Month: June 2021

GM seeks trainees for electric vehicle work at Fairfax plant

New jobs are on the horizon for electric vehicle assembly at the General Motors Fairfax plant in Kansas City, Kansas.


Four job categories, all related to electrical wiring skills, are part of the company’s plans to globally market 30 new all-electric vehicles by 2025. Specific job information is available on the company’s careers site: GM Careers.


Successful applicants will enter GM’s Automotive Manufacturing Electrical College (AMEC) which trains future employees to work on electrical systems in new GM vehicles. Participants are paid a full salary and benefits during the training period which can last from 6 to 12 months. The AMEC program includes classroom education and hands-on training at GM’s Global Technical Center in Warren, Michigan. Experience in a manufacturing environment is a plus, but no prior electrical experience is necessary.

The Fairfax facility currently employs over 2,100 members of UAW Local 31 to build the Chevrolet Malibu and the Cadillac XT4.


UAW National President Rory Gamble recently urged “everyone to take a little step back” saying the union plans to “take a more cautious approach.” He said the union is evaluating whether there will be enough charging infrastructure and other federal policies to prompt widespread consumer adoption of electric vehicles. “We know this technology is coming, we know we have to embrace it and make the best of it.” The union’s policy position on electric vehicles is available at this link: 2021-UAW-EV-Update.


According to USAFacts.org, just over 1.4 million plug-in electric cars have sold in the United States as of 2019 — with about 60% of those sales in all-electric cars and 40% in plug-in hybrids. Plug-in electric cars accounted for just under 1% of all 146 million new light-duty vehicle sales between 2011 and 2019.

Summer reading program kicks off tonight at Boulevard Drive-In Theater

A new book by Rep. Sharice Davids and Nancy K. Mays, “Sharice’s Big Voice,” will be featured at the kickoff of the summer reading program tonight at the Boulevard Drive-In Theater, 1051 Merriam Lane, Kansas City, Kansas.

U.S. Rep. Sharice Davids, D-3rd Dist., will help kick off the Kansas City, Kansas, Public Library’s summer reading program tonight at the Boulevard Drive-In Theater, 1051 Merriam Lane, Kansas City, Kansas.

Rep. Davids is scheduled to talk about her new children’s book, “Sharice’s Big Voice,” co-written by Nancy K. Mays and illustrated by Joshua Mangeshig Pawis-Steckley. The children’s picture book talks about how everyone has obstacles, and everyone deserves to be seen and heard.

Gates will open for the free event at the Boulevard Drive-In at 7 p.m. tonight, with pre-show activities at 8 p.m., followed by a movie at 9:15 p.m. The pre-show entertainment includes videos highlighting library services, a trivia contest and a pre-recorded interview with Rep. Davids about her new book.

Rep. Davids is planning to be there in person from 7:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. and will speak briefly around 8 p.m., with the prerecorded interview around 9 p.m. on the Drive-In screen.

Each car of attendees will receive a signed copy of her book, along with summer reading logs and other information about participating in the summer reading program. It will be first-come, first-served.

The event tonight is open to the public, and there is no charge.

The Kansas City, Kansas, Board of Education voted to approve this program at a recent board meeting.

“Tails and Tales” is the theme of this year’s summer reading program, and there are levels for kids, teens and adults. Those who read a certain number of books can receive prizes. For more information, see https://kckpl.beanstack.org/reader365.

Monarchs fall short of sweep in Cleburne

The Kansas City Monarchs’ hopes for a road sweep of the Cleburne Railroaders—and to move to .500 on the year—were dashed early in a 12-2 loss, dropping the Monarchs to 7-9 on the year.

Starter Nick Travieso gave up a three-run home run with no one out in the bottom of the first. An inning later Osvaldo Martinez hit the first of his four RBIs in the game. He grabbed another in the fourth on a single to bring the Railroader lead to 5-0.

Cleburne put the game out of reach with a four-run sixth after Dylan Davis replaced Travieso. Meanwhile, Railroader starter Michael Gunn put together seven innings of two-hit baseball.

When Cleburne pulled its starter, the Monarchs finally got a chance to get on the board. In the eighth, Ramsey Romano walked, and Ryan Grotjohn hit a single to put runners on first and second for Darnell Sweeney.

Sweeney cleared them with a two-RBI double with one out, but a flyout and a ground out stranded him at second and ended the Monarchs’ best chance to get back into the game.

The Monarchs’ bullpen gave the ground right back by walking in a pair of Railroaders in the eighth before Romano took the pitching mound from short stop to get the last two outs.

Collin Willis hit a two-out single in the ninth, but the Monarchs could not surmount the Railroader 10-run lead.

The Monarchs have Monday off before heading to Gary, Indiana, to take on the Gary SouthShore RailCats for the second half of their six-game road trip beginning at 7 p.m. Tuesday. The game can be heard on the Monarchs Broadcast Network with the pre-game beginning at 6:40 p.m. and the video stream airing on aabaseball.tv.

On June 11, the Monarchs return to Legends Field to take on the Houston Apollos. Tickets to Monarchs games can be purchased by calling 913-328-5618 or by visiting monarchsbaseball.com.

  • Story from Dan Vaughan, Kansas City Monarchs