Hometown Matters

By Pauline Masson –  When it comes to Halloween in Pacific, forget spooky stories and scary stalkers. For the past twenty years, one man – who more closely resembles Santa Claus than a ghost or goblin – has reinvented the best memories of his childhood into an ever-growing phantasmagoria of Halloween that staggers the imagination. This year, 2022 there are 100 lighted, waving creatures, from an international diaspora of Halloween ideas, in Dan McClain’s yard at the corner of South … Continue reading “Fantastic Monsters and Friends Welcome Trick or Treaters to Annual Halloween Party at Dan McClain’s House on Payne Street”

By Pauline Masson – If you would like see how a sleepy little river town can be reinvented as a modern high tech, high toned, tourist Mecca, go to Augusta. When my husband Bob and I decided to spend Sunday afternoon there I was just looking for a ride in the sunshine after a six-month bout of long COVID. I certainly had no thought of writing a travel blurb. But when what has transpired in Augusta, I couldn’t resist. I had … Continue reading “Augusta MO and its Wineries Reinvented Like a Setting for an Epic Movie”

By Pauline Masson – Barbara Alt’s surprise “keep your enemies closer,” speech at the September 20 board of aldermen meeting may have turned the tide for residents of Candlewick Lane, who for the past three months – and for the most part – have opposed her family’s request to rezone their property. Facing the board of aldermen as they considered a measure crucial to her family’s future but opposed by her neighbors, Barb Alt made an astonishing request that may … Continue reading “Surprise Petitioner’s Speech May Have Turned the Tide On Candlewick Lane Gate“

By Pauline Masson – In a four-three vote, with the mayor breaking a tie, aldermen Andy Nemeth, Jerry Eversmeyer and Rick Presley voted to deny a request from new alderman Scott Lesh for a quarterly report on city revenue and expenditures. The action took place at the Oct. 4 board of aldermen meeting, with perhaps half a dozen persons in attendance. Lesh said he needed the information because he feels uninformed when he is asked to approve a large expenditure … Continue reading “Mayor Breaks First Tie to Shut Out New Alderman’s Request for Quarterly Financial Report”

By Pauline Masson – Fairytale and folk lore aficionados may recall the whimsical Danish tale The Emperor’s New Clothes. In the Hans Christian Anderson story, a narcissistic emperor is promised a magnificent, albeit invisible, set clothes by a pair of swindlers. As the emperor stands perfectly still while his dressers pretend to slide new articles of clothing onto his body, the hoaxers exclaims how magnificent the emperor looks in his new suit. As a result the vain emperor blissfully parades … Continue reading “Homeless in Pacific ~ The Emperor’s New Clothes”

By Pauline Masson –  In their lists of Civil War battles, mainstream historians left no record of a Battle of Pacific. But three generations of Pacific families hold onto the stories their grandparents told of the Civil War soldiers who came here to guard the Pacific Railroad, form military regiments, train, recover from wounds in military hospital – and – on October 1, 1864, to fight. In the early morning hours of that day a rag tag horde of poorly … Continue reading “Battle of Pacific, October 1, 1864 / Kept Alive in Stories Told by Grandparents”

By Pauline Masson – Who knew that a battle over rezoning a piece of land that had everybody questioning everybody else’s motives would morph into an appeal for help for rezoning opponents and for Pacific’s most unconnected residents – the homeless? Barb Alt caught everybody off guard at the Sept. 20 board of aldermen meeting. In a brief but heartfelt appeal she argued that a little compassion could bring out the best in city leaders. Why not do the right … Continue reading “Bringing Out the Best / Candlewick Residents & Homeless Get Help from Unexpected Corner“

By Pauline Masson – Citing “probable” zoning violations on a property at 313 East Orleans, owned by local builder Ray Gullet, Police Chief Scott Melies asked aldermen to deny Gullet a permit to build a new storage building on a different property. In an unusual series of events Melies made the request at the September 20 board meeting as aldermen considered Gullet’s application for a conditional use permit to construct a storage building at 210 South Third Street. Before addressing … Continue reading “Police Chief Targets Builder / Tries to Squash Building Permit / Cites “Probable” Violations on Another Property”

By Pauline Masson – Property owner Barbara Alt said my previous blog on the attempt to rezone her property located off Industrial Drive from non urban to light industrial got one word wrong. It was an important word. I quoted her as saying in the public participation of the board of aldermen meeting that she had tried for twelve years to develop the property. What she said was she had tried for twelve years to divide the property, which was … Continue reading “Alt Property Preserves Glimmers of Pacific History / Amateur Athletics and Industrial Development”

By Pauline Masson – Police Chief Scott Melies is trying to convince Pacific aldermen to make it illegal for anyone to reside in housing not connected to city water and sewers in Pacific. No tents, campers, RVs,  etc.  He is so invested in his view that he forcefully debated the issue with aldermen during an aldermanic discussion at the Sept. 7 meeting. Make no mistake, the chief went beyond offering his professional view and pushed back repeatedly – arguing his … Continue reading “Homeless in Pacific / Police Chief’s Call to Criminalize Homeless Raises Alarm Bells”