Month: June 2018

Column: Businesses need qualified workers

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Opinion column

by Murrel Bland

Gov. Jeff Colyer said that as he travels the state of Kansas, the number one concern he encounters from business owners and managers is the severe lack of qualified employees.

The governor, who spoke at a luncheon meeting of the Congressional Forum Friday, June 15, at Children’s Mercy Park, said he has appointed a Governor’s Education Council to face this issue. He praised Kansas City Kansas Community College and its Technical Education Center that is training people and issuing certificates in critical skill areas. The governor said there presently are 52,000 job openings in the state.

Gov. Colyer said that to meet the challenges that businesses require, schools will have to reinvent themselves. He said this will require schools to examine many things including what and when they teach. It also will require an emphasis on soft skills such as showing up on time.

The governor said the state is at the “intersection of Kansas smart and Kansas nice.” He said the state is in the middle of the country, a strategic location that is a very definite advantage. Earlier that day, he was at an industrial park in Edgerton and told of the Kubota tractor company which has located there because of the central location.

The governor also talked about 74 opportunity zones including census tracts in the eastern part of Wyandotte County. A federal law, passed last year, allows qualified businesses to build in these areas and be exempt from capital gains taxes. He said he has talked to Mayor David Alvey and potential developers about such areas.

Gov. Colyer told about an innovative success story concerning an opportunity zone in downtown Goodland, a city in northwestern Kansas. They are training people who write software code, starting in kindergarten and continuing through community college. They have attracted software companies that pay 30-year-olds $75,000 a year.

Craig Gaffney, the chairman of the Kansas City, Kansas, Area Chamber of Commerce, thanked the governor for recently meeting with a delegation from the chamber and listening to its legislative agenda.

Colyer became governor on Jan. 31 this year when Sam Brownback resigned to become the U.S. Ambassador-at-Large for International Religious Freedom. Colyer is a medical doctor who served in the Kansas House of Representatives and Kansas Senate. He also is a volunteer who serves with the International Medical Corps. He and his wife Ruth have three daughters.

Murrel Bland is the former editor of The Wyandotte West and The Piper Press. He is the executive director of Business West.

KCK student graduates from Concordia University

Scott Johnson of Kansas City, Kansas, has graduated from Concordia University, Seward, Nebraska, in May 2018.

Johnson graduated with distinction or high honors, according to Concordia University.

About 10 percent of the undergraduate class has graduated with high distinction, with an additional five percent graduating with distinction, according to the university.

Concordia University was founded in 1894 and currently serves more than 2,700 students.

T-Bones to play tonight in Canada

The Kansas City T-Bones (15-13) were dominated early on Sunday afternoon by the strong offense of the Fargo-Moorhead RedHawks (14-14) that put four runs on the board in the first inning.

Kansas City slowly cut the large lead throughout the game, but it wasn’t enough as they lost 8-6 at Newman Outdoor Field.

A freak play ended the top of the 1st for the T-Bones after their runners were caught in a double play after a controversial call that could have been the difference maker early on for Kansas City.

With runners at first and second, Zach Walters hit a ball to right center that RedHawk right fielder made a sliding attempt to catch on his knees. The ball was not caught, but the runners had to hold to make sure the ball was not caught, and there was a slow ruling by the base umpires on if it was caught or not.

The first inning proved to be the difference maker in this rubber match.

James Buckelew walked the first three batters he faced. Devan Ahart would score on a flyout from De La Cruz as would Gonzalez on a double from Leobaldo Pina.

Another single from Medina and Colwell scored Pina to put the score at 3-0. To end the inning, an error by Adrien Nieto led to another run scored by Medina.

Adrien Nieto responded for the T-Bones in the 2nd inning with a solo home run to put Kansas City on the board and down 4-1.

Steve Zimmerman singled to start the RedHawks second inning. Ahart hit a ball back to the mound that T-Bones pitcher Buckelew turned to throw out Zimmerman at second but threw the ball to center field.
An RBI single from Gonzalez then scored Zimmerman. Another RBI single from De La Cruz brought home Ahart and the Fargos made the score 6-1.

Keith Curcio and Dylan Tice singled in the top of the 3rd, followed by a sacrifice fly from Cunningham to left field that scored Curcio. A double play then ended the inning, but the T-Bones were able to add another run on the board to make it 6-2.

James Buckelew’s outing was short on Sunday after pitching two innings that included seven hits, eight runs and seven errors. Pasquale Mazzoccoli came in to relieve Buckelew but gave up two runs in the bottom of the third to give Fargo an 8-2 lead over the T-Bones.

Kansas City slowly continued to cut away at the RedHawks’ lead in the fifth inning after Nick Torres singled to drive in Curcio—that put the score at 8-3. Hunter Adkins came in to the game for Mazzoccoli in the sixth after he pitched three innings for the T-Bones.

The top of the eighth inning showed signs of a late comeback for Kansas City.

Todd Cunningham led off the inning with a double, followed by a single from Zach Walters that scored Cunningham. Anthony Pacillo was brought in by the RedHawks for Will Soloman.

Soloman pitched 7 ⅓ innings for Fargo after giving up 10 hits. Dexter Kjerstad was then hit by a pitch that brought Nieto to the plate. Nieto then singled, which led to a pitching change for the RedHawks.

After the change, Walters scored on a wild pitch and Kjerstad scored on an RBI groundout from Tucker Pennell that rounded out the eighth inning attempted comeback.

The T-Bones put runners on base in the top of the ninth but were unable to produce a comeback.

Kansas City looks to bounce back on Monday in Winnipeg against the Goldeyes at Shaw Park. The first pitch is 7 p.m., and the game will be aired live at http://mixlr.com/t-bones-baseball/.

Individual tickets, season, group, mini-plans and nightly party suites are on sale and can be purchased by visiting the box office at T-Bones Stadium or 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