Endnotes
August 05, 2009
On the Job: K-9 Unit
Ron Hall and his canine companion, Leah, work as a team to find drugs that have been stashed in cars and homes. Collecting more than $2 million in cash and street value of illegal substances such as marijuana, methamphetamine, cocaine and heroin for the city in the past three years, Hall and Leah have been what some might call effective at “finding.” “Working with her is the best job in the entire department,” Hall says. “She makes me look good.”
Vox Asks Columbians
What’s the worst texting experience you’ve had?
July 29, 2009
On the Job: Fair Board President
Forty years ago, little Harold Cunningham walked his first Cheviot ewe into the Boone County Fairgrounds. He’d been waiting for this moment since school let out for the summer. Several years later, Harold swirled up, down, around and around with his date, Wanda, on the fair’s Rock-O-Plane ride. Harold let himself get sick to his stomach for the girl he’d eventually marry.
Vox Asks Columbians
July 22, 2009
On The Job: Hot Dog Vendor
Beth Mallory has a front-row seat to all the drunken debauchery that spills out of Columbia’s downtown bars. Perched on a stool by the hot dog stand that she runs with her husband, Tim, Mallory hands out hot dogs like a nurse offering a soothing cure for the midnight munchies.
Vox Asks Columbians
July 15, 2009
On the Job: Barista
Kurt Heine has been working as a barista at Lakota for nine months, and the relaxed atmosphere has become home for him. As an expert on coffee flavors and mixes, his job is to make customers delicious drinks. As smells of French vanilla and hazelnut permeate the air, Heine starts grinding, pouring and serving customers with nothing less than a smile.
Vox Asks Columbians
July 08, 2009
On the Job: Local Produce Purveyor
Deanna Pickering talks in a series of exclamatory sentences occasionally punctuated with a bubbly laugh. A mother of two grown sons, she and husband Sam Pickering own and manage the 10-acre Pick and Pick Plantation located at 5910 Rangeline Rd. Here, visitors get to pick seasonal produce such as corn, asparagus, strawberries and pumpkins. Her infectious enthusiasm for locally grown produce will have you convinced that picking fruit and vegetables fresh off the vine is the only way to go. Face it — once you’ve met Deanna, you’ll never be able to go back to those cold, impersonal Wal-Mart aisles again.
Vox Asks Columbians
What is your favorite ballpark snack?
July 01, 2009
On the Job: Fireworks Wholesaler
Midway has an eclectic assortment of businesses and organizations: Larry’s Boots, Midway Heights Baptist Church and Phillips 66 Gas Station, to name a few. The small community at the intersection of I-70 and Route 40 is also home to Spirit of ’76, a large distributor of wholesale fireworks. As the man in charge of the operation, John Bechtold has been lighting the skies since 1987. Although most Americans look forward to the Fourth of July as a relaxing holiday, this Saturday will be Bechtold’s busiest work day of the year.
June 24, 2009
On the Job: Eco-Friendly House Cleaner
Two brown-eyed girls rush to open the door of their brick house, yell for their daddy, Cam Laird, and dash away. Once upstairs, the down-to-earth dad and owner of Casa Bonita Cleaning Services relaxes in his living room adorned with Ecuadorian pottery and photos of his kids. Laird and his wife run their “green” cleaning business and regularly service over 100 homes in Columbia.
Vox Asks Columbians
June 17, 2009
On the job: Bouncer
Many people see bouncers as gatekeepers to their favorite bars. They are trusted with allowing entrance to the legal. Among the ranks of Columbia’s nightlife guardians is Trent Kesterson. Kesterson has been a bouncer for numerous clubs in Columbia and mainly works to ensure everyone has a good night; that means no one drives home obliterated or gets injured at the bar. Embarrassment, however, is something he can’t control.
Vox Asks Columbians
June 10, 2009
Vox Asks Columbians
What do you like about Columbia in the summer?
June 03, 2009
On the Job: Private Investigator
Between hanging with her little girl and practicing martial arts, Melinda Kidder scopes out scenes to get the dirt on unanswered questions and finds out some unwanted information, too (like public officials taking a leak). No, she’s not a stalker or a creep but a highly experienced private investigator who has never been caught in her line of work and doesn’t plan on it either.
Vox Asks Columbians
What is the best advice you have ever received?
May 27, 2009
On the job: Trophy engraver
From beakers to bedpans, frames to footwear, Hervey has engraved a ton of wacky stuff for her son’s business. With her smiling blue eyes and lively laugh, her insight goes past engraving and extends to life’s problems, her grandchildren and flip-flops.
Vox asks Columbians
What was your worst summer job, and why?
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