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Raytown High’s Talking Bluejays debate team recently competed in two tournaments.
Returning debaters participated in one of the state’s largest varsity tournaments held at Parkview High School in Springfield, Missouri. Senior Tamela Hill, the only undefeated entry, placed 1st in the Championship Division of Lincoln-Douglas Debate. Senior Sarah Holloway and Junior Israel Hanke placed 3rd in the Regular Division of Public Forum Debate First-year debaters participated in the Patriot Novice Round Robin at Truman High School. Freshman Isabella James placed 3rd in Humorous Interpretation, Senior Anthony Roebuck and Sophomore Ashley Johnson placed 4th in Policy Forum Debate, Sophomore Anisah Marshall placed 6th in Storytelling, and Sophomore Jessica Madrid placed 6th in Prose Reading. The Talking Bluejays are coached by Mark Harris. A meeting of the will be held at 6:30 p.m. on Tuesday, January 27 at the City Hall.
They will be discussing the ways to educating the public and the avenues that will be used to do so. Raytown Police responded to a pharmacy in the 7500 block of Raytown Road, Friday (01-23-15), in regard to a “nature unknown” call. Upon arrival, officers learned that a man had approached the pharmacy counter and demanded prescription drugs, with a threatening demeanor. Officers quickly apprehended the man, who was attempting to leave the store. The man did not display or mention a weapon, when demanding the drugs, and there were no injuries. The identity of the 29-year-old Kansas City man will not be released until charges are filed in the incident. The investigation is ongoing. The election for The Raytown Fire District board seat is now no contest. Incumbant Willard Ross has decided not to run for re-election. That leaves candidate Richard Tush with a sure win.
 The Raytown School District is pleased to announce the hiring of Dr. Steve Shelton as the Associate Superintendent of Operations. Shelton will replace Brian Blankenship who passed away in 2014.
Shelton has served in the Raytown School District for the past twelve years in a variety of capacities, including Raytown High School principal, Assistant Superintendent of Secondary Education, and most recently Assistant Superintendent of Human Resources. “ I am very excited to continue to serve the district in this new capacity,” Shelton said. “Having lived and worked in Raytown for more than 12 years, I know what a wonderful staff and students we have.” Shelton earned his Bachelors in Biology Education from Ottawa University and was recently named to the university’s Hall of Fame. He earned his Masters from Emporia State University in School Leadership, and his Doctorate in Educational Leadership and Policy Study from the University of Kansas. “We are pleased to have Dr. Shelton in a new role,” Superintendent of Schools Dr. Allan Markley said. “He is familiar with our staff and community and I look forward to working with him on the operations side of the district.” Shelton is a Past President of the Raytown Rotary Club and has served as Secretary of the Raytown Educational Foundation. The video and photos in this article are courtesy of Donna Barnes. The regular photographer (myself) was in the Chicago area attending services for a friend and was unable to attend the celebration. Emails to the editor (editor@raytownonline.com) identifying individuals in the photos would be welcome.
 Rev. John Wiley
 Mayor Bower with MLK award winning essayist Bekki Bottoms Miss Bottoms was presented to the Raytown Board of Aldermen on Jan. 20th. Her portion of the meeting starts at the 7:33 point. The video embedding is programmed to start at that point but may not work in all systems.
 Alderman and Candidate for Mayor Pat Ertz and wife Shari
The celebration started with the Boy Scout Troop #428 posting the Colors. The rest of the programming for the celebration.
Richard Tush Willard Ross Two of these three candidates will be elected for a three year term. ?
Order on ballot: Kristie Lynn Collins-Delarber Amy Beth Tittle Thomas Granger Estlund FILING FOR OFFICE Mayor – 4 year term expiring April 2019 City Collector – 4 year term expiring April 2019 Alderman Ward I – 4 year term expiring April 2019 Alderman Ward II – 4 year term expiring April 2019 Alderman Ward III – 4 year term expiring April 2019 Alderman Ward IV – 4 year term expiring April 2019 Alderman Ward V – 4 year term expiring April 2019 Raytown Police continue to investigate the robbery of a liquor store in the 6500 block of Raytown Road, which occurred on 01-02-2015. Two black males entered the store, demanded money and one of the males struck a female employee, which knocked her down. One of the males displayed a gun. When a male employee attempted to activate the alarm, he fell to the ground. The two suspects left the store. The male employee was transported to an area hospital for treatment to a wound to his head.
The male employee initially told the responding officers that he thought he tripped, causing him to strike his head, however, it was later discovered that he had most likely suffered a grazing gunshot wound to his head. He was treated at the hospital and has since been released. The male suspects are described as being about 6’ tall, thin build, wearing dark clothing. Raytown Police investigators believe that the liquor store robbery suspects may have been involved in other crimes, and have been diligently working with other law enforcement agencies to bring this case to a successful conclusion, which has restricted the release of information until today. We thank our community members that have remained patient through this process. The investigation into this robbery is ongoing, so in order to preserve the integrity of the investigation, and potentially others, no other information will be released at this time. Anyone with information about this robbery, or any other crime, is asked to call the TIPS Hotline at (816) 474-TIPS (8477).  The Raytown School District will host the 28th Annual Board of Education Academic Evening celebration on March 5. The invitation only event will honor approximately 250 juniors and seniors students from Raytown and Raytown South High School who have maintained a 3.5 to 4.0 Grade Point Average throughout high school.
The evening, sponsored in part by local financial institutions, will feature Dr. Ronald Slepitza, President of Avila University, as the speaker. Slepitza earned his Ph.D. from the University of Maryland and is the 14th president of Avila. Avila has undergone an unprecedented period of growth and improvement under Slepitza’s leadership, including $30 million in capital improvements and renovations. Avila is currently at its highest enrollment in its history. In addition to serving as a university president, Slepitza serves on the President’s Advisory Council of the Missouri Coordinating Board for Higher Education, is a member of the Board of Trustees of Kansas City University of Medicine and Biosciences, and is chair of the Independent Colleges and Universities of Missouri. He is a leader in a local Rotary Club and is active in a variety of other service organizations. Raytown Police Correct Inaccurate Police Pension Information
Raytown, MO – Raytown Police Chief Jim Lynch took an opportunity today (01-06-15) to correct inaccurate information regarding the Raytown Police Pension, which was published in the December 17, 2014 issue of the Raytown Times. The inaccurate information was listed at the top of page 4, in volume 5, issue 40. The opinion article, written by Randy Battagler, refers to officers potentially collecting “double pay.” Officers may only earn a maximum benefit of 60% of their pay (life annuity.) Those that serve our city longer, wait to receive their pension benefit and retire later, will receive a higher monthly payment. If an officer retires earlier, their monthly pension payment is lower. Similar to Social Security benefits, the monthly payment is impacted by how soon an officer retires, after reaching retirement eligibility age. Taking an early retirement means a lesser monthly payment, and waiting to retire means an increased monthly payment. However, the maximum benefit, 60%, does not change. Some officers may have other retirement income, unrelated to the Raytown Police Pension, which could include Social Security, military retirement benefits, and individually-owned income products (IRA’s, etc.) Mr. Battagler asserted that, “Without contributions from participants the fund had fallen well short of the amount it needed to be solvent.” There were many factors that impacted the unfunded liability of the Police Pension, including stock market downturns and intermittent payments by former city finance directors. The unfunded liability must still be paid, regardless of the City moving the Police Officers to LAGERS. In fact, the LAGERS plan costs more (approximately 12% of payroll) than the former Police Pension plan (approximately 8%.) Even after the unfunded liability has been paid, the LAGERS plan, which has added benefits including cost of living adjustments, will be more expensive than the Police Pension plan. Mr. Battagler also said that “without the change the city could have faced bankruptcy.” That is simply not the case. It was the belief by some that the former Police Pension plan was unsustainable, which prompted the discussion, and subsequent change, not the threat of the plan failing or causing bankruptcy. In fact, the Police Pension plan is performing very well in the current economic environment. Since 2008, when the stock market downturn hurt almost every pension plan, the Police Pension plan funded status has increased every year, with contributions decreasing or remaining the same as a percent of pay in that same period. Chief Lynch is committed to transparency and openness. The Raytown Police Pension Board meetings have always been, and remain, open meetings. The schedules of Pension Board meetings are posted in the Police Department lobby, as well as the Police Department News blog, RPD News Room (http://piorpd.wordpress.com/) for the public and media to view any time. Raytown Missouri-On Wednesday 01-14-15, at about 6:40 P.M., while investigating a vehicle crash at the 9600 block of E. 350 Hwy, a marked Police vehicle was struck by another vehicle, while the Officer was inside his vehicle. The Officer was transported to a local hospital via ambulance for an evaluation as a precaution. The driver of the other vehicle was taken into custody and alcohol may have been a factor in that crash. The Raytown Police Accident Investigation Unit is investigating the incident
On Jan. 9th at City Hall, the Raytown Charter Commission held the first of two scheduled sessions focused on public comment. The layout had the podium facing the Commission and well in front of the audience. In order to video record a better view than the back of the person commenting, the camera was placed in a location and left recording a fix picture of the podium for the entire meeting. It should be noted that The editor of RaytownOnline.com pacticipated in the public comments.
Editorial Comment One of the benefits of owning a news website is that you get the last word. I am taking advantage of that benefit to get the last word. A large portion (some of which is listed below) of the qualifications for Chief of Police are vague. Qualifications for any office should be precise and not open to debate on what meets the requirement. The term “considerable knowledge” is very imprecise. The attorney that the Commission hired made the point that if lawsuits arouse over whether someone met these vague qualifications, it would not be the city that would be getting sued, and that the suits would likely fail. That is likely correct, but it does not cover all undesirable consequences and side effects of the vagueness, possible legal liabilities that this leaves an elected official open to, and possible costs bother financial and in the potential public fights that may ensue. The only benefit to this potential for a public fight in the courts and in the campaigns, would be that it could lead to sensational news copy for the media. I am willing to forgo that benefit. I may report controversy and scandal, but prefer not to encourage it.
vi. Candidates for the Chief of Police shall also possess: 1) considerable knowledge of the principles of modern police 
Front (LR): Iylana Petway, Nathan Barber, Chance Prosser, Vinzent Guthrie Raytown High School’s chess team recently won 1st place at the LINC Winter Chess Tournament. Junior DaVaun Williams took home the 1st place individual trophy, and Senior Ian Hunter placed 6th in the individual competition. “The students were electrified with excitement when they were awarded 1st place at the Chess Tournament,” Science Teacher and Chess Team Sponsor Kim Lemons said. “These students strive for excellence by attending practice every week, working on weekly puzzles for homework, and playing chess games outside of practice. Held at Fire Prairie Upper Elementary, 17 area schools were represented in the competition. The team will compete in the Rockhurst Chess Tournament on Saturday, January 24. “The students are polishing their skills as they prepare for the Rockhurst tournament this month,” Lemons said. The team also plans to compete in LINC tournaments in April and May.  Nominations are being sought for the Raytown Schools Alumni Hall of Fame Class of 2015. This will be the tenth class inducted, and induction weekend is set for September 17 and 18, 2015.
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 or in hard copy at the District Administration Building located at 6608 Raytown Road, Raytown, MO 64133. Nominations are due by February 2 and can be mailed or delivered in person to the District Administration Building. “My favorite part of the Alumni Hall of Fame is watching the students see where their start in Raytown can take them,” Director of Communications and Community Relations Cathy Allie said. “Many of our Raytown Quality Schools alumni go on to have great success in their careers. We are grateful to those who take the time to nominate a family member, friend, or peer because nominations are what keep this program alive.” For questions about the nomination process or previous classes, please visit http://www.raytownschools.org/hof/Pages/default.aspx or call the district offices at 816.268.7000 and ask for the Community Relations department. |
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