Juana Summers

Posted November 20, 2008: Happy Thanksgiving to all - I am thankful for having an amazing semester at the Capitol, voting in my first presidential election and learning more in 10 weeks of reporting than I have in my entire J-School education.  As for me, I'm currently working on a large transportation feature, as well as several profile pieces. Couldn't be more excited to get to some spot news though!

Posted November 13, 2008: This was a short week for those of us who work at the Capitol, as the entire place shut down for Veteran's Day.  However, I finished up a story I had been working on regarding editorial endorsements and why they matter. I think it's a good post election analysis piece in an area of the state that's so consumed by journalism. I'm getting excited because I have several things on the back burner that I'll be able to turn out that have to do with Governor-elect Nixon's new administration. 

Posted November 7, 2008: Most people think the end of the elections means that reporters get a moment to breathe, but that's not the case here in Jefferson City.  Reporters are now working on covering Missouri's first democratic governor in quite some time, as well as his new administration.  This week, there has been a theme of bipartisanship at the Capitol, but it'll be interesting to see how this plays out with a new dynamic here in Jeff City.

Posted October 28, 2008: This semester has been a whirlwind of news coverage, and next week will only accelerate the pace of life here at the Capitol.  Today, I focused on newspaper's endorsements of political candidates and how/why they matter, and when they don't, as well as some of the allegations of liberal media bias along with that.  It's pretty fascinating, especially in an age where online news is becoming a staple and the "dead tree product" is simply a historic artifact.

Posted October 23, 2008: This week, it's all been about campaign TV ads and looking at how they've changed during the course of this election season. The Attorney General campaign, that was once considered fairly cordial because of the senators working relationship with each other, has gotten to be more cut-throat and has had more attack ads.  One just was introduced today.  While I'm very excited to be covering things up until the election, for me everything is hinging on Nov. 4. 

Posted October 16, 2008: There's only a little bit of time left until the election and I couldn't be happier! I have been out on the campaign trail with Sen. Gibbons to get to know him a little better for a full-length profile on him as a person. I think Sen. Gibbons relationship to this campaign as well as his rise in Missouri politics is specifically interesting, and it'll be great to report on it.

Posted October 3, 2008: This week, I set out on the campaign trail with Sen. Mike Gibbons, attorney general hopeful.  In Columbia on Monday, Gibbons unveiled his proposal for a new cyber crimes unit in the Attorney General's office, a move the Koster campaign said was unnecessary because sitting Attorney General Jay Nixon had already had a similar plan in place.  I also started working on an extensive piece about interstate reconstruction in Missouri.  This weekend, I'm taking some time off, but I'm excited to hit the campaign trail again next week!

Posted September 24, 2008: It's been quite an intense couple of weeks in the news, as Americans have plunged headfirst into a time of economic uncertainty.  With me reporting on campaign finance extensively, it's been quite an adventure.  This week, I investigated further campaign finance contributions made after the limits were lifted, as well as wrote a story on high numbers of voter registration and Missouri.  We marveled over the more than four million voters registered in Missouri, and the gains in some of the largest counties while Boone County, where I live, saw a 20 percent decrease in voter registrations.  Thursday, it's back to the grindstone with more reporting on the Gibbons campaign of the Attorney General's race.

Posted September 9, 2008: This week, broadcast reporter Jack Cunningham and I sat in on a very tedious joint committee hearing about pre-need funeral policies, and the impropriety of one St. Louis-based company that administers these policies.  This company, according to one funeral director in Columbia, is essentially responsible for 95 percent of pre-need funeral contracts in Missouri. It's fascinating how state law can affect every single area of life, and how if the law is not exactly explicit in its' intent, bad things can happen. On Thursday, I will be a panelist on the Missouri Press Association sponsored debates for gubernatorial candidates along with Representatives from the Columbia Daily Tribune, Columbia Missourian and KOMU 8 News.  I will represent KBIA 91.3 FM, where I produce a weekly business show.  The forum is moderated by David A. Lieb, Associated Press reporter.  It should be a fascinating experience to see the candidates in action and to see their policies on some of the most pressing issues side-by-side.