King celebration scheduled for Jan. 16

Dr. William H. Curtis

Dr. William H. Curtis will be the guest speaker for the Kansas City, Kansas, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Holiday Celebration Jan. 16.

The event will begin at 11 a.m. Monday, Jan. 16, at Memorial Hall, 600 N. 7th, Kansas City, Kansas.

Dr. Curtis, senior pastor at Mount Ararat Baptist Church, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, is a native of Baltimore, Maryland. He is a seminary professor and co-owner of the Church Online, a technology and full-service marketing firm that provides services to ministries all over the world.

Dr. Curtis was inducted into the Martin Luther King Jr. Board of Preachers of Morehouse College in 2009. He is a member of Omega Psi Phi Fraternity, Sigma Pi Phi and Jericho lodge No. 20. He also is the author of several books.

He holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in religious studies and philosophy from Morgan State University, a Master of Divinity degree from Howard University School of Divinity and a Doctor of Ministry degree from United Theological Seminary in Dayton, Ohio. He and his wife Christine have one daughter.

The theme of this year’s King Celebration is “Together We Can Be the Dream.” It will be the first in-person event since COVID in 2019.

The ecumenical celebration is the largest event of the year co-sponsored by the Unified Government, the Baptist Minister’s Union and the Wyandotte County District Attorney’s office.

A highlight of the event is the awarding of scholarships to deserving students from the Kansas City, Kansas, Turner and Piper school districts. During the past 42 years, more than $1 million has been raised and distributed for scholarships. The Wyandotte County District Attorney is sponsoring five scholarships.

Churches and individual donations are necessary to reach the goal of $13,000. All donations will go to the scholarship funds. Business sponsorships also are available. Sponsors will be listed in the program and will be announced.

Contributions may be mailed to the MLK Holiday Celebration, care of Oak Ridge Baptist Church, 9301 Parallel Parkway, Kansas City, Kansas. Individual donations may be sent to https://gkccf.kimbia.com/king01.

Those interested in singing in the All Faith MLK Choir should contact Alicia Saunders at [email protected].

Today’s high near 48, snow possible Saturday

Temperatures will reach a high near 48 today, according to the National Weather Service forecast.

A chance of rain and snow is possible on Saturday morning, the weather service said, and will end from west to east.

More rain is in the forecast for Wednesday night and Thursday, according to the weather service.

Today, there will be increasing clouds, with a high near 48 and a calm wind becoming east southeast 5 to 7 mph in the afternoon, the weather service said.

Tonight, there is a 20 percent chance of rain after midnight, with a low of 34, according to the weather service. An east northeast wind of 7 to 10 mph will gust as high as 20 mph.

Saturday, there is a 40 percent chance of rain and snow before 3 p.m., then a chance of snow, the weather service said. The high will be near 37 with a north northeast wind of 8 to 11 mph gusting as high as 21 mph. Less than a tenth of an inch of rain is possible.

Saturday night, it will be cloudy, then gradually partly cloudy, with a low of 25 and a north wind of 3 to 7 mph, according to the weather service.

Sunday, it will be sunny, with a high near 42 and a light and variable wind becoming west around 6 mph, the weather service said.

Sunday night, it will be mostly clear, with a low near 31, according to the weather service.

Monday, it will be mostly sunny, with a high near 51, the weather service said.

Monday night, it will be partly cloudy, with a low of 30, according to the weather service.

Tuesday, it will be sunny, with a high near 45, the weather service said.

Tuesday night, it will be partly cloudy, with a low of 31, according to the weather service.

Wednesday, it will be partly sunny, with a high near 50, the weather service said.

Wednesday night, there is a 40 percent chance of rain, with a low of 38, according to the weather service.

Thursday, there is a 40 percent chance of rain, with a high of 45, the weather service said.

Today’s public meetings

Business and Economic Development Task Force to meet

The Unified Government Business and Economic Development Task Force will meet at 3 p.m. Tuesday, Jan. 3.

For more details on the meeting, visit https://civicclerk.blob.core.windows.net/stream/WYCOKCK/8712e757-c50a-45d0-8375-888581e00c7a.pdf?sv=2015-12-11&sr=b&sig=gs4WdPxrpFE0qexoU%2BRQ37UyflWPEtNJyWUjT%2BYP9IE%3D&st=2023-01-03T16%3A57%3A25Z&se=2024-01-03T17%3A02%3A25Z&sp=r&rscc=no-cache&rsct=application%2Fpdf