Hometown Matters

     By Pauline Masson – BLE Landholdings, LLC (Beltline) has notified the City that it is withdrawing its zone change application to legalize land use for a data center on the McLaren property south of the city. The application and plans for a required public hearing have been tabled on the planning and zoning (P&Z) commission meeting agenda since January. At the August 4 board of aldermen (BOA) meeting aldermen passed a motion to advertise and move forward with … Continue reading “Beltline Changes Direction: Wants Zone Change Application Removed From All Meeting Agendas / Still Wants to Use Pacific Waste Water”

By Pauline Masson – If you’ve ever contemplated the story of the Shroud of Turin, and wondered if it really could be the burial cloth of Jesus Christ, you need to meet Mark Antonacci – a Eureka attorney, published author, history aficionado, former agnostic, and one of the best arguers I’ve ever encountered. The shroud, most Christians know, is a 14 ft x 4 ft strip of linen that displays an image of a man, who has the obvious scars … Continue reading “New Test Evidence Shows that the Shroud of Turin is Definitely 2000 Years Old and He Can Prove it, Eureka Researcher Says”

By Pauline Masson –  The Pacific Board of Aldermen is skating on thin ice right now as a one-year moratorium on future data centers in the City may or may not cancel the application submitted by Crooked Creek Farm and BLE Beltline Enterprises to build a data center near Pacific. Aldermen discussed the fine print of a proposed one-year moratorium on future data centers in the city at the July 21 board of aldermen (BOA) meeting during the first reading … Continue reading “Aldermen Approve On-Year Halt on Data Centers, But Uncertainty on Beltline Application Persists: Attorney Offers Two Options”

By Pauline Masson –  After the new city attorney’s ‘on the spot’ rewritten ordinance, the planning and zoning commission (P&Z) voted 7 to 0 to recommend that the board of alderman (BOA) declare a twelve- month moratorium on data centers. The action took place at the July 14 P&Z meeting.  New city attorney Joe Bond with Vogel Cunningham and Rose, P.C. and Tyler Gillum, the firm’s attorney who will be assigned to represent P&Z attended the meeting and sat on … Continue reading “P&Z Votes to Recommend ‘Written on the Fly’ Twelve Month Moratorium on Data Centers”

By Pauline Masson Three months into her first term Mayor Debbie Kelley reached a crossroad of sorts. She rallied three aldermen to her view and was able to break a tie vote to move an issue forward. The issue was an ordinance that was on the agenda to be read twice during the meeting. The ordinance approved the appointment of the law firm of Vogel, Cunningham and Rost, P. C. to serve as city attorney at a rate of $165 … Continue reading “Wonders Never Cease: Mayor Breaks Tie Vote to Hire New City Attorney”

Former presiding commissioner Ed Hillhouse, who is seeking re-election to the seat – says the current commissioners should vote no on both data centers. He says there is not enough real information about the data centers, and worries that commissioners have already decided how to vote on the two projects and are trying to figure out how to present or defend their decision. Mr. Hillhouse who has served as superintendent of the Meramec Valley R-III, school district, Franklin County presiding … Continue reading “Hillhouse Says County Commissioners Should Say No to Both Data Centers”

By Pauline Masson – Franklin County commissioners want to take taxes that two proposed data centers would pay to the Meramec Valley R-III School District and the Pacific Fire Districts and distribute those funds to all school districts and fire districts in the county. The Commission has no regulatory authority to do this, but the fact that they would announce it publicly captured the attention of Hometown Matters and seasoned political observers. In a front page article in the May … Continue reading “The Data Center Saga Just Got Crazier”

  By Pauline Masson –  This weekend offers residents and visitors a chance to celebrate the 100th birthday of Historic Route 66, says Pacific Mayor Debbie Kelley. A Big  BBQ Battle, Bluegrass and Berry Festival will take place at Liberty Field park on Friday, Saturday and Sunday, May 29, 30, 31. All day activities will include Bluegrass and Country music, food trucks, vendors, a beer tent, games, photo ops and a kids zone. “The event is billed as a Route … Continue reading “BBQ Battle This Weekend is a  Chance for Residents to Celebrate Route 66 Birthday, Mayor Says “

  By Pauline Masson – Speakers at the May 5 board of aldermen (BOA) meeting show that the proposed data center on the Cooked Creek farm near pacific is still in the works – even though Franklin County denied a rezoning request for the project.  Three speakers, Corbett Shannon, Jessica Nicodimo and Dana Bowers pleaded with aldermen Tuesday evening  to find a way to shut the proposed data center down once and for all. But officials pointed out it is … Continue reading “All Quiet on the Data Center Front, But Beltline’s PUD Application Is Still On the Books”

By Jo Schaper I don’t know if you all are familiar with the Ranger Rick magazine of the National Wildlife Federation. I’s a kid’s environment and outdoors magazine, featuring Ranger Rick, a raccoon that teaches kids about the outdoors. A friend of ours (who is definitely not well off) has a 6 year old who is engaged in trying to win a competition sponsored by the NWF and the magazine. This kid is incredible. He recently (with his mom’s help) … Continue reading “Meet Benton, Worried About the Future, Wants to be a National Wild Life Ranger”