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Monumental power—Missouri’s only nuclear plant plays a major role in state’s energy supply

Posted on April 13, 2015 by Jacob Luecke 3 comments

Deep inside Missouri’s only nuclear energy center, you can actually feel power being generated. Steam pulses through the plant’s giant turbine column—spinning at 1,800 rotations per minute, causing a deafening hum and a slight, but palpable, vibration. “That’s what you’re feeling,” says Barry Cox, senior director of nuclear operations, standing beside the turbines. “They’re just massive, absolutely massive.” Everything feels

Powering Missouri

Bean Power — Demand for clean, green soy-based fuel is creating growth in Missouri

Posted on April 13, 2015 by Jacob Luecke 2 comments

Early on, it must have come across as an eccentric idea—using soybean oil to power vehicles. Yet, that’s the idea the Missouri Soybean Merchandising Council and University of Missouri researchers were pursuing in the early 1990s. The soybean council had decided to invest in finding a way to create a new market for cheap, plentiful soybean oil. It turns out,

Powering Missouri

Acquisitions power growth at Laclede

Posted on April 13, 2015 by Jacob Luecke 3 comments

In three short years as president and CEO, Suzanne Sitherwood has nearly tripled the number of customers The Laclede Group serves. Sitherwood joined the public utility holding company in February 2012, after she was recruited by The Laclede Group’s board for her proven acquisition prowess at Atlanta Gas Light Company in Georgia, where she had worked for 30 years and

Powering Missouri

Missouri’s renewable energy goals: Are answers blowing in the wind?

Posted on April 13, 2015 by Jacob Luecke 2 comments

In 2008, Missouri voters approved a ballot measure to require the state accelerate its efforts to adopt renewable energy sources. The measure means that Missouri’s investorowned utilities must get 15 percent of their power from renewable sources by 2021. Two hydroelectric power plants and the expansion of solar power will help Missouri’s utilities meet those goals. But to make it

Powering Missouri

As solar production expands, a new discussion emerges about its worth to Missouri

Posted on April 13, 2015 by Jacob Luecke 2 comments

Solar power is a small but growing source of energy in Missouri. Solar power installation expanded by more than 7,000 percent in three years, from 2009 to 2012, according to the Missouri Division of Energy. And solar capacity has expanded by more than 150 percent each year since Missouri voters approved a renewable energy measure in 2008. The strong growth

Powering Missouri

Renewable energy: What lies ahead for Missouri’s energy mix?

Posted on April 13, 2015 by Jacob Luecke One comment

The Missouri Division of Energy is developing the state’s first comprehensive energy plan, which is set to take effect May 31, 2015. The plan was proposed in response to new energy regulations by the Environmental Protection Agency that focus on reducing carbon pollution and lean toward renewable and sustainable energy sources. In order to meet the new Clean Power Plan

Powering Missouri

The power of coal

Posted on April 13, 2015 by Jacob Luecke One comment

(Click to see the full size graphic)

Powering Missouri

GIF, JPEG or PNG? How to choose a file format wisely

Posted on March 2, 2015 by Jacob Luecke Leave a comment

Seeing is believing, the saying goes. That phrase dates back to the 17th century, but it means more now than ever. In our image-driven culture, we place value on what we can visualize at a glance. That’s why tweets are 35 percent more likely to be re-tweeted, Facebook posts are 85 percent more likely to be “liked,” and whole websites

Technology

Discrimination law changes could finally pass this session

Posted on March 2, 2015 by Jacob Luecke Leave a comment

For more than a decade, Missouri businesses have faced an uphill battle in lawsuits over whether discrimination played a role in firing decisions. Currently, an employee who brings a retaliation action against an employer must prove only that discrimination contributed in some manner to the adverse action. In most other states and in federal court, the plaintiff employee must prove

Human Resources

Kirksville—North Missouri’s education capital

Posted on February 24, 2015 by Jacob Luecke 2 comments

Kirksville is one part rural community, one part regional center, and one part college town. In this city of more than 17,000 people, agriculture, medicine, and education converge to create what you could call the education capital of rural northeastern Missouri. “It’s one of the very few communities anywhere that someone can start out in preschool and end up having