Month: March 2014

Suspicious package determined to be harmless

An office building near 4th and State was evacuated about 3 p.m. Friday after a suspicious package was found.

Officers responded to a reported bomb threat at 400 State Ave. They found that a package had been shipped to the building, and when it went through an X-ray machine, it revealed unknown objects, a police spokesman said. No threat had been made about an explosive.

During the investigation it was determined that the package was not an explosive nor any type of threat to the business or the public, the police spokesman said.

Chamber Ambassador of the Year

Mike Stone, Spangler Graphics, center, was awarded the Ambassador of the Year at the Kansas City, Kan., Area Chamber’s annual meeting on March 7. He is with Todd LaSala, right, Partner at Stinson Leonard Street and KCK Chamber Board chairman; and Pat Warren, left, president of Kansas Speedway and KCK Chamber Board Member. Kansas Speedway was the 2014 annual meeting presenting sponsor. (Photo from Kansas City, Kan., Area Chamber of Commerce)

Diehl steps down as president of Strawberry Hill Neighborhood Association

Carole Diehl, president of the Strawberry Hill Neighborhood Association, has stepped down.

Diehl will continue to serve on the board as a vice president, while Tim Ryan will serve as the new president of the association, according to an announcement. Diehl chose not to run for re-election at a meeting March 13.

“I’m really going to miss them and am really sorry my tenure had to come to an end, but together we did a lot of great things in the 17 years I was president,” Diehl said. “Thanks to all for supporting me, and I hope they support Tim. I want them to be as behind him as they were behind me.”

“Carole will be missed,” said Nick A. Tomasic, vice president, in a news release. “She was the face and the voice of the Strawberry Hill Neighborhood Association. She was a tireless advocate, always thinking and planning the next project to improve the quality of life in the neighborhood. Her accomplishments, too numerous to list here, are well known to the community. She was able to get the people involved in the association. She wanted to make Strawberry Hill a place of pride in our community as a whole.”

Ryan is the director of sales for Hilton Garden Inn in Kansas City, Kan.

“I want to thank everyone involved in the Strawberry Hill Neighborhood Association,” Ryan said. “I appreciate everyone’s assistance and patience as we work through the transition period.”

The mission of the Strawberry Hill Neighborhood Association is to work in cooperation with all residents toward the preservation, restoration and revitalization of the Strawberry Hill community, the association stated. It strives to improve and develop Strawberry Hill into a community that provides a safe, clean climate that attracts new businesses and homeowners. The association’s website is at www.strawberryhillkck.com.