Tuesday, June 17, 2008

Funkhouser coming to Northeast


Mayor Mark Funkhouser is coming to Northeast to face your questions.

Although not yet confirmed by the mayor's office, some in the community are saying Funkhouser will be holding a public forum at
6 p.m. Wednesday, June 25, at the Mattie Rhodes Center, 148 North Topping Avenue.

He will spend 15 minutes talking about recent activities at City Hall and then spend the rest of the hour taking questions. The event is being sponsored by the Mattie Rhodes Center.

Yield to oncoming disasters: City even unsure why stops signs removed from Benton Circle


The Northeast News has been sniffing out the yield sign incident, but so far, no one wants to own up to making the changes.

The engineer supposedly responsible for removal and installation, has not answered his cell phone or return voice mails made by The Northeast News.

Even City Council members had no idea why the city switched from stop signs to yield signs at the busy Benton Circle intersection. Terri Wolfe, administrative assistant to Councilwoman Deb Hermann, said she had first heard about the new signage from residents who were upset.

She said she was investigating the situation, trying to find why the change was made and who is responsible for ordering the changes.

Mario Vasquez, project manager from CIMO, didn’t know anything about the change and said the elusive city engineers would know more. Vasquez is in charge of the reconstruction efforts that will soon begin at the Benton Circle.

This intersection is confusing as it is, let alone the stop signs being taken away. The changes are already causing problems, residents say, with near misses and close fender-benders as people try to navigate the circle. People are speeding through the intersection without slowing down or even looking.

— Kristi L. Dalberg

Police searching for car involved in morning bus stop assults

Police are still searching for a vehicle used in five assaults this morning at several bus stops around Kansas City

Police looking for a 2000 white Chevy Malibu that see fleeing the scene where several people waiting at bus stop were shot with a pellet gun. It was occupied by at least 3 black male teens, possibly juveniles.

The locations are as follows:
6:00 a.m. Swope Parkway and Prospect Avenue
6:05 a.m. 35th and Prospect Avenue
7:00 a.m. Independence Avenue and Garfield
7:20 a.m. 8th and Lydia
7:50 a.m. 12th and Paseo

Anyone with information in regard to the assaults is asked to call the TIPS Hotline at 816-474-8477.