Category: Events

Police schedule community Peace Walk on Saturday

A Peace Walk has been scheduled at 11 a.m. Saturday, March 26, at 5th and Washington.


Members of the Kansas City, Kansas, community are invited to walk side-by-side with police officers Saturday in support of the effort to unite police and residents in crime reduction initiatives.

The walk will head north to 5th and Parallel, and will end at Mt. Zion Baptist Church.

“A strong police and community relationship is essential to reducing crime,” Kansas City, Kansas, Police Chief Karl Oakman said. “The community Peace Walk with KCK Police is a positive way to kick off our spring and summer crime reduction initiatives.”

Chief Oakman plans to announce a number of new department initiatives designed to build stronger community T.I.E.S. (Transparency/Integrity/Engagement/Safety) and in doing so help reduce crime such as the establishment of a Junior Police Academy, Summer Cadet Program and data-driven, quarterly violence-reduction action plans, according to a spokesman.

The department is focusing on positive community engagement programs, crime-reduction initiatives and working with the community to implement best practices in police reform.

Master Gardeners offer class on climate change

The Wyandotte County Extension Master Gardeners are holding “Climate Change and You” at 11:30 a.m. Thursday, April 7, via Zoom.

The presenter, Frank Reilly, is an environmental scientist and principal in the Reilly Group, a senior consultant for Logistics Management Institute, and is a certified Master Gardener in Stafford County, Virginia. In the past 10 years he has focused on climate change impact prediction and assessment.

His presentation does not deal with the politics of climate change, but rather with specific advice gardeners can use to prepare themselves, their yards and their community for dealing with changing weather patterns.

Participants will learn how to think about plant choices that are sustainable in the landscape and benefit their home landscape. They will also learn how to plan for changes that can increase storm damage and storm debris; for shifts in temperature that may bring release of new pests and diseases, and for changes in the amounts and timing of precipitation.

Reilly previously presented this talk at the 2021 International Master Gardener Conference, and has adapted it to address specific concerns of those in the middle of the USA.

There is no fee to participate in this class; however, pre-registration is required to obtain the link to the Zoom presentation. Registration is at https://tinyurl.com/climatechangewyco

Owens to speak at historical society’s quarterly meeting Sunday

Chester Owens (File photo)

Local historian Chester Owens Jr. will be the guest speaker at 2 p.m. Sunday, March 20, at the quarterly meeting of the Wyandotte County Historical Society and Museum.

The meeting will be at the Wyandotte County Museum, 631 N. 126th, in the Wyandotte County Park, Bonner Springs. The entrance road is off 126th and State Avenue.

Owens will speak on the history of Sumner High School.

A graduate of Sumner High School, Owens was the first black person elected to the Kansas City, Kansas, City Council. Elected in 1983, he served two terms on the council.

Owens is a graduate of Pittsburg State University, where he received a bachelor’s degree in business administration. He retired in 1998 as president at H.W. Sewing and Co.