Blogs don't matter: The Star, racism and money decide elections

Because I'm a big fan of the cRap music, Flava Flav and the film classic Action Jackson my inclination is to always bet on Black and vote that way as well.

In much the same way that I believe that remaining Indians (feathers not dots) should be the first people in line to get reparations seeing as how I see a hell of a lot of Black people around after their bout with the genocidal inclincations of the white man but I almost never see a Native brown person of this area . . . And 200 years ago this land was rife with those people. Not to say that Latinos of Mexican decent aren't culpable in the slaughter of the Native Americans as well because they certainly helped in the world's most successful example of genocide on which this country was founded and our way of life was secured.

ANYWAY . . . If you watched the election results closely what you might have seen is that White people voted for Funkhouser and Black people voted for Brooks in Kansas City. Just as I predicted, this is an election that's going to break down along racial lines. The (white) Northland voted for Funkhouser en masse and every Black person in town (non felon) turned out for Brooks as well.

So where do I stand? I know that's a question you haven't been asking yourself but here goes: Alvin Brooks has lit a bunch of candles for this city. Funkhouser has pushed a lot of paper. For the most part, I think both of those activities are mostly useless.

For me it comes down to crime and that's a topic that NO ONE can talk about without ruffling feathers . . . But considering that only 3 or 4 dozen people vote in local elections anyway, maybe it's time to ruffle a few feathers.

Early in the election Brooks made one paltry press conference in order to address crime in KC and then went to sleep in order to let Pat Gray handle his business. While resting your feet on a white guy and letting him do your work for you is a nice way to spend your day gig and it's the complaint I usually hear from most white people about their Black co-workers when nobody is listening . . . It's not exactly inspiring. Still, it worked.

As for Funkhouser . . . His (annoying) followers went all out and bothered everyone they could with his message . . . Mainly that better city services will make you taller and make your teeth brighter. I have to admit that I agree with him for the most part while pointing out that for the 16th most violent city in the USA, that message doesn't exactly speak to some of our more pressing concerns. Henry Klein pointed that out during his mayoral bid and I think Steve Kraske thanked him for his concern before turning his mike off during the last mayoral forum.

So let's talk solutions real quickly . . . My (not so) stupid suggestion: Bring back the Kansas City gun experiment. It's aimed at illegal guns so I don't think it'll offend the NRA crowd too much . . . And if they have a problem with so many 18-34 year old Black males being denied illegal weapons to kill each other more efficiently . . . Then you pretty much know where they are coming from and they can be ignored, seeing as how their organization is a paper tiger anyway.

One last thing . . . As usual the Star and the rest of the local media only report the news according to white people in Kansas City. Believe who you want and definitely don't trust me but according to the Kansas City election board Alvin Brooks beat everybody by a significant margin without doing much campaigning at all.


(Of course you'll find an excuse here to tell me how I'm wrong but these are the only numbers I've seen from a source I trust . . . Everybody else (including me) has an agenda on this one and is clearly in the business of peddling influence. I'll wait for the final numbers, I'll even post them but they don't matter next to the more widely viewed news coverage which you have to admit is almost always biased; very much like this blog.)

So, on this day after the election it's important to know where you stand: In the most violent city in the Midwest second to St. Louis (KC is always second to St. Louis) and in a town where the election was most likely the last thing on the mind of the average citizen.

I'm calling it: The vote the nobody cared about . . .

Blogging: The best way to lose a job in KC

By far, Mark Forsythe ran the best blog campaign of the recent election but he nearly placed lower than a Latino guy. Ew. As I stated previously, this is good new for blogs but bad news career advancement. While blogging may earn you an audience and waste your time, it isn't guaranteed to make any advances for the author in the real world and that's a good thing . . . If only for those of us who didn't really care for every other politico who was marginally interested in the blog thing but didn't have Mark's commitment, style or anything of substance to write.

I support Beth Gottstein

Let it never be said that I'm a sore loser . . . Loser is just fine.

However, like all people involved in politics I care about the good of this city and not my own petty, personal interests.

Therefore I think I should address the remaining candidates in the race that I was so integrally involved in during the past few months . . . I mean, c'mon I woke up before noon a few times to participate in the damn thing so I obviously have a major stake in the outcome!!!

And what I think is best for this city, what this town deserves is Beth Gottstein . . . And I'm totally serious. A vote for Doug Gamble would be a vote for a hotel on top of your head that is financed completely by your taxes.

Also, I did not know that Beth was a Hispanic advocate. It's true, according to the Star's coverage, less than a year employed at a Hispanic institution that has almost nothing to do with the lives of anybody but the dozen or so people who wear suits in this community qualifies you for a leadership position in the Latino community.



To be fair, being a manager at Kentucky Fried Chicken also puts a person in a position of leadership over quite a few Latinos in this town as well.

Still, I support Beth because I've seen what fighting the Tall Israelis gets a person. Mainly, dead babies and homelessness if you happen to be Palestinian. So, the way I see it there is nothing wrong with getting on the winning bandwagon!!! Very much like a weed carrier I'm not here to throw stones but to make sure that one of my betters gets all the credit they deserve and I'm no longer going to question how somebody who has never made more than six figures has the deep pockets to loan herself 50k.

No sir, questions about campaign finance are anti-semitic and (as we've seen) unproductive. Better to march in lock step on our way to invade Iran. I just wanted to let everybody know that the Tall Israelis who pretty much bought this election (which most of this city ignored) have my complete and unquestioning support from now on . . . Not only because I'm not very fond of Arabs either (I won't mention that they're both Semitic people because I don't want to confuse the point) but also because I feel that a broad who can wear all black, all of the time and perform horribly each and every time she opens her mouth (a rare feat for any woman) but still comes out on top . . . Well, more than anything she has my admiration and my vote . . . For what it's worth . . . I'm guessing maybe 8 bucks.

Tony loves his mama

Because so few people participated in it, you may not know that Kansas City had an election yesterday . . . Strangely, I was marginally involved in it. What did I learn?

Thankfully, nobody pays attention to this blog.

This not only frees me up to be even more nasty and hateful with the jokes around here but also gives me hope that blogging hasn't truly jumped the shark given that local bloggers luckily avoided one of those "look at who is blogging and their amazing influence" articles that invariably kill the momentum of a page the same way that "The best new artist Grammy" is nearly a guarantee that a musician will never be heard from again.

The best part of the election for me . . . Getting to spend more time with my mom. We made videos, delivered signs, hollered at each other and bitched about being broke. All together some of the best times I've had with the old lady since the days she took me to the Zoo . . . Which the cold weather thwarted but will probably resume this summer.

On a somewhat related note, my greatest fear is that I'm retarded and nobody has told me yet. However, just like the Special Olympics there is reward for coming in last place in Kansas City politics. I've received a hell of a lot of ancillary work (wedding videos!!!) from my efforts on the losing campaign and my mom tells me that the level of esteem from all of the dregs of humanity that she works with in the non-profit world has increased ten-fold as well . . . Note: As you know esteem is way easier to come by than money. But still, things are looking up!!!

Even in last place we got more votes than Becky Nace and together we learned a hell of a lot . . . Just like when she read me "Everybody Poops" . . . Has it been a month already?

Sooooooooooo, all things considered I had a good time actually seeing the sun for a few weeks. Now I'm back in this basement and my mom goes on with her life . . . I told her that I was glad to have spent so many hours with her and she told me "make sure you shut the door on your way down." But she said it really nicely so I'm sure she feels the same way.

I'm wide open

Whew, thankfully this election thing is over for me except for my bitching and moaning and that's just what I like . . . To be honest (???) I have no problem with nasty comments and the like because I'll be damned if I ever care what some annony d-bag on the Internets has to say about anything.

HOWEVER, my mama wasn't accustomed to how truly bad things can get in the blogosphere and since I live in her basement, I needed to do my best to "protect" her from nerds . . . Which was easily accomplished by a click of a few buttons and a few nasty comments of my own, in real life it would have required wedgies and women so I guess I'm lucky like that . . . Anyway, I just wanted to let everybody know that your anonny asshattery is not only welcome but also appreciated . . . You (we?) 400lbs folks with nothing to do during the day and wonderful insights about how to solve the world's problems are truly who this site is written for and I not only welcome but appreciate your comments . . . Enjoy!

- The management

By the way, I need to mention that Biochemical Slang is one of the best blogs out there

Check out the way that this blogger cuts right through all of the B.S. when it comes to who owned Al Sharpton's ancestors. Additionally, all of those MP3 downloads should keep you coming back for more . . . My favorite: (For God's Sake) Give More Power to the PEOPLE

Nice interface: Channel 9 provides the easiest way to look at election results

Seriously, this little web app is so much better to look at then what the election board is putting up. Good stuff, check it out.

The exception that proves the rule

One of my favorite local blogs seems to have some great live info coming from her site. Check out The Flossing of America for tales of their campaign night exploits . . . Sadly, no awesome lesbian photos :(

Live blogging is for losers

So election results come in just a few minutes from now . . . I went to more than 2 dozen different polling places this afternoon and everyone said less than 100 people came though the doors.

That polling places on Westport Road near State Line . . . Hilarious . . . Stayed there for 30 minutes and counted more than a dozen signs. at least 15 campaign workers and a grand total of 4 voters.

This is the election that most of KC couldn't care less about . . . I think it favors people with a lot of very ardent supporters but I could be wrong . . . Maybe Diebold is better at running this whole Democracy thing anyway because the story on the street is that no one, virtually no one is interested.

The Sign Says

My mom believes in the political process and Democracy and all that good stuff and I'm not sure I do. I don't remember voting to go to war with Iran but I'm pretty sure that's what is going to happen.

So here we are at the end of the campaign and I find that early on in the day everybody is pretty hopeful. I've talked with a few politico types last night (No homo) and they all think they're gonna win.

As my mom's one and only campaign donkey, I make no such claims. In fact, I'm pretty sure something dirty and full of vote tampering goodness will go down today but for the most part it won't be as important as a video of a squirrel using water skis or something similar.

Still, I'm pretty proud of my mom's blog and vlog entries that I helped with because they don't come off half as condescending or lame as the other video content that's out there from mayoral candidates and the like . . . Really, unless puppy dog eyes and mostly empty promises is your thing then there's not a lot to look for when it comes to video tapped messages from the candidates. But I digress . . . The point here is that I have no idea what influences people to make a decision (other than money, obviously).

I've always liked this time of morning because you never know what the day will bring. Certainly this town will see a lot of high hopes shattered, a lot more empty promises coming from happy folks at watch parties - The lamest of all local gatherings. And maybe there might be some surprises . . . I'm getting in on a bit of the action as well, so if you see a fathletic Latino guy hand you a piece of campaign literature . . . Please smile and don't make direct eye contact with me.

However, it's important not to overestimate what happens today. Considering that MOST PEOPLE don't vote in this town . . . A great many folks know that election day usually doesn't have a direct impact on their lives. Still, no matter the outcome (hopefully) I'll end up here in this basement typing about something else that pisses me off tomorrow morning.

Getting shot at a hospital isn't a total tragedy unless we're talking about Truman

KCTV 5 reports on KC's favorite final destination for rolling gun battles: "A security guard threw out some noisy visitors at Truman Medical Center, but the group apparently retaliated early Tuesday morning and now the guard is in the hospital after getting shot."

KC's urban po'folk would starve if it wasn't for overpriced convenience stores

Meiner's Thriftway leaving the Linwood Shopping Center

There's nothing going on but politics today

Well, that and the run of the crime and shootings. Still, this recent story: "Good Question: Traveling State Line Road" clues me into the fact that whatever politico wins today's election will bombard KC with reports on how they are nearly as good as the Second Coming.

NEW BLOG: Stay Red Kansas

Good stuff from a blog that's purportedly written by political insiders and not just pundits. So far, I like the tone and aggressive slant of the posts, which may just serve to remind people why they became Republicans in the first place . . . I'm guessing Dick Cheney and Halliburton don't rank high on that list.

Your first, First Fridays preview for next month

Kansas City Crossroads First Fridays for March 2007

Baby steps: Sharing information but not the debt load

Bills for stadium improvements will be shared with the county.

Send out The Rat Patrol!!!

Double bonus points for you if you remember the late 60's TV series The Rat Patrol, set in North Africa during World War II, which chronicles the adventures of a 4-man team of commandos.

I don't know what kind of group they're getting together to fight baby biting rodents on the Eastside but the City seems to be taking the issue pretty seriously.

Clearly, this town hasn't paid this much attention to local rats since that whole "stop snitching" b.s. a couple of years ago.

Sword fight in Kansas City!!!

Sad thing . . . This isn't the first time I've linked this kind of thing.

A Kansas City man was in serious condition after a sword attack.

One man apparently chopped his other neighbor's hand off with a sword.

It happened near Wabash and Rochester.

Police said the suspect pulled out a four-foot knife when he was on the victim's porch and just cut off the other man's hand.

Ouch. And again, this makes me think how I always shudder when random people on the street try to "ax" me a question.

LMC: The KC Mayor's Race Sucks

One of this town's premier conservative bloggers comes out for Funkhouser. Interesting. Here's the money line that's exceptionally accurate: "Part of the problem is Kansas City is infested with liberal Democrats, thus mostly Democrats run for the Mayor's office and if you are a Republican you make sure no one finds out."

Followup: Wesson OUT

Alonzo Washington continues to provide a lot of information about Call reporter Eric L. Wesson . . . It's pretty interesting stuff and details facts which reveal that the local reporter has had many run-ins with local figures that usually end up turning out badly for him.

Talking Dirty: Barnes blasts negative campaigning that isn't coming from her camp

Really? She thinks every voter in this town doesn't have a memory of her moves with Steve Glorioso -- who is the ALL TIME KING of dirty political tricks in Kansas City. With an empty arena that she conned this town into building, she'd do better to get on the phone herself and try and save this city from a $300 million disaster rather than worrying about other people's calls.

I'm not sure, but there was some expectation that she might endorse a candidate at this press conference but she only used it to prove that she's still got a misguided notion that there is a political career in front of her. As usual, she didn't do anybody any favors in this town other than herself.

WOST MAYOR EVAR!

What have we learned?

Actually, I'm a tad hopeful about politics in Kansas City . . . Mainly, because all I need is a few hundred thousand dollars and I could do anything short of killing a hooker in public and still be considered a serious candidate for Mayor.

This vlog entry I helped my mom create captures some of her thoughts about her first experience running for office in Kansas City. It's a tad bittersweet but ends on a upbeat note I think . . . As for myself, I've had a lot of fun with this stupid page during this campaign season and no matter what I consider myself the only real winner in this election because I have the mindset of a champion and the sole purpose of this blog isn't to convince you or sell supermarket specials but to create a glimmer of hope that there might be a place for an opinion that isn't sanctioned, endorsed or pushed upon the public by a media conglomerate . . . And that you don't need any dumbass writer (especially in my case) in order to think for yourself.

A threatening CALL

I'm proud to announce that Alonzo Washington gets this year's first TKC BAD ASS BLOGGER AWARD, not only because he has used his blog to address the problem of crime in Kansas City but also because he has taken the new media and used it to consistently piss off reporters. Alonzo has managed to evade most of the smear tactics that the Pitch pulls against any minority on their radar and now, according to Alonzo, a reporter from the Call isn't too happy that a voice from the Black community isn't being filtered through their pages. The message is loud and clear and speaks volumes about how influential one blog (other than mine) can be . . .

Seriously, if you ever wondered what a lot of reporters really think about this blogging thing . . . Simply check out the video above . . .

Democracy consistently in decline in Kansas City

As few as 50,000 voters on Tuesday in a city of 450,000 will make bad decisions that everybody will have to live with . . .

Overrated, inebriated but not exactly dumb

By now you've already heard that Jared Allen wants out of Kansas City . . . It's not a bad move but that has to hurt all of those loyal fans who celebrated this town's great white hope with all of the heart their little JoCo chests could muster. Still, like a wife involved with domestic abuse, they'll keep coming back for more as long as the people of KC proper are paying the bill.

The key to romance is a lack of creativity

Local Judge marries four couples on Valentine's Day . . . It's a bit of an old story but I'm a romantic or at least I try to bathe on the weekends.

In case you don't want to let Diebold do it for you

A handy sample ballot shows you all of the choices that the RNC will make on your behalf.

Best blog community in KC: Channel 4

No kidding. If you actually just want to go by nice folks making insights about the news, the place is completely underrated and the interface is not only extremely user friendly but also faster than blogger. Honestly, if I had the technical know-how I'd want something exactly like it . . . Only a lot dirtier with space for online hookups. Still, not to shabby and on the upswing if you check their Alexa numbers.

Damn it, I'm not giving an endorsement

Here's the thing about the primary election tomorrow when it comes to the race for Mayor . . . The the only thing that's certain about the "winners" is that the majority of voters (an ever shrinking minority) won't support either of them by any significant margin.

Additionally, I've been a bit disappointed in all of the mayoral candidates because they've ALL FAILED TO ADDRESS a fact of life in this city . . . Mainly that, the number one victims and perpetrators of homicides in Kansas City are Black males between the ages of 17-34.

Put simply, the stat I mentioned above was the biggest problem facing Kansas City last year and it went UNMENTIONED by anybody running for Mayor. More than anything crime effects every aspect of life in Kansas City and I challenge you to contend that you'll really care about trash pickup or potholes when somebody is sticking a gun in your face in one of the many, recent carjackings that seem to be gaining popularity in this town.

Still, for better or worse this town is stuck with these Dirty Dozen candidates and it's fun to sum up their ambitions with one-liners and stupid photos . . . Kind of like a recent roundup that The Pitch did a couple of weeks ago, only . . . Ya know, funny and not so homersexual.

Here we go . . . Here's something not so nice about everyone running for mayor:



My instincts are to always vote for the Black guy but it's hard to tell if Alvin Brooks is even running a campaign. He has been far too low key and it makes me wonder if he's somewhere at his desk asleep during this whole process.



Janice Ellis - This lady and her self-righteous campaign is the reason why Alvin Brooks will lose and this month's example (especially apropos for this season of Black history) that there is no such thing as unity when it comes to minorities and politics.

The award for craziest person running for mayor goes to John David DiCapo.


Not only has he publicly said that he's supporting Chuck Eddy but hearing him give his stump speech, I keep waiting for somebody to interrupt him and announce that "Live from New York, It's Saturday Night!" It's damn painful and if he's the representative of small business people in Kansas City then it's no wonder that so many of them have gone bankrupt or fallen victim to Country Club Kay.



Becky Nace was once vaguely Hispanic and now she's Republican. Strangely, both identity transformations have her working for white guys with far more power and pull than she has . . . Life is a bitch and this broad is so clearly bought and paid for that she nearly rivals a Republican trophy wife with an additional 30lbs of ass for good measure. Yeah!



Is it wrong that I just don't want the Jabba jokes to end? Certainly not, I might vote for Katheryn Shields because I think the State of the City address from a jail cell is exactly what this town needs to put local politics in their proper perspective.



Albert Riederer - If there was some kind of award for best retro politician this guy would win hands down. He is Kansas City in the 80's with the same style and the authoritative tone which indicates that minorities don't matter. It's a style that you've come to expect from prosecutors across the country. And I could actually get with that if he wasn't posing as a reformer rather than what he is: A friendly reminder of the good old days (Reagan years) when white guys were getting their confidence back, forgetting about Vietnam and attempting to fight off white guilt.



You will never meet a nicer guy (and bigger loser on election day) than Henry Klein.



Jim Glover would make an excellent mayor if he didn't happen to be the most boring politician this city has ever seen. All of the hack jokes apply in this circumstance: H. Roe Bartle is more captivating in his current state . . . Yadda, yadda, yadda. Too bad, because Glover is the only guy who has worked for neighborhoods as a politician and used his political office to help revitalize a blighted part of town . . . Yeah, that thing that every politico in this election has promised? Glover has actually done it. Too bad that he put everyone to sleep while getting that stuff accomplished.



It's official, Mark Funkhouser has used the power of the Internet to hook up with the most obnoxious, politically naive, self-obsessed and arrogant supporters in Kansas City. Take that online dating!!! You'd think he was Jesus to read some of these blogs and the fact that Funk's supporters are expecting any kind of change in this town only makes the situation even more laughable then the Star's fake poll numbers in support of their pick. Put simply, in a perfect world a reformer with no political baggage to carry would be wonderful if it were not for the fact that politics is compromise not merely compiling data or practicing cold Vulcan logic in order to screw over people who need indigent health care. While his cadre of Star Trek geeks might swear up and down that they're getting a different cup of soup then the one this town has recycled for years . . . There's just no proof of that yet . . . Only blind faith and bad slogans that everybody in this town copied from me (heh) and refused to give me my PROPS!!!



John Fairfield's poorly placed calls to potential donors after voting, along with his horrible panhandling legislation could be the best example of a decent candidate screwing up his own chances far better than anybody else could. I know the feeling, I'm my own worst enemy when it comes to bathing and waking up before noon as well.



Once again proving Star columnist Mike Hendricks is a dumbass and doesn't know what he's talking about when he's not repurposing this blog for his column . . . The London Eye is the most the world's most popular tourist attraction according to the most accurate encyclopedia in the world. They've built observation wheels all over the world and if any politico had a sense of KC like Stan Glazer did, they would also push for this idea over the many empty museums this town pays for . . . An attraction that actually attracted a crowd? That would be a change for Kansas City. I like Stan because more than any other candidate he represents KC and has been upfront about what his lack of elected office means and his only main goal of trying to be an ambassador for a town that not only needs someone to fix Country Club Kay's 300 million dollar mistake but also need to believe in itself once again (and that means more than getting hipster white kids excited about the latest trend in transportation) . . . And I guess to be fair I should crack wise about him . . . But, life isn't fair so I won't.



Finally, we all know that Chuck Eddy marches to the beat of his own drummer and you can only admire how he has completely ignored every single one of his constituents on Red Bridge Road. If those complaining folks were all women that he was having sex with, the guy would be my hero. However, what Eddy really represents is the endgame for all politicos in Kansas City. A great guy, with a decent record who let special interests and this nasty business of politics ruin what would have been an otherwise brilliant career . . . I'm obviously referring to his career as a drummer as pictured above . . . Rock on.

RAT BITES BABY!!!

While local mayoral candidates talk about issues you pretend to care about that don't really weigh on the minds of most of the city.

A new law might get Shield's name but not the same kind of chauffeur driven treatment

Missouri Republican trying to make you forget about your Medicaid or that fact that the war is going badly: Charlie Shields' bill would make mortgage fraud a crime in Missouri punishable by up to 15 years in prison.

Read the review so you can sleep through the show

A Lawrence blogger gives his critique of Delirium, Cirque du Soleil's arena touring group, at Kemper arena in Kansas City

Anonymity, evolution and the Internets

One of my favorite Kansas bloggers is back in high gear and posts some pretty intense thoughts on the ever-evolving state of ethics on the Internet.

Proposed Children's Museum in Shawnee seems like a smarter deal than Science City

From the folks who brought you "Beyond the book" and Wonderscope: The project's backers hope to have a 36,500-square-foot museum — with a potential price tag of $15 million — up and running by the summer of 2009. They say such a museum could draw 150,000 visitors a year from a six-state area. Hopefully, maybe KC leaders can visit and maybe read something about how to feed our less successful white elephants.

Before you start bitching about your bad weekend

Yes, I'm sure you have a lot of problems that your rich dad will have to figure out how to solve somehow (probably with his money) . . . These folks don't seem as lucky:

Fire Forces Lee's Summit Family Out In Cold

Seven injured in three-vehicle accident

Police: Man Shot In Chest

Kansas City shooting leaves two injured

The campaign lineup from KCTV5

Unfortunately, no exciting theme music or that announcer with the scary voice.

A slightly better place to dump dangerous things than your neighbor's lawn

'07 Household Hazardous Waste Collection Program for Greater Kansas City Area.

"Children, you're never too young to learn about Kansas City politics"

In this photo, local school children learn about sharks from Beth Gottstein. It's important that children learn that 100k can buy you just about any election you want. Also, the underwater creatures of the sea are pretty cool too.

Another important lesson . . . While white people may have different views on the subject, I'm guessing that condescending poses play worse then negative campaign messages.

Or you could just talk about trees like some model minorities and simply bore everyone to death.

Eh, it's not like I ever had a lot of faith in local democracy anyway but, like other bloggers I think sharks are cool if only because they have no politics and they keep moving constantly which is a lot more than you can say for public officials in this town.

Bad British cuisine and beer soon to move to Midtown KC

IrishKC reports that the Double Dragon on Main is being torn down to make way for a new local bar that could cater to this town's burgeoning British population (???). Also, nice to see they found a way to maintain the British Empire that doesn't involve exploiting brown people . . . That is, unless they hire an all Mexican kitchen like every other restaurant in Kansas City. Note: All food is basically Mexican food in this town with maybe one or two exceptions for the area's Viet Cong run kitchens.

So, if you were still wondering about The Superficial Plaza Chick

She revealed her identity over the weekend, her name is Steph McCarty and she's the blogger behind Rubrics Twist and Bowling Shirt. Hopefully, we'll more posts from the SPC and maybe the return of The Roast!!!

Bank suspect caught taking sushi break

Either this is the worst getaway plan ever OR truly a moment of Zen as a local bank robbery suspect takes what might be one of the worst planned breaks evar.

A man suspected in a robbery at the Commerce Bank in Brookside this morning was arrested a short time later while drinking a beer and eating salad at a nearby restaurant.

Kansas City police said a man wearing a green, hooded jacket walked into the bank shortly before 10:30 a.m. and said he had a weapon. About a dozen people were in the bank at the time, some of whom were unaware a robbery was in progress.

The suspect, carrying an undisclosed amount of cash, ran north from the bank toward the busy row of shops on Brookside Boulevard .

About 20 minutes later - after several Kansas City police units had responded to the area - Sgt. John Blomquist and Officer Bob Murphy spotted a man fitting the suspect's description eating alone in a back booth at Domo Sushi & Grill. The restaurant had just opened and he was the only customer

Huh, the story does note that the guy had a beer as well . . . I'd really like to know which kind and I'm sure this whole story could make a somewhat entertaining commercial . . . Which goes to show just how nice Brookside is, not even a bank robbery can create bad PR.

Same old silence in KC

As always, the end of winter weather is ramping up violence and the fact that so many folks don't want to cooperate with the police is typical: Gunshot Victim Unwilling to Aid in Investigation

Music to your eyes

The new, refurbished Music Hall looks awesome . . . No joke. It's one of my top 5 favorite buildings in Kansas City. The other 4, obviously, are strip clubs.

Your last chance to ignore the upcoming elections

The Star provides a list of the Final round of forums . . . I've been to quite a few with never more than a crowd of 30 and nearly an equal amount on stage. They're good to check out if you want a reason why not everybody thinks Democracy is the best idea in the world.

Without anchor, rudder or clue. Thank you Kay!

Channel 9 notes that "It's 228 days from the opening of the Sprint Center, and there is still no word on an anchor tenant."

Finally, a reason other than defacto segregation to move North of the River

375 Pounds Of Pot Found In Northland Home