Arctic air sweeps into area

A blast of arctic air found its way to the Kansas City area on Sunday.

Temperatures at 2 p.m. were 31 degrees, with a wind chill of 21, according to the National Weather Service. They dropped 20 to 25 degrees this morning, when winds changed to north-northwest.

By 6 p.m. Sunday, temperatures should drop to 26 degrees, and by 9 p.m., to 22 degrees, according to the weather service.

Tonight, the low will drop to 16 degrees, the weather service said. The north wind will be around 15 mph with gusts as high as 24 mph.

Monday, look for mostly sunny skies and a high of 28 degrees. North northeast winds will be 9 to 15 mph, with gusts as high as 23 mph.

The Monday morning bus-stop temperature can range from 16 degrees at 6 a.m. to 18 degrees at 9 a.m.

Monday night, the low will be around 18, with winds from the northeast at 5 to 8 mph becoming southeast after midnight.

Tuesday, the mercury starts climbing again, when the high will be near 41. A south wind will be from 5 to 10 mph. Tuesday night, the low will be around 27.

Look for Wednesday’s high to be near 43, and Wednesday night’s low, 27.

On Thursday, skies will be mostly cloudy with a high near 39. Thursday night, the low will be around 33.

On Friday, skies will be mostly cloudy with a high near 47. Friday night, the low will be around 36.

On Saturday, there will be mostly cloudy skies with a high near 49.

KCKCC women rebound from first loss with win over Dodge City

by Alan Hoskins

Kansas City Kansas Community College’s unbeaten women’s basketball season came to an end Friday but it took the No. 2 ranked team in Division I to do it.

Playing on their home court where they had not lost a game in 104 starts, Hutchinson’s unbeaten Lady Blue Dragons pulled away in the second half for an 83-55 win in the Hutchinson Classic at the Hutchinson Sports Arena. The win was also the Blue Dragons’ 23rd in a row over a Jayhawk East opponent.

However, the Lady Blue Devils, who are ranked No. 18 in Division II, bounced right back 18 hours later with an 84-69 win over Dodge City Saturday. The win boosted KCKCC’s record to 8-1 heading into the opening of Jayhawk Conference play Saturday when Labette comes to KCKCC for a doubleheader at 2 and 4 p.m.

KCKCC never trailed against Dodge City although the lead at halftime was only 40-36. The Blue Devils pulled away in the second half behind 51.6 percent shooting and a 55-47 advantage on the boards that offset 25 turnovers and a 40-point assault by Dodge City guard Azaria Nave.

Four Blue Devils scored in double figures led by Janai Mitchell, who dominated the rebounding with a career high 14 along with 10 points; and Cheyenne North, who just missed a double double with 16 points and nine rebounds. Cierra Gaines added 16 points, Iland Shurn a season high 12 off the bench and Erin Anderson eight points. The Blue Devils also got a big floor game from Cassidy Harbert, who had 11 assists, five points and six rebounds.

Hutchinson (8-0) needed a 26-3 second run to get away from the Blue Devils Friday. KCKCC cut an 11-point halftime deficit to 46-40 with 13 minutes left in the second half only to have the Blue Dragons score the next 11 in a row to ignite the decisive 26-3 run.

The Blue Dragons were led by a trio of lanky international standouts – 6-2 forward Kalani Purcell of New Zealand and 6-1 Clemence LeFebvre of France each had 19 points and 6-1 freshman Cynthia Petke of Cameroon had 14 points and 15 rebounds. The trio also combined for 29 rebounds in leading Hutch to a 49-26 rebounding edge over the smaller Blue Devils, who were without a 6-foot starter.

Cierra Gaines was the lone Blue Devil in double figures, scoring 17 points including five three-pointers. Cassidy Harbert and Aricca Daye added seven points each for the Blue Devils, who were just 18-of-60 from the field for a chilly 30 percent. Hutch, meanwhile, was 15-of-22 the second half for a sizzling 68.2 percent and .519 for the game.
Alan Hoskins is the sports information director at KCKCC.

‘Business Basics 4 Boomers’ program offered Dec. 12 on starting a business

The Workforce Development Department at Kansas City Kansas Community College, AARP in Kansas City, and Next Chapter Kansas City, a program of Shepherd’s Center of Kansas City, Kan., have joined together to offer “Business Basics 4 Boomers” from 8:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. Friday, Dec. 12, at the Dr. Thomas R. Burke KCKCC Technical Education Center, 6565 State Ave, Kansas City, Kan.

People at all stages of starting a business and those who are just considering the idea can attend.

Also, while the event targets the Baby Boomer generation, younger people also can participate.

The half-day conference will consist of a panel of successful business owners and a panel of representatives of business resource organizations, who will share experience, information, and advice for the “encore entrepreneur.”

Encore entrepreneurs are the growing number of persons who are seeking to launch income-generating ventures that make a positive difference in their communities after leaving their primary career or in anticipation of doing so.

The business owners’ panel will be moderated by Charley Vogt, senior vice president of business-economic development with Country Club Bank. Panel members will include Joyce Moore, owner of Goin Postal, Tim Ney, owner-operator of drivekansas, and Doug Danforth, founder and CEO of Links-It.

The panel of business resource organizations will be moderated by Patricia Brown-Dixson, Region 7 Administrator for the US Small Business Administration. Panelists will include Elisa Waldman with the JCCC Small Business Development Center, Kate Hodel with KC Source Link, and a representative from the SCORE Association.

Conference attendees will also have the opportunity to visit booths of business resource organizations. Lunch is included with Mike Peters, LSCSW, life coach and owner of Interaction Coaching, speaking on the topic of “How to Get Unstuck: Getting Back on Track with Your Passion.”

The cost is $15 per person or $10 for members of Next Chapter Kansas City, SEEN (Sustainable Enterprise and Entrepreneurship Network), and the Prime Time Club.

The registration deadline is Tuesday, Dec. 9. For more information, contact Karen Hostetler, Next Chapter Kansas City director, at [email protected] or Tom Kelso at the KCKCC Workforce Development Office at 913-288-7644.