First grade Challenge (gifted education) students are continuing to study water and its properties. In recent experiments, they used their buoyancy buckets filled with items to checked to see which items would sink and which would float and what changes needed to be made to allow an item to sink or float.
Additionally they studied water molecules and how they stick together. Students used pipettes (water droppers) to put single drops of water on a penny to see how they joined together. They also tried it with salt water and soapy water to see what did or did not connect.
Usually Monday marks the first day of a long work week and this Monday was like any other for one Raytown resident living in the 8300 block of Elm when the homeowner left for work today (01-28-2013). One difference however was a phone call from the Police saying Detectives were in her house and it had just been burglarized. Raytown Police Officer’s responded to the area of 83rd Street and Elm around 1:00 p.m. to investigate a report of a person “breaking into” a house. When Police arrived they surrounded the house and confirmed someone was inside. A black man in his late teens ran out of the house and Police chased him on foot for a short time. The man was taken into custody and held on an investigative hold. Charges are pending with The Jackson County Prosecutor’s Office and the investigation is ongoing. Police credit alert neighbors that did not hesitate to call the police.
The Raytown High School Talking Blue Jays attended competed at Truman and at Springfield Parkview on January 25 and 26.
Top finishers in the novice division at Truman students were Zach Kujath with Katelyn McAlister, 5th in Policy Debate; Kastasya Jackson, 6th in Prose Reading; Krystina Whitehead, 6th in Dramatic Interpretation; and Nigel Burges, 8th in Current Events Speaking.
Top finishers in varsity at Parkview were Paige Keeton, who advanced to Semifinals in United States Extemporaneous Speaking, and Paige Keeton with Claire Robinson, 3rd in Public Forum Debate. The Bluejays are coached by Mark Harris.
Nominations are being sought for the Raytown Schools Alumni Hall of Fame Class of 2013. This will be the ninth class inducted, and induction weekend is set for October 11 and 12, 2013.
Those being nominated must be a minimum of 30 years of age, and should have shown exceptional achievement in their career or life’s pursuits. A downloadable PDF nomination form is available on the school district website. Nominations are due by February 1 and can be mailed to Community Relations, 6608 Raytown Road, Raytown, MO 64133 or delivered in person to the district offices.
“We look forward to the nominations that come in each year and to being able to put forth an outstanding class of inductees in October. We remain grateful to our nominators, who remind us of our outstanding legacy through our alumni,” Director of Communications Cathy Allie said.
For questions about the nomination process or previous classes, please visit www.raytownschools.or/halloffame or call the district offices at 816.268.7024 and ask for the Community Relations department.
ROC Recreation leagues help children and youth build self-esteem, learn team work and expand their sports skills, while growing in their relationship with God. The leagues are led by caring coaches and directors in a Christian environment. At each practice the kids will learn not only their sport but also about Jesus.
The ROC Volleyball program is for boys and girls in 4th through 9th grade. The early registration cost per player is $79, after February 2 cost per player is $89; this includes a jersey, end of season award and devotional materials. Shorts are available to purchase for $15.
Registration Online at www.rocfitness.org/volleyball
Evaluation Day The ROC Volleyball evaluation day is MANDATORY to attend. Every player MUST attend the February 9 evaluation.
Evaluations will take place in the ROC gym at First Baptist Raytown at the following times:
8:30-9:30 a.m.
4th & 5th Grade
9:30-10:30 a.m.
6th & 7th Grade
10:30-11:30 a.m.
8th & 9th Grade
Carmen Kraus
Recreation Director
Administrative Assistant Fitness, Recreation and Men’s Ministries
City Administrator’s ReportFROM: Mahesh Sharma, City Administrator
Information Technology
Raytown Government Channel 7 has been updated with new audio/video playback and recording devices. The new recording devices will enable the City to playback HD recordings of City and Jackson County government meetings, which are aired during the week.
Request for service included; 37 computers, 3 telephones, 2 government channels, 2 door locks, and 4 website updates. The network, server, telephone, government channel, electronic security doors and website are at optimum functionality.
Community Development
Rock Island Corridor Study planning work is continuing on transportation options in the Rock Island Corridor. The Corridor Study focuses on a trail extending between the Blue River Trail, west of the Truman Sports Complex, to Pleasant Hill and eventually to the Katy Trail State Park across Missouri. The second in a series of community workshops was held on Wednesday, January 23rd. The workshop provided continued discussion and development of conceptual plans for each of the activity nodes along the corridor which includes the Raytown Central Business District (CBD). Findings from an economic analysis on the activity nodes were presented at the community workshop. The next community workshop will be held this spring. Staff will provide information on the date and location of the next community workshop when it is released. The Corridor Study is funded through a grant received by MARC. MARC is partnered with the cities of Raytown, Kansas City, Lee’s Summit, Greenwood, Pleasant Hill, as well as Jackson County and other community groups on the study. More information on the Rock Island Corridor Study is available at http://www.marc.org/sustainableplaces/corridor-RockIsland.htm
Public Works
The Downtown Streetscape project is out to bid. Contractors can obtain plans at Drexel Technologies. Bids will be opened on Friday, February 15th at 2:00 p.m.
Staff has met with Wiedenmann and Godfrey Construction about upcoming sanitary sewer repair projects at 82nd Street & Hardy and 71st Terrace & Willow.
Raytown Water Company plans to begin construction of their downtown water main project the week of January 28th. This project will take about 3 months to complete.
Raytown South was victorious over Raytown High School 54 to 44 on Monday at the Sprint Center. Other than some good natured taunts, the fans, players and students behaviour was exemplary. The photos are courtesy of Jerome Barnes.
Three horses belonging to Diana Douglas were stolen on Jan. 9th from the Raytown Equestrian Park on 63rd Street. The horses descritions are a black gelding Tennessee Walker, black mare Standard Breed and a a greyish-white mare Quarter Horse.
We thank FOX4KC for providing the code to embed there video coverage of the theft.
The January meeting of the Raytown Democratic Association featured guest speaker Dr. Steve Shelton. Topics included the Winchester TIF and the recent changes in Missouri standards for school district ratings.
The Raytown School District and Kansas City Mayor Sly James have come to an agreement about the contested Winchester TIF (Tax Increment Funding) and its proposed Sixth Amendment.
As part of the original TIF, all taxing jurisdictions, including the city, county, and school district, will share in the improvement costs for the neighborhood near Swope Park, estimated at approximately $3.5 million. Neighborhood improvements are set to include:
·Sewer upgrades
·Widening of Bennington Avenue
·Curb and sidewalk construction
Mayor James has committed his support to ending the Winchester TIF which will, by law, require that the remaining funds in the Special Allocation Fund (SAF) be returned to taxing jurisdictions, generating an immediate payment of approximately $3.8 million to the District in the coming months.
“We are pleased to have come to a consensus and protected not only Raytown School District patrons’ tax dollars, but also those of other taxing entities with the ending of this TIF,” Dr. Allan Markley, Superintendent of Schools, said.
Prior to the settlement, district employees and patrons were asked to participate in an email and letter writing campaign to City of Kansas City TIF Commission members to encourage an end to the Winchester TIF and to ask them to oppose the Sixth Amendment to the TIF. Under the Sixth Amendment, the TIF would have been extended for nine years at an approximate cost of $4 million more.
Raytown turned out to watch their own Raytown Trailblazers take on the Harlem Ambassadors in basketball. The Trailblazers were coached by none other than Bud Lathrop. The Trailblazers roster includes local celebrities and basketball alumni players from both Raytown and Raytown South.
The line up for the Raytown Trailblazers
The line up for the Harlem Ambassadors
Game highlights from the 1st half
Vickie Turnbow pulled into the act
Ambassadors vs Trailblazers Halftime Show
State Rep. Tom McDonald and Alderman Pat Ertz enjoying the game.
On Monday Jan. 21st at 7:30 pm. at the Sprint Center, Raytown High School will face Raytown South High School. This will be the final game of a 8 game program starting at 9:00 am. Below is the Time Warner press release.
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Time Warner Cable Metro Sports to Host Major High School Basketball Showcase at Sprint Center on Martin Luther King Jr. Day
Event marks the first time that high school basketball will be played at KC’s world-class arena
In celebration of Martin Luther King Jr. Day, Time Warner Cable Metro Sports is hosting a major high school basketball event on Jan. 21 at Sprint Center.
The Time Warner Cable Basketball Showcase presented by Metro Sports will feature eight games involving 16 Kansas City area high school basketball teams, starting at 9 a.m., and will mark the first time that high school basketball has ever been played at Sprint Center. All games will be broadcast live in HD on Metro Sports, and tickets for the event are only $10 for the entire day and can be purchased at the Sprint Center box office.
This showcase will give area high school basketball players the opportunity live their dream of being a big-time college/professional basketball player for a day. Not only will the players be able to play in a world-class arena, but the teams will be able to use Sprint Center’s incredible locker rooms that were built to host NBA/NHL teams. Additionally, all teams will take part in a full postgame press conference in Sprint Center’s interview room just like a college or NBA team would do following a game, and these press conferences will also be shown live on Metro Sports.
“We are excited to provide Kansas City sports fans with a great event like this on Martin Luther King Jr. Day and we are hoping this is something that can become an annual tradition,” said Chris Huwe, Metro Sports general manager. “We are also so proud to provide this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for local high school basketball players to experience what it is like to play in a big-time college basketball or NBA game at a world-class venue.”
Metro Sports is available throughout the Kansas City area on Time Warner Cable (channel 30, 310 and in HD on 1310), Comcast (channel 258) and Knology in Lawrence (channel 37). For breaking sports news and additional Metro Sports programming information, Kansas City area sports fans can follow Metro Sports on Facebook (facebook.com/kcmetrosports) and @kcmetrosports on Twitter (twitter.com/kcmetrosports).
Below is the full game/broadcast schedule for The Time Warner Cable Basketball Showcase presented by Metro Sports:
9 a.m. – Hogan Prep vs. Harmon (Boys)
10:30 a.m. – North Kansas City vs. Staley (Girls)
12 p.m. – Lincoln Prep vs. St. Teresa’s Academy (Girls)
1:30 p.m. – Northeast vs. East (Boys)
3 p.m. – Lincoln Prep vs. Central (Boys)
4:30 p.m. – Wyandotte vs. Washington (Boys)
6 p.m. – Grandview vs. Rockhurst (Boys)
7:30 p.m. – Raytown South vs. Raytown (Boys)
Note: Participating schools will have the ability to purchase tickets at half price, and will receive several other perks including the opportunity to bring their pep band and cheerleaders, and each school also has the chance to have their dance team perform at halftime live on Metro Sports.
City Administrator’s ReportFROM: Mahesh Sharma, City Administrator
Administration
As a reminder, City Hall will be closed on Monday, January 21st, in observance of the Martin Luther King, Jr. Holiday. Normal business will resume at 8:00 a.m. on Tuesday, January 22nd.
Information Technology
In collaboration with the Information Technology Department at Jackson County, the Metropolitan Area Network infrastructure upgrade has been completed. As a satellite office for Jackson County property tax processing, the upgrade provides for faster access to Jackson County’s network and database servers for property tax business functions performed by the City’s Finance Department. The technology upgrade included network hardware, line circuit performance and security enhancements.
Request for service included; 42 computers, 5 telephones, 3 government channel, 2 door lock, and 3 website update. The network, server, telephone, government channel, electronic security doors and website are at optimum functionality.
Community Development
The next public workshop for the Rock Island Corridor Study will be held on Wednesday, January 23rd from 5:30 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. This workshop will be held at Unity Village in the Garden/Tea Room located at 1901 NW Blue Parkway. The workshop will build upon the efforts and input received at the previous workshop, which among other things includes a focus on the downtown Raytown area as an activity center for possible future transit route and bicycle-pedestrian trail that could be constructed along the Rock Island Corridor. These transit and trail alignments are proposed to extend from Pleasant Hill to downtown Kansas City and would provide a connection to other transit lines as well as the KATY Trail State Park. The focus on the downtown Raytown as an activity center takes into consideration potential land use changes, a possible transit station location and trail head locations along the corridor.
Public Works
Public Works engineering staff attended the Missouri Asphalt Paving Association training seminar that covered a wide variety of topics ranging from preservation techniques to reconstruction of roadways.
Public Works staff responded to an unexpected change in the weather forecast last Saturday morning. The forecast on Friday was only for a dusting of snow; however, when the updated forecast arrived Saturday morning there was a change which added 3 inches of snow. Public Works mobilized in response to the forecast and initiated our snow response by placing salt in trucks and pretreating the roadways. The recycling center hours were cut short Saturday so there would not be any conflict between salt loading, salt trucks and public vehicles in the public works yard. In the end, the snow stayed a few miles to the south and east and no sustained response was necessary.
Board, Committee and Commission Meetings, and Events
January 22 – Fire Board Meeting Station #1 9:00 a.m.
The internationally-acclaimed Harlem Ambassadors will be visiting Raytown for a game at Raytown South High School on January 18, 2013at 7:00 p.m..
The Ambassadors set themselves apart from other “Harlem-style” basketball teams by working with local not-for-profit and service organizations and holding Harlem Ambassadors shows as community fundraising events. For Raytown’s event the Ambassadors have partnered with The Raytown Educational Foundation and Raytown Rotary Club to help raise funds for scholarships and grants.
The Harlem Ambassadors offer a unique brand of Harlem-style basketball, featuring high-flying slam dunks, dazzling ball-handling tricks and hilarious comedy routines. The Ambassadors will be playing the Raytown Trailblazers, an eclectic group of local leaders and celebrities, coached by former Raytown South High School basketball coach, Bud Lathrop.
The Ambassadors feature non-stop laughs and deliver a positive message for kids wherever the Ambassadors play. “At our shows, we want the kids to know that they’re part of our team too,” Coach Ladè Majic said. “We invite as many kids as we can to come sit on the bench, have a front row seat during the show, and get involved in all of the fun stuff we do.”
The Ambassadors have worked extensively with organizations such as Habitat for Humanity, Boys & Girls Clubs, Big Brothers Big Sisters and American Red Cross as well as Rotary, Lions and Kiwanis clubs in communities throughout the U.S., and perform more than 200 shows a year. Those shows have helped raise millions of dollars – an accomplishment of which Ambassadors President Dale Moss is very proud.
“It feels good to be able to provide quality entertainment and create memories that the fans will take with them,” Moss explained. “We’re able to give even more when we can help provide funding for a Habitat for Humanity house or new computers for the school library, and that feels great.”
City Administrator’s ReportFROM: Mahesh Sharma, City Administrator
Community Development
The 16th annual Raytown MLK Celebration will be held this Sunday, January 13th at 3:00 p.m. in the Raytown High School Auditorium. The keynote speaker will be Rev. Olivia C.Q. Aiken from Memorial Missionary Baptist Church. The program will also include issuance of a proclamation by Mayor Bower, Maxine “Queen Mother” McFarlane singing her annual rendition of “Pass it On”, performances by two Hawaiian dance ensembles, members of 2 school choirs from Raytown, performance by internationally known vocalist Bryan Austin, participation by other faith and civic leaders and the announcement of the winners of the “MLK Today” essay contest for Raytown students. The students were charged to propose a project in Raytown that would help further Dr. King’s vision for America. The Grand Prize award will be a donation by Graceway Church of $3,000 and 1,000 volunteer hours to implement the winning project. The students submitting the top essays will receive Google Nexus 7 Tablets.
The CBD Streetscape Steering Committee met on Wednesday, January 9th to review the final draft of the CBD Streetscape Master Plan as wells as to get an update on the status of the construction plan approval for Phase 1 of the streetscape improvements. Staff is anticipating receiving approval of the construction plans for Phase 1 within the next two weeks. Upon approval of the construction plans, the City will be able to release a request for construction bids. It is anticipated that a selected bid package will be brought to the Board of Aldermen in March with construction commencing shortly thereafter.
The next public workshop for the Rock Island Corridor Study will be held on Wednesday, January 23rd from 5:30 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. This workshop will be held in Unity Village in the Garden / Tea Room located at 1901 NW Blue Parkway. This workshop will build upon the efforts and input received at the previous workshop, which among other things includes a focus on the downtown Raytown area as an activity center for possible future transit route and bicycle-pedestrian trail that could be constructed along the Rock Island corridor. These transit and trail alignments are proposed to extend from Pleasant Hill to downtown Kansas City and would provide a connection to other transit lines as well as the KATY Trail State Park. The focus on the downtown Raytown as an activity center takes into consideration potential land use changes, a possible transit station location, and trail head locations along the corridor.
Board, Committee and Commission Meetings and Events
January 14 – Municipal Court 6:00 p.m.
January 15 – Board of Aldermen 7:00 p.m.
January 16 – Municipal Court 8:00 a.m. and 6:00 p.m.
A two car acctident Tuesday on Blue Ridge Blvd. and Sterling ended with a red van on its side. Pictures were provided by local business owner Larry Edwards.
First grade Challenge (gifted education) students are continuing to study water and its properties. In recent experiments, they used their buoyancy buckets filled with items to checked to see which items would sink and which would float and what changes needed to be made to allow an item to sink or float.
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