April 2015 – Page 68 – Welcome to Wyandotte Daily!

Topeka man charged in plot to explode car bomb at Fort Riley military base

U.S. Attorney Barry Grissom held a news conference today in Kansas City, Kan., about an alleged plot to use a weapon of mass destruction at Fort Riley, Kan. (Photo by William Crum)

by William Crum

In a news conference today, U.S. Attorney Barry Grissom and Assistant Attorney General for National Security John P. Carlin announced that John T. Booker, Jr., age 20, of Topeka, Kan., was charged in a criminal complaint with one count of attempting to use a weapon of mass destruction, one count of attempting to damage property by means of an explosive and one count to provide material support to the Islamic state of Iraq.

Booker was arrested this morning near Manhattan, Kan., as he completed his final preparations to detonate a vehicle bomb targeting U.S. military personnel. The news conference was held at the federal building in Kansas City, Kan.

“We face a continued threat from individuals within our own borders who may be motivated by a variety of causes,” Grissom said. “Anyone who seeks to harm this nation and its people will be brought to justice. I also want to thank the FBI, the KBI, the Kansas Highway Patrol and other police and sheriffs organizations for their assistance.”

John T. Booker, also known as Mohammed Abdullah Hassan, was charged today with attempting without a lawful authority to use a weapon of mass destruction, which is defined by title 18 under United States code section 921, against property that is owned, leased or used by a department or agency of the United States.

Update: Booker had his initial appearance this afternoon in U.S. District Court in Topeka. The court advised him of the charges against him, and his rights in respect to those charges. The defendant waived his right to a detention hearing and the court remanded the defendant to the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service pending trial. He is represented by the federal public defender’s office.

U.S. Attorney Barry Grissom, left, and FBI Special Agent Eric Jackson at a news conference in Kansas City, Kan., today about a bomb plot at Fort Riley, Kan. (Photo by William Crum)

Blue Devils blank Highland in 53 minutes, 11-0

by Alan Hoskins, KCKCC

Kansas City Kansas Community College used the long ball for a quick 11-0 win over Highland Thursday only to fall short in a big comeback in a 14-11 loss in the nightcap.

The split kept the Blue Devils in fourth place in the Jayhawk Conference at 12-14 heading into a doubleheader at Highland Saturday. Overall, the Blue Devils are 23-16.

Jonathan May gave up just one hit and one walk in the 5-inning 11-0 opener that took just 53 minutes. He was backed by eight extra base hits including two-run home runs by Tanner Foerschler and Malone Smith, two triples by Eli Lovell, two doubles by Travis Stroup, a double and single by Alex Thrower and a triple by Daniel LaMunyon.

The Blue Devils spotted Highland an 8-0 lead in the first two innings, then rallied to tie 8-8 with three runs in the seventh capped by a bunt single by Alex Thrower.

However, Highland scored four runs in the eighth and two more in the ninth to blunt a 3-run KCKCC rally in the eighth. Landon Mason drove in three runs with three singles and Tyler Richmond doubled twice.

Strawberry Hill neighborhood hears presentation about design

Unified Government Planning Director Rob Richardson gave a presentation Thursday night to the Strawberry Hill Neighborhood Association. (Photo by William Crum)

by William Crum
The Strawberry Hill Neighborhood Association recently held its monthly meeting to talk about neighborhood design.

The Strawberry Hill neighborhood, like others in the community, is known for its historical heritage.

At the Thursday evening meeting they had a special guest, Rob Richardson, planning director for the Unified Government.

At the meeting Richardson talked about the traditional neighborhood design. The purpose of this program is to establish and encourage innovative mixed use development as an alternative to typical suburban, use segregated developments. It is an effort to make better use of the land and the urban area.

Within this program the UG will assist in providing a range of housing choices in close proximity to each other and produce quality public spaces that are usable for a variety of public and semipublic activities, he said. It also entails high standards of design and construction for buildings, public infrastructure and landscaping. By implementing this program it will definitely improve the area, he said.

A lot of people like to have everything close by, in fact, a lot of people would rather walk instead of driving. “I would love to walk instead of drive,” Richardson said.

Another item was the issue of what it takes to be a historical neighborhood. There are a lot of hoops an organization has to go through before it can be designated as a historical neighborhood, he said. Nothing is definite yet, and a study is currently underway to see if it will truly work for the neighborhood, according to Richardson.

At the end of the meeting a representative from the Kansas City, Kan., Police Department spoke about what crimes were committed recently within the Strawberry Hill area. Afterwards Richardson and other members of his staff were available for questions.

Unified Government Planning Director Rob Richardson gave a presentation Thursday evening to the Strawberry Hill Neighborhood Association. (Photo by William Crum)