Opinion column: District attorney reports reduction in crime

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Opinion column

by Murrel Bland

Crime is down 11 percent in Wyandotte County.

That is the message that Wyandotte County District Attorney Mark Dupree brought to members of the Congressional Forum Friday, Aug. 16, at Children’s Mercy Park. About 50 persons attended. The Kansas City, Kansas, Area Chamber of Commerce sponsors the forum.

Dupree said that his office is dedicated to “smart prosecution.” This means focusing on prevention through connecting with youth and removing barriers to employment for those rejoining society after serving prison time. Dupree said prosecutors in his office work with the drug and behavioral health courts for those who may have mental health issues as a result of drug addiction. He said it doesn’t make sense to incarcerate those with mental health issues with those who have committed violent crime.

Dupree said one of the main focuses of his office is a program aimed at youths in Wyandotte County schools. It is called BOLDD—Brilliant Outstanding Leaders Determined to be the Difference. The program aims at keeping youths on the right path. Lawyers from Dupree’s office present monthly programs. Thomas Penland, a lawyer on Dupree’s staff, heads this community involvement program.

Dupree said his life changed when he was a 14-year-old student at Wyandotte High School and was able to shadow District Judge Cordell Meeks Jr. He decided to become a lawyer.

Dupree had praise for the Unified Commission who increased the salaries of the lawyers on his staff.

Dupree told of the Conviction Integrity Unit, the first of its type in Kansas. This is an independent review process to correct wrongful convictions. He said that wrongful convictions threaten the relationship between law enforcement and the community.

Dupree is the first black district attorney in Kansas. He has been district attorney since 2017. He has an undergraduate degree in political science from the University of Kansas at Lawrence and a law degree from Washburn University, Topeka. He and his wife Shanelle Dupree are the parents of four children.

Dupree is the pastor of Grace Tabernacle Family Life Outreach Center. His brother is Timothy Dupree, a Wyandotte County District Judge.

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

Kansas cancels contract for kids’ reading program over millions in questionable spending

by Stephen Koranda, Kansas News Service

The state of Kansas is canceling a contract that administered an elementary-school reading program because of what state officials call inappropriate spending on travel and salaries.

The contractor disputes any mishandling of the money, which in recent years amounted to nearly $10 million routed from a program meant to serve needy families.

The Kansas Department for Children and Families announced Friday that it is canceling the contract with Hysell and Wagner LLC to run the Reading Roadmap, which provides literacy programs for students at 30 school districts.

In 2013, then-Republican Gov. Sam Brownback created the Reading Roadmap to advance his goal of improving reading scores. He funded it with $9 million from the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families welfare program.

An audit started during Brownback’s tenure, DCF Secretary Laura Howard said, and an additional investigation after Democratic Gov. Laura Kelly took office showed the money isn’t being spent efficiently. The audit found more than $2 million that DCF said was incorrectly paid to Hysell and Wagner.

“After reviewing the results of a DCF audit and despite heightened oversight during the first six months of 2019, it’s clear that Hysell and Wagner is falling short of this basic standard,” she said.

The audit initiated during Brownback’s administration was never finalized and published. Howard said she didn’t know why.

Further review from the agency found Hysell and Wagner spent money on 38 trips between Kansas and the homes of company executives on the east and west coasts. In addition, Howard said hundreds of thousands of dollars went to the owners of the group, through direct and indirect payments.

Howard said the TANF dollars are meant to help the most vulnerable, and the spending by the administrators was inappropriate.

“To see TANF dollars,” she said, “going at that high of a level essentially to subsidize two individuals, (it was) very frustrating to me.”

The agency said there were unsuccessful efforts to correct issues with Hysell and Wagner.

The cancelation comes as Kelly’s administration reviews the performance of existing state contracts. Her administration canceled more than $100 million in IT contracts earlier this year.

The spending meant administrative costs were higher than the 15 percent target set for federal grants, Howard said. But Andrew Hysell, one of the company’s executives, disputes that. In an interview, he said the group had been through federal audits and administrative costs were below targets.

“I don’t understand why this became a political issue,” he said. “It’s a kids’ reading program. It’s unfortunate.”

The administrators changed accounting procedures in 2015 in response to requests from DCF. Hysell said it’s not easy administering a grant of that size, but his group took steps to manage the money properly.

“We really worked very, very hard,” he said. “We’ve literally reconciled it down to the penny.”

The state will continue the Reading Roadmap programs, although they will be funded directly by the state instead of through an administrator.

“We’re really happy that they’ll continue to fund the program,” Hysell said. “We want these families and these kids to get these services.”

Stephen Koranda is Statehouse reporter for Kansas Public Radio and the Kansas News Service, a collaboration of KCUR, Kansas Public Radio, KMUW and High Plains Public Radio covering health, education and politics. Follow him on Twitter @kprkoranda or email skoranda (at) ku (dot) edu.
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/kansas-cancels-contract-kids-reading-program-over-millions-questionable-spending

Faith news

To send in items for the Faith News, email information to [email protected]. Please include your name and contact information.

Christ the King Catholic Church, 3024 N. 53rd St., Kansas City, Kansas, is planning an ice cream social after the 4 p.m. Mass on Saturday, Aug. 24. The social will be from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. and will include food, cake, ice cream, booths and bingo.

The Keeler Women’s Center reopened July 1 at a new location, 759 Vermont Ave., Suite 100-B, Kansas City, Kansas.
The Gospel Non-Violence Study Group will meet from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Tuesday, Aug. 20, at the Keeler Women’s Center, 759 Vermont Ave., Suite 100-B, Kansas City, Kansas. The group is facilitated by Peg Burns Kerbawy.
Scripture Study and Reflection will be held from 9:30 a.m. to 11 a.m. Wednesdays at the Keeler Women’s Center, 759 Vermont Ave., Suite 100-B, Kansas City, Kansas.
To register for classes, call 913-906-8990. The Keeler Women’s Center is a ministry of the Benedictine Sisters. For more information, visit www.keelerwomenscenter.org.


Our Lady of Unity parish, 2646 S. 34th St., Kansas City, Kansas, is planning Unity Fest 2019 from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 7. Barbecue and Mexican-style foods will be available, along with mariachi music and Hispanic dance groups for entertainment. Carnival games and inflatables will be included. A silent auction will take place in the church basement.


The century-old St. John the Baptist Croatian Festival is set for Saturday, Aug. 17, on historic Strawberry Hill. Activities will begin at 5 p.m. on the parish grounds, 708 N. 4th St., Kansas City, Kansas. Admission is free. Traditional Croatian food including sarma (cabbage rolls) and sausage sandwiches, cibanac (Croatian stew) and palacinke (crepes) will be served along with traditional summer fare, hamburgers, hot dogs, soft drinks and beer. The kids’ area will have games and prizes. Other booths will include povitica, apple strudel, surprise packages or salami. The Strawberry Hill Boutique will have T-shirts and aprons designed by Kansas City artist Michael Savage of Sav-Art. There will also be strawberry-themed jewelry and magnets. Hrvatski Obicaj will play Croatian music, and as the festival winds down, there will be a free dance with music by Kolograd on the Strawberry Hill Museum grounds. For more information, visit the Facebook page for OurCroatianParish.


There will be a biscuits and gravy breakfast at Stony Point Christian Church, 149 S. 78th St., Kansas City, Kansas, from 7:30 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. Sunday, Aug. 18, in the church’s coffee shop. The requested donation is $5. The breakfast is a benefit for the Scout troop.


Members of St. Paul’s Episcopal Church, 1300 N. 18th St., Kansas City, Kansas, will observe the 11th Sunday after Pentecost at 10 a.m. Aug. 18.

St. Peter’s Fall Festival is planned from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 21, at the Cathedral of St. Peter, 422 N. 14th St., Kansas City, Kansas.


Wyandotte United Methodist Church, 7901 Oakland Ave., Kansas City, Kansas, will meet for worship services on Aug. 18 at 8:30 a.m. and 11 a.m., with Sunday school at 9:45 a.m. An all-church breakfast is planned from 8 a.m. to 10 a.m. Saturday, Aug. 24.

Send Faith News items to [email protected]. Please include your contact information. If there is inclement weather, check with the sponsoring organization to see if the event will still be held.