July 2019 – Page 7 – Welcome to Wyandotte Daily!

Urban Sketchers capture the skyline and more at Central Avenue in KCK

Inside Splitlog Coffee the Urban Sketchers sketched away. Urban Sketchers draw on the spot, what they see, rather than in a studio. (Photo copyright 2019 by Rebecca Tombaugh)

Artists from the metro area painted the skyline from Splitlog Coffee on Central Avenue. (Photo copyright 2019 by Rebecca Tombaugh)

by Rebecca Tombaugh, reporting artist

Artists, collectively known as “Urban Sketchers Kansas City,” invaded Strawberry Hill last week to do what they do – paint, sketch, hang out and drink coffee.

“I said ‘absolutely!’” said Simeon Bricker, manager of Splitlog Coffee, 548 Central Ave., recalling what he said when he got the call from Cody Wheelock asking if the artists could use the coffee shop as a base of operations.

“I was already a fan of Cody online,” said Bricker.

“We really love this location,” said Simeon Bricker, manager of Splitlog. He says the spirit of the shop pays homage to the Wyandot Indians who settled here, including Mathias Splitlog. (Photo copyright 2019 by Rebecca Tombaugh)

Wheelock set up a Saturday morning for the Urban Sketchers to paint in July. The Urban Sketchers are an international organization with chapters all over the world. The sketchers just draw what they see in the moment and post it online. Anyone can join. The aim is to “show the world, one drawing at a time.” The Kansas City chapter is just a year old and has 500-plus members.

Wheelock, artist and instructor, says he got the idea for a “paint out” at Splitlog after he stopped one day by Slap’s BBQ across the street.

“I turned and saw that skyline – what a great spot to do a paint out!” he said.

Jennifer Rivas worked on her watercolor across the street from Splitlog. (Photo copyright 2019 by Rebecca Tombaugh)

Wheelock says his family was living in Nebraska when they recently decided to go for it – open a studio and teach classical art. They narrowed down the “where” to Denver, Minneapolis, and Kansas City. The cost of living, the laid-back atmosphere, and the way businesses support the art community made them pick this area.

“Kansas City has a phenomenal art community,” says Wheelock. “It’s just awesome.”

Cody Wheelock’s palette as he worked on his oil painting. Wheelock organized the “paint out” at Splitlog. (Photo copyright 2019 by Rebecca Tombaugh)

Splitlog Coffee is about two years old and from the coffee shop is a full view of the city of Kansas City, Missouri, skyline.

“We really love the location,” he says.

Some Urban Sketchers, like Rebecca Tombaugh, did an abstract of the skyline from Splitlog. (Sketch copyright 2019 by Rebecca Tombaugh)

Bricker says they picked this spot because it was on the “hill” and so close to the highway, there’s parking, a drive-through, and also – a person had to drive all the way to Midtown to get a good cup of coffee.

“We tried to make it easy to come and go,” said Bricker.

Splitlog Coffee has covered seating in the back of the shop, where more artists set up their own shops to paint among the coffee customers. (Photo copyright 2019 by Rebecca Tombaugh)

Splitlog is really coming into its own now, says Bricker with a “wonderful group of regulars.”

Bricker has been a barista for 10 years, and won a couple top national awards for his latte creations. He mentions the one-and-only “Strawberry Hill Latte.” You can drink it hot or iced, he explains. “It’s strawberry and vanilla, a good balance with espresso, and softly sweet, with chocolate-y and coffee notes.”

Splitlog Coffee is home of the original “Strawberry Hill Latte.” (Photo copyright 2019 by Rebecca Tombaugh)

Inside, actual split logs make up the counter and shelves on the wall. But the name is a way to honor the history of the Wyandot Indians who settled in the area, including Mathias Splitlog (1818-1897). Bricker talks about his man’s legacy of traveling to Washington to represent the Wyandot Indians on his own dime, of being an entrepreneur, and always giving back to his own community.

“We love his story,” says Bricker.

So, of course, says Bricker, Wheelock called to see if the Urban Sketchers could paint at the coffee spot, Bricker loved the idea. That’s what they wanted to do with the shop, create and support communities, a space for people to come be creative or a work space. Bricker says a lot of people who work for the Unified Government pop in as well. He expects even more customers when the new KU Med Center opens.

“It doesn’t cost you anything,” he says.

Splitlog is open 6:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday, and 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturday. They are closed on Sunday.

Bricker says Splitlog is expanding its current location to include more seating and new food items. A second Splitlog location is planned for the Pendleton Heights on the Missouri side. Later this year, they will be roasting their own coffee beans.

For more information go to www.splitlog.coffee.

Jill Tichenor worked on capturing the coffee shop and the mural wall behind it. (Photo copyright 2019 by Rebecca Tombaugh)

Cody Wheelock’s studio is “Fount Atelier of Fine Art,” based in Lee’s Summit, Missouri. However, Wheelock is offering “blended” art courses for anyone of any skill level, including beginners, that mixes online teaching and studio. He says he starts with how to sharpen a pencil. For more information, go to his website at www.fountatelier.com.

Rebecca Tombaugh is a former managing editor for The Kansas City Kansan. She is also a founding member of the Kansas City Urban Sketchers. To join the group, go to Urban Sketcher Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/groups/735851173249000/?epa=SEARCH_BOX

For kids affected by domestic violence, Kansas program hopes fun can heal trauma

by Nomin Ujiyediin, Kansas News Service

Topeka — Courtney Train spends her days going to nail salons, the pool and the dog park.

As a paid mentor and advocate for children ages 8 to 18 who’ve seen domestic violence at home or experienced it while dating, Train knows quality time — and fun — with a trusted adult can be in short supply for her clients.

So, she talks to them about safer sex. She analyzes media portrayals of relationships. She’s also taken them to the zoo, on college visits and to a county fair art competition.

“The idea of childhood is stolen from them,” Train said. “For them to just play, not have to think about adult issues, it’s really powerful.”

Domestic violence centers across Kansas are often ill-equipped to serve the needs of older children and teens, instead focusing on shelter for adult survivors and the young children they bring with them.

“It’s easy for us to think, ‘Oh, teens aren’t an issue,’” Train said. “It does not seem like there’s a lot of information and support out there.”

But thanks to a pilot project, Train, based in Salina, is one of six mentors at five domestic violence organizations across Kansas who have worked with older children and teenagers over the past two years.

Funded by a federal grant and coordinated by the Kansas Coalition Against Sexual and Domestic Violence, the Empowered Families Kansas Project is trying to fill that gap in Salina, Newton, Iola, Pittsburg and Garden City.

The coalition said results from the first two years are hard to quantify, but look to be promising. It plans to expand the pilot to cover more of the state over the next year.

The mentors, like Train, help connect children with therapists. Older children receive guidance on career paths. That kind of long-term, individual attention is rare.

“Our services are crisis-oriented,” said Kathy Ray, director of advocacy education and rural projects at the Kansas Coalition Against Sexual and Domestic Violence. “But it’s often short term.”

In surveys, kids involved in the program and their parents say they’ve seen an improvement in grades, emotional control and communication between family members.

Rebuilding trust in adults is crucial, Ray said, because it helps children trust their parents again.

“Those relationships have often been undermined by the batterer, by the abuser,” she said. “So it’s helping to rebuild that communication and relationship with the non-abusive parent.”

Train has mentored about 15 children since she started her role in December 2017. She said she’s taught them to give compliments, play games and trust family again.

“Usually at first, when I start working with the kids, they do not like their sibling. They’re screaming at each other,” she said. “It’s been over a year, and the mom will tell me, ‘Oh my gosh, they’re getting along and it’s a completely different household.’”

It’s common for domestic violence programs across the country to lack services specifically for older children and teenagers, said Baonam Giang of Break the Cycle, a national organization that specializes in combating teen dating violence. Parents often don’t want to admit their children are dating, so they don’t know if they need to seek help.

“We know that young people are dating whether you choose to believe it or not,” he said. “They’re having relationships in school.”

Abuse among teens often manifests in digital form, through cyberbullying or sharing explicit photos without consent. Violence in relationships is especially common for teens whose own parents have been abusive.

That makes relationships with other adults especially important, Giang said.

“It’s really modeling to them what a healthy relationship is that they can see,” he added.

If those lessons are never taught, it can become a cycle, where a child witness to domestic violence can later become a perpetrator. Or the child can suffer from the effects of trauma well into adulthood.

“It’s such a pivotal time in a person’s life,” Train said. “That’s where they decide the types of behaviors that they’ll have, the types of relationships that they’ll get into.”

Nomin Ujiyediin reports on criminal justice and social welfare for the Kansas News Service. Follow her on Twitter @NominUJ or email nomin (at) kcur (dot) org.
The Kansas News Service is a collaboration of KCUR, Kansas Public Radio, KMUW and High Plains Public Radio focused on the health and well-being of Kansans, their communities and civic life. Kansas News Service stories and photos may be republished by news media at no cost with proper attribution and a link to ksnewsservice.org.
See more at https://www.kcur.org/post/kids-affected-domestic-violence-kansas-program-hopes-fun-can-heal-trauma

Death investigation underway near 38th and State

Kansas City, Kansas, police are investigating the death of a man in the 38th and State Avenue area, according to a police spokesman.

Police responded at 2:27 p.m. Monday, July 29, and located a deceased male in the woods behind a cemetery south of State Avenue, the spokesman stated.

The death is under investigation by the Kansas City, Kansas, Police Department Criminal Investigations Division. Anyone with information is asked to call the TIPS hotline at 816-474-TIPS.