January 2021 – Page 27 – Welcome to Wyandotte Daily!

Long-time board member elected BPU president

The Kansas City, Kansas, Board of Public Utilities elected new officers at the Jan. 20 virtual meeting.

Robert L. Milan Sr. was elected president; Mary L. Gonzales was elected vice president; and Rose Mulvany Henry was elected secretary.

Milan, who represents the First District, has served nearly 30 years on the board. Elected in 1991, he is retired from serving as a federal representative at the U.S. Department of Labor.

The BPU recognized his service by naming a pump station and reservoir in his honor in 2007.

Gonzales, member at large, position 1, is a retired teacher who was first elected to the board in 2001. She is a member of the American Public Power Association and the American Water Works Association.

Her 33 years as a teacher included many years at Piper Middle School, where she taught language arts.

Mulvany Henry, member at large, position 3, has served on the board since 2019.

An attorney with a background in business and technology, she founded Rose Henry Law in 2018. She previously worked with the Kansas Corporation Commission regulating the telephone industry. She is a past vice president of regulatory affairs for Birch Telecom and a past in-house counsel for Sprint Corp.

Contact the Wyandotte Daily at [email protected].

Police vehicle rams suspect going wrong way on I-70

Officers chased young males suspected of aggravated robbery on I-70 before a crash on Wednesday, Jan. 20.

According to a Kansas City, Kansas, police spokesman, officers went to the 900 block of South 55th Street at 1:32 p.m. Wednesday, Jan. 20, on a report of an aggravated robbery.

The victim told police several young males approached her as she stood next to her vehicle. The suspects physically assaulted the victim before taking her purse and fleeing in their vehicle, according to the police spokesman.

After the vehicle description was broadcast on the police dispatch system, the suspect’s vehicle was located and a pursuit was approved and initiated, the spokesman stated.

The suspect’s vehicle entered I-70 westbound in the eastbound lane from 7th Street Trafficway, the spokesman stated.

An officer assisting in the pursuit and heading eastbound on I-70 encountered the vehicle traveling the wrong way directly toward him and oncoming traffic, according to the spokesman.

The officer used his patrol vehicle to ram the suspect’s vehicle, rendering it inoperable, near the 10th Street overpass, the spokesman stated.

The driver of the suspect’s vehicle and three passengers were taken into custody, the report stated.

No other vehicles were involved in the crash and there were no injuries, the spokesman stated.

The Kansas City, Kansas, Police Department’s Major Case and Traffic units are investigating. Anyone with information on the case is asked to call the TIPS hotline at 816-474-TIPS.

Elected officials weigh in on President Biden’s inauguration

Some elected officials in Kansas have weighed in on the inauguration Wednesday of President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris.

Biden became the 46th President of the United States on Wednesday. Harris is the first woman vice president and the first vice president with Black and South Asian American ancestry.

U.S. Rep. Sharice Davids, D-3rd Dist., issued this statement today:

“The historic inauguration of President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris signals a new day of unity, hope and healing in this country. We have the opportunity right now to turn the page on the past four years and begin a new chapter of American history – one where we put community first, where facts and science matter, where we focus on what unites us instead of divides us. I’m rooting for President Biden and Vice-President Harris’ success, and I look forward to working with them and their new Administration to fight this virus and Build Back Better than before.”

U.S. Sen. Roger Marshall, R-Kansas, issued this statement:

“Today, my wife Laina and I joined all Americans to witness the Constitutional transition of power to President Joe Biden,” Sen. Marshall said. “It is important that both sides of the political spectrum continue to lower the national temperature and recognize opportunities for common good. I have hope that we can work with the new Administration on behalf of Kansas as we tackle extremely pressing issues facing our nation including: getting the COVID-19 vaccine into the arms of everyone who wants and needs it, boosting job recovery, and opening businesses and our economy back up to the historic levels we saw before the pandemic.”

U.S. Sen. Jerry Moran, R-Kansas, posted this message on social media:

“Honored to attend the 59th Inauguration Ceremony today for President Joseph R. Biden and to witness this important moment in our nation’s democracy. The Inauguration represents the orderly and peaceful transfer of power that is an enduring symbol of a government of the people, by the people and for the people.
“I look forward to working with my Senate colleagues in this new year to create a better future for all Kansans.”