Month: May 2018

T-Bones win, 7-6

A night after a heartbreaking loss and with Sioux City (9-3) in control most of the night, the Kansas City T-Bones (7-4) looked like they might be in trouble Tuesday night at Mercy Field at Lewis and Clark Park, Sioux City, Iowa.

The T-Bones, trailing by four runs in the ninth, scored five runs capped by a Dexter Kjerstad three-run blast to left to win the game 7-6 over the Explorers.

The ninth inning seemed so far off while Sioux City starter Taylor Jordan was retiring 15 T-Bones batters in a row.

The right-hander and former big leaguer gave up one hit through seven innings. The T-Bones did not have a runner reach after a leadoff single in the second all the way through one out in the eighth.

Dylan Tice hit a ground ball to second base that Jose Sermo let skip through his legs for the first base runner since the second.

While Jordan was holding the T-Bones offense off the board and bases, Sioux City scored a pair of runs for him in the bottom of the first. Luis Durango and Michael Lang each singled off Hunter Adkins of Kansas City.

Adkins attempted to pick off Durango at second and threw to center field to allow both runners to move up a base. After a pop out to short, Nate Samson drove in both runs for a 2-0 lead. Sioux City took a 4-0 lead in the fourth on a sacrifice fly from Daniel Jackson and an RBI single from Durango.

In the fifth, what looked like a possible knockout punch came from Samson. Lang was hit by a pitch to start the innings. Then the veteran shortstop drove home Lang on an RBI single to make it 5-0 X’s.

In the eighth Kansas City finally got going against Jordan. Dylan Tice reached on an error from Jose Sermo and was followed by a single from Zach Walters. Nick Torres then knocked in Tice to cut the lead to 5-1 with a single.

Cal Towey then singled, scoring Walters, but a good throw from right fielder Michael Lang got Torres at the plate to keep the game 5-2 Sioux City.

In the bottom of the eighth, Jose Sermo hit a solo homer to left off Pasquale Mazzoccoli to give Sioux City what looked like a huge insurance run. Geoff Broussard took over for Jordan in the top of the ninth.

Dylan Tice doubled to left center to start the rally. Broussard struck out Zach Walters, but then walked Nick Torres and Cal Towey to load the bases. Adrian Nieto singled through the “five-six” hole to score two runs and make it 6-4.

Tyler Fallwell was summoned into the game for Sioux City. The right hander struck out Angel Rosa but then gave up the three-run eventual game winning blast by Dexter Kjerstad to make it 7-6.

Francisco Gracesqui retired the first two he faced then allowed a two out-walk to Nate Samson. The left-hander then retired Jay Baum on a pop fly by the T-Bones first base dugout that Cal Towey made a sliding play running out of room in the field ending the game.

Mazzoccoli (2-0) was the relief winner while Fallwell was charged with the loss. Gracesqui earned his second save. Kansas City will continue the club’s seven-game road trip Wednesday night with game three of the four-game series. The game can be heard online on the T-Bones Broadcast Network with the first pitch set for 7:05 p.m. in Sioux City.

Season, group, mini-plans and nightly party suites are on sale and can be purchased by visiting the box office at T-Bones Stadium. Call the box office at 913-328-5618 or purchase and print at www.tbonesbaseball.com. Box office hours are 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday – Friday and 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday.

– Story from T-Bones

Schlitterbahn standing behind maintenance workers who were charged

by William Crum

Schlitterbahn Waterparks is standing behind two maintenance workers who were charged in Wyandotte County District Court with obstructing justice.

David F. Hughes and John P. Zalsman were charged with obstruction of justice and were released on a $10,000 bond. They pleaded not guilty.

“We have no reason to believe that any employee obstructed justice,” Schlitterbahn stated today in a response to the indictment. “John and Dave have decades of experience in maintenance and are respected professionals on our maintenance team. With the help of men and women like John and Dave, we run a safe operation and know that this was a tragic accident. We stand behind our staff and the safety of our park. “

The prosecution is being handled by the Kansas attorney general’s office.

The indictment stated that brake mats that were supposed to slow the Verruckt ride were missing from the ride when a 10-year-old boy lost his life.

The indictments are now online at https://www.wycocourtks.org/cases.html.

Schlitterbahn’s earlier statements from March are online at https://wyandotteonline.com/schlitterbahn-releases-statement-on-indictment-of-co-owner/.

New plans for grocery store may further spur downtown development

by Mary Rupert

Plans are changing for a new grocery store in the downtown area of Kansas City, Kansas, and that signals a growing interest in development for the downtown area.

Instead of a grocery store near 11th and Minnesota, the new proposed location will be near 5th and Minnesota, it was announced last week.

The Healthy Campus project, which was been in the planning stages several years, had included a combined YMCA and new grocery store near the Big 11 Lake area at 11th and Minnesota. However, the Unified Government separated the YMCA from the grocery store project in February to work on each part.

Greg Kindle, president of the Wyandotte Economic Development Council, said the route the administration and commission is taking is thoughtful, fiscally sound and makes a lot of sense.

“I think anytime that we can follow the market is a good idea,” Kindle said. “I think this plan makes sense for taxpayers and provides certainty for both the private sector as well as the government.

It also signals a growing interest in the core downtown development, he said. It is part of a bigger discussion on how to redevelop downtown.

“This is just the tip of the iceberg,” Kindle said.

He said the downtown needed the earlier announcement that KU Health Systems was moving into the old EPA building near 5th and Minnesota in order for other things to happen.

“Having KU a large investor in the downtown is a good sign,” he said. It will help the Wyandotte Economic Development Council interest other retail developers.

Besides the grocery store and the KU Health Systems projects, the Kaw Point Meadery on 6th Street is another retailer coming into the corridor, he said. There have been discussions about expansions or redevelopment at the Main Kansas City, Kansas, Public Library, multi-family housing and other developments.

These are all coming together to say there is interest in downtown, a resurgence in a core area, he said.

“There is always discussion going on about downtown investment, even in the darkest days or when things seem bleak,” he said. “It’s finding that right combination of private-sector investment coupled with public sector.”

It takes a longer time to find the persons and the right funding mechanisms to make a grocery store project work in the core area, he said. Each different proposal or financial model needs to be examined, and it takes time, he added.

“I think we are on the right course, and we are at a much better place today than we have been in years,” Kindle said.

While new economic development is on the horizon in areas such as the Turner Diagonal, they also continue to look for ways to bring development east, he added. The community is very fortunate in that it has so many opportunities, he said.

“We are happy that the grocery store project is still going forward,” said Jason Norbury, executive director of the Downtown Shareholders.

The former location of the project was in the Downtown Shareholders service area, as is in the current location, he noted.

In the downtown Kansas City, Kansas, area, the YMCA is still exploring the options for reopening downtown, and received a grant to study the project, he said.

The Main Kansas City, Kansas, Public Library, at 625 Minnesota Ave., is looking at a new project downtown with significant changes, he said.

And it was announced earlier that the old EPA building in downtown Kansas City, Kansas, will become a KU Health Systems building.

“That’s a game-changer,” Norbury said, “it is a big deal and will have an impact.”

The Northeast Master Plan meetings identified one of the top goals of the community as a new grocery store. Elnora Jefferson, former director of the Historic Northeast-Midtown Association, said she considers the location at 5th and Minnesota, as well as the former location at 11th and Minnesota, not in the northeast Kansas City, Kansas, area. The new location is closer to the northeast area than the former proposed location, she said. The northeast area is north of the proposed downtown grocery location.

Jefferson said she was hoping that the operator of the downtown grocery and the UG would develop some kind of incentive program to allow a mentorship relationship for a northeast operation.

The UG economic development director and four UG commissioners did not have a comment for this story.