State briefs 3/8/04

N.M. governor: Gephardt should be vice president

HANNIBAL, Mo. -- Democrat John Kerry should select former rival Dick Gephardt as his running mate, said New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson -- another often-mentioned vice presidential prospect. Campaigning for Democrats in Gephardt's home state, Richardson said the St. Louis congressman brings experience and regional balance to the national ticket. Gephardt ended his second presidential bid in January after finishing a distant fourth in the Iowa caucuses. He has since endorsed and campaigned nationally for Kerry, the Massachusetts senator who is his party's presumptive nominee. Richardson, the former congressman, energy secretary and United Nations ambassador, has been a fixture on speculative lists of possible Kerry running mates.

Festivities mark transfer of Louisiana Territory in 1804

ST. LOUIS -- This week, St. Louis kicks off six days of festivities marking the bicentennial of one of the sweetest real-estate deals in U.S. history. On March 9 and 10, 1804, in ceremonies in the Creole village of St. Louis, the Louisiana Purchase officially became a part of the United States. Events will kick off Tuesday with the release of early civil St. Louis court records written in French and Spanish from the time of the Louisiana Purchase. Activities also include a scholarly symposium, exhibits, a "Creole Corridor" tour led by French colonial scholars, dances, music festivals, religious services and a Bicentennial Ball on Saturday. On Sunday, closing ceremonies at the Mississippi riverfront will bring together heads of state of France, Spain, and the United States, as well as the president of the National Congress of American Indians.

Tuition makes up large part of MU budget

COLUMBIA, Mo. -- Student fees and tuition are budgeted to make up a larger portion of the University of Missouri system's budget than state appropriations for the first time in recent memory. The operating budget for the four-campus system assumes 44.6 percent of its revenue will come from students for the fiscal year that began July 1. State appropriations, meanwhile, are expected to constitute 42.2 percent. The numbers represent a substantial shift from just four years ago, when state appropriations were 58 percent greater than tuition revenue.

-- From wire reports