The chief of staff for the Kansas City, Kansas, Public Schools, Stephen Linkous, is taking a new position as a superintendent in New Hampshire, according to a district spokesman.
The Kansas City, Kansas, Public Schools made the announcement today that Linkous will be resigning as of June 30.
At the Nashua School District in Nashua, New Hampshire, Linkous will become superintendent of schools.
He started with the KCK school district in 2019 to support the superintendent in dealing with administrative, educational, legislative and public affairs
He has worked in education for more than 25 years and has served in leadership roles in several school districts. Before becoming chief of staff at KCKPS, he was the assistant superintendent of principal leadership and development for Roosevelt School District, a school support officer for Houston Independent School District, and a principal at three schools.
A district spokesman said that the district thanks Linkous for his leadership during one of the most challenging times in education.
“I’d like to thank the KCKPS community for treating me as one of their own for the last three years. Our pre-pandemic, pandemic and now endemic work are lessons that will only assist me as I move to my next position,” Linkous said. “Please remember the KCKPS staff and community will always have a special place in my heart.”
A proposed bistate corridor would run from Independence, Missouri, to The Legends Outlets area of Kansas City, Kansas.
A plan for a bistate transit corridor was announced on Monday by U.S. Rep. Emanuel Cleaver, D-Missouri.
The proposed bistate corridor would travel from Independence, Missouri, to the Legends Outlets area of Kansas City, Kansas. It would be an electric bus route. Funding for the project would come from the $1.2 trillion federal infrastructure bill.
According to a news release from Rep. Cleaver’s website, the Bi-State Sustainable Reinvestment Corridor will provide investments to sustainability, mobility and economic development.
“President Biden’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law is a once-in-a-generation opportunity for our entire region to create sustainable communities, provide greater opportunity for economic mobility, and ensure our jurisdictions have the energy efficient infrastructure necessary to remain competitive throughout the 21st century—but coordination is critical,” Rep. Cleaver said in the news release.
The news release announced support from area communities and officials, including Kansas City, Kansas, Mayor Tyrone Garner and U.S. Rep. Sharice Davids, D-3rd Dist.
“Part of the Kansas City Metro’s strength is our interconnection and collaboration. We should absolutely leverage that to bring smart, sustainable investments to our communities,” Rep. Davids stated in the news release. “Working together, we can use the historic bipartisan infrastructure law to make lasting improvements in our local economy, our climate impact, and our quality of life. I appreciate Congressman Cleaver’s leadership and look forward to working together with local and state partners in Kansas.”
“We look forward to catalyzing growth and opportunity within Kansas City, Kansas and Wyandotte County through the development of sustainable economic development strategies that are enabled by the Bi-State Sustainable Reinvestment Corridor and enhanced federal funding the corridor will bring to our community,” Mayor Garner said in the news release.
The bistate corridor would include State Avenue, Independence Avenue and Truman Road.
According to the news release, the bistate corridor would target federal funding to support:
• Zero-emission transportation options: Electric buses; new and upgraded mobility hubs; expanded KC Streetcar and MAX services; and pedestrian and bicycle infrastructure. • Affordable housing: Energy-efficient retrofits; new units and construction; transit-oriented/connected development. • Green infrastructure: Enhanced tree canopy coverage; upgraded stormwater systems; electric vehicle charging stations; residential solar panels. • Broadband Access: Implementation of wired and wireless service; increased capacity; updated equipment. • Safety and security enhancement: Shot spotter; license plate readers; Community Improvement Districts; other public safety technologies. • Economic development: Workforce training; access to child care; private investment along the corridor. • Public schools and libraries: Renewable energy and energy efficiency projects to reduce utility costs.
Grant to improve traffic flow at Legends not moved forward
In other recent news about The Legends Outlets and transportation, a grant application for improving traffic flow near The Legends did not move forward on Feb. 10.
At the Unified Government Commission’s Feb. 10 meeting, UG commissioners decided not to move forward with a grant application to the state of Kansas that would improve traffic flow and pedestrian access at the State Avenue and Village West Parkway area at The Legends Outlets. The project also would have redone an intersection, created opportunity for future growth at The Legends, and more access for those who are there for a game to walk to shopping areas while they are there.
The commission felt it did not have the $6.2 million required for the local match for the project. The $25 million project was through the Kansas Department of Transportation.
Economic reasons were cited for not moving the grant application forward.
The UG Commission did agree to move forward with two projects on the east side of Wyandotte County, an Armourdale project and the KC Riverfront project.
According to UG officials, there has already been enough funding invested in the Armourdale and KC Riverfront projects to provide the local match, without more being required from the UG.
The KCKCC Art Gallery’s latest art exhibition is “From Tanner to Knight: An African American Art Expose.” The show is open from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday to Friday and will close Feb. 25.
A virtual reception is planned from 6 to 7:30 p.m. Feb. 22. The Zoom link to the reception is https://kckcc.zoom.us/s/4254863870?fbclid=IwAR3wPL30P9zvS71-s68xo234cbW9URrzBJhfnxRye3IxfMQiJ_7O4aePZPo.
The exhibition includes 17 artists featuring 24 works of art, including work from renowned artist Jonathan Knight, an internationally known watercolorist and oil painter who also is known for his pastels and printmaking. Knight, who is from Daytona Beach, Florida, and now resides in Kansas City, Missouri, is a Signature Member of the National Watercolor Society. There are three pieces of Knight’s works exhibited for sale, most notably, “Lily Pond VIII.”
The show was co-curated by Dr. Curtis V. Smith, a retired professor from KCKCC and board member of the Greater Kansas City Area Print Society, and KCKCC Art Gallery Coordinator Shai M. Perry.
With several fine art prints in the exhibit, Smith wants to use this opportunity to educate the community about the art of printmaking. Most artists work in cooperation with a professional printmaker to create a fine art image that can be sold as a limited edition.
One of the United States’ greatest printmakers, Ron Adams, is in the exhibit. Adams, who died in 2020, was recognized as a master printer of the highest order, producing powerful images of African Americans.
Other nationally recognized artists featured include an abstract untitled mixed media study on handmade paper by Sam Gilliam. There is a retrospective of Gilliam’s art planned at the Hirschhorn Museum in Washington, D.C., later this year.
Joyce Jane Scott’s “Repent” is a mixed media lithographic silkscreen print with embossing. She was born in Baltimore, Maryland, and recognized nationally for her figurative sculptures and jewelry using freeform off-loom bead weaving techniques.
Clarissa Sligh is an African American book artist and photographer based in Asheville, North Carolina, who co-founded the Coast-to-Coast National Women Artists of Color Project. Her artwork is “Passages, Family No. 3,” a signed and numbered archival pigmented inkjet print.
The works of art featured in the exhibition by Kansas City area artists include Michael Toombs, Glyneisha Johnson, Russell Easterwood, Alexander Austin, Danny Hinds, Maurice Copeland, and Hank Smith.
A nod is also given in the form of two historic reproductions of art during the career of Henry Ossawa Tanner (1859-1937). Tanner was a towering historical figure in American art history who became the first African American to gain international acclaim for his paintings. A resident of Kansas City, Kansas, for a short time after World War I, he completed three paintings while living with his parents. Tanner’s “Sand Dunes at Sunset, Atlantic City,” an oil on canvas completed in 1885, was the first painting by an African American to hang in the White House (Clinton, 1998).
For more information on the art exhibition or to schedule a visit, contact Perry at 913-288-7408 or at [email protected].
Story from Kelly Rogge, public information manager, KCKCC
