Developer announces Del Taco building might not be demolished after all
According to the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, at a public meeting last night, developer Rick Yackey said that he’s in final negotiations with two tenants to occupy the shuttered former Del Taco building.
Yackey revealed plans to gut and expand the saucer-shaped building, and that a coffee chain is in talks to become a tenant. Another tenant is also reportedly close to signing. He said he hopes to close the deals within 60 days and have the building occupied by March.
Earlier this summer, Yackey said the building might be demolished.
SIUC: "Party atmosphere" after power loss
Power is back on, but Southern Illinois University -Carbondale officials are sorting out the details after the lights went out last night. SIUC Spokesman Rod Sievers says a transformer feeding the university failed around 9:30 last night, plunging the campus and parts of Carbondale into darkness.
Students spilled into the streets as a result, and what Sievers calls a “party atmosphere” quickly got out of hand. He says three people received minor injuries when fights broke out - two of them were taken to the hospital.
No arrests were made, but Sievers says they’ll be sorting out what happened today and how to prevent it in the future.
Changes to Mo. laws could be worth millions
The 2012 legislative agenda for the Missouri Highways and Transportation Commission is topped by a proposal to modify a 2010 state law about repeat drunken driving offenses. The agency says the state needs to clarify provisions on community service and set limited driving privileges in line with federal standards to avoid having $16 million annually transferred from general uses to highway safety projects.
The agency also will pursue a law implementing a federal requirement to report medical information on commercial drivers' licenses. It says Missouri could have $30 million in federal funds withheld if it is determined to be out of compliance with that federal requirement.