Category: Kansas City Kansas

PTA to honor former superintendents at 100th anniversary celebration

Kansas PTA is 100 years old, and to commemorate the anniversary, the KCK Council of PTA is planning a special reception and dinner to honor school principals and former superintendents of the Kansas City, Kansas Public Schools.

The event will take place on Monday, April 14, at the KCKPS Central Office and Training Center. There will be a reception at 5:30 p.m., followed by dinner at 6 p.m.

Former superintendents Ray Daniels and O.L. Plucker will be a part of the program. Current Superintendent Cynthia Lane and Board of Education President Evelyn Hill will extend greetings.

Entertainment will be provided by the KCK Harp Ensemble and Wyandotte High School drama students.

Child dies in crash on Leavenworth Road

A child died after a crash Wednesday night at 63rd and Leavenworth Road in Kansas City, Kan.

A traffic stop by Kansas City, Kan., police preceded the incident.

Police pulled over a car on 63rd Street, just north of Parallel Parkway, according to Kansas Highway Patrol spokesman Lt. Howard Dickinson. The highway patrol handled the investigation but was not involved in the traffic stop or incident.

He said the driver who was stopped, Tyrone Murphy Jr., then took off in the vehicle headed north on 63rd, and the police then followed.

According to the Kansas Highway Patrol trooper’s crash log, a Chevy Impala was northbound on 63rd about 8:35 p.m. Wednesday when it failed to stop at a red traffic light at Leavenworth Road.

It struck a Dodge Caravan that was eastbound on Leavenworth Road, going through the intersection, killing a girl inside the van.

Jasmine Rodriguez, 7, of Kansas City, Kan., was taken to the hospital, where she later was pronounced dead, according to the trooper’s report.

Dickinson said it was a T-Bone crash, with the impact on the passenger side of the van where the children were sitting. They were properly restrained by safety restraints, he said.

It may have been difficult for the driver of the minivan to see anything coming because of the houses near the corner.

Also injured and taken to the hospital were Brian Rodriguez, 7, Kansas City, Kan.; Jesus G. Rodriguez, 9, Kansas City, Kan.; and the driver of the van, Jacqueline, 35, Kansas City, Kan.

Murphy, 27, of Kansas City, Kan., the driver of the Impala, also was injured, according to the report.

Dickinson said that in fatal crashes, a full drug and alcohol screening will be taken, and lab results will be available later.

Dickinson pointed out that it is the police officers’ job to make traffic stops, and officers did not start the chase. It was the decision of the person being stopped to run, he said.

According to the Wyandotte County Jail log, Murphy has been booked into the Wyandotte County Jail.

The jail log lists several charges, including involuntary manslaughter in the commission of another crime;  aggravated battery, interference with law enforcement officer, fleeing or eluding a law enforcement officer with five or more moving violations, possession of drugs, and numerous other traffic citations such as reckless driving, speeding and failure to wear a seat belt.

Wyandot CEO to retire; Callstrom to assume leadership role

Pete Zevenbergen
Randy Callstrom

 

Pete Zevenbergen, who has expanded the scope and services of Wyandotte County’s community mental health center into a family of organizations to address a broader range of client needs, has announced that he will retire from his role as president and CEO of Wyandot Inc., effective June 30, 2014.

Randy Callstrom, current executive director of PACES, the Wyandot, Inc. agency that serves children, adolescents and families, will assume the leadership role of Wyandot Inc. on July 1. Callstrom has been with Wyandot Inc. related agencies since 1993.

The Rev. Ken Nettling, Wyandot Inc. board chair, said that Zevenbergen accelerated his retirement plans following the March 20 car accident that claimed the life of his 20-year-old son Robert.

“This is a bittersweet transition for our organization,” Nettling said. “Pete has brought a unique and visionary leadership style to Wyandot Inc. and Wyandotte County. He has expanded services significantly, cultivated strong community partnerships and enhanced our visibility locally, statewide and nationally – all in support of our mission to improve the quality of life of Wyandotte County residents.”

Zevenbergen plans to return to his native Iowa where he previously served as executive director of two community mental health centers.

“This will place Pete and his wife Cindy close to their families,” Nettling said.

Zevenbergen joined Wyandot Center in 2000 as executive director of the community mental health center. In 2010, he restructured the organization. Wyandot Inc. is the parent company of four nonprofit agencies: Wyandot Center, serving mental health needs of adults; PACES, providing services for children, adolescents and families; Kim Wilson Housing, developing innovative solutions to housing challenges; and City Vision, developing urban Kansas City, Kan.

Zevenbergen has grown the organization to a $31 million budget with 366 full-time and 189 part-time employees serving in multiple Wyandotte County locations and providing extensive community-based services.

For his local, state and national leadership in the mental health field, Zevenbergen received multiple awards including the Lifetime Achievement Award from the National Council for Community Behavioral Healthcare at its annual meeting in 2006. He was also recipient of the Distinguished Leadership Award from The Community Leadership Association (2006); the Jackson-Scroggins Distinguished Service Award from Friends of Yates for promoting a “safety net” for domestic violence victims; the Chamberlain-Rapp Exemplary Leadership Award by Kansas consumers (2008); and the Kansas NAMI Provider of the Year recognition.

“Pete and Randy will work together to help ensure a smooth leadership transition across our organization and with community and statewide partners,” Nettling said. “This will include naming the new executive director for PACES.”

– Story from Wyandot Inc.