Looking for a new career? Want to learn more about the job opportunities available in Wyandotte County? Interested in gaining new skills to find your dream job? Then make plans to attend the KCKCC HireBlue Technical-Industrial Career Fair.
The fair is from 9 to 11 a.m. April 7 at the Dr. Thomas R. Burke Technical Education Center, 6565 State Ave. in Kansas City Kansas. The career fair is open to all current KCKCC students, alumni and community members.
“We encourage students and community members to come join us and network with a wide variety of professionals to learn more about their job openings, benefits and application processes. For those who are still exploring, you can learn what possible educational paths are required for your dream job,” said Ana Lima, career services coordinator at KCKCC. “Participants can also learn about the financial aid and scholarships we offer here at KCKCC.”
Attendees are encouraged to bring an updated resume and dress professionally. They will have the opportunity to complete job applications, and in some instances, interview for jobs with companies at the career fair.
Employers attending the career fair include UPS, Cerner, Worlds of Fun, Unified Government WYCO, Sporting Kansas City, WaterOne, NorthStar Group, SPX Cooling Technologies, Chipotle, FedEx Ground, Husqvarna Construction Products, KDR Groups, Unified Government AmeriCorps VISTA Program, AdventHealth, Great Wolf Lodge, Garmin, Pinnacle, Labconco, Anthony Plumbing Heating Cooling and Electric, Seasonal Solutions, Tyson Food Inc., J.C. Penney Lenexa, Flowers Baking Co. of Lenexa, O’Reilly Auto Parts, Robert Half Talent Solutions, Merck Animal Health, Tension Corporation, Carpenter’s Union, Empire Candle Co., Nebraska Furniture Mart, Christian Brothers Automotive, Stericycle, Emergency Communications Center – KCKPD, Berry Companies, Inc. Great Clips, Full Service Chimney, American Dish Service, Young Sign Company, YESCO, Stryten Energy, KC Restoration, Jay Wolfe Acura, Engineered Air, Herzig Engineering, Baker Group, Johnson County, LBA Heating & Cooling, Swope Corridor Renaissance/Upper Room Inc., Sanford Health and Good Samaritan Society, Assisted Transportation, Olathe Health, HCA Healthcare, Chicken N’Pickle, Kansas Air National Guard and Workforce Partnership.
Mark Johnson, left, an attorney for voters who sued over the new congressional map, left the Wyandotte County District Court following opening arguments Monday morning in Kansas City, Kansas. (Photo by Sherman Smith, Kansas Reflector)
by Sherman Smith, Kansas Reflector
As Wyandotte County District Judge Bill Klapper wandered into his overflowing courtroom Monday before the start of a high-profile redistricting trial, he asked court observers and attorneys if they ever go to horse races.
Right before they start, Klapper said, the atmosphere is “all nerves and adrenalin.”
“The palpable energy in this room right now is just fantastic,” Klapper said.
On one side of the room: An army of liberal attorneys representing voters in three separate cases. They contend the GOP-dominated Legislature ignored redistricting guidelines and public comments to draw new congressional boundaries that favor Republicans.
The other side: Attorneys hired by the state of Kansas to defend Secretary of State Scott Schwab and Wyandotte County election commissioner Michael Abbott, whose names appear on the lawsuit as a formality because of the offices they hold. These attorneys argue the Legislature merely exercised discretion in adapting boundaries to account for a decade of population growth in Johnson County.
At issue: A map known as Ad Astra 2 splits the Kansas City metro area along Interstate 70, separating the heavily Democratic northern part of Wyandotte County from Johnson County and the 3rd District, and places Lawrence into the same 1st District as rural counties that border Colorado, about 385 miles west of the college town.
A map produced by Republicans in the House and Senate would place Lawrence in the 1st District, which stretches to the Colorado border, and split Wyandotte County between 2nd and 3rd districts. (Submitted)
The Kansas Supreme Court tasked Klapper with hearing a novel legal challenge about whether the Kansas Constitution contains protections against dividing communities of color and partisan gerrymandering. They are treading new ground because a U.S. Supreme Court decision in 2019 determined federal courts should have no say on the topic, upending decades of precedent.
Abha Khanna, an attorney for the D.C.-based Elias Law Group, said in opening arguments that Republicans “used the redistricting process as a power grab” designed to silence Democrats and minority voters in increasingly competitive areas of the state.
GOP leaders relied on “unprecedented and abusive tactics” to twist every arm needed to override a veto of the congressional map by Gov. Laura Kelly, Khanna said, after systemically dividing young voters and people of color so they would not have their voices heard.
Khanna said public comments by former Senate President Susan Wagle in September 2020, when Wagle outlined how Republicans could draw congressional districts to ensure four Republicans were sent to Congress, were evidence that Ad Astra 2 was designed to maximize partisan gains.
The “equal protection” clause on the state constitution doesn’t allow legislators to target Democratic voters or take voting power away, Khanna said.
Tony Rupp, an attorney representing the state, said Wagle wasn’t even a member of the Legislature when the redistricting process started in 2021. And even experts hired by plaintiffs in the case have produced voting projections that show U.S. Rep. Sharice Davids, the only Democrat from Kansas in Congress, has a 62% chance of hanging onto her 3rd District seat.
If the idea was to pack districts with Republican voters, Rupp said, the Legislature could have done so more efficiently. He also pointed out that Republicans have won 19 of 21 congressional races, including one special election, based on the existing map.
The census showed a 78,000 population increase in Johnson County. As a result, Rupp said, there are too many people to keep all of Johnson and Wyandotte counties together in a single district. Rupp said voters elected legislators to make decisions for them, and those legislators chose to keep Johnson County intact.
Rupp asked Klapper, the judge, to “stay out of the political thicket, and do not disenfranchise the elected representatives.”
Another attorney for the state, Gary Ayers, unsuccessfully tried to persuade Klapper to block “expert” witnesses from testifying in favor of the voters who sued.
Ayers argued there is no standard in state law or constitution for the redistricting of maps. A “community of interest” can’t be measured, Ayers said.
Ayers also asserted that the relocation of Black and Latino voters wasn’t the real issue with redrawn congressional boundaries.
“The plaintiffs don’t like the type of white voters they have in the district, and they don’t know how to quantify that,” Ayers said.
The trial is expected to last up to two weeks. Klapper’s ruling is expected to be appealed, regardless of his decision.
The Legislature last week passed an additional set of maps that redraw Senate and House districts, as well as the state board of education seats. Gov. Kelly has yet to veto or sign that legislation, which also could be subject to legal challenges.
Two Unified Government standing committees will meet tonight.
The UG Economic Development and Finance Committee will meet at 5 p.m. Monday, April 4.
An ordinance authorizing the issuance of up to $160 million in sales tax special obligation revenue bonds is on the agenda. The bonds would be for the Homefield development in Village East Project areas 2B, 3 and 5.
Also on the agenda is a resolution of intent to issue up to $65 million in industrial revenue bonds to finance the cost of acquiring, constructing and equipping the Homefields sports building, a multi-use recreational and commercial facility. The location is at the northeast corner of 94th and State Avenue.
A cost-benefit analysis for the project will be submitted. According to the analysis, a 150,000-square-foot building will be used for sports training and associated activities, plus outdoor artificial turf fields for various sports. The project is expected to produce 134 new jobs. The analysis stated the main benefits from this project will be in bringing visitors to the area and their associated retail spending.
Another resolution on the agenda is an intent to issue up to $45 million in industrial revenue bonds to finance the costs of acquiring, constructing and equipping the Homefield baseball complex. The youth baseball complex would have at least 10 lighted fields with technology to enhance individual and team training, according to a report in the agenda. It would create about 125 full- and part-time jobs.
As with the other IRBs, the main benefit of this project would be to increase the amount of retail sales in the area from visitors who come to the Homefield complex.
If the Homefield items pass the EDF Committee, they are recommended by staff to be “fast-tracked” to the full UG Commission this week for a vote on Thursday, April 7.
Also on the EDF Committee agenda are a report on the fourth quarter 2021 cash investments; a report on the fourth quarter 2021 budget revisions; and a reporet on the fourth quarter 2021 budget vs. actuals.
In addition, a presentation on WyCo Works and small business development programs is scheduled.
The UG Neighborhood and Community Development Committee will meet after the EDF Committee.
On the NCD agenda is an ordinance to adopt a proposed building and fire code updates. The UG is discussing adopting the 2018 codes.
Also on the agenda is a resolution of support for Neighborhood Business Revitalization organizations, including in Edwardsville and Bonner Springs.
Land Bank option applications are also on the agenda, including:
New construction, single-family homes, three homes: • 1 N. 80th Terrace, Darrick and Jamie Shipley. • 1960 N. 6th St. Gordillo Ramon Hernandez. • 2007 S. 19th St., Arthur Babick.
New construction, multi-family, 30 units: • 2110 N. 51st St., Raj Bhatia, 24 units. • 928 New Jersey Ave., 934 New Jersey Ave., 936 New Jersey Ave., Samuel Roark, three duplexes.
New construction, garage, three: • 1948 N. 17th St., Cristina Rodriguez. • 909 Ann Ave., Leandro Chavez. • 216 N. 12th St., Martha Ochoa.
The standing committee meetings will be on Zoom at https://us02web.zoom.us/j/81064400742?pwd=MVVZWEtHWUlaK0h4SUp1cWJZd3o1UT09.
The passcode is 877464.
The toll-free phone number is 877-83-5257 or 888-475-4499.
The public also may go to the City Hall lobby at 701 N. 7th St. to watch the meeting.
The meeting also is expected to be on UGTV cable channels and on YouTube.
