Crime conundrum
The annual Uniform Crime Report submitted to the FBI by the Columbia Police Department on Wednesday showed a 34 percent increase in violent crimes over the past year. In all, 617 violent crimes were reported in 2007 compared with 459 in 2006 and 478 in 2005. Violent crimes include murder, rape, robbery and aggravated assault. Columbia saw the greatest increase in aggravated assaults; there were 443 last year, up from 321 in 2006.
Columbia police in November joined with the Missouri Highway Patrol, the FBI and the Boone County Sheriff’s Department to create a Violent Crimes Task Force to address the crime surge. That task force disbanded at the end of the year. Columbia police Capt. Brad Nelson said the task force made 42 felony arrests and 107 traffic stops, but this was never intended to be a permanent fixture.
Even as it fights the crime wave, the Columbia Police Department is at the center of a debate over the potential creation of a civilian oversight group that would review public complaints about police behavior, many of which allege racial profiling. A task force is examining whether civilian oversight is a good idea.
How can Columbia police effectively confront an increase in crime and at the same time address citizens’ concerns about its methods?
School spending
The Columbia School Board unanimously approved “budget reduction parameters” last week that aim to save about $5 million for the school district, which has drawn on funding reserves for this year’s budget but faces a potential $10.3 million deficit next year.
The parameters outline broad categories of potential budget cuts, including layoffs, salary freezes and delays in the purchase of textbooks and computers. The board also is using an online survey to let school employees weigh in on what they could live without. School administrators have declined to release the survey results to the public.
“They’ll certainly be taken seriously,” board President Karla DeSpain said of the survey results. “They carry weight. The staff has a good view of what needs to happen.”
In addition to budget cuts, the board has placed a 54-cent increase in the property tax levy on the April 8 ballot. If voters approve it, the increase would place the district’s total levy at $5.21 per $100 assessed valuation. It would generate an additional $10.26 million, school administrators estimate. School board Vice President Darin Preis has said that if the levy doesn’t pass, the district will be forced to cut the budget even more.
In what areas do you think the school district can save money?
“Gimme, gimme” a break
A bill that would reduce tuition for Missouri combat veterans to $50 per credit hour drew harsh debate in the state Senate. Basic tuition at the UM System is $236 per credit hour. That means a veteran would pay $750 for a 15-credit-hour semester, while a “regular” student would pay $3,450.
State Sen. Charlie Shields, R-St. Joseph, tried to amend the bill to require that the state cover the cost of the veterans’ price break. Shields said he was worried that if the state didn’t pay the bill, it would cause the university system to shift the cost to other students by increasing tuition.
State Sen. Jason Crowell, R-Cape Girardeau, adamantly opposed the idea.
“It infuriates me to no end that you’re yielding to the ‘gimme, gimme, gimme’ university,” Crowell said. “We give enough money to that university that they could put another chair in a classroom and educate those veterans accordingly.”
UM System Spokesman Scott Charton said the university wants the legislature to make a fiscally responsible decision and be responsible for its own ideas. He said the system shows its respect for veterans through many financial aid systems already in place.
Who should cover the cost of tuition breaks for military veterans?
Popularity produces pressure
The True/False Film Festival broke records this week by selling 1,375 passes for its Feb. 29-March 2 festival. That’s nearly double the number of passes it sold in any year of the documentary festival’s five-year history. About 750 passes were sold last year. It’s the first year True/False had to cap the sale of passes.
Pass holders get to reserve tickets ahead of time, while those without passes must wait in line for tickets to the films they want to see. Individual tickets go on sale at noon on Feb. 28.
The goal of the festival isn’t to increase attendance. Rather, it’s to increase clout by growing in prestige and attracting bigger and better films. Wilson and co-founder Paul Sturtz say they want True/False to remain primarily a community affair. They’ll do that by making only a certain number of total tickets available.
“I just got back from Sundance,” Wilson told the Missourian several days ago. “We don’t want to be that festival.”
Other than restricting ticket sales, how can the True/False Film Festival balance its growing popularity with the desire to remain a community event?
Superpowerful superdelegates
After this week’s primary elections in Maine, Maryland, Washington, D.C. and Virginia, Democratic presidential candidates Hillary Clinton and Barak Obama remain in close contest for the party nomination, at least in terms of pledged delegates. Pledged delegates are determined by congressional district and popular votes. As of Wednesday, Obama had 1,223 delegates and Clinton 1,198.
More than 2,025 delegates are needed to win the Democratic nomination. Because all delegates’ votes carry the same weight, the 794 superdelegates could tip the scales in either direction. Superdelegates are Democratic Party leaders who are free to vote for any candidate at the Democratic National Convention in August. They aren’t required to declare ahead of time whom they plan to support.
Superdelegates from Missouri differ on how they view their role. Some, such as Democratic National Committee member Mark Bryant, say they will vote the way Missouri voted. Others, such as Missouri Democratic Chairman John Temporiti, say they will be guided by their own opinions. Superdelegates, which were created after President Jimmy Carter’s loss to Ronald Reagan in 1984, have not yet made the difference in selecting a Democratic nominee.
Should Democratic superdelegates vote their own consciences or take their cues from the results of their states’ primary elections and caucuses? Why?