August 2014 – Page 63 – Welcome to Wyandotte Daily!

Midwest Balloon Festival illuminates sky over Kansas Speedway

The Midwest Balloon Festival this past weekend featured a balloon glow. (Photo by William Crum)

by William Crum
The Kansas Speedway in Wyandotte County was host to this year’s Midwest Balloon Festival. This past weekend was the festival’s first time at the Kansas Speedway in Wyandotte County.

“Normally we get roughly 35,000 to 40,000 people at the festival, this is our first year at the Kansas Speedway, which we are really excited about,” said Sean Burns, coordinator for the Midwest Balloon Festival.

What is unique about this festival is that there were a lot of volunteers to staff the event, with a portion of the proceeds going to local civic organizations, making this event very beneficial to the Greater Kansas City metropolitan area.

Washington High School students participated in the Midwest Balloon Festival this past weekend at the Kansas Speedway. (Photo by William Crum)

At Friday night’s event, the marching dance team and band from Washington High School participated, playing the national anthem. They received a standing ovation. A crowd of more than 500 people cheered as the marching dance team danced and the band played.

As dusk came about the balloons became lit on fire in a “balloon glow.” The crowd applauded as the balloons lit up with color, making this event a truly memorable experience.

On Saturday night, Josh Smith showed up to play the saxophone. Smith is a 2013 graduate of Washington High School in Kansas City, Kan. Smith has been playing the saxophone for seven years. His idol is the legendary Charlie Parker, who was born in Kansas City, Kan.

Josh Smith, a Washington High School graduate, played the saxophone at the Midwest Balloon Festival this past weekend at the Kansas Speedway. (Photo by William Crum)

“I decided to play the saxophone mainly because the saxophone has soul. The saxophone was meant for me. I really enjoy playing the saxophone,” Smith said.

Smith’s track record speaks for itself; on Monday nights he plays at Hayward’s Barbecue and has played at the legendary Blue Room in the jazz district of Kansas City, Mo.

Smith is an Eagle Scout. He will attend Ottawa University this fall to study music. Last Saturday night he played the national anthem before a crowd of more than 1,000 people. As he played the audience was in awe and amazement, in fact a lot of people were saying he is the next Charlie Parker. After he played, a lot of people from the audience came up just to shake his hand.

As dusk came about, the balloons lit up again showing their colors, making Saturday as well as Friday a memorable event. The festival continued on Sunday, when weather interfered with the balloon launch, but entertainment continued.

To see more photos of the Midwest Balloon Festival, visit https://wyandotteonline.com/up-up-and-away/

Teachers sue Kansas over law that limits teachers’ due process rights

The Kansas National Education Association today filed suit in Shawnee County District Court against the state of Kansas over legislation that limit teachers’ due process rights.

Parts of House Bill 2506 came under criticism during the legislative session from the KNEA and from Wyandotte County Democratic legislators. The lawsuit does not apply to any of the financial portions of HB 2506, according to KNEA information. The law also contained school funding provisions.

House Bill 2506 canceled provisions in the previous law that allowed teachers with tenure to have hearings before they could be terminated. School districts are still allowed to have due process hearings for teachers, but they are not required to have them. The Kansas City, Kan., Public School district said previously it would still have due process hearings for teachers.

The KNEA earlier announced that it believes that parts of the bill that stripped due process “were enacted by an improper procedure and that they improperly deprive teachers of a basic expectation of fairness in termination decisions.”

“Today’s lawsuit by the KNEA is little more than an exercise in labor union politics,” Gov. Sam Brownback said in a news release responding to the lawsuit. “Kansas has high quality, well-funded schools and I signed HB 2506 to keep it that way. I am concerned this misdirected lawsuit may cast doubt on, or unwittingly endanger, school funding just as classrooms are convening all across Kansas.”

The case is Kansas National Education Association vs. state of Kansas, 2014-CV-000789 in Shawnee County District Court.

First day of school

Students attended school in a new McKinley Elementary building for the first time today, as school started in the Kansas City, Kan., Public Schools. The new McKinley Elementary School, 1301 Armstrong, is between Ann and Armstrong avenues between North 13th and 14th streets. The one-story building measures 42,000-square feet and has 15 classrooms, a media center, computer lab, music room, art room and multi-purpose room. It is on 2.43 acres, and it replaces the former McKinley School at 611 N. 14th St. (Photo by William Crum)