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MSU Professor: same-sex marriage issue puts Koster in ‘awkward’ political position

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The issue of gay marriage seems sure to feature in the 2016 race for governor in Missouri after four same-sex couples were married last week in St. Louis. Their unions set up a challenge to Missouri’s constitutional ban on gay marriage that Democratic Attorney General and gubernatorial candidate Chris Koster must defend.

Missouri State University Department of Political Science head Dr. George E. Connor

Missouri State University Department of Political Science head Dr. George E. Connor

In a statement Koster says he supports “marriage equality,” but has indicated he will defend the state’s laws.

Missouri State University Political Science Department head, professor George E. Connor, says he thinks the situation could come back to hurt Koster more than help him.

“I think Mayor (Francis) Slay’s action really may come back to hurt Attorney General Koster more than help him,” says Connor. “Although we’re talking about years down the road before the general election, it is difficult for me to see a statewide movement towards legalization of gay marriage so much that it would help Attorney General Koster in a statewide bid. Right now I don’t see that.”

AUDIO:  Connor elaborates on whether the gay marriage issue hurts Koster in the 2016 gubernatorial race

Conner says there is evidence that Missouri voters are leaning more conservative now than they did when they enacted a constitutional ban on gay marriage a decade ago. He says that is the product of population shifts as much as ideological shifts.

“The decline in Missouri population is in predominately Democratic areas and the growth in Missouri population is in predominately Republican areas,” says Connor. “I think that puts a Democrat running for statewide office in a pickle, basically.”

AUDIO:  Connor is asked whether it is definitively known where current Missouri voters stand on the issue of same-sex marriage

Connor says no matter what happens in the next two years, Republicans will make an issue of how Koster argues the state’s case.

AUDIO:  Connor on what Republican campaign managers will look for in Koster’s defense of the same-sex marriage ban

The issue is also expected to attract the attention, and the funding, of interest groups from outside Missouri.

“As we have seen in other states where gay marriage has been questioned or challenged, the money begins to pour in from outside interest groups,” says Connor, “So it becomes not an issue being decided by the citizens of Missouri so much as it is decided by the money of outside interest groups and this is going to be true on both sides of the issue.”

Connor says Koster’s statement on the four marriage licenses issued to same-sex couples last week in St. Louis attempts to speak to voters on both sides of the issue, and portions of it will likely be used in campaigns both for and against him.

MSU Researcher studying immunity in grapes

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Missouri grapevines saved the European wine industry in the 1800s. Now a Missouri State University researcher is building on that work for broader results.

Professor Laszlow Kovacs (courtesy, Missouri State University)

Professor Laszlow Kovacs (courtesy, Missouri State University)

When a rootstock of Missouri grapevines were sent to Europe, they helped save that continent’s wine industry from a non-native pest that they were already immune to. Professor Laszlow Kovacs says that is inspiring as he now studies the grape’s ability to adapt to different conditions, which is built into its genome.

“The grape is an excellent model plant for woody perennial species, so for fruit trees for example, because it has a relatively small genome so it’s much easier to study the genome.”

Kovacs says agriculture is threatened by climate change, and says the answer to that challenge could be found in the grape genome.

“Wild plants already solved this problem because they adapted to different environments. Some plants are adapted to very, very dry and hot conditions. Others adapted to moist conditions. So, we have to figure out how these plants did that, what is in that genome that enabled them … what genes enabled them to live under these conditions.”

Grapes at Stone Hill Winery in Hermann (photo courtesy; missouriwine.org)

Grapes at Stone Hill Winery in Hermann (photo courtesy; missouriwine.org)

He says if it can be learned what makes grapes able to handle difficult conditions, that information could breed crop plants that will thrive in them. He expects to have some findings to publish next year.

Bears And Blue Jays Battle In Springfield

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Coming off a 1-1 road swing this week, Missouri State returns to JQH Arena tonight to host the Creighton Bluejays in a nationally-televised game on ESPN2. The first-place Bears are tied with Indiana State atop the Missouri Valley Conference standings after a last-second loss in Terre Haute on Wednesday. [Read more…]

Gov. Nixon greets Special Olympics torch runners at Capitol

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The Law Enforcement Torch Run raises hundreds of thousands of dollars each year for Special Olympics Missouri. This year’s total is $1 million.

Special Olympics torch run Gov. Nixon today greeted Special Olympics athletes and members of Missouri law enforcement agencies at the Capitol in Jefferson City as they carried a torch from Columbia on its way to the Summer Games in Springfield. Appropriately, the festivities took place at the Law Enforcement Memorial on the northside of the Statehouse; a moment of silence was held for Missouri’s fallen heroes.

Military police units of the Missouri National Guard joined law enforcement officers for the run; 33 runners carried the torch down Highway 63 on this first leg of the trip to Missouri State University and Drury University, accompanied by police escorts and a team of organizers and supporters.

The big torch will be lit at the opening ceremonies Thursday, May 28. Highlights include performances by Yakov Smirnoff and the Sons of Silver Dollar City.

Nearly 1,000 volunteers will be on hand, but organizers say more are always needed.

The olympic games are open to the public. [ More photos ]

Missouri susceptible to sinkholes

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Missouri is the cave state, but it might also be the sinkhole state for the same reason.

Massive sinkhole in Nixa Missouri’s unique geological attributes mean the state is more susceptible to sinkholes.

Missouri’s limestone foundation and moist conditions are a perfect recipe for sinkholes, says Doug Gouzie is a geology professor at Missouri State University.

He says there are two kinds of sinkholes, one is a "gradual solution" sinkhole, which is when a flat surface starts to gently sink over a number of years. The other is a collapse sinkhole, which can be pretty dramatic.

Two years ago in Nixa, a sinkhole gave way, swallowing a car and a garage into a 75-foot deep pit. But Gouzie says that’s rare, especially the farther north you are.

Glacial deposits from the last ice age contributed to a more stable foundation north of the Missouri River.

He says rainwater, which gains acidity as it seeps through soil and plant roots, actually dissolves the limestone and absorbs the calcium, causing carbon dioxide gas to bubble into the atmosphere.

Gouzie says over millions of years, that process can remove quite a bit of rock.

Gouzie says it’s sort of like squeezing a pillow — if too much weight is put on top of the rock, the empty spaces will be squeezed out. When this happens, the land surface sinks in.

Missouri is one of many states where sinkholes are common, which can partially be attributed to the limestone foundation, according to Gouzie. Sinkholes form wherever carbonate rocks, such as limestone, are found. About 60 percent of the rock underneath Missouri is carbonate, according to the Missouri Geological Survey, compared to 20 percent worldwide.

After the rock has dissolved, a fracture or cave forms, he noted.

"Sort of like a bean bag chair or a down pillow – if too much weight or pressure is put on top of the rock, the empty spaces will be squeezed out. When this happens, the land surface sinks in and we call it a sinkhole. Sometimes it just makes the ground sag in a gentle low spot that develops over the years, while other times, it collapses in all at once – like the one in Nixa," Gouzie said.

Since the incident in Nixa, sinkholes have gained attention around the area, and Gouzie hopes to help people understand how sinkholes form, how common they are and how uncommon the collapses like the one in Nixa are. His lecture will also include information on warning signs in their own yards that may help them avoid sudden sinkhole collapses or surprise problems.

"There is no particular place I can point to right now and say it is at greater risk than another. I am working on trying to understand what factors might increase the risk – why the limestone dissolves faster in one area rather than wearing away all the rock evenly – and hope to be better able to identify areas at risk."

Visit Missouri Geologic Survey Web site for an explanation of how sinkholes form in Missouri: http://www.dnr.mo.gov/geology/geosrv/geores/sinkhole_formation.htm

U.S. Geological Survey fact-sheet about sinkhole collapses in Missouri: http://pubs.usgs.gov/fs/2007/3060/pdf/FS2007-3060.pdf

U.S. Geological Survey – Rolla Mid-Continent Mapping Center list of projects:  http://mcgsc.usgs.gov/geo_research.html

Springfield Plateau Grotto Web site with educational information on caves, how they form, and how to manage land with caves and sinkholes:  http://www.spgcavers.org/education.html

American Geological Institute Web site with available powerpoint slideshow or full booklet (pdf file) about "Living with Karst" landscapes:  http://www.agiweb.org/environment/publications/karst.html

Jessica Machetta interviews Dr. Doug Gouzie [Download/listen Mp3]

Some MoHELA projects once suspended back on track

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Many college capital improvement projects put on hold have been given the go ahead by the Nixon Administration to move forward.

Five public universities were told by the Nixon Administration that planned capital improvements on their campuses had to be put on hold. Now, the governor’s office has given the green light to several of them.

"We would love to be able to say that we have the money in the MoHELA fund to complete projects. But unfortunately that’s not the case," says Scott Holste, a spokesman for the governor.

The Nixon Administration has completed a review of the MoHELA projects, formally known as the Lewis and Clark Initiative. Money from the sale of MoHELA assets has fallen more than $107 million short of expectations. Projects at Missouri State University in Springfield, the University of Central Missouri in Warrensburg and Truman State University in Kirksville that had been suspended will now resume.

Other projects, most notably the proposed $31 million expansion of the Ellis Fischel Cancer Center on the University of Missouri-Columbia campus, remain suspended.

Governor Nixon, as Attorney General, vocally opposed former Governor Blunt’s MoHELA program. Nixon stated the program diverted money away from MoHELA’s primary mission, providing low-interest student loans, and was based on uncertain funding. Still, as governor, Nixon is committed to seeing the Lewis and Clark Initiative projects through, according to Holste.

"But, the fact of the matter is, the previous administration had committed and proposed spending funds that just do not exist," says Holste.

 

Below is the news release from the governor’s office outlining the projects affected.

 JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. – Gov. Jay Nixon announced today that his administration’s review of the MOHELA project list is complete. The review was needed because MOHELA has failed to make its payments to the state. The remaining balance on the MOHELA list proposed by the previous administration is $107,109,486 more than is currently in the MOHELA fund.

The projects which will be funded right away and the remaining balance on those projects are:

· Harris – Stowe State University – Child & Parent Education Center $9,252,803

· Linn State Technical College – Heavy Equipment Technology Building $4,393,526

· Lincoln University – Jason Hall $983,406

· Missouri Southern State University – Health Sciences Building $14,301,775

· Missouri State University – Jordon Valley Incubator $2,686,579

· Missouri Western State University – Agenstein Science & Math Halls, $25,112,770

· Northwest Missouri State University – Plant Biologics Center, $12,896,195

· Missouri University of Science & Technology – Engineering Building $1,138,249

· University of Missouri-Kansas City – Dental Equipment $249,075

· University of Missouri-Kansas City – Pharmacy and Nursing Building $9,487,485

· Community College Maintenance & Repair $790,171

· Missouri State University – Siceluff Hall $7,170,597

· University of Central Missouri – Morrow & Garrison Building $12,081,895

· Southeast Missouri State University – Autism Center $2,427,856

· University of Missouri-Hundley-Whaley Center $184,721

· University of Missouri – South Farms $2,395,651

· University of Missouri-Plant Science Building, Mexico (partial funding) $2,500,000

· Truman State University – Pershing Hall (partial funding) $10,000,000

The fund currently has a balance of $118,319,642 and is estimated to have a balance of $266,888 after the above projects are completed.

The projects that will be suspended until MOHELA makes additional payments or additional funding sources can be identified include:

· Southeast Missouri State University-Incubator · University of Missouri-St. Louis -Benton & Stadler Halls

 

· University of Missouri – Delta Research Center

· University of Missouri – Southwest Education & Outreach Center

· University of Missouri – Graves-Chapple Facility

· University of Missouri – Horticulture & Agroforestry Center

· University of Missouri – Wurdack Farm

· University of Missouri – Thompson Farm

· University of Missouri – Greenley Learning & Discovery Park

· University of Missouri – McCredie, Midwest Clayplan

· University of Missouri-Columbia- Ellis Fischel · Missouri State University – FREUP Phase 1

Download/listen Brent Martin interviews Scott Holste (10 min. MP3)

Nixon defends suspension of MoHELA projects

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Governor Nixon has defended his decision to cut off funding for capital improvement projects planned by five universities.

Nixon made the defense during a news conference in Columbia, which took a big hit with the suspension of a $31 million expansion of the Ellis Fischel Cancer Center. The Office of Administration outlined a total of 13 projects within the University of Missouri system that have been suspended and are under review. Projects have also been suspended at Missouri State University in Springfield, The University of Central Missouri in Warrensburg, Southeast Missouri State University in Cape Girardeau and Truman State University in Kirksville.

Nixon told reporters that the projects were suspended, because the sale of Missouri Higher Education Loan Authority (MoHELA) assets hasn’t generated the money expected. Nixon said the money simply isn’t there to go through with the projects at this time. He said his administration attempted to target projects that weren’t under construction or, at least, were not that far along.

The decision caught state lawmakers off guard. Legislators with projects in their district were hand-delivered letters detailing the decision Wednesday morning.

It was well-known that Nixon didn’t favor the Lewis and Clark Discovery Initiative devised by former Governor Matt Blunt. The initiative relied on money generated by the sale of MoHELA assets. Nixon claimed the program hampered the ability of MoHELA to fulfill its primary role: providing low-interest loans to college students.

The letters sent to the five institutions warn them not to proceed with the capital improvement projects unless they receive written authorization to do so.

(Matt LaCasse of KFRU provided the audio from the Columbia news conference.)

Download/listen Gov Nixon defends MoHELA project suspension (:30 MP3)

Tuition rises at MSU

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The Missouri State University Board of Governors has approved a tuition increase for the 2008-2009 academic year – from $179 to $186 per credit hour for undergraduate students.

That’s the rate for Missouri students. Out-of-state undergraduate fees will increase from $349 to $362 per credit hour. Resident graduate students will see their fees rise from $206 to $214 per credit hour, while non-residents will pay $418 per credit hour instead of the current $402.

MSU Christmas Tree Controversy Settled

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The tree came down, then it went back up. Now, a Christmas tree at the center of a Christmas controversy remains on the Springfield campus of Missouri State University along side a menorah.

Missouri State has several Christmas trees on campus, but this particular tree is placed in the building that happens to house the Religious Studies Department. Faculty had requested a meeting on how to honor all religious faiths. The tree went up before the discussion took place and a Jewish member of the faculty complained.

Discussions are on-going about how to create a display that will educate about different holiday traditions throughout the year.

Former MSU Prof Cannot Sue School

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A federal judge says a former Missouri State University dance professor cannot sue the University because a suit against the school would be a suit against the state of Missouri. The judge says the U.S. Constitution says an individual cannot sue the state.

The judge also has described ex-professor George Cron’s lawsuit as "self serving, speculative guesswork."  He says Cron’s claims are vague and don’t prove his reputation was damaged.