Month: December 2018

Deadline for Rotary scholarship applications is Dec. 25

The deadline for Village West Rotary scholarship applications will be Dec. 25.

The Village West Rotary Club is offering four $1,000 scholarships for current full-time college or tech school students who have graduated from a Wyandotte County high school.

The scholarships are intended to help college and technical students who need funds to stay in school to continue and finish their education.

The applications and accompanying documents must be emailed to the Scholarship Committee by Dec. 25.

Decisions on the four awardees will be made by Jan. 9, 2019, and paid directly to the school. For an application or more information, email [email protected].

The Village West Rotary is part of the international Rotary organization. Individual clubs and members work on projects on the local, regional and international level to help people with basic needs and to further their opportunities. The Village West Rotary Club offers the above-mentioned scholarships, has helped with funding for organizations like PACES and CLJ Foundation, provides food from a Community Garden to CrossLines, helps provide water filtration systems for Central American countries and donates money for emergency needs throughout the country.

The Village West Rotary meets on the first and third Thursdays at Famous Dave’s BBQ at Village West at 7:15 a.m. For specific meeting dates, times and programs go to https://portal.clubrunner.ca/50021/clubinfo/village-west

  • Information from Cindy Cash

KCC approves settlement agreement lowering rates for KCP&L customers

A small area of Wyandotte County, in the Bonner Springs area (in pink), is served by KCP&L, and will have a slight rate decrease after today’s Kansas Corporation Commission ruling. Another area near Bonner Springs (in blue) is served by Westar. (KCC map)

In a unanimous decision this morning, the Kansas Corporation Commission approved a settlement agreement that will cut electric rates for Kansas City Power & Light customers by $10.7 million annually as well as provide $36.9 million in bill credits.

The $10.7 million rate decrease will take effect on Dec. 20, 2018. The average residential customer will save approximately $.40 per month or $4.80 per year. Included in that decrease are $7.5 million in savings realized from the company’s merger with Westar Energy earlier this year.

The bill credits, of approximately $100 per customer, will begin in March 2019. The bill credits are the result of tax savings from the Federal Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (TCJA).

Other components of today’s order include the establishment of a procedure for evaluating a possible rate class for schools, the implementation of a three-part rate plan for residential distributed generation (DG) customers, and two optional pilot programs: time of use and residential demand.

While most of Wyandotte County is served by the Board of Public Utilities, some of the Bonner Springs area is served by KCP&L and Westar.

In issuing today’s decision, the commission found the settlement agreement to be in the public interest and that it will result in non-discriminatory, just and reasonable rates that will enable KCP&L to continue to provide sufficient and efficient service.

Today’s order can be viewed on the Commission’s website at  http://estar.kcc.ks.gov/estar/ViewFile.aspx/20181213103959.pdf?Id=27049d06-06e6-4502-a753-01adb0a7f82e

KCP&L filed an application for rate review on May 1, 2018, requesting a 4.5 percent rate increase totaling $32.9 million, including property tax rebasing. As a result of the commission’s approval of the merger of KCP&L’s parent company, Great Plains Energy, with Wester Energy in May, the requested increase was reduced to $22.6 million. In October, the company reached a unanimous settlement agreement with KCC staff, the Citizens Utility Ratepayer Board and other interveners in the case resulting in a 0.68 percent rate decrease.

Teen dies in traffic accident at 40th and Wyandotte in KCK

Streets around 40th and Wyandotte were blocked off after a fatal accident Thursday morning. (Staff photo)
Streets around 40th and Wyandotte were blocked off after a fatal accident Thursday morning. (Staff photo)

A teen died in a traffic accident Thursday morning near South 40th and Wyandotte Avenue in Kansas City, Kansas.

Four juveniles, two males and two females, were riding in a full-size sport utility vehicle traveling north on 40th, according to a spokesman for the Kansas City, Kansas, Police Department.

The driver tried to stop but slid into a parked Unified Government dump truck on the west side of the street, then slid and struck a guard rail on the east side, the spokesman stated.

The SUV eventually rolled onto the driver’s side and came to a stop, according to the spokesman.

One of the male occupants was ejected and sustained life-threatening injuries, later dying at a hospital, the spokesman stated. The other three occupants of the SUV sustained minor injuries, according to the spokesman.

There was light rain in the Kansas City, Kansas, area on Thursday morning. South 40th and Wyandotte is located near a hilly area of Kansas City, Kansas.

The Kansas City, Kansas, Police Department’s Traffic Support Unit-Critical Collision Response Team is investigating the accident.

Anyone with information is asked to contact the TIPS hotline at 816-474-TIPS.