Category: Wyandotte County

Community calendar

The Wyandotte Daily News is interested in news of your community event in Wyandotte County. Send information to [email protected] and include your name and phone number.

Sign up for library’s reading program
The Kansas City, Kan., Public Library’s summer reading program has started signing up readers. The program runs from June 1 to July 31. Participate at any of the five library branches. After signing up, participants may start logging books on June 1. For more information, visit the website at www.kckpl.org.

Croquet tourney scheduled May 16
The fifth Downtown KCK Cork House croquet tournament will be held at 4 p.m. May 16 at 509 N. 6th St.  The tourney could be held on the City Vision Champion Lawn and another course could be added to the south near St. Mary’s Church. The cost of the tournament is $10, including food and drinks. For more information, call 913-371-1944.

Democratic breakfast to be May 17
The Wyandotte County Third Saturday Democratic Breakfast will be May 17 at the Eisenhower Room in the Hilton Garden Inn, 520 Minnesota Ave. Breakfast is at 8:15 a.m.; the program starts at 9:15. Speakers will be State Sen. David Haley and State Reps. Kathy Wolfe Moore and Tom Burroughs. A precinct and campaign training workshop, led by Kansas Democratic Party political director Kerry Gooch,  will take place immediately after the breakfast forum.

Free bike rodeo May 17 to provide bike helmets for kids
The free KCK Kiwanis West Bike Rodeo returns Saturday, May 17, to the Schlitterbahn Waterpark, 9400 State Ave., Kansas City, Kan. Elementary-aged kids will have the opportunity to learn tips on cycling safety, participate in interactive activities that promote health and safety and to sneak a peek at attractions at Schlitterbahn Kansas City Waterpark at the eighth annual bike event. Hours are from 9 a.m. to noon May 17. The event sponsors plan to distribute up to 300 free bike safety helmets and T-shirts to participants. Activities will take place in the parking lot and entrance area of Schlitterbahn, and a large turnout is anticipated. Children should be accompanied by an adult. Kids are encouraged to bring their bicycles. Helmets will be fitted, bikes will be inspected for safety, and kids may visit bike riding stations to earn a safety certificate. Those with questions on the day of the event may call 816-751-4227.

Time management class offered
Keeler Women’s Center, 2220 Central Avenue, KCK, will present a workshop, “Time Management for Women,” from 1:30 to 3 p.m. Monday, May 19, presented by Chiquita Miller of K-State Extension. Call 913-906-8990 to register.

African-American Art Festival planned Aug. 9
The MoKan African-American Art Festival will be held from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 9, at Quindaro Park, 35th and Sewell, Kansas City, Kan. Those attending the free event may bring a blanket, enjoy artwork, stilt walkers Gullah basket weathers, African drummers and dancers, food and vendors. For more information about having an art exhibit there or being a vendor, contact 913-788-7330.

Financial problems plague Postal Service

Opinion column

Views West

by Murrel Bland

I learned a long time ago that the squeaky wheel gets the grease. That is particularly true when it comes to government agencies—or organizations that are quasi-governmental such as the U.S. Postal Service.

The most recent “squeaky wheel” was really long line at the Wyandotte West Postal Station. The “grease” was applied the first week in May after about two months of severe inconvenience.

Here was the root of the most recent problem. A motorist had a medical problem and crashed into the leased postal station in Edwardsville. The station closed down, forcing those relying on post office boxes to come to the Wyandotte West Station.

The West Station, which already was overloaded, was not equipped to handle an additional 500 customers. Randy McHenry, the manager of the Wyandotte West Station, said he suggested early on that the solution was to place cluster boxes in Edwardsville to serve the 500 customers living in an Edwardsville mobile home park.

I talked to Mayor John (Tiny) McTaggart, the mayor of Edwardsville, about the problem. He said the Postal Service had been looking for an excuse to shut down the Edwardsville station. Hours at the station were cut last fall; the building is more than 100 years old and once housed what was the Edwardsville State Bank.

Mayor McTaggart and his city manager Mike Webb lodged complaints with the Postal Service and the offices of U.S. Sen. Jerry Moran and U.S. Rep. Kevin Yoder. Although our federal elected officials were sympathetic, there isn’t much they can really do, as the Postal Service became an “independent” agency in 1971. However that “independent” status hasn’t stopped the Postal Service from coming to Congress asking to be financially bailed out. People that I know who follow postal matters say that it is unlikely that Congress will help the agency.

I can remember when the Kansas City, Kan., postmaster was truly a community leader. If you had a problem, you only had to make one telephone call—and in most all cases, the problem was solved. Postmasters such as Bob Roberts, Walt Raynes, Geroge Moody and, more recently Chuck Pennewell, were a very visible part of this community. Today, if you want results you must communicate with a postal bureaucrat over town. Very few people here know who the Kansas City, Kan., Postmaster is.

It took two months for the postal bureaucracy over town to make a decision that was quite obvious. All of this comes at a time when the Postal Service continues to lose record amounts of money. The price of a first class stamp went up earlier this year. Pay more and get less—that seems to be the motto of the Postal Service.

Murrel Bland is the former editor of The Wyandotte West and The Piper Press. He is the executive director of Business West.

Skies to be mostly sunny today

Skies will be mostly sunny Friday with a high near 72. The wind will be from the west at 7 to 10 mph.

Tonight, skies will be partly cloudy with a low around 57, the weather service said. The wind will be west southwest around 8 mph, becoming south southeast after midnight.

Saturday, there is a chance of showers and thunderstorms after 1 p.m. The weather will be mostly sunny with a high near 83, according to the weather service. The south wind will be from 9 to 13 mph. The chance of precipitation is 30 percent.

For Saturday night, the forecast is a 50 percent chance of showers and storms. The weather will be mostly cloudy with a low around 63, the weather service said. Winds will be 6 to 11 mph becoming northeast after midnight. Between a quarter and a half-inch of rain is possible.

On Sunday, there is a 50 percent chance of showers and storms, and weather is mostly cloudy with a low around 79. The wind may gust as high as 28 mph.

Sunday night, showers and thunderstorms are likely, according to the weather service. The weather is mostly cloudy with a low around 60. There is a 60 percent chance of precipitation.

Monday’s forecast is a 60 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Skies are mostly cloudy with a high near 70.

For more weather information, see www.weather.gov.