Month: March 2017

Red flag warning in effect today; outdoor burning discouraged

High fire danger today. (National Weather Service graphic)

A red flag warning is in effect from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Saturday, March 4, according to the National Weather Service.

Burning is highly discouraged today with the high wildfire danger, the weather service said.

Temperatures will be warm with dry fuels, and relative humidity values dipping into the mid-20s, the weather service said.

Southwesterly winds will be between 20 to 25 mph with gusts exceeding 30 mph at times, according to the weather service.

The next chance for precipitation and thunderstorms holds off until Monday morning into Tuesday morning, the weather service said.

Today’s high will be near 69, with sunny skies, according to the weather service. A south southwest wind of 11 to 20 mph may gust as high as 32 mph.

Tonight, the low will be around 52, with a south wind of 14 to 16 mph, gusting as high as 24 mph, the weather service said.

Sunday, it will be mostly cloudy, with a high near 64, according to the weather service. A south wind of 13 to 21 mph will gust as high as 30 mph.

Sunday night, there will be a 20 percent chance of showers after midnight, the weather service said. The low will be around 56, with a south wind of 16 to 20 mph, gusting as high as 33 mph.

Monday, there will be a 40 percent chance of showers, with thunderstorms also possible, after 1 p.m., according to the weather service. A south southwest wind of 17 to 21 mph will gust as high as 37 mph.

Monday night, expect a 50 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms, the weather service said. The low will be around 39.

Tuesday, it will be sunny with a high near 61, according to the weather service.

Saturday events

Opening day of lake to be March 4
The opening day of Wyandotte County Lake is scheduled to be Saturday, March 4. The gates will open at 6 a.m. The Leavenworth Road Association will serve a biscuit and gravy breakfast for $10 at Davis Hall at the lake. For information about fishing licenses, visit http://www.wycokck.org/InternetDept.aspx?id=24374&menu_id=1416&banner=15284.

Cabelas to hold blood drive
Cabelas will hold a Red Cross blood drive from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday, March 4, at 10300 Cabela Dr., Kansas City, Kan. For more information, visit www.redcrossblood.org.

Quilting program offered
Learn to quilt at a program from 9 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Saturday, March 4, at the West Wyandotte Library, conference room C, 1737 N. 82nd, Kansas City, Kansas. The program covers the basics of quilting, along with new skills. It is for age 11 and older. Registration is required in advance to 913-295-8250.

Marble Crazy event today
Marble Crazy will be held from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday, March 4, at the Moon Marble Co., 600 E. Front St., Bonner Springs, Kansas. At the 17th annual event, visitors will see marbles made, meet the artists and see a marble machine. Marble artists from throughout the nation are scheduled to attend. For more information, visit www.marblecrazy.com/.

Preschool art class offered
A preschool art class is scheduled from 10:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. March 4 at the South Kansas City, Kansas, Public Library, storytime area, 3104 Strong Ave., Kansas City, Kansas. Space is limited and pre-registration is required to 913-722-7400.

KCKCC men’s basketball team in first round of playoffs Saturday
The Blue Devils will open playoff action at home Saturday at 2 p.m. against a Fort Scott team they swept, winning 78-56 at home and 59-47 just a week ago at Fort Scott.

KCKCC to present Sherlock Holmes play March 2-5
The Kansas City Kansas Community College Theatre Department is returning to the stage to bring to life a classic tale of mystery and intrigue. “Baskerville: A Sherlock Holmes Mystery” follows Sherlock and Dr. Watson as they try to solve their greatest case. The production is at 7:30 p.m. March 2, 3 and 4 at the KCKCC Performing Arts Center and 2:30 p.m. March 5. Tickets are $7 for adults and $5 for students and senior citizens. Admission is free for all KCKCC students, staff and faculty who present valid identification. For more information or to purchase tickets, call 913-288-7106.

High school basketball substate games on Saturday
Boys substate games scheduled on Saturday include:
Substate championship game: Washington vs. Schlagle at 6 p.m. at Washington
Substate championship game: Pittsburg vs. Harmon at 6 p.m. at Pittsburg
Substate championship game: Piper vs. Basehor-Linwood at 7:30 p.m. at Piper
Girls substate games scheduled on Saturday:
Piper vs Basehor-Linwood at Piper 6 p.m., substate championship


Comedian appears Saturday night at Stanford and Son’s
Jordan Rock is appearing on Saturday, March 4, at Stanford and Son’s Comedy Club at The Legends Outlets in Kansas City, Kan. Shows are at 7:45 p.m. and 9:45 p.m. The event is open to those 18 and older. The youngest brother of Chris Rock, Jordan Rock has appeared on “Comedy Central” and “Last Comic Standing.”

Sporting KC opens season Saturday at D.C. United

The 2017 MLS regular season kicks off Saturday for a pair of MLS charter members when Sporting Kansas City visits the nation’s capital to face D.C. United at historic RFK Stadium.

The interconference match is set for 6 p.m. with three hours of live coverage beginning at 5:30 p.m. on FOX Sports Kansas City and FOX Sports Midwest, the new television home of Sporting KC. Sports Radio 810 WHB (English) and La Grande 1340 AM (Spanish) will also air live broadcasts, while mobile users can watch a live stream on FOX Sports GO and follow along via the Sporting KC Uphoria app. Additional in-game updates will be available on SportingKC.com’s Matchday Central.

Sporting Kansas City enters the new campaign on a club-record six-year playoff streak under manager Peter Vermes. The longest tenured head coach in MLS oversaw a busy offseason as the club welcomed 10 newcomers and parted ways with 13 players from last year’s squad. Vermes’ men ended 2016 in gut-wrenching fashion, narrowly falling to eventual MLS Cup champion Seattle Sounders FC for their third straight exit in the win-or-go-home knockout round.

D.C. United boast a rich history with four MLS Cups in their trophy cabinet, the last of which came in 2004 against Kansas City. Head coach Ben Olsen guided D.C. to a fourth-place finish in the Eastern Conference last season before falling at home to Montreal Impact in the knockout round. Arguably no team enjoyed a better end to the year than D.C., which slumbered into August below the red line but caught fire down the stretch. Sparked by mid-summer acquisition Patrick Mullins, D.C. lost just two of its final 13 matches while averaging 2.54 goals per game during the torrid stretch.

Despite significant turnover from a year ago, Sporting Kansas City retains a veteran core of accomplished MLS players. Forward Dom Dwyer has bagged 50 MLS goals since the start of 2014, while midfield talisman Benny Feilhaber has notched a league-best 34 assists in that time. Matt Besler and Graham Zusi remain in the national team picture, as does Honduran midfielder Roger Espinoza.

Further anticipation for 2017 stems from a slew of fresh faces in Kansas City. Gerso Fernandes and Latif Blessing have been tabbed to provide speed in attack, while Barcelona-born holding midfielder Ilie (pronounced ILL-ee-yeh) brings almost a decade of experience from Europe.

D.C.’s offseason was relatively quiet in comparison. Goalkeeper Bill Hamid will likely be protected by a patented back four of Taylor Kemp, Sean Franklin, Steve Birnbaum and Nick DeLeon – all of whom started at least 27 games in 2016. Mullins scored eight goals during the latter half of last season and Boca Juniors import Luciano Acosta pulled the midfield strings to the tune of a team-best 11 assists. Elsewhere, Lloyd Sam and Patrick Nyarko add pace and width going forward.

The sides last met on May 27, 2016, at Children’s Mercy Park. Alhaji Kamara scored just 33 seconds into his MLS debut, beating goalkeeper Tim Melia in the 86th minute to give D.C. the 1-0 road win. Sporting KC has just one loss in its last six visits to RFK Stadium since 2011, having conceded just three goals during that stretch. The Black-and-Red hold a 21-20-12 advantage in the all-time regular season series.

Sporting KC and D.C. have squared off in seven previous season openers. Sporting KC has won each of the last five, making victorious starts at the expense of D.C. in 2003, 2007, 2008, 2010 and 2012. No team has more season-opening wins than Sporting KC’s 13. The club is 13-5-3 all-time in Week 1.

Neither team is hampered by injuries as Saturday’s clash approaches. Sporting KC will be without long-term absentee Diego Rubio, who continues to recover from offseason ACL surgery, while D.C. will miss MLS SuperDraft selection Chris Odoi-Atsem due to a calf injury.

– Story from Sporting KC