Columbia Daily Tribune

Tv Stations Gearing Up for Digital ; Planned Tests to Serve As Dry Runs for Viewers.

In anticipation of next month's transition to digital television, local TV stations will be conducting "soft tests" to help viewers prepare for the switch from analog to digital broadcasting. On Feb. 17, all full-power television stations will shut off their analog transmitters and rely solely on digital transmission. To receive programming, viewers will either need a digital converter box to get over-the-air broadcasting or have satellite or cable television service.

Officials Buoyed by Business Prospects ; New Companies Showing Interest in Area Sites.

Efforts by local business and economic development leaders over the past year to attract new companies to Columbia and Boone County might be paying off. Bernie Andrews, president of Regional Economic Development Inc., said several prospective businesses have shown a high level of interest in setting up shop in the Columbia area. He said no deals have been finalized, but representatives from some companies have made more than one trip to tour the community and possible sites.

Your Office Coach ; Trash Rotation Leaves Co-Workers Holding Bag

Q: In our office, everyone takes turns with the kitchen duties, including the owner of the business. However, we recently got a new co-worker who refuses to do his tasks correctly. When someone takes out the garbage, that person is supposed to put a new bag in the trash can, but this guy never replaces the bag. After asking him numerous times, I got so fed up that I left the garbage container in his chair, hoping he would get the message. He was quite upset about this, but he's still not repl...

Layoffs Versus Buyouts ; Differences Dramatic for Downsized Worker.

SACRAMENTO, Calif. - With thousands of public and private employers downsizing, some are laying off workers while others are offering buyouts. Both moves help employers reduce head counts and cut wage and benefit costs. But experts say they are very different tools, and employers use them for different reasons. For workers, the difference between the two can be dramatic.

County Commission Agenda

The Boone County Commission will hold its regular meeting at 1:30 p.m. tomorrow in the commission chambers of the Boone County Government Center at Eighth and Ash streets. The meeting is open to the public. PURCHASING

City P&Z Agenda

The Columbia Planning and Zoning Commission will hold its regular meeting at 7 p.m. tomorrow in the council chambers on the fourth floor of the Daniel Boone Building, 701 E. Broadway. ROLL CALL

The Tribune's View ; Cps Math

The local argument over the teaching of mathematics in Columbia Public Schools reached a crescendo this week as school board member Ines Segert moved her son from public school to Columbia Independent School, where she is convinced he will receive better math instruction. She and her husband, who is on the University of Missouri math faculty, had enrolled him in what they thought would be an effective traditional algebra class at West Junior High School, only to be disappointed at his progress.

Trib Talk

Jim Robertson, managing editorCall 815-1776 to contribute. "I see the Boone County assessor indicates our property taxes are not going to go down even though home prices are falling. And the reason is because the system is rigged. We'll never see a decrease in property taxes because they have it all fixed so if home prices go down, they simply change the tax rate to make sure they have an even revenue stream. What this means is your taxes will never go down. They can only go up. What a crazy ...

Political Correctness Doesn't Resolve Underlying Issue of Trust

Clint Eastwood has had it up to here with sensitivity. "A lot of people are bored of all the political correctness," he recently told The New York Times. "The country has come a long way in race relations, but the pendulum swings so far back. Everyone wants to be so" ... and here, he gave a make-my-day grimace ... "sensitive."

To Think Straight, Distinguish Facts, Opinion

Many professors, mostly on the liberal side of the political spectrum, use their classrooms to proselytize students. I have taught economics for the past 40 years and challenge anyone to find even one student, among the thousands who went through my classes, who can say, "Professor Williams used his class to proselytize students." While acceptable at most universities, it is nothing less than academic dishonesty to do so. Like others, I have my own values and opinions, such as those expressed...

Tribune Column ; Roundabout Trip Takes Man to Once-Busy Rails

John Norbury is one of those fortunate folks you read about - a guy who woke up one day and swapped his coat and tie for something a lot more comfortable and has enjoyed every minute of his new life for almost two decades. John Norbury is also a railroad man. No, he never worked on the railroad, even as a section hand, and no, he's not a major memorabilia collector. He had hoped as a young man to push an engine down the high iron but had a form of colorblindness that ended his railroad career...

A Thai Curry Take On Pork Ribs

This fuss-free pork rib dinner is jammed with the savory heat of traditional Thai curries. Most of the ingredients are widely available in the ethnic aisle of large grocers. If you prefer less heat, omit the dried red chilies. THAI RED CURRY SPARERIBS

Tips for Storing Your Leftovers After the Holiday Season Ends

In the midst of the holiday season, it's easy to get overwhelmed by food. Baking holiday cookies means extra butter, eggs and flour in the kitchen. If you're hosting a party, your refrigerator, freezer and pantry are stuffed. Add to this the food gifts you receive and the leftovers you take home from social events, and it's hard to find an empty spot in the fridge. This is when food storage becomes all the more important. If you don't pack items properly, the result is spoiled food. So grab a...

Columbians Buying Giant Storage Firm ; Partners Reach Deal in Canada.

A Columbia company is close to sealing a more than $400 million deal to take control of Canada's largest self-storage company. TKG-StorageMart Partners, a partnership that includes the Burnam family of Columbia and local businessman Stan Kroenke, already owns 19 percent of Alberta, Canada-based InStorage Real Estate Investment Trust and has reached an agreement to acquire the rest of the company.

Homemade in Minutes ; Warm Up Chilly Nights with Cups of Hot Cocoa

There is nothing better on a cold day in January than a cup of hot chocolate. I grew up on a dairy farm where hot cocoa was made with dry cocoa powder, sugar and milk brought fresh from the dairy barn. Our large pasteurizer bucket held 2gallons of milk. Often, mother would fill it and to take to 4-H or church events, using the hot milk from the processing. These days, we are spoiled by quick cocoa mixes. I used them, too, until I learned that the first ingredient listed on cocoa packets was s...

Show-Me Eats ; Bread Machines Knead a Second Look

Like the Dallas Cowboys and liquid nacho cheese, there exists no middle ground with bread machines. Partisans whip them out every day to restock the breadbox with earnest cheer ("What about rosemary bread today?"); others relegate them to a dark corner of the basement where they wait, forgotten and forlorn, with only the distant freedom of a garage sale to look forward to.

Chefs Offer Tips for Cooking On a Tight Budget

Having trouble balancing your food budget while prices go though the grocery store roof? Before you start clipping coupons or stocking up on canned soup, consider looking toward a more unusual source for tips on cooking on shoestring budget: professional cooks at successful fine dining restaurants. Restaurants are on a tighter budget than almost any household. If cooks don't precisely control food costs, they'll be left without a penny of profit at the end of the day. At restaurants where ing...

Wolfgang's Kitchen ; Bite Into a Good (Carb) Pizza

When it comes to the most widespread New Year's resolution - to cook and eat more healthfully - it sometimes seems as if the only thing we know for sure is that we don't know anything for sure. Take carbohydrates, for example. All kinds of experts suggest all sorts of things about the role carbohydrates should play in our diets. For a while, we were told to cut way down on all carbs (foods high in starches or sugars), pretty much limiting our diets to proteins, green vegetables and dairy prod...

Recipe of the Week ; One-Pot Meal Dresses Up Pork Chops

Spicy tomato salsa perks up pork chops in a one-pot meal that takes only 15 minutes to cook. If you keep the ingredients on hand - pork and peas in the freezer, fresh pasta in the fridge, salsa on the shelf - you won't have to go to the market. This is also a great way to spice up leftover ham, roast beef or turkey from your holiday dinner. Just warm the meat in a skillet and add salsa.

Cookin' with Hoss ; and Now: The Season of Downsizing

Have you heard of the 12 days of Christmas? Well, yesterday was the 12th day, or what used to be the feast of the Epiphany, when the three wise men came to Bethlehem. These days, that is pretty much relegated to the song, with items that are mostly seen only in fairy tales. In reality, it's time to purge the last of the cookies, chocolates - and, if you're one of the dubiously lucky few - the fruitcakes. It is now time to face the cold, hard fact that you need to begin the task of working on ...