Intersection

The Check-In: Disaster Communications

In a crisis, it’s more important than ever to get good, accurate information. We need information from our local and national government and from health officials. We need accurate, reasoned information from the media. And we need all of this while many things are unknown, or changing very quickly — whether it’s what we know about the virus itself, who qualifies for testing, government recommendations about social distancing or wearing masks in public. It can be hard to keep up, and it can also be hard to tell what’s true from what’s fake.

The Check-In: Reading Through A Crisis

For today's episode as we head into the weekend, we try to think about how great it would be to simply escape right now -- to head to new horizons, a new place or time, and meet new people. While actual travel is out of the question for most of us while we shelter-in-place because of the coronavirus pandemic, books can still take us places. They lift us up and take us right out of the anxiety, stress and fear we might be experiencing.

The Check-In: City Response

As confirmed cases of the coronavirus continue to rise in Missouri, the city of Columbia has responded (as many cities are in the absence of a statewide directive): by implementing its own stay at home order. The goal is to slow the spread of the virus and keep our community safe, but this solution comes with its own complications. The directive has meant deciding which businesses are essential and which need to close their doors and send their employees home. Difficult decisions for a city leader.

The Check-In: Business And Economic Impact

While cases of COVID-19 are on the rise across the country and here in Missouri, a second tragic crisis is also unfolding around us. Residents have been ordered to stay-at-home to keep everyone safe, which also means that businesses across the nation and here in our Mid-Missouri towns are having to close. With those closures, business-owners are seeing their dreams shuttered, hopefully only temporarily. And people who work in restaurants and bars, among other industries, are seeing their jobs disappear. Missouri, along with the rest of the nation, has seen a recording-breaking jump in unemployment claims

The Check-In: Health And Humanities

In today's episode, we look to the weekend and consider whether some of our favorite extra-curricular pursuits can help us through this coronavirus crisis. We ask our audience what they’re reading, listening to and watching that is getting them through this crisis. Maybe there’s even something that’s more than just an escape - that’s actually helped provide meaning and solace during difficult times. And how are musicians and artists faring during a time when galleries are closed and concerts are cancelled?