Three marijuana licenses revoked in Springfield, Columbia
With the late afternoon sun beating down and soft clumps of dirt shifting underfoot, members of the Reed school family – past, present and future – gathered Wednesday to celebrate a new start.
They stood on the now-cleared city block at Atlantic Street and North Lyon Avenue that was first home to Reed Junior High, then Reed Middle School and finally Reed Academy for the past century.
The aging brick structure that housed the ever-evolving school was demolished and cleared. The dirt that remains has been leveled to make way for a new, state-of-the-art Reed Academy of Fine and Performing Arts.
Under a word-cloud banner stretched between construction vehicles that read, in part “Reed” and “Awesomeness Happens Here,” Superintendent Grenita Lathan welcomed the
The Missouri Division of Cannabis Regulation revoked nine marijuana microbusiness licenses this week – including one in Springfield and two in Columbia.
In October 2023, the DCR issues the state’s first round of marijuana microbusiness licenses, intended to allow more “everyday folks” to participate in the marijuana industry. A total of 48 licenses were awarded, six in each of the crowd of mostly students, parents, teachers and staff.
Speaking after a performance by the Reed Choir, Lathan said: “It is student talent like this that helped inspire our plans for the future Reed Academy.”
Then she said the words many had been waiting to hear: “I am thrilled that we are ready to officially break ground on a new school for those talented students and their classmates.”
She added: “As we turn the first shovel of dirt, we are marking the beginning of an exciting journey for Reed, its students, parents, staff and our community. Our dream of creating the new Reed Academy of Fine and Performing Arts will soon become a reality.”
The Reed project is a cornerstone of the $220 million bond issue approved, with overwhelming voter support, a year ago.
Plans detailed by Sapp Design Architects call for the new 128,900-squarefoot building to serve 725 students in state’s congressional districts.
In December, the DCR issued 11 Notices of Pending Revocation for marijuana microbusiness licenses that were awarded in October 2023. Each notice listed the basis for pending revocation and each licensee had 30 days to “cure” the deficiencies and/or respond to the allegations.
The DCR determined that two of the 11 licensees satisfied the notice by demonstrating that the licenses were “majority owned and operated by individuals who met qualifications of ownership,” according to a news release. One license was revoked because an owner had a disqualifying felony offense; this license was revoked on March 11. The remaining eight had numerous violations, including providing false or misleading information in the application and failure to demonstrate that the licenses were majority owned and operated by eligible individuals. These licenses were revoked on Wednesday.
“While owning and operating a license may include contracting for management services or consulting
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