To be able to say "Noggle," you first must be able to say "Nah."
When we first moved to southwest Missouri, the branch library in the next town over was in a storefront just over from the Walmart. They were building a new branch, and it opened not long after we settled. I took my young boys to several story time activities there, and it was our home branch […]
Dome at America’s Center’s financial future uncertain as county refuses additional funding: The Dome at America’s Center has an uncertain financial future, according to an audit report released Wednesday by Missouri State Auditor Scott Fitzpatrick. The facility doesn’t have sufficient funding for maintenance over the next decade, the audit found, estimating a $67 million funding […]
Ah, gentle reader: You have caught me out. The lack of posting last week was because I was on vacation in Florida. I scheduled a couple of posts, and I brought a laptop mainly to have off-site backup but also in case I wanted to write (I didn’t) and maybe post (clearly, I didn’t). I […]
Opinion: The convention center: We aren’t there – yet: At the same time, I really believe in the people of Springfield. I’ve seen what we can do when we come together. We know how to collaborate, solve problems and do great things together. He forgives you, Springfield. Please try do do better next time. Soon.
Ah, gentle reader. As you might have gleaned from the tone of the blog lately, I’ve been fighting vainly the old ennui. But last week, I had a magical moment which might have set things aright, or at least made things a little better. My beautiful wife had submitted, almost off-handedly, a talk for the […]
Opinion: Springfield didn’t reject the convention center; it rejected the process A new process, more money slopped around, and next time it will pass!
Voters reject proposed tourism tax to fund downtown Springfield Expo and Convention Center: “We respect the decision of our voters and appreciate the time they took to learn about the proposal and make their voices heard. Our next steps will be to take what we have heard and really focus on the priorities of the […]
Springfield lodging tax increase once again on the ballot to fund convention center It has not been six months since the last time rejected this same proposal. The vested interests who will benefit from this source of public funding will not be denied. And presumably the longer it takes to get the funding improved, the […]
Springfield city leaders aim get lodging tax increase back in front of voters this Spring: The future of a new Springfield convention center is still being considered. Last November, voters shot down a 3-percent hotel-motel tax increase. Now, the city is hoping to provide the information needed to present the issue again to voters on […]
The Kansas City Chiefs are moving to Missouri? That’s not the way I heard it. Actually, it’s the other way around, and the actual article says such. But never mind; I am a blogger, and I have a headline to slag on. But. You know I’ve slagged on Springfield’s ongoing drive for a taxpayer-funded conference […]
Hotel tax increase ‘still on the table’ as city reconsiders how to fund convention center Year after voters rejected one casino, another moves forward Actually, the latter is different; it is an Indian casino which can go ahead. Last year, voters voted down an amendment that would allow a non-Indian casino. But it’s of the […]
Springfield voters say no to increase in the city’s lodging tax to help fund a convention center Ah, but like a movie villain, it will rise and shamble on, and voters will have to reject it again and again until they vote the right way and add to the marketing slush fund.
Springfield’s forgotten palace: A cautionary tale for today’s convention center dream: Springfield’s current push to build a modern convention center complex echoes a similar campaign that began 120 years ago and resulted in an impressive, innovative facility. However, today’s promoters should hope that history doesn’t completely repeat itself, because that early 20th-century convention center was […]
Ah, gentle reader. If you’ve been here a while, you know I spit frown upon the convention center arms race racket, where “consultants” come up with projections about how, if only municipalities spent millions of dollars now (and every few years from now), a Periclean golden age would befall their cities. Or, at least, consultants […]
Inside the indoor athletic facility arms race that’s sweeping the Ozarks: A day after Republic voted to pass a bond issue allowing it to build a multi-million dollar indoor athletics facility, the phones rang at the high school all day. The calls weren’t from any angry residents who might have attempted to vote the issue […]
A meme on Facebook. As I mentioned in 2016, I took my boys too the old neighborhoods where I lived in Jefferson County: So we hit St. Louis late in the morning, five hours ahead of our hotel check-in time, so I took the long way in, through Jefferson County where I could show the […]
Chevelle show comes home to Springfield: Apparently, not that Chevelle: The longest-running Chevelle show in the country is coming back to its roots in Springfield this week. The 32nd Midwest Chevelle Regional Car Show will be held from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Friday and Saturday at the Oasis Hotel and Convention Center, 2546 N. […]
A week or so back, a Facebook friend, well, a 1980s BBS friend who I met once or twice thirty years ago, posted that he’d be at the St. Louis Comic Con in St. Charles, Missouri, this past weekend. A light bulb went off over my head: I could take my kids up there for […]
City Sees Private Investment Boom In Downtown Springfield: The sights and sounds of construction are hard to miss across downtown Springfield, and city officials say that’s because private investment has hit a high. The city’s Economic Development division put out a “Heat Map” that shows development in the Queen City of the Ozarks’ urban core […]
A consultant says that Springfield can turn $40 million tax dollars into a cool $1 billion: A consultant’s report estimates that a $90 million investment in the Springfield Expo Center and adjoining facilities could increase local spending over the next 25 years by more than $1 billion. Chicago-based consultant Rob Hunden, who will present the […]