Man dies after accident near 63rd and Leavenworth Road

A man in his late 50s died after an accident at 11:40 a.m. Sunday, May 4, in the 6300 block of Leavenworth Road.

Kansas City, Kan., police responded to the scene, and when they arrived, found the man deceased from his injuries, a spokesman said.

A preliminary investigation showed the victim and another vehicle were stopped at the intersection of 63rd and Leavenworth Road when a third vehicle, also traveling east, struck the victim from behind, according to police.

The driver of the striking vehicle stayed on the scene, police said.

The identity of the victim will not be released pending positive identification and family notification, the spokesman said.

The accident remains under investigation by the Kansas City, Kan., Police Department’s Traffic Support Unit-Critical Collision Response Team.

Sporting KC takes on Columbus Crew this afternoon in KCK

Sporting Kansas City and the Columbus Crew meet Sunday afternoon at Sporting Park, Kansas City, Kan., in a meeting of the top two teams in the Eastern Conference standings.

Sunday’s match will kick off at 3 p.m. on the NBC Sports Network and can be heard locally on Sports Radio 810 WHB or La Gran D 1340 AM. A limited number of standing room only tickets might be available for $20 each.

The Columbus Crew got off to a fast start to 2014 with three consecutive victories to open the season, marking their best start in club history. The Crew failed to secure a win during the month of April but held on to first place in the Eastern Conference with a 1-1 draw last weekend against the New York Red Bulls. Costa Rican forward Jairo Arrieta scored the team’s lone goal in the 39th minute before New York equalized in the 66th minute.

Sporting KC suffered a road loss last weekend against the New England Revolution allowing two goals in second half stoppage time after referee Alan Kelly issued defender Aurelien Collin a straight red card in the 74th minute.

Sunday’s contest will feature two of the league’s leading goalscorers. Sporting KC forward Dom Dwyer and Columbus midfielder Federico Higuain are tied for fourth in the MLS scoring charts with four goals apiece.

Sporting Kansas City is 22-21-6 against the Crew all-time and has earned victories in the last three meetings with Columbus including two wins at Sporting Park last season en route to the MLS Cup title.

Prior to kickoff, Sporting Kansas City players, coaches and front office staff will receive their 2013 MLS Cup championship rings in a ceremony beginning at 2 p.m.

Fans can follow the match online at Twitter.com/SKCGameday or by visiting  www.SportingKC.com/GameOn.

Kansas City, Kan., celebrates heritage with two parades Saturday

Yuridense from Mexico performed at the Cinco de Mayo celebration on Saturday, May 3, in Kansas City, Kan. (Photo by William Crum)
Scenes from Polski Day on Saturday, May 3, in Kansas City, Kan. (Photo by William Crum)

by William Crum

Over the weekend there were two parades in Kansas City, Kan. One was Polski Day and the other was the Cinco de Mayo parade.

Both parades attracted large crowds, mainly because of the great weather in the 70s on Saturday.

Polski Day celebrated Polish heritage and the Cinco de Mayo parade celebrated Mexican heritage.

Kansas City, Kan., is a very diverse community regarding ethnic heritage. It is one of the most culturally diverse communities in the United States. Over the weekend was an opportunity to celebrate this heritage.

People come from all over the Greater Kansas City metropolitan area to attend these parades. Afterward they got together and celebrated this heritage with music, food and entertainment.

Next year plans are under way to make both of these events even bigger and better, attracting people from all over the Greater Kansas City area. Both of these events showed that Kansas City, Kan., is a true melting pot of the Midwest.