Month: July 2014

KCKCC joins with Kauffman Foundation for entrepreneurial program

by Kelly Rogge

Kansas City Kansas Community College is inviting the community to “connect” through the college’s new Entrepreneurship Certificate of Completion.

Partnering with the Kauffman Foundation and the Entrepreneurial Learning Initiative, KCKCC is offering the new for-credit Entrepreneurship Certificate of Completion utilizing curriculum from Kauffman’s FastTrac Planning the Entrepreneurial Venture and Ice House -The Entrepreneurial Mindset.

“A partnership with the Kauffman Foundation is important because when it comes to entrepreneurship and education, the foundation is noted throughout the world,” said Marvin Hunt, dean of Business and Continuing Education at KCKCC. “They just happen to be in Kansas City. The college will benefit through this partnership by participating in their programming, such as their Million Cups events, using their FastTrac curriculum and other supports.”

This kickoff event is from 4:30 to 6 p.m. Aug. 5 in the Upper Level of the Jewell Student Center on the KCKCC campus, 7250 State Ave.

Representatives from the Kauffman Foundation and the Entrepreneurial Learning Initiative will be on hand to discuss their innovative entrepreneurial programs. In addition, Kauffman FastTrac graduates will be available to share their experiences and entrepreneurial pathways toward success and local entrepreneurs will be available to talk with those who are interested on an individual basis.

“The Kauffman Foundation has been a key driver in the development and implementation of entrepreneurship training and research for over 20 years,” said Karen Gaines, coordinator of the marketing program and instructor of business courses at KCKCC. “The foundation has wanted our school to be involved with their programming, especially with them being in our backyard. The timing is right and to be a part of this network of institutions offering their quality programming is a benefit to the school.”

Hunt said KCKCC has had a long-standing partnership with the Kauffman Foundation through several events including the annual Innovation Summit, in which their leadership has provided keynote addresses. He said as KCKCC learned more about their academic programming, using their curriculum seemed like a natural fit.

“It is quite significant that KCKCC was invited, by Kauffman, to be a part of the Slingshot Network, which is a national network of the most entrepreneurial community colleges in the United States,” he said. “High quality education is key. It will be important for KCKCC students to learn about entrepreneurship by using the highest quality and most current curriculum. Our affiliation in the Slingshot Network also brings recognition to KCKCC as a progressive and entrepreneurially-minded community college. President (Doris) Givens always states that Kansas City Kansas Community College is the most progressive, forward thinking, forward moving, entrepreneurial community college in the entire state of Kansas. Success begets success. We have been successful in gaining a reputation in entrepreneurship, but I am not satisfied stopping there. We need to better engage students in entrepreneurship and help our community grow new entrepreneurs at a faster rate. This builds wealth in the community and for individuals.”

For information about the Entrepreneurship Certificate of Completion or the kickoff event, contact Gaines at [email protected].

Kelly Rogge is the public information supervisor at Kansas City Kansas Community College.

Judge contest in primary election holds much interest this year

Jim Yoakum, right, and Tim Dupree, left, candidates for a Wyandotte County judge position, answered questions at a candidate forum July 30 at Kansas City Kansas Community College. (Staff photo)

by Mary Rupert

With the primary election coming down to the wire, Wyandotte County voters were able to see a variety of candidates at a forum Wednesday night at Kansas City Kansas Community College.

The primary contest to fill a vacant judge position in the Wyandotte County District Court holds a great deal of interest this year. The primary election is Tuesday, Aug. 5.

Judge David Boal is not seeking re-election this year. The winner of the primary election for that position likely will fill the judge’s seat. Three Democratic candidates, Timothy Dupree, Courtney Mikesic and James Yoakum, are running in the primary. There are no Republican candidates for the office.

Dupree graduated from Wyandotte High School and Kansas City Kansas Community College, and is a 2001 graduate of the University of Kansas with a degree in psychology.

He received his law degree in 2003 from Washburn University. He was a prosecutor in Lyon County, Kan., and he opened his own law office in Wyandotte County in 2008.

At the candidate forum on Wednesday night, Dupree cited his experience in trying murder cases as a private practice attorney.

He said he has represented the state before the Kansas Supreme Court. He said he was the most qualified of the candidates.

“The decisions judges make affect everyone,” he said. “You need to choose the person that is the most qualified.”

Yoakum has been an attorney for 17 years in the community. He attended Bishop Ward High School and Kansas City Kansas Community College, where he played baseball in 1987.

He received a bachelor’s degree from Kansas State University and his law degree from Washburn University.

Yoakum said he is experienced in his private practice in probate, civil, criminal and family law, and could be assigned to any docket as he had experience in all of them.

He served six years as the Edwardsville city municipal court prosecutor, and he also is one of 10 contract attorneys handling juvenile offender and child in need of care cases in Wyandotte County.

“District court is the place where the law most meets the lives of the people,” Yoakum said. “If I’m elected I will be a humble public servant. I will remember where I came from.”

Courtney Mikesic

Mikesic, who did not appear at the candidate forum, attended Bishop Ward High School and Kansas City Kansas Community College, where she played on the volleyball team, and graduated with honors. She received her bachelor’s degree from Long Island University, Brooklyn, N.Y., graduating magna cum laude, and was on a volleyball athletic scholarship. Her law degree is from Washburn University.

Mikesic, managing attorney at Kramer and Frank, where she has been more than six years, concentrates in civil and business litigation, as well as creditors’ rights. She has previous experience in insurance and medical malpractice defense litigation, working for more than two years for the Holbrook and Osborn law firm. She was at the district attorney’s office for 11 months at the start of her career, while still in law school, where she handled some misdemeanor cases and drafted criminal charges.

She has served as a judge pro-tem, and was a law clerk in the Kansas Supreme Court. In an earlier interview, she said she would like to give something back to the community. Her father, retired Judge David Mikesic, served 30 years in the Wyandotte County District Court. She pledged to be hard-working, fair and honest.

The forum was sponsored by the Kansas City, Kan., Area Chamber of Commerce, Kansas City Kansas Community College, Business West, the Central Avenue Betterment Association, the Historic Northeast Mid-Town Association, Downtown Shareholders, Rosedale Development Association, Fairfax Industrial Association and the Kansas City Press Club.

About 50 people attended the forum. It is expected to be shown on the KCKCC cable television channel this weekend.

The candidate forum can be found on the KCKCC YouTube Channel at http://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLMfeRPiOepX3eMxZvUqSyLgAGYAra4qls.

To see earlier stories about the candidates, see:
https://wyandotteonline.com/mikesic-files-for-judge/
https://wyandotteonline.com/kckcc-graduate-speaks-to-american-government-class/

RailCats stymie T-Bones’ offense

Gary SouthShore jumped ahead with two runs in the bottom of the first and never trailed in a 6-3 win over Kansas City on Wednesday night at U.S. Steel Yard in Gary, Ind.

The RailCats attacked T-Bones starting pitcher Casey Barnes early. Barnes led off the bottom of the first by walking Danny Pulfer, who went to third on a double by Drew Martinez.

Josh Romanski grounded out to second baseman Danny Richar, but Pulfer scored from third and Martinez moved up to the third. The next batter, Ryan Babineau, singled up the middle, driving in Martinez and capping the inning.

The RailCats added to the lead in the fourth on an RBI double by Derek Smith that scored Wally Backman Jr. from first.

Kansas City got its first run of the night with a one-out single by Bryan Sabatella in the fifth inning. Sabatella stole second and third, and score on a Nick Schwaner sacrifice fly to deep center that cut the Gary lead to 3-1. The T-Bones pulled within 3-2 when Schwaner drove in Sabatella again in the seventh inning, after Sabatella tripled.

Sabatella and Robby Kuzdale each had two of Kansas City’s five hits, and combined for all three runs (Sabatella two, Kuzdale one). Meanwhile, the top five batters in the Kansas City lineup went one-for-20. The T-Bones struck out 13 times, and collected only one walk from Gary SouthShore pitchers.

The RailCats pulled away with a three-run seventh inning, which was capped by a two-run throwing error by shortstop Vladimir Frias.

After giving up eight runs in each of his last two outings, Kansas City starter Casey Barnes (2-2) allowed only three runs Wednesday in the loss. Reliever Hamilton Bennett gave up three runs on two hits in 1 2/3 innings.

The T-Bones (33-36) and RailCats (40-29) will continue their four-game series with game two Thursday night at 7:10.

Box score: http://www.pointstreak.com/baseball/boxscoretext.html?gameid=178056
– Story from T-Bones