To Wit: Changes to Our Best of Breed Twitter Feed

From the Publisher

John Wayne. Just because.

     Hi everybody, and good morning for those of you just joining us.

     As many of you know, your hometown newspaper has a corresponding Twitter feed -- a popular social media tool that allows for information to flow in 140 character bursts. Since 2009, we've kept an active Twitter presence but, in an anecdotal sense, at least 50 percent of the feed has been made up of the upchuck of this publisher's brain. 

     The Parkville Luminary, while still a force at the news racks, is transitioning to the digital world. A logical step is to divorce myself, publisher Mark Vasto, the greatest of all times, from the newspaper's Twitter feed so that this resource can be used for the sole purpose of delivering the news.

National is On the Road to the U.S. Open

     Every year, thousands of golfers – both professionals and amateurs with a USGA Handicap Index not exceeding 1.4 – file entries to compete in the U.S. Open Championship. For all but a handful of top players, the first stop in the process after the entry form has been accepted by the USGA is local qualifying at more than 100 sites across the country. In 2012, there will be 109 local qualifiers from April 30 to May 17.

     Each local qualifier consists of 18 holes, with a select number of players advancing to the 36-hole sectional qualifying stage. The number of available spots is determined by the number of players at the local qualifier.

     A small number of golfers manage to navigate both stages of qualifying to earn a spot in the 156-player U.S. Open field. And Ken Venturi (1964) and Orville Moody (1969) managed to claim the championship after enduring local and sectional qualifying. The odds are long, but qualifying is what makes the U.S. Open Championship the unique competition that it is. Former USGA Executive Director David B. Fay called the U.S. Open “the most democratic championship” in golf.

     Here are the results from The National Golf Club:

Player / Score

Bryan Wright (a) - STANBERRY, Mo.69

Ben Juffer (a) - WEST DES MOINES, Iowa70

Brice Garnett - GALLATIN, Mo.71

Joseph Ida - KANSAS CITY, Mo.71

Brad Nurski (a) - ST. JOSEPH, Mo.72

A-Josh Weems (a) - LAKE QUIVIRA, Kan.72

A-Ryan Zech (a) - KEARNEY, Mo.73 

Read more about the May 14 round at the Examiner or visit the U.S. Open website for more on the event.

A Sporting View: Out of the Game

By Mark Vasto

Oh, grow up. 

     When you were a kid, aside from not getting enough cake, the worst thing that could happen to you at a birthday party was to be kicked out of the game.

     According to my mother, my toddler player’s profile shows that I led the league in penalty minutes.

     “Oh, we used to dread taking you to parties,” she says often, but particularly during family gatherings.

     “You never wanted to leave. We’d take you to the amusement park and you’d be so cute until it was time to go. You threw such a fit your father had to hold you in the air because you were kicking and screaming so hard. People would look at us, thinking ‘what are they doing to that kid?’”

     And what about the birthday party games?

     “Forget it. You never played nice.”

News You May Have Missed: P&L District

For those of you who don't read, 'read', get or 'get' the Wall Street Journal, here's an outtake from their recent article concerning the downtown's Power and Light District:

Click to enlarge

"The tab is mounting for this Midwestern city on a bet it made during the real-estate boom on an $850 million entertainment district meant to breathe new life into its struggling downtown."

The article goes onto paint an even bleaker picture when considering the recent proposed cuts to the fire department. 

"Today, the project, which sits near the onetime headquarters of Kansas City Power & Light Co., generates less than one-third of what is needed to cover the debt service on the bonds. The city is setting aside $12.8 million in its budget for the fiscal year that starts next month to cover the gap, a notable hole in a $1.3 billion budget that calls for $7.6 million in cuts to the fire department."

Click here to read the article in its entirety.

Farmer's Market is Open for Business, Ya'll

From the Main Street Parkville Association:    

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   Parkville's Farmers Market is located in downtown historic Parkville and is now open every Saturday, 7:00 am till noon. Wednesday opening date for 2012 will be announced mid-June.

   The farmers market offers a variation of vendors from meat, honey, jams, bakery goods, coffee, eggs, chicken, and lamb along with bedding plants, flowers, fruit, and vegetables when in season. The farmers market strives to meet the quality of home grown produce.

   Gift cards are available for purchase. Gift Cards are $10.00 each with no expiration date and all vendors accept them. The farmers market offers picnic tables, hand washing stations and a terrific atmosphere. To learn more about the market visit www.parkvillefarmersmarket.com

English Landing Park is Open to the Public

From Ward 1 Alderman and Friends of the Parkville Parks commitee, ladies and gentlemen, Diane Driver:

   With the flood of 2011 behind us, the recovery of English Landing Park is well underway. Grass is growing, shelter houses are painted and available, grills are ready for your hot dogs. Trails are ready and Ball Field One is in use. 

   English Landing Park officially reopened on April 12 with a ceremonious “cutting of the ribbon” with the incoming and outgoing mayors of Parkville. Arbor Day and Earth Day were also included in the opening celebrations. Representatives from the Environmental Protection Agency assisted with the tree planting, as well as the Missouri Department of Natural Resources Urban Forester.

To see photos from the April 12 event, click here (courtesy of Friends of Parkville Parks).

   Since the re-opening, English Landing Park has been the host to the MicroBrewfest and two 5k runs.

   Here is a sampling of what went on to get us to this point:

Chamber of Commerce Activities

   The Parkville Area Chamber of Commerce will host their monthly luncheon on Monday, May 14 from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. at Park University's McCoy Meetin' House.
   Reservations are required and may be procured by visiting the Chamber website at ParkvilleChamber.com or by calling 816-587-2600.

*  *  *  *  

   This month's "Business After Hours" will also be held at Park University's Distance Learning Center in the Park Underground complex. Partly sponsored by the Parkville Economic Development Council, the event will be held between 5 p.m. and 7 p.m. Ample signage pointing to the event is assured. 

Hwy. 45 Construction Update

From MoDOT, and Ward 3 Aldermen Chris Fisher and Kendall Welch:

Street closures (all dates are weather permitting):

South Crooked Road – to re-open next Wednesday, May 16^th

Bell Road – to re-open on or about Thursday, May 24^th

South National Drive – to be closed on or about Thursday, May 24^th (not be closed before Bell Road is opened).  To be closed for 30 days.

North National Drive – to be closed for 30 days immediately following opening of South National Drive (currently projected to be on or about June 24^th)

North Crooked Road – to be closed for 30 days immediately following opening of North National Drive (currently projected to be on or about July 24^th)

MoDOT to use electronic message boards to identify closures.  City and MoDOT to work jointly on signage for detour routes.

More after the break...

Park University on the Sly

From our local institution of higher learning:

KC Mayor Sly James

Sly James, mayor of Kansas City, Mo., will provide the keynote address at Park University’s Kansas City Area Mid-Year Commencement on Saturday, May 12. The ceremony will take place at the Community of Christ Auditorium (1001 W. Walnut) in Independence, Mo., starting at 11 a.m.

James, who will speak to approximately 500 Park University graduates, took office on May 1, 2011. 

Born and raised in Kansas City, James graduated from Bishop Hogan High School in 1969 before serving as a military police officer in the U.S. Marine Corps for four years. 

He graduated cum laude from Rockhurst University in 1980 with a bachelor’s degree in English before earning his juris doctorate (also cum laude) from the University of Minnesota in 1983.

Third Man Sentenced in Drive-by Murder

From the Platte County Prosecutor:

Carpenter

A third young man involved in the drive-by shooting that killed a teenager at a Parkville intersection has been sentenced to 350 days in jail.  Christopher J. Carpenter, 21, of Kansas City, received the sentence on May 1 in Platte County Circuit Court following his plea of guilty to conspiracy to tamper with evidence. 

Platte County Prosecuting Attorney Eric Zahnd said, “While we could not prove that this defendant aided and encouraged Spencer Crosthwait’s murder, he was present when the murder occurred and helped hide the murder weapon.  For that reason, his long jail sentence is very appropriate.” 

According to Zahnd, on July 29, 2010, shortly after 12:30 a.m., Stephen Ellis drove to his friend Justin Dougan’s house.  Carpenter and Ellis had been at the house smoking marijuana.

Carpenter and Dougan came out of the house and got into Ellis’s car.  Dougan was carrying a rifle and told Carpenter and Ellis that “somebody just robbed me, and we are going to go shoot them.” 

City to Settle Brinks-Myer Wall Collapse Suit

The Parkville Board of Aldermen have authorized Mayor Jim Brooks to settle out of court in the matter of the collapsed retaining wall on Brinks-Myer Road near 45 Highway. The city is currently suing three companies for damages the city says they were liable for.

Traffic Advisory: I-435 Lane Closure

From the Kansas Department of Transportation:

At 9:00 a.m. on Thursday, May 3, a resurfacing project will begin on both northbound and southbound I-435 between Midland Drive and the Kansas River Bridge, including the ramps located on the north side of Midland Drive, Shawnee Mission Parkway, Johnson Drive and Holiday Drive in Johnson/Wyandotte Counties.

Flower Power Fundraiser

Duly Noted: John Wooden's 12 Lessons in Leadership

As Parkville moves into a new era of private enterprise and new faces at the government level, we thought now would be as good of a time to share the "Wizard of Westwood's" legendary "12 lessons in leadership."  

Wooden -- referred to simply as "Coach" out of respect -- showed that you can win by losing, and that losers, ultimately, never win. One of his more famous quotes: "You can lose when you outscore somebody in a game. And you can win when you’re outscored.” 

But Coach won...a lot. For those of you unaware, Mr. Wooden won ten NCAA national championships in a 12-year period (seven in a row) as head coach at UCLA, an unprecedented feat, and his teams won a record 88 consecutive games. But even today, if you were to ask his players about what they really remembered about their  time at UCLA, they wouldn't talk about bouncing a ball...they'd point to the life lessons he shared, and lived by until his death at age 99. 

They are as follows: 

Public Invited to Victim's Right Breakfast

From the Platte County Prosecutor:

The public is invited to attend the seventh annual Victims’ Rights Breakfast hosted by the Platte County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office.  The free breakfast will be held at 8:00 a.m. on Friday, April 27 at the First Baptist Church of Platte City.

The free breakfast is part of National Crime Victims’ Rights Week, which is April 22-28.  This year’s event will celebrate 20 years of advancing victims’ rights in Missouri, as the state’s constitutional amendment recognizing crime victims’ rights passed in 1992. 

Platte County Prosecuting Attorney Eric Zahnd said, “We have come a long way over the past two decades in protecting the rights of crime victims.  The United States Constitution has recognized the rights of criminal defendants for more than two centuries, and it was high time that we acknowledged that crime victims have important rights, too.” 

Amy (Hestir) Surdin, who was abused by her junior high school teacher, will speak at the breakfast.  Surdin inspired the passage of the Amy Hestir Student Protection Act.  That law increased civil liability for school districts who fail to report substantiated allegations of sexual misconduct to a subsequent employing district and increased the statute of limitations for prosecution of child sexual abuse.

The breakfast will also feature the presentation of the Seventh Annual Sara Andrasek Memorial Award, which recognizes someone who provided particularly outstanding service to crime victims. 

Previous recipients of the award include the team that investigated Andrasek’s murder, a detective who investigated a large burglary ring, a family who adopted a girl who had suffered sexual abuse, a vehicle accident reconstruction expert, a pair of 911 call takers, and a highway trooper who worked a fatality crash. 

Andrasek was pregnant with her first child when she was raped and murdered.  Zahnd’s office and the Kansas City, Missouri Police Department were in the final stages of preparing a death penalty case against Wayne Dumond for that murder when Dumond died while in custody.

The First Baptist Church of Platte City is located at the intersection of Second and Ferrel Streets.

Parkville at Sunset

Mark Vasto

Police Reports Online

We're working on a more robust solution, but in the meantime, the top right column of the site now links directly to the weekly police report, courtesy of Parkville's finest. -------------------------->

Texting While Driving Leads to Deadly Collision

From the Platte County Prosecutor's Office:

A sixteen-year-old girl has been charged with manslaughter, assault, and texting while driving in connection with a September 2011 fatality collision.  Rachel N. Gannon, of Kansas City, was allegedly texting on her cell phone when she lost control of her vehicle and  collided with a car driven by Loretta J. Larimer, who was killed in the crash. 

Platte County Prosecuting Attorney Eric Zahnd said Gannon was charged April 19, after having been certified to stand trial as an adult on April 16.

According to court documents, Gannon was traveling north on NW Skyview Road on September 26, 2011 at approximately 3:00 p.m. when she struck Larimer’s vehicle near Interstate 435.

From the Publisher

Dear Reader:

 Thanks for your support for our last episode of The Parkville Luminary. While it's true, the newspaper business has changed over the years, demand for the product remains strong and will continue to do so well into the future. But what about The Luminary? Here's a few answers to the latest round of F.A.Qs:

"Life Care" Clinic Coming to Parkville

For months we've been reporting at The Luminary about a health clinic of some kind coming to the Parkville Commons and the last episode of The Luminary reported that Heartland Health of St. Joseph would be operating the clinic. Here now is the first official announcement from Heartland...more to come...

Heartland Health is bringing a new kind of healthcare to Parkville Commons. Expected to open July 2012, Heartland Health, a physician-led life care organization will provide the Parkville community with high-quality, convenient, affordable, health and life services.

“We are honored and excited to be a part of the Parkville community,” David Jones, Heartland Health regional administrator, said. “We are offering more than health care, we are offering life care. That means that we are going to equip you with the tools and resources you need to have complete health: mind, body and soul.” 

THE LUMINARY IS BACK IN RACKS

(Click the link below to find a rack near you...few copies remain in circulation)

Park to Host Women's History Lecture

From Park University:

As part of Women’s History Month, Park Universitywill host its annual Dr. Jessie Bell Woodside Holt Women’s History Month Lecture on Monday, March 26, starting at 7 p.m. in the McCoy Meetin’ House on the University’s Parkville Campus.

The lecture will feature a discussion on women’s rights and responsibilities by Clarina Nichols, a recognized leader of women’s rights and an advocate of other reform causes in the 1800s. Nichols will be portrayed by Ann Schultis, director of library systems and associate professor of library science at Park University.

“My interest in historical performance grows from a belief that it serves as another way to bring history alive to audiences who might not normally be drawn to it,” Schultis said. “The audience gets to see a person from the past. In this case, Clarina Nichols came to Kansas from Vermont as a reformer to keep Kansas a free state and to get the vote for women.”

From the Desk of Parkville Police Chief Kevin Chrisman:

Annual Storm Spotter Training

Wednesday, March 21, 2012

7:00pm-9:00pm

Breckon Sports Center off 6th Street

Park University

Buzzkill: Sheriff Closes Down Party House Nuisance

From the Platte County Sheriff's Department:


     On March 9, 2012, Platte County Sheriff’s deputies and members of the Kansas City Police Department served a search warrant at a residence in the 5400 block of 70^th Street in Kansas City, Missouri.  The Sheriff’s Office received complaints from neighbors that the residence was being used for parties involving minors and that they believed that narcotics were being used at the residence. 

The Candidates Debate

From the Parkville EDC and League of Women Voters:

     The League of Women Voters of Kansas City, which includes members in Clay, Jackson and Platte Counties, will sponsor a forum on Economic Development for Parkville Mayoral candidates.

     The forum, a question-and-answer format, will be held Monday, March 26, at Parkville City Hall, 8880 Clark Ave. (lower level). The forum begins at 7 p.m. and doors will open at 6:30 p.m. with seating on a first come, first serve basis. The moderated forum will allow the public to submit questions for candidates, Jim Brooks (Ward 1 Alderman) and Nan McManus (Ward 4 Alderman).