Kansas City Star: News

Revised lawsuit accuses Gov. Blunt of violating sunshine law

Thu, 04 Dec 2008 23:47 CST

A revised lawsuit against Gov. Matt Blunt of Missouri contains the sharpest accusations yet that the governor's office broke state law by denying requests for administration e-mails.

Deposition hints at origins of some of Funkhouser's character strengths and weaknesses

Thu, 04 Dec 2008 23:28 CST

Every man is a collection of his experiences. Sometimes they move him forward. Sometimes they hold him back.

In Northland, new tow law gives peace a chance

Thu, 04 Dec 2008 23:26 CST

The revisions in Kansas City’s towing ordinance were aimed, of course, at quelling the controversy downtown.

Our pirates make Somalia's look petty

Sat, 29 Nov 2008 23:38 CST

The world is full of remarkable similarities. Many of them are surprising, and some are rather amusing.

Economy may be bad but sales of Obama shirts are good

Sat, 29 Nov 2008 00:11 CST

The economy may be on the skids. But President-elect Barack Obama's campaign for the presidency became a stimulus for T-shirt sales. During the presidential campaign and after the election, T-shirts with Obama's image on them became a hot commodity.

With Election '08 in the books, there are new plots to follow

Wed, 19 Nov 2008 19:13 CST

You love me when all things politics are hot. Don't forget me in July. •All you Missourians still stewing over those long Election Day lines can just keep stewing.

Youth program blends academics, athletics and life skills

Fri, 14 Nov 2008 23:53 CST

Deron Jones glances at the mural he created, and a modest smile breaks across his young face. “I can't believe I did it,” the 16-year-old Grandview High School junior says of his work on a wall at the Education First, Athletics Second Coalition.

Clues sought in brutal attack on two women in Waldo

Thu, 04 Dec 2008 23:28 CST

Two men broke into the detached garage of a home in Kansas City's Waldo area last week. Then they waited.

Autistic teen ensures animals at Olathe shelter have �free ticket home'

Fri, 05 Dec 2008 00:53 CST

For months, Molly Bergman, 18, collected aluminum cans worth 5 cents a pound — so many that she made $95.

Kansas City school board fills two vacancies

Thu, 04 Dec 2008 23:28 CST

The Kansas City school board went young Thursday night. The board filled its two vacancies with a doctoral student fresh off the thrill of the Barack Obama presidential campaign and a Cerner business strategist who wants his first-born, 3-month-old son to be able to attend public school.

Council committee approves $2.4 billion KC sewer plan

Thu, 04 Dec 2008 23:28 CST

A Kansas City Council committee voted 4-0 to approve a $2.4 billion sewer plan that will result in higher and monthly sewer bills.

KC man convicted of killing grandfather with hammer

Thu, 04 Dec 2008 23:28 CST

A Jackson County jury convicted a 25-year-old man of voluntary manslaughter Thursday for killing his 71-year-old grandfather with a hammer.

Northland man gets life sentence in killing of tenant's husband

Fri, 05 Dec 2008 00:29 CST

A Northland resident on Thursday was sentenced to life plus 75 years in prison for fatally shooting a man in a landlord-tenant dispute last year.

Trucks shouldn't stay for long on boulevards

Thu, 04 Dec 2008 22:52 CST

Christina Craver wants to know whether Kansas City has restrictions against tractor-trailers using boulevards.

Tribute: For Elizabeth Lynn Felling, “her legacy is her passion”

Thu, 04 Dec 2008 21:42 CST

Who: Elizabeth Lynn Felling, 43, of Overland Park. When and how she died: Nov. 20, of breast cancer.

KC man convicted in rape, robbery

Thu, 04 Dec 2008 22:52 CST

Jackson County Circuit Court jurors took a bad man off the streets Thursday, convicting Lawrence E. Neal of forcible rape and robbery.

KCK officer describes apprehending suspect in shooting of off-duty detective

Thu, 04 Dec 2008 22:52 CST

A Kansas City, Kan., police officer testified Thursday that he apprehended Fredrick Douglas, the man accused of shooting an off-duty detective at Kansas Speedway.

Bikes for �Christmas in the City'

Thu, 04 Dec 2008 23:28 CST

How you can help: Take used children's bikes to the United Auto Workers Local 31 hall at 500 Kindelberger Road in the Fairfax district in Kansas City, Kan., from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. today or from 8 to 11 a.m. Saturday. On Saturday morning, members of the UAW, the Greater Kansas City Building and Construction Trades and the United Way of Wyandotte County will be repairing and assembling bicycles to be given to children through the “Christmas in the City” program.

Missouri high court suspends attorney

Thu, 04 Dec 2008 23:28 CST

The Missouri Supreme Court on Thursday ordered the unusual interim suspension of an Independence attorney who has been the subject of a state Securities Division investigation.

Public safety news in brief: Assault added to alleged shoplifter's charges

Fri, 05 Dec 2008 00:27 CST

Jackson County prosecutors on Thursday charged an alleged shoplifter with assault in connection with a scuffle that injured a Kansas City police officer Wednesday at Wal-Mart, 11601 E. U.S. 40.

Other news in brief: Relatives sought to claim body

Thu, 04 Dec 2008 23:28 CST

The medical examiner's office is asking for help finding the family of Lisa M. Gonzalez, 43, who lived in the 100 block of 85th Street in Kansas City. She was found dead Nov. 25. Anyone with information about her relatives is asked to call the on-duty investigator at 816-881-6600.

Calendar for Friday

Thu, 04 Dec 2008 23:28 CST

MULTICULTURAL NIGHT: 6 p.m.; Room 155 of the Commons Building and Craig Community Auditorium, Johnson County Community College, 12345 College Blvd, Overland Park. Includes dinner, international cultural arts performances and fashion show. $10. (913-469-7657)

Nixon starts laying groundwork for Missouri state budget cuts

Thu, 04 Dec 2008 23:28 CST

Missouri Gov.-elect Jay Nixon on Wednesday began laying the groundwork for midyear budget cuts by calling for financial reviews of all state agencies, long-term contracts and tax-credit programs.

Area news briefs: Grandview man's body remains unclaimed

Thu, 04 Dec 2008 23:28 CST

The medical examiner's office is seeking family members of Dan Eishun, 75, who was found dead in his apartment in the 6000 block of 129th Street in Grandview. Anyone with information about his family is asked to contact the on-duty investigator at 816-881-6600.

Season of giving: Donate gifts and gift cards to the Gillis Center

Thu, 04 Dec 2008 23:28 CST

How you can help: Donate gifts and gift cards for families helped by the Gillis Center. Presents can be dropped off from 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday at 8150 Wornall Road.

Prosecutors charge suspect in Kansas City shooting

Thu, 04 Dec 2008 23:28 CST

Kansas City police arrested a murder suspect Tuesday night while he allegedly was carrying the murder weapon in his pocket.

The New KansasCity.com - Frequently Asked Questions

Wed, 03 Dec 2008 23:37 CST

From time to time we will update this FAQ.

Public safety in brief: Charges in Lawrence chase

Thu, 04 Dec 2008 23:28 CST

Prosecutors charged a woman Wednesday with 10 counts related to a burglary and police chase in which she allegedly hit a Lawrence officer with her vehicle.

Hispanic community hopes for a KC school board representative

Thu, 04 Dec 2008 23:28 CST

Two months ago, when Hispanic community leaders implored the Kansas City school board to consider appointing a member of their community, the response was less than encouraging.

The Watchdog: Worry arises over absence of crosswalk

Thu, 04 Dec 2008 23:28 CST

Larry M. Brummet asks the Dog to find out if the pedestrian crosswalk at 5115 Oak Street, and the sign warning motorists that they are approaching a crosswalk, will be restored and when.

Funkhouser urges city to settle discrimination case, but council calls for mayor to drop his own suit

Thu, 04 Dec 2008 23:40 CST

The war between Kansas City Mayor Mark Funkhouser and the City Council escalated Thursday in an extraordinary act of political theater that unfolded with little warning at City Hall.

Big Three executives face uncomfortable moments before congressional lawmakers

Thu, 04 Dec 2008 23:42 CST

WASHINGTON | The chief executives of America’s foundering automobile manufacturers returned Thursday to Capitol Hill.

KU professor is returning to Sundance

Thu, 04 Dec 2008 23:40 CST

The latest feature from Lawrence-based moviemaker Kevin Willmott is going to Sundance. “The Only Good Indian,” a drama filmed in Kansas and starring Cherokee actor Wes Studi, has been accepted to January's film festival in Park City, Utah.

Hopes rise high for biodefense lab

Fri, 05 Dec 2008 00:19 CST

MANHATTAN, Kan. | They're calling it the most important economic development event in Kansas since railroads crossed the length of the state.

UAW agrees to consider concessions

Thu, 04 Dec 2008 23:40 CST

Seeking to avoid a collapse of the domestic auto industry, the United Auto Workers union agreed Wednesday to consider cost-saving measures, including a delay in automakers' payments into a union insurance fund.

With new rules ready, KC committee hears complaints about towing

Thu, 04 Dec 2008 23:40 CST

An ordinance endorsed Wednesday by the council's Public Safety and Neighborhoods Committee requires clear warning signs on private lots and sets a maximum towing price below the hundreds of dollars that many people recently have been paying.

Greensburg school superintendent nominated for �Most Inspiring Person'

Thu, 04 Dec 2008 23:40 CST

So, who inspires you? Is it Paul Newman, known as much for his philanthropy as his days in Hollywood? Maybe Dara Torres, the oldest American swimming medalist in Olympic history? How about actress Christina Applegate, a breast cancer survivor helping others get access to treatment?

Kansas tops list for biodefense lab

Thu, 04 Dec 2008 23:40 CST

Kansas emerged Wednesday as the leading contender for a new $563 million federal biodefense lab also fiercely pursued by Texas, Georgia, North Carolina and other states.

Craigslist ads result in three robberies in same neighborhood

Wed, 03 Dec 2008 23:49 CST

Three men answer a Craigslist ad, drive to the same area north of the downtown loop and are greeted by gunmen.

Congress now has Big Three's retooled cases for a bailout

Wed, 03 Dec 2008 23:49 CST

The fates of Detroit's Big Three automakers are now in the hands of lawmakers. Detroit's once-mighty automakers Tuesday appealed to Congress with a retooled case for a bailout as large as $34 billion, pledging to slash workers, car lines and executive pay in return for a federal lifeline.

Anti-Obama bloggers challenge birthplace

Wed, 03 Dec 2008 23:49 CST

In the outer cosmos of the blogosphere, the presidential election isn't over. Barack Obama, now busily forming his administration, isn't just the wrong person to lead the nation, claim Web sites such as America Must Know and Right Side News.

Here's a no-brainer: Families in Missouri and Kansas are bearing more of the college cost burden

Wed, 03 Dec 2008 23:49 CST

An independent report out today evaluating American higher education points out what parents like Scott Cristal of Columbia know all too well: College is getting harder and harder to pay for — and it's likely to get worse.

It's official: We're in recession

Mon, 01 Dec 2008 23:43 CST

A committee of eminent economists on Monday officially declared what long ago became obvious to many Americans — that the U.S. economy is in recession.

Economic woes elicit a ‘sorry' from Bush

Mon, 01 Dec 2008 23:43 CST

WASHINGTON | President George W. Bush expressed remorse that the financial crisis has cost jobs and harmed retirement accounts and said he’ll back more intervention if needed to ease the recession.

Centrists take lead in Obama's national security team

Mon, 01 Dec 2008 23:28 CST

WASHINGTON | President-elect Barack Obama has filled his national security team with experienced centrists — Hillary Clinton, Robert Gates and James L. Jones.

In lawsuit depositions, mayor and his wife respond to allegations

Tue, 02 Dec 2008 17:58 CST

Mayor Mark Funkhouser may be accused in a discrimination lawsuit filed by a former employee, but he says he’s the real victim because the claims are untrue.

Overland Park banks on its place to play soccer

Sun, 30 Nov 2008 22:55 CST

Two years after Johnson County voters rejected a $75 million bond for soccer fields, Overland Park is set to reap the benefits of its own soccer complex.

Some health experts argue AIDS receives too much funding at expense of other needs

Sun, 30 Nov 2008 22:50 CST

LONDON | As World AIDS Day is marked today, some experts are growing more outspoken in complaining that AIDS is eating up funding at the expense of more pressing health needs.

The plum DC jobs aren't easy pickings

Sun, 30 Nov 2008 21:45 CST

WASHINGTON | Tired of the same old job? A frustrated fan of “The West Wing”? Want to try the real thing?

Lincoln College Prep band preps for performance at Carnegie Hall

Mon, 01 Dec 2008 01:04 CST

How do you get to Carnegie Hall? For high school musicians at Lincoln College Preparatory Academy, the chance of a lifetime requires something more than the “practice, practice, practice” punch line of the classic New York joke.