Month: November 2018

Residents asked to get flu shots; free flu shots to be available Nov. 17 in KCK

Mayor David Alvey, right, received a flu shot today from Veronica Villalobos, left, medical assistant at Mercy and Truth. The mayor urged residents to get flu shots. Free flu shots will be available Nov. 17 at the Mercy and Truth Medical Mission, 721 N. 31st, Kansas City, Kansas. (Staff photo by Mary Rupert)

by Mary Rupert

Mayor David Alvey today urged residents of Wyandotte County to get a flu shot, as he received his flu shot at Mercy and Truth Medical Mission in Kansas City, Kansas.

There was hardly a blink from the mayor as he received a flu shot today from Veronica Villalobos, medical assistant at Mercy and Truth.

Mayor Alvey urged residents to get a flu shot, take care of themselves and prevent the spread of the flu.

Mercy and Truth is promoting a free flu shot clinic on Saturday, Nov. 17, at its clinic at 721 N. 31st St., Kansas City, Kansas. This event is aimed at serving the uninsured.

At the clinic, 200 free flu shots will be given to the first 200 people who attend, according to Geofrey Kigenyi, executive director of Mercy and Truth Medical Missions.

At Mercy and Truth’s Warm Up Wyandotte event at 8 a.m. Nov. 17, there also will be 200 free turkeys given away, as well as 400 free coats.

Kigenyi said the Warm Up Wyandotte event is intended to keep the community healthy, warm and well fed.

He also said that for those who get a flu shot, if they get the flu later, it will be less severe.

Kigenyi said the Mercy and Truth facility on North 31st serves about 4,000 uninsured patients a year, and there is a sliding scale for patient payment, for those within 200 percent of the poverty level.

Free bus rides offered to polls on Tuesday, Election Day

RideKC routes will offer free fares all day on Nov. 6 to make it easier for citizens to vote.

“Exercising the right to vote is so important that we want to make it as easy as possible to get to the polls,” KCATA President and CEO Robbie Makinen said. “We are grateful to our regional transit partners in Johnson County, Independence and KCK for agreeing to again make this a truly regional transit initiative.”

On Election Day, fares on all RideKC bus routes serving Kansas City, Johnson County, Wyandotte County and Independence will be free. KCATA, Johnson County and Independence paratransit will also be free to ride.

Wyandotte County election information is available at Wyandotte County Election Office, http://www.wycokck.org/election/. Information also is available at Vote Kansas, http://www.voteks.org/.

Customers can plan their travel early. For help planning your trip, call 816-221-0660 and be ready to provide the starting address and the address of the polling place you will be traveling to. Customers can also plan a trip with Google Transit trip planner, available on the home page of RideKC.org. The Regional Call Center is also open weekdays from 6 a.m. to 7 p.m.

Blue Devil men drop opener 74-61; play again tonight

by Alan Hoskins, KCKCC

Kansas City Kansas Community College couldn’t make a halftime lead hold up Saturday as the Blue Devils dropped a season-opening 74-61 decision to Southwestern Iowa in Creston.

The Blue Devils are right back in action tonight against Saint Mary junior varsity in Leavenworth at 7 p.m. before returning home for the annual Keith Lindsey Classic this weekend. The Blue Devils will play Link Year Prep Friday at 8 p.m. and North Central Missouri Saturday at 6 p.m.

Down 13-2 in the opening minutes, KCKCC surged from behind to forge a 17-17 tie and went ahead 33-31 at halftime but couldn’t sustain the lead against the hot-shooting Spartans, who were 26-of-51 from the field for 51 percent. Southwestern also had a 33-26 edge in rebounding and had two less turnovers (17-15).

Meanwhile, the Blue Devils actually shot slightly better from 3-point, netting 9-of-22 for 40.9 percent. Overall, they were 23-of 59 for 38.9 percent.

Taylor Turner, a 6-1 freshman guard from Albuquerque, New Mexico, led KCKCC with 14 points, 12 of which came on four 3-pointers, while another freshman, Calvin Slaughter of Macon, Georgia, had 12 including a pair of treys. sophomore DuVonte’ Beard added 8 points, freshmen Daylon Taylor 7 and Jalen Davis 5 and sophomore Malcom Tate and freshman Kelyn Bolton 4 each.

Beard led KCKCC in rebounding with eight while Slaughter and Tyson Beringer added five each. Beringer also led in assists with three.

Southwestern had four players in double figures. D’Marqueyon Whittington had 16 points including four 3-pointers while Chad Moran added 14 and Brandon Reed and Gatdoar Kueth 10 each.