Month: November 2014

ArtMakers’ Place to hold art exhibit Nov. 13

ArtMakers’ Place, the fine art studio of Wyandot Center, 756 Armstrong Ave., Kansas City, Kan., will hold its annual art exhibit from 4 to 6 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 13.

The exhibit will feature 80 works of art in different media. ArtMakers’ Place will hold a debut for a new recovery mural that will be permanently placed in Wyandot Center’s Health and Wellness Clinic.

It will also unveil the first five pieces of the Healing Through Art exhibit that include stories and art that will be displayed at the center’s outpatient services building. At the annual event, calendars with representative art from the exhibit will be available for sale with all proceeds benefiting the studio.

ArtMakers’ Place hosts art therapy, psychosocial groups and peer support groups for adult consumers of the community mental health center. For more information, call 913-621-7125 or email Tiffane Masimbi, ArtMakers’ Place coordinator, at [email protected].

– from Therese Horvat, director of communications, Wyandot Inc.

Weekend forecast: Clear and cool

Today’s weather forecast is sunny with a high near 60. Look for much colder weather to arrive on Tuesday of next week.

A south wind will be from 9 to 18 mph, with gusts as high as 26 mph, according to the National Weather Service.

Tonight’s low will be 45 degrees. The wind tonight will be south southwest from 9 to 15 mph, becoming north after midnight, and gusting up to 21 mph.

Saturday’s forecast is sunny with a high near 50. A north northwest wind of 13 to 18 mph will decrease to 7 to 12 mph in the afternoon. Winds may gust as high as 26 mph.

Saturday night, the lost will be around 35, and the skies will be mostly clear.

Sunday, look for mostly sunny weather with a high near 60. The south southwest wind will be 7 to 11 mph.

On Sunday night, expect a low of 43.

A cold front may move into the area on Monday, and it will be much colder Tuesday and Wednesday in the region, according to the weather service.

Temperatures will be up and down over the next few days as several weak fronts move through the area.

On Monday night and Tuesday, the first stage of arctic air will spill through the eastern half of the country. Tuesday and Wednesday highs will likely be 20 to 30 degrees colder than high temperatures today, according to the weather service.

The high will be 38 on Tuesday, and around 22 on Tuesday night. Wednesday’s high will be near 34.

UG Commission passes ‘Ban the Box’ ordinance

The Unified Government Commission tonight unanimously passed a “Ban the Box” ordinance, an effort which may help ex-felons get jobs.

It is part of a national effort to delete the box on job applications that asks if a person has been convicted of a felony. Several people were in the audience to support this effort.

With the passage of the ordinance, the UG will be taking a step to eliminate barriers for those who are returning to society from prison.

The “Ban the Box” effort was backed by several groups including the NAACP and Workforce Partnership. There was a petition drive in favor of the UG making this change.

In Wyandotte County, about 13 to 15 percent of the population are ex-felons, and many reside in the urban core, according to officials.

The new ordinance exempts public safety positions in the Police Department, Sheriff’s Office, Fire Department, Community Corrections Department, district attorney’s office and Municipal Court. Job applications in these areas will still include questions about prior criminal history.

Under the new ordinance, the UG may still ask job applicants about their criminal history, but the question will not be asked until after the job interview is held and the person has been determined to be qualified for the job.

Commissioner Tarence Maddox, who led this effort, said a minister who opened the meeting with a prayer gave an example of a young man on the playground who didn’t have a chance at bat. This “Ban the Box” change is a step toward giving people a chance at bat, which people here will appreciate, he said.

Commissioner Jane Philbrook said Workforce Partnership is supporting this issue and has been wanting something like this to happen in Wyandotte County for a long time.