National Weather Service graphic
This morning at 9 a.m., temperatures were 20 degrees, with a wind chill of 4 in Wyandotte County, according to the National Weather Service.
Today’s high will be near 32, with north northwest winds of 15 to 18 mph, gusting to 28 mph, the weather service said.
Tonight, the low will be around 16, according to the weather service, with gusts as high as 20 mph.
Sub-zero wind chills are expected over northern parts of the region Wednesday morning, with single digits for the rest of the region, according to the National Weather Service.
While light snow is expected on Wednesday across northern and northeastern Missouri, at this time it is not listed in the forecast for the Kansas City area. Total snow accumulations will be under one inch to the north.
In Wyandotte County, it will be partly sunny Wednesday with a high near 35, the weather service said. The wind will be calm, and will become south southeast 5 to 8 mph in the afternoon.
Wednesday, night, the low will be around 19 with an east southeast wind of 6 to 9 mph, according to the weather service.
Thursday, expect partly sunny skies with a high near 34, the weather service said. Thursday night, the low will be around 25.
Indian Springs Shopping Center in its heyday in Kansas City, Kan. (File photo)
Window on the West
by Mary Rupert
Demolition is going on at the Indian Springs mall in Kansas City, Kan., which brings back a flood of memories for me, and probably for most people here.
According to the UG, the $1.25 million demolition project began this month on the shopping center, which is being torn down to make way for development of the property. The demolition is expected to take about seven months, according to UG information.
Mixed use retail is being considered for the property, although there not been a definitive announcement yet on what exactly will be there, and whether it will be retail. Lane4 Property Group is handling the project. This demolition follows a $1.3 million environmental abatement project, according to UG information.
When it opened in 1971, Indian Springs Shopping Center at 47th and State was the first mall in this area and attracted many visitors from the region. It was at the intersection of I-635 and I-70, two highways easily accessible to the visitors from other parts of the metro area. It had about 700,000 square feet on two levels, about 4,000 parking spaces, and lots of fountains in the mall. I was in high school when the mall opened.
In those early years, I spent many hours browsing book titles and buying a paperback once in a while at the Walden bookstore at Indian Springs.
I dropped by the music store at the mall a few times and tried out a keyboard a couple of times. I looked at music books and records.
I stopped by to enjoy an Orange Julius occasionally, and a Smaks hamburger once in a while. I ate at Italian Delight a few times. I didn’t go much to the cafeteria at the mall, however.
After I started to work, I bought some career clothes at the various department stores there, especially Penney’s and Montgomery Ward. Mom used to call me a “clothes horse” in that era when I was a young single adult with a career.
I reviewed movies for the Wyandotte West newspaper at Indian Springs theaters, until the newspaper decided they didn’t want me to do any more reviews.
I occasionally took pictures for the Wyandotte West at Indian Springs, but I remember the mall had some strange rules, such as you couldn’t let the store sign appear in the photograph.
I picked out my engagement and wedding ring with my fiancé at one of the Indian Springs jewelry shops. I didn’t shop very much at Macy’s, or later Dillard’s, but I registered my china at Macy’s at Indian Springs.
Later, I wheeled strollers around Indian Springs, taking the kids along. The kids visited Santa Claus at the mall. At one time there was an interactive Christmas tree there.
I went along when one of the kids’ youth groups sang Christmas carols at Indian Springs. They were standing on a riser in the center of the mall’s upper level.
The kids enjoyed visiting Kay-Bee Toys and picking out some gifts. I was hurriedly searching for the year’s hottest toys, sometimes finding them and sometimes not.
Mom was one of the Indian Springs mall walkers, getting exercise by walking through the shopping center.
When the kids were in grade school, I wouldn’t let them go to the Fun Factory, which featured arcade games.
Some people became afraid of going to Indian Springs after some violent incidents there.
But that’s only one of the reasons I didn’t go there as much in the late 1980s and 1990s. The main reason was that our personal income did not stretch as far when we had kids as it did when we were single, and another reason was there wasn’t as much leisure time as before.
I remember one day in 1999 when we were receiving calls on the news desk at the Kansan that there was an earthquake at the nearby Indian Springs medical and dental building. That is where I went to the dentist, at the time. There was some speculation at the time that there was an old mine, or possibly some old springs, underneath the area that might have contributed to it.
The last big anchor, Montgomery Ward, left in 2001. As the shopping center went into a decline and the major stores left, new tenants moved in, including many government offices, as well as some mom-and-pop businesses, and several Hispanic businesses. The Children’s Museum was located there. School district offices were there, as well as neighborhood resources. At one time there was a telemarketing operation, and a postal processing center.
Italian Delight left Indian Springs Shopping Center in 2010, relocating to 82nd and State. (File photo)
The last business leaving was Italian Delight, which moved to 82nd and State in 2010.
Efforts to revitalize the mall earlier hit a snag in 2009 when a developer who was to work on the project died, and also because of an economic downturn.
When the Indian Springs mall died, it was like the entire center part of Kansas City, Kan., died, too.
The Back-to-School Fair in August 2010 at Indian Springs Shopping Center, Kansas City, Kan. (File photo)
I went to Indian Springs a few times to take photos for the Wyandotte Daily at the back-to-school fair, where school supplies were distributed. Huge crowds lined up at the events.
A new transit center building was dedicated at Indian Springs Shopping Center in September 2013. (File photo)
In 2013, I went to Indian Springs to take photos for the Wyandotte Daily when a new building for the transit center, police station and aging offices was dedicated.
When the Royals won the World Series in 2015, long lines of people waited at Indian Springs Shopping Center to board a bus to take them to the victory rally at Union Station. (File photo)
I returned to Indian Springs to take photos when the Royals won the World Series in 2015 and people lined the parking lot in November to board buses for a huge rally at Union Station.
I know that indoor malls are a thing of the past, and are out of fashion, but on a winter day, especially like one this week, you can really miss them. Once you’re inside a mall, you can visit many stores without going back outside in the cold.
Week 3:
Slow start to session
It has been a slow start to things here in the Capitol this year. As you know, we have a projected budget shortfall of $14 million for the current fiscal year and a projected shortfall of $170 million for the next fiscal year. Some work has been done on the budget but the Republican leadership seems to be waiting on the January revenue numbers to come in before the budget is really worked on. Republican leaders are hoping the January revenue numbers will give them good news and help them solve the budget problems they have created. Considering the state has missed revenue expectations many times the last several months I doubt they will be getting the news they want. I will keep you posted.
School consolidation
Rep. John Bradford of Leavenworth introduced a bill recently that calls for school district “realignment.” When you dig into the details of the bill it becomes pretty obvious that realignment is really consolidation. Under the bill, most districts would consolidate into a single district per county with only the most populous counties having more than a single school district. It is estimated that the number of school districts statewide would be cut in half under this bill. This bill is simply another attack on Kansas schools. Our children’s schools need to remain local, our teachers need to remain local and public education needs to be local.
Kansas courts
You might remember from last week’s newsletter that the House voted overwhelmingly to pass a measure saving funding for the Kansas court system. The Senate held their vote on the same measure this week and it passed overwhelmingly with a vote of 39-1. I was happy to see my Senate colleagues support the measure and ensure our courts remain open.
Open government event
On Wednesday, a group called Open Kansas staged an event at the Capitol with the goal of raising awareness and advocacy of government transparency. The group was started as a result of the lack of transparency in state government. In the last few years we have seen the governor’s staff conduct state business on personal email, members of the legislature push back against having committee hearings streamed online, and a lack of government records available as open records. The launching of this group was perfect timing as just last week the Democrats in the Legislature presented several bills aimed at increasing government transparency and accountability. Kansans deserve a more open and transparent government.
Week 4:
It was a much busier week at the Capitol this week. The House voted against radically altering how our Supreme Court Justices are selected, January revenue was short $6.8 million, a committee made several changes to the governor’s budget and the school consolidation bill had a hearing. Committees continue to meet and they are starting to hear more and more bills. It is expected the House will debate the budget early next week with the Senate soon to follow. Fifteen days of session have come and gone out of a probable 90 days, although Republican leadership would like to end the session much before the 90 days.
Judicial power grab defeated
The full House debated HCR 5005, a constitutional amendment to change the way Kansas Supreme Court Justices are selected. Currently an independent nine-person nominating commission makes a recommendation to the Governor and the Governor then selects the justice.
Current System: Proposed System:
9 member nominating commission Governor appointment
Governor appoints Senate Confirmation
HCR 5005 would change it to where only the governor made the appointment with confirmation by the Senate. Supporters of the amendment contend the change is needed to make the Supreme Court more democratic. In reality, supporters of HCR 5005 are unhappy with recent decisions of the Supreme Court and they want to have the court packed with like-minded justices.
We depend on the courts to uphold the Constitution and to rule fairly and based on the law and not on popular opinion. These courts are vital to democracy and provide balance. Passing this resolution weakens the institution that we rely on to protect our rights and I voted No. Thankfully the amendment failed to gain the necessary two-thirds majority and failed 68-54.
Revenue misses the mark again
The January revenue numbers were released this week and the news was not good. Yet again, revenue did not meet expectations and the state was short $6.8 million in January. With the exception of November, revenues haven’t beaten estimates since February 2015. It’s time for Gov. Brownback and Republicans in the Legislature to admit that what we’re doing isn’t working. We can take our state in a new direction, but only if and when they are willing to do so. We are half way through the current fiscal year and until the root cause of the revenue misses is addressed, I expect continued misses resulting in large budget shortfalls. And a budget shortfall means more budget cuts by the legislature and the governor. The state is constitutionally prohibited from running a deficit, so creating a balanced budget is a top priority and the state needs a predictable revenue stream to accomplish that.
Budget changes
Also this week, in the Appropriations Committee, several amendments were made to the governor’s budget proposal. For instance:
• Department of Corrections officers were given a 2.5 percent pay increase
• The Children’s Initiative Fund was protected from being moved into the State General Fund
• Money was added to Osawatomie State Hospital.
While those changes are generally good, they are only needed due to the mismanagement of our state by Gov. Brownback and the Republican Legislature. Corrections officers need a pay increase to prevent the high turnover in the prison system that has led to real safety concerns for our officers. Our state hospitals have been mismanaged to the point that they no longer receive Medicare reimbursements, costing our state $1 million a month.
The changes also included:
• Punishing the University of Kansas for seeking bonding authority outside the state by restricting how the university can use their funds
• The Parents as Teachers program will remain means tested requiring parents to help foot the bill
• Money was taken out of the KPERS disability fund which provides funds to injured and disabled workers
The state and the budget have been mismanaged by Gov. Brownback and the Republican Legislature so much the last few years and the changes made to the budget this week does nothing to reverse course and get the state back on track. I am still reviewing all of the changes made, but I fear the changes only continue the cycle of mismanagement. It is expected the budget will be debated on the House floor next week.
School consolidation proposed
The House Education Committee held a hearing this week on a bill (HB 2504) to consolidate school districts. The bill requires all counties with 10,000 or less students to have one unified school district. Districts with less than 1,500 students would be required to merge. With the median enrollment of around 550 students per district, it is estimated that of the 105 counties in Kansas, 98 of them would face mergers. Currently there are 286 school districts and this bill would reduce that number to 132.
Current # of School Districts: School Districts left under HB 2504:
286 132
At the committee hearing on Wednesday (Feb. 3rd) there were 41 conferees in opposition including the KNEA, school districts, and school board members. Only three conferees testified in favor of the proposed bill: the representative who wrote the bill Rep. Bradford; Walk Chappell; and a retired businessman. Supporters of this bill claim it would save the state money but it does not. Our communities count on having a local school district and not shipping their children to another county for their education. This bill affects local control of our schools and I am strongly against it.
Keep in touch
It is a special honor to serve as your state representative. I value and need your input on the various issues facing state government. Please feel free to contact me with your comments and questions. My office address is Room 174-W, 300 SW 10th, Topeka, KS 66612. You can reach me at 785 296-7691 or call the legislative hotline at 1-800-432-3924 to leave a message for me. Additionally, you can e-mail me at [email protected]. You can also follow the legislative session online at www.kslegislature.org.
