Month: November 2021

2016 national champs into KCKCC Athletic Hall of Fame Nov. 13

The first of two NJCAA Division II national champions, the 2015-2016 women’s basketball team will be inducted into the KCKCC Athletic Hall of Fame Saturday, Nov.23.

The first national champion in Kansas City Kansas Community College basketball history will be enshrined in the KCKCC Athlete Hall of Fame.

The induction of the 2016 NCAA Division II national women’s champions will come Saturday, Nov. 13, as part of the annual KCKCC Basketball Classic. Ceremonies will follow KCKCC’s women’s game against Metropolitan Community College which will tip off at 4 p.m. The Blue Devil men will entertain Link Year Prep following the induction ceremonies.

Head coach Joe McKinstry said all 14 members of the 2016 squad and assistant coaches Chamissa Anderson and Dawn Adams are expected to attend.

“It’s awesome,” McKinstry said. “Reaching out to all of the girls has been one of the most gratifying and fulfilling experiences I’ve had and to have all of them back in the building is just awesome. It’s been six years since winning the national championship and everyone has gone in different directions so talking to them as adults has been very enjoyable.”

McKinstry said the induction is the icing on a historic season.

“We had so many great memories,” he said. “Winning the regional, the national championship, being recognized by the Senate and House in Topeka, the ring ceremony but it never crossed my mind that we would ever go into the Hall of Fame. It’s such a surprise,”

The national championship came in McKinstry’s first year at KCKCC.

“For those girls coming in and buying into a new coach was a whole new experience and very gratifying.”

The Blue Devils got to the national tournament by winning two of the most memorable games in KCKCC history. First, the Blue Devils trailed No. 4 ranked Highland by 11 points in the fourth quarter of the Region VI semifinals,

Led by Cheyenne North, who scored 25 points and hauled in 15 rebounds, the Blue Devils scored 14 straight points and closed out a 54-50 win on a 20-5 run. Defensively, the Blue Devils forced seven turnovers and gave up only one Highland field goal (1-13) in the final nine minutes.

The win propelled the Blue Devils into the Region VI championship game against unbeaten and No. 1 ranked Johnson County. The game played at Hartman Arena in Lake City came just 22 days after Johnson County had dealt KCKCC a stunning 30-point loss (91-61) at JCCC.

Again, it was the defense that stepped front and center in a 63-56 win that stands as the greatest upset in KCKCC history. During the first 31 minutes, the lead changed hands 18 times and was tied 11 times. JCCC’s last lead (48-47) came with 9:08 remaining. Nursing a 56-55 lead, the Blue Devils gave up only one free throw in the final five minutes.

Arrica Daye, a 5-4 point guard known more for her assists than points, led the way, knocking down 4-of-6 three-pointers in leading all scorers with a career high 17 points. North added 14 points and 11 rebounds and freshman Brooklyn Wagler a game-high 14 rebounds.

“In our game at JCCC, they disrespected Arrica as a scorer, laying off her on perimeter shots,” McKinstry said. “I told her they’d be giving her room and to take the shot.”

Once in the national tournament played at JCCC, the Blue Devils surged to the championship by taking down the No. 1, No. 2, No. 5 and No. 12 seeded teams by an average of a whopping 19 points.

Forcing 28 turnovers, KCKCC ended Waubonsee’ 18-game winning streak 72-53 in the opener. North had a career high 19 rebounds and 20 points in a 78-64 win over No. 5 Owens in KCKCC’s closest game. KCKCC rushed to a 17-4 lead in an 81-59 win over No. 1 seeded Monroe in the semifinals and then won the national title, beating No. 2 Illinois Central by an identical 81-59 score.

All five starters averaged in double figure scoring in the national tournament led by Erin Anderson (15.5) and Wagler (15.3). North added 13.3 points, Sierra Roberts 12.0 and Daye 11.0 while freshman Brie Tauai averaged 8.8 off the bench. North, the tourney’s Most Valuable Player, was joined by Anderson and Wagler on the all-tournament team.

Starting the season with 16 straight wins, the Blue Devils finished 33-3, the second most wins in history. Anderson (15.5) and North (15.4) led four Blue Devils in double digit scoring. Wagler added 11.5 and the 3-point leader, Sierra Roberts, 10.0 points a game. Tauai averaged 9.2 points and Daye 8.5 points and 3.8 assists, An injury kept sophomore Janay Jacobs (4.2) out of the national tournament. Other contributors included Valencia Scott (4.9), Kyliea Jarrett (2.4) and Brooklyn Bockover (1.1).

North became the fifth KCKCC player to earn NJCAA first team All-America honors. She was also the MVP in the Jayhawk Conference where she led in rebounding (10.9) and blocked shots (2.0) and was fourth in scoring (14.4).

“Us winning the national tournament had nothing to do with talent,” North said. “It was everything with how hard Coach Mac pushed us and made us tougher.” To show it was no fluke, the Blue Devils also won the national championship in 2019.

Kansas governor plans to ‘axe’ sales tax on food, joins AG in urging legislative action

by Noah Taborda, Kansas Reflector

Topeka — Kansas Gov. Laura Kelly says she plans to introduce legislation in January to exempt food from the state sales tax, joining Attorney General Derek Schmidt in urging GOP leaders to take action on the issue.

Kelly, a Democrat running for re-election, said her plan will “axe” the sales tax on groceries. Schmidt, the favorite to receive the Republican nomination for governor in next year’s election, sent a letter last week to legislative leaders asking to either eliminate or significantly reduce the same tax.

The governor has supported efforts to reduce the tax burden on food during past sessions, including a plan that would have re-instated a tax rebate for low-income families. Her office planned the Monday announcement before Schmidt’s campaign announced his letter on Friday.

“For too long, Kansans have been paying more for groceries than people in almost every other state,” Kelly said. “This legislation will save the average Kansas family $500 or more a year on their grocery bill, and thanks to the fiscally responsible decisions we made before and during the pandemic, we can cut the food sales tax and keep Kansas’ budget intact.”

Under Kelly’s proposal, a family of four is estimated to save $500 on their grocery bill. Kelly estimated the state’s loss of revenue to be $450 million.

Kansas is one of seven states with a full tax on groceries, and the state rate of 6.5% is the second highest in the country. At least 37 states levy no sales tax on groceries and six more have reduced grocery taxes.

Grocery prices have been rising across the country with the latest consumer price index showing a 5.4% increase in prices from September 2020 to September 2021.

“If Kansas is to thrive and grow, our public policies must attract, retain and support working families,” Schmidt wrote in the letter to Senate President Ty Masterson, R-Andover, and House Speaker Ron Ryckman, R-Olathe. “Our state must be an affordable place to live, work and raise a family. In light of the state’s current budget situation, carefully constructed tax relief that benefits all Kansans by eliminating or at least significantly reducing the sales tax on groceries is possible, necessary and overdue.”

Schmidt was critical of Kelly for vetoing a 2019 bill that included a one-cent reduction in the sales tax on groceries, among other tax reforms. In vetoing the bill, Kelly argued it would have set the state back to former Gov. Sam Brownback’s tax policies by predominantly providing relief to large, multinational corporations who hoped to evade paying state income taxes on overseas profits.

Kelly said Monday any food sales tax cut measure would need to arrive on her desk without other provisions tacked on.

“I am glad that Derek Schmidt supports our plan to eliminate the sales tax on food,” said House Minority Leader Tom Sawyer, D-Wichita. “Hopefully the Speaker of the House and Senate President will pass it without bogging it down with excessive additional tax cuts for the rich.”

The Kansas Democratic Party highlighted Schmidt’s record of supporting sales tax increases while in the Legislature. In 2002, he voted for a package that included an increase in sales tax from 4.9% to 5.3%. In 2005, he voted to allow an increase in local sales tax.

“Despite what Derek Schmidt might say today, he can’t run from his history of raising taxes on Kansas families that goes back decades,” said KDP spokesperson Emma O’Brien. “Derek Schmidt has a track record of looking out for himself and his special interest donors, not Kansas families and Main Street small businesses. His sudden change of heart is nothing more than a bad-faith attempt to play politics, and Kansans can see right through it. Kansans don’t want empty words, they want action, and Derek Schmidt can’t deliver.”

Kansas Action for Children President John Wilson praised the timing of the governor’s announcement as the state experiences strong revenues. He said sales tax worsens income inequality because low-income people must pay a higher share of their income on basic needs like groceries.

An estimated 21% of children younger than 19 are living below the federal poverty level, Wilson said, and ending the food sales tax could reduce food insecurity among this group.

“Kansans have experienced one of the highest sales taxes on food in the country for years, a consequence of previous poor state tax policy,” Wilson said. “Now that Kansas has recovered from that policy and has stable revenue, it’s time to invest in Kansas workers and their families with this commonsense policy that has long had bipartisan support.”

Kansas Reflector stories, www.kansasreflector.com, may be republished online or in print under Creative Commons license CC BY-NC-ND 4.0.
See more at https://kansasreflector.com/2021/11/08/kansas-gubernatorial-candidates-push-legislature-to-eliminate-or-reduce-food-sales-tax/.

City Planning Commission to meet tonight

The Kansas City, Kansas, City Planning Commission is scheduled to meet at 6:30 p.m. Monday, Nov. 8.

The agenda includes:

6720 Berger Ave. and 6716 Berger Ave., final plat to combine lots.

4732 State Ave. – A change of zone petition from planned limited business district to planned general business district to add a fuel island for a fueling station – convenience store rebuild.

13310 Leavenworth Road – A change of zone petition from Wyandotte County agriculture district to single-family district to crease one single-family residential lot in the Crown Royal Addition.

3600 Rainbow Blvd. – A change of zone from planned apartment district to planned high-rise apartment district for a new 228-unit apartment building, Michael Berenbom with Hudson Apartments.

449 N. 86th St. – A change of zone from single-family district to agriculture district to build accessory structures and farming activity.

2211 N. 13th St. – A change of zone from non-retail business district to two-family district for a single-family residence at 2211 N. 13th St.

731 Tenny Ave. – A change of zone from single-family district to two-family district to bring existing non-conforming duplex into compliance.

1315 N. 86th St. – A special use permit for two horses on residential property.

13310 Leavenworth Road – Final plat for one single family lot in conjunction with a change from county agriculture district to single-family district.

5209 N. 101st Terrace – Preliminary plat, estates of Connor Creek Fourth Plat, for 70 residential lots, Jose Maderos with Maderos Property LLC.

70a N. 7th St. – Consideration of Kansas City, Kansas, Landmarks Ordinance.

The Board of Zoning Appeals will meet at 6 p.m. Nov. 8.

On the BOZA agenda is an appeal for two variances at 13310 Leavenworth Road.

Also on the BOZA agenda is an appeal that would allow a developer to demolish two apartment buildings to build a five-story apartment building over a two-story parking garage at 3600 Rainbow Blvd.

Also being appealed is 2211 N. 13th St., three variances in a change of zone for an existing duplex.

Also being appealed is a variance from the interior side yard setback at 150 N. 74th St.

For information on how to connect to the Zoom meeting, visit https://www.wycokck.org/files/assets/public/planning-amp-urban-design/documents/covid-19-public-letters/notice-regarding-november-8-2021.pdf.

To see the CPC agenda, visit http://public.wycokck.org/sites/planning-agendas-minutes-staffreports/Agendas/November%202021%20CPC%20Agenda.pdf.