Category: Kansas City Missouri

KCKCC choirs to perform with Midwest Chamber Ensemble this weekend

by Kelly Rogge, KCKCC

The Kansas City Kansas Community College Choral Department is preparing for its annual fall concert.

The KCKCC Fall Choral Concert with the Midwest Chamber Ensemble is at 7:30 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 20, at Community Christian Church, 4601 Main St. in Kansas City, Missouri. Advanced tickets are $12 and can be purchased from the Midwest Chamber Ensemble’s website. Groups of eight or more can purchase tickets for $10. Students can get free admission if they show their Student ID at the door.

The KCKCC choirs, under the direction of Associate Professor of Music John Stafford, will join the Midwest Chamber Ensemble for a performance of Schubert’s G major Mass. Tchaikovsky’s “Serenade” will round out the program.

For more information on the concert, visit the Midwest Chamber Ensemble’s website at
http://www.midwestchamberensemble.org/concerts.

For more information on KCKCC’s Choral Department, contact Stafford at [email protected] or call 913-288-7137.

Bridge could be turned into recreational space under proposal

Kansas City, Missouri, Mayor Quinton Lucas, left, and Kansas City, Kansas, Mayor David Alvey, right, met last week to review plans on the Rock Island Bridge, a proposed recreational space over the Kansas River. (Photo from Michael Zeller, Flying Truss LLC)

A proposed riverfront development, the Rock Island Bridge project, would connect Kansas City, Kansas, with Kansas City, Missouri.

The project over the Kansas River would convert the old Rock Island Bridge, built in 1905, into a recreational and events space that could attract tourists. The bridge is next to the Hy-Vee Arena.

It would be expected to generate millions of dollars of development in the riverfront area, according to developers.

A proposed trail across the bridge would connect it to the metro area’s network of trails. The project also includes a food hall.

The project is expected to come before community leaders at a later date for approval.

Leading the project is Michael Zeller, founder of Flying Truss LLC. The project has received a 50-year lease from the city of Kansas City, Missouri, which owns the bridge. For more information on the project, visit Rockislandbridgeproject.org.

The Rock Island Bridge over the Kansas River connects Kansas City, Kansas, with Kansas City, Missouri. The HyVee Arena is nearby. The bridge is proposed to be a recreational and event space. (Photo from Michael Zeller, Flying Truss LLC)
The Rock Island Bridge is under development to be turned into a recreational and event space. (Illustration from Michael Zeller, Flying Truss LLC)

Despite fake mustache, bank robber winds up in prison

A man who wore a fake mustache and a hospital mask when he robbed a bank in Overland Park was sentenced today to four years in federal prison, U.S. Attorney Stephen McAllister said.

Steven D. Lavy, 56, pleaded guilty to one count of bank robbery. According to court records, he robbed the Bank of the West at 12080 Blue Valley Parkway in Overland Park on June 21, 2017.

During the robbery, he wore a yellow striped polo shirt, khaki pants, a fake mustache, a blue and white hospital mask, a straw hat and sunglasses. He also had his left arm in a sling.

Police spotted his getaway car a few minutes after the robbery and there was a chase during which Lavy drove on sidewalks and twice rammed a police car. Police found the fake mustache on the dashboard of his car when they arrested him.

Lavy’s address was listed as Kansas City, Missouri, at the time when charges were filed.

McAllister commended the Overland Park Police Department, the Leawood Police Department, the FBI and Assistant U.S. Attorney Tris Hunt for their work on the case.