• Robin Williams – The Face of Inner Pain

    It seems nearly impossible to fathom that someone as brilliant and funny as Robin Williams could be so tortured emotionally that he takes himself out of the human race. Yet, last week, one by one, each of us across the whole globe, fixed our attention on the sad news of this beloved actor’s suicide. Sometimes, a blip of news in the vast sea of information we are bombarded with daily, seems to slap us so hard in the face that we can almost hear the collective groan rippling through space and time. Then we all try our best to reckon with reality. And what a devastating reality Robin Williams’ death reveals - that someone who, by his very nature, brought

    Aug 26,
    - by Toni Becker

  • Can City’s MU Justify Its Fuel Factor at 2 cents per KWhr?

    I've always wondered about the expense of our electric bill and how much it appears to be higher this year than the year before. I went back to the MU website and found that their rates page hasn't changed since May 2006. However, we all know that our bills keep going up. The reason? The "Fuel Factor" charge which is on our bill. The "Fuel Factor" is an additional charge per kilowatt hour on top of your normal rate. Right now, the Fuel Factor is 2 cents. So when the City claims their rates are around 6 cents per kilowatt hour, that doesn't include the Fuel Factor so it's actually 8 cents per kilowatt hour. I've looked back on past

    Apr 26,
    - by Brian Becker

  • Council Throws Away $250,000 For “A Good Relationship”

    Legal Battle Has Been Waged Update: Here is the petition filed: CSE v City of PB. They will add the citizen's name to the petition in the coming days. They also hope to have the injunction hearing next week. At Monday night's (4/15) meeting, Utilities Manager Bill Bach stood before City Council and said the bids for the EPA-mandated Catalyst/Silencers for the City's generators had been evaluated and requested the Council disregard the low bid. Bach went on to explain that the second lowest bid was the one he recommended the city accept. Bach said that the low bidder, CSE Enterprises - a Missouri-based company from Rolla, had designed the access panel 10 foot in the air and could be a

    Apr 19,
    - by Brian Becker

  • Council Breaks Voting Rules And Denies Historical Mayoral Vote

    At tonight's City Council meeting the City Clerk, Pam Kearbey, announced that nominations were open for Mayor. Johnny Brannum and Susan McVey started speaking at the same time and Kearbey recognized McVey. She nominated current Mayor, Ed Degaris. Kearbey asked for a second and Lloyd Matthews seconded the nomination. Kearbey then gave the floor back to Brannum who stated that the city had just made history by seating Angela Pearson and Betty Abshear which made three women serving on the City Council at the same time. Brannum went on to state that the city should make history again, tonight, by honoring the 4-term City Council member, Robert Smith, and elect him to be the first African-American Mayor of our 140+

    Apr 15,
    - by Brian Becker

  • What Could Have Doomed The City’s Appraisers?

    Over the past 2 months, I've made a dozen Sunshine requests for public records from the City. In late March I requested "Appraisal Information on properties" and gave the address for the Flipper property, the Whelan, Tinsley and Car Wash properties. Three business days later I paid the clerk a bit over $20 dollars and received appraisals for three properties and a denial for the Whelan appraisal stating it was pending litigation and therefore not available under Sunshine laws. The city didn't provide me with actual appraisals, but, instead provided me with "Appraisal Reviews". Two names showed up on the reviews, Richard Eggers and Connie Roe. I called Smith and Co on two separate occasions to verify their employment. What

    Apr 14,
    - by Brian Becker
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