March 2015 – Page 109 – Welcome to Wyandotte Daily!

Sporting KC signs defender; season opens Sunday

Sporting Kansas City has signed 28-year-old defender Marcel de Jong, the club announced on Monday.

A member of the Canadian Men’s National Team, de Jong will occupy an international roster spot pending receipt of his International Transfer Certificate and P-1 Visa.

“We continue to look to add experience in the players joining our roster,” Sporting KC manager Peter Vermes said. “Marcel’s time in the German Bundesliga and with the Canadian Men’s National Team will bring excellent experience to the team.”

“I am happy to be here and I am looking forward to a great season with Sporting Kansas City,” de Jong said. “I hope that we can do well and achieve our goals.”

De Jong has 31 appearances for Canada with two goals since his international debut at age 21 in 2007. He has represented his country at each of the past three CONCACAF Gold Cup tournaments, as well as in 2010 and 2014 FIFA World Cup qualifying.

A dual citizen of Canada and Netherlands, de Jong began his youth career with PSV Eindhoven before signing professionally with Helmond Sport in 2004. After two years in the Dutch second division – and scoring against Italy at the 2005 FIFA World Youth Championship in the Netherlands – de Jong joined Roda JC in the top flight Eredivisie in 2006.

De Jong made the move to Germany following four seasons with the Miners, highlighted by a run to the 2007-08 KNVB Cup final, when he signed with FC Augsburg in 2010. His initial season with FCA culminated with promotion to the Bundesliga for the first time since the team was founded in 1907 and the club maintained first division status for each of the past four campaigns.

In total, de Jong has logged more than 225 club appearances over his past 10 professional seasons in Netherlands and Germany. He joined Sporting Kansas City on trial last month for the second leg of the team’s 2015 preseason in Tucson, Ariz., and appeared in four matches at outside back.

Sporting Kansas City will kick off the team’s 20th season at 6 p.m. on Sunday at Sporting Park in a nationally televised match against the New York Red Bulls on FOX Sports 1 and FOX Deportes. Single-game tickets are now on sale via Ticketmaster.com for the club’s first 10 of 17 regular season home matches in 2015 while available.
– Story from Sporting KC

Dan Henry, long-time Channel 4 weatherman, dies

Long-time WDAF-TV weatherman Dan Henry, 89, died Saturday afternoon.

Henry, who retired in 1992, was a full-time weather there since 1977.

He started his career as a disc jockey at WDAF-AM radio in 1959, then became the “Tea Time Host” and part-time weekend weatherman at WDAF-TV in the mid-1960s.

He became a full-time weatherman in 1977, and continued to moonlight on the WDAF sales team.

Henry was known for cheerful weather reports, and calm coverage of severe weather, delivered in a soothing baritone voice.

For 33 years Henry was a source of comfort for viewers and pride at WDAF. And even though he has been retired for 23 years, people still remember him for the popular catchphrase, “Dan said it would be like this.”

FOX 4 President and General Manager Cheryl McDonald said, “I was very sad to hear of Dan’s passing on Saturday. He was deeply loved by all of us at WDAF-TV who had the privilege of working with him. He was funny and kind and always made the weather entertaining. We lost a very special person……He was the best of an era.”

Ice and snow may miss Wyandotte County, according to current forecast

A chance of freezing rain and light icing is in the forecast tonight north of the Kansas City area. (National Weather Service graphic)

A little bit of everything is in the forecast from the National Weather Service today. But for Wyandotte County, the forecast now is showing that it is outside the main area for freezing rain tonight and snow on Tuesday night.

As weather conditions may change, keep up with the weather conditions at www.weather.gov.

Today’s high will be near 37, the weather service said.

Light rain will spread into an area north of Kansas City, Kan., tonight, where temperatures will be below freezing, the weather service said. This area now appears to be around St. Joseph, Mo., along and north of Highway 36, according to the weather service.

There is a 50 percent chance of rain, mainly after 9 p.m., here, the weather service said. The low will be about 33 degrees. A south wind of 10 to 16 mph, with gusts as high as 24 mph, is in the forecast according to the weather service.

Tuesday morning, temperatures will rise above freezing and the freezing rain will change to all rain, the weather service said.

There is a 30 percent chance of rain, mainly before noon, on Tuesday, Election Day. The high will be near 47 degrees, according to the weather service. It will be windy, with a south wind of 15 to 21 mph becoming north northwest on Tuesday afternoon, the weather service said. Winds may gust as high as 29 mph, the weather service said.

Behind a cold front, on Tuesday night, light snow will be possible south of Highway 50, which is south of Wyandotte County, and includes Butler, Mo., Columbia, Mo., and Sedalia, Mo., according to the weather service.

Tuesday night’s low for Wyandotte County will be around 16 degrees, with a north wind of 13 to 15 mph, gusting to 21 mph, according to the weather service.

Wednesday, skies will be partly sunny, with a high near 28, the weather service said. The north northwest wind will be 11 to 15 mph, with gusts as high as 21 mph.

Wednesday night’s low will be around 11, and Thursday’s high will be near 34, the weather service said.

There is a chance of light rain on Tuesday east of Wyandotte County, according to the National Weather Service. (National Weather Service graphic)

An area south of the Kansas City area may receive some light snow on Tuesday night. (National Weather Service graphic)