Month: May 2017

Police investigate shooting in 900 block of Gilmore

Kansas City, Kansas, police responded to a shooting investigation at 5:30 p.m. May 4 in the 900 block of Gilmore Avenue.

When officers arrived at the location, they found a man who had been shot in the head, a police spokesman said. The victim was taken to a hospital with life-threatening injuries, according to police.

The incident is under investigation by the Kansas City, Kansas, Police Department’s Criminal Investigations Division. Anyone with information is asked to call the TIPS hotline at 816-474-TIPS.

Program will help low-income residents with affordable housing

A lack of affordable housing available nationwide and in Wyandotte County is being addressed by a program at Kim Wilson Housing Inc. to help Wyandot Center and PACES clients.

A new grant from the Health Care Foundation of Greater Kansas City will help clients to secure and maintain safe and affordable housing in Wyandotte County.

The pilot program will use mediation with landlords to reduce evictions and help tenants, according to a spokesman.

The Housing Location Services program will educate front-line social workers on resources and techniques their clients can use to find and keep affordable housing, agency officials said.

As part of the grant, Kim Wilson Housing will work with the Kansas City Kansas Housing Authority to reduce evictions through mediation between landlords and tenants. The program will also foster relationships with new landlords to create more safe and affordable housing within Wyandotte County, according to the spokesman.

Kim Wilson Housing’s focus is to provide innovative solutions to create affordable housing opportunities for vulnerable populations. KWH is an intermediary organization providing core services for local and state government agencies and for health and wellness organizations in the Greater Kansas City area.

“A full-time minimum wage worker today cannot afford a two-bedroom rental unit at fair market rent without sacrificing food, transportation, medical care or other necessities,” said Christy McMurphy, executive director of Kim Wilson Housing. “In Kansas City, persons with disabilities and living on Supplemental Security Income must pay 100 percent of their monthly income to rent a modest one-bedroom apartment at fair market rent for our city. Many low income families are at immediate risk of homelessness due to rising rents. Rents have increased at an accelerated rate over the past year by double-digit percentages in some poorer zip codes even though household incomes and developers’ costs have remained flat.”

According to the Department of Housing and Urban Development, families who pay more than 30 percent of their income for housing are considered cost burdened. Currently, an estimated 12 million renter and homeowner households now pay more than 50 percent of their annual incomes for housing.

“Anyone who understands this should be alarmed,” Jana Loflin, director of Housing Location Services, said. “When you consider quality of life, safe and affordable housing tops the list. Stable housing paves the path to job security, children’s success at school and improved overall health, not to mention to positive impact on the community as a whole.”

The project will track outcomes of the pilot program with hope that it can be expanded.

Wyandot Center is Wyandotte County’s designated community mental health center serving adults. PACES serves children.

Funding for the project was provided by the Health Care Foundation of Greater Kansas City. The foundation provides leadership and resources to eliminate barriers and promote quality health for the uninsured and underserved.

– Information from Kim Wilson Housing

Two big innings end KCKCC softball season with 23-22 record

by Alan Hoskins, KCKCC

Two crushing innings have ended Kansas City Kansas Community College’s softball season.

Beaten 6-1 in opening round Region VI softball play at Hutchinson Tuesday, the Lady Blue Devils rebounded with an impressive 8-1 win only to have the Lady Blue Dragons snap a 0-0 deadlock in the decisive third game with an 8-run fourth inning in a 9-1 win. The two losses ended the Blue Devils’ season at 23-22.

Shannon Greene scattered six hits, walked none and struck out one as KCKCC bounced back for an 8-1 win after the opening 6-1 setback. The Blue Devils backed Greene with 13 hits including three each by Kaylynn Stratton and Hannah Bishop and two apiece by Allison Kasick, Candice Jennings and LaTisha Thomas.

The Blue Devils jumped in front 1-0 in the first on a double by Bishop and an error and added three runs in the third on consecutive singles by Stratton, Bishop and Kasick and a double by Jennings. Doubles by Sudac and Thomas and a single by Kasick made it 6-0 in the fourth and the final two runs came in the sixth on singles by Thomas, Stratton and Bishop.

Forcing a third game, the Blue Devils put two runners on base in each of the first three innings while Megan Mason limited the Blue Dragons to one hit. But Hutch broke the game wide open in the fourth, scoring eight runs on eight hits off Mason and Greene before Cheyenna Owens got the final two outs.

The Blue Devils’ lone run came on singles by Bishop, Kasick, Stringer and Jennings in the fifth. Kasick finished with three hits and Jennings two as the Blue Devils were only out-hit 10-8.

Hutchinson took the opening game 6-1 by scoring five runs in the fifth inning. The Blue Dragons took a 1-0 lead in the first on a passed ball and then broke the game open in the fifth, scoring five times on four hits, a hit batsman and a pair of errors. Held without a hit for five innings, the Blue Devils broke through in the sixth on back-to-back doubles by Jennings and pitcher Megan Sumonja. Only one other runner reached first base. Sumonja allowed seven hits and four earned runs while striking out two and walking two.