Communities – Page 118 – Welcome to Wyandotte Daily!

Faith news

Wyandotte County is in Phase 3 under Kansas Ad Astra reopening plan. Local health officials said under Phase 3, people should keep a distance of 6 feet between themselves and others. They may sit closer to people who live in their households. Also, people should wear masks and should wash hands or use hand sanitizer. There is a mask order in effect in Wyandotte County, requiring masks to be worn inside any public space.
Some faith groups are holding online or video services. In Wyandotte County, those who are older than 60 or who have other medical conditions should continue being very cautious, according to the Wyandotte County health officials. Those who are sick should stay home, according to officials.
More details about Wyandotte County health guidelines for churches are at https://www.wycokck.org/WycoKCK/media/Health-Department/Documents/Communicable%20Disease/COVID19/COVID-19GuidelinesForChurches.pdf.
Some churches have been changing their services as a result of COVID-19 restrictions for the community. Residents are advised to visit the social media page of their church or faith organization, or to call them or email them, to see changes that have been made to regular schedules, or if there are video services planned on Sunday.

The Archdiocese of Kansas City in Kansas has information about churches, Masses, and reflections, at https://www.facebook.com/archkck.

Blessed Sacrament, Christ the King and Our Lady and St. Rose Catholic churches have resumed in-person Masses. For more information, visit the churches’ websites or Facebook pages at https://www.facebook.com/Christ-the-King-Parish-KCKS-1392808997677579, https://www.facebook.com/BlessedSacramentkck, and https://www.facebook.com/ourladyandsaintrose/. Sunday Mass is online at https://www.facebook.com/BlessedSacramentkck.

Casa – Worship House Christian Church, 5217 Leavenworth Road, Kansas City, Kansas, will have services at 11 a.m. Sunday. The church has an online service at www.facebook.com/casadealabanzaKCKS. Check with the church’s social media page for more information on services. For more information, visit Facebook @casadealabanzaKCKS.

Open Door Baptist Church, 3033 N. 103rd Terrace, Kansas City, Kansas, will have services in person with social distancing at 10:30 a.m. Sunday, Jan. 24. There will be a livestream service at https://www.facebook.com/opendoorkc/ and https://www.opendoorkc.com/.

Stony Point Christian Church, 149 S. 78th St., Kansas City, Kansas, plans to livestream at 10:15 a.m. Sunday, Jan. 24, on its Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/StonyPointChristianChurch, and people are welcome to attend the service in person, using social distancing, masks and other health measures.

St. Patrick Catholic Church, Kansas City, Kansas, has a Mass online for Sunday, Jan. 24, at https://www.facebook.com/StPatrickKCK. St. Patrick Church also has in-person Masses.

St. Paul’s Episcopal Church, 1300 N. 18th St., Kansas City, Kansas, will hold its services at 10 a.m. Sunday, Jan. 31, online at https//www.stpauls.org and https//www.Facebook.comstpaulskck. The annual parish meeting will be held immediately after the morning service on Facebook.

Sunset Hills Christian Church, 6347 Leavenworth Road, Kansas City, Kansas, plans to have services at 9:30 a.m. Sunday. For more information about this Sunday’s plans, visit the Facebook page of Pastor Mike Barnett, https://www.facebook.com/mike.barnett.528. Services are also provided through checkout of DVD or SD Card and can be sent by email upon request. People are welcome to attend the service in person using social distancing and other health measures. Masks are available or bring your own to wear.

Wyandotte United Methodist Church, 7901 Oakland Ave., will have a livestreamed service Sunday, Jan. 24, on Facebook, https://www.facebook.com/Wyandotteumc/ or online on the website at www.wyandotteumc.com.

Information about other church services in Wyandotte County may be available from the church’s social media page.
To send in items for the Faith News, email information to news@g3f.1db.myftpupload.com. Please include your name and contact information.

Rep. Coleman to receive informal letter of warning; complaint dismissed in House

The Kansas House Select Investigating Committee on Friday dismissed the complaint filed against Rep. Aaron Coleman, 37th District.

The committee stated that Rep. Coleman, who represents the Turner area of Kansas City, Kansas, will be given an informal letter of warning and an admonishment. He also will be given recommendations from the committee.

Rep. Coleman, a progressive who is not affiliated with a party, faced several questions from committee members.

He apologized during the hearing. He said that he apologized for what he said and also for the impact toward the persons to whom they were directed. He said that prior to becoming a legislator, he had not always lived up to his ideals of treating others with dignity and respect. He said that if his words and actions don’t match his ideals in the future, this committee could hold him accountable in the future.

A group of several Democratic women legislators, along with the House minority leader, had filed the complaint. They had urged Coleman to resign before the legislative session started over allegations involving alleged abuse toward women. More than one instance was mentioned at the hearing.

One committee member asked him about his past social media post using the word “hit” against the governor. Rep. Coleman said it was just metaphorical, and he apologized for his inappropriate word choice.

Since then, Rep. Coleman told the committee that he has acquired a team of persons who handle his social media for him. He said he has learned to write out his comments in advance, send it to someone he can trust and let them make the final decision of what needs to be said and whether it is appropriate for the context. He said he has requested a mentor in the Legislature.

Rep. Coleman, at age 20, is the youngest person ever elected a state representative in Kansas. Coleman upset long-time Rep. Stan Frownfelter, a Democrat, in a very close primary vote, then Coleman won easily against write-in candidates in the general election.

The committee went into a closed session for part of the hearing, then reconvened.

Rep. John Barker, R-Abilene, chairman of the committee, noted during the hearing that there wasn’t a past example of punishing a legislator for actions before he became a lawmaker. The allegations against Rep. Coleman happened before he was sworn in as a legislator.

Rep. Tom Sawyer, Democratic minority leader, stated in a news release after the hearing that there were more people who wanted to testify, but they were not allowed to testify.

“I am disappointed with the committee’s decision. Representative Coleman has shown time and time again that he has not learned from his mistakes,” Rep. Sawyer said in the statement. “His continued presence in the Statehouse will continue to threaten the safety of legislators and Capitol staff. This is, frankly, an insult to women and victims of abuse – that someone who has admitted to harassing, abusing and threatening their peers is allowed to serve in a position of power. I don’t believe this dismissal and issuing an informal letter of warning is enough, but I respect the committee’s decision and the due process here today.”

To view the committee hearings, visit https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vl_XE-5GSEw and https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iKCWQ2vmErc.

Long-time board member elected BPU president

The Kansas City, Kansas, Board of Public Utilities elected new officers at the Jan. 20 virtual meeting.

Robert L. Milan Sr. was elected president; Mary L. Gonzales was elected vice president; and Rose Mulvany Henry was elected secretary.

Milan, who represents the First District, has served nearly 30 years on the board. Elected in 1991, he is retired from serving as a federal representative at the U.S. Department of Labor.

The BPU recognized his service by naming a pump station and reservoir in his honor in 2007.

Gonzales, member at large, position 1, is a retired teacher who was first elected to the board in 2001. She is a member of the American Public Power Association and the American Water Works Association.

Her 33 years as a teacher included many years at Piper Middle School, where she taught language arts.

Mulvany Henry, member at large, position 3, has served on the board since 2019.

An attorney with a background in business and technology, she founded Rose Henry Law in 2018. She previously worked with the Kansas Corporation Commission regulating the telephone industry. She is a past vice president of regulatory affairs for Birch Telecom and a past in-house counsel for Sprint Corp.

Contact the Wyandotte Daily at news@g3f.1db.myftpupload.com.