Sunday, August 1, 2010

In This Week's Raytown Report

TUESDAY IS ELECTION DAY by Greg Walters
63RD STREET BRIDGE RE-OPENED
TO YOUR HEALTH by Jenn Walters
BACK IN THE WORLD by Greg Walters
Every Picture Tells a Story . . . Been hot enough for you? I took the picture on the right at Yellowstone National Park in late February. The temperature was a balmy 9 degrees Fahrenheit. The steam rising from the middle of the picture is from a geyser vent (inactive when the picture was taken). When the geysers go off the moisture from them freezes and falls back to the earth in the form of small ice crystals on very cold days. The snow cover acts as an insulator during the winter months -- raising the water temperature to a higher level than during the summer months.
. . . . ELECTION RESULTS . . . .
To view results of the Jackson County elections use the following link to the MIdwest Democracy Project. The link will take you to the results of the Jackson County Legislative races. You can access other area races from at the bottom of the Midwest Democracy Project page.

Tuesday is Election Day by Greg Walters

As many of you know, part of my regular day-time job is in the field of politics. I write copy, design mailers and help candidates create and mold their messages. Many years ago some friends and I were brainstorming a new GOTV (get out the vote) message for the final push before election day. After many hours of some give and take we came up with the following message.

“If you are at all hesitant about whether or not to vote next Tuesday, remember this . . . half of the world only dreams about it.”

Keep in mind that it was many years ago. Long before the Berlin Wall came tumbling down, there was still an Iron Curtain across Eastern Europe and people of Poland had just started to flex their muscles in a desperate reach for free elections. It was a good message for the time. And it worked.

A lot has changed since then. There are more democracies in the world today. But some have electoral systems that are less than fair, and the in some cases, downright dishonest.

We can be grateful that we live in country where our elections are still a model of how open and free elections are held. Our elections are not decided at the end of gun barrel. The campaigns may be long, tiresome and sometimes downright nasty. But at the end of the day they are the final word.

Wednesday morning there will be losers and winners. Over half of the candidates will have been eliminated for the November general election.

Be a part of this process. Take the time to vote in the August 3rd Primary.

Oh, and the way. If you are voting in the Democratic Primary, do me a BIG FAVOR by punching the number next to my name and Vote for Greg Walters for the Sixth District Jackson County Legislature.

63rd Street Bridge Re-Opened

I was happy to see that in my absence the 63rd Street Bridge was completed. It is a fine looking structure that I hope will help funnel people back into Downtown Raytown. Let’s hope for better days ahead for the merchants who have had to suffer through such a long period of detours around Downtown Raytown.

TO YOUR HEALTH by Jenn Walters

Multi Woes, Awesome Science and Lessons from Abroad

Multivitamins may not be so multi-talented, digital imaging has muscle and Brazil shows us how it’s done.

To Multi or Not to Multi? That is the question. And new research says “not.” Somewhere the Centrum marketing team is freaking out.

According to the Archives of Internal Medicine, a daily multivitamin may not keep cancer or heart disease at bay. While the 161,808 women who were part of the pill-poppin’ study didn’t have an decreased risk of some chronic diseases, the supplements certainly didn’t hurt, especially for those with limited diets. And note that the study just looked at general multivitamins and didn’t include prenatal vitamins or other supplements like calcium and vitamin D. So you moms-to-be or those who have been ordered to take a multi by your doctor, keep at it.

Another reason to keep eating your veggies.

Muscle Moves Sometimes technology just amazes me. Like jaw-on-the-floor amazes me. Like, I-can-really-point-an-iPhone-at-a-any-speaker-and-it’ll-tell-me-the-artist-and-title-of-a-song amazes me. A-maz-ing. And here’s another example: Dutch researchers have created a new digital imaging system that allows them to see the body in real time, along with—and this is the coolest part—highlighting muscle movement.

Get this: “the system uses infrared strobe lights and eight cameras to track muscle movement in patients while they wear reflective suits during exercise.” How much fun would that be?! I can really only imagine Beyoncé all geared up dancing her “Single Ladies” dance while the researchers try to track that action. Ka-pow!

Besides doing that, the new technology can help with stroke recovery and muscle rehabilitation, which deserves an even bigger KA-POW!

Technology is so darn cool.

Brazil Knows What’s Up f America really wants to get healthier, a new study says that we need to take a closer look at our South American neighbors. A Brazilian health-promotion program recently showed crazy good results, and researchers say that it may just be a matter of moving the program to the U.S. for us to see the same.

The program was held in Recife, Brazil, (fun trivia: Recife is the fifth largest city in Brazil) and consisted of 21 public spaces that were used for free calisthenic and dance classes, walking groups and nutrition classes, each day from 5 a.m. to 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. While researchers say the initiative can work in the US of A, it’s probably only possible in sunny, warm cities where you can exercise outside year round.

If only I lived in a warmer city.

Back in the World

As many of you have probably guessed, I’ve been out of town the past week. But thanks to the wonderful worldwide web I was able to keep posts up on the page.

Where was I?

RAGBRAI, the Des Moines Register’s Annual Great Bike Ride Across Iowa. This year the 480 mile route took over 25,000 riders across the northern highways of Iowa. I guess it is natural to want to brag about personal accomplishments . . . so here are a few of the highlights.

DAY 1 – 68.5 miles, 3685 elevation gain: We ceremonially dip our rear tire in the Missouri River and head east. Day one is always hard. You aren’t used to spending four to six hours on a bicycle seat and your muscles need to adjust. Still, the weather was excellent and the distances between towns

manageable. All in all, a good day to take a ride.

DAY 2: - 79 miles, 1083 elevation gain: Though it may seem like a long way to most readers , the lack of elevation gain makes it a fairly easy ride. I take the option of taking the Karras Loop, which turns the ride in into a Century Run of over 100 miles in one day. We camp at Clear Lake. The weather turns very hot and humid.

DAY 3 – 51.8 miles, 1,108 elevation gain: Last night at about 2:00 a.m. the thunderstorms rolled through. We were under a good sized tree and on high ground so stayed dry. The cold front behind the storm is refreshing. A short ride to rest the legs from the 100 plus mile ride the day before.

DAY 4 – 59.8 miles, 1,180 elevation gain: Despite the short mileage, this day is a killer. No rolling hills, but most of the elevation gain comes in one very long stretch of highway that tests the thighs and buttocks. The heat returns and one portion of the road is so bumpy and cracked it is renamed the highway to hell by some riders. The only good thing to say about the day is that most of the ride has a fairly strong tail wind. Which makes the journey shorter in the length of time in the saddle.

DAY 5 – 82.2 miles, 2,635 elevation gain: A long ride with some serious elevation gain. Bike riders prefer rolling hills. These are hills are long and tiresome. The route is southerly and the weather is changing. This means strong head winds as you peddle up long inclines. A tiring day. It is good to roll into camp in the late afternoon.

DAY 6 – 61.6 miles, 2,340 elevation gain: This is a good day. It rains in the morning but we pedal through. The temperatures drop, some decent cloud cover and the towns are friendly. The elevation gain is manageable because the hills roll. This allows you to speed down one side to coast up the other and give you short sprints out of the saddle. It helps break the fatigue and soreness on the back side and makes the ride a lot of fun.

DAY 7 – 47.5 miles, 2,591 elevation gain: If there was a Garden of Eden then they left part of it behind in the Northeastern corner of Iowa. This the third ride that has taken me to this corner of the Hawkeye State and I am always impressed with the lush rolling hills, rivers and streams that are everywhere. Towns that look like they were designed from a picture post card. Mild temperature and not a breath of of a breeze.

Then trouble comes calling. I finish a ride up a one mile stretch called Potter’s Hill with a grade of over 17%. Two miles later my bike seizes up. The derailer bends into the spokes. The spindle is bent. After seven years of some serious riding, it looks like metal fatigue has taken its toll. I am ten miles from the river. A local homeowner offers to give me a ride into Dubuque where I walk my crippled bike to the Mississippi River, dip the front tire into the muddy water and head over to the staging area for the long bus ride home.

Last Week's Poll Results

Should the Park Department close its parks at an earlier time to match the city's curfew for minors?

YES . . . 81%
NO . . . 19%

33 comments:

Andy Whiteman said...

Anyone who doesn't vote has no right to complain about those who are in office.

My issue with the election is I know who very few of the candidates are. I know some offices I want to vote on, but generally I have no clue who to vote for on other offices. I have not received political mailings or door fliers. I think this is where the average person is lost and votes for someone because he/she like the name.

Greg you would have my vote if the County was non-partisan.

Andy Whiteman

Anonymous said...

I think it was a good try when the council passed the new curfew. What I don't understand is if the city doesn't enforced the current curfew what makes us think that an earlier time is going to be enforced. In my neighborhoods we have kids walking the streets at all hours if the night. More than 4 years ago I personally spoke with Cheif Lynch about this and nothing was done. His statement was "there is nothing we can do." I also spoke to him about kids walking down the middle if the street and not moving when as car is coming and the cars have to wit until they decide to move. I got the same responce about that one too. I truly hope Mr. Mock and Mr. Lightfoot has not wasted their time in thinking that the Police Dept. is going to do their job this time. I truly hope they do but I'm not going to hold my breath.

Anonymous said...

Why is Mayor Bower and Beth Linn allowing Gary Knabe to continue to break the laws of our city? This guy should be in jail, instead they give him a big tax break on his downtown business. Also why are Alderman Ertz and Van Buskirk allowing Beth Linn to ignore the law? SHE SHOULD BE FIRED. How about it aldermen, either make her do her job or get rid of her. ELECTION DAY IS COMING!!!

Anonymous said...

I voted no in last week's poll question about closing the parks early. It's not fair to ask law abiding citizens to leave early our parks because of unruly teenagers. That’s why we have a police department.

If teenagers are out past curfew, let the police take them home. Let their parents deal with the legal issues of not properly parenting their children. When my son was a teenager, he was either home by curfew, or came straight home from work (some nights he worked until midnight). I made sure he complied with the laws in Raytown. Just so you know, he didn’t like it – but he did it because his parent made sure he did. That’s what parents are supposed to do. Believe me, if I can do, so can the other parents.

Anonymous said...

The Park's tax should be defeated. Why??? Raytown is one, if not the HIGHEST, sale taxed in the whole metropolitan area. As more and more people become aware of this the more retail business we are going to loose to surrounding cities. We're just too close to Independence, Lee's Summit, and Kansas City to think people are going to shop here as we continue to burden them with "the highest taxes in the area." More short-sightedness at city hall. Vote them all out next April.

Anonymous said...

I agree. I will not be voting for the park sales tax either. They are one huge disappointment.

I know some folks want a dog park in Raytown. But our park board will not even consider it.

They won't help the police by closing down the parks earlier to stem the juvenile delinquency in our parks.

What is worse they will not enforce their own rules on noise and alcohol usage in the parks.

VOTE NO ON THE PARK SALES TAX!

Greg Walters said...

I drove over the 63rd Street Bridge today. It seems like a fine structure but I could not help but notice that it is not yet finished. Some of the signs and concrete work are yet to be done.

But at least people can get across.

My spies at City Hall tell me that the bridge was opened before being completed in direct response to pressure brought on from contributors to this blog.

Good job, folks. The system works when you take the time to make your voice heard.

I know it is very hot outside but please, please, do not forget to vote tomorrow.

Andy Whiteman said...

8:00 PM, The Police can take minors home and cite the parent(s), but what happens when they get to court? What will our muni-Judge do? The $500 fine should be mandatory and not at the discretion of the judge. The city could make money on this one!!!! If the parents have to pay out too much, they will control their children. Parents must take responsibility. Remember Tuesday is Night Out Against Crime so turn on your porch light and stand outside.

I will be voting on Tuesday and hope everyone does. I don't like lines, but this is one time I would prefer a long line. Please get out and vote! Greg Walters would be a good choice for county legislature if you are voting Democrat.

Andy Whiteman

Anonymous said...

yea greg i bet it was the pressure from you and the ten other people here...really are you kidding me...dennis

Anonymous said...

Greg,

Pay Dennis no mind. Nobody reads this blog. It is like Pitch Magazine. No one reads it either.

They just know what's in it.

Keep up the good work!

Andy Whiteman said...

9:39PM, I think you are not correct. The truth is no one admits to reading this blog, but I have received emails and comments from City Hall about my posts. I know a couple of Aldermen told me they read it to find out how people feel about issues.

I questioned the BOA twice about the bridge. This blog isn't the only communication. Possibly the contractor didn't want to pay any more late penalty. It hurts their cash flow.

Andy Whiteman

Pat Casady said...

I don't know but, if Raytown is not enforcing the
the new curfew then we have joined the rest of the country
in ignoring the laws that make our neighborhoods safe
for the decent people.
This great country of ours won't enforce laws on illegals and even
fights state enforcement of the laws in court.
The time of being politically correct is over. Illegal means illegal.
In Raytown we have a speed limit on Raytown Rd and it isn't fifty
miles an hour. (Sorry I just had to throw that in.)
We have a curfew and it should be enforced as
all laws should be.
Answering "There's nothing we can do" is asinine and unacceptable.
Codes not being enforced is unacceptable too.

Anonymous said...

No doubt our intrepid folks in the codes departemtn will be calling on the Cherry Bomb to make certain the building is not structurally damaged by the leakign water.

Oh, Andy, I don't believe the bridge builders paid one cent in penalities. The story I hear is that the former city attorney, Nancy somebody, forgot to put the penalty clause in the contract.


Another fine example of an out of town department head doing their best for our city -- how typical!

As for the bridge, it is open but not finished. No doubt the penaliteis are piling up on the contractor.

But why take my word for it? Call city hall and ask how much has been assessed in penalties against the contractor. Bettter yet, ask the stone statues sitting in the chair on the dias at the next Council meeting.

Oh, I forgot. The Mayor does not allow them to talk to the pubic at meetings.

Little matter, most of them could not form complete sentences anyway.

Andy Whiteman said...

11:19 AM, There is a way around the no talk rule. BTW: I remember the Mayor responded once when a speaker angered him.

As to the bridge: I remember when I was about 6, a new bridge was built on the road to the High school where I attended Preprimary.
The question that came up between my parents and friends was, "I wonder if we can drive over it without it collapsing? After it was finished, comments were, "We drove over it and didn't fall in." I thought those were strange comments, but with Raytown's new bridge I see the logic of those comments.

As for blight, maybe we need a page like this:
http://www.batchgeo.com/map/263e207495a95cce9bfd145dcab884b0

I don't know what their codes are but some of the homes look pretty good to me!

Has anyone noticed the blight at 59th and Raytown Rd? I spoke with Beth Linn and was told that the owners were ordered to correct it.

Andy Whiteman

Pat Casady said...

I was told that the bridge completion is being held
up by KCP&L. There is a pole in the north bound left turn lane
but, KCP&L is so busy they haven't been able to
remove it.
I have to give credit where credit is due.
The bridge is a good looking piece of work.
And, as much as I disagree with the expense of the "Gateways"
they do look good.

Anonymous said...

Congrats on your win last night Greg. Good luck in November!

Robbie Tubbs said...

Andy,
I viewed the web site on your link. The one thing I noticed was that hearings were scheduled for some of the run-down properties.

While the "Wall of Shame" is an interesting concept, who's going to go out and take the photos? The codes department? Perhaps I'm missing something here, but if they're out taking photos, why can't they just give the home owner a citation?

Andy Whiteman said...

Congrads Greg. I will vote for you if I am still here in November but I hope to be long gone.

I think there was an effort to throw the vote on state/local issues. These issues were hidden at the end section after all of the party elections. One of the judges reminded me of it otherwise I would have missed that section. He later commented that the electiion commission called and told them to call it to people's attention probably because few were voting on these issues.

I wonder if the Park Sales Tax would have turned out differently if it wasn't hidden? I am sure the YES voters knew where to look and made that extra effort.

Andy Whiteman

Anonymous said...

The fact is that most of the people in our parks are not at those hours at are in question are not from Raytown. The truth is most of those people are from places as far away as Grandview and KC Mo. That is a fact. so why leave the parks open for people that are not Raytown citizens?

Beth Linn is not elected she is an employee who is a dept head and she makes a lot more money than she's worth.

Andy Whiteman said...

Robbie, Codes does take photos for evidence. Obviously they aren't going to publish them because it makes the city look bad. I assume the link was put up by a group or individual as The Raytown Report did in the past.

1:38PM, I agree, our parks should be for residents and accompanied guest(s) of residents. The problem is enforcement would be impossible.

The Super Splash and park fees should be 2 tiered (resident and non resident) because obviously nonresidents are not contributing to out parks.

As for park hours, I was shocked when I saw hours posted on an Albuquerque park near where I lived. Loose Park in KCMO also has hours posted. I assume these coincide with curfew hours.

It is now 13 minutes until curfew. Do you Know where your children are?

Andy Whiteman

Anonymous said...

The Knabe property at 79th and Spring Valley makes our city look like a "hick town" that can't get it's "hillbilly owners" to clean up their property. Mayor Bower and Beth Linn is this what you want your city to look like? Oh, I keep forgetting Beth Linn DOESN'T LIVE HERE, so she probably really doesn't care.

Anonymous said...

Honestly. The complaint about Mr. Knabe's property has been over addressed. You people just need to let that little bit of this town go. It will not change whay continue the posting of it. I have read this blog for 5 years now. And the only real constant is that darn Knabe fly farm at 79 St. and Spring Valley. Talk about something else for once. Then when you find another topic and write about it. Go to Knabe himself and voice your issue. Maybe if you approach a guy instead of wining on here something will get done. Of all the things that have been discussed, this one needs to be left at 79 St. and Spring Valley and not take up more posts on here.

Anonymous said...

Have you driven by the houses at Ong lake in the Gregory Hieghts housing addition. 80% of those houses make this town look like a trailor park, why not complain about them and just stop with the Mr. Knabe crap. Just because you have an issued with a guy doe not mean you have to post it on here for the last seven and half years.

Andy Whiteman said...

NONE of the department heads have community ties to Raytown other than receiving their pay checks from City Hall! Each and every one of them should be required in to live in the city that writes their pay checks!

Greg, you forgot the hyperlink on your campaign banner. I was going to post it on my website.

Andy Whiteman

Anonymous said...

The Knabes of this world are always there. The real complaint is that the city will not do anything to address the health issue.

It wold seem that a little bit of fill dirt would solve the problem.

It is also clear that the writer of the post before this one does not have to live next to the mess.

Anonymous said...

Although the writer might be right about the 79th St
mosquito farm, the fact is this cities codes department isn't
doing it's job. Raytown is only ten square miles and we
have several codes inspectors. You would think that at least one
of them had driven by all the code violations at one time or another.
If they aren't doing their jobs get rid of the whole bunch and start over. There are plenty of people that need jobs out there and would probably be better at it.
I guess it's true. If you work for the city you have a job for life or until you get tired of doing nothing!

Anonymous said...

Have you ever tried to approach Mr. Knabe about anything? Well I have and all the man wants to do is fight you. He doesn't know how to have a conservation. I wonder how in the world he sell real estate.

Anonymous said...

You are right about the Knabe property being a symbol of what is wrong at city hall. NO ENFORCEMENT!! Past mayors and department heads would have been embarrassed about this problem dragging on for years and would have corrected it. It just shows us the low caliber of elected and appointed officials that we have running our city. It's no wonder you can't sell a house in Raytown, these young couples are opting for cleaner, safer, more well kept communities to our east.

Andy Whiteman said...

I wonder has anyone actually contacted the codes department about Knabe Swamp? Has anyone contacted the Health Department?

You can't expect enforcement unless it is reported.

If what 7:15AM is true, maybe the codes people are afraid to cite him. All they really have to do is to mail the notice of violation.

Andy Whiteman

Anonymous said...

If the Knabe property is really a breading ground for insects why aren't you contacting the county health dept. if the city won't do anything about it. It is obvious that he does not respect the city ordinances so why waste your time with them and it's also obvious that the city does not respect it's citizens cobncerns.

Anonymous said...

--- On Thu, 8/5/10, deancarder@mchsi.com wrote:

From: deancarder@mchsi.com
Subject: Fwd: FW: GOVERNORS of 35 STATES HAVE ALREADY FILED SUIT
To: "Bonebrake, Alex"
Date: Thursday, August 5, 2010, 10:42 AM













Subject: GOVERNORS of 35 STATES

HAVE ALREADY FILED SUIT









Governors of 35 states

have already filed suit against the Federal Government for imposing unlawful

burdens upon them. It only takes 38 (of the 50) States to convene a

Constitutional Convention.




This will take less than thirty seconds to read. If you agree, please

pass it on.




An idea whose time has come



For too long we have been too complacent

about the workings of Congress. Many citizens had no idea that members of

Congress could retire with the same pay after only one term, that they didn't

pay into Social Security, that they specifically exempted themselves from many

of the laws they have passed (such as being exempt from any fear of prosecution

for sexual harassment) while ordinary citizens must live under those

laws. The latest is to exempt themselves from the Healthcare Reform that is

being considered...in all of its forms. Somehow, that doesn't seem logical. We

do not have an elite that is above the law. I truly don't care if they

are Democrat, Republican, Independent or whatever. The self-serving must stop.

This is a good way to do that. It is an idea whose time has come.

Have each person contact a minimum of twenty

people on their Address list; in turn ask each of those to do likewise.

In three days, most people in The United States

of America will have the message. This is one proposal that really should

be passed around.

Proposed 28th Amendment to the United

States Constitution


"Congress shall make no law that

applies to the citizens of the United States

that does not apply equally to the Senators and/or Representatives; and,

Congress shall make no law that applies to the Senators and/or Representatives

that does not apply equally to the citizens of the United States ."



You are one of my 20.

Andy Whiteman said...

3PM, My question exactly! I have raised it before. It does no good to bitch on this blog. The appropriate authority MUST be notified. They aren't going to drive by and see it.

10:35PM, The Constitution needs to be UNFORCED. If there is a Constitutional Convention, we need to add an amendment, "Congress shall pass no law from which the Congress, the President, or any member of the executive branch is exempt. Congress, the President, and the executive branch shall be subject to the same laws as ALL citizens." Simply, there shall be no Royal class.

Frankly a Constitutional convention frightens me. There are too many liberals, racists, and anarchists out there. Who knows what they will force on us especially if der Füehrer or his puppet Congress have any input! As Fox Mulder said, "Trust no one!"

As I said, we need to demand the Constitution be enforced. The writers of the Constitution were great thinkers and planned it for every possible contingency except technology which we wouldn't have believed possible 20 years ago.

Andy Whiteman

Anonymous said...

THERE IS A LOT OF REALLY SCARY PEOPLE OUT THERE. CALL THEM RADICALS IF YOU WANT. I FOR ONE SURE WOULD NOT WANT THEM TO GET INTO TRYING TO REVAMP THE US CONSTITUTION. THE REPUBLICAN PARTY WOULD FORCE A DICTATORSHIP UPON OUR COUNTRY WITH KARL ROVE AND COMPANY (PERHAPS LIMBAUGH) IN CHARGE. WE WILL ALL BE DOOMED. LEAVE THINGS ALONE!