RAYTOWN'S LEADING NEWS SOURCE

MOVIE MOMENT: V for Vendetta is a graphic novel set in a dystopian future United Kingdom imagined from the 1980s to about the 1990s. A mysterious masked revolutionary who calls himself "V" works to destroy the totalitarian government, profoundly affecting the people he encounters. The three plus minutes of the sound clip is from the movie which was released in 2005.


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THE PAUL LIVIUS REPORT

PAUL LIVIUS

Mayor Nominates Christine White for BZA (again!) BY PAUL LIVIUS

I was reviewing Tuesday’s Board of Aldermen meeting agenda this weekend and noticed that Mayor Bower has re-nominated former Ward 3 Alderman Christine White for the Board of Zoning Adjustment (BZA).

Readers will remember that the Mayor nominated Mrs. White earlier this year after she was defeated in her bid for re-election to the Board of Aldermen last April by Alderman Janet Emerson. White ran third in a four man race in her re-election bid.

At the time, the Mayor was forced to remove Mrs. White’s name from consideration when it was clear there was not enough votes for the appointment.

The part of this whole mess that bothers me is that there seems to be a revolving door at City Hall. No new faces on standing committees, no change except when the voters force the change at the ballot box.

How typical!

Here is what I wrote in the Paul Livius Report the last Spring when the Mayor made his first attempt to get Mrs. White appointed to the BZA.

“The Board heard a resolution appointing Christine White to a vacant term on the Board of Zoning Adjustment. Alderman Mock said there were three new members on the Board and they hadn’t had time to know what was going on with the Board of Zoning Adjustment (BZA).  Alderman Ertz reminded the Board that Ms. White had been on the BZA before, and she stepped down because she thought other people should be given a chance to serve.  Alderman Josh Greene said they would like time to review the information before voting.  He suggested the vote be delayed until May 7.  The Mayor said there was no reason to delay the vote.  He indicated the majority of the Board members knew Ms. White and could make the decision.  Alderman Jason Green cited the city ordinance that stated Aldermen have the right to conduct interviews with applicants.  He moved the vote be delayed until May 7.  That motion passed and the meeting was adjourned.”

For some reason, the resolution never made it back on the agenda. No doubt the Mayor has twisted enough arms on the Board to push White’s nomination through this time around.

GREG WALTERS

Let's Look at the Record BY GREG WALTERS

This week's column is in response to attempts by Raytown Times owner/publisher Randy Battagler to re-write recent Raytown history. In recent weeks he has ventured into fantasy land when telling his view of events in the wake of the failed attempt to bring a Walmart Neighborhood Market to Downtown Raytown.

Battagler writes of lawsuits and possible lawsuits in which the city may or may not be involved. He conjures up costs to the city of half a million dollars. He paints with a very broad brush. He has frequently referred to opponents of Mayor Bower’s plans for Raytown as a small group.

His chief target in most of the rants is former Raytown Mayor Sue Frank.

His premise is flimsy. His story telling is misleading. His attempt to vilify leaders in the Raytown community is unfair.

The following timeline will clearly show the string of events regarding the Walmart application. It will show that Mayor Sue Frank’s request for a Declaratory Judgment did not take place until AFTER Walmart had withdrawn its application.

It will also show that the Board of Aldermen rejected an attempt to reverse the zoning of the Green Space AFTER Walmart withdrew its application.

TIMELINE OF EVENTS:

APRIL 25, 2013: The Raytown Planning and Zoning Commission reject an application for a Walmart Neighborhood Market in Downtown Raytown. However, the Commission is only a recommending body. The issue is sent to the Board of Aldermen for a final decision.

MAY 21, 2013: The Raytown Board of Aldermen approve the application by a vote of six yes, three no, and one abstention. Newly elected Aldermen Josh Greene, Janet Emerson and Jason Greene cast the “no” votes. Alderman Jim Aziere abstains from voting.

JUNE 14, 2013: Word is leaked at City Hall that Walmart has decided to withdraw its application for a Neighborhood Market in Downtown Raytown. Four days later, the rumor is made official when City Administrator Mahesh Sharma reads into the record a letter from Walmart attorneys verifying the withdrawal of the application. In light of Walmart's withdrawal, Ward 3 Alderman Janet Emerson makes a motion to revert the zoning of the now pointless Walmart zoning back to its previous Town Square Overlay status. The Mayor rules the motion out of order and refuses discussion on the matter. Some Board members point out that language pertaining to operating hours of the proposed Neighborhood Market has been left out of the written agreement before them. City staff will later correct the omission.

JULY 2, 2013: Alderman Emerson places a motion on the agenda to revert the new Walmart Zoning back to a Town Square Overlay District. The motion is on the agenda. The Mayor cannot rule it out of order. After much debate, the Board rejects the motion by a vote of 8 to 2. By turning down Emerson's motion, the Board of Aldermen have left the door wide  open for Walmart to continue with the development at a time of its choosing.

JULY 2, 2013: The City is served with papers by the Jackson County Court. Former Mayor Sue Frank asks for a Declaratory Judgment returning the zoning on the Green Space to a Town Square Overlay District. The request is over 70 pages in length. The lawsuit asks that the Court rule on adjoining property owners behalf in changing the zoning because the city used illegal spot zoning and contract zoning in the application process. (see definition below)


If the lawsuit is successful, it will effectively shut the door left open by the Board of Aldermen's inaction on the matter. Had the Board approved Alderman Emerson's motion, there would not be a lawsuit.

FIRST WEEK OF JULY: Mayor David Bower travels to Bentonville, Arkansas to discuss matters with Walmart officials.

For more information about spot and contract zoning use these links:

CONTRACT ZONING
SPOT ZONING

Bicycle Shop Opens in Raytown

BLUE VUE BICYCLES / 4701 BLUE RIDGE BOULEVARD / 816-719-6980

Blue Vue Bicycles, a full service bicycle repair shop and retail outlet has opened its doors for business. The store is located at 4701 Blue Ridge Boulevard and is owned and operated by operated by long time Raytown resident Steve Shope and his wife, Marnee Higgins.

Steve has a long time passion for bicycles. He started racing BMX in 1979, went to road racing, mountain bike racing and cyclo-cross, and got his first job as a bicycle mechanic in 1984. 

In 2006, he went beyond basic bicycle mechanics to “Design and  Build” custom bicycle frames based on the riders body measurements and flexibility. Steve is recognized area-wide for his ability to create premium bicycles for both the recreational and serious cyclist.  

In July, Steve and Marnee decided to realize their dreams and imaginations by opening a full service bicycle shop that opened the first week of August. They focus mainly on bicycle repair and offer parts, accessories, as well as quality new and used bicycles.  Steve says, "if he doesn't stock it, he can order it."

They will be hosting weekly Thursday evening group rides, a monthly "get away" ride as well as bicycle maintenance clinics.

HOURS OF OPERATION:

Monday thru Wednesday and Friday:   5:30 – 8:00 p.m.

Thursday:   Steve’s Adventure Ride / 6:00 p.m. start (16 to 20 mile ride)

Saturday:   10:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m.

Sunday:     12:00 noon – 4:00 p.m.

SPECIAL RIDE EVENTS:

Thursday: Steve's Adventure Ride - 6:00 pm - Show and Go 16-20 mile group ride. Explore the roads of Raytown, Independence and Kansas City. Meet at Blue Vue Bicycles, 4701 Blue Ridge Boulevard. For more information call 816-719-6980.

FIT BOTTOMED GIRLS

The Mighty Chia BY GREG WALTERS 
The following article is running this week in Fit Bottomed Girls during their Fourth Annual Guest Bloggers Week.

 

In 1519, Hernando Cortez led the Conquistadors in their conquest of the Aztec Empire.

One of his acts of subjugation of the Aztec Empire was a decision to destroy their Chia fields. Chia was a staple of the Aztec diet — second only to beans and maize (corn) — it was used in nearly everything the Aztecs ate.

They would grind it to bake, they used it their religious ceremonies because the credited the tiny seeds with mystical powers that improved life, longevity and strength.

The Aztecs, who were a warrior race, had built their empire by conquering surrounding tribes until they controlled an area the size of modern-day Mexico. These warriors used chia as their main source of fuel during conquests and also used it to relieve joint pain and stimulate saliva.

Cortez believed that by destroying this important crop, a recognized staple of the Aztec culture’s strength, he could more easily control the conquered the Aztecs.

But enough about history . . . I want to share a more personal story.

Like most people reading this post, I grew up eating almost anything that was put in front of me. Blessed with a healthy metabolism, it never bothered me much until Father Time made his inevitable presence known.

On a visit to my doctor, I found that I had developed a high count of  “bad cholesterol.”

For the those who don’t know, cholesterol is the stuff that gunks up our hearts and, unchecked, can lead to heart disease or worse.

My doctor suggested that he may put me on statins, which are used to block our digestive tract from absorbing cholesterol into the bloodstream, thereby keeping it from clogging up our arteries.

The bad thing about statins is that they also block important nutrients from reaching the digestive system.

I’ve never a fan of putting any kind of man-made chemical into my digestive tract, so I began a search for alternatives to the good doctor’s plan. I went home, sat down in front of my computer and started researching cholesterol, statins and, hopefully, a better way to handle the problem.

First thing I learned was the best way to avoid high cholesterol is to quit eating it in the first place. It is in the meat we eat, dairy products and especially in processed foods, particularly those high in fructose and corn syrup which, unfortunately, is in most of what Americans eat.

So, I changed my diet. I did not become a vegetarian but ate enough green veggies, tomatoes and, what my sister and I called a diet of “roots and tubers,” to be ridiculed by those at work who ate mainly dead animals in their diets.

The next step was to find something better than statins to solve the high-cholesterol problem. The best I could find was to consume foods high in omega 3. I like to eat fish, which is high in omega 3s, but I live in the middle of farm country in the Midwest, so it is not practical to chow down on fish at every meal.

But there are plenty of health food stores who sell “fish oil” pills highly loaded with omega 3, so I began a regimen of fish oil pills twice a day.

It worked!

Six months later, my blood tests came back with positive improvement. My cholesterol was down but still higher than it should have been. I was determined to continue with the same program of roots and tubers, omega 3s and staying active.

On a vacation trip to Lake Tahoe, I met another doctor and his wife. I noticed that at breakfast she would sprinkle some sort of powder onto her cereal and in the evening, I saw her do the same with her salads. I did not give it much thought, and, since we did not see much of each other during the day, I never brought it up. As I was leaving the B&B we were staying at, she came up to me and made a point of saying that she could see I took good care of myself. She suggested that I should try adding chia to my diet. She handed me a couple of small packages of the seeds and told me to try them. When I returned home I read up on the “mighty” chia.

The first thing that caught my attention was that the chia is extremely high in omega 3s.

One thing that had always bothered me about fish oil is that you really do not know where it came from. I mean, does it glow at night because the fish it came from frequented the Sea of Japan? Was it made of material scraped off the floor of some dirty fish processing place in Russia?

Chia seeds come from Chia plants ( the proper name being Salvia hispanica). Because it is plant-based, there is not as much of a question of the purity of what you are eating.

Chia seeds, which are extremely high in omega 3s, are 20 percent protein and are a natural source of fiber, iron, calcium, niacin, magnesium, zinc and phosphorus. They are a natural anti-inflammatory, contain more anti-oxidants than blueberries and are clinically proven to lower blood pressure.

But what really sold me on chia was that six months later, after faithfully adding two tablespoons of ground up chia seeds to my coffee or tea every morning, my blood tests came back with an even lower cholesterol count than before.

In fact, my cholesterol count dropped well into the “normal” level.

Another benefit that I did not expect, but am glad I found, is that chia is fantastic for the digestive system.

I cannot be very graphic here, but to paraphrase my friend from Lake Tahoe: try it, and you will be amazed at the result. More plainly stated, add this tiny seed to your diet and you just might lose weight. So there you have my Chia story. Give this tiny seed a try and you will not regret it. 

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