Judge Rules Against Lure Nightclub

Yesterday a Judge ruled against downtown’s Lure Nightclub.

“St. Louis Circuit Judge Margaret Walsh signed an order this afternoon that revokes Lure’s liquor license effective October 17. The club has 30 days to appeal.” (KSDK)

I first blogged about Lure last Fall when I wrote about the problem of cigarette smoke choking the private resident lobby at the rear of the building

Lure was represented in court by former mayor Freeman Bosley Jr.  The owners have stated they will appeal. I personally love living downtown with restaurants and activities, quite a departure from the weekend-only no-resident club atmosphere of 12-15 years ago.

– Steve Patterson

Poll On Proposition A On Local Earnings Taxes

Missouri voters will decide in November on a proposition concerning the 1% earnings tax levied by Kansas City and St. Louis:

If passed, Proposition A would require the two cities to hold referendums on the tax every five years, with the first likely next spring. If voters elected to repeal the tax, it would be phased out over a decade. (Source)

I normally like the idea of putting such decisions at the local level but I know if Prop A passes there will be battles every five years.   If there are proposals for other ways to collect the necessary revenue to support the services provided by Kansas City & St. Louis I’d be fine with eliminating the earnings tax.

The poll is in the upper right sidebar for the next week.

– Steve Patterson

Public Hearing Today On Citation Against Lure Nightclub

Today at 10am a public hearing will be held in City Hall (Rm 208) regarding a citation from the city against the nightclub Lure, located at 1204 Washington Ave.

“In a letter to Lure dated July 28 the city accused Lure of having improper employees and blamed its patrons for three acts of violence occurring near Lure on Thursday nights or early Friday mornings dating back to last November. Those complaints include a June 11 report in which people in a nearby parking lot allegedly fired an assault rifle at police.” (RFT Blog)

I attended a meeting at Lure recently where members of the Trupiano family make their case about how they manage Lure.

I can’t make the hearing but I know I will get reports from people in attendance.  Some will say downtown residents are just being NIMBY‘s while others will say they like nightlife but say other establishments are better neighbors.

– Steve Patterson

Readers Favor Enforcing Noise Ordinances

Response to the poll last week was very low. Here is the question and final results:

Q: The City of Alton IL is issuing tickets to drivers of noisy motorcycles & cars. Thoughts?

1. Good, more jurisdictions should enforce noise ordinances 36 [58.06%]
2. The noise is annoying but these laws are not enforceable 13 [20.97%]
3. Unsure/no opinion 6 [9.68%]
4. Bad, more government meddling 4 [6.45%]
5. Other answer… 3 [4.84%]

Other answers were:

1. i am sure I don’t care.
2. I think the law will be enforced more on the appearance of the driver/rider.
3. Motorcycles are often times ubnoxiously loud. Regulate them.

Any additional thoughts you might have add them to the comments below.

– Steve Patterson

The Key To Paying The Parking Meter Is A Key

I’ve heard of a key to the city but I recently learned some cities offer keys to parking meters:

Both Springfield IL and Champaign IL offer keys to people to use to pay parking fees. From Champaign’s CaskKey website:

What is the CashKey?

The CashKey is a programmable key that provides a cashless way to pay at parking meters. The CashKey can be carried on your key chain and eliminates the need to carry coins for the meters.

CashKeys can be used at any City of Champaign, City of Urbana or University of Illinois parking meter. Each key carries three accounts (a separate one for each parking provider) and $10 to $100 of value can be purchased for use at each type of meter.

How to Use a CashKey:

The CashKey functions like an American quarter. The first time the key is inserted into a meter, the amount of value on account for that parking provider is displayed. Each subsequent time the key is inserted is like depositing a quarter into the meter providing the user with the minutes of parking in accordance with the rate posted at each meter. For example, at a $.75 per hour meter, each insertion will provide 20 minutes of time at the meter; at a $.25 per hour meter, an insertion will provide one hour worth of parking time. The CashKey will not register more than the posted time allowed for that meter, but it will continue to deduct $.25 from the account each time it’s inserted. If the key is left inserted for more than 5-seconds, the meter will flash in the out-of-order mode until the key is removed. This is to alert the user in case the CashKey is inadvertently left in the meter.

The CashKey doesn’t guarantee you a parking space. Parking meter spaces are available on a first-come, first-served basis. The CashKey can be used in conjunction with coins.

Purchasing a CashKey and/or Time:

The initial cost of the key is $19.50 and $10 to $100 of time can be purchased for each parking provider. Keys and/or time can be purchased at the following locations:

* City of Champaign Parking Programs Office (713 Edgebrook Dr.)
* City of Champaign Finance Department (2nd floor of City Building, 102 N. Neil St.)
* City of Urbana Finance Department (400 S. Vine St, Urbana)
* University of Illinois Facilities and Services Parking Department (1110 W. Springfield Ave.)
* Purchases must be made in person at one of the above locations. There is not an online purchase or reloading option.

If you find you aren’t using time loaded for one meter provider, the value can be transferred over to a different one.

I like this idea as a way to make it easier to ensure you have the ability to pay the meter.

– Steve Patterson