Month: June 2022

Rep. Davids welcomes president’s decision to turn corner on federal fuel tax suspension

by Tim Carpenter, Kansas Reflector

Topeka — U.S. Rep. Sharice Davids of Kansas said Wednesday President Joe Biden should have long ago called on Congress to suspend the federal fuel tax and maintain that policy throughout 2022.

Biden administration officials said the president endorsed a three-month suspension of the federal diesel and gasoline taxes through September. He also encouraged states to temporarily remove taxes on fuel and recommended refineries increase production of fuels.

“My preference would have been to see the president take this step sooner, because for months I have been hearing from Kansans who are feeling the squeeze from those extraordinary factors and need this relief,” Rep. Davids said.

Rep. Davids, the 3rd District Democrat seeking reelection, proposed legislation in February that would drop the federal tax on fuel until the end of December. The federal government collects a gasoline tax of 18 cents per gallon and a diesel tax of 24 cents per gallon.

“We are clearly in extraordinary circumstances, as Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and the lingering impacts of the pandemic continue to drive prices up at the pump,” Rep. Davids said. “I urge my colleagues to support my legislation to suspend the federal gas tax through the end of the year and promise to continue working to lower everyday costs for Kansans.”

Amanda Adkins. the presumed Republican nominee in the 3rd District, has said suspension of the federal as tax was a publicity stunt and a gimmick.

“America needs to boost domestic production, be energy independent and we need to lower the overall costs of goods and services in this country,” Adkins said.

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BPU receives national award for community service

BPU Chief Communications Officer David Mehlhaff, second from left, and BPU Board Secretary Tom Groneman, third from left, accepted a national community service award from APPA officials. (Photo from BPU)

The Kansas City, Kansas, Board of Public Utilities received an American Public Power Association Sue Kelly Community Service Award during the American Public Power Association’s National Conference in Nashville, Tennessee.

The award recognizes “good neighbor” activities that demonstrate the commitment of the utility and its employees to the community.

The award, established in 1990, recognizes “good neighbor” activities that demonstrate the commitment of a utility and its employees to the community, and is widely coveted within the industry.

The Kansas City, Kansas, Board of Public Utilities has a commitment that goes beyond utility services to its customers, a spokesman stated. Kansas City BPU strives to improve the community in which it operates through a comprehensive corporate social responsibility effort.

This includes donations and sponsorships, volunteerism, environmental stewardship, and a coordinated response aimed to help customers overcome COVID-19 challenges, the spokesman stated. Kansas City, Kansas, BPU and its employees contribute and invest financially in a number of local initiatives, including the area’s Summer Youth Program and the Customer Hardship Payment Assistance and Utility Assistance programs.

Additionally, Kansas City, Kansas, BPU encourages its employees to give back through volunteer service activities, according to the spokesman.

Service projects have included delivering meals to families on Thanksgiving, back-to-school supply funding, and a toy drive to support homeless children during the holidays, the spokesman stated. Kansas City, Kansas, BPU also undertook numerous initiatives to assist customers impacted by the pandemic, including putting in place and extending flexible payment arrangement options and waiving late payment and reconnection fees.

The Community Service Award, including a video highlighting the utility’s community giving efforts, was presented to a BPU delegation at a general session attended by industry leaders from across the nation.

“BPU has demonstrated its dedication through a mix of donations, volunteer work, environmental advocacy, and civic leadership,” stated APPA leadership before the presentation.

“We are pleased to be recognized as one of the nation’s top utilities for supporting, and assisting, the community it serves,” stated Bill Johnson, general manager for BPU, in a news release. “Giving back to Wyandotte County and working to protect the environment is a key part of our employee culture and utility operations, and we remain committed to making our community a better place to live, just as we have for over 100 years.”

  • Story from BPU

Union Omaha visits Sporting KC tonight in U.S. Open Cup quarterfinal

Sporting Kansas City will resume play in the 2022 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday with a quarterfinal match against USL League One champions Union Omaha at Children’s Mercy Park in Kansas City, Kansas.

Tickets are included in Sporting Kansas City season ticket member packages and available online at SeatGeek.com.

Wednesday’s match will stream live on ESPN+ for subscribers across the U.S. with local radio broadcasts available on Sports Radio 810 WHB (English) and La Grande 1340 AM (Spanish).

Open to all professional and amateur teams affiliated with U.S. Soccer, the 2022 U.S. Open Cup featured the largest field in the competition’s modern era (1995-present) with 103 clubs from all levels of the sport. Eight teams remain in a quarterfinal round which kicked off Tuesday night with the victor between the LA Galaxy (MLS) and Sacramento Republic FC (USL Championship) awaiting Wednesday’s winner between Sporting Kansas City and Union Omaha in a semifinal set to be played July 26-27.

Separated by approximately 155 miles, Sporting Kansas City and Union Omaha will meet for the first time on Wednesday as the Owls — with more than 700 traveling supporters expected to be in attendance — will become Sporting’s closest opponent for a competitive match in club history.

While Sporting owns four U.S. Open Cup titles in team history – tied for the most among MLS teams – as champions in 2004, 2012, 2015 and 2017, Union Omaha is making the team’s debut in the U.S. Open Cup in the club’s third season.

Union Omaha opened its Cinderella run with a 2-1 victory over the Des Moines Menace in the second round before a run of three consecutive upsets: eliminating four-time champions Chicago Fire FC in a penalty shootout in the third round, knocking off Northern Colorado Hailstorm FC by a 2-0 score in the round of 32 and dispatching a second MLS side with a 2-1 win at Minnesota United FC in the round of 16.

Union Omaha is the first team from Nebraska to reach the U.S. Open Cup Quarterfinals in the tournament’s 107 all-time editions and the first third division team to advance to the final eight of the tournament since 2013.

Led by reigning USL League One Coach of the Year Jay Mims, the Union Omaha roster features a pair of Jamaican internationals in Chavany Willis and Kemal Malcolm as well as two-time Icelandic champion Dion Acoff, reigning USL League One Golden Glove winner Rashid Nuhu, 2013 U.S. Open Cup champion Conor Doyle – the son of former Kansas City Comets forward David Doyle — and rookie playmaker Noe Meza, who leads the team with five goals in all competitions to go along with three assists.

Sporting KC advanced to the quarterfinals with a thrilling 4-2 win in extra time against FC Dallas in the round of 32 and a 2-1 come-from-behind rally against the Houston Dynamo in the round of 16 courtesy of a second-half brace from Johnny Russell. The Sporting captain leads the team with seven goals in all competitions this season and ranks fourth in club history with 50 career goals in all competitions.

Not far behind Russell on the club’s all-time scoring chart is Daniel Salloi, who has 43 goals for Sporting in all competitions. Salloi scored the game-winning goal in the 2017 U.S. Open Cup Final and has five career U.S. Open Cup goals, one shy of tying Dom Dwyer for most in Sporting KC history.

Sporting has prevailed in 23 U.S. Open Cup matches since 2012, more than any other team in American soccer, during a run that includes an active 11-match home unbeaten streak in U.S. Open Cup play since the start of 2015.

Notably, Sporting’s last dozen opponents in the U.S. Open Cup have all been MLS sides, which sets the stage for Sporting to face a lower-division club in a competitive match for the first time since 2016 and to play host to a lower-division club in a competitive match for the first time since Saint Louis FC visited Children’s Mercy Park in 2015.

Contested since 1914 and named in honor of former Kansas City Wizards owner Lamar Hunt, this year’s U.S. Open Cup will crown a champion on Sept. 7 with the tournament winner to receive $300,000 in prize money, a berth in the 2023 Concacaf Champions League and the honor of having its name engraved on the Dewar Challenge Trophy.

  • Story from Sporting KC