Who Writes This Stuff???

A story on the NBC Action news web site tells the tale of a stabbing early Saturday morning outside of Gerry's Silver Slipper down at Independence & Lawn, well within the city limits of Kansas City.

The writer for NBC Action News, (Mike Markewinski) I shant call him a journalist, indicates in his ramblings that "Police don't know what caused the stabbings".

Hmm, last I looked, stabbing is usually caused by someone thrusting a sharp object into or at someone else. Usually deliberately and with much vigor.

Then, Mr. Markewinski indicates that anyone with information should call the Prairie Village Police Department.

I might not be the greatest cartographer (map maker) but last I looked, 4700 Independence Avenue is in Kansas City and is roughly 8 or so miles from any border of the sleepy burb of Prairie Village.

Guess the ol intern pool was a little dry this semester aye channel 41?

The story, if you can call it that, speaks for itself and is below.

Enjoy!

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – A stabbing outside a bar early Saturday morning sent one man to the hospital with critical injuries.Police say it happened as three men were standing outside the Silver Slipper at 4703 Independence Avenue shortly before 2 a.m.The victim was taken to the hospital, where his condition was not known.The other two victims suffered non-life threatening injuries.Police have not said what may have caused the stabbings, nor have they released any information about a suspect.Anyone with information is asked to contact the Prairie Village Police Department at (913) 385-4608 or call the TIPS Hotline at (816) 474-TIPS, submit a tip anonymous online, or text TIP452 and your information to 274537.

Man charged in shooting death

Kirk Fincher, age 18, was charged Tuesday with first-degree murder and armed criminal action in connection with the Dec. 30 murder of a 19-year-old Northeast man.
Ryan Onckelet was shot to death in a vehicle outside of Belmont Place apartments near Belmont Boulevard and St. John Avenue.
Fincher, of 1629 Fincher in Kansas City, is being held in lieu of a $1 million bond.

Pitch Axes Three Staffers

Local alternative weekly The Pitch has sent pink slips to at least three of its columnists, most notably, restaurant reviewer and friend of this lil pooch, Charles Feruzza.

Feruzza, along with Jen Chen and Lorna Perry were shown the door.

Citing a post on Tony's Kansas City, a local blog, Bottom Line Communications is reporting that Feruzza will continue his gig at The Pitch, but wouldn't go in to detail about his status with the paper but sources are indicating he'll continue his weekly column there.

18-year-old Man Killed in shooting

Kansas City’s three-week homicide drought came to a violent end Tuesday afternoon when an 18-year-old Kansas City man was shot in the head in the parking lot of the Belmont Place Apartments near Belmont Boulevard and St. John Avenue.

Crime scene tape fluttered in the breeze as Police investigators combed the area inside the Belmont Court apartments Tuesday afternoon looking for clues as to who may have wanted the man dead.

Witnesses indicated hearing a loud boom near the scene at approximately 4:45 p.m. Tuesday. A female witness at the scene stated that a white male shot the victim. The suspect is described as a white male, 5'8", medium build, wearing a red hooded sweatshirt/jacket and blue jeans.

What exactly happened next is unclear, but the end result is the victim’s girlfriend’s car, (left) in which the victim was riding, crashed into the side of one of the buildings. The pair were allegedly “jumped,” by a group of individuals when they pulled in tothe parking lot. The group approached the victim's girlfriend, then walked toward the victim as he sat in the vehicle. Seeing the group approaching the car, the victim allegedly jumped in to the driver';s seat and attempted to flee the scene. As he did so, he was struck in the head by a bullet. . He was pronounced dead later. Witnesses indicated that the suspect(s) fled on foot, possibly to a house a few blocks away. 

The victim’s father, a lifelong Northeast resident, indicated the victim wasn’t a bad kid.

“He just got mixed up with the wrong crowd," the father said. “I tried on many occasions to tell him he was going down the wrong road, but he wouldn’t listen."

The father lamented how times in Northeast had changed.
“When I was a kid, we used to run these streets. If you didn’t like someone, you met them after school, went to the vacant lot and duked it out, with your fists, like men,” he said. “It's a lot different today. You look cross-eyed at some of these kids, and you risk getting shot. It's just crazy."

Residents indicate that lately, the small complex has become a hot-bed of gang activity. One resident who wished to remain anonymous indicated that gunshots were a regular occurrence at the complex, where a home invasion, robbery and assault occurred this past weekend. Police are reviewing evidence to see if the two incidents are related. 

“We call 911 on a regular basis,” the resident said. “It all seems to be coming from one apartment."

We're all idiots - just ask Clinton Adams

"This community has not been effective in electing effective school board members".

So says Freedom Inc. sock-puppet Clinton Adams in an article published in today's daily rag.
Adams went on to advocate that, given that 2/3 of the district's enrollment is black - that mobs, er, groups such as the NAAACP, the Urban League and the Black United Front need to be part of the process.
In the immortal words of Popeye the Sailor man: "well blow me down".

This lil canine has long thought that the very broods advanced by Adams were a large part of the problem, not the solution, given their history of patronage, nepitism and advancement of issues that do nothing to help white urban kids - and that's taken liberties with the word "advancement".

Additionally, the very fact that Adams doesn't trust the public to elect compitent representatives does't go too far either. Especially since a majority of the black candidates running for the office are fronted by Freedom Inc. to begin with. Lets not forget this is the same bunch that incurred a hefty fine ($45,000) from the Federal Election Commission for failing to register as a political committee. the name James Tindall (convicted felon) ring a bell?

It should be no surprise that State representative Jonas Hughes has his fingers in the pie as well - especially given his ties to Freedom Inc. Hughes advocates the appointment of a board of "community leaders" seperate from the politics and free from the cronyism that has weighed the district down over the last five decades. The operative buzz words here are "community leaders".
Who's community?
Who does the appointing, and from what smoke filled Freedom Inc, Black United Front, Urban League back room will this alleged savior emerge?

Is it any wonder with these goons running the show for so long, we have what we have - or what's left of what we had. The Shawnee Mission District won't play ball with these morons. Independence won't. Blue Springs and Park Hill? HA! Get real!

And if you think these cronies are in it for the kids - you are sadly mistaken. This one is all about political favors, croneyism and contributions to the "right" candidates. If you don't agree, someone from Freedom Inc will be right over to take a look at those knee-caps you love so much.

In Train-Wreck Economy, Congress Gets a Raise.

In an article you definitely won't see in Kansas City's liberal daily rag, Congress will get a raise next year to the tune of $4700.

According to an article published in The Hill, members of Congress will get an extra $4700 tacked on to their salaries next year. All this in the face of their hypocratical grandstanding and demanding that Auto execs ride bicycles to work and oil execs should surrender profits, our ever so smart elected officials in Washington DC just got a hefty pay bump.

Ask your neighbor who just got laid off from Chrysler of GM what THEY could do with an extra $4700. Or maybe the lady next door who watches the neighborhood kids for $8.00 an hour how they feel about it.

This lil pooch knows that given all the perks Congress gets already, they need a raise like I need to be chased by a pit bull. Perkjs you ask?
Well lets start with free barbershop, free meals, travel per-diem, lodging per-diem, free health care (far superior to anything us lowly citizens would get) and more.

For the record, Average pay for a Congressman: $169,000. Leadership positions get spiffed a little more. Her Majesty Pelosi hauls in a little over $215,000. Senate leadership types make a little under$190,000. According tot he article in The Hill, in 1789, Congressional Representatives made $6.00 a day. That equates to roughly $75 a today by modern standards.

So much for the old premise of "citizen legislator", huh.
Change?
All together now.....Yes we can!!!
Hold on to your checkbooks!

Union Station to CEO Udris: Sayonara!

USKC Board members announced Thursday that CEO Andi Udris was essentially persona non grata and that former American Royal head wrangler George M.  Gaustello II was taking over the reins in 2009. 

Udris, as you may recall, came under fire from this lil news-pooch back in 2005-06 for some of the sweeping changes he undertook in the infancy of his reign as CEO. 

After spending a rain-soaked May afternoon with Andi and his PR gal Sara up at Shoal Creek, we came away with a whole new understanding of how hubs and spokes applied to Union Station as well as how to parse the word "at". 

Like him or not - he deserves a paw-bump for relocating the  local Fire History Museum to the Depot in 2007 and playing a pivotal role in the ongoing restoration and re-development of the Corinthian Hall facility here in good ol Historic Northeast.  

Given the pull quotes from the PR piece sent out this morning though, it sure looks to this nose for news pup that the whole thing was a "mutual decision" and that's all they're sayin about that. 

Gaustello: "Its an honor to be entrusted with the stewardship of these beloved regional treasures...". 

Udris: "I have enjoyed immensely my time working at Union Station..."

Time will tell however -  former Mayoral aide Joe Miller and former daily rag, chatter-box gossip monger Hearne Christopher (both with an emphasis on "former") are looking for work and this may have all the makings for a kiss & tell-all book. Stranger things have happend...one look at the fiasco that is the Mayor's office proves this pup's point! 

Be sure to check out next week's edition though for a more objective look at the transition taking place down at the big depot on Pershing Road.