That was obvious when he was president of Business West in 1990. That year Mike and Business West held a luncheon of commercial Realtors from Greater Kansas City at The Woodlands. Mike made it very clear to those who attended that there were considerable development opportunities in western Wyandotte County with the coming of I-435.
He also stressed that Business West, founded by his neighbors, Joe and Katie Maderak, was an advocate for small business. A bus tour of potential development sites followed the luncheon.
I recall the Business West annual meetings that Mike and his extended family held for Business West at the Riverview Garden Center. The fellowship was enjoyable along with delicious barbecue.
Mike studied hydrology at Kansas State University at Manhattan. He also served one term as a member of the elected Board of Public Utilities.
I recall swapping stories about our earlier days when Mike and I worked at The Kansas City Star; he sold classified ads and I took photos and wrote stories.
Mike will be remembered as a jovial and personable fellow. He died June 4.
Topeka — COVID-19 vaccinations for kids as young as six months old began Tuesday across the country, and Kansas doctors say demand is already high.
Last week, both Moderna and Pfizer received emergency use authorizations from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Subsequently, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention signed off on the vaccination for children younger than 5.
At the University of Kansas Health System, the vaccines are available during well child visits or by appointment during evening and Saturday vaccination time slots.
“What we’re hearing in the clinic is that parents are excited,” said Mallory Leach, a pediatric nurse manager with the health system, during a news briefing Monday. “Parents are already messaging us and calling us when are you going to have the vaccine in the clinic? When is it available for us to vaccinate our child?”
A federal advisory committee determined the benefits of both vaccines outweigh any risks after they were well-tolerated by children who received them during clinical trials. Under the FDA authorization, the Moderna vaccine will consist of two shots while the Pfizer vaccine consists of three shots.
With the virus now endemic, health system doctors advocated for vaccines as the best way to ensure national and local COVID-19 numbers trend in the right direction. The rolling seven-day average for cases has decreased for the past two weeks in Kansas.
While demand may be high, more than 27% of parents still say they will not get the vaccine for their children, said Dr. Kevin Ault, with the health system and CDC Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices. He said the fear factor remains around some misinformation of inaccurate reports of side effects.
“We don’t finish talking about these vaccines based on a one- or two-day meeting,” Dr. Ault said. “We have dozens of meetings because of the pandemic every year, and we’ll continue to review this safety data.”
Dr. Ault said a pregnant mother could be vaccinated, and the child should have protection from the virus for the first six months of life.
Dr. Ryan Smith, a pediatrician with KU Health System, said conversations with vaccine-hesitant parents will be a challenge but a necessary hurdle to overcome. He hoped people would, at the very least, be willing to engage in conversation about their hesitancies.
Dr. Smith, a father of 2-year-old twins, said he plans to have both his children vaccinated as soon as possible and warned some pediatric providers are considering whether to allow unvaccinated patients.
“There’s a lot of information that’s circulating around out there, and that’s why we have our visits,” Dr. Smith said. “That’s why we are here as resources as healthcare workers to kind of have these discussions and navigate through these difficult things.”
Clouds over Wyandotte County on Tuesday night. (Photo by Steve Rupert)Severe weather is possible Thursday and Friday in the region, according to the National Weather Service. (National Weather Service graphic)The heat index will return to the 100s on Friday and Saturday. (National Weather Service graphic)
After rain last night and this morning, skies should clear by midday and temperatures should reach a high of 89 Wednesday, according to the National Weather Service forecast.
At 9 a.m. Wednesday, a storm was moving to the south of the Kansas City area. There was also a slight chance of more rain before noon.
During last night’s lightning and high winds, the Board of Public Utilities’ outage map said 2,489 customers were without power at 11 p.m. At 9:45 a.m. Wednesday, the BPU’s outage map said 292 customers were without power.
The pattern of evening to early next morning thunderstorm chances will continue for the next few days, the weather service said.
Heat will build back in Friday and Saturday, when the heat index could be around 100 to 105, according to the weather service.
Showers and thunderstorms could form during the evening hours Thursday, continue through the overnight and may linger into the next morning, the weather service said. An isolated strong to severe storm is possible. The primary hazard is damaging winds, according to the weather service.
Today, there is a 20 percent chance of showers before 10 a.m., with a high near 89 and a northeast wind around 6 mph, the weather service said.
Tonight, it will be partly cloudy, with a low of 68 and a light northeast wind, according to the weather service.
Thursday, there is a 20 percent chance of showers, with thunderstorms also possible after 4 p.m., the weather service said. The high will be near 89 with a calm wind becoming south southeast 5 to 7 mph in the morning.
Thursday night, there will be a 30 percent chance of thunderstorms before 7 p.m., then a chance of showers and thunderstorms after 1 a.m., according to the weather service. The low will be around 73 with a south southeast wind of 7 mph. Less than a tenth of an inch of rain is possible.
Friday, there is a 20 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms before 1 p.m., with a high near 95, the weather service said. A southeast wind of 6 to 14 mph will gust as high as 24 mph.
Friday night, there is a 20 percent chance of thunderstorms and showers after 1 a.m., with a low of 79, according to the weather service.
Saturday, it will be mostly sunny, with a high near 95, the weather service said.
Saturday night, there is a 30 percent chance of showers after 1 a.m. It will be mostly cloudy, with a low of 70.
Sunday, it will be partly sunny, with a high near 81, the weather service said.
Sunday night, it will be mostly cloudy, with a low of 62, according to the weather service.
Monday, it will be mostly sunny, with a high near 82, the weather service said.
Monday night, it will be partly cloudy, with a low of 62, according to the weather service.
Tuesday, it will be mostly sunny, with a high near 86, the weather service said.
