Breaking News: Gas leak on the Plaza

The Kansas City Fire Department had the Kansas City Public Library on the Plaza evacuated just now, due to a gas leak.   Department trucks are on the scene now.

A benefit for JJ's Restaurant!

 

The Greater Kansas City Restaurant Association, all Restaurant Week participating restaurants and many more restaurants from around the city are sponsoring a one night only event on February 23rd. 

 

It will be similar to Restaurant Week and 100% of the proceeds will benefit the staff, employees and victims of the tragic expolosion and fire at JJ's. 

 

Let's show them how much Kansas City cares! 

 

Will post more information here, as it's available.

You can also make a contribution here: Fundraiser for the employee's and staff of JJ's Restaurant

More than $12,000 has been raised here (at Indiegogo) already.  Good on you, Kansas City!

Note to Ed Ford and the City Council of Kansas City, Missouri

I don't think I'm being presumptuous here by pretending to, singlehandedly, speak for the citizens of the entire city but I think I'm safe in sending you this following note:

After the City Council's Planning and Zoning Committee passed a preliminary resolution this week this week in favor of the new Tomahawke Ridge housing community, North of the city, we, the citizens of Kansas City, whom you are supposed to represent, want you to know

WE DO NOT WANT THE TOMAHAWKE RIDGE DEVELOPMENT TO GO FORWARD.

And we don't want it for the following reasons, at minimum:

--It contributes to sprawl;

--It's too far from the city;

--It weakens the city's core further;

--It is 25 miles from the city's core;

--It will be difficult, at best, to give it fire protection;

--Our own Fire Department doesn't recommend it;

--The City Planning Department doesn't recommend it;

--The City can't even clear our streets now, with what we've got, let alone if we add 300+ more homes;

--The City can't even tend to our own street maintenance now, with what we've got, let alone by adding all these more miles of streets;

--The City can't even tend to our sewage system now, with what we've got, let alone by adding all this much more sewers, drains and pipes.

And that's just for starters.

We don't want it.

It isn't prudent, to use an old phrase from Saturday Night Live.

But we're serious.

And we mean it.


Thank you,

The citizens of Kansas City, Missouri

Is this city getting collectively more stupid?

I don't mean to be alarmist or to over-react but really, that's the question I come up with today.

Of course, we have our stupid and irresponsible mayor and his wife, supposedly to lead us and they've proven themselves, time and again but now all this.

Something called a "Tomahawke Ridge" subdivision to add 316 more acres and more than 600 homes, eventually, to the city is being considered today at 1:30 pm by the City Council's Planning and Zoning Commission.

(I ask again, too--since when does the Native American Indian word "tomahawk" get a British "e" on the end? Answer: when you want it to sound expensive or special. And you're a developer).

It doesn't look good.

It looks as though this council wants to pass and accept this bone-headed boondoggle.

Forget that we can't take care of our streets and sewers already, with what we've got. Forget that there aren't enough fire stations up that way already and that the Fire Chief thinks it's likely not a good idea. Forget that they city planners think it's misguided sprawl we shouldn't do or have. And forget that it further weakens the city's core.

Forget all that.

Some developer wants to make money--and likely give some to Council members, in the meantime.

Hell, yeah!

So what should happen won't and it looks as though we'll get this thing.

Dammit.

(And when did our local paper cover this locally important story? Yesterday. Once. At the last minute. Way to go, Kansas City Star. Way to not report.)

One silver lining to this expansionist crowd is that the Star has come out with an editorial agin' it. In fact, they've had a few. Here's another.

Thank goodness for that, anyway.

In it, they also support my idea that the "e" on the end is--there's that word again--stupid.

Then, for more local, home-grown ignorance and, yes, stupidity, look no further than the Star (at least they reported this), reporting that a committee has been formed, for pity's sake, to look into repealing the earnings tax in the city.

Check it out:

"Opponents of the earnings tax in St. Louis and Kansas City have established a campaign committee and will begin to gather petition signatures within the next weeks to put repeal on the statewide ballot."

"The group is called Let Voters Decide. According to attorney Marc Ellinger, the commitee will circulate a petition that would allow local voters a chance to decide if the E-tax should be phased out in Kansas City and St. Louis."

"(UPDATE, 9:25: Businessman Rex Sinquefield has given the committee $500,000 to get started, records show.)"

Yahoo!

How, exactly, are we going to pay for anything if this goes through?

We'd lose two hundred million dollars a year in operating fees if we do away with this.

We can barely keep sewers running and streets operable now. How can we do it if we're broke?

And some people, including people downtown at City Hall, including, in this case, the Mayor, think this is a good idea.

Note that this wealthy chucklehead Sinquefeld is financing this nightmare. Apparently he benefits from this going through, while at our collective expense. He's been pushing it in St. Louis and now here, both.


So there you go, Kansas City, to repeat, stupidity reigns.

How soon can we quit this?