ashland

City officials have passed an ordinance restricting the use of drones to its owner's private property.

The ordinance was approved Monday after the Ashland Board of Aldermen passed it on Dec.1.

The Federal Aviation Administration prohibits drones from flying higher than 400 feet, or within 5 miles of an airport. Ashland is about 5 miles from Columbia Regional Airport.

 Ashland water and sewer customers have started to see an increase in their monthly bills thanks to a ballot issue passed in 2014.

The ballot issue asked voters if the city could issue $7 million in bonds for a new mechanical sewage facility. The city currently uses a lagoon for sewage.

The city of Ashland is looking into expanding non-motor transportation. This includes producing more sidewalks, pedestrian crossings and bike trails throughout the city. The city hosted an open meeting to talk about this expansion Wednesday. About 25 members of the community participated and voiced their concerns about where sidewalks and walkways should be placed.

Ameren Missouri says construction is underway on an 11-mile natural gas pipeline from Columbia to Ashland, which currently does not have natural gas service.

The former chairman of a mid-Missouri bank was sentenced to two years of probation for using federal bailout money to buy a luxury condominium in Florida.

Darryl Layne Woods, former chairman of the Mainstreet Bank, based in Ashland, was sentenced Tuesday for a misdemeanor of making a false writing.

Three members of the Ashland Board of Alderman have resigned, a week after efforts to impeach another board member were dropped.

A mid-Missouri Board of Aldermen voted to drop efforts to impeach one of the board's members.

Ashland Mayor Gene Rhorer cast a tie-breaking vote Monday night to drop seven articles of impeachment against Jeff Anderson. The board also dropped its contract with an impeachment attorney.

An impeachment hearing for Anderson was scheduled for Jan. 31.

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.

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.

Recruiting doctors to small towns is a chronic problem. Most places try to lure a physician by rolling out the red carpet with a big salary, a home on a golf course or other cushy perks.

Not so in Ashland, Kan., population 855, where the CEO of a tiny hospital is building a reverse recruitment model based on remote access and problems commonly found in third-world countries.