With all the ice and cold we have seen the following video seemed appropriate. Hope you enjoy Lindsey Stirling’s . . . Crystallize

For you Phantom of the Opera fans you have got to check out Lindsey Stirling’s version of . . . Phantom of the Opera

Greg Walters

Corrections to the Raytown Times BY GREG WALTERS     

What do you do when a news source blatantly mis-reports the news? We gave this some thought after reading the Raytown Times this past week. A front page story named Proposed Walmart Grocery Draws Ire was so full of falsehoods and misrepresentations that it could not go unanswered.

The best solution we could find was to simply tell the truth. Let the readers sort out what they want to believe.

Then, one of our local bloggers beat us to the punch. Elisa Brietnbach, owner of Doughboys Doughnut, posted the following comment Saturday morning.

We could not have done it better. Well said, Elisa.

Elisa Breitenbach said...

       

      Randy Battagler reported that there were about 30 residents who attended the Raytown Board of Aldermen meeting on Feb. 19th to express their displeasure with the Aldermen for selling the "Green Space" property to Walmart. The problem with that story is Ed Clark (who is an local accountant here in Raytown) counted 90 different people who attended the meeting that night. Ed did not count any of the city officials in the front or back of the room. Bob Phillips may not have the slightest idea why this has raised such a "hub-bub" about a Walmart grocery store, but then again he doesnt even live in Raytown! Raytowners are not as naive as Randy Battagler thinks. As an owner of an official newspaper, Randy knows it is unethical to write falsehoods and publish them. Many people who read his paper know the truth. Randy is making himself look unprofessional, and frankly very ridiculous.

Just the Facts . . .

Following is a breakdown of the errors in the Raytown Times.

Battagler reported that . . . “about 30 residents attended the Raytown Board of Aldermen meeting to express their displeasure with the aldermen for selling the former Baptist church property to Walmart.”

FACT: I attended the February 19^th meeting in question. While the speakers were making their presentation I did a head count of participants. There were over 75 people in the Council Chambers. Not only did I take the count, but I also asked that Jason Greene, candidate for Ward 2 Alderman, assist by taking account as well. His final total verified my count.

I also took pictures of the audience. Those pictures can be viewed by scrolling down to last week’s edition of the Raytown Report. The angle used taken the pictures only shows about two-thirds of the audience. The number of people shown totals 48. I can assure Mr. Battagler that the rest of the chairs in the room were not empty.

It is interesting to note that Battagler reports that “30 residents attended the Rayotwn Board of Aldermen meeting” on the front page of his paper. On page four under Randy’s Reflections, he reports that “40 folks showed up”.

Battagler wrote . . . “a half dozen residents addressed the board.”

FACT: Actually, there were seven speakers. Their names are: Janet Emerson, Chris Merrill, Edward Clark, Elisa Breitenbach, Sandy Worley, Teresa Swisher and Jeanette Gentry.

Battagler wrote . . . “(he) thought the Mayor did a brilliant job of handling the public comments portion of the meeting.”

FACT: It would have been more accurate to say, given the circumstances, the Mayor did his best at damage control. He all but admitted that earlier public comments from City Hall denying that Walmart was the entity involved have turned out to be completely false.

Battagler wrote . . . “The city received $650,000 for the land that was appraised at $500,000.”

FACT: In political circles this is known as “lying by omission”. True the land is currently appraised at $500,000. What he forgets to tell is that the land was not vacant when the city bought it. There was a large church on it has since been demolished. Over half a million dollars was spent removing that structure. In other words, the city has under-valued the property by more than half.

Who needs a TIF when the land is given to you at half its value?

A SAD DAY FOR RAYTOWN

Local Recycling Service to End BY PAUL LIVIUS

Raytown Public Works Director Andy Noll told the Board of Aldermen that the city will be closing its recycling center at the Public Works Garage on March 29^th unless a new location is found for the service.

The reason given was that not enough recyclables were being collected to justify the pickup and hauling away of recyclables.

Raytown’s recycling center has been in continuous operation for over 15 years. It was moved to its current location when the Walmart on 350 Highway was constructed.

It was rescued from closure in the 2000 budget year when budget constraints threatened to close down the operation. Former Ward 1 Alderman Greg Walters lead a fundraising drive that eventually raised $9,000 to keep the center in operation.

“Qualify of life in a community is measured in many ways,” said Walters. “One of those ways is the opportunity for people to give back. There are many people in Raytown who believe in recycling, it is a sad situation when a good project likes his is shut down,” continued Walters.

Public Works Director Andy Noll said the city will try to find another company willing to provide service to the city.

FIT BOTTOMED EATS

The Mighty Flaxseed Gets ‘Things’ Moving (With a Recipe for Muffins!) BY KAREN

Flaxseed muffins to get things a movin’.

It happens innocently enough. Maybe you’ve been skimping on your water intake, or you’ve taken to gulping dinner over the kitchen sink. Perhaps that surprise promotion at work led to a celebratory chocolate-cake binge. Whatever it was your—ahem—southbound lanes have come to a screeching halt. Do yourself a favor and take a pass on the medicine cabinet and use good food as the cure instead.

If you read a lot about nutrition, sooner or later you are going to come across the mighty flaxseed. They are being called “the most powerful plant food on the planet” and a must-have for health and wellness. How we have survived this long without adding them to our daily routine, I have no idea. READ MORE

RAYTOWN COMMUNITY EVENTS

Sponsored by Raytown Parks and Recreation

CANCELLED

Raytown Three Trails Kiwanis Trivia Night on March 2

RESCHEDULED MARCH 23 - 24

Rice-Tremonti Spring Soup and Craft Days was March 2-3

Throw off the winter blahs with a hearty lunch of home-made soup, fresh-baked cornbread, dessert and beverage. Also, purchase the perfect gift or decorative item, hand-made by one of the several local crafters. Click for details.

Mayor's State of City Address, March 13

Mayor David Bower’s will deliver his annual State of the City address. Raytown elected officials will be on hand to meet and greet guests prior to lunch and Mayor's address.  Click for details.
 

Raytown Quality School's Legislative Forum, March 15

Join RQS, along with the school district and city administrators, parents and patrons to interact with our legislators on issues that impact the City of Raytown and our children and their education. Click for details.

Raytown Night with the Mavericks, March 22

Don’t miss the fun and excitement – join your community for a great evening sponsored by the Raytown Chamber! TICKET SALES END March 8! Includes from 5:30-6:30: $1.00 Hot Dogs & Soft Drinks, $3.00 Hamburgers & Nachos, & $3.00 Beers! Click for details.

MCPL-Raytown, March

The Mid-Continent Library of Raytown's events can be found in the right margin of our calendar or Click for RSS Feed Tax Help for Seniors continues, storytime, book clubs, internet, business, cooking and craft classes, and more!

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