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Tuesday, May 30, 2017
City opens solicitation process to design, build and finance new KCI terminal
Thursday, May 25, 2017
A Community in Ruins
by Mary Wilson
What likely began as an ordinary evening on May 20 back in
1957 quickly turned deadly as an F-5 tornado tore a 71-mile path of
destruction, beginning in Spring Hill, KS, and bouncing through Ottawa, KS,
Grandview, Hickman Mills, Martin City, Knob Town and Ruskin Heights.
May 20th marked the 60-year anniversary of the tornado that
thrashed through the area. Ruskin High School suffered extensive damage,
including the almost complete destruction of the gymnasium that was supposed to
house the high school’s graduation ceremony the very next evening. All that
remained on the sign for the gym was a few haunting letters: RU IN.
The 1957 tornado, deemed the Ruskin Heights Tornado, took
the lives of 39 people, with more than 500 injured. Roughly 400 homes were damaged
or destroyed.
In the last few years, survivors, many of whom were young
children at the time, have found solace and comfort through a social media
group created on Facebook. With 673 members, “1957 Ruskin Heights Tornado
Survivors CAUGHT EVER AFTER” is dedicated to providing an outlet for shared
memories and a bond that has lasted a lifetime.
Dave May, who would later graduate from Ruskin High School,
recalled that the horrific night brought the community closer.
“As I sit in the
comfort of my living room, I can't help but think about the tornado tragedy
that happened in my childhood stomping grounds 60 years ago tonight, and the
lives it took and changed and the people that were scarred for life,” May said
in the Facebook group over the weekend. “I wasn't in the tornado, but lived in
Ruskin then, and growing up I have heard many stories that were tragic and some
that were a miracle. My heart truly goes out to the victims who suffered along
the 71 miles the tornado was on the ground. After the tornado, it seemed to make
Ruskin a little tighter, and neighbors knew neighbors.”
Diana Leonard’s family home sat just south of the tornado
path, and while her family didn’t see extensive destruction to their property,
the storm left a lasting impact on their lives.
“I was not quite six years old in 1957, and I well recall
the events of that day,” said Leonard. “Our home was on the east side of the
Kansas City Southern railroad and south of Ruskin, and was okay, other than a
2x4 stuck in our roof like a birthday candle, and the horrible debris scattered
across our yard. 20 years later, my younger sister was set to graduate from
Ruskin on May 20. We shared our girlhood room the night before and she was up
and down all night and nervous as a cat. She said she had heard these things
happen on a 20-year cycle and she was sure we were going to have another
tornado. I tried to reassure her that we would be fine, but, wouldn't you know
it, the early afternoon of May 20, 1977, a straight-line wind came through and
toppled our dear old elm tree in the front yard, landing it squarely on top of
my car! That will teach me to laugh at old wives' tales!”
Ellen Robinson, then a newly-advanced kindergartner from
Tower School, took to the Facebook group to express her gratitude to other
survivors of the Ruskin Heights Tornado.
“I graduated from the Tower School kindergarten 60 years ago
today, and by that night it was obliterated into dust, leaving no trace,” said
Robinson. “I'm friends with a few survivors, and I feel an unspoken kinship
with them unlike any other of my friends. I'm grateful for them every day, and
very thankful for this Facebook group, because I know there's a wound hidden in
each of us. You think all trace of its trauma is gone, then there will be a
particular chartreuse or pink in the sky, a scent of earth or electricity in
the air, a news story, and instantly you hurt again.”
The memories from the Ruskin Heights Tornado of 1957 are
everlasting, with the impact and the loss much greater than homes being
destroyed. Loved ones were lost and the lives of the survivors were forever
changed. Each year, the anniversary of the tornado is commemorated with the
laying of wreaths at the site of the memorial in front of Ruskin High School.
For 60 years, the Ruskin community has mourned the ruin and the devastation,
but despite the tornado’s impact, the survivors continue to share their stories
with each other and with the next generations.
Monday, May 22, 2017
Southwest High may once again see students
by Brent Kalwei
The Uniting at Southwest group is
proposing to reopen Kansas City’s Southwest High School as an autonomous public
school to be under the umbrella of the Kansas City Public School district.
Group representatives Mike Zeller and John Couture laid down some of their
plans at the Sixth District Second Fridays meeting on May 12 at the Trailside
Center.
“This
is not a private school, this is a public school,” Zeller said. “Every child in
that building would count as KCPS kids.”
Uniting
at Southwest’s plan is to make Southwest into a diverse project-based learning
school that helps students identify opportunity, conduct research, and work with
others to develop solutions and essential skills in today's world.
“We
don’t want to have a 1950s Southwest High. That was a racist, segregated-by-law
public school,” Zeller said. “Nor do we want to create a situation like in 2015
where there was a school there, but there was not this vast neighborhood full of
homes and children. We want a school that looks like the world that these
children are going to graduate into and work in. That’s a school where
everybody is there together; not only on racial lines, but class lines, too.”
“This
is a time where we can look to be creative in how we view education,” added
Couture. “I think this is such a great opportunity for the city.”
Zeller
lives about three blocks from the Southwest High School building, which closed
after the 2015-16 school year.
“We
moved to that neighborhood so that our kids could walk to school up at Academie
Lafayette,” Zeller said. “I had every intention of sending our son up the hill
to Southwest High until the school closed. My oldest son made the bus trip up
to Lincoln College Prep, which was on some days about a 50-minute bus ride. I
remember thinking that is a long way. My son is commuting to high school. It
just seemed odd at a great American city that a child would have to travel so
far to go to a college-bound high school.”
According
to Zeller, many people are leaving Kansas City and moving to cities such as
Lee’s Summit, Raytown and Prairie Village.
“It’s
just unfortunate and unnecessary,” he said. “It pushes down property values and
lowers tax rolls. We have a big city with a lot of old infrastructure. We need
those tax dollars, and we need those people living in city and contributing to
the revitalization of the city.”
When
Zeller took the innovative idea to the Kansas City Public Schools district last
fall, they indicated that the school was closed because there was not enough
demand for it.
“Maybe
the supply wasn’t right,” Zeller said. “There’s a whole lot of people that
would like to stay living in the city and even more people who would want to
move into the city if they had choices that they wanted to choose.”
About
1,200 people have taken the group’s online survey.
“They
have indicated that they would strongly consider sending about 1,350 children
to this school,” Zeller said.
According
to Zeller, quality integrated public education in the city was not a common
belief by most parents about 15 years ago. But they do believe in it now.
“It’s
a heavy lift to start a high school,” Zeller said. “You gotta start strong. If
you trip coming out of the gate, you’re done. Reputation is destiny. You have
to plan it really well. You have to hire a leader a couple years in advance.”
The
Bloch, DeBruce, McDonnell and Stowers Foundations are funding the Uniting at
Southwest group’s research and development efforts.
“We
explained our vision to them,” Zeller said. “They said, ‘We’ll back your research
and development efforts; and if you can pull it off, we will get behind all of
these upfront costs it takes to start a public school.”
Zeller
listed the UMKC Dental School of Law and Penn Valley as examples of
institutions that are helped out by philanthropic resources.
“In
Missouri right now, there is no funding mechanism to start schools like this,”
he said. “Missouri’s just a school district model that worked great in the
1940s, 50s and 60s when cities were growing, and we were knocking down
cornfields and putting an elementary school at the edge of the metro. Then
people would appear and it would fill up. We have a different situation now
that requires third-party assistance.”
According
to Zeller, if Uniting at Southwest is unable to partner with Kansas City Public
Schools, the group plans to partner with an existing charter school or create
their own charter school.
“We
have the funding to do that,” he said. “It would be a waste of philanthropic
and public resources to have to do that, and it would break my heart. But we
are prepared to do that if we need to.”
Uniting
at Southwest’s plan is to begin with just freshmen during the first school
year.
“I
think at its peak it had about 2,500 kids at the height of the baby boom,”
Zeller said. “We would never want a high school that big. They’re too
anonymous. Kids don’t know each other and the teachers don’t know them. We
think that the sweet spot is around 800 or 900 kids, and you would want to get
to get there slowly. Every year you would want to add one grade.”
Friday, May 12, 2017
Grandview Main Street looks to bring entertainment to downtown
by Brent Kalwei
Grandview
Aldermen interviewed candidates seeking to manage the Farmers Market at the
board’s work session held Tuesday, May 2.
Those
applying for management were Grandview Main Street and the Farmers Market’s
current manager Larry French.
Grandview
Main Street’s focus would be to expand upon the existing Farmers Market, with
functions such as a wine walk, food trucks, family-friendly entertainment and
events, Christmas in July and potential partnerships with 8th and Main and the Grandview
Arts Council, to include activities such as music and sidewalk chalk art.
“We
envision a lot more than just a Farmers Market. We envision activity and what
would be the heartbeat of our downtown,” Grandview Main Street President Mary
Wilson said. “Our main goal is to get people into our downtown and to showcase
our businesses that we already have there, and hopefully garner future
investment in our community in the process.”
Ward
One Alderman Damon Randolph asked Grandview Main Street representatives what
they thought the Farmers Market’s biggest challenge is.
“Marketing.
I live here and I forget about it often,” Grandview Main Street Secretary Kim
Curtis said.
Grandview
Main Street added that they can provide marketing for the Grandview Farmers
Market event through social media outlets, the Grandview Chamber of Commerce
and the Jackson County Advocate. The Aldermen
discussed marketing the Farmers Market with electronic signs.
Alderman
Ward Three James Crain expressed concern about Grandview Main Street having the
manpower to volunteer for events that complement the Farmers Market.
“Our
business and volunteer community as a whole doesn’t seem to want to get
involved unless something is happening,” Wilson said. “We haven’t really had a
whole lot happening. When we hosted our original open house for Grandview Main
Street, we had a list of people who showed interest, and that’s what we’ll
build off of in the beginning.”
“I
think if we truly want to have different results, we should give Main Street a
chance,” Alderman Ward One Sandra Kessinger said. “I think they have a lot of
players already here in the community who have a vested interest in the success
of anything that’s going on in Grandview. I think that’s the piece that is
missing.”
Ward
Two Alderman Annette Turnbaugh expressed interest in French and Grandview Main
Street taking partnership in leading the Farmers Market.
“I
don’t want to get too far away from what the Farmers Market is,” Turnbaugh
said. “I would like to see a marriage of the two. I want to make sure that we
have somebody at that Farmers Market that knows the laws, rules and regulations
of the county, or we can get in trouble.”
Mayor
Leonard Jones believes an operation should be run by one leader opposed to
many.
“My
problem with that is that you always want one throat to choke. You don’t want
two throats,” Jones said. “I can tell you from a manager’s perspective, the
worst thing you can do is have one, two or three heads. That’s called a freak,
and that’s not good.”
French
wants to keep the originality of the Farmers Market.
“One
of the first things I will tell you about markets,” he said, “if you switch
today, you will kill the market. Belton took their market from 30 vendors to
four. Most of the big vendors come from 40-60 miles away. They are not from
right here. They are not going to move out of their markets.”
Jones
prefers the Farmers Market be held on a day during the week.
“I’m
from the old school. I think a change of date would probably be a good idea,”
he said. “The reason I say that, is because my Saturday is jam-packed.
Personally I’ve got so much going on Saturday that I forget about the Farmers
Market.”
Alderman
Ward Three John Maloney asked French if Farmers Market attendees are seeking
any particular items that current vendors do not already provide. French’s
answer was certified organics.
According
to Ward Two Alderman Brian Hochstein, the Farmers Markethas received very
little interest from the community. Hochstein, who is sometimes a vendor at the
Farmers Market, said that he had a net loss in his first year of selling.
“It
takes local people selling local,” Hochstein said. “As a vendor, you never want
to miss regardless of if it is raining. If you miss one time, you could break
that relationship. It is a difficult game for not a lot of money.”
Hochstein
has in the past heard comments about how expensive the vendors’ products are.
“I’m
like, ‘compared to what?’” he said. “It’s handmade, it takes a lot of time, and
our profit margins are miniscule.”
Ultimately,
three aldermen voted for French to continue the management of the Farmers
Market, two voted for Grandview Main Street and one voted for a partnership.
Jones
stated he would like the Farmers Market to provide additional vendors.
“The
more vendors, the greater possibility and excitement that you would have people
utilizing the products and goods being provided,” Jones said. “The less number
of providers is just the opposite.”
French
has managed the market for the last several years, and also works as Grandview
Farmers Market’s main vendor each week. Jones responded to the question of if
French being a Farmers Market vendor and the manager is a conflict of interest.
“That
will always be a question that some people could have,” he said. “You’re not
going to erase that question regardless. Somebody is going to be chosen. Is it
going to be somebody that is already there and has a spot or not? You’re going
to have a 50/50 chance.”
Despite
not receiving the nod of approval from the Board of Aldermen, Grandview Main
Street plans to continue with the idea of bringing the local community back
into downtown.
“While
the Aldermen didn’t want us to manage the Saturday market, they didn’t say we
couldn’t move on with our original Thursday plans,” said Wilson. “There is
tremendous opportunity for activity in our downtown. We’d like to breathe a new
life into our businesses and our public spaces, while preserving the rich
history that our community sometimes seems to forget.”
Jones
likes Grandview Main Street’s idea to get away from the norm, and looking for
additional event opportunities.
“It’s
great to see the Grandview Main Street group thinking outside of the box,”
Jones said. “That’s exactly what the city of Grandview needs. I think a lot of
the proprietors on Main Street will be excited to know that there is something
going on Monday through Friday.”
The
Grandview Farmers Market runs from 7:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. every Saturday on
the southwest corner of the intersection of 8th and Goode Avenue.
Thursday, May 11, 2017
Following fights, several arrests made at Truman Heritage Festival
by Mary Wilson
What began as a family-friendly event last weekend quickly
turned into a potentially dangerous situation, as a large fight erupted during
the Truman Heritage Festival on Saturday, May 6. According to Grandview Police,
a large fight involving both juveniles and adults broke out at the carnival
being held in conjunction with the festival on Byars Road in Grandview, and
multiple arrests were made.
“An adult female involved in the fight sprayed pepper spray
indiscriminately into the crowd including on police officers trying to break it
up,” said Grandview Police Captain Richard Rodgers.
A single gunshot was fired by an unknown suspect in the same
area, though no one was reported to be injured. Due to the large number of
individuals involved in the fight, a mutual aid request was made to neighboring
law enforcement agencies to assist in clearing the crowd. Officers from the
Kansas City Police Department, the Jackson County Sheriff’s Department, the
Belton Police Department, the Lee’s Summit Police Department and the Missouri
State Highway Patrol responded to assist.
Chira S. Smith, 33, from Grandview, was arrested for
fighting in public; Ashley M. Plunkett, 30, from Paola, KS, was arrested for
assault on a police officer and failure to obey; Bryson M. Sylvain, 29, from
Belton, was arrested for failure to obey; and Brittany N. Rymes, 17, from
Grandview, was arrested for fighting in public. A 15-year-old juvenile male and
a 16-year-old juvenile female, both from Grandview, were also taken into
custody. The male was arrested for assault on a police officer and the female
for fighting in public.
No injuries resulting from the disturbance were reported
with the exception of those exposed to pepper spray. The City of Grandview and
organizers for the Truman Heritage Festival on Sunday released a statement
saying that the incidents that occurred are not indicative of the community.
“(We) are angry and disappointed by what happened last night
as the Truman Heritage Festival neared its end,” the statement said. “We are
thankful Grandview PD acted quickly to ensure everyone's safety by calling for
mutual aid from area law enforcement agencies. Because of their quick thinking,
no one was hurt.”
With the safety of everyone in the community remaining a
priority, the statement added that organizers will be reviewing festival
security procedures and plans, as well as security for future events.
Visitors and vendors of the festival took to social media
following the incidents, expressing concern and outrage, including those there
with small children.
“My kids were excited to be there,” said carnival attendee
Scott Boyer. “We were only there for about ten minutes when multiple fights
broke out. There was so much mace in the air, we were coughing. It was
ridiculous and this will be the last time we go to the festival. It was embarrassing
for the City of Grandview.”
The adults arrested were charged through Grandview Municipal
Court and the juveniles will be referred to the Jackson County Family Court.
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