Economy

The St. Louis-based company's shares tumbled $1.28, or 9.7 percent, Wednesday morning. About 155 employees will lose their jobs.

Much of the public comment echoed questions that remained unanswered at last week's meeting between the Downtown Leadership Council and Regional Economic Development Inc.

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Following a presentation by Regional Economic Development Inc., members of the Downtown Leadership Council as well as community members posed questions regarding the proposed enhanced enterprise zone in Columbia.

The Regional Economic Development Inc. is pushing for an enhanced enterprise zone to create jobs and foster economic growth in Columbia. But others worry the term "blighted," featured in the state statute that creates these zones, is not truly reflective of the large parts of the city it might be applied to.

Employers added 243,000 jobs in January, a sign of progress to some people but a possible illusion to others.

Two state organizations, Missourians for Responsible Lending and Missourians for a Raise, have teamed up to gain support for their causes against payday loans and a low state minimum wage.

Nonprofit legal advice programs nationwide experienced a $72 million cut in funding from Congress since 2010, which resulted in cutting 833 staff members across 135 programs nationwide. 

Economic indicators for Columbia, Boone County and Missouri, including unemployment rates, weekly and yearly wage rates, cost of living and population comparisons.

Missouri's unemployment rate fell two-tenths of a point between November and December 2011.

The Missouri governor is expected to focus on jobs and other economic issues.

With the down economy, families across the U.S. are adjusting their holiday shopping plans to help save money.

While much of America worries about the possibility of a double-dip recession, farm profits are expected to spike by 28 percent this year.

St. Peters-based MEMC Electronic Materials Inc. will cut about 1,300 jobs, including about 250 in the U.S., because of a weak demand in the solar energy and chip markets. 

The Mexico, Mo., company said it will suspend brick production and lay off most of the company's 34 hourly workers.

Construction on the $20 million development is scheduled to begin in April. The adjacent parking garage is scheduled to be finished either before or at the same time as the hotel.

Columbia is trying to narrow the "technology gap" for public housing residents, starting with Paquin Tower.

On Nov. 18, Congress repealed a ban on funding for federal inspection of the slaughter of horses. However, the future of horse slaughter in Missouri is still uncertain. 

The prices-paid index, which examines the cost of raw materials and supplies, rose 4.9 percent in November to 60.9 percent. Any score above 50 suggests economic growth in the next three to six months.

Peanut butter prices are up, but donations are down, and that makes it harder for food banks to get and distribute the child-friendly, family-favorite source of protein. 

With the holiday shopping season underway, retailers are coming up with other names for days, such as Green Tuesdays, Pink and Blue Fridays and Small Business Saturday.