The large blue and white postal building visible from Interstate 70 will bear a new name honoring one local man who has served Northeast and the entire Kansas City community.
This week, federal officials passed legislation renaming the facility at 1700 Cleveland Avenue the Reverend Earl Abel Post Office Building.
This congressional action is in tribute to Reverend Earl Abel’s years of dedication to the Kansas City community as a minister, dedicated community activist, and public servant. Rev. Abel passed away in May of 2005 after 48 years as a minister, including 46 years at the Palestine Missionary Baptist Church of Jesus Christ in Kansas City which he organized in 1959.
Reverend Abel established Palestine Missionary Baptist Church of Jesus Christ with only 11 members, but today the church has grown into a much larger ministry in the Kansas City community. Under his leadership the church built two senior citizens residences, a Senior Activity Center and a church camp for both youths and adults. In the larger Kansas City community, Abel served many important roles including Chaplain for the Kansas City Police Department, President of the Baptist Ministers Union, and member of the Kansas City Council on Crime Prevention. In 1999, Missouri Governor Mel Carnahan appointed him to the Appellate Judicial Commission.
Showing posts with label post office. Show all posts
Showing posts with label post office. Show all posts
Thursday, June 5, 2008
Tuesday, March 18, 2008
Return to sender
The Buzz for Wednesday, March 19
This explanation needs to be returned to sender, ASAP.
When moving trucks arrived Friday morning at the Hardesty Post Office, neighborhood leaders and this newspaper feared the worst.
It was almost like Northeast was about to get its own version of “The Move.”
In 1984, semi-trucks pulled up to the Baltimore Colts’ stadium in the middle of the night and loaded everything up and moved out without saying a word. Stunned football fans woke up the next morning to find their hometown team had found another home in Indianapolis.
On Friday morning last week, Northeast residents feared they were getting the same cloak and dagger treatment as trucks pulled up to the Hardesty post office and postal employees began hauling out the furniture, wall decorations and all “non-essential” equipment.
Employees there even told customers that they had been told earlier that March 31 was the last day the old post office would be open.
Pack it up, this circus is moving on down the road.
But once again the postal service was left pointing fingers in circles attempting to divert the fervor their own early morning move was causing.
Officials say no final decision has been made, but from all appearances those decisions have been made and carried out — along with all the furniture. It’s a lot easier to close a post office that you have already cleared out for your “structural study.”
But through this whole process the Postal Service has been a little too tight-lipped for comfort. If this truly was something the post office wanted to do honestly and cleanly they should have involved neighborhood leaders, activists and others in the process from the beginning.
The integrity of any report, structural study or engineer’s report is going to be questioned because it was done while leaving residents in the dark.
The Postal Service has already lost the trust of the neighborhoods though their actions leading up to the possible closing of the Hardesty sub-station. To close it now will leave neighborhoods all over Northeast simply angry and bitter at another government organization short-changing this area.
™ ™ ™
John “JJ” Rizzo wanted to set the record straight this week.
Last week, this little Newshound took a swipe at the political shenanigans from the Jay Nixon fundraiser held in Northeast. In this column we made a joke about how State Rep. John Burnett and his former political challenger Will Royster were shaking hands and offering glowing comments about each other at the event. We also took note of how Rizzo, another challenger in the 40th District House race was nowhere to be found.
That is because, Rizzo said, he was not invited.
“It was not because I did not want to be there to represent Northeast. It was a private event and I was not invited,” Rizzo said this week.
But Rizzo said he was not upset; just perplexed. Maybe his invite got lost in the mail as the post office attempted to flee Northeast.
™ ™ ™
Can’t get enough Bunny the Newshound? Do you yearn for daily Bunny or your breaking Northeast News? Then check out the newest Web site brought to you by The Northeast News: The Northeast Buzz Blog at www.nebuzz.blogspot.com
The Buzz Blog is your place for breaking news in Historic Northeast and daily updates on the big stories that are affecting you.
Check in on politics and the twists in the State house race in you own backyard. Find updates on the Museum, post office and Old Northeast. The Buzz Blog is your conduit to Northeast and the movers and shakers that live here.
The Northeast Buzz Blog: your neighborhoods, your blog.
This explanation needs to be returned to sender, ASAP.
When moving trucks arrived Friday morning at the Hardesty Post Office, neighborhood leaders and this newspaper feared the worst.
It was almost like Northeast was about to get its own version of “The Move.”
In 1984, semi-trucks pulled up to the Baltimore Colts’ stadium in the middle of the night and loaded everything up and moved out without saying a word. Stunned football fans woke up the next morning to find their hometown team had found another home in Indianapolis.
On Friday morning last week, Northeast residents feared they were getting the same cloak and dagger treatment as trucks pulled up to the Hardesty post office and postal employees began hauling out the furniture, wall decorations and all “non-essential” equipment.
Employees there even told customers that they had been told earlier that March 31 was the last day the old post office would be open.
Pack it up, this circus is moving on down the road.
But once again the postal service was left pointing fingers in circles attempting to divert the fervor their own early morning move was causing.
Officials say no final decision has been made, but from all appearances those decisions have been made and carried out — along with all the furniture. It’s a lot easier to close a post office that you have already cleared out for your “structural study.”
But through this whole process the Postal Service has been a little too tight-lipped for comfort. If this truly was something the post office wanted to do honestly and cleanly they should have involved neighborhood leaders, activists and others in the process from the beginning.
The integrity of any report, structural study or engineer’s report is going to be questioned because it was done while leaving residents in the dark.
The Postal Service has already lost the trust of the neighborhoods though their actions leading up to the possible closing of the Hardesty sub-station. To close it now will leave neighborhoods all over Northeast simply angry and bitter at another government organization short-changing this area.
™ ™ ™
John “JJ” Rizzo wanted to set the record straight this week.
Last week, this little Newshound took a swipe at the political shenanigans from the Jay Nixon fundraiser held in Northeast. In this column we made a joke about how State Rep. John Burnett and his former political challenger Will Royster were shaking hands and offering glowing comments about each other at the event. We also took note of how Rizzo, another challenger in the 40th District House race was nowhere to be found.
That is because, Rizzo said, he was not invited.
“It was not because I did not want to be there to represent Northeast. It was a private event and I was not invited,” Rizzo said this week.
But Rizzo said he was not upset; just perplexed. Maybe his invite got lost in the mail as the post office attempted to flee Northeast.
™ ™ ™
Can’t get enough Bunny the Newshound? Do you yearn for daily Bunny or your breaking Northeast News? Then check out the newest Web site brought to you by The Northeast News: The Northeast Buzz Blog at www.nebuzz.blogspot.com
The Buzz Blog is your place for breaking news in Historic Northeast and daily updates on the big stories that are affecting you.
Check in on politics and the twists in the State house race in you own backyard. Find updates on the Museum, post office and Old Northeast. The Buzz Blog is your conduit to Northeast and the movers and shakers that live here.
The Northeast Buzz Blog: your neighborhoods, your blog.
Friday, March 14, 2008
Moving vans arrive at Hardesty Post Office
UPDATED - 3 p.m: U.S. Postal Service spokeswoman Terri Penland says the post office still has not made a final decision on whether to close the Hardesty sub-station.Rather, she said, the low-key announcement to close this week was a miscommunication by postal officials and employees at the sub-station.
The moving vans? Penland said that by getting all the old equipment, furniture, wall hangings and other itemts out, engineers can get a better look at the building to determine if it is safe for customers and employees.
# # #
Earlier today: U.S. Postal Service officials are wasting no time in their secretive plans to shut down the Hardesty Post Office.
This morning moving vans with U.S. Postal Service logos were backed up to the sub-station and postal employees from downtown were hauling desks, file cabinets and other items out of the post office.
On Wednesday, postal officials arrived unannounced at the Hardesty Post Office and told employees there they had to be out by March 31. Neighborhood associations, who were also taken by surprise by the announcement, are now scrambling to find out what they can do to save the post office that has served Northeast residents for decades.
Already some neighborhoods are organizing to contact their local, state and national representatives to voice their concern.
To contact your representatives click to be directed to their individual Web sites.
U.S. Rep Emanuel Cleaver's office
U.S. Sen. Clair McCaskill
U.S. Sen. Kit Bond
State Rep. John Burnett
Mayor Mark Funkhouser
Wednesday, March 12, 2008
HARDESTY POST OFFICE TO CLOSE
Updated - 4 p.m.After months of confusing statements from the U.S. Postal Service and idle threats from postal officials in Denver, the Hardesty Post Office will close at the end of the month.
Around the beginning of the year Postal Officials sent a letter, obtained by The Northeast News, that telling postal employees at that sub-station to have the building closed up and empty by March 31. But when the letter was made public, officials in Denver said they knew nothing of the closure and were still studying the matter.
It seems today without any fanfare or announcements, the Postal Service has decided to close the Hardesty Office.
Sources tell The Northeast News that they will begin shipping equipment and other mail to post offices around the area but were not sure when exactly the last day of service will be.
For more information check here and next Wednesday's Northeast News.
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