Month: May 2022

Temperatures could reach 90 today

Photo by Steve Rupert

Temperatures may reach a high of about 90 degrees today in Wyandotte County. (National Weather Service graphic)
The forecast calls for temperatures in the 90s from Monday through Thursday. (National Weather Service graphic)
Records could be broken this week for high temperatures in the Kansas City area. (National Weather Service graphic)

This week will see a change in the weather, as summer-like temperatures arrive in Wyandotte County.

Today, temperatures could reach a high of 90, with a heat index of 96, the National Weather Service said. Tuesday’s high could reach 93, with Wednesday and Thursday at 92.

Showers will arrive Thursday night and Friday, bringing Friday’s high down to 85, according to the weather service forecast.

The temperature was 77 degrees at 9 a.m. Monday. The weather also will be breezy on Monday, with wind gusts up to 34 mph, the weather service said.

The record high for May 9 in the Kansas City area is 91 degrees, set in 1963.

Today, it will be mostly sunny, with a high near 90, the weather service said, and a heat index up to 96. A south wind of 15 to 21 mph will gust as high as 34 mph.

Tonight, it will be mostly clear, with a low of 75 and a south wind of 15 to 17 mph, gusting as high as 26 mph, according to the weather service.

Tuesday, it will be mostly sunny, with a high near 93 and a heat index as high as 101, the weather service said. A south southwest wind of 14 mph will gust as high as 23 mph.

Tuesday night, it will be partly cloudy, with a low of 72, according to the weather service. A south wind of 7 to 10 mph will gust as high as 18 mph.

Wednesday, it will be mostly sunny, with a high near 92, the weather service said. A south wind of 6 to 13 mph will gust as high as 22 mph.

Wednesday night, it will be partly cloudy, with a low of 70, according to the weather service.

Thursday, it will be mostly sunny, with a high near 92, the weather service said.

Thursday night, there is a 30 percent chance of showers, after 1 a.m., according to the weather service. The low will be around 70.

Friday, there is a 30 percent chance of showers after 1 p.m., the weather service said. The high will be near 85.

Friday night, there is a 30 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms before 1 a.m., with a low of 62, according to the weather service.

Saturday, there is a 30 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms, with a high near 84, the weather service said.

Saturday night, there is a 30 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms, with a low of 57, according to the weather service.

Sunday, it will be sunny, with a high near 77, the weather service said.

Two homicides under investigation in KCK

Two unrelated homicides are under investigation in Kansas City, Kansas.

According to a spokesman for the Kansas City, Kansas, Police Department, the Sunday night homicides were separate, unrelated cases.

Officers were sent to the 200 block of North 27th Street about 8:55 p.m. Sunday on reports of a shooting, the spokesman stated.

When they arrived on the scene, they discovered an adult male, deceased from an apparent gunshot wound, outside a residence, according to the police spokesman.

At 9:25 p.m. Sunday, officers were dispatched to 7300 State Ave. on a reported shooting, the police spokesman stated.

When they arrived, officers found an adult male outside with apparent gunshot wounds, according to the spokesman. He was taken to a hospital, where he later died from his injuries, the spokesman stated.

The incidents are under investigation by the Kansas City, Kansas, Police Department’s Major Case Unit, according to the spokesman.

Anyone with information is asked to call the Crime Stoppers TIPS hotline at 816-474-TIPS. All tips will remain anonymous and may qualify for a cash reward, the spokesman stated.

Churches focus on social issues

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Opinion column

by Murrel Bland

About 170 members of Wyandotte County churches showed up Tuesday night, May 3, at Oak Ridge Missionary Baptist Church to hear details of a new organization, Churches United for Justice (CUJ). The organization is focused on two main areas — affordable housing and violent crime.

One of the solutions that the organization has suggested to deal with the affordable housing issue is landlord risk mitigation. First, let’s look at the problem. There are about 3,800 housing units in Wyandotte County of public housing or those funded with federal money. from what is called Section 8 certificates. Many landlords shy away from Section 8 because they have trouble collecting rent from these tenants and often have to evict renters; many times, renters trash homes just before leaving.

The mitigation progress would establish a fund that could help subsidize lack of payments and material damage for aggrieved landlords. Such a program has been successful in Denver, Orlando, Portland and Orlando.

This housing issue brings up an important public policy matter — does Wyandotte County really need any more public housing that would make a bad situation worse? Are surrounding communities, including Johnson County, doing their part to provide affordable housing?

CUJ also has suggested that a land trust be established to shift vacant parcels from a land bank. Any such action should be sensitive to neighborhoods. There have been success stories of such efforts in Detroit as seen on HGTV. Wyandotte County has about 4,500 vacant properties.

The violence issue is a very difficult one to solve. In 1954, there were seven homicides in Wyandotte County; during 2020, there were 58. During the 1950s, homicides were often caused by domestic quarrels among middle-aged persons. Today, many of the murders are a result of illegal drugs; the victims are often those in their early 20s or teenagers. Many youths today often are attracted by gang leaders who drive big cars, flash cash and wear expensive clothes; often these gang leaders are drug dealers.

CUJ is focused on violence prevention and intervention. One of the successful preventions CUJ cited was the PIVOT program, used successfully in Cincinnati. PIVOT stands for Place-based Investigations of Violent Offender Territories, and it takes a comprehensive approach to dealing with high-crime areas; crime was reduced substantially at these locations.

CUJ should work closely with other crime prevention organizations including neighborhood watch groups and police advisory organizations along with Community Police officers.

CUJ is planning a rally at 6 p.m. Tuesday, June 7, at Mt. Carmel Church of God in Christ, 2025 N. 12th St., with a goal of attracting more than 1,000 persons. For more information, telephone Amber Adams at 913-526-6831.

Murrel Bland is the former editor of The Wyandotte West and The Piper Press. He is an independent columnist. Opinions expressed here are those of the writer and not necessarily those of this publication.