KFRU Business Spotlight 0 July 11th and 12th, 2026. This week we talk about the Columbia Chamber of Commerce with VP of External Affairs, Lily Boyd White. Lily bring sus up to date on the new President/CEO of the Chamber Abdul-Kaba Abdullah. The new leader is in a transition period finishing up his work in the St. Louis area to working in Columbia to get set to go. His official first day will be August 3rd. Lily also helped us look back at the Chamber activities through the end of the fiscal year on June 3oth. We also hear this week from Eric Kopinsky, who is the Director of the I-70 Improvement Program for MODOT. Eric brought us up to date on many parts of the massive project, telling us some segment s that are completed, while other parts are getting underway, quickly moving the project forward.

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KFRU Business Spotlight -- June 27th & 28th, 2026. Columbia Police Chief Jill Schlude and Columbia Fire Chief Brain Schaffer join me this week to discuss the upcoming vote on a 1 cent sales tax increase for citizens of Columbia, that will appear on the August 4th ballot. The approximately 38 million dollars that would be collected each year would be put into a special separate fund to be used only for additional personnel, equipment and infrastructure for these to public safety entities, allowing them to reach specific standards of service not met because of underfunding for a number of years. Both Chiefs have been presenting educational presentations to many local groups over th past few weeks.

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KFRU Business Spotlight -- June 13th & 14th, 2026. Mayor Barbara Buffaloe joins us to talk about the Public Safety One Cent tax that will be on the ballot for the August Election. We go back to the beginnings of the conversations about the need for additional funds to support both the Columbia Fire Department and the Columbia Police Department that started unofficially nearly 10 years ago. The specific official conversations and the vote by the city council to place it on the August ballot came in the last year of so. The council voted to put the question on the August ballot in May. We talk about the needs of both the fire and police departments. We also talked about push back from some groups in Columbia that seem to have made the tax vote a referendum on the abilities and shortcomings of the Mayor, City Council and City Manager, instead of a solution to a problem identified by community conversations recently.

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KFRU Business Spotlight -- June 6th & 7th, 2026. Jacque Sample, 3rd Ward City Councilwoman, joins us to talk about her first year (and a bit) on the Columbia City Council, telling us about how the council works together as a team. We asked about her favorite parts of the job and the negative points as well. We talked extensively about the one-cent sales tax up for a vote of the citizens of Columbia on the August ballot. We also talked about the 3rd Ward happenings, including a new City Park on Mexico Gravel Road.

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KFRU Business Spotlight -- May 23rd & 24th, 2026. Eric Kopinski, the director of the Improve I-70 Project, joins us to talk about the ongoing activity as the widening of I-70 to three lanes both ways continues. Eric talks about some parts of the overall project that have been completed, some just in the last days. We also talk about the big parts of the project which will be happening in the next few weeks. Kopinski always acknowledges the impacts that the program has on the Columbia area and across the state, but is always positive about the safety and driving ease the updates will bring to local residents When it all done. We also talk big picture about driving on I-70 this summer both to the west and to the east from COMO.

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KFRU Business Spotlight -- May 16th & 17th, 2026. This week, Lili Vianello of Visionworks Marketing tells us about Relocating in Columbia, a recent acquisition for her company. The magazine focuses on stories on many exciting people, places and things in Columbia. We cover many topics including the start of Visionworks and the changes that have occurred through the years. We also talk to Kate Harry and Patsy Stem from Up to Good. Up to Good is the new name for Assistance League of Mid-Missouri. It's the same organization with a different name. The membership decided to go independent and -- after a lot of long hours and interesting conversations -- the new name was introduced this past week. We talk about all the things that remain the same, including the main fundraising vehicle, Upscale Resale in the Broadway Shops.

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KFRU Business Spotlight -- May 9th & 10th. Gregg Busch, the 50th District State Rep and John Martin, the 44th District State Rep, join us for this week's Spotlight to talk about the latest news as this year's session nears its end. We cover the new budget and its effect on Missourians, talk about income taxes versus sales taxes and educational funding. All that information with the perspective from both sides of the aisle politcally.

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KFRU Business Spotlight -- May 2nd & 3rd, 2026. Nick Foster joins us this weekend after an announcement on Thursday, April 30th, that he intended to resign from the Columbia City Council effective June 12th. Nick's wife, Candace Kuby, PhD, is a Deputy Provost at the University of Missouri and has taken a job as the Dean of the Education school at Georgia State University in Atlanta. Nick and Candace and their daughter will be moving to Georgia in July. Because there is more than a year remaining in this term on the council, the city council will decide when a special election will take place. We also talk to Nick about the upcoming sales tax for public safety discussion

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