The Salvation Army has announced it will open its facilities as cooling shelters whenever there is a heat advisory or warning.
The eight Salvation Army shelters open in Greater Kansas City include one in Kansas City, Kansas, at 6723 State Ave.
Currently, a heat advisory has been issued by the National Weather Service for Monday through 7 p.m. Wednesday, July 12.
Salvation Army cooling shelters will be open from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday whenever there is a heat advisory or excessive heat warning, according to a spokesman.
The Salvation Army cooling shelters offer cold drinks, light snacks, a rest area and heat survival information.
“Our Cooling Shelters could be the difference for many residents in the Kansas City area looking to get a break from the heat,” said Major Philip Maxwell, Divisional Commander of The Salvation Army in Kansas City, in a statement. “Extreme heat is common this time of year, and we’re anticipating a significant need for cooling relief. Through our Cooling Shelters, we hope to provide that relief for as many individuals in our community as possible this summer.”
Mayor Mark Holland, left, and Commissioner Ann Murguia cut the ribbon for the new South Patrol police station today. The station is at South 21st and Metropolitan Avenue. (Staff photo by Mary Rupert)
The ribbon was cut today on a new South Patrol police station at South 21st and Metropolitan Avenue that is built on top of a former Superfund site that has been remediated.
The new building, budgeted for $2.25 million, has about 6,030 square feet, according to Unified Government officials. The building received a $400,000 grant from the state of Kansas, and tax-increment financing was used.
The property was vacant for a number of years previously, having served at one time as a silver smelting operation. It was cleaned up and reclaimed to be used again for development.
“This is another example of Kansas City, Kansas, moving forward, reinvesting in the infrastructure of our community, and reinvesting in the infrastructure of our public safety,” Mayor Mark Holland said.
He added that 95 percent of police work is not done within the police station, but out on the streets. He asked for a moment of silence in memory of two Kansas City, Kansas, police officers who were killed last year in the line of duty.
The building is expected to provide a new feeling of safety to the Argentine area’s stores, businesses and residents. Just west of the police station is the Walmart Neighborhood Market, with a Save-a-Lot grocery store to the east. The former police station, a smaller building originally designed to be a house, was on South 34th Street. The new station is also close to 18th Street Expressway and U.S. 69.
The new building is technologically up-to-date for the Police Department’s future use of car and body cameras, according to officials.
Residents of the Argentine area have worked about five years to get the project to completion, according to officials.
Third District Commissioner Ann Brandau Murguia, who did a lot of work for the new police station, thanked those involved in the project, and presented plaques to Mario Escobar, former executive director of the Argentine Betterment Corp., Pat Dunn of the Southwest Argentine Neighborhood Group; and also presented a barbecue grill from charitable donations to Police Chief Terry Zeigler.
Zeigler said he appreciated the work that everyone had done toward making the project a reality.
He said the new station has an open-floor concept, open rafters, a break room, locker room, and a community room with glass walls.
“Little things make a big difference for police officers, and we’re just so glad those things were incorporated in the design,” he said.
There is hope that community members will have meetings at the new police station, and interact with officers, he said.
“We truly do have a community policing philosophy, and that went into this design-build,” Zeigler said.
The report desk should be staffed in a few months, for community members to walk in and make reports as they currently do at the Indian Springs Midtown police station, he said.
The ribbon-cutting ceremony was held outdoors in a heat advisory, with a heat index of over 100 degrees, which may have shortened some speeches. The Frost Loya Band provided musical entertainment.
A representative of the Walmart Neighborhood Market presented a grant for $2,500 to the police station.
Crossland Construction was the contractor and Hoefer Wysocki was the architect for the project, with Davidson Architecture and Engineering.
The new South Patrol police station is at South 21st and Metropolitan Avenue. A ribbon-cutting for the new building was held today. (Staff photo by Mary Rupert) The new South Patrol police station in Kansas City, Kansas, has a little over 6,000 square feet and was budgeted for $2.25 million. The ribbon was cut for the station today. (State photo by Mary Rupert) Inside the new South Patrol police station, there is an open-floor concept with open rafters. A ribbon-cutting and tour of the station was held today. (Staff photo by Mary Rupert) The audience found some shade under a canopy during today’s ribbon-cutting ceremonies at the new South Patrol police station at South 21st and Metropolitan. (Staff photo by Mary Rupert) A color guard stood in front of the new South Patrol police station at South 21st and Metropolitan Avenue in Kansas City, Kansas. (Staff photo by Mary Rupert) The flag was raised during ceremonies today at the new South Patrol police station in Kansas City, Kansas. (Staff photo by Mary Rupert) Dustin Dierenfeldt of the Kansas City, Kansas, Police Department sang the national anthem today at the ribbon-cutting for the new South Patrol police station. (Staff photo by Mary Rupert) “This is another example of Kansas City, Kansas, moving forward,” said Mayor Mark Holland at today’s ribbon-cutting for the new South Patrol police station. (Staff photo by Mary Rupert) Third District Commissioner Ann Brandau Murguia, who led the effort for a new South Patrol building, thanked everyone involved in the effort. (Staff photo by Mary Rupert) Commissioner Ann Brandau Murguia presented a plaque to Mario Escobar, former director of the Argentine Betterment Corp., for his volunteer efforts. (Staff photo by Mary Rupert) Kansas City, Kansas, Police Chief Terry Zeigler noted that new South Patrol police station has an open design concept, and he hopes the community will use the meeting room and interact with police officers. (Staff photo by Mary Rupert) Jenny Webb of the Walmart Neighborhood Market presented a check for $2,500 to Police Chief Terry Zeigler at today’s ribbon-cutting. (Staff photo by Mary Rupert) State Sen. David Haley, D-4th Dist., who is running for mayor, visited with people before the start of the program for the new police station. (Staff photo)
An Overland Park man was sentenced Monday to 97 months in federal prison for distributing child pornography on the Internet while posing as a 46-year-old woman, U.S. Attorney Tom Beall said.
Frank Joseph Kurtz, 70, Overland Park, Kan., pleaded guilty to one count of distributing child pornography.
In his plea, Kurtz admitted that an investigation by the Israeli National Police first identified emails in which Kurtz used the alias “Lisayearning46” to send child pornography to another person. The FBI in Kansas tracked the emails to Kurtz, who registered with Yahoo under the name “Lisa Lewis” and used photos he found on the Internet as his profile picture.
