January 2021 – Page 12 – Welcome to Wyandotte Daily!

Legislative update from Rep. Pam Curtis, D-32nd Dist.

Opinion column

by Rep. Pam Curtis

Heading into week two we recognized the work and legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. on Monday, Jan. 18. Each year he is honored for his devotion and sacrifice in the name of equality and for the Civil Rights movement.

On Tuesday and Wednesday committees resumed as usual, but we did not hear any bills on the floor. Much of the work at the beginning of session is done in committees as bills are introduced and begin moving through the process. My committee assignments this year include the House Judiciary Committee, House Commerce/Labor Committee, and I am the ranking member on the House Local Government Committee. I also serve on the Joint Committee for Information Technology.

Due to the global pandemic, the House Chamber is taking healthy measures to ensure a full Legislative Session. This week, we addressed, and voted on, SB 14 (the Kansas Emergency Management Act) and HCR 5003 (the Constitutional Amendment). Time was of essence to pass the KEMA bill and send it to the governor before Jan. 26 when the current emergency declaration expires.

It is a special honor to serve as your state representative. I value and appreciate your input on issues facing state government. Please feel free to contact me with your comments and questions. My office address is Room 452-S, 300 SW 10th, Topeka, KS 66612. You can reach me at 785- 296-7430 or call the legislative hotline at 1-800-432-3924 to leave a message for me. You can also email me at [email protected]

Kansas Emergency Management Act (KEMA)

On Thursday, the House overwhelmingly passed SB 14 with a 119-3 vote. SB 14 addresses the governor’s emergency powers through the Kansas Emergency Management Act (KEMA). The bill is similar to HB 2048, which was introduced in House Judiciary last week, but does not extend the suspension of the waiting week period for unemployment claims and only extends the state of emergency declaration order until March 31, 2021.

However, similar to HB 2048, SB 14 bill is more restrictive in its limitations of the governor’s power than HB 2016, which was passed last year. Unfortunately, we did not have time to fix this bill due to the impending deadline of Jan. 26, when the governor’s emergency declaration would expire. We will continue to work to make sure that the governor has all the tools necessary to effectively guide us through this pandemic and putting public health over politics.

The Constitutional Amendment

On Friday, the Constitutional Amendment, HCR 5003, passed the House on a party-line vote. The resolution asks voters to amend the Kansas constitution by adding a new section stating that there is no constitutional right to abortion and that the legislature has unchecked authority to regulate reproductive rights. Furthermore, this amendment was put on the primary election ballot in 2022 which disenfranchises many voters. Also, there were no protections for rape, incest or the life of the mother.

House Democrats offered four amendments, all of which were denied.

The four amendments were:

Placing HCR 5003 on the November General Election of 2022 where there is historically a higher turnout of voters.
Abolishing the Death Penalty
Protecting women in cases of rape, incest, or when the life of the mother is in danger.
Placing HCR 5003 on August primary in 2021 rather than 2022.

The resolution passed 38 to 86. HCR 5003 now goes to the Senate where it will need a two-thirds majority to pass and be put on the August 2022 primary ballot.

Early Learning Resources from the State Library

BookFlix is an online resource from the State Library of Kansas for children in grades PreK-3 that pairs video storybooks with related nonfiction e-books. Imagine Curious George paired with a nonfiction book about monkeys. Along with reading the books, you can also watch the story, do games and puzzles, and “dive deeper” with pictures for coloring or poems to reinforce early learning reading skills.

Feed curiosity with Britannica E-Stax (K-12), featuring nonfiction books that can be read online or downloaded to any Internet enabled device.
Both are available at no charge through the State Library’s web site https://kslib.info/storytime .

Resources

My Legislative Facebook Page, https://www.facebook.com/PamCurtisKCK

My Twitter Account, https://twitter.com/pcurtiskck

Kansas Legislature Website, http://www.kslegislature.org/

Feilhaber returns to Sporting KC as technical staff member

Longtime midfielder and MLS All-Star Benny Feilhaber has returned as a member of the Sporting KC’s technical staff ahead of the 2021 season.

In addition, Sporting has hired Randi Lininger and Eric Schwartz as assistant athletic trainers for the first team.

Feilhaber ended his professional playing career last March, retiring after 15 seasons across Major League Soccer, the German Bundesliga, English Premier League and Danish Superliga. He won the 2013 MLS Cup and the 2015 and 2017 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cups with Sporting and represented the United States internationally, lifting the 2007 Concacaf Gold Cup and competing at the 2010 FIFA World Cup.

“To be back at Sporting Kansas City as part of the technical staff means everything to me,” said Feilhaber, who will report to Peter Vermes, manager and Sporting director. “This is the club where I experienced the most success as a player. Peter and the staff invested in me back in 2013 and I look forward to working with them once again. I’ve come to know a lot of great people here in Kansas City — fans, teammates, coaches and the ownership group — and this is a fantastic opportunity for me to give back to the city and the club. I’m very excited to get to work.”

One of the most prolific playmakers in MLS over the last decade, Feilhaber ended his playing tenure at Sporting with 35 goals and 58 assists in 198 competitive appearances. He spent two stints in Kansas City, guiding the club to five straight playoff appearances from 2013 to 2017 and returning in 2019 for his final season.

His 35 goals and 58 assists rank seventh and third on the club’s all-time charts, and he is one of four players in team history — alongside Preki, Chris Klein and current Sporting defender Graham Zusi — with at least 30 goals and 50 assists.

Feilhaber, 36, bagged 56 goals in over 400 professional matches during a well-traveled club career that included stops at Hamburg in Germany, Derby County in England and Aarhus in Denmark. His MLS journey also featured spells at the New England Revolution (2011-2012), LAFC (2018) and the Colorado Rapids (2019).

Born in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, and raised in Irvine, California, Feilhaber represented the U.S. Men’s National Team 44 times from 2007-2017. Among his several U.S. MNT accomplishments, he scored a world-class goal to win the 2007 Concacaf Gold Cup final versus Mexico, helped the U.S. to a second-place finish at the 2009 FIFA Confederations Cup and played three World Cup matches the following year in South Africa.

Last August, Feilhaber took the first step of his post-playing career by joining UCLA, his college alma mater, as an assistant coach for the men’s soccer team. Working under head coach Ryan Jorden, he oversaw training sessions throughout the fall after the Pac-12 Conference postponed its 2020 season until 2021. Feilhaber is close to attaining his B-License through the U.S. Soccer Coaching Education program.

As assistant athletic trainers, Lininger and Schwartz will help oversee injury prevention and rehabilitation programs, medical treatments, hydration, nutrition and athletic performance for all Sporting players. They will report to Kurt Andrews, Sporting KC director, sports medicine.

Lininger arrives in Kansas City after serving as head athletic trainer for Rio Grande Valley FC Toros in the USL Championship for three seasons. Prior to joining RGVFC, she was an assistant athletic trainer at the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley and worked with several organizations as a contracted athletic trainer, including USA Rugby and USA Field Hockey. Lininger earned a bachelor’s degree in athletic training at Colorado State University-Pueblo in 2011 and a master’s degree in sports psychology at California University of Pennsylvania in 2012. This year she will complete her Doctor of Athletic Training from Temple University.

Schwartz previously spent three seasons with MLS club D.C. United, serving as the first team’s assistant athletic trainer in 2020. His time at D.C. began as a seasonal athletic trainer for the first team in 2018 before his promotion to D.C. United Academy head athletic trainer in 2019. Schwartz earned a bachelor’s degree in exercise science at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville in 2016 and two years later received his master’s degree in athletic training at the University of Arkansas, where he worked with football and volleyball athletes.

Information from Sporting KC

Storm leaves an inch or two of snow on ground

An accident was reported Wednesday morning near I-635, near Metropolitan. (KC Scout photo)

Another accident was on I-635 near Swartz Road on Wednesday morning. (KC Scout photo)

Another accident was at I-635 near K-5 on Wednesday morning, according to KC Scout. (KC Scout photo)

An overnight storm has left an inch or two of snow on the ground on Wednesday morning.

Several accidents were reported Wednesday morning on area highways. Motorists are advised to be careful of slick spots on the roads today, as the high will reach only 27.

But snow won’t be on the ground too long, as temperatures will rise to 37 on Thursday and 50 on Friday, according to the National Weather Service forecast. Gusty winds are possible on Saturday.

The next chance of precipitation was expected Saturday, when there will be rain and warmer temperatures, according to the weather service.

Today, it will be cloudy, with a high near 27 and a north wind of 6 to 8 mph, the weather service said.

Tonight, it will be mostly cloudy, with a low of 20 and a north wind of 6 mph becoming light and variable, according to the weather service.

Thursday, it will be mostly sunny, with a high near 37 and a south wind of 5 to 10 mph, the weather service said.

Thursday night, it will be partly cloudy, with a low of 30 and a south wind of 6 to 9 mph, according to the weather service.

Friday, it will be mostly sunny, with a high near 50 and a south wind of 8 to 13 mph, the weather service said.

Friday night, there is a 20 percent chance of rain after midnight, with a low of 39, according to the weather service.

Saturday, there is an 80 percent chance of rain with a high near 49, the weather service said.

Saturday night, there is a 30 percent chance of rain before midnight, with a low of 32, according to the weather service.

Sunday, it will be mostly cloudy, with a high near 40, the weather service said.

Sunday night, it will be mostly cloudy, with a low of 27, according to the weather service.

Monday, it will be mostly sunny, with a high near 46, the weather service said.

Monday night, it will be partly cloudy, with a low of 28, according to the weather service.

Tuesday, it will be mostly sunny, with a high near 49, the weather service said.

For more information on the weather, visit www.weather.gov.

Check highway conditions at http://www.kcscout.net/.