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Sugar Creek Planning Commissioners Reject Lafarge Mining Plans

Rhiannon Ross — Fri, 12 Dec 2008 09:26:00 CDT

By Rhiannon Ross

Score another round for David in his battle against Goliath.

Sugar Creek Planning Commissioners once again denied a rezoning request by Lafarge North America to subsurface mine for limestone on property that borders a heavily populated residential neighborhood in unincorporated Jackson County.

Neighbors say �No Way!� to LaFarge Mining Plans

Rhiannon Ross — Fri, 21 Nov 2008 05:20:00 CDT

By Rhiannon Ross

Homeowners who live near a proposed underground mining venture made one thing perfectly clear at a public hearing last week at the Mike Onka Memorial Building in Sugar Creek, Mo.

"We just want LaFarge to go away and give us our homes back," said Lavonne Spicer, when asked by Sugar Creek Planning Commissioner Susan Davis if there were any concessions LaFarge North America might make that could sway homeowners.

Spicer�s comment was met by applause from more than 100 people who attended the third hearing in as many months to oppose a rezoning request made by LaFarge to mine limestone on property that borders a heavily populated residential area in unincorporated Jackson County.

Phil Lindsey Convicted of Disturbing the Peace at Polls; Appeals Conviction

Rhiannon Ross — Fri, 31 Oct 2008 05:00:00 CDT

By Rhiannon Ross

Voting rights activist Phil Lindsey, Independence, was recently convicted on a charge of disturbing the peace at his local polling place. He has appealed the conviction.

Lindsey was arrested in the August primary after his identification was rejected by election judges and he refused to leave the premises until he could vote. He said judges insisted he show a signature ID if he wanted to cast a vote and they would not accept the forms of ID he gave them � a postcard notification from the election board bearing his name and address and a utility bill. He said he also produced a bank statement. All of the IDs he presented are acceptable forms of ID under Missouri state law.

Obama, McCain Swing through Missouri to Woo Voters in Final Days before Election: Both Promise to take Country in New Economic Direction

Rhiannon Ross — Tue, 21 Oct 2008 20:19:00 CDT

�We stand on tiptoe looking for a brighter age.� -- Ralph Waldo Emerson

By Rhiannon Ross

Democrats and Republicans alike gathered in Greater Kansas City on Saturday and Monday to show their support for the candidate they hope will be the next President of the United States.

Many stood on tiptoe or hoisted children onto their shoulders, for the chance to either see Sen. Barack Obama Saturday on the grounds of the Liberty Memorial WWI Museum in Kansas City, Mo., or Sen. John McCain Monday on a football field at the Heartland High School and Academy in the nearby Kansas City suburb of Belton, Mo.

Show Me the Vote! Gears Up for November Election to Protect Voters from Disenfranchisement

Rhiannon Ross — Fri, 17 Oct 2008 05:00:00 CDT

By Rhiannon Ross

Like any smart warrior, Phil Lindsey is gearing up for battle � the battle to protect voter integrity and transparency in the November general election.

�Missouri is a bellwether state and my guess is if the election is stolen, it could be in St. Louis County and Eastern Jackson County (Mo.),� he said.

Lindsey, Independence, is director of Showmethevote!, a 501c (3) grassroots organization dedicated to voting rights. The group advocates hand-counting paper ballots to protect the integrity of the voting process. They also submitted petitions to the Missouri Legislature opposing photo voter ID, a former voting identification requirement the state Supreme Court ruled unconstitutional last year.

Sugar Creek Homeowners Continue to Protest Lafarge Mining Venture

Rhiannon Ross — Fri, 10 Oct 2008 10:59:00 CDT

By Rhiannon Ross

Media attention may appear to be waning but not so the impassioned voices of homeowners who live near a proposed underground mining site in Sugar Creek, Mo.

Approximately 200 people gathered Thursday at the Mike Onka Memorial Building in Sugar Creek to air their complaints at a second public hearing against Lafarge North America. The concrete giant wants to mine in a residential area that borders an elementary school, four churches and 1,400 homes in unincorporated Jackson County.

�I think if I played with an M-80, you guys would come to my house and have me arrested,� Ken Chapman, a resident and former mine worker, said. �But you guys are playing with dynamite!�

Michelle Obama Visits 18th & Vine to Deliver Message of Hope to Working and Middle Class Families and to Get Out the Vote

Rhiannon Ross — Fri, 03 Oct 2008 05:00:00 CDT

By Rhiannon Ross

It was no ordinary Wednesday afternoon this week in Kansas City�s historic 18th & Vine District.

At least not for Raymond Daniels.

�I was almost born on this street,� the life-long Kansas City man said, gesturing around him.

Daniels, 81, said he remembers a very different time on 18th & Vine. He was nearly 40 years old before Jim Crow segregation laws ended and the 1960s Civil Rights era began.

U.S. Census Bureau Gearing up for 2010 Census; Seeking Employees

Rhiannon Ross — Fri, 03 Oct 2008 05:00:00 CDT

By Rhiannon Ross

The U.S. Census Bureau is actively seeking employees to conduct its 2010 census.

�There are so many job opportunities now and coming up,� said Sydnee Chattin-Reynolds, deputy regional director of the Kansas City Regional Census Center. �It�s a huge effort and a great opportunity economically for the community.�

Positions available range from census takers to management, with salaries ranging from a low of $11.50 to a high of $27.25, depending upon one�s experience and the position one is hired for. Jobs will be needed to complete the census through 2010.

Mother Decides to �Do the Right Thing for Kids�

Rhiannon Ross — Fri, 26 Sep 2008 05:13:00 CDT

By Rhiannon Ross

Most working parents have little time to spare for extra-curricular activities.

Melissa Eddy, Kansas City, is no different. She�s a wife, mother of two elementary-aged children, and a pre-school teacher.

But that didn�t stop her from assuming one more activity: holding the members of the Kansas City, Missouri, School District (KCMSD) Board of Education accountable for its actions.

�I am a huge stakeholder in the process,� she said. �I stand to lose the most.�

Eddy, along with former KCMSD board member Dr. Bill Eddy (no relation), formed the grassroots task force, �Do the Right Thing for Kids.� (http://kc4kids.wordpress.com)

The group seeks to keep the community informed about what the school board is or is not doing; replace the current elected school board with one that is appointed or a hybrid version of appointed and elected officials; and pursue state legislation that would support board appointments.

KCMO School Board Member Resigns; Says Board Must Clarify its Vision

Rhiannon Ross — Fri, 26 Sep 2008 05:00:00 CDT

By Rhiannon Ross

Educator Ingrid Burnett said she wants to get the community�s attention.

And much like a school teacher clapping her hands to stir sleepy, apathetic students, she found a way to do it. Burnett resigned, unexpectedly, from the Kansas City, Missouri school board earlier this week, after serving six years.

�I wanted to make this clarion call to the community � �Hey, we�re not going the right way!�� she said.

Burnett was first elected to the school board in 2002 and again in 2006. An educator for 30 years, she is employed by the Independence School District as a school counselor at Procter Elementary School. She is married to Missouri state Rep. John P. Burnett.

Educator Bill Eddy Calls for Reorganization of Kansas City, Mo. School District Board

Rhiannon Ross — Fri, 19 Sep 2008 05:00:00 CDT

By Rhiannon Ross

Obama and McCain aren�t the only crusaders calling for change.

Former Kansas City, Mo. school district (KCMSD) board member and UMKC educator William Eddy, Ph.D., also is waving the banner.

But Eddy�s cry does not call for changes to the national economic landscape, nor is it a plea for health care for all. His task, however, is no less daunting: Eddy wants to reorganize the KCMSD.

ACLU Protests �No White T-shirt� Dress Code in KC�s Power and Light District; Says Code Enforcers Guilty of Racial Profiling

Rhiannon Ross — Fri, 12 Sep 2008 05:00:00 CDT

By Rhiannon Ross

Fashion magazines are reporting that celebrity twin Ashley Olsen wore �a simple white T-shirt with matching black bra and skirt� to New York�s prestigious Fashion Week.

But if Olsen were to visit Kansas City�s Power & Light District in this get-up, her �simple white T-shirt� � according to the dress code for the new $850-million entertainment district � could get her banned from its restaurants and bars. It could prohibit her from entering the Lucky Strike Bowling Alley. And it could even get her booted out of the district altogether.

Or would it?

Jackson County Homeowners Protest Lafarge Mining in Sugar Creek

Rhiannon Ross — Fri, 12 Sep 2008 05:00:00 CDT

By Rhiannon Ross

Pellets of rain didn�t appear to faze about 75 protesters lining both sides of Kentucky Road at the Missouri 291 intersection in Independence late Thursday afternoon. They sported rain slickers and sprouted umbrellas to protect them. And many of their protest signs were laminated in plastic.

But ask members of Cedar Crest, Swearingen, Farview Concerned Citizens how they feel about underground blasting in their backyards and their discontent thundered.

Lafarge North America, a cement giant headquartered in France but with operations in Sugar Creek and Independence, has been mining limestone beneath WinterStone Golf Course for eight years.

As the project nears completion, Lafarge once again is seeking zoning approval from the city of Sugar Creek to mine 167 acres of the Cedar Crest Dairy estate. The Sugar Creek Board of Alderman rejected the request in 2006.

Trial Continued in Phil Lindsey Voter ID Case

Rhiannon Ross — Fri, 12 Sep 2008 05:00:00 CDT

By Rhiannon Ross

Phil Lindsey was looking forward to his day in court Thursday.

But he will have to wait at least another six weeks. His trial was continued to Oct. 22, as per the prosecution�s request.

Lindsey, a known voting rights activist from Independence, was in court defending himself on a charge of �disorderly conduct� at his local polling place in August.

Jackson County Homeowners Plan to Protest Lafarge Mining in Sugar Creek

Rhiannon Ross — Mon, 08 Sep 2008 20:57:00 CDT

By Rhiannon Ross

Homeowners in unincorporated Jackson County who live near a proposed, underground mining venture are prepared once again to fight for their homes and their children�s school.

Members of Cedar Crest, Swearingen, Farview Concerned Citizens will gather from 4 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. Thursday at the Kentucky Road Lafarge Plant, Kentucky Road and Missouri 291, to protest yet another attempt by Lafarge North America to blast for limestone on the Cedar Crest Dairy property.

The protest is scheduled one week before a public hearing before the Sugar Creek Planning Commission. The hearing is scheduled at 7 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 18, at the Mike Onka Memorial Building, 11520 E. Putnam St., in Sugar Creek.

Phil Lindsey To Go To Trial in Voter ID Case

Rhiannon Ross — Mon, 08 Sep 2008 15:05:00 CDT

By Rhiannon Ross

^{UPDATED SEPTEMBER 10, 2:40 PM - Change of Venue}

An Independence man, who was arrested while trying to vote in the August primary election, heads to trial Thursday. And his case has garnered interest from the American Civil Liberties Union.

Phil Lindsey, a known voting rights activist, was told by election judges he could not cast a vote because he did not submit a signature ID. However, Missouri election law does not require a signature or photo ID to vote.

Lindsey submitted two acceptable forms of voter ID under state law: a postcard notification from the election board bearing his name and address and a utility bill. When judges refused these, he produced a third acceptable ID under state law -- a bank statement. Acceptable Missouri ID's

Obama Talks to American Airlines Union Workers About His Economic Recovery Plan

Rhiannon Ross — Fri, 29 Aug 2008 05:07:00 CDT

By Rhiannon Ross

Barack Obama addressed the nation and the world Thursday when he delivered his historic acceptance speech before the Democratic National Convention in Denver.

Pleas for Party Unity Within the Jackson County Democratic Committee

No Author — Fri, 22 Aug 2008 01:00:00 CDT

By Rhiannon Ross

Backroom political bargaining between two warring factions�behind-the-scenes power plays�a surprise outcome as to who would be crowned �Caesar��and a verbal spar that led to an alleged �physical altercation� between two attorneys.
The plot to an intriguing political thriller?

Nah.

Kansas City Women Challenge Obama's Proposed Health-care Plan

Rhiannon Ross — Fri, 15 Aug 2008 06:00:00 CDT

By Rhiannon Ross

If Sen. Barack Obama is elected president, women -- at least some of those hailing from Greater Kansas City -- say they plan to hold his "feet to the fire" when it comes to implementing his proposed health-care plan.

And they also want to know how soon he'll do it, after he assumes office.

Independence Man Denied Right to Vote; Arrested for Disorderly Conduct

Rhiannon Ross — Fri, 08 Aug 2008 16:13:00 CDT

By Rhiannon Ross

Phil Lindsey, like most people intending to vote in Tuesday's primary election, carved out time in his busy day to make a stop by his local polling place.

But what he didn't allow for was extra time to sit in his local jail.

Election judges at Lindsey's polling precinct refused to accept two forms of identification that he submitted to them, although both are acceptable forms of ID under Missouri state election law. Instead, they requested he show a signature ID card, which is not required under state law. When Lindsey refused, he was asked to leave the premises.

But Lindsey, of Independence, persisted. He'd been through this before.