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SPEAKING AT SKCA MEETING ON 3/8 CENTS SALES TAX—Former KCMO Mayor Sly James stressed passage of a proposed 3/8-cent 40-year county parks sales tax for modernizing Arrowhead Stadium and constructing a new downtown stadium for the Royals pursuant to long-term leases to replace the existing 3/8-cent sales tax for the Truman Sports Complex that expires in 2031 should ensure both teams remain in KCMO and Jackson County for at least 40 years during a debate with former KCMO City Councilwoman Becky Nace who chairs the political committee opposing the tax at a March 11 forum hosted by the South Kansas City Alliance.

Kansas City Mayor Quinton Lucas on Monday applauded a successful foreclosure sale for Parade Park Homes, where the property was acquired by the City of Kansas City, and conveyed to Flaherty & Collins Development and Twelfth Street Heritage Corporation—two agencies with deep roots in our community who understand and respect the significance of Parade Park Homes to Kansas City. Parade Park is one of the nation’s oldest Blackowned housing cooperatives.

The Greater Kansas City Boys & Girls Clubs on Tuesday, February 6, held its 2024 Youth of the Year Celebration, presented by Molle Auto Group at the Anita B. Gorman Discovery Center. Following inspirational speeches from the seven Youth of the Year Unit finalists, Jayden H. from the Thornberry Unit was named the 2024 Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Kansas City Youth of the Year, and Dalayne J. from the Nowlin Middle School site was the Junior Youth of the Year. These remarkable Club youth exemplify the values of leadership, service, academic excellence, and healthy lifestyles, embodying the transformative impact of the Boys & Girls Clubs’ programs.

Five- Year- Old Was Severely Injured in Crash Caused by Britt Reid Driving While Drunk Missouri Governor Mike Parson last week announced in a press release, that he was commuting the sentence of Britt Reid who pleaded guilty and was sentenced to three years in prison for driving under the influence and severely injuring 5-year-old Ariel Young on February 21, 2021 when he crashed his truck into two vehicles on the side of an exit ramp along I 435 near the Chiefs’ practice facility. Six people were injured, including Ariel, who sustained a traumatic brain injury and was in a coma for 11 days.

Appeals Court Declines to Hear Eric DeValkenaere’s Appeal Kansas City, Mo.-- The Missouri Court of Appeals has declined to hear an appeal from former Kansas City police detective Eric DeValkenaere’s motion for a rehearing of his case that involved the 2019 fatal shooting of Cameron Lamb. DeValkenaere (shown above) is currently serving a six-year prison sentence. In a one-page ruling Tuesday, the state’s appellate court has also denied DeValkenaere’s request to transfer the case to the Missouri Supreme Court. The same court also upheld his conviction last month. The next attempt might be a request to Missouri Gov. Mike Parson to pardon him, according to some reports. Jackson County Prosecutor Jean Peters Baker applauded Tuesday’s court decision.