the state should have used more of the money from a 1998 settlement with major tobacco companies to pay for cessation.

Much of the money went into Medicaid, said Misty Snodgrass, a lobbyist for the American Cancer Society and spokeswoman for the Proposition B campaign.

Proposition B asks voters to increase taxes on tobacco products, including a 73-cent increase on a pack of cigarettes. If approved, 20 percent of the profits would be used for cessation, education, tobacco surveillance and prevention.

Merkel already has several options to help her snuff the habit. She can call the state’s Quitline, which provides free counseling for smokers who want to quit. There’s also a free cessation program offered through the Columbia/Boone County Department of Public Health and Human Services funded in part by a grant from the Missouri Foundation for Health, or MFH.

But Columbia is lucky, ...

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UM Press editor working a ‘miracle’

Panel lauds Willcox's efforts since return.

Back in his editor-in-chief role at the University of Missouri Press, Clair Willcox is managing to calm fears among authors who previously were asking for the rights to their books back.

Ideas abound as panel plans future of UM Press

Since he got his job back Oct. 5, Willcox has contacted 60 people, and "every author and series editor I've talked to has agreed to keep working with us," he told a press advisory committee yesterday.

Willcox was laid off this summer as part of the now-abandoned plan to close the 54-year-old press. UM President Tim Wolfe said in May the press would be phased out starting in July but scrapped those plans after backlash that included dozens of authors who wanted to take their books elsewhere.

In August, Wolfe said the press would remain open but would be transferred from the UM System to the MU campus. Supporters of the press said they wouldn't be happy unless Willcox was rehired.

MU Chancellor Emeritus Richard Wallace — largely credited for Willcox's return — said he had confidence in Willcox's ability to restore the press, "but what you accomplished in a short time is truly remarkable; a ...

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Local entrepreneurs get inspiration

To many of Columbia's hopeful entrepreneurs, the ultimate success would involve an investment from a California venture capital firm and a move to Silicon Valley.

But Rahim Fazal, who has seen that sort of success, pointed out that the valley isn't all upside.

"The good part is you're surrounded by people that all think the same as you," he said to a crowd of about 50 people gathered last night at the Museao building on Buttownwood Drive. "The bad part is you're surrounded by people that all think the same as you."

Columbia has a little more of the real world in it, Fazal told the crowd, and although Silicon Valley has an abundance of capital and talent, Columbia's startup community should focus on its own advantages, such as its surplus of educated people and compact geography. Fazal came to Columbia from Silicon Valley to talk to Columbia's burgeoning startup community about his experiences, finding investors and growing businesses. His visit was organized by Brent Beshore, the owner of startup investment firm AdVentures and the founder of the League of Innovators.

Well-known in entrepreneurial circles, Fazal launched a Web-hosting company while still in high school, sneaking ...

FACT CHECK: Mary Still's campaign ad

A TV ad from state Rep. Mary Still attacking state Sen. Kurt Schaefer in the 19th District Senate race accuses him of severely cutting school funding, reducing state spending on the University of Missouri and giving "hundreds of millions of dollars in handouts to big corporations."

Political Fact Checker

Schaefer, a Republican, has chaired the Senate Appropriations Committee for two years. When a lawmaker holds that position, "you're the main legislator responsible for the state's funding priorities," said Sarah Martin, a campaign aide to Still, to explain why the ad attacks Schaefer on spending.

The ad claims Schaefer "slashed school budgets," citing cuts to early childhood programs. This year's budget did cut $3 million from early childhood programs operated in the Department of Social Services and shifted $11.6 million from the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education's early childhood programs to other budget lines. Much of that money is used by private child care centers and programs not affiliated with school districts. Basic aid to districts increased by $5 million.

The ad also charges that Schaefer "took $23 million from Mizzou," citing a January report from Mizzou Weekly, an online campus newsletter. The ad gives an inaccurate Mizzou Weekly ...

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150 YEARS AGO: Ten prisoners are shot in the ‘Palmyra Massacre’

PALMYRA — Ten prisoners were shot in the "Palmyra Massacre," one of the most severe acts of public vengeance on either side to this point in the war.

All of the men were accused of being part of Col. Joseph Porter's Confederate partisans recruited in the summer. None of the men executed was given a trial.

The Palmyra Courier reported it "witnessed the performance of a tragedy in this once quiet and beautiful city of Palmyra, which, in ordinary and peaceful times, would have created a profound sensation throughout the entire country, but which now scarcely produces a distinct ripple upon the surface of our turbulent social tide."

The men executed at the order of Brig. Gen. John McNeil were Willis Baker, Thomas Humston, John McPheeters and Morgan Bixler, all of Lewis County; Herbert Hudson, John Wade and Marion Lair of Ralls County; Hiram Smith of Knox County, Eleazer Lake of Scotland County; and Capt. Thomas Sidner of Monroe County.

"I have not had a trial and won't give me any chance for my life," Sidner wrote to "brothers, sisters and friends." "Oh I hope God will forgive the unmerciful creatures that commit this unpardonable act to take innocent men ...

Columbia man accused in 3 robberies

An 18-year-old Columbia man was arrested on suspicion of several counts of robbery after allegedly admitting his role in three September incidents.

Police arrest two, seek third in liquor store robbery [Sept. 29, 2012]

Police respond to robbery at Passions [Sept. 21, 2012]

Man runs off after robbing Petro Mart [Sept. 4, 2012]

Around 9 a.m., Jeremy M. Burnett of 1008 N. Eighth St. turned himself in for questioning regarding his alleged participation in a Sept. 28 robbery of Midwest Petroleum Phillips 66, 126 S. Providence Road, according to a Columbia police news release. During the interview, Burnett also admitted his involvement in robberies at Passions Adult Entertainment Store, 1108 Business Loop 70 E., on Sept. 21 and Petro Mart Convenience Store, 3850 Range Line St., on Sept. 3. A weapon was implied but never displayed during two of the three robberies, police said previously.

Burnett is being held at the Boone County Jail on suspicion of two counts of first-degree robbery and a single charge of second-degree robbery. Bond is set at $300,000.

Police said they were looking for Burnett on Sept. 28 when they announced the arrests of Albert Butler, 31, and Travis Butler, 29, ...

Woman reports assault on Keene

University of Missouri police are investigating a report of an assault yesterday near the Women's and Children's Hospital on Keene Street.

At 1:30 p.m., MU police received a report of an assault at 812 N. Keene St., according to a news release. A woman reported that around 6:40 a.m., she was walking toward the building when she was approached from behind by a man who grabbed her wrist and pressed a hard object against her left rib cage.

The woman used pepper spray on the man, and he released her and ran south, police said. The suspect was described as a dark-skinned black male, about 5 feet, 8 inches tall and stocky. He was wearing dark clothing, the release said.

MU police are working with Columbia police on the case. Anyone with information is asked to call MU police or CrimeStoppers at 875-8477.

Energy-efficiency expo aims to inform

An event Saturday at the Central Missouri Events Center will educate residents about energy-efficiency measures they can take in their homes.

The third Mid-MO Energy Efficiency Expo will be from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday at the events center, formerly known as the Boone County Fairgrounds, 5212 N. Oakland Gravel Road. The event will include energy-efficiency professionals as exhibitors, as well as area electric cooperatives.

Seminars will cover energy-efficient landscaping at 11 a.m., choosing a contractor at noon, do-it-yourself weatherization at 1 p.m. and an electrical safety demonstration at 2 p.m.

Boone Electric Cooperative, Columbia Water and Light and Ameren Missouri are hosting the event. For more information, visit www.booneelectric.coop or gocolumbiamo.com/WaterandLight or call 449-4181.

Fired employee is burglary suspect

A Columbia man is accused of burglarizing a convenience store from which he was recently fired.

At 1:12 a.m. Monday, police say Alexander Watson, 22, broke into the Tiger Stop convenience store at 3500 Clark Lane. The store's video surveillance captured Watson breaking the glass out of the front door, entering the store and stealing several bottles of alcohol, Columbia police Officer Latisha Stroer said.

Watson was considered a suspect because he had recently been fired from the store and fit the description captured on the video.

At 8 p.m. yesterday, Watson went to the Columbia Police Department for questioning and admitted his involvement, Stroer said.

"Watson gave his consent to recover the two remaining bottles of alcohol, the car jack used to break the front glass window of the business and the outer clothing he wore during the burglary," Stroer said in a news release, noting that those items were found at Watson's home or in his vehicle.

He was arrested on suspicion of second-degree burglary, and his bond was set at $4,500.

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Robber confronts man in library lot

A man reported being robbed in a Columbia Public Library parking lot yesterday.

Officers responded to the library, 100 W. Broadway, for a report of an armed robbery. A 21-year-old man said he left the library around 6:10 p.m. and was approached in the south parking lot by a man with a handgun, according to a Columbia police news release. The robber got in the man's vehicle and demanded to be taken to the victim's bank, then forced him to take money from an ATM at the bank, police said. The victim then drove the man to the area of Wilkes Boulevard and Seventh Street, where the robber got out and ran off.

The robber was described as a black man in his mid-20s, about 5 feet, 10 inches tall and 250 pounds with short hair, glasses and a large tattoo on the left side of his neck. He was wearing a gray hooded sweatshirt and blue jeans.

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Shooting suspect arrested in Fulton

A 29-year-old shooting suspect arrested yesterday in Fulton also has been linked to separate incidents of assault and home invasion in Columbia, law enforcement officials said.

Fulton police took Justin R. Campbell of Columbia into custody around 4 p.m. after learning from Columbia police he might be in the area, Columbia police Sgt. Jill Schlude said. Around noon, police were notified that Beau T. Leach, 31, of Columbia had been brought to University Hospital after being shot. Leach identified Campbell as the shooter, saying Campbell came to his residence on Oak Cliff Place, argued with him and shot him three times in the torso.

An update on Leach's condition was not available, a hospital spokeswoman said. Police suspected the shooting might be drug-related, Schlude said.

Police said Campbell also is suspected to have assaulted a 54-year-old man on Gordon Street around 10:45 a.m. yesterday. Campbell had allegedly visited the victim's home the previous night and came back yesterday, police said. He became angry with the victim and demanded money from him at gunpoint, police said, then hit him in the head with the gun, causing lacerations. The victim then fled.

Boone County Sheriff's Department detectives believe Campbell also ...

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Sharp differences mark secretary of state race

Differences over voting requirements and ballot summaries for initiatives that appear before voters are playing a significant role in the campaign for the Missouri post responsible for overseeing elections.

JASON KANDER

AGE: 31. Born May 4, 1981, in Overland Park, Kan.

POLITICAL PARTY: Democrat

EXPERIENCE: Army National Guard; Missouri House, 2009-present

EDUCATION: Bachelor's degree in political science, American University; law degree, Georgetown University

FAMILY: Wife, Diana

SHANE SCHOELLER

AGE: 41. Born Aug. 21, 1971, in Salina, Kan.

POLITICAL PARTY: Republican.

EXPERIENCE: Field representative for U.S. Sens. John Ashcroft and Kit Bond; legislative aide to U.S. Rep. Roy Blunt; chief administrative aide to Secretary of State Matt Blunt; Missouri House, 2007-present.

EDUCATION: Bachelor's degrees in psychology and political science, Southwest Baptist University

FAMILY: Wife, Mendie; three children, Emma, Dorothy, Johnny

Republican Shane Schoeller and Democrat Jason Kander are at odds over Missouri's voter photo identification proposals and whether a new panel should have sway over the ballot summaries that the secretary of state prepares for initiatives. Those are two of the biggest differences as the two House colleagues compete to succeed Democratic Secretary of State Robin Carnahan, who is not seeking a third term.

Debate has persisted for years about whether ...

Suspect was student in Missouri

CAPE GIRARDEAU — Officials at Southeast Missouri State University say the 21-year-old man accused of plotting to blow up the Federal Reserve building in New York City attended the school earlier this year.

A university spokeswoman confirmed yesterday evening that that Quazi Nafis was enrolled during the spring semester from January to May. Spokeswoman Ann Hayes said the Bangladeshi man was pursuing a bachelor's degree in cybersecurity.

Hayes said Nafis requested a transfer of his records in July. She said the university followed Homeland Security protocol in transferring those records, though she wouldn't say where they were transferred.

Multiple violations found at KC motel

KANSAS CITY (AP) — Kansas City police reported finding drugs, dead animals and filthy conditions in a raid on an extended-stay motel in the northern part of the city.

The Kansas City Star reported police, animal control officers and code enforcement officials went to the Extended Stay Inn near Interstate 35 yesterday to begin the process of shutting it down.

Police Sgt. Dan Graves said authorities arrested several people suspected of possessing or trafficking drugs. He said police made more than 100 service calls to the motel over the past year.

Newsweek to go digital, end weekly publication

NEW YORK (AP) — Newsweek plans to end its print publication after 80 years and will shift to an all-digital format aimed at online users starting in early 2013. Job cuts are expected.

Newsweek's last U.S. print edition will be its Dec. 31 issue.

With more and more consumers on the go and using their cellphones and tablets to receive the news, media organizations have had to increasingly shift more of their emphasis online.

SmartMoney, for example, announced in June that it was shuttering its print publication in favor of a digital format. Dow Jones & Co., a unit of News Corp., said at the time that 25 positions at SmartMoney would be eliminated.

Newsweek's decision does not come as a complete surprise. Barry Diller, the head of the company that owns Newsweek, announced in July that the publication was examining its future as a weekly print magazine. Diller said then that producing a weekly news magazine in print form wasn't easy.

The announcement of the change was made by Tina Brown, editor-in-chief and founder of The Newsweek Daily Beast Co., on The Daily Beast website today.

"In our judgment, we have reached a tipping point at which we can ...

Terror sting thwarts car bomb attempt

NEW YORK (AP) — A Bangladeshi man snared in an FBI terror sting considered targeting President Barack Obama and the New York City Stock Exchange before settling on a car bomb attack on the Federal Reserve, just blocks from the World Trade Center site, a law enforcement official told The Associated Press today.

The official, who was not authorized to speak publicly about the investigation and talked to the AP on condition of anonymity, stressed that the suspect never got beyond the discussion stage in considering an attack on the president.

In a September meeting with an undercover agent posing as a fellow jihadist, Quazi Mohammad Rezwanul Ahsan Nafis explained he chose the Federal Reserve as his target "for operational reasons," according to a criminal complaint. Nafis also indicated he knew that choice would "cause a large number of civilian casualties, including women and children," the complaint said.

The bomb was fake, but authorities said that Nafis' admiration of Osama bin Laden and aspirations for martyrdom were not.

FBI agents grabbed the 21-year-old Nafis — armed with a cellphone he believed was rigged as a detonator — after he made several attempts to blow up a fake 1,000-pound bomb inside ...

Protests greet Ireland's first abortion clinic

BELFAST, Northern Ireland (AP) — The first abortion clinic on the island of Ireland opened today in Belfast, sparking protests by conservatives from both the Catholic and Protestant sides of Northern Ireland.

The Marie Stopes family planning center will offer the abortion pill to women who are less than nine weeks pregnant — but only if doctors determine they're at risk of death or long-term health damage from their pregnancy.

That's the law in both Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland, where abortion is otherwise illegal.

But more than 200 protesters opposed to abortion under any circumstances gathered outside the central Belfast clinic hours ahead of its opening yesterday, waving placards reading "Keep Ireland abortion free."

And Northern Ireland Attorney General John Larkin wrote to lawmakers, who broadly oppose abortion, offering his help if they investigate the clinic's operations. Larkin said he could order the clinic to be closed only if evidence emerged of "serious criminal conduct" there.

Protesters demanded that the clinic be shut down regardless, lest it become a beachhead for expanding abortion rights in Northern Ireland, the only corner of the United Kingdom that has not legalized abortion on demand.

"We're in 2012. Women's health ...

Storms swat southeastern U.S., injure several

JACKSON, Miss. (AP) — A line of severe storms packing strong winds and possible tornadoes swept the Southeast overnight, injuring seven people in Mississippi, downing power lines and trees, and damaging homes around the region, authorities said early this morning.

Yesterday in Missouri, emergency management officials in Gasconade County said a storm struck the town of Bland around 4 p.m. An employee at the local post office was briefly trapped but uninjured when the building partly collapsed. Two other people in Bland suffered minor injuries, and a dozen buildings sustained minor to moderate damage.

Nearly 900 customers lost electricity in Arkansas, where some buildings were damaged, but no injuries were reported. Storms also raked western Tennessee, toppling trees in a mobile home park north of Memphis and forcing some residents out of their homes. No injuries were reported.

Mobile homes were also damaged in northern Mississippi's Union County.

In Louisiana, authorities reported trees down in at least two parishes and one home with a damaged roof.

"These were severe storms that produced damaging winds," said Jeff Rent, a spokesman for the Mississippi Emergency Management Agency.

At least six northern counties in Mississippi reported damage, Rent said. He said experts would ...

Thursday October 18, 2012