Hometown Matters

Throwback to a 400 Year Old Cityscape  and a Legendary Dreamer of Pretty Places By Pauline Masson – Candlewick Lane, off South Hwy N, has been in the news lately as a neighborhood whose residents are pestered by big trucks skirting through their residential street to reach industrial plants to the east. But to architecture buffs and hometown image aficionados there is brighter side to this pretty place. This one-block long neighborhood of eighteen distinctly different homes is not a … Continue reading “Candlewick Lane, An Architectural Treasure”

Pleas to Get This Right Put Aldermen in the Spotlight By Pauline Masson – A proposed plan to develop a new industrial park on the Barb Alt property off South Denton Road has triggered a four-way discussion that could impact the future of planning and zoning in the city. The property owner, the developer, neighboring property owners and the City all have vested interests, questions and concerns about the future of this 48-acre piece of farm land. The big question … Continue reading “Alt Property Development Tests the Future of Planning and Zoning in Pacific”

By Pauline Masson – Beginning this week, Aging Ahead – through the State Department of Health and Senior Services – will support the week day lunch program at Pacific’s Tri County Senior Center, 800 West Union Street. Adults age 60 and older will be offered a “healthy and nutritious” lunch at no cost. The center will accept and appreciate a suggested donation of $4 for lunch but it is not necessary. Aging Ahead, formerly the Mid East Area Agency on … Continue reading “Big News: State to Pick Up the Tab for Week Day Lunch at the Tri County Senior Center”

By Pauline Masson – After two years of half measures due to the COVID pandemic, St. Patrick’s Old Rock Church homecoming picnic returns to the full splendor of a country fair on Sunday, August 21. Game booths, bingo, children’s midway, chuck-a-luck, country music, and a fried chicken and roast beef dinner worth waiting for return. Also due to COVID concerns, there will be one change to the dinners. Rather than the family style platters of food passed among diners, meals … Continue reading “St. Patrick’s Homecoming Picnic August 21 Returns to the Full Splendor of a Country Fair”

__________________________________________________________________________________________ By Pauline Masson On a 60-foot tower, atop the highest spot in the Pacific region, are four radio antennas that enable emergency agencies in eight counties to relay messages using ham radio. Midwest Testing Laboratories, which is located on the former Nike Missile Base Radar site, provides space for this unique communication hub as a community service. Brown Dog Networks, which is also at the site provides Internet service for the service. The story of  this modern radio relay … Continue reading “Pacific Ham Radio Tower on Signal Hill Connects First Responders and Hospitals in Eight Counties”

___________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Who knew that real pro wrestling in the school gym could be so much fun? About 120 wrestling fans of all ages were swept into the hijinks and hilarity of modern day wrestling when the Pacific Lions Club hosted a Summer Sizzler last Saturday in the St. Bridget of Kildare School gymnasium that brought Dynamo Pro wrestlers to Pacific. “It’s phony as can be and it’s all made up but it was so much fun,” said Lion Pam Manual. … Continue reading “The Fun of Pro Wrestling Had its Day in the Lions Club Fundraiser in St. Bridget’s School Gym”

__________________________________________________________________________________________ By Pauline Masson – When the 2022 school starts August 23, every school building in the MVR-III district has a positive balance in its school meals accounts, district officials say, thanks largely to a Pacific Eagles fundraising effort that has drawn support from the entire community. When students who are not certified for free school meals arrive in the cafeteria without cash in hand or in their school meal account, they start to accrue school meal debt. Until recently, … Continue reading “Community Credited With Ending School Lunch Debt as Eagles Enter 4th Year of Fund Raising”

I haven’t posted any new stories on Hometown Matters for a couple of weeks because a mysterious malady, that acted a lot like COVID, put me out of commission. In the interest of full disclosure I should say that I may not have contracted COVID. But chances are good that I did. My body was wracked with extreme fatigue, pain, confusion, loss of memory and impatience. As a bona fide workaholic the guilt of doing nothing only made matters worse. … Continue reading “COVID Like Malady Slows Hometown Matters News”

___________________________________________________________________________________________________________ By Pauline Masson – Johnny Havinear has written a book. It took him a year, sitting at the computer at the Scenic Regional Library, using one finger to peck out one word at a time.  He gained proficiency on the keyboard, remembering by heart where each letter was located. He was not so sure about spelling. Every few minutes, for the full year, he looked up from his task and asked any library staffer who happened to be walking … Continue reading “New Book Details Life Growing Up with Disabilities, and Enough Love and Learning to Share”

_____________________________________________________________________________________ By Pauline Masson – When driving along South First Street, if you happen to look towards Liberty Field and catch a glimpse of a row of vehicles and pop-up tents at the east end of the field and see a flurry of uncertain motion out on the grass, you are probably seeing one of the most engaging free spectator sports to arrive in our town. I dare you to not feel a little jolt of excitement when a man … Continue reading “Disc Dogs Offer High Flying Spectator Sport in Liberty Field and Spectators Are Welcome”