Month: October 2022

Temperatures warming today

Temperatures will reach 70 today, warming through midweek, according to the National Weather Service.

There will be breezy conditions with decreasing clouds, the weather service said.

Dry fuels and gusty winds will elevate fire weather concerns Tuesday through Thursday, according to the weather service. The next chance of showers will be late Thursday night into Friday.

The trick-or-treating forecast tonight will be 67 degrees at 5 p.m., 65 degrees at 6 p.m. and 62 degrees at 7 p.m. It will be partly cloudy. The wind will be about 10 mph from the west at 5 p.m., 5 mph from the west at 6 p.m. and 5 mph from the southwest at 7 p.m. Sunset is at 6:18 p.m.

Today it will be mostly cloudy, then gradually sunny, with a high near 70, the weather service said. A calm wind will become west northwest 5 to 7 mph in the morning.

Tonight, Halloween, it will be mostly clear, with a low of 46 and a calm wind becoming south southwest around 5 mph after midnight, according to the weather service.

Tuesday, it will be sunny, with a high near 76 and a light south wind increasing to 6 to 11 mph in the morning, the weather service said. Winds may gust as high as 18 mph.

Tuesday night, it will be clear, with a low of 53 and a south wind of 8 mph, according to the weather service.

Wednesday, it will be sunny, with a high near 74 and a south wind of 9 to 17 mph, gusting as high as 28 mph, the weather service said.

Wednesday night, it will be partly cloudy, with a low of 59, according to the weather service.

Thursday, it will be partly sunny, with a high near 75, the weather service said.

Thursday night, there is a 50 percent chance of showers, with a low of 59, according to the weather service.

Friday, there is a 60 percent chance of showers, mainly before 1 p.m., the weather service said. The high will be near 62.

Friday night, there is a 50 percent chance of showers, with a low of 48, according to the weather service.

Saturday, there is a 50 percent chance of showers, with a high near 57, the weather service said.

Saturday night, there is a 30 percent chance of showers, with a low of 48, according to the weather service.

Sunday, it will be mostly sunny, with a high near 59, the weather service said.

Parents and teachers object to putting 1,600 cameras in Kansas City, Kansas, classrooms

by Zach Perez, KCUR and Kansas News Service

During a lengthy discussion regarding a proposal to place 1,600 cameras in classrooms across the district, Board of Education members committed to having future public discussions on the matter after facing criticism over a lack of community feedback.

Parents and teachers lined up Tuesday night to criticize a $6.8 million proposal to install 1,600 cameras in Kansas City, Kansas, Public Schools classrooms.

According to a description of the proposal provided by the board, the cameras could be used to record lessons that would be shared with absent students or to broadcast instruction from one classroom to several others. The recordings might also be used by administrators reviewing how staff teach in the classroom.

The proposal faced universal criticism from six community speakers who appeared at the meeting, all of whom were teachers or parents within the district.

“I spoke with several teachers, and we do not want to teach in a fish bowl,” KCKPS kindergarten teacher Shalesha Parson said. “This tells us that we are not valued, trusted or respected as educators.”

Other community speakers mirrored Parson’s concerns over the cameras potentially being used by parents and other outside personnel to monitor lessons taught in school.

Similar proposals have caused controversy in other states, such as Iowa, where lawmakers attempted to mandate cameras to monitor lessons on race and history.

Schools in Kansas City, Kansas, already have security cameras in some classrooms and common spaces, but this proposal would increase that number to include all classrooms across the district.

Board members also criticized the proposal for moving forward without feedback from community and staff members within the district.

“As a newly elected board member, this item caught me completely off guard as it did many members of our staff and community,” board member Rachel Russell said. “It is my strongest belief that decisions like these should solicit intentional feedback.”

Other members quickly requested additional public discussion on the issue, saying the limited notice and time given to community speakers was inadequate.

“I’d like to make a motion that we provide a setting to have a conversation, in-person as well as virtual, to discuss the camera issue,” Board member Wanda Brownlee-Paige said.

The board unanimously voted to discuss possible dates for further public discussion during a meeting on Nov. 3.

The Kansas News Service is a collaboration of KCUR, Kansas Public Radio, KMUW and High Plains Public Radio focused on health, the social determinants of health and their connection to public policy.
Kansas News Service stories and photos may be republished by news media at no cost with proper attribution and a link to ksnewsservice.org.

See more at https://www.kcur.org/education/2022-10-25/parents-and-teachers-object-to-putting-1-600-cameras-in-kansas-city-kansas-classrooms

Current’s season ends with loss in NWSL championship

The No. 5 Kansas City Current’s historic 2022 campaign concluded Saturday night with a 2-0 loss to the No. 2 Portland Thorns in the National Women’s Soccer League Championship in Washington, D.C.

Thorns forward and 2022 NWSL MVP Sophia Smith opened the scoring with a goal in the fourth minute, and Portland doubled its advantage with an own goal scored in the 56th minute. Current goalkeeper A.D. Franch recorded five saves in the contest.

“All losses at this stage in the season are tough to manage,” head coach Matt Potter said. “But, again, I point to the way the group just still tried to carry the cause for the people in the stands, to represent Kansas City in the appropriate manner. I couldn’t be prouder for that.”

Making its fourth all-time appearance in an NWSL Championship, a seasoned Thorns squad used its experience in the early going to take a 1-0 lead.

After a few early Portland chances were blocked by Kansas City’s defense, the Thorns sprung a counterattack after a Current turnover in the fourth minute. Forward Rocky Rodriguez sent a long ball forward that Smith ran on to, and she evaded Kansas City’s back line to set up a one-on-one opportunity against Franch. Smith dribbled around Franch and slotted the ball into an empty net to open the scoring. Smith nearly doubled Portland’s lead 10 minutes later, but her curling effort from inside the penalty area went just wide.

Kansas City began to grow into the match following Smith’s near goal in the 14th minute and started to apply pressure on Portland’s back line. The team’s best chance of the opening half and the match came in the 34th minute. After winning a foul near midfield, Current midfielder Lo’eau LaBonta took the ensuing free kick quickly and pushed the ball out wide to defender Hailie Mace. Mace lobbed a cross to the back post to fellow defender Kate Del Fava, who met the ball with her head and looped a header over the head of Thorns goalkeeper Bella Bixby. However, the effort narrowly sailed over the crossbar to keep the match at 1-0.

The Current continued to push for an equalizer as the first half wore on. Midfielder Lo’eau LaBonta had a shot from outside the penalty area blocked in first-half stoppage time which led to a Current corner, but nothing came of the opportunity and Portland maintained a 1-0 lead heading into halftime.

Smith again nearly doubled Portland’s lead in the opening seconds of the second half after racing through Kansas City’s back line and firing a shot at goal, but Franch stood tall to make the save. Unfortunately, Kansas City’s defense was breached minutes later with a goal that secured Portland’s championship. In the 56th minute, Portland midfielder Yazmeen Ryan raced down the right side of the pitch and sent a dangerous low cross to the center of the penalty area. As Franch dove to punch the cross away, defender Addisyn Merrick attempted to clear the ball. The two collided, and the ball snuck past Franch and into the goal to double the Thorns’ lead.

Franch, making her fourth appearance in an NWSL Championship, made several important saves over the last 30-plus minutes to help keep the match at 2-0. Most notably, Franch soared to make an incredible diving stop to pick a strike from Thorns midfielder Hina Sugita out of the top corner in the 71st minute. Offensively, Kansas City went with a more attacking look after going down 2-0, but an extra forward on the pitch wasn’t enough to spark a comeback. Portland won the match and the 2022 NWSL title 2-0.

“I love this team because of the love we have for each other,” midfielder Lo’eau LaBonta said as she reflected on the season in her post-game press conference. “It hurts because Kansas City showed up for sure and we played for them…the future is so bright for this team, and we turned it around. I don’t think anyone will sleep on this team anymore.”

Despite the defeat, the Current had an incredible season in 2022 that saw it make history both on and off the pitch. Kansas City made the semifinals of the 2022 NWSL Challenge Cup for the first time in franchise history, recorded the second-longest unbeaten streak (13 matches) in NWSL history and went on a historic postseason run that concluded with the team’s first-ever appearance in the NWSL Championship.

Community Impact Award

At halftime, the National Women’s Soccer League in partnership with Nationwide announced that the Kansas City Current and Global FC are the recipients of the 2022 Nationwide Community Impact Award, a season-long, community-focused initiative that promotes community partners and local service projects chosen and led by each NWSL club. In addition to the award, Global FC will receive $25,000 to support their organization’s efforts, using soccer to bridge socioeconomic disparities between communities through the formation of an inclusive sports culture.

  • Story from KC Current