Sunday, April 22, 2012

-- BREAKING NEWS -- 
Police: Charges Unlikely Following Fight Involving Mayor’s Son
by Jason M. Vaughn of FOX 4 News

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Police say that charges are unlikely following a fight outside of a Brookside bar that left the son of Kansas City, Missouri, Mayor Sly James beaten and bloodied.
According to sources, Kyle James was allegedly drunk, belligerent and using gang signs around 3:00 a.m. on Friday morning near the Brooksider Bar. Witnesses say that James picked a fight with a man who was a self-described martial arts expert, who then took off his shirt and stood face-to-face with James before kicking him several times in the face and head. READ MORE
-- SPORTS --
Hey you sports fans, check out the following website to see how the Kansas City Royals did last night . . . www.didtheroyalswinlastnight.com

For those who have not been following the boys in blue, (or maybe just gave up!) the Royals broke their twelve game losing streak last night. Who says that 13 is an unlucky number!?!

OTHER WRITERS DISCUSS . . . 
Brutality of Servility By  
Maybe we gave up on John Edwards too soon.

His hair still looks great, even though he now gets cuts for $12.95, not $400.
And the man clearly has a gift for multitasking under pressure.

In the winter of 2007, as Edwards campaigned for the presidency in Iowa, he still found time to check up on his pregnant girlfriend, Rielle Hunter, who was on the lam with fall guy Andrew Young and his family, zooming around in private jets to luxe resorts and haciendas in Aspen, Santa Barbara and Florida. READ MORE

more here: http://www.kansascity.com/2012/04/25/3576203/jonah-goldberg-obamas-tainted.html#storylink=cpy

Read more here: http://www.kansascity.com/opinion/#storylink=cpy
 -- BREAKING NEWS --
Jackson County juvenile authorities said a 16-year-old boy has been charged with forcible sodomy and forcible rape in connection with a reported attack at Raytown Middle School.

According to the police report released last month, the girl was attacked on Feb. 27 during school hours and while classes were in session. Police said the girl told them she was walking from a counselor's office to a fifth-hour class when a boy approached her, started talking to her, pulled her into a storage room and attacked her.

The boy was removed from the school after the accusations came to light. The suspect, whose name is not being released because of his age, was taken into custody on Monday.

Authorities said he was being detained in the Jackson County Juvenile Detention Center and will be called to a hearing Wednesday to determine whether he will stay in custody. Authorities also said future hearings will determine whether the boy will be tried as an adult.


This Week's Poll Question
Last week the City Council in Kansas City passed into a law a city ordinance that sets fines for the illegal placement of signs on public right of way.

To kick off the new law, the City Council reached out to Kansas Citians in an effort to show some solidarity behind the law. The city distributed trash bags for people to use in clearing out the illegal signage.

The result was impressive.

Over 4,300 signs were gathered up by neighborhood volunteers.
The new city ordinance sets fines beginning at $20 and expanding them to $1,000 for repeat offenders.

This week’s poll question asks if Raytown should follow Kansas City’s lead.


More than just a photograph...
We received this photo (and many more)  from a regular reader last week. The title says it all. We will be sharing other images from this collection in the weeks to come. 











Greg Walters
Progress with a Price BY GREG WALTERS
Raytown has three news sources. You are reading one of them.

The other two publications can best be described as the Pollyanna News. They are pretty much the “unofficial” mouth piece of Raytown City Hall. They can be expected to tell half stories about progress.

For instance, a new restaurant will be opening up soon next door to the Aldi’s Grocery Store. It will have Mexican/American cuisine and is often touted as signs of continued progress in Raytown.

What is left out of the story is that the taxpayers are paying close to $200,000 in a loan to the developer of the property for that “progress”. It is the same type deal that was made to attract Aldi’s to Raytown. A deal that cost the taxpayers of Raytown $600,000.

One of those other news sources left out that part of its front page story entitled Raytown’s Still Growing.

Growth in Raytown is good.

But only telling half of the story about that growth is irresponsible and dishonest.

In the “Raytown’s Still Growing” story some very important facts were left out.

The new Mexican American Restaurant will be built next to Aldi’s on 350 Highway. So will a business called the The Game Stop. 

What is not told is that the city is underwriting the new commercial development with a $200,000 loan paid for by Raytown taxpayer’s dollars. It is similar to the $600,000 loan the city used to entice Aldi’s to open their store as well.

Some will say that is how business is conducted these days.

But that is not really the argument. The issue here is that ALL of Raytown’s news sources should report the entire story. Not just the fluff.

The Raytown City Council should be commended by voting to stand by its owns rules and requiring that HyVee build a sidewalk along a planned HyVee Gasoline/Convenience Store under consideration for the old Jeep Dealership on 350 Highway. (see the Paul Livius Report for more details)

One things for certain. Raytowners will not have trouble finding a place to buy gasoline on 350 Highway!

Paul Livius
The Paul Livius Report BY PAUL LIVIUS.
 
Raytown Board of Aldermen Meeting – April 17, 2012

Deanna Hayden, of the Southwood Church of the Nazarene gave the invocation.  The Pledge of Allegiance was led by the Scouts and Weblos of Troop and Pack 269, with the Blue Ridge United Methodist Church.

Police Chief Jim Lynch introduced Officer Larry Jackson and the City Clerk administered the Oath of Office.

Mayor Bower called the City Municipal Clerk to the podium and said Teresa Henry had been recognized by the State of Missouri for outstanding performance as Raytown’s City Municipal Clerk.  He thanked her on behalf of the City staff and the Board of Aldermen for all her hard work.

Mayor Bower opened the floor to public comments
  • Shirley Whittman told the Board she was speaking on behalf of the property owners in Raytown.  She thought more than 50% of the property owners do not know they are responsible for sewer maintenance and repairs to the main sewer.  If the sewer main is on their own property, there was no problem.  If the sewer main is in the middle of the street, or on their neighbor’s property, the repairs could be very expensive.  She said she talked to Andy Noll twice.  Now she was coming to the Board.  She thinks this information should be on the monthly sewer bill.  She told the Board there is plenty of room for this information and it should be there.
Mayor Bower said the Street Scape open house was a great success.  It was well attended.  He also thanked the Scouts and Weblos for leading the Pledge of Allegiance.

Alderman Ertz told the Board that on April 28 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. the Raytown Police Department and the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) will give the public another opportunity to prevent pill abuse and theft by ridding their homes of potentially dangerous expired, unused, and unwanted prescription drugs.  Bring your medications for disposal to the parking lots of Blue Ridge Plaza, 5210 Blue Ridge Boulevard, or Apple Market, Raytown Road and E. 350 Highway.  The service is free, anonymous, and no questions will be asked.

Under the Consent Agenda:
  • Approved the reappointment of Todd Hembree to the Council on Aging.
  • Approving the appointment of Shirley Wittman to the Council on Aging.
  • Approving the reappointment of David Wurth to the city of Raytown Industrial Development Authority Board of Directors.
  • Approving the reappointment of Raymond Guyett to the city of Raytown Industrial Development Authority Board of Directors.
During the Regular Agenda:

  • The Board approved a resolution authorizing a one-time payment to non-elected fulltime city employees that have been employed for six months or longer in the amount of 1% of their base annual wage or $500.00, whichever is greater. The Board also approved the fiscal year 2011-2012 budget be amended to allow for this expenditure to be paid from un-appropriated cash balance in the general fund.
  • The Board approved change order no. 1 to the agreement between the city of Raytown and William White & Sons Construction Company for the 2011 concrete repair project, accepting all work performed under said contract and authorizing final payment in the amount of $111,753.65.  Andy Noll told the Board there were two concrete contracts.  The first contractor got behind and this expenditure is for the second contractor.  Alderman Van Buskirk asked why the amount had double from what was budgeted.  Mr. Noll stated the reason was they didn’t anticipate the number of additional requests for change.  They put in more ADA ramps than had been budgeted.
  • The Board granted a conditional use permit subject to certain conditions to operate a day care on property in the highway corridor commercial district on property located at 7218 Maple Avenue.
  • The Board heard the second reading of an ordinance granting approval of the site plan for a convenience store on land located at 9401 East Highway 350 in accordance with the provisions of the comprehensive zoning regulations.  Alderman Creamer said the property owner had asked for a waiver on the property.  This would waive the installation of sidewalks on the property.  He was against the wavier because the sidewalk goes with the bike trail.  John Benson said the applicant asked for the wavier because of the 5% grade on the property and the owner would have to install handrails to comply with ADA regulations.  Alderman Aziere said the drawings show the convenience store will be close to Quik Trip.  He asked if it was wise to grant a permit for another convenience store so close to an existing one.  He asked about the logic of putting a coffee shop next door to Quik Trip.  John Benson told the Board Raytown doesn’t regulate land use.  It is up to the property owner to decide if he wants to compete with Quik Trip.  Alderman Van Buskirk moved to amend the resolution and grant the sidewalk waiver.  Alderman Perdue said he was against the waiver.  If the Board waived the sidewalks for this location, other property owners wanting to build would expect the same waiver.  Alderman Hamilton said he also was opposed to the wavier.  He told the Board they had set design standards for the 350 Corridor and those standards should be maintained.  Alderman White said she was against the waiver.  She said the city can’t encourage residents to use the bike trail without the sidewalk and it also creates a safety issue.  The Board voted down the motion to waive the installation of the sidewalks.  The Resolution, including the requirement for the installation of sidewalks, was passed by the Board.
  • The Board approved a service agreement and a disconnect/reconnect sewer service agreement with Public Water District no. 2 of Jackson County, Missouri.
Fit Bottomed Girls
THERE’S NOTHING LIKE A TRAIL RUN BY KRISTEN
I’m a firm believer in the fact that nobody knows their town the way runners do. Sure, if you cycle or drive around, you’ll get a good lay of the land, but as a runner, I get to take trails that cut through areas that you’d never even know were there. I run through parks, neighborhoods and city blocks. I run around golf courses and through my old college campus. I’ve lived in Gainesville, Fla., for 12 years, and I’m still constantly finding new places to run. READ MORE

OF COMMUNITY INTEREST . . .
Free Tai Chi Classes at Coleman Park
Friends of the Raytown Parks in conjunction with Raytown Parks and Recreation will be offering a free 5 week Tai Chi class on Thursday evenings at Colman Park, located at 59th and Lane Streets. The classes will begin this week on Thursday and run for five weeks. Participants are asked to meet at the flag pole monument located at the northwest corner of the park. READ MORE


What is Tai Chi?
The health effects include strengthening the body’s bone structure, toning the muscles, increasing cardiovascular circulation, and flushing the body’s lymphatic system of toxins. The movements can enhance the body’s blood circulation and metabolism. When practiced properly, Tai Chi Chuan can be an effective form of self-defense.

Raytown Clean Up Days
Want to get rid of some of that junk that has been cluttering up your home and property? Then take advantage of Raytown Clean Up Days, May 5th, at Super Splash USA.
The City has waived dump fees for cars and pickup trucks. Last year the event was so popular that the hours had to be extended to accommodate all those waiting in line to get rid of their junk. So plan ahead, get in early and help make Raytown Clean Up Day a success.  

Use this link to learn more about Raytown Clean-Up Day  READ MORE

Raytown Police Department Taking Back Unwanted Prescription Drugs BY D. HARPER
FOR MORE INFORMATION CALL 816-875-656
Raytown, MO – On April 28 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. the Raytown Police Department and the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) will give the public another opportunity to prevent pill abuse and theft by ridding their homes of potentially dangerous expired, unused, and unwanted prescription drugs.  Bring your medications for disposal to the parking lots of Blue Ridge Plaza, 5210 Blue Ridge Boulevard, or Apple Market, Raytown Road and E. 350 Highway.  The service is free and anonymous, no questions asked.

To post a comment on this blog click on the word comments on the line directly below this sentence.

26 comments:

Anonymous said...

Another secret meeting! I forgot it was the 3rd Tuesday. The BOA shouldn't let the election stop the meeting because the election can be held in another room! I am a person of routine and missed the 2nd meeting because the first one was out of routine. Thanks for reporting it here.

Could I get a grant to open a newspaper? I think $10M sounds like a good low amount.

This the comment I repaired for the BOA about the sidewalk:
"The way businesses are designed is they are located toward the back of a parking area. If people are walking they walk across the parking lot to get to the business. I have never heard of a sidewalk through a parking lot. This is idiotic. The applicant stated there are ADA issues. From what I hear there are safety issues since it is an elevated sidewalk. The problem is someone could slip and fall or even fall though the railing especially if it is wet or icy or just children fooling around. This is a liability issue for both the applicant and the city for requiring unsafe conditions."
Also:
"You held 2 illegal public hearings at the last meeting. My issue is all of the facts were not presented before public comments. John Benson withheld the conditions of the conditional use permits until after Public Comments were closed. Was this to prevent the public from making comments on these conditions? I had comments to make on both hearings after the conditions were closed but was not able to do so because of improper procedure. Why were the conditions announced after public comment? The last hearings should be declared invalid with these hearings being the first and the 2nd reading at your next meeting. I will make comments on each at the proper time."
"I object to the conditional use permit being in perpetuity. Do you know what that means? There is a case in Littleton, CO where a business had a lease from the city in perpetuity. A cable company wanted her building and the city cancelled the lease closing Tortilla Flat, the best Mexican Restaurant I knew. The owner sued the city and received over $1M. Conditions could change and in perpetuity could cost this city money in the future."
"KCMO had an illegal sign clean up day. I suggest the Raytown Cleanup Day also be an illegal sign clean up day. These signs are a nuisance. I saw some large posters on 67th between Willow and Raytown Rd taped to poles. How many hours will it take to remove each of them?"

Red Dogg said I am late for bed.
Andy Whiteman

Anonymous said...

Sometimes you have to give something to get something. Lee's Summit did and look how they are growing.

Pat Casady said...

As I don't know all the facts, I wonder
how much sales tax income will these new
stores and restaurants generate? This town
can't keep giving away income, making loans,
and expect to survive.
If anybody at City Hall is reading this, please
tell us how much this is really costing the taxpayers.

Anonymous said...

Greg, Thanks for the picture. I enjoyed it and will share on Face Book.

I was at Aldi on Friday and saw the construction of the new restaurant or whatever it is. It was quite typical of new construction in Raytown of being on miniature lots. I can't believe a business would be allowed on such a small lot! There is not adequate room for parking or safe entry and exit. Are people supposed to park on the Aldi lot? Full sized lots should be required.

Andy Whiteman

Anonymous said...

Yes, but Lee's Summit has a thriving downtown area, unlike Raytown.

Anonymous said...

I really doubt you will have much luck getting sales tax numbers that make much sense out of city hall. If they give you Aldi's that means they can give you Walmart. Whcih they do not want to do because it is embarrassing when people find out that the city receives zero sales tax dollars from Walmart.

The bad thing is the $800,000 that could have been used to repair rundown streets with proper asphalt repair instead of the poor man's slurry seal they are using in our neighborhoods.

Guess it goes to show where the average taxpayer stacks up on the totem pole of importance in Raytown.

Anonymous said...

Raytown will never be able to compete with our surrounding cities. WHY??? These other cities have acres and acres of UNDEVELOPED ground. You could bulldoze down the whole city of Raytown and redevelop it, but you still have only 10 SQUARE MILES, pretty small compared to some of our neighbors. Also you can't compete for livable neighborhoods, because no one at city hall cares about enforcing codes. Bower's administration is looking pretty sad on all fronts. He should be ashamed of himself for allowing the neighborhoods to look so bad.

Anonymous said...

Sam Brownback for President David Bower for Vice President.

A true pair of give corporate pupets.

Anonymous said...

The city may want to keep sales tax figures secret, but they can DEMANDED as a Freedom Of Information Act request. Label your request as FOIA and they will get the message and will probably charge you.

Andy Whiteman

Anonymous said...

The city not receiving any sales tax dollars from Walmart.

The city dug deep into its reserves to make the first payments for Walmart because the project was not finished on time.

The city paid property taxes for the land Walmart was built on.

Better be real specific when you ask for the freedom of information act. You may end up with a bunch of numbers that do not make sense.

The property tax payment and the early payments on the uncompleted project would not be covered by the sales tax information.

Remember that it is not a question of how much money the city collects in sales tax. It is a question of how much money they get to keep.

All of it is earmarked for debt retirement. The bond covenants also require that tax dollars earned in excess of targeted payoff of bonds go towards debt payment.

Walmart wins. We lose.

The sad thing is none of this could have happened without the help of our elected officials!

Anonymous said...

Anyone want to make book that the person voting against illegal sign clean up is a chair warmer at city hall?

Anonymous said...

Wal-Mart just one more example of corporate greed!

Anonymous said...

Paul Livius reported that Alderman Aziere questioned Hy-Vee being close to QT. It is the same way on State Line with both being 2 blocks of each other.

When I buy a house I check out what is near it before making an offer. I am sure Hy-Vee did the same. I think gas stations close to together is good for competition. When I was on Empty several years ago, I bought gas at Hy-Vee on HWY 40. At that time they offered a lower price with a grocery purchase. I don't know if they still do or not but they may draw business by linking it to a purchase. That puts them ahead of the competition.

Lower gas prices posted at:
http://www.whiteman.us/RaytownMO.html

I hope they keep going down.
Andy Whiteman

Anonymous said...

I just looked at the photos of the new homes in the redeveloped area of 5400 block of Laurel in the Raytown Times. These are miniature houses which attract many issues and should not be allowed. There are 3 similar houses behind me. ALL 3 have been a nuisance since they were built. 2 have been foreclosed at least once and one of the 2 is currently under foreclosure. They may be called "affordable" homes but they are really cheap miniature houses. Full sized, quality homes should be required. I would never buy a miniature house. In less than 10 years, this will be a problem area again.

If the city or any one would like to buy my house and put in a miniature house, it is for sale:

(It is a decent house at an affordable price but needs repairs.)

http://www.zillow.com/homedetails/10412-E-64th-St-Raytown-MO-64133/2400437_zpid/

Andy Whiteman

Anonymous said...

yep.. but the 270 plus people that work at walmart call it a paycheck.
think about the big picture.
jim

Pat Casady said...

To Anonymous 12:52 04/23/12,
Raytown can not be compared to Lee's
Summit as far as a downtown. Raytown has no
main street and 63rd st. has no or very
little space for retail stores.
Our Main Street group is manned by a lot of
good people that has only the best in mind
for this town but, they have little to work
with. Add in the fact that Raytown is bordered
on the north and south by big Wal-Mart stores
(less than five miles apart)
our down town doesn't have a chance for retail
even if we had the space.
That fact should go down in Raytown history as the
worst decision ever made by this town's governing
body. Not to mention how much the deal has cost
the taxpayers of this town in crime, money and
services.

Anonymous said...

My quess that one of the people who doesn't want to address the issue with the signs is our very own mayor.

I understand by more than one source that he stated at city hall that he doesn't want codes to enforce the rules on people.

It is no wonder that when our mayor doesn't want codes enfored our city looks like a dump and that crime is so out of control that the city officals have to push for a "Public Safety Tax".

I now understand why I have so many vacant houses on my street.

Anonymous said...

6:30PM, I disagree with your comment. I had a codes dispute about my fence just as Sue Frank went out and David Bower came in. I appealed to Mayor Bower that the code was not written clearly and I was not in violation. His reply was, "I don't get involved in codes issues." His statement is completely opposite of your "guess."

Anonymous said...

Andy,

I often wonder what is wrong with you!

Your statement supports what I said about Bower!

He doesn't get involved in codes issues because he doesn't want them enforced.

It is time for you to get out and enjoy the real world around you and not the one you think you live in.

If you did you might hear the stuff all those fine people at city hall including those elected say about your ongoing rambling at city hall.

Anonymous said...

I've been reading this blog lately. Pretty interesting thoughts. I watch the meetings at city hall and have got to say that some of those folks on the city council leave something to be desired. A couple appear to be social climbers that look like they want to use Raytown as a jumping off point for future political careers. the mayor seems to be short tempered with anyone who does not follow his staff's direction and the city council in general appears to be fearful of challenging his authority and direction. I get the impression a lot of these officials have been there a long time. Seems to me some new blood is needed at city hall.

Anonymous said...

1:23 PM, You said, "one source that he stated at city hall that he doesn't want codes to enforce the rules on people." If what you said was true why didn't the Mayor tell codes to get off my back? It cost over $1100 to comply with what they wanted.

Are you one of the tie wearing chair warmers? You must be if you know what they are saying about me. I really doubt that anyone at city hall would make that comment to my face.

7:18PM, Agreed, but it takes more that 20% of the voters to vote in the next election to effect a change. I suspect most of the votes come from friends or social groups of those who are elected. The general public doesn't care enough vote.

Andy Whiteman

Anonymous said...

Mayor Bower doesn't get involved in anything. He just wants his check every month. Just sayin

Anonymous said...

Sly James wants to run the KCMO School District, but couldn't even bring his own son up right.

It is no wonder that KCMO still is doing nothing to fix their old swer and water lines.

Wake up Raytown as under Bower's leadership our city is headed down that same path.

If you don't think so drive around our city and look at all the code violations then drive on into KCMO and you will clearly see the decline.

Anonymous said...

I see there has been a dead animal around 68th and Elm for the past several days and the city has made no steps to remove it.

Sure the animal control could say we didn't see it, but if the police have missed is it becasue they are not patroling all parts of the city.

If they did see it and didn't report it than why do the city departments not work together towards the common good for the city.

Maybe if the department heads lived in the city we would have better services!

Maybe if we had a creditable mayor he would require the department heads to live in the city!

Maybe just maybe, but this is just Raytown and we don't want anyone tied to city hall to work to hard.

Anonymous said...

4:21 PM, Did YOU notify animal control? You can't expect any department to "see it" and take action. The responsibility is yours to notify someone!

I agree about department heads living in the city but I wouldn't expect them to do a patrol. I would expect them to report anything out of the ordinary that they see in their travels around town.

Andy Whiteman

Anonymous said...

Andy,

We pay taxes for the police to patrol.

We even pay an extra sales tax for the police to patrol.

The police are part of the city as is animal control and therefore they should be talking to one another.

If not we are all owed a large tax refund!