Information Please

The following is from a letter Ameren sent FERC about some of the grants from the$5 million fine.

Web sites that will go on line in mid-January and mid-April, along with
the visitor guide, will be ready in time to benefit travel and tourism businesses during the
2008 peak season. The two major web sites that will be developed under this Grant will
be completed by January 15, 2008

My question is, does anybody know if these web sites are up and running?

Lower Reservoir

AmerenUE has announced that, beginning Feb. 1, the lower reservoir and campground at its Taum Sauk hydroelectric plant will reopen for limited public use from 7 a.m. Friday until 7 p.m. Sunday. The areas will remain closed at all other times.

That's progress!

New Site

I've finally got a new web site up and running. Still need to post more product, but give it a look and let me know if you find any big mistakes.

Tourism

Now that Matt won't have any pressing duties in 2009 maybe he, Melanie, and Branch can come camp out at the Shut-Ins for a week. Then on their way home to Springfield they could stop by the new state park in Shannon County. It could happen!

Buried Treasure

While looking for something else I found this page of letters about the Ameren settlement. I found the last letter very interesting reading.

No Surprise

The Reynolds County judge approved the settlement between Ameren and the State, so except for a few Don Quixote's out there it's probably all rebuild from now. I loved the quote from Don Barnes in this article. Remember this is the guy that just last month said that the settlement was unacceptable and the court house was not going to take this laying down.

I hope that everyone that has been interested will keep an eye out for where the money goes. So far there has been no accounting for the $5 million FERC programs and now we have $7 million for tourism and economic development and $5 million for education. I sure hope the education money goes for college scholarships and not "smart boards" and laptops and other "educational candy" that will be underused and old technology in a few years.

We're OK

The first siren went off at 5:30pm and the last siren turned off at 11pm. We had one storm land about abouy 6 miles west of us and another was to the NE. Then at 3am the sirens started again. This was the strongest wind at our home, but we had no damage. My son just called and said he found a lot of shingle damage and his back fence was damaged by the wind. So we're OK. More later.