May 2016 – Page 47 – Welcome to Wyandotte Daily!

Motorcyclists to raise funds for injured Kansas City, Mo., officer

A fundraiser is planned Saturday for Kansas City, Mo., Officer Karen Jenkins, who is recovering in Kansas City, Kan. (Photo from The Healthcare Resort of Kansas City)

Motorcyclists will ride into Kansas City, Kan., on Saturday to raise funds for an injured police officer in a center here.

Karen Jenkins, a Kansas City, Mo., motorcycle officer, is recovering at The Healthcare Resort of Kansas City, 8900 Parallel Parkway, Kansas City, Kan., from a Feb. 26 accident on her police-issued motorcycle.

According to Barbara Newby, activities director for The Healthcare Resort of Kansas City, Jenkins’ motorcycle club will start a run at Blue Springs Harley-Davidson and end at The Healthcare Resort of Kansas City. Some police officers are expected to participate. The public is invited to stop by the center around 1 p.m. Saturday to see the motorcycles and to contribute to the fundraiser.

Newby said residents of the center, who are known as guests, will be able to go out and see the motorcycles, and it will be a fun activity for them. The guests won’t be asked to contribute to the fundraiser, but the public may contribute.

Jenkins, a 26-year veteran of the Kansas City, Mo., police, was pursuing a person, trying to make a stop in Kansas City, Mo., when the accident occurred, Newby said. Both legs were broken, as well as ribs and wrists, and a compound fracture on the ankle. “At KU Med, she had a doctor for each leg,” Newby noted.

The motorcyclists and the public are being asked to help with Jenkins’ medical bills and also with bills for her adult daughter, who has cerebral palsy.

Newby said Jenkins is recovering well, and she expected Jenkins to be here at least another month.

At Blue Springs Harley-Davidson, Jenkins’ picture is on the “wall of fame,” because she is one of the top women motorcyclists in the area, logging the most miles, Newby said. Jenkins was the first black woman motorcycle officer in Kansas City, Mo.

If members of the public want to be part of the ride Saturday, they may call Harley Davidson in Blue Springs, 816-224-5005, or the public may come by the center and look at the motorcycles.

Democrats to meet May 21

The Wyandotte County Third Saturday Democratic Breakfast will meet this Saturday, May 21, at The Dotte Spot Bar and Grill, 8123 Parallel Parkway, Kansas City, Kan.

The speakers will be State Rep. Valdenia Winn, D-32nd Dist., and State Rep. Stan Frownfelter, D-37th Dist. Rep. Winn also is a member of the Kansas City, Kan., Board of Education.

The breakfast buffet will be available at 8:15 a.m. and the program begins at 9:15 a.m. All Democrats are invited to attend.

The cost of the breakfast is $10, or $6 for students and those on limited incomes. Persons who attend are not required to purchase breakfast.

Those who are planning to attend and purchase a breakfast are asked to make reservations by Thursday, May 19, to [email protected].

Senator speculates about court ruling on school case

Views
Opinion column
by Murrel Bland

The big question looming in Topeka these days is “How will the Kansas Supreme Court rule on the equity issue of the public school funding case?”

That was a topic of discussion Friday, May 13, at a meeting of the Legislative Committee at the offices of the Kansas City, Kan., Area Chamber of Commerce.

The Supreme Court heard oral arguments Tuesday, May 10. A lawyer for the state, Stephen McAllister, said the Legislature has made a good faith effort to make school funding more equitable. However, Alan Rupe, a lawyer for the plaintiffs suing the state, urged the court to repeal the new law and revert back to a previous formula. That would cost the state an additional $30 million. The Kansas City, Kan., School District is one of the plaintiffs in the suit.

The Supreme Court has ruled that if the Legislature doesn’t come up with an equitable formula, schools will close June 30.

State Sen. Steve Fitzgerald, R-5th Dist., who was at the chamber committee meeting, speculated about how the court might rule. He said he expected the court to accept the legislature’s remedy because it is an election year. The Legislature’s plan did not call for any additional spending, but rather shifted money around. The Legislature left much of the specific cuts to Gov. Sam Brownback, who is term limited. All Kansas House and Senate seats will be up for re-election this year.

Sen. Fitzgerald said that the court doesn’t want to be one responsible for closing schools.

Five of the eight judges are up for retention this year. In Kansas, justices run against their records. There has been considerable speculation that ultra-conservative groups will urge voters not to retain four of these justices—Marla Luckert, Carol Beier, Dan Biles and Chief Justice Lawton Nuss. These conservatives have alleged that the court has activist judges who “overstep their authority in making legislation.“ Those with more moderate views allege that the court has stepped in because the Legislature has failed to act.

Sen. Fitzgerald said that the latest appointment to the court, Caleb Stegall, a conservative appointed by Republican Gov. Sam Brownback, should be safe. Former Gov. Kathleen Sebelius, a Democrat, appointed Beier and Biles. Gov. Bill Graves, a moderate Republican, appointed Luckert and Nuss.

The court is expected to rule soon. Traditionally, the court’s rulings are issued on a Friday morning.

Murrel Bland is the former editor of The Wyandotte West and The Piper Press. He is executive director of Business West.