WELCOME TO 2006

Resolutions? Glad you've got 'em. We summon forth only one resolution for this new year: stay alive.

Predictions? Of course we've got 'em. Wouldn't be CHATTER without the chatter and idle speculation. And so we unveil the round bullets and predict that, in 2006:

•The Springfield Cardinals will make the playoffs in their second season.

•Greene County Democrats will pick up at least one more legislative seat in the Missouri General Assembly. Sara Lampe will no longer be the Lone Ranger for local Dems.

•State Republicans will continue to distance themselves from Gov. Matt Blunt as they face their own campaigns for reelection. One prominent GOP type from southwest Missouri will publicly criticize Blunt for hurting Missourians with budget cuts.

•A petition drive to order up a state audit of the City of Springfield will gain steam during this election year. The audit will happen and state officials will find no malfeasance. But some proles won't like it when they learn about housing subsidies for police officers.

•Springfield's airport will continue to lag behind the Northwest Arkansas Regional Airport, forcing local airport officials to do more than drop the "regional" designation from its name.

•A Springfield radio station will experiment with local progressive news-talk programming. It will fail miserably.

•Intelligent-design advocates will win the chance to tell Missouri public-school students about ID. The governor will veto the legislation.

•Voters will approve a state push for stem-cell research. Pro-lifers will sue in federal court.

•Violence in downtown Springfield will give pause to investors and spark a "can't-we-all-just-get-along" conference among do-gooders.

•Hammons Field will hold its first concert. It will be a Christian-music show.

•Rep. Roy Blunt will be held to under 58-percent of the vote in the 7th District, making the Senate race between Jim Talent and Claire McCaskill a real nail-biter.

•Street Talk, a new cable news show, will debut in February and make waves across southwest Missouri.

OK, that last one's a gimme. Happy New Year.