The Missouri attorney general's office has followed through with its promise to take action against Renewable Environmental Solutions, the company that a DNR investigation indicates has been causing a foul odor in Carthage.
According to a news release issued today by Attorney General Jay Nixon, his office, has joined with the city of Carthage to file a lawsuit against RNS in Jasper County Circuit Court for "failure to abate a public nuisance."
Nixon said,"The people of Carthage deserve the right to enjoy their homes and their community without having to tolerate a rotten stench every time they walk out their front door.RES has received numerous complaints, and has had ample opportunity to find a remedy. Perhaps the court will get the company’s attention where the city and the public could not."
The news release continues, "RES, a joint venture of Changing World Technologies and Con-Agra Foods, operates a plant at 530 N. Main St. that utilizes a thermal conversion process to convert agricultural and animal wastes to oil, gas, minerals and fertilizer. Much of the waste comes from Con-Agra’s turkey processing facility in Carthage.
"The lawsuit alleges that since the construction of the RES plant, the operation of the processing facility and associated waste storage and handling continues to cause odors that 'unreasonably interfere with the use and enjoyment of private and public property' and 'threaten the public comfort, safety, peace and welfare.' "
The news release indicates the attorney general and city are asking the court to declare the odor a public nuisance and force RES to eliminate it. They are also asking that RES be required to pay legal fees for the city and the state.
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Formation Capital has agreed to call off its hostile takeover attempt of Beverly Enterprises, with Beverly agreeing to allow Formation to participate in an auction for the company, according to today's St. Louis Business Journal. Beverly, based in Fort Smith, Ark., at one time had nursing homes across southwest Missouri, including Neosho. It still has one in Anderson.
Beverly officials had earlier rejected a $1.5 billion takeover offer from Formation, which is based in Alpharetta, Ga.
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Lawyers for the Morgan Stanley investment firm have filed a motion to have the judge presiding over former Coleman CEO Ronald Perelman's lawsuit dismissed, according to Forbes.com. The motion says Judge Elizabeth Maass made statements that showed bias toward Morgan Stanley.
Perelman is suing Morgan Stanley for not letting him know Sunbeam was teetering on the brink of bankruptcy when he sold Coleman for shares of Sunbeam stock. He is asking for $2.7 billion in damages.