Month: January 2020

Turner Diagonal interchange groundbreaking to be Jan. 31

Proposed Turner Diagonal interchange.

The $30 million Turner Diagonal Interchange Project will move forward with a groundbreaking on Jan. 31, according to Unified Government officials.

The 50-acre project near I-70 and 72nd Street is expected to be completed in November 2020, a UG spokesman stated in a news release.

The groundbreaking ceremony for the Turner Diagonal Interchange Project is scheduled for 10:30 a.m. Friday, Jan. 31, at the I-70 westbound truck staging area near I-70 and the Turner Diagonal in Kansas City, Kansas. The ceremony location is on I-70 near 72nd Street.

If there is inclement weather or if temperatures are below 40 degrees, the groundbreaking will be at the West Wyandotte Library, 1737 N. 82nd St., Kansas City, Kansas.

Guest speakers at the event will include Gov. Laura Kelly; Mayor David Alvey; Sean Poole, U.S. Department of Transportation director of intergovernmental affairs; and Brent Miles, chief marketing officer and founding partner of NorthPoint Development.

According to UG officials, $13.8 million of the total project cost of $30 million will come from a U.S. Department of Transportation BUILD grant that the UG received in 2018. The rest of the costs will come from a combination of UG, Kansas Department of Transportation and Northpoint Development funding, according to officials.

The 50-acre project using Kansas Turnpike Authority and KDOT right-of-way will open up 300 acres of land for economic development and job creation, according to UG information.

Clarkson Construction Co. is the design-build contractor.

According to the UG, the Turner Diagonal interchange is within a two-day drive from 85 percent of the U.S. population. The location serves 65,000 vehicles a day, 25 percent of which are truck, and is very close to other major highways.

The current design of the Turner Diagonal interchange no longer meets the needs of the community and surrounding area, a spokesman stated in a news release. The UG joined with KDOT, KTA and NorthPoint Development to develop a solution to address infrastructure and transportation needs in a new vision for the Turner Diagonal corridor, the spokesman stated.

The existing interchange will be reconfigured to a diverging diamond interchange, allowing the release of KTA and KDOT right-of-way and opening 300 acres of land for economic development and job creation, according to the spokesman.

The new interchange is designed to provide better access to businesses along the Turner Diagonal, improve safety and allow traffic to move efficiently through the corridor, the spokesman stated.

A $155 million industrial development is being planned along the Turner Diagonal.

The project also adds a shared-use path and sidewalk from Riverview Avenue through the new diverging diamond interchange, connecting to existing sidewalks at State Avenue.

The project also will address freight parking at the truck staging facilities west of the interchange.

Overland Park man pleads guilty in case involving male enhancement drugs

An Overland Park man pleaded guilty today to importing and selling misbranded pharmaceutical-grade erectile dysfunction drugs from China and marketing them as herbal remedies for men, U.S. Attorney Stephen McAllister said.

Rick Shepard, 60, Overland Park, pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to import misbranded drugs. In his plea, he admitted he was doing business as Epic Products when he sold a product called Euphoric to adult novelty stores in multiple states.

He marketed Euphoric as “all natural herbal supplements for male enhancement.” In fact, the product contained prescription drugs Tadalafil and Sildenafil, the active ingredients in Viagra and Cialis.

Shepard purchased the drugs from a supplier in China, according to prosecutors. He repackaged the capsules, applied his own labels and distributed them to stores in Kansas, Missouri and Colorado.

Sentencing is set for April 20. He could face a sentence of up to five years in federal prison and a fine up to $250,000. The Food and Drug Administration investigated. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jabari Wamble is prosecuting.

Presentation explores lives of free-born children after Civil War

The Kansas City, Kansas, Public Library will present “Children of the Promised Land,” a presentation and discussion by Angela Bates, at 6 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 4, at the Main Library at 625 Minnesota Ave., Kansas City, Kansas.

Members of the community are invited to attend the free program. The program is made possible by Humanities Kansas.

This pictorial history explores the unique experiences of the mothers and their children in Nicodemus, Kansas, some of whom were the first members of their families born free from the physical and psychological effects of slavery, according to a spokesman.

The discussion will explore the dynamics of child-rearing during and after slavery, stories of children conceived in slavery but born free, and how baby names were changed or used to reflect attitudes about free-born children.

Nicodemus, a small, unincorporated town in Graham County, is the only remaining western town established by African Americans during the Reconstruction Period following the Civil War, according to a spokesman. Today the town is a National Historic Site.

Angela Bates is the executive director of the Nicodemus Historical Society. She presents educational programs across the nation covering Nicodemus, Exodusters and black towns in the West, Buffalo Soldiers, and black women in the West.

“My great uncle, Henry Williams, was the first baby born in Nicodemus just a month after my great-grandmother Emma arrived with the first group of settlers in 1877,” Bates said. “He was one of the first in his generation born on the free soils of Kansas. He represents the many children of his generation that were reared by parents who were former slaves.”

“Children of the Promised Land” is part of Humanities Kansas’s Movement of Ideas Speakers Bureau, featuring presentations and workshops designed to share stories that inspire, spark conversations that inform, and generate insights that strengthen civic engagement.

For more information about “Children of the Promised Land” contact the Kansas City, Kansas, Public Library at 913-295-8250 or visit www.kckpl.org.