A residential fire was reported Thursday at Argentine Boulevard and Shawnee Avenue, according to a social media post by the Kansas City, Kansas, Fire Department.
Fire involved a building with three apartment units and another building. Three families have been displaced by the fire, the Fire Department reported.
Heavy smoke and fire damage was sustained, according to the Fire Department.
The Red Cross is assisting the families at this time, and no injuries were reported, the Fire Department stated.
Critics argue GOP’s plan reeks of gerrymandering, risks escalating racial tension
by Tim Carpenter, Kansas Reflector
Topeka — State Rep. Mary-Lynn Poskin expressed appreciation Thursday for opportunity to share insights on redrawing of Kansas congressional district boundaries after prohibited from participating in public town halls hosted by her colleagues in the Legislature.
Poskin, a Democrat from Overland Park, urged the House Redistricting Committee not to ignore sentiments of nearly every person at an August town hall in Overland Park about recasting four congressional districts held by three Republicans and one Democrat. Her remarks were in response to the “Ad Astra” map, offered by GOP leaders of the House and Senate, that would split the 3rd District held by Democratic U.S. Rep. Sharice Davids and dilute influence of Democrats by shifting them to the 1st District held by U.S. Rep. Tracey Mann and 2nd District of U.S. Rep. Jake LaTurner.
“I am here to remind you of what nearly every single person said in the full-capacity crowd: Do not break up the 3rd congressional district. Keep the core of Johnson and Wyandotte counties together. Clearly, these maps failed to do so,” Poskin said.
More than half of 500 pieces of testimony presented last year at the Legislature’s town hall meetings on redistricting raised opposition to dividing Johnson and Wyandotte counties.
The House and Senate redistricting committees convened at the Capitol to press ahead with committee work on a congressional district map before turning to redrawing 125 districts of the Kansas House, 40 districts of the Kansas Senate and 10 districts of the Kansas State Board of Education maps.
All the maps must reflect population shifts occurring between the 2010 and 2020 Census counts. However, political considerations typically come into play with the majority party seeking to solidify it electoral footprint and the minority party on the defensive. Democratic Gov. Kelly could veto maps. The GOP-led Legislature could override her. Lawsuits challenging the maps could be filed before the dust settles on 2022 redistricting.
Sherri Grogan, a member of the League of Women Voters in Leavenworth County, said the “Ad Astra” map sparked constitutional questions because it would separate communities of interest too frequently left out of the political process. The map would slice horizontally through Wyandotte County along Interstate 70.
“Dividing Kansas City, Kansas, has the potential to increase social and racial tension,” Grogan said. “The high concentration of African Americans in northeast Wyandotte County has been placed in District 2 while a considerable portion of the Hispanics in southeast Wyandotte County are in District 3.”
She endorsed the “Buffalo 2” map offered by House Democrats and the “Bluestem” map introduced on behalf of the League of Women Voters. Both keep Johnson and Wyandotte counties unified in the 3rd District.
Wyandotte County resident Judith Ancel, president of the nonprofit Cross Border Network for Justice and Solidarity, offered a unusual explanation for the advantage of the Kansas City metropolitan region being represented by a single member of the U.S. House. The international human rights organization specializes in investigating violations in other countries. The benefit of a strong working relationship with one member was important when one of Cross Border’s members was arrested in Mexico while investigating working conditions of a U.S. factory supplier.
“He was attacked by Mexican police, arrested and interrogated,” she said. “He was held for several days. In the meantime, we were frantic and ended up relying extensively on our relationship with our member of Congress to communicate the danger he was in to the State Department and secure their help. To us having one congressperson familiar with us and our issues made all the difference.”
Thomas Witt, executive director of the LGBTQ advocacy organization Equality Kansas, said Davids won election in the 3rd District in 2018 by defeating an entrenched incumbent. The Legislature also gained two LGBTQ members and its first transgender member and their service could be jeopardized if targeted during redistricting, he said.
“Representation matters,” Witt said. “It took many long years to earn our seats at the table, and we don’t want to lose them to any form of deliberate gerrymandering. We oppose any proposed plan that draws the incumbent lawmakers into districts with other incumbents, or into districts that shift the partisan balance in such an extreme way that they are unwinnable.”
Davis Hammet, of the Loud Light Civic Action, said the “Ad Astra” map preferred by GOP leadership represented an “intense partisan gerrymander.” The map would cluster four state universities — Kansas State University, University of Kansas, Emporia State University and Fort Hays State University — into the 1st District in an apparently attempt to dilute the voice of younger voters in a district with Republican majority, he said.
“Competitive congressional races require candidates to appeal to young voters,” said Hammet, who has been involved in election litigation in Kansas. “When districts are highly uncompetitive, as is the case in the ‘Ad Astra’ map, young voters are less likely to be contacted by political campaigns and civic organizations, thereby reducing their engagement in the political process.”
Hammet said the 26th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution lowered the voting age to 18 and prevented states from denying or abridging voting rights based on age.
He also questioned why the House and Senate redistricting committee gave the public less than 24 hours to submit written testimony about maps introduced Tuesday in the Legislature.
Mark McCormick, representing the ACLU of Kansas, said complex, underlying data sets delving into demographics of each proposed map of the four congressional districts wasn’t made public for review prior to that deadline and called into question the ability of anyone to engage in a legitimate constitutional analysis of the maps. He said the speed at which the House and Senate were moving toward votes on the maps was troubling.
“We ask committee leadership to rethink the course of their actions,” McCormick said. “Slow down the process. Allow for a reasonable amount of time for public comment. Provide all information on maps publicly. We have a long process ahead of us. We have time to do it right.”
Patricia Willer, chair of the Douglas County Democratic Party, said the “Ad Astra” map would improperly carve Lawrence out of the eastern Kansas 2nd District and place it in the rural 1st District covering western Kansas. She said Lawrence should remain with all of Douglas County in a congressional district.
“Douglas County is a community of interest with a long and proud history since the founding of Kansas as a state. However, it has a urban city, which is also the county seat, and the rural areas are primarily smaller family farms that provide a healthy mix. They have little to do with the large agricultural areas of the western part of the state. This rips our county apart.”
The Kansas City, Kansas, Board of Public Utilities heard from a resident who questioned the cold weather rule at its Jan. 19 Zoom board meeting.
The resident, Jared Emmons, told the board his electricity could have been disconnected when there was a 19-degree projected temperature one night in January, and he thought a cold weather rule should prevent this from happening.
He said the local BPU cold weather rule differs from the statewide rule from the Kansas Corporation Commission. The KCC does not oversee the BPU, and its rule does not apply here. He asked the BPU to implement the KCC rule.
BPU officials said that the BPU is in line with other major utilities in the Kansas City area on the cold weather rule.
General Manager Bill Johnson said policies are reviewed on an ongoing basis and then presented to the board for adoption. There had not yet been a chance to sit down with the staff and discuss Emmons’ concern, he added.
Board Vice President Rose Mulvany Henry told Emmons she would contact him on Thursday and send him information about the cold weather rule that is currently in effect at BPU. It was modified in recent years, she said.
Asked by board member David Haley if he had received a notice of disconnection, Emmons said a previous bill went to his spam folder on his email. He was able to resolve the issue before there was any damage done, he added.
David Mehlhaff, BPU chief communications officer, sent out a statement of the BPU’s cold and hot weather rule on Thursday:
“During summer months on any day when the National Weather Service forecasts the temperature will rise above 95 degrees Fahrenheit or the heat index will rise above 105 degrees Fahrenheit, KCBPU will not disconnect electric service for non-payment of bills.
“During the period of November 1st through March 31st, KCBPU will not disconnect residential electric customers for non-payment of bills when the National Weather Service forecasts the temperature will remain at or below 32 degrees Fahrenheit for 24 hours.
“KCBPU will check the weather forecasts daily between 8:00 a.m. and 9:00 a.m. Water service can be disconnected at any time.
“To avoid being disconnected, the customer must contact KCBPU to check eligibility and establish a payment arrangement.
“This is consistent with ALL other KC metro area utilities.”
The Kansas Corporation Commission lists its cold weather rule information on its website at https://kcc.ks.gov/consumer-information/cold-weather-rule. That rule applies to private utilities, not the BPU.
The policies are similar, but slightly different.
Differences in the two rules are that BPU’s applies when the forecast remains at or below 32 degrees Fahrenheit for 24 hours, with BPU checking the weather forecasts in the morning; and the KCC’s policy says a private utility can’t disconnect customers when the temperature is forecast to drop below 35 degrees within the following 48-hour period, except in certain circumstances. According to the KCC policy, if the 48-hour forecast changes before the period ends and there is a forecast of below 35 degrees, a private utility cannot disconnect until there is another cold weather rule 48-hour forecast of temperatures above 35 degrees.
Both of the policies encourage customers to call their utility to set up a payment plan and get electricity restored if they have fallen behind on their payments.
BPU customers may call the BPU customer service representative at 913-573-9190 to discuss their bills and set up payment plans.
Cost-of-service study planned
In other action, BPU is planning a cost-of-service study on rates this year, according to Randy Otting, director of accounting.
The last time BPU adjusted its water rates was in 2013, although a water study was done in 2020 that was tabled, according to officials. The last electric cost of service study was in 2016, and rates were adjusted in 2018.
The objective of the study, according to BPU officials, will be to make sure that each class of ratepayers is paying its fair share of the cost of service.
There will be a nine- to 12-month process before a final report is presented to the board on the cost of service, according to officials.
Board member Jeff Bryant said while rate adjustments are never a pleasant subject, they are a necessary process to maintain the utility for generations to come.
BPU officers elected
Mary Gonzales
The BPU also elected officers at its Jan. 19 meeting.
Elected president of the board was Mary Gonzales, BPU member at large, position 1.
A retired teacher who served in the Piper school district, Gonzales was first elected to the BPU board in 2001 and most recently served as board vice president.
Gonzales is a member of the American Public Power Association and American Water Works Association. She is involved in many community organizations, and is a board member of the Rosedale Development Association, and has served as an advisory board member of the Wyandotte County Library, according to information from the BPU. Gonzales is a past president of Delta Kappa Gamma International Educational Society, as well as former board member of El Centro and City Vision Ministries.
Elected vice president of the BPU board was Rose Mulvany Henry, who serves as member-at-large, position 3. Mulvany Henry, a native of Kansas City, Kansas, is an attorney who has worked with utilities.
Elected secretary of the BPU board was Tom Groneman, member, 2nd District. Groneman was first elected to the BPU board in 2013. After military service, he worked in the Wyandotte County probation office, and was appointed register of deeds in 1975, where he was later elected to seven terms. Groneman also served as director of the Alcoholic Beverage Control for the state of Kansas from 2003 to 2011.
