New Jackson County Code

Jackson County ethics board supports a new code of ethics . . . I can only hope somewhere in there it contains a directive to the effect of: "No free chauffeur service from County employees!!!" But maybe that's too optimistic . . . Free Kathryn Shields!

Funkhouser's Failed Revolution: Appointing cronies, forgetting campaign promises

Today's Star article reveals that Funkhouser sought out Minuteman lady Semler and SHE DIDN'T EVEN APPLY to the Parks Board but instead Funkhouser asked Semler to serve in a phone call made just days before he announced his picks, BYPASSING the application process.

As far as the Semler thing goes, I'm tired of writing about it but the more important aspect of this story is that Funkhouser is betraying his own propaganda by foregoing his token gestures of inclusiveness and doing things in much the same way that Kay Barnes did before him i.e. behind closed doors and without the benefit of much public involvement. Put simply, his big show of accepting online applications was merely another goofy PR move. Quotes from The Star story put it much better than I could:

“What’s the point of the process?” Councilman John Sharp asked. “If you’re just going to appoint your buddies and friends, that’s going back to the spoils system Kansas City was infamous for.”

“What’s the saying? ‘He who has the gold makes the rules,’ ” applicant Zeke Amador said.

Applicant Lynda Callon, who works on the West Side and who supported Funkhouser in the mayor’s race, was more critical.

“He’s truly myopic and incredibly naive in a lot of his appointments,” Callon said. “I guess it’s business as usual at City Hall.”

As of now, only the Mayor's die hard supporters who stand to benefit personally can claim that he hasn't fumbled through his first weeks in office. No matter what your view is on immigration, infrastructure, TIF reform or how much you sit up at night and talk about TKC before having awkward and frustrated sex with your wife - It's clear that the promise of reform now seems like only a memory and the silly notion that Funkhouser was going to fix every one of Kansas City's problems with a flick of a pen or a click of a mouse has now (thankfully) faded away.

B-listers go bowling for KC area junkies

Steve Penn writes a nice (PR) article about a benefit for Renaissance West, a residential and outpatient addiction-recovery program, as he recounts the details of a night of (local) celebrity fun and games.

The best quote of the column, Meredith Hoenes reveals a relationship with the Kansas City area that reads like something out of an S&M book:

Hoenes started with KSHB-TV in 2004 as a traffic reporter.

“I never thought I’d stay in one place so long,” Hoenes said. “But Kansas City kind of roped me in and tied me down.”

Nice . . . And something tells me that if they could have displayed the local hotass newslady being tied down, they might have raised even more money to send middle income white people to rehab while the rest of the po'folk and brown people are sent up the river.

Even old ladies get greedy

I never really feel sorry for folks who fall for the old Spanish Prisoner con, not even old broads: 75-Year-Old Scammed Out Of $14,000

Local blogger Brad on the topic of "The Modern-Day American"

This is probably one of the best posts I've read from the longtime KC blogger and definitely worth a read.

Maybe the best Soccer info source in KC

If local soccer is your thing, you should probably read "Down the Byline" because it seems to have the beat pretty well covered - No homo!

Save us from Al-Qaeda and sparkler bombs

The X-man has a nice roundup of recent "Adventures in Stupidity!" around Liberty City Hall.

A second walk for Scooter & Company

Check Livewalking.com for more info on Scooter's second walk around Kansas City this Sunday.

KCP&L isn't planning on poisoning the people of Hyde Park anytime soon

Local blogger Toellner tells us that the power company is backpedaling, mostly because of a great post by Mark Forsythe and some follow-up coverage by Fox 4.

Blogging improves Black/Mexican/Branson relations

Visit Branson but before you do, visit the Branson blog because it's pretty damn informative and provides a great peek at the politics of the rural part of our State without requiring you to squeal like a pig.

Even better, I thought this photo of Melyssa Ford was a great (sessy) way to introduce a current series the guy is running on the topic of Branson race relations and the prospect of an apology for slavery that didn't happen.

Kansas City Mayor to the Latino Community: Funk you!!!

All right, I'm gonna make this short and sweet because I've covered this story as if it was the second coming.

Mayor Funkhouser stood his ground. As I sat in the balcony of the place I was just amazed at what a difference a few months and winning a narrow victory makes. Earlier in the year he came to the exact same spot and told Latinos in Kansas City he would listen to their issues . . . On this topic he simply said he wasn't going to change his mind and then looked bored as people from the Latino community expressed their concerns.

The best part of the story is covered by The Star: The Mayor's wife felt he needed police protection for the Westside Latino event and another previous engagement in "The Black part of town," apparently the only place the Mayor's people think he's safe is the Northland. This is just sad for two reasons 1.) Once again it highlights the talk of nepotism at City Hall because nobody elected that lady, her role is not clearly defined and she's making personal requests of top police officials - Her behavior is unprecedented as far as the spouses of past KC Mayor's go and her influence obviously runs deep. 2.) I've been on this blog typing that Mayor Funky doesn't know the first thing about minority communities in Kansas City since before the guy was elected - The fact that the Mayor's Administration thinks he needs bodyguards when he comes to our community and not in the Northland shows their elitist and hypocritical thinking. Clearly the guy was posing when he initially refused police protection. As far as the slight to the minority communities he has talked to, it's nothing I didn't suspect before but he really should have just taken the bodyguards in the first place instead of pretending he didn't need them . . . Once again this either demonstrates the horrible advice the guy is getting or his stubbornnesses.

It was nice to see the Latino Community united . . . This time around it wasn't just the leadership but people from the neighborhood who came to speak (plead) with the Mayor to reconsider his endorsement of a hate group. By the way, auto shop owner Charlie Lona is one of my new heroes. There wasn't any talk of immigration or amnesty or any of the buzz words that rile up the white people who listen to talk radio. Nope, it was just a number of pleas from Latinos to their mayor about the de facto endorsement of a hate group which were subsequently ignored.

Money line from The Mayor: "If this is your number one issue, you're entitled to it and if you want to talk about this for the next four years you're entitled to it." Obviously yet another sign that he doesn't know minorities in this town and especially the Latino Community. My Grandmother is still yelling at me for chair I broke in 1979. My 83 year-old barber still reminds me of the times I sang my kindergarten songs in his shop. Mexican-Americans have long, long memories. I'm assuming the guy is going to find more votes somewhere else because I know these people and they really can hold a grudge.

Small point here: There is no division in the Latino Community in KC Proper about this one . . . From what I witnessed and even from a couple of people I've talked to in Northeast . . . The only Latinos standing behind Funkhouser on this issue are those who stand to benefit personally. And that's cool, I know that I'd gladly cash in my credibility (If I had any) for a little bit of coin or a cushy position . . . Sadly, no one has offered. Still, it's hard to argue that anybody deserves a pat on the back just for looking out for their personal interests . . . Now the ability to juggle or play the harpsichord, THAT takes talent and deserves admiration.

The entire thing is going to be rebroadcast on Channel 2 if that kind of thing is your bag, baby.

A Kansas City Miracle! Another mediocre sports franchise could be coming to town!!!

The Star has a promotional piece described as a sports article claiming that The Nashville Predators are better than Wayne Gretzky and Kristi Yamaguchi put together . . . Ew.

Admittedly, I don't know dick about hockey but a lot of people who do say that trades and the prospect of NHL free agency have and will deplete the proven talent on the Predators roster.

Personally, I don't care because I don't like hockey and the folks in Canada are clamoring that the market for hockey in Kansas City stinks. Here's the most optimistic passage from a recent article on the subject:

To be fair, the new Sprint Center, where the Kansas City Cash Cows would lace up, is a state of the art arena, one which has blown away any NHL official who has toured it thus far. The rink is the jewel of a downtown redevelopment project and sales of private boxes have been brisk, suggesting the interest might be there.

Could it flourish there? Sure. But for how long?

"When we played there, they didn't promote us at all," Wilf Paiement (owner of the expansion Scouts who played in KC from 1974-76) said. "But with the way the league sells the game now, I think it could work in Kansas City."

There's the rub.

In Canadian markets like Hamilton or Winnipeg, you don't have to worry about selling the game.

Or tickets, for that matter.

Then again, putting teams in markets where fans passionately care about the sport might just be too novel a concept for hockey's movers and shakers to grasp.

And before you get too excited, let's take into account that local coverage is a bit slanted about the topic . . . There are still a lot of people who say that deal isn't going to happen like the owner of the team for instance:

Predators owner waves off report

And here is an honest question that I don't know that answer to: If hockey didn't work in Nashville, why should it work in Kansas City?

The novelty of the Brigade and their hotass cheerleaders is wearing off and they no longer play to sold out crowds . . . Let's not forget there are so many people competing for your entertainment dollar other than pro-sports . . . X-box, porn, Playstation, your girlfriend, your mistress, IPhone, casinos and paintball in a cave are all out there and they don't involve low scoring games and the a league that stupidly worked to end the awesomeness of the hockey fight . . . Which was the only reason to go to the games as far as I'm concerned.

Anyway, I'll believe it when I see it but I'm honestly curious as to what other people think on the subject.

Mixed signals from Stowers in KC because of Missouri's "persistent anti-science climate"

The current campus will be at maximum capacity by the end of 2008, still KC's Stowers Institute for Medical Research seems to realize that the fate of their expansion rests on the current crowd who don't seem to like their work in Jeff City.

The prominent medical research organization founded by mutual fund magnate Jim Stowers and his wife, Virginia, however, has purchased a 100-acre tract of land in Kansas City for eventual development. Officials declined to identify a specific location, but indicated it was near the current 11-acre campus just east of the Country Club Plaza . . .“Jim and Virginia’s support of early stem cell research in Massachusetts has already yielded important advances in the field, but we believe this work should thrive as part of our overall research mission in Kansas City,” Neaves said. “Unfortunately, the persistent negative political climate in Jefferson City is preventing us from recruiting the embryonic stem cell scientists we wish to attract.”

It's always a bummer to hear we can't get good people in Kansas City . . . Still, I'm sure once the P&L District is finished scientists and other qualified folks from across the nation will flock to "Electric Avenue" in Kansas City in order to eat at chain restaurants . . . That's the plan, right? Either that or the people of Kansas City might just want to invest building more megachurches so people can pray for their cures . . . Which isn't all together a bad idea and thankfully doesn't involve baby juice stem cell research.

KC MAST Debate revived in a few months

KC Council extends MAST contract 120 days

Santa might move to the suburbs, sorry little brown children.

Overland Park makes pitch to host Santa Claus convention

Kemper still costs KC

Council committee backs $700,000 subsidy (a major increase) for Kemper

Local IPhone insanity

I've always been thankful that people in Kansas City are cynical . . . After yesterday's FRONT PAGE NEWS on the Iphone from the KC Star . . . Leave it to the blogosphere to bring some common sense to the hype:

Why should you buy a $500.00 iPhone???? (Note: The answer involves boobies)

He's nice to the subject but I think I can sense him looking down on the guy: The First Person in line for an iPhone in Kansas City . . . Additionally, check out this new local page I've stumbled upon:

The Blog of an African Nerd

Here's more photos KC folks camping out for an Iphone at KCTalk.

Abort all hope of understanding Kansas politics

Yesterday afternoon Kansas AG Paul Morrison confused everyone . . . KMBZ reports: A high-profile abortion provider has been charged with 19 misdemeanors in a surprise move by a Democratic attorney general who supports abortion rights and unseated a prominent anti-abortion Republican.

Once again, Evolution-Nextstep does a good job in noting the confusion surrounding the story and refusing to participate in "Tillermania": "We’ll be seeing more fun stories like this in the media for months to come." I can't say I'll be looking forward to it and the argument over late term abortion is much less interesting (to me) than the catfight between Paul Morrison and Phill Kline.

A convenient place to catch criminals

Channel 9 reports what you already know . . . Convenience stores are scary for more reasons than their insane markup on food and drink: Police said a man wanted in connection with a fatal shooting at a gas station in Randolph was taken into custody after a police chase which ended after he crashed into a car at a gas station at East Truman Road and Ewing Avenue.

Gaelic in Greater KC

Send all your English Only comments to Irish KC. Personally, I think it's pretty cool.

Turning out for talk radio

LMC nicely sums up what the conservatives think about the "Fairness Doctrine."

Power to the people (???)

Forsythe does a fantastic job in explaining the current power problem in Hyde Park.

I understand that as the population begins to return to the urban core that power usage is growing . . . What I don't understand is KCP&L's short-sighted strategic planning in continuing to distribute power in the same way it's been done for a hundred years . . . Even more disturbing is the lack of leadership from City Hall in protecting one of our city's most historic and vibrant neighborhoods. Where are the gatekeepers? In any council district there should not be brick put upon brick without first approaching the city councilperson. It should be standard operating procedure that before the permits are applied for, before the letters of intent are drafted, the financing put into place, and the final plans drawn and stamped the community's leadership must be consulted.

All things considered, it's a pretty powerful issue about a topic that's probably going to be a hot button issue and a clear indication about who has the power in this town.

Listen to EJ and Ellen this morning

I've started to and they're pretty good. Also, I'm gonna be on KMBZ 980 this morning at around 8:35 if I can come up with anything to post about other than my involvement in the (utterly non-existent) Operation Reconquista!!!

Just say no to nepotism: Sweet Tart Tara is bothering people with better things to do

Because you are one of the many busy, important and attractive people who read this blog, you probably don't have time to read the tripe that the Funkhouser Administration is posting on their blog.

Well, you're only missing out on one important thing . . . The diary of Mayor Funky's Daughter.

Sadly, it's not as scintillating or EROTIC as I had hoped from a liberal broad going to college back East but her sense of entitlement is astounding.

And before I go any further . . . I have to stress that I had some reservations about writing a hit piece regarding the Mayor's daughter but those concerns were slowly put to rest by the fact that the Mayor himself has offered her up as "one of his representatives" and if she's old enough to hang out at Westport clubs showing lots of cleavage then she's old enough to be called on the B.S. her family has pulled on Kansas City.

Just like Mayor Funky's witchy wife, I don't remember anybody voting for Tara the Tart.

Her recent excursions all over City government (escorted by that sellout Crispin-what's-his-name who has been seen so close to her that he could probably get a whiff of her drawers by simply inhaling) have elicited quite a bit of grumbling and nasty e-mails to TKC about the appropriateness of her prancing around City Hall like she owns the place.

Even worse, Mayor Funky has sent her out to meet with community leaders who have also expressed a bit of discontent that their concerns are being met by somebody on summer break . . . Neighborhood leaders have worked years to build relationships with their community and City Hall, most of them are older folks and having a 20 something tart show up to "hear their concerns" is tantamount to an insult - Mayor Funky would know stuff like this if he hadn't been hiding under his desk for the past 30 years and wasn't just getting his feet wet when it comes to community relations.

Additionally, I think this is yet another example that Mayor Funky isn't at all loyal to his propaganda about "regular folks" given that he's running his office like a family business. For a moment, lets forget that rumors are swirling around that he has actually turned to his wife during public meetings and asked "What do you think?" And let's just focus on his hottie daughter (yeah!) . . . It's the perfect example of white privilege . . . There are undoubtedly young women who are being denied the opportunity to serve in City government because Tara's daddy wanted her to see how his office worked while other interns or more qualified people who could be doing the same thing that Sweet Tart Tara does are sent to the back of the line . . . I'm no feminist but I'm pretty sure that having a broad's Daddy put her in a prominent position related to City Affairs is probably one of the classic attributes of the patriarchy.

And to put it plain and simple: It's pissing people off. City employees, Neighborhood leaders and community activists have better things to do than babysit the Mayor's twenty something daughter. As I noted previously, City government isn't a family business and it's not a project suitable for a "How I spent my summer vacation" essay either. If the Mayor's office wasn't filled with inexperienced people, yes men and women who are VERY interested in Tarot Cards then they probably would have advised the Mayor more carefully on this topic and kept Sweet Tart Tara from interloping at City Hall.

Goodbye Greg Reeves

Crime Scene KC is the highest trafficked blog in Kansas City, James Hart who now runs the page contends that none of it would have been possible without Greg Reeves. I believe him. Hart has written a eulogy for Mr. Reeves and it's worth reading as a post which documents this thing we call local blogging.

Alonzo knows All!!!

Check it: Crime fighting activist knows who robbed the Bank of America yesterday & is reaching to them on the popular web sites Youtube.com & Myspace.com.

By now he could have already alerted authorities and the guy could be in jail. It's just amazing to note that Mr. Washington has this many resources and information on what's happening related to crime in KC and he should definitely get some (even more) recognition that regarding his pioneering efforts against crime on the local blogosphere.

Fighting back against Funky?

Tonight Mayor Funky is taking his dog and pony show to the Westside (Guadalupe Center at 5:30 p.m. to be exact) . . . I'm interested in what will happen but not really interested enough to attend the public meeting. My old boss, Joe Arce from KC Hispanic News is going to moderate and truth be told I think the thing is going to be a calm, rational, open exchange of ideas that really isn't that interesting to me whatsoever . . . Now if people were actually going to show up and yell at the Mayor for stabbing the Latino Community in the back, THAT is an event I'd be eager to attend.

Yet, despite what you hear on Talk Radio, the Latino Leadership in Kansas City aren't gun toting Mexican nationalists but rather reasonable folks and far too nice. My only hope is that a few people from the neighborhood show up who aren't professional Hispanics and let the Mayor know what they're thinking - Note to the newsies who are forced to cover this event - Just one crazy in the crowd might make for some good TV!!!

A little yelling would be nice but it's probably too much to hope for since so many so-called leaders (who represent no one) are surrendering to Mayor Funky's whim, while the overwhelming majority of Mexican-Americans in Kansas City are for Comprehensive Immigration Reform and against the Minutemen if the attendance of thousands of people a local rallies for these causes over the past two years are any indication.

The joke is on you in July

Whether you want an inclusive and realistic plan for light rail in Kansas City or maybe your heart is really set on gondolas, you'll probably be disappointed: The outcome of the July light-rail summit will determine whether Funkhouser has Chastain’s support when he takes the issue back before voters a second time.

Blunt Backs Indy Schools Bailing Out

KSHB reports: Parents in the Kansas City area who want their children in Independence schools got one step closer to their goal Wednesday, when Gov. Matt Blunt signed a law changing the process for moving school district boundaries.

A great article about public housing in KC

I hate to hand it to The Pitch on this one but there is a ton of amazing info on how the public housing authority operates on the ground level . . . Definitely worth a read, I'm only halfway through it right now.

"I hate the immigration debate for that very reason, it seems to bring out the ugliest side of all people."

I kind of have to agree with "Conservatism With Heart" on this one. I know that my Grandma gets pretty obnoxious about getting her amnesty and then making her way to the nearest welfare office right after she votes Democrat 4-5 times.

"It can always be worse."

A great bit of wisdom from the wonderfully titled local blog "Smells like Bullshit."

Tillermania!!!

Evolution-Nextstep explains the recent kerfuffle over the case against a Kansas abortion provider and the ensuing Morrison vs. Kline Catfight far better than anyone in the corporate media.

Go Tony, it's ya birthday!

Posting is gonna be light today people because I've got better things to do like eating Chinese food and working on my Unified Field Theory.

I'm 33 years old today (I think) and running one of the most powerful fully ARMED and OPERATIONAL battle stations blogs in Kansas City makes me feel pretty good about my accomplishments thus far. I can also play the violin, speak Spanish at a 3rd grade level, quote the film Pulp Fiction verbatim, explain the term cognitive dissonance, cut my own hair and tell you exactly why Top Gun is a ghey movie.

All things considered, I'm at the top of my game . . . And that's not just me who claims as much but the mother of a small toddler that I saved from oncoming traffic while bench pressing a Ford Truck outside of the gym told me so the other day.

So, while entertaining, informing and providing moral guidance to an entire city can sometimes be a thankless endeavor . . . I've enjoyed the time that I've spent with you d-bags and I know that I'll miss this blog when Nancy Pelosi eventually includes the Internet in the Fairness Doctrine and all media related to politics will be as boring as PBS.

Until then, this blog is still my favorite distraction and I'm always lucky and surprised that so many of you show up to read and tell me I'm wrong every day. Thank you!

Finally, two things occured to me today . . . I'm as old as Jesus was when he died AND while I feel great, I'm so thankful for my life and think I have a pretty good grasp of popular culture . . . I was surprised to learn that the kid on the cover of Nirvana's Nevermind is now 17 years old. Amazing . . . The world keeps turning.

Funkhouser forsakes Latino Leadership

When Mark Funkhouser was campaigning he went hat in hand the Latino Community telling them that he understood their issues, saying that he was going to make City Hall just as diverse as Kansas City and that he wasn't going to pursue anti-immigrant legislation that has cost other cities hundreds of thousands of dollars. Even better, Funkhouser promised that he was going to make an increased effort to promote communication between City Hall and the Latino Community . . . No matter how you feel about these issues, whether or not you think every Mexican in KC should be deported - These are the promises that Mayor Mark Funkhouser made to Latinos - Do your own research and check back issues of KC Hispanic News and Dos Mundos if you don't believe me.

Like most things that politicians say, it was nothing but B.S. and now that he's in office not only is he stubbornly standing by this Semler Minuteman lady but also (more importantly) . . .

Mayor Funky recently refused a meeting with the Latino leadership because they wanted to bring too many representatives to the discussion.

Instead, Mayor Funky is putting on some kind of silly town hall where he holds center stage and pretty much runs the press event.

Of course all of this bad news was delivered by the Mayor's favorite little sellout Crispy-whatever-his-token-ass-name-happens-to-be . . . Too bad such a bright kid is falling for the same lie that most Latinos in Kansas City stopped believing months ago. I guess people drop their ideals and loyalty pretty easily when a paycheck is involved:



Anyway, there are two different versions of an e-mail where the Mayor declines to meet with local Latino leaders, so if you know a Latino other than me (unlikely) you may want to check it out for yourself.

Personally, I'd never go to such nonsense (the Guadalupe Center meeting) because it's nothing more than a PR event where the Mayor gets to pat his favorite tokens/sellouts on the head. Also, it's not news anymore . . . Which is really how politics works, the headlines are gone but the real work of civic activism begins and I'd much rather go see Romeo and Juliet at the Heartland Shakespeare Festival.

Anyway, word around the campfire is that La Raza is going to withdraw their support of Funkhouser very early into his administration because he has done nothing but continually slap local Latinos in the face. (Note: please before you start with all the "La Raza = Racist = "The Race" = Mexican Nationalists" garbage . . . La Raza Political Club in Kansas City is run by 80 year-old Lali Garcia who really only wants the neighborhood kids to keep off of her lawn. Additionally, Mayor Funkhouser has rejected meeting with Lali as of late too . . . Which again seems odd because I thought he was moving in to her house as much has hung out there when he wanted in office.)

It's all kind of weird considering that they guy who only had a razor thing margin of 840 votes thinks that he doesn't need the support of Latinos in KC and mistakenly believes that Latino voters from all walks of life won't hold a grudge.

Additionally, I know so many people (talk radio show hosts) like (endorse) these kind of slights and public signs of complete disregard for Latino voters in KC proper recently undertaken by Mayor Funky . . . But it's important to remember that Funkhouser didn't bill himself as an anti-immigration candidate who would stand by hate groups geared toward kicking my Grandma out of the country. In fact, he worked to give the appearance that he would give consideration to Latino issues, he chatted up nearly every Latino in Kansas City (including yours truly) and won their support by a 67% margin . . . By all accounts it looks as if THEY FELL FOR IT.

Now as far as the rest of the City goes . . . The jury is still out as to whether or not Funkhouser will follow through on the promises he made regarding infrastructure, access and whatever . . . But for folks interested in Latino issues like immigration, equal employment (other than token) at City Hall and working with community leaders: LATINO VOTERS IN KANSAS CITY WOULD HAVE BEEN BETTER OFF VOTING FOR ALVIN BROOKS.

And the only people standing with Mayor Funkhouser now from the Latino Community are either sellouts or others who stand to benefit personally.

In this instance there is no use arguing with me not only because I'm always right but I doubt that white people on the Internet know the Latino Community better than me considering that I've covered the topic in one Community paper after the next for the better part of 10 years and also given the indisputable fact that TKC is the most important Latino in Kansas City.

UPDATED: About an hour after this post was published Mayor Funky's office was on the phone scrambling to every Latino in town about a new meeting with Latino leaders for sometime in July. You're welcome, so called "Latino Leaders" you can thank me some other time. As of yet, I haven't received my invitation but I expect one soon given that:

TKC is the most important Latino in Kansas City!

Bacon at The Record Bar

There is no denying that Greg Beck is the best blogger in Kansas City . . . This slice of life post about a popular KC club proves it . . . Additionally, It think a recent post entitled "I wanna be a supermodel" is probably one of the funniest things I've read from any blogger who calls Kansas City home.

Anthrax scare in KC, sadly I still can't find my old CDs of the same name

From Channel 9: Authorities are investigating a package containing white powder that was opened in a mail handling room at the Internal Revenue Service Wednesday morning.

Officials said two IRS employees were exposed to the package, which was labeled "anthrax." The return address on the package was a prison.

Kansas City sold for 30 bucks

A pretty interesting Pitch article profiling a stupid web app called Weblo and people bored, lonely, dumb and rich enough to buy "virtual real estate." Sadly, real estate is still a scam even in cyberspace.

Killing Latinos isn't really a crime in KC

Crime Scene KC posts all the pertinent details on this case you might remember involving a 300lb father and son team killing a 115 guy at a Waffle House on Front Street back in 2001 and claiming self-defense because the dead man allegedly threw a butter knife their way. Alleged misconduct by the prosecutor was cited as the reason the conviction was overturned for the son.

And the lamb broke the second seal . . . Royals win two in a row.

Even Forbes.com is amazed: The Royals, with the worst record in the league (32-46), have won the first two in a three-game set after Los Angeles matched a franchise record by winning nine consecutive series. The Angels hadn't dropped a series since last month, when defending AL champion Detroit took two of three from them.

Scary Suburban bank robbery

Fox 4 has some pretty interesting details about today's bank heist at the Bank of America at 108th & State Line in KCMO: The would-be robber jumped out of some bushes near the bank at about 8:00 a.m. and hit the bank manager in the head with a pistol.

Two tellers were in the bank at the time.

The suspect forced his way inside. He made all the employees get on the ground, and crawl toward the bank safe which he attempted to get the employees to open.

The safe didn't open. So, the robber took money from the teller drawers.

He left in a car owned by one of the tellers. The car was later recovered.

Liberty, thankfully not blowing up

Slow news day I guess . . . Normally, the ghost of Lincoln could show up to Liberty and no one would care. Still, pipe bombs mailed to Liberty City Hall is pretty scare. brought to Liberty City Hall by public works employees is pretty funny.

They hate TKC but LOVE their bicycles

ACCUSED.. OF HAVING SEX WITH HIS BIKE: Yeah, TKC doesn't think City resources should go to fund the (dangerous) hobby of a small clique but still this crazy cabal of biker short wearing and bicycle fornicating folks want this whole town to get behind them (ew). Link stolen from the Funkhouser cheering section a.k.a. the white people at the KC Rag Forum.

The Road to nowhere

Downtown ramp closure is delayed until Thursday . . . Hopefully, this ramp will be ready by the time they DON'T find an anchor tenant for the Sprint Center OR the unlikely event that the P&L District will be able to host a huge crowd for anything other than its opening weekend or heavily subsidized events.

It looks bad from any angle

Pictured above is the photo that The Star decided to go with in their coverage of Chief Corwin recommending that an officer is fired for using unnecessary force.

Personally, I think the image that KSHB used to document the case was more powerful.



In any event, Alonzo Washington describes the significance of the case clearly:

"This is why Black people don't trust the police!"

And I think that's probably the message that the second photo gets across more effectively given that the guy being slammed down on a car hood, choked and humiliated wasn't arrested and wasn't holding drugs.

People often decry the stupid "stop snitching movement" or the lack of cooperation with authorities in minority communities and then contrast those generalizations with the eagerness to work with police from some suburbanites when it comes to looking for missing white women . . . While all of the examples I've cited are drastic extremes regarding each community, I think this dramatic image and all of the unpleasantness that it implies provides ample evidence that the supposed differences in attitudes concerning the police aren't completely unjustified.