Independence Public Schools Superintendent Jim Hinson is expected to announce this afternoon that the district will be closing its main administrative offices due to hazardous health conditions.
The offices, which are located in the former Palmer Junior High School building near the Independence Square, were deemed unsafe by health officials after Hinson and other district employees began feeling ill. Administrators are planning to move the offices to an empty building near Truman High School off South Noland Road.
Hinson is expected to make the announcement at a press conference at 3:30 p.m. today.
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
Thursday, March 13, 2008
Tut-tut, looks like rain — lucky you.
They keep referring to this winter as the perfect storm.
Lots of snow. Lots of ice and little money in the city's coffers.
At a budget hearing this week, public works officials said if the city council did not release funds from the city's reserves, then snow plows might not be able to clear the streets if Mother Nature decides to dump one more snow storm on the metro. And forecasters this week were predicting, you guessed it, more snow.
Officials went before the city's finance and audit committee Wednesday asking for an additional $1.5 million to help pay for snow removal for the remainder of the fiscal year. Already the city has spent its budgeted $1.2 million attempting to keep close to 900 miles of roadway clear during this past snow-filled winter.
Council members were reluctant, obviously, to give public works more money after it had already warned the department last July that money might not be available around this time of the year with analysts already predicting that not enough was being pumped into snow removal programs.
Budget officials said if the City Council did not grant the extra money, they had two options: wait until summer to refill their supply of sand or simply not plow the streets.
But with rain now in the forecast instead of snow, it looks like everybody can avoid the financial thin ice that the city is skating around.
For more on this, and other City Hall news, pick up a copy of The Northeast News each Wednesday.
Lots of snow. Lots of ice and little money in the city's coffers.
At a budget hearing this week, public works officials said if the city council did not release funds from the city's reserves, then snow plows might not be able to clear the streets if Mother Nature decides to dump one more snow storm on the metro. And forecasters this week were predicting, you guessed it, more snow.
Officials went before the city's finance and audit committee Wednesday asking for an additional $1.5 million to help pay for snow removal for the remainder of the fiscal year. Already the city has spent its budgeted $1.2 million attempting to keep close to 900 miles of roadway clear during this past snow-filled winter.
Council members were reluctant, obviously, to give public works more money after it had already warned the department last July that money might not be available around this time of the year with analysts already predicting that not enough was being pumped into snow removal programs.
Budget officials said if the City Council did not grant the extra money, they had two options: wait until summer to refill their supply of sand or simply not plow the streets.
But with rain now in the forecast instead of snow, it looks like everybody can avoid the financial thin ice that the city is skating around.
For more on this, and other City Hall news, pick up a copy of The Northeast News each Wednesday.
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.
BREAKING NEWS: Royster out of State House race
It seems Will Royster's foray into politics was more of a day trip than a serious campaign.According to the Missouri Secretary of State, Royster has pulled his name from the running in his bid for the District 40 Missouri Legislature seat.
Royster had thrown his hat into the ring two weeks ago challenging two Northeast power families: State Rep. John Burnett and John "JJ" Rizzo.
Royster threatened to upset the two seasoned politicians who have gone at each other's throats in past elections.
But Royster, who has a large groundswell of grass roots support though the neighborhoods, is not out of politics all together. Expect more to come from this neighborhood activist in the coming week.
Tuesday, March 11, 2008
Burnett, Rizzo and Royster make three
Mike Ekey/The Northeast NewsCommunity activist Will Royster has firmly planted his foot into the seat of the political status quo in Northeast.
Less than a week after announcing he wanted to challenge State Rep John Burnett to his own seat, Royster then opened his house to Democratic big-wig Jay Nixon, who is making his own run for Missouri Governor.
But what caught this knee-high Newshoud's eye was when Burnett and Royster — supposedly political rivals — standing on the stairs together and introducing Nixon at a Northeast fundraiser.
The only thing missing from this Gubernatorial Group Hug for Democrats was John "JJ" Rizzo, who is also challenging Burnett for his Missouri House seat — again.
But things are bound to change in these politically savvy neighborhoods.
Muzzle me? I think not.
The Northeast News Buzz: March 12, 2008
Dogs don’t like being muzzled; especially this little Newshound when covering, witnessing or simply doing anything in Northeast.
We know it is a big dog-eared deal when a gubernatorial candidate and sitting governor visit Historic Northeast in the same day. Politics aside, you cannot ignore the importance of two major players in the state’s government paying special attention to our neighborhoods and offering their time to us.
That is, until they decide they would prefer their visits to be completely unknown.
Republican Governor Matt Blunt, who seems to have a little extra time on his hands now that he has jumped from the governor’s race, stopped at one Historic Northeast school to read to children and even hold his own question and answer period with the kids.
But when it came to talking with those same Northeast school folks or even sticking around for a question or two from the two reporters who happened to hear about the low-key event, he headed directly for the door and into his assigned Highway Patrol cruiser.
Spokesmen for Blunt said he had nothing else scheduled and was there to promote literacy. But shortly after the school visit, Blunt was spotted not too far away raising money for Republicans at the Lincoln Day’s Festival in Kearney, Mo.
No need for the Gov to be late to his next fundraiser, I suppose.
The biggest state snub, though, hit us right between the eyes when Democratic gubernatorial candidate Jay Nixon came to Northeast to attend a fundraiser held in his honor.
The Northeast News was invited as a guest to cover the event, but Nixon’s handlers decided to ax that plan and stopped both of our reporter at the door for a formal “briefing.”
No questions. No quotes. No pictures of donors. Do not follow the candidate. We couldn’t even quote the generic church-tent-revival-style stump speech Nixon gave.
At one point, when we were taking photos of the party’s host Will Royster and State Rep. John Burnett, Nixon’s people tapped us on the shoulder and told us to stop or we would be removed from his shindig.
It’s my party and I’ll cry if I want to.
It is unfortunate and even insulting that after so many people came together in Northeast to promote the issues and problems that are near and dear to us that the state candidate would then want to make sure that as few people as possible knew he was there.
But if you were not there then you will never know.
Kudos to Royster who opened his home to promote and involve Northeast in having Nixon in because he wanted the spotlight shone on an area that gets ignored regularly by local, county and state officials.
But as much as Royster wanted to show that Northeast was not getting snubbed, Nixon’s people decided to take it upon themselves to do just that and snubbed the local community newspaper.
We plan on inviting candidates in this upcoming election to sit down with us at The Northeast News to talk about their plans. When we do, maybe Nixon can explain what happened last week.
That is so long as he leaves the muzzle in Jefferson City.
###
If you’ve got news we need to pin down, call us on the newshound tip line at 1-866-NEWS DOG.
Dogs don’t like being muzzled; especially this little Newshound when covering, witnessing or simply doing anything in Northeast.
We know it is a big dog-eared deal when a gubernatorial candidate and sitting governor visit Historic Northeast in the same day. Politics aside, you cannot ignore the importance of two major players in the state’s government paying special attention to our neighborhoods and offering their time to us.
That is, until they decide they would prefer their visits to be completely unknown.
Republican Governor Matt Blunt, who seems to have a little extra time on his hands now that he has jumped from the governor’s race, stopped at one Historic Northeast school to read to children and even hold his own question and answer period with the kids.
But when it came to talking with those same Northeast school folks or even sticking around for a question or two from the two reporters who happened to hear about the low-key event, he headed directly for the door and into his assigned Highway Patrol cruiser.
Spokesmen for Blunt said he had nothing else scheduled and was there to promote literacy. But shortly after the school visit, Blunt was spotted not too far away raising money for Republicans at the Lincoln Day’s Festival in Kearney, Mo.
No need for the Gov to be late to his next fundraiser, I suppose.
The biggest state snub, though, hit us right between the eyes when Democratic gubernatorial candidate Jay Nixon came to Northeast to attend a fundraiser held in his honor.
The Northeast News was invited as a guest to cover the event, but Nixon’s handlers decided to ax that plan and stopped both of our reporter at the door for a formal “briefing.”
No questions. No quotes. No pictures of donors. Do not follow the candidate. We couldn’t even quote the generic church-tent-revival-style stump speech Nixon gave.
At one point, when we were taking photos of the party’s host Will Royster and State Rep. John Burnett, Nixon’s people tapped us on the shoulder and told us to stop or we would be removed from his shindig.
It’s my party and I’ll cry if I want to.
It is unfortunate and even insulting that after so many people came together in Northeast to promote the issues and problems that are near and dear to us that the state candidate would then want to make sure that as few people as possible knew he was there.
But if you were not there then you will never know.
Kudos to Royster who opened his home to promote and involve Northeast in having Nixon in because he wanted the spotlight shone on an area that gets ignored regularly by local, county and state officials.
But as much as Royster wanted to show that Northeast was not getting snubbed, Nixon’s people decided to take it upon themselves to do just that and snubbed the local community newspaper.
We plan on inviting candidates in this upcoming election to sit down with us at The Northeast News to talk about their plans. When we do, maybe Nixon can explain what happened last week.
That is so long as he leaves the muzzle in Jefferson City.
###
If you’ve got news we need to pin down, call us on the newshound tip line at 1-866-NEWS DOG.
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