Overheard

A record number of bulls are slated to go up for sale Oct. 30 during the Southwest Missouri All-Breed Performance Tested Bull Sale at the Springfield Livestock Marketing Center. Up for auction are 85 bulls between 13 months and 21 months old, including Angus, Charolais and Limousin breeds weighing more than 1,600 pounds. The semiannual sale, at 6821 W. Independence Drive near Interstate 44 west of Springfield, is in its 65th year. The sale is sponsored by the Southwest Missouri Beef Cattle Improvement Association and is under the supervision of University of Missouri Extension.

MSU Funding Record

External funding for Jordan Valley Innovation Center led to a record $18.1 million awarded to Missouri State University during fiscal 2006. This year’s awards increased 9 percent from last year, and it’s the first year MSU exceeded $18 million. The funding, $12.9 million from federal agencies and $4.2 million from state agencies, came from 151 grants and contracts awarded to faculty and staff. State contributions were up 49 percent. Other funding came from nonprofit agencies, corporate sponsors, county/city agencies and international sponsors. JVIC, which includes MSU’s Center for Applied Science and Engineering and Center for Biomedical and Life Sciences, received $9.8 million from 10 federal sources.

Voter Guides

The League of Women Voters of Southwest Missouri have made available voter guides for the Nov. 7 election. The guides can be picked up for free at all Springfield-Greene County libraries and other locations including senior centers and college libraries. The 44-page guide contains candidate information for Greene and Christian counties as well as for all statewide races and ballot issues. The guides also may be downloaded at www.lwvsgf.org.

Bass Pro’s $6M Purse

The Bass Pro Shops 500 on Oct. 29 at Atlanta’s Motor Speedway will issue a record purse of $6,030,505. Bass Pro’s sponsored race, part of the NASCAR Nextel Cup series, serves as grand finale to three days of racing. Other races, including Craftsman Truck Series events, bring total purse monies to $8.5 million.

Slice of Nice

The Springfield Police Officers Association and the Greene County Sheriff’s Department raised more than $2,700 during the national Cops on Top of Doughnut Shops event benefiting the Special Olympics. On Sept. 29 and 30, law enforcement representatives took to the roofs of the Springfield Krispy Kreme shops collecting donations from patrons. The event drew interest with a band, face painting and raffle items donated by area businesses.