BANK ROBBERY STUNS PARKVILLE

By Mark Vasto

In a scene that seemed to pretty much occur according to script, two armed gunmen in masks robbed Parkville's Commerce Bank Wednesday morning, making off with an as yet undisclosed amount of cash.

In and out quickly, multiple getaway cars and police hot in pursuit, the robbery was dramatic for onlookers and traumatic for workers of the bank's Parkville Commons branch on Route 45.

No shots were fired and nobody was harmed in the incident, which took less than a minute. One man is in custody.

Volume 8, Episode 25 is now in racks!

In this week's action packed issue:

Top Stories
Bank Robbery at Parkville Commons
Harvest Ball
Ward 3 Gets an Election Race

Columnists
Bill Grigsby's Super Bowl pick
Steve Youngblood kisses up to his employer
Mark Vasto on the iPad (and why it won't save newspapers)

All this, plus King's crossword, suduko, Wondermark and more,
only in your weekly Luminary.

The Buggles - Video Killed The Radio Star

The Parkville Luminary launched their YouTube channel on this day in history. The first broadcast? An homage to another infamous day in broadcasting history...

Volume 8, Episode 24 is now in racks!

In this week's robust issue:

Top Stories:
Real estate outlook hazy but optimistic for 2010
Prosecutor slams sentencing commission in pedo case
Platte County economy stronger than state and nation

Columnists:
Rich Lowry scorches the Liberels
Steve Youngblood scorches the Far-Right
Bill Grigsby offers a whimsical take on snow

Features:
Your Route 45 questions answered
Year in Review conclusion: The Hot Dog Hullabaloo of 2009
A Sporting View: Ali hurt more than himself

All that, a crossword, suduko and an apple crisp recipe...only in your Parkville Luminary!

Vol 8, Episode 23 is Now in Racks!

Top Stories
An In-Depth Look at Platte County's 2009 Taxes
Colin Campbell: 'The Perfect Rotarian'
Hwy. 45 Timeline Confirmed
Parkville's Brad Gautney Heading to Haiti

Columnists
Steve Youngblood is the Father of the Bride (sorta)
Mark Vasto on the Disaster in Haiti
Bill Grigsby Says Enhancement Happens

All that plus the local police report, community calendar and other news you can use, only in your Parkville Luminary!

Tumultuous Budgeting Process Comes to a Close in Platte County

By Mark Vasto

In one of the more tumultuous budgeting processes in recent history, Platte County approved Friday morning the 2010 budget, as The Luminary went to press.


The 257-page document features more than 7,000 line items and its general fund portion weighs in $244,000 lighter than the 2009 budget. The entire general fund comes to $18,085,098 and required a $1.2 million cash carryover from the previous year in order to balance.

The budget process, in normal years a tough enough process fraught with political wrangling and peril – budget disputes and projections have historically led to repercussions at the ballot box, as in 2004 when the Republican party all but revolted against incumbent Republican commissioners Steve Wegner and Michael Short, leading to their surprise upsets at the polls.

Wall Collapse Case Heads to Court

The Luminary Staff

Parkville will head to court in the matter of the collapsed retaining wall on Brinks-Myer Road near 45 Highway, suing three companies for damages the city says they were liable for.

In court documents filed in November, the city alleges that Miles Excavating was in default of their contract with the city to fix the wall after it collapsed following a torrential rain storm in late April. The suit also names Western Surety, who provided the maintenance and performance bonds for the project and architects Van Deurzen and Associates. The city claims Western Surety has refused to honor the bonds and that Van Deurzen provided a faulty design.

Mayor Gerry Richardson announced the suit during the first Aldermen meeting of December and said he was confident the city would prevail in court and that the wall would be repaired at no cost to the city. The city is also looking to recoup a little more than $100,000 it says it paid in order to temporarily brace the wall and open the road to through traffic. The matter will be heard in a Platte County Circuit Court in February.

Vol. 8, Episode 22 Now in Racks!

Top Stories
News You Already Knew: It's Freakin' Cold Outside
Dramatic Budgeting Process Comes to a Close
Piropos Set to Reopen in Late February (Maybe)
The Year in Review

Columnists
Mark Vasto on Parkville Politics
Steve Youngblood on Gun Control
Bill Grigsby on Steroids

All that and all the other stuff you love about The Luminary, in news racks now!

Vol. 8 Episode 21, Now in Racks!

In this Issue of the Luminary:

Top Stories
Park University Commences with Congressman Cleaver
Garbage Pickup Trashed by Storm
KCI Increases Security in Wake of Underwear Bomb

Columnists
Steve Youngblood Resolves: No Resolutions
Bill Grigsby on his Playoff Picks
Mark Vasto on the Year of the Tiger

All that, plus the city's best crossword, suduko and whole lot more!