Ogle County Board Meeting, Tuesday 8/18/2026 @ 5:30pm
Good afternoon everyone - we hope that you are all staying afloat this weekend!
The agenda and its respective packet for the Ogle County Board has been posted for this upcoming Tuesday evening’s meeting. Please follow the link to view: OCB Packet
Historic Ogle County Courthouse, 3rd Floor
Tuesday, August 18th, 2026 @ 5:30pm
Please attend. Please continue to engage. And carpool if you can.
Other items of interest: there is now a Facebook Page for this cause! Here is the link: No Data Centers in Ogle County
As a change of pace for current news stories regarding data centers, we are sharing mostly video links in this update (some comical, some not so much). We hope that you find each informative.
Marietta City Council Approves 18 MW Prime Group Data Center 5-2 Despite Moratorium and Packed Protest Over Noise Water and Transparency
(For more on this story, head on over to Marietta residents debate guardrails, transparency amid proposed data center approval.)
AI’s Hidden Data Center Energy Use (PrivateEye News)
Sam Altman’s Vision for Our Futures? Perpetual Surveillance.
OpenAI’s Top Talent is Fleeing
Why AI Data Centers Target Small Towns - Old Fashioned Interview with Prescott Balch
"Guys who invented AI data centers…” (Charlie Berens)
Every AI Model Has an Inherited Personality
Here are some links to a few pieces to read while taking a break from the rain:
Forbes - Young Americans Don’t Trust Billionaire AI Leaders, New Poll Finds.
Younger Americans hold more negative views than positive views of AI and a mostly pessimistic outlook on the economy, a new poll published on Thursday conducted by CNBC and Generation Labs found, which also found a majority distrust the billionaire leaders of AI companies like Elon Musk, Sam Altman and Mark Zuckerberg.
techradar - $130 billion worth of AI data center projects were cancelled or delayed in Q1 2026 — developers sick of losing are fighting back, and are already finding victory.
Increased strain on local power grids and water systems, noise and air pollution filling the surrounding area, and dubious economic promises are among the reasons citizens have taken a stand against AI data center development in their areas. And their side is winning time and again.
Reuters: "Data-centre reality check could slam brakes on AI earnings boom"
LONDON, Aug 5 (Reuters) - U.S. corporate earnings are already running almost 60% above trend, with rapid growth still expected for years, mostly thanks to the AI boom. But the questionable economics of new AI data centres could pop this bubble, sending earnings tumbling back toward their long-term average – generating significant losses for investors along the way.
Gadget Review: Young People Hate AI – and the Billionaires That Love It
Gen Z wants federal or independent oversight of AI as trust in tech executives hits net-negative across the board.
See you all next week.