Ashcroft to voters: Do your duty

Cole County Clerk Steve Korsmeyer retrieves ballots from the box after Sherrie Burnett feeds it through the reader. Prior to each election, staff from the Cole County Clerk's Office, along with a representative from the two major political parties, run ballots through each machine to test that every option registers.

Study: Port to make big economic impact

Four partners in a project that could build a Missouri River port to one of two sites near Jefferson City are moving closer to formally applying for a port authority with the Missouri Department of Transportation. An economic impact report completed in mid-June for the Jefferson City Area Chamber of Commerce, the Cole County Commission, the Callaway County Commission and Jefferson City says either proposal could create 4,385 jobs throughout the 25-year life of the port - or about 175 jobs per year.