March 2019 – Page 42 – Welcome to Wyandotte Daily!

Sporting KC ties Rapids with Russell’s late kick

Johnny Russell buried a free kick in the 88th minute to earn Sporting Kansas City a 1-1 draw in dramatic fashion against the Colorado Rapids on Sunday night.

Sporting Kansas City had a busy schedule of six gamesin 18 days, including road matches in four different time zones and three countries.

Nearly a year after Sporting stunned the Rapids with a 91st-minute equalizer from a second-half substitute at Dick’s Sporting Goods Park last March, the stage was set once again for similar late-game theatrics as Sporting secured another road result in Colorado.

Russell, who contributed 12 goals and 13 assists in his debut season last year, beat Tim Howard with a curling set piece strike to cancel out the game’s opening goal from former Sporting forward Diego Rubio.

A first half that started with an early attempt on target from Rapids midfielder Nicolas Mezquida inside the opening 20 seconds of the match went on to produce just one additional shot on goal.

In the 28th minute, Felipe Gutierrez, whose free kick from the right edge of the penalty went narrowly wide of the near post five minutes before, forced a save from Howard with his effort on the endline despite the acute angle.

The Rapids captain, playing the final season of his storied career between the posts, was nearly punished for a careless giveaway on the cusp of halftime however Roger Espinoza’s left-footed chip from 25 yards out caromed off the top of the crossbar with Howard caught out of position.

Sporting goalkeeper Tim Melia wasn’t as fortunate with a costly giveaway of his own in the 54th minute that saw the hosts open the scoring on their first shot in more than 30 minutes of play.

A short goal kick to Matt Besler was played back to Melia, whose touch allowed Rubio to pounce with an alert finish that snatched a 1-0 lead against the run of play and against his former team.

Gutierrez continued to create chances for Sporting in search of the equalizer and ran onto a pinpoint pass from Russell in the 68th minute. The Chilean World Cup veteran did well to direct a shot toward target, however Howard raced off his line to intervene and snuff out the danger.

The Rapids were inches from doubling their lead in the 78th minute when Kelyn Acosta’s free kick deflected off Gutierrez mid-flight and crashed into the crossbar. Moments later, Acosta was replaced by Johan Blomberg for what proved to be an eventful eight-minute shift – whistling a shot just wide seconds after stepping onto the field before then picking up two yellow cards in a seven-minute span, first for a foul on Gutierrez in the 80th minute then for time wasting in the 87th minute after Gianluca Busio won a game-changing free kick for Sporting.

With the ball positioned five yards outside the penalty area and five yards to the right of the near post, Russell curled a perfectly-placed set piece into the back of the net to rescue a result on the road with his first goal of 2019 in memorable fashion. The direct free kick goal was only the second of the MLS campaign and the team’s first since Benny Feilhaber, now a member of the Rapids, scored from a set piece in 2015.

After navigating the strenuous stretch of six matches in 18 days, Sporting Kansas City will now have 12 days to prepare for the team’s next regular season match against the Montreal Impact at 2 p.m. on Saturday, March 30, at Children’s Mercy Park in Kansas City, Kansas. Tickets are available on SeatGeek.com.

Story from Sporting KC

Rep. Davids to hold open house March 20 for her new downtown KCK office

U.S. Rep. Sharice Davids’ new Wyandotte County District Office will open on Thursday, March 21, according to an announcement today.

Rep. Davids, D-3rd Dist., and her staff will mark the occasion with an open house from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. March 20 to welcome residents to the new space.

The Wyandotte County office will be located in downtown Kansas City, Kansas, at the Brotherhood Bank Building at 7th and Minnesota, and will be accessible by public transportation, with a bus stop directly across the street. The office address is 753 State Ave., Suite 460.

“My team and I are committed to being active and engaged in the Wyandotte community and this office is a big part of our effort to be as accessible as possible to our constituents here,” Rep. Davids said in a news release. “All corners of this district deserve to be heard and I hope the people of Wyandotte County will consider this office a resource.”

There has not been a Congressional office in Wyandotte County since U.S. Rep. Dennis Moore retired in 2010. Davids promised on her campaign that she would re-open a district office in the county so that constituents would have easier access to services.

Rep. Davids already has an office in Overland Park. In addition, her staff holds “pop-up offices” across the district, from Spring Hill to Lenexa.

“My top priority will always be serving the people of Kansas’ Third District and making sure the government is working for them,” Rep. Davids said. “My staff and I work diligently to help constituents cut through red tape and get responses and resolutions to issues they face.”

Staff at Rep. Davids’ offices will help constituents of the Third Congressional District navigate the federal government. For example, staff may be able to help with backlogged veterans’ benefits, Social Security and Medicare issues, stalled tax refunds, passport issues, and more. Examples of federal agencies the office will work with include the Internal Revenue Service (IRS), the Small Business Administration (SBA), The Department of Defense (DOD), and the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD).

Doors will be open in the Wyandotte County office from noon to 6 p.m., Mondays through Fridays, starting March 21.

Phones in the Wyandotte County office will be answered from 8:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. The office phone number is 913-766-3993.

Springlike weather today as flooding continues to the north of Kansas City area

Flooding and rainfall chart showed from a quarter to a tenth of an inch of rain is possible in Wyandotte County Monday night and Tuesday. (National Weather Service graphic)

A KC Scout photo on Monday morning showed water in the fields, in the right in the photo, at I-435 near the Missouri River in Wyandotte County. (KC Scout photo)

The Missouri River at Kansas City currently is projected to be in the action stage this week. Projections are subject to change. (National Weather Service – USGS graphic)

The Missouri River at Parkville, Missouri, which is across the river from Kansas City, Kansas, is currently in moderate flood stage. (National Weather Service – USGS graphic)

Springlike weather is in the forecast today, with a high near 53, as Missouri River flooding continues to the north of the Kansas City area.

According to the National Weather Service, flooding on the Missouri River at Parkville, Missouri, which is across the river from Kansas City, Kansas, affects Leavenworth, Wyandotte and Platte counties.

At this time, Wyandotte County is not anticipated to have the same major flooding as has occurred in Nebraska and cities to the north, and forecasters are keeping their attention on river levels and rainfall for the next week. The forecast is subject to change every day.

The Missouri River at Parkville is currently in the moderate flood stage, according to hydrology charts. Also in the moderate flood stage is the Missouri River at Leavenworth. Atchison, Kansas, and St. Joseph, Missouri, also are listed as being in the moderate flood stage at this time.

Light to moderate rain is expected Tuesday along the Missouri River basin, according to forecasters. This rainfall could aggravate already swollen and flooding rivers and streams, the weather service said.

Areas along and north of I-70 also could see a dusting of snow Tuesday morning, according to the weather service.

Many rivers still in flood may continue to rise during this time, the weather service said.

Some points along the Missouri River, north of the Kansas City area, are expected to reach moderate to major flood stage and break previous record crests, according to the weather service.

Recent rainfall, snow melt and water releases upstream will flow into the Missouri River basin creating dangerous flood conditions along the Missouri River, the weather service said. Future river forecasts will depend on rainfall and any increase in upstream water releases, according to the weather service.

Today, the high will be near 53 with sunny skies and a light and variable wind, the weather service said.

Tonight, there will be a 50 percent chance of scattered showers after 1 a.m., with a low of 39, according to the weather service. A light and variable wind is forecast. Less than a tenth of an inch of rain is possible.

Tuesday, there is a 70 percent chance of showers, with a high near 51, the weather service said. An east wind of 6 to 11 mph will become south southeast in the afternoon. Between a tenth and a quarter-inch of rain is possible.

Tuesday night, there is an 80 percent chance of showers, mainly before 1 a.m., according to the weather service. The low will be around 38 with an east northeast wind of 6 to 8 mph becoming north northwest after midnight. Between a tenth and quarter-inch of rain is possible.

Wednesday, it will be partly sunny, with a high near 53 and a northwest wind of 7 to 9 mph, the weather service said.

Wednesday night, it will be mostly clear with a low of 35, according to the weather service.

Thursday, it will be sunny with a high near 58, the weather service said.

Thursday night, it will be mostly clear with a low of 37, according to the weather service.

Friday, it will be mostly sunny with a high of 63, the weather service said.

Friday night, there is a 30 percent chance of showers after 1 a.m., with a low of 45, according to the weather service.

Saturday, there is a 50 percent chance of showers, with a high near 60, the weather service said.

Saturday night, there is a 30 percent chance of showers, with a low of 48, according to the weather service.

Sunday, there is a 40 percent chance of showers, with a high near 65, the weather service said.

For more weather information, see www. weather.gov or https://www.weather.gov/media/eax/sitreport/SitReport1.pdf.