ashland

Ashland’s Board of Aldermen is continuing its pursuit to impeach one of its board members.

Ashland residents may see a new YMCA -- that's because a committee said it wants to raise $500,000 in the next 5 years to jump start a new branch of the Jefferson City Area YMCA. 

Spokesperson, George Hartsfield, of the Jefferson City Area YMCA, is overseeing the committee’s proposal. He said he wants the public to know the $500,000 isn’t necessarily going to build a new gym just yet.

Ashland Alderman Jeff Anderson was reinstated Wednesday after a one-month suspension. 

Since May, five Ashland city officials have left their positions. Now, the mayor decided to step down on Wednesday.  

It had been a long three months for Ashland Mayor Gene Rhorer.

“I signed up for a two-year term and I tried like heck to finish it out and it just occupied too much of my time,” Rhorer said.

Rhorer just took over as mayor in July after former Mayor Michael Jackson moved to Texas. He says he had been considering resignation for a year. He was previously an alderman.

Suspended second ward Alderman Jeff Anderson’s seat was empty at Tuesday morning’s special Ashland Board of Aldermen meeting. Anderson was at the meeting, but Mayor Gene Rohrer rejected Anderson’s interest to take his seat. Anderson also confronted members asking for his reinstatement only to be rejected by the mayor again.

“Would you be so kind as provide the citizens of our ward the authority for that suspension and the cause?” Anderson asked.

A few special elections in Mid-Missouri yesterday resulted in success for the towns and entities asking for new revenue.

In Ashland, voters approved a one half cent sales tax increase to go toward transportation projects in the town. The Boone County Clerk reports a voter turnout of just over 6 percent for two special elections, with the measure passing 86 to 65.

The Southern Boone School District has hired a new superintendent.

Board of Education President Ellen Kesterson says Chris Felmlee stuck out among the 26 people that applied for the job. Kesterson says Felmlee is currently the superintendent in the Van-Far school district in Vandalia.

After some controversy in its school district the Ashland community is working with state education officials to find a new schools superintendent for its Southern Boone School District. The Missouri School Board Association hosted a forum at the high school Wednesday night to discuss the search a new superintendent.

About 13 community members, some of them also school board members, showed up last night to offer input on the qualities required for the next Southern Boone superintendent.

Southern Boone School District students suffered no injuries after a gas leak in Ashland on Wednesday. 

A 26-year-old Hazelwood woman has died in another electrocution near a dock at Lake of the Ozarks.

The Lake Sun Leader reports that the woman was swimming with two children near Dry Branch Cove's 4-mile marker on Saturday night when a current of electricity hit the water. The two children were not injured.