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Aggravated assault reported on Oak Grove Road
An aggravated assault was reported at 3:50 p.m. May 7 in the 4700 block of Oak Grove Road, according to a social media post by the Kansas City, Kansas, Police Department.
Victims reported that a suspect pulled up next to them and pointed a gun at them, according to the report.
A frost advisory will be in effect for Wyandotte County Saturday morning, according to the National Weather Service.
The advisory will be in effect from 4 a.m. Saturday until 8 a.m. Saturday, the weather service said. Residents may want to cover any sensitive vegetation that is outdoors.
The cooler temperatures that followed this morning’s rain could drop to a low of about 37 tonight, according to the weather service, prompting the frost advisory.
The weekend will see cooler weather. Temperatures today will rise to only a high of 59, and on Saturday, the high will be 63, the weather service said.
The next chance of rain will be Saturday night and Sunday morning, according to the weather service.
Today, it will be sunny with a high near 59 and a north wind of 13 to 16 mph, gusting as high as 26 mph, the weather service said.
Tonight, the low will be around 37, and widespread frost is possible after 5 a.m. Saturday. A north northwest wind of 5 to 10 mph will become light after midnight, with winds gusting up to 20 mph, according to the weather service.
Saturday, areas of frost are possible before 10 a.m., the weather service said. It will be mostly sunny, with a high near 63 and a light southwest wind increasing to 5 to 9 mph in the morning, the weather service said.
Saturday night, there is a 20 percent chance of showers after 8 p.m., with a low of 43, according to the weather service. A southwest wind of 5 to 9 mph will become light south southwest.
Sunday, there is a 20 percent chance of showers before 8 a.m., with a high near 59, the weather service said. A northwest wind of 8 to 14 mph will gust as high as 28 mph.
Sunday night, it will be mostly clear, with a low of 39, according to the weather service.
Monday, there Is a 30 percent chance of showers after 2 p.m., with a high near 56, the weather service said.
Monday night, there is a 50 percent chance of showers, with a low of 44, according to the weather service.
Tuesday, there is a 60 percent chance of showers, mainly between 8 a.m. and 2 p.m., with a high near 56, the weather service said.
Tuesday night, there is a 40 percent chance of showers before 8 p.m., then a chance of showers after 2 a.m., according to the weather service. The low will be around 50.
Wednesday, there is a 70 percent chance of showers and possibly a thunderstorm, with a high near 66, the weather service said.
Wednesday night, there is a 70 percent chance of showers and possibly a thunderstorm, with a low of 58, according to the weather service.
Thursday, there is a 70 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms, with a high near 74, the weather service said.
The Unified Government Commission discussed a plan to close the Fairfax fire station at a special session at 5 p.m. Thursday, May 7.
The Fairfax industrial Association opposed the move. Fairfax, an area in northeastern Kansas City, Kansas, employs about 10,000 people and needs a fire station in Fairfax, Melissa Clark, FIA executive director, told the commission.
Fire Chief Mike Callahan told the commission that the Quindaro Fire Station 5 could serve the Fairfax area, arriving at calls within 4 minutes.
However, the Fairfax Industrial Association took issue with those figures. Also, the FIA stated that the UG wanted to close Fairfax fire station 15 in order to staff the new Piper fire station without adding any more costs.
UG Commissioner Gayle Townsend questioned the 4-minute figure and was told it was a math computation, not from actual experience.
Earlier today, the UG sent out a news release about the Fire Department’s plans.
”We want our commissioners and our residents to see the progress we have made in stewarding our budget dollars while taking positive steps to increase staffing, improve readiness, and overall, to enhance firefighter and public health and safety,” Chief Callahan said in the news release. “As the leaders of the department, our priority is to prepare and equip firefighters to better address real-world challenges. We’re doing that in a variety of ways, including the deployment of new equipment and technologies, recruiting more highly-trained personnel, optimizing staff placement and developing a long-term plan to phase out old, unsafe and outdated facilities.”
According to the UG, the Fairfax fire station is the least active in the city, and station 5 from Quindaro would be able to respond to Fairfax.
Clark said at the May 7 meeting that no one would suggest that KCI airport do away with its fire station, and the Fairfax district is a heavy industrial district with highly hazardous chemicals, volatility and environmental risks. There are 135 businesses there and over $5 billion in property, she said. One of the main reasons the fire station was built was because of more than 30 railroad crossings in that area, some of which could delay response times, according to Fairfax officials. The FIA also expressed concerns for future growth of the area without the fire station. The Fairfax district contributes about $18 million to $20 million annually in property and utility taxes, Clark said.
The FIA and businesses there opposed the closure and said they needed more time to research information about past agreements with the UG, and they only knew about this proposal to close the station since April 2. Many offices were closed then because of the pandemic.
There was no vote at the special session, but at least six of 10 UG commissioners expressed an opinion that more time was needed to discuss the issue. One commissioner wondered if he would have voted for the construction of the Piper station had he known that it could result in the closing of the Fairfax station.
A representative of the International Association of Firefighters, Local 64, said that Local 64 is opposed to closing the Fairfax station and believes it would be a serious reduction in service. The representative said two other studies were done that agreed the Fairfax station should be maintained. New stations should be built to accommodate community growth, but none should be closed, according to the representative.
One resident said at the meeting that Piper is growing and deserves better coverage, deserves to have a fire station but not at the cost of what is happening in Fairfax.
There were no public comments in favor of closing the Fairfax station.
Commissioner Gayle Townsend said she would like to see the more time given to Fairfax businesses. Also, she favored allowing the UG administrator to explore other ways to fund the Piper fire station.
Commissioner Melissa Bynum agreed with Commissioner Townsend, and Bynum said she could not support closing the Fairfax station.
Commissioner Angela Markley said decisions should be made about the fire station in the context of the entire budget picture.
Commissioner Mike Kane said he wanted to put the station closure on hold until they figure it out. He said he believes it is the commission’s decision to make. He also supported having more meetings and discussions with Fairfax businesses and workers. He also said he felt it was terrible to pit the Fairfax fire station against the Piper fire station.
The discussion was part of a three-hour Zoom meeting. The Fire Department plan includes much more detail about fire service in other areas of Kansas City, Kansas, as well.
The meeting is on YouTube at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BHutbMMTFN8 and the fire station discussion starts about 22:40.
The UG’s news release is at https://www.wycokck.org/Home/News-Slider-Data/Small-Set-One/KCKFD-Continues-Great-Service.aspx.