Race car driver Jamie McMurray became an Uber McDelivery driver this morning, delivering breakfast to students at the Kansas City Kansas Community College auto tech program and other KCKCC students. (Staff photo)
by Mary Rupert
Race car driver Jamie McMurray became a McDonald’s Uber car delivery driver this morning, dropping off 100 breakfasts to students at the Kansas City Kansas Community College auto technology center at 67th and State Avenue.
McMurray took the breakfasts out of the delivery car and personally handed them to the students today.
“Just be thankful I’m not the delivery guy,” McMurray quipped as he stepped out of the car. He joked that he drove around the college campus at 72nd and State Avenue for a while before finding the auto tech location at 67th and State Avenue.
Students asked McMurray a few questions and posed with him for photos. He signed autographs for students, who were positive about the experience.
“I think it’s good. We don’t usually have this much action out here, we just usually work on cars,” said Anthony Quijas, an auto tech student at the KCKCC auto program.
“I think it’s pretty cool, he has a top-of-the-line engine,” said Daniel Morris of Tonganoxie, a senior at Basehor and a student at the auto tech program. Morris said his future plans are not to work on race cars, but to join the Marines.
Gary Enrique Bradley-Lopez, KCKCC student president, said the event today showed a good connection with the community and the college, and brought attention to the college and its auto technology program.
“This is great, he’s out here passing out food to students early in the morning. That’s great publicity for the school, and they’re all out here getting turnt,” Bradley-Lopez said.
Students waited outdoors for McMurray to arrive, and while waiting, they sang “Happy Birthday” to Martha Yanez, a KCKCC admissions assistant. She said the event was good attention for the college.
McMurray signed an autograph for Holly Hampton, whose grandfather and mother work for KCKCC.
McMurray’s race car sponsors include McDonalds, which is promoting its McDelivery service with the UberEATS App.
McMurray will be racing in car No. 1 in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Hollywood Casino 400 Playoff race at 2 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 22, at the Kansas Speedway in Kansas City, Kansas.
Racing starts tonight at Kansas Speedway with the ARCA Racing Series, Kansas 150, at 7:30 p.m. Then the NASCAR XFINITY Series, Kansas Lottery 300, is scheduled for 2 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 21. Fans are asked to arrive early to go through screening.
KCKCC students asked Jamie McMurray, a race car driver, questions this morning when he dropped off breakfasts to them. One of McMurray’s sponsors is McDonalds. (Staff photo)Jamie McMurray, right, arrived this morning with a breakfast delivery for students at the KCKCC auto tech program. (Staff photo)Gary Enrique Bradley-Lopez, KCKCC student president, said the event brought attention to the college and its auto technology program. (Staff photo)Jamie McMurray, a race car driver, signed an autograph this morning for Holly Hampton. (Staff photo)Jamie McMurray personally delivered breakfasts to students today at the KCKCC auto tech program. (Staff photo)Jamie McMurray personally delivered breakfasts to students today at the KCKCC auto tech program. (Staff photo)Jamie McMurray personally delivered breakfasts to students today at the KCKCC auto tech program. (Staff photo)Jamie McMurray personally delivered breakfasts to students today at the KCKCC auto tech program. (Staff photo)KCKCC students presented Jamie McMurray with a pennant and small gifts with the college’s logo on it today. (Staff photo)The KCKCC Blue Devil mascot was present to meet Jamie McMurray today. (Staff photo)
The four teenagers running to be the next governor of Kansas were tested Thursday at a forum organized by their peers at Lawrence Free State High School.
Standing at the center of the Free State gym, they fielded questions on gun control, race, drugs, abortion and a host of other divisive issues.
They answered forthrightly. Honestly. Not by pivoting to talking points like more practiced politicians.
Tyler Ruzich is a 17-year-old Shawnee Mission North student from Prairie Village running for Kansas governor as a Republican. (Photo by Jim McLean, Kansas News Service)
“There’s the art of not answering questions, but what good does that do for voters and our democracy?” asked Tyler Ruzich, a 17-year-old Shawnee Mission North student from Prairie Village who is determined to be on the Republican primary ballot.
Candidates have a “moral and ethical” responsibility to share their true beliefs so that voters can make informed choices, Ruzich said.
“That’s something I think is pretty important,” he said. “That’s what we’re here for. We’re here for change. Younger people want answers.”
The Free State students certainly did.
They pushed the high-school hopefuls for their positions on issues that many politicians are reluctant to discuss.
In addition to Ruzich, Jack Bergeson and his lieutenant governor running mate, Alexander Cline, both students at The Independent School in Wichita, participated in the forum along with Ethan Randleas, a student at Wichita Heights High School, and Dominic Scavuzzo, who lives in Leawood but attends Rockhurst High School in Kansas City, Mo.
A question about gun control touched off a lengthy debate.
Other teenage candidates include Democrat Jack Bergeson, center, and his lieutenant governor running mate, Alexander Cline, left, both students at The Independent School in Wichita. At right is Libertarian Ethan Randleas, a student at Wichita Heights High School. (Photo by Jim McLean, Kansas News Service)
Randleas, a Libertarian, said he was opposed to stricter gun control laws. Instead, he said decriminalizing drugs would reduce gun and gang violence “exponentially.”
Bergeson, the first of the four teen candidates to announce, said he differed with most other Democrats on the issue.
“I am very much for Governor (Sam) Brownback’s conceal-carry law,” Bergeson said. “But I am for banning automatic weapons and semi-automatic weapons.”
Cheers erupted when Ruzich, a self-described moderate Republican whose parents are Bernie Sanders Democrats, said he favored “getting guns off of campuses and universal background checks.”
That’s what Free State senior Paul Jesse wanted to hear. He’s strongly opposed to recent changes in state law that allow students, faculty and visitors to carry concealed handguns on university campuses.
“I’ve lived in Lawrence my whole life, and one of the reasons I’m not going to KU is because of that,” Jesse said. “It has definitely changed my point of view on the state itself.”
Varied policy priorities
As he did throughout the forum, Randleas held fast to his Libertarian views.
“There’s a lot of trigger words here like guns off of campuses,” he said, arguing that it’s “asinine” to suggest that someone’s Second Amendment rights are suspended when they step onto a college campus.
The role of government also proved to be a point of contention, with Randleas arguing for smaller government and the elimination of individual income and corporate taxes and the others calling for increased investment in education, health care and infrastructure.
“I understand the idea of hands-off, laissez-faire economics, but it’s just not realistic,” Ruzich said. “We tried it in this state and it has miserably failed.”
Reducing political corruption and improving access to health care topped Bergeson’s list of priorities. In addition to calling for implementation of a single-payer “Medicare for all” health care system, he said campaign finance reforms are needed to curb the corrupting influence of “big corporate donors”
Republican candidate Dominic Scavuzzo lives in Leawood and attends Rockhurst High School in Kansas City, Mo. Dominic Scavuzzo (Kansas News Service photo)
“I support publicly financed elections but believe that system will only work if there is a national framework behind it,” he said, pledging to set an example by accepting only individual donations of $500 or less for his campaign.
There was relative harmony on some issues, including LGBT rights.
“I think this is something we all agree on, and that’s pretty cool,” Randleas said.
Scavuzzo, a Catholic, said his religious beliefs make it difficult to support laws that prohibit discrimination based on sexual orientation, but he said he is personally opposed to it.
“People just need to be more accepting,” Scavuzzo said, adding that he would “try to appoint” members of the LGBT community to his Cabinet if elected.
Likewise, the candidates were in lockstep on the need to legalize, or at least decriminalize, marijuana. Several promised if elected to release inmates serving time in state prisons for non-violent drug offenses.
Bergeson said he would push to add Kansas to a growing list of states that have legalized medical marijuana.
“In my opinion, it is despicable that the law in this state forces people with certain illnesses to choose between abiding by the law … or living a healthy life,” he said.
‘There was no fear’
Ella Keathley, the Free State student who organized the forum, said the event exceeded her expectations, particularly the level of student involvement.
“That was the thing I was worried about,” Keathley said. “Are they going to feel like this was a waste of time? But I really do feel like they got very interested.”
The teacher who helped Keathley pull the event together also was pleased.
“I thought it came off great,” said Blake Swenson, who teaches government, history and social studies at Free State.
In particular, Swenson said he was struck by the maturity of the candidates and their direct answers to tough questions
“I was impressed. When the questions came, there was no fear,” he said.
Kansas is one of a handful of states that doesn’t require candidates for governor to be of a certain age.
Kansas Secretary of State Kris Kobach wants to change that.
“I think it’s both amusing and encouraging that high school students are throwing their name into the governor’s race, but it is appropriate to have minimum ages for the governor’s office,” Kobach told the Kansas City Star in September.
But Keathley said there is no reason that Kobach, who is running for the Republican nomination for governor, or anyone else should be threatened by the wave of teen candidates.
An effort to impose an age requirement now that Kansas teens have engaged in the political process would “just show that they’re cowards,” she said.
Jim McLean is managing director of the Kansas News Service, a collaboration of KCUR, Kansas Public Radio, KMUW and High Plains Public Radio covering health, education and politics. You can reach him on Twitter @jmcleanks. Kansas News Service stories and photos may be republished at no cost with proper attribution and a link back to kcur.org.
Severe weather is in the forecast for Saturday. (National Weather Service graphic)
Nice weather is forecast for Friday, when there will be a high of 77 with mostly sunny skies, according to the National Weather Service.
But Saturday will see the chance of thunderstorms in the afternoon and evening, the weather service said. The main threat with the storms will be damaging winds.
Heavy rain will be possible Saturday, with between 1 and 2 inches forecast for Wyandotte County, according to the weather service.
There could be minor flooding along rivers in the region, as well as flash flooding in low-lying and flood-prone areas, the weather service said.
Today, there may be some high winds of 6 to 15 mph, gusting to 23 mph, according to the weather service.
Tonight, there is a 20 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms after 1 a.m., with a low of 64, the weather service said. A south wind of 13 to 21 mph will gust as high as 30 mph.
Saturday, there is a 70 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms, mainly after 1 p.m., the weather service said. There will be a high near 76 with a south wind of 13 to 16 mph, gusting to 31 mph. Expect from a tenth to a quarter-inch of rain during the day.
Saturday night, there is a 90 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms, mainly before 1 a.m., according to the weather service. The low will be around 50, with a south southwest wind of 6 to 8 mph becoming north northwest after midnight. Between 1 and 2 inches of rain are in the forecast.
Sunday, it will be partly sunny with a high near 67 and a northwest wind of 7 mph, the weather service said.
Sunday night, the low will be around 46 with mostly clear skies, according to the weather service.
Monday, expect sunny skies and a high near 70, the weather service said.
Monday night, the low will be 47 with mostly clear skies, according to the weather service.
