Month: August 2017

Flood warning extended through 8 p.m. Wednesday

A flood warning for Wyandotte County has been extended through 8 p.m. Wednesday, Aug. 23, according to the National Weather Service.

Other area counties also are on the flood warning list, including Leavenworth County, southeastern Atchison County, northern Miami County, Johnson County,, Kan., northern Henry County, northwestern Pettis County, Jackson County, Johnson County, Mo., Cass County, Clay County and southwestern Clinton County.

According to the weather service, law enforcement officers have reported flooding along several area rivers, creeks and streams. Water has been reported over many roads.

A check of the NOAA hydrology charts on Tuesday evening showed the Kansas River and Missouri River are not in flood stage, and have started to recede. They did not reach flood stage on Monday and Tuesday, according to the charts. Turkey Creek has receded to 48.6 feet on Tuesday evening, after reaching a high of 55.5 feet on Monday. Flood stage for Turkey Creek is 61 feet.

Other streams and creeks, however, such as Stranger Creek in Easton, in Leavenworth County, were in flood stage on Tuesday.

Drivers who encounter flooded roads should turn around and not try to drive through them, the weather service said.

KCKCC to hold Women’s Equality Day event Aug. 25

by Kelly Rogge, KCKCC

Kansas City Kansas Community College is holding its third annual Women’s Equality Day luncheon and program, “Women’s Equality: Where Are We Now?”

The event is noon to 1:30 p.m. Aug. 25 in the Jewell Student Center Upper Lounge at the college, 7250 State Ave. It is free and open to the public.

Women’s Equality Day commemorates the granting of women the right to vote in the United States. First proposed in 1878, women known as suffragettes worked for more than 40 years to gain equal voting rights. Some would try to pass suffrage acts in individual states. Others organized parades, vigils or even hunger strikes.

After President Woodrow Wilson changed his position and started supporting a woman’s right to vote, other politicians soon followed his lead. On Aug. 26, 1920, the 19th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution was certified as law, and since 1972, every president has issued a proclamation for Women’s Equality Day.

“It’s important that we recognize the hard work it took to win the right to vote and continue to work diligently on the issues and inequities that women still face today,” said Jennifer Gieschen, coordinator of Women and Gender Advocacy at KCKCC.
This year’s event features and honors Judy Ancel, a long-time activist, organizer and advocate for equality, especially in labor and pay. Ancel is the former director of Worker Education and Labor Studies at the University of Missouri-Kansas City. She is also the founder of Kansas City Jobs with Justice and currently coordinates the Heartland Labor Forum, an award-winning weekly one-hour radio show about the workplace and economic issues on community radio in Kansas City, KKFI-90.1FM.

KCKCC’s Women’s Equality Day event is co-hosted by Women and Gender Advocacy Services of the Counseling and Advocacy Center, the American Association of University Women and the Intercultural Center.

For more information or to RSVP, contact Gieschen at [email protected] or call 913-288-7193.

Sheriff’s Department offers Citizens’ Academy

The Wyandotte County Sheriff’s Office is offering a Citizens’ Academy, running from Sept. 12 through Oct. 17.

Sessions are being held from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. Sept. 12 through Oct. 17 at the Sheriff’s Office, 710 N. 7th St., Kansas City, Kansas.

The free program will cover almost every function of the Sheriff’s Office.

Participants will have the opportunity to speak with almost every division commander in the office, including the sheriff.

Each session will include live demonstrations, a question-and-answer session, and educational discussions to give participants a better understanding of the Sheriff’s Office.

Food and other refreshments will be provided at each session.

The schedule:
Tuesday, Sept. 12 – Welcome and Orientation, Staff and Organization, History of Wyandotte County Sheriff’s Office
Tuesday, Sept. 19 – Operations Division at the Lake
Tuesday, Sept. 26 – Support Division
Tuesday, Oct. 3 – Adult Detention, Juvenile
Tuesday, Oct. 10 – Round Table Discussion
Tuesday, Oct. 17 – Closing Remarks and Graduation

All participants must be at least 18 years of age and currently be a resident or business owner in Wyandotte County. The deadline to register is Friday, Sept. 8. Space is limited to 15 participants on a first-come, first-served basis.

To register, or for more information, contact Capt. David R. Thaxton at 913-573-8435.