Royals Take Series Against Indians

With a strong performance from Danny Duffy and some timely hitting, Kansas City was able to defeat Cleveland today, 5-3. The win gave Kansas City a series victory over their struggling AL Central rival, and the Royals have now won eight of 12.

Duffy, who was filling in for the injured Kyle Davies, was able to escape several jams and struck out six in five innings of work. He gave up eight hits, but was also able to pick off two runners. Joakim Soria picked up the save, his 20th in 26 chances.

Offensively, the Royals were aided by Alex Gordon, who has been putting on a clinic during Kansas City's hot streak. In the month of July, Gordon batted .323 with four home runs and 13 RBI, and has raised his average on the season to .302. Gordon's emergence, paired with strong seasons from Jeff Francoeur and Billy Butler, has given the Royals offense some much-needed consistency.

Kansas City has tomorrow off, then starts a home series against Baltimore on Tuesday. The game is scheduled to start at 7:10 pm

Grandma Kicks Burglar in the Balls

Kansas City grandma and ball kicking expert Jessica Thomas was out on a walk with her grandchildren in the vicinity of 43rd and Pittman just east of Arrowhead Stadium when they returned to find that the front door of their home had been kicked in. Grandma said that they had only been on a short 15 minute walk to due to the extreme heat. Upon entering her home (why the hell she didn't just call the police immediately we don't know) an armed burglar nabbed her 2 grandchildren and told her to get in the house.

Grandma decided not to cooperate with the burglar and engaged him in hand to gun combat "you don't mess with the grandkids. That's the mother lion instinct," with this in mind she attacked the burglar who then attempted to beat her down with his gun, breaking her arm and cutting her forehead in the process. Grandma put up a good fight however, and in an adrenaline fueled rage proceeded to kick him in the balls. In grandma's own words; "I threw myself in front of the door and decided at that point I was going to make a field goal kick in his groin, and I did".

After grandma kicked the burglar in the balls, he fled the scene and everyone was safe save for grandma's broken arm and the burglar's sore balls. She says that she believes that the burglar lives in her neighborhood and she intends to put a sign out in her front yard saying that she forgives the man (say what?).

I guess the lesson here is, if you're going to enter into the career of burglary, you should probably wear a cup, or grandma will kick you in the balls.

Double Murderer Commits Suicide

The Crossland Economy Studios in Independence is short one room to rent today. That's because the coward murderer Rufus Young thankfully blew his brains out in one of the rooms as Police closed in on him Thursday night. Rufus was wanted in the shooting death of his ex girlfriend and her mother the night before.

After fleeing her home, Naushay Riley went to her mothers house as Rufus Young followed. In the company of Naushay's two small children, Young shot her and her mother Jackie, at the house on east 40th Terr. Two more parentless children in the city, and the cycle continues.

Rufus Young was no stranger to gun violence. He was released from prison in 2006 for the murder of a 17 year old in St Louis in 1994. As for Mr Young's decision to end his own worthless life, I wish more of the world's garbage would take themselves out. It sure would save a lot of money and trouble taking care of them for the rest of their lives.

There's also a lesson here for the ladies. What on Earth was this woman doing with this loser? She had a job, and a house, and she is making babies with a convicted murderer? Ladies you've got to choose your man better than that.

Trolley Track Attacker Appears in Court

James Kemp was shackled to other inmates this morning at his first hearing at the Jackson County Courthouse. It was a routine first appearance and a new court date was set for Aug 22. Kemp is facing 8 Felony counts (4 Armed Criminal Action, 2 Kidnapping, 1 Sodomy, 1 Robbery) in connection with attacks on the Trolley Track Trail near the Waldo section of Kansas City, and at the Top of the Wornall Car Wash. He is being held on a $250,000 cash only bond.


According to court documents, DNA from the first attack where he Sodomized a woman on the Trolley Track Trail June 16th matched Kemp. Fingerprints from the second attack also match Kemp. Reportedly, he confessed when confronted with the evidence. The second attack is particularly chilling. The victim was able to get the duct tape off of her wrists to fight off her attacker and it really sounds like she was in a life or death battle.


His poor, pregnant wife was on the news last night making a fool of herself claiming that her husband is owed an apology and he would never do anything like this. She, along with Kemp's brother and sister think a confession was coerced by the cops. Yeah, coerced after he saw all the evidence they had. This fucking idiot has ruined lots of peoples lives. Hopefully his (future ex) wife and unborn child can move on and make something of themselves. I actually feel bad for her. Yes, Mr Wonderful does have feelings.

Chiefs Sign WR Steve Breaston

Heading into this year's crazy free agency period, the Chiefs knew that WR was an area that still needed to be addressed. Kansas City added some much needed help to its wideout corps today by signing former Arizona Cardinal WR Steve Breaston to a five year deal.

This deal makes a lot of sense for both Kansas City and Breaston. The Chiefs needed a player who has some experience, but still has a fairly long career ahead of them. Breaston has been in the league for only four years, but has been productive. He was slowed by injuries last season, but still managed to post 47 receptions for 718 yards (despite having Derek Anderson as his quarterback). Breaston's best season came in 2008, when he snagged 77 receptions for 1,006 yards.

Breaston also finds himself in a much better situation in Kansas City. He has played for Todd Haley before and knows the coach's offense. Better yet, he is going to a team that has a lot of offensive firepower and an established quarterback.

Now that Kansas City has addressed its biggest need on offense, the team can focus on giving its defense a boost. Expect the Chiefs to make a run at a nose tackle or linebacker sometime over the next couple of days.

Royals Can't Keep Up With Red Sox

The Royals enjoyed one of their better offensive games of the season, blasting several homers and notching seven runs by the fourth inning. Only problem was, Boston's offense was even better, and Kansas City fell 13-9.

Early on, it appeared that the Royals were en route to a victory. The team jumped out to a quick 2-0 lead, and later took a 7-5 lead in the fourth thanks to home runs by Alex Gordon and Billy Butler. However, Boston had a field day from the plate, and used a monster fifth inning to put the game out of reach.

The game was a polor opposite of Monday night's contest, a pitcher's dual that included a 1-1 tie entering the 14th inning. Kansas City was able to win that game despite scoring only one run in nine innings, yet nine runs weren't even close to good enough last night. Baseball can be a funny game sometimes.

Kansas City will play Boston again tonight at 6:10 PM. Bruce Chen (5-3) will get the start for the Royals. Chen only allowed one run over eight innings in his last start, a no decision against the White Sox.

Four Kansas City Area Post Offices Slated for Possible Closure

Four Kansas City Area Post Offices are on the list of more than 3600 nationwide offices being considered for closing. The USPS is attempting to cut costs as it's losses last year were a staggering $8 billion. Just being on the list doesn't mean the branches will be closed. In typical Federal Government fashion, there will be an unnecessarily lengthy review followed by months of bitching and whining before a precious few offices will ever be shuttered. The Postal Service has also asked Congress for permission to end Saturday delivery, a move that would also save massive amounts of money.

The local offices being considered for closure are:

Argentine in Kansas City, KS
Hickman Mills in South Kansas City, MO
Two downtown area offices
Center Square and Civic Center

They can close all of them for all I care. I'm sure those of you under the age of 50 share my feelings. I can count on one hand the number of times I have been to a Post Office in the last ten years, and one of them was to get a Passport. If I'm going to mail a package, I use the lesbian chain smoker at the Express Pac N Ship, she gives a lot better service. Stamps? I buy them once a year at Hy-Vee.

Who Will The Chiefs Target In Free Agency?

Now that the NFL lockout is officially over, the Kansas City Chiefs can focus on the 2011 season. Today marks the beginning of what will likely be the wildest free agency period in the history of the league. Kansas City has money to spend and some glaring holes on the roster, which means the Chiefs will likely be a big player in this year's free agency period.

Kansas City enjoyed a remarkable turnaround on defense last season, and the team's new 3-4 scheme under Romeo Crennel proved to be a success. At the heart of every good 3-4 defense is a top-notch nose tackle, and Kansas City is still in search of someone who fits this bill. One name floating around is San Francisco's Aubrayo Franklin, who has proven to be a top NT and should be affordable. The Chiefs could also use some help at inside linebacker, and the team may try to sign someone to team up with the playmaking Derrick Johnson. There have been rumors that Kansas City is trying to aquire former pro bowl linebacker Nick Barnett, who has lost his spot in Green Bay. Barnett has battled injuries over the past several seasons and is getting older, but the veteran could give the Chiefs' young defense a boost.

Offensively, the team still needs some help at receiver. Despite drafting Jonathan Baldwin in the first round, Kansas City is still dangerously thin at WR and could use a speedster to help open up the offense. There are several wide receivers on the market that Kansas City could take a look at, although it appears unlikely that the team will take a chance on one of the more high-profile players available.

Overall, expect Kansas City to address NT, which is the most pressing position of need this offseason. The Chiefs have money to spend and there is a lot of talent on the market, and the team knows it is still a few players short of being a consistent winner.

NFL Lockout Officially Over

Finally, the news NFL fans have been waiting to here. After months of negotiations, various setbacks and false hope, the lockout is over. NFL commissioner Roger Goodell announced today that the players voted to OK a deal that had been previously approved by the owners, stating simply that "football is back."

The lockout lasted roughly four and a half months, marking the longest work-stoppage in the league's history. While both sides were forced to make sacrifices, the owners and players decided on what appears to be a good deal for all parties. The owners got a higher percentage of league revenue, while the players made sure teams will spend almost all of their cap space and received some improved safety regulations.

Technically, teams will be able to make trades and talk to veteran free agents tomorrow at 10:00 a.m., however players cannot sign with a new team until Friday. The Chiefs will report to training camp on Thursday.

Slutwalk in Kansas City, Saturday July 30th

The Slutwalk came about in response to a Toronto Policeman stating that dressing slutty encouraged a man to rape women. The old idea that she was asking for it. These Slutwalks have popped up all over the US and Canada after the first one was held in Toronto on April 3rd of this year.

I have mixed feelings about Kansas City's version of the Slutwalk. I am a huge fan of sluts, and who isn't really, so I should be ecstatic about hundreds (or, dare to dream, thousands) of sluts congregated in one place. And part of me is, after all, participants are encouraged to dress as slutty as they want and there is sure to be photos aplenty taken for Internet distribution. It is also for a good cause. The purpose is to raise awareness about rape victims, and stop blaming those who are raped. It's also irritated the Westboro Baptist Church to the point that they will be picketing. God hates sluts, I suppose.

Where the problem lies for me is the organizers. What a bunch of whiny, feminist, communist crybabies, and a Cornhusker Fan -which is probably the worst of all. A lot of the women participating in the Slutwalk will probably be lesbians and, or hairy arm pitted Berkenstock wearers. We'll just have to wait and see what kind of turnout we get.

Freedom Festival Kansas City 2011

Just around the corner is the return of one of Kansas City's best concert series that has lay dormant for several years. The Freedom Festival, which is a revival of sorts of the old Spirit Festival in Kansas City, held at the Liberty Memorial Penn Valley Park on 23rd and Main will kick off next weekend on July 29th. The Freedom Festival has finalized it's line up with the addition of The Taxis, a Kansas City 80's band who will be opening for the Quad City DJ's on Saturday night, and also the addition of Spike Blake and Honky Tonk Rodeo, who will be opening for Kellie Pickler on Sunday night.

The musical line up for the entire weekend is as follows:

Friday, July 29
DJ 4:00pm
Trio Atzlan 5:00pm
Karma 6:00pm
Mamma V, Ellie and the Commotion 7:00pm
David Elliott 8:00pm
Dionne Warwick 9:00pm

Saturday, July 30
DJ 10:00AM
The Great Travelers 11:00am
Desert Wine 12:00pm
Sidekicks Latino Revolution 1:00pm
Embrace This Day 2:00pm
JD and the Chasers 3:00pm
The Marching Cobras 4:00 pm
Jus Marley 5:00pm
The Taxis 6:00pm
Quad City DJ's 7:00pm
Snap! 8:00pm
Crystal Waters 9:00pm

Sunday, July 31

DJ 10:00am
Miss Lady Blake 1:00pm
Nsane & T-Bun3 2:00pm
Sierra 3:00pm
Safe Passage 4:00pm
KC St. Andrew Pipes and Drums 5:00pm
Savage Amusement 6:00pm
Spike Blake & Honky Tonk Rodeo 7:00pm
Eden's Edge 8:00pm
Kellie Pickler 9:00pm
Finale Fireworks Spectacular

One Dead, One Critical in Chubby's Shooting

Chubby's on Broadway is an interesting place, especially at 2:30am. Never will you see a more generous assortment of freaks, east of California, congregated in one place. Or at least that's how I remember it when I lived around the corner back in the 90's. I suspect today it's a little more dangerous than it was, you know, with a thuggish element.

Anyway, last night it got real dangerous in the parking lot. Cops were called around 2:30 with reports of gunfire. When they arrived, one man was dead and another man injured. The dead man is described as black and in his 20s. The dead man is also a robbery suspect.

Two black men in a Cadillac (stereotype alert) attempted to rob two white guys (another stereotype alert) in the parking lot of Chubby's. Fortunately (well not if you are the dead man), the alleged victim of the robbery was packin'. Bad guy, DRT, justice served. White guy robbery victim was also shot in the leg and is in critical condition.

Chronic Litterbug Brought to Justice

Carole Green sure does like Lipton Iced Tea. Every morning the Bonner Springs resident would drink one on the way to work and throw the empty into Gary Bukaty's yard. Bukaty counts more than 200 times the bottle has been thrown on his property. He was fed up and decided to install a motion capture camera to catch the perpetrator of the heinous crime.

It worked, he spotted chronic litterbug and certified white trash, Carole Green throwing the bottle out her car window. Bukaty took the evidence to the Police. Green plead guilty to four counts of littering and was fined $1000.

Only four counts? Why did the prosecutor not go for more counts? I would assume he had the evidence. This guy had bags of these bottles that she threw on his yard.

Incidentally, the story was even featured on Inside Edition. Maybe she has a future doing advertisements for Lipton.

Sporting KC vs Newcastle United

In the absence of our vacationing sports writer, we bring you some Kansas City sports news:

Sporting KC will host EPL representative Newcastle United tonight at Livestrong Park. EPL representative Newcastle United will leave the luxury of their homeland where the weather is a mellow 59 degrees to come to Kansas City where it is in the triple digits, and what's the word for it?.......Um, oh yeah......HUMID. Last year around this time Sporting KC defeated another EPL team Manchester United, proving that the MLS can easily compete with the EPL. According to goalie Jimmy Nielsen, the MLS is considered a "retirement league" in other countries, and a win tonight against Newcastle United will go a long way to gain some respect with our tooth decayed friends across the pond. There is no doubt that soccer is much more popular in the UK and other countries, mostly because THEY DON'T HAVE THE NFL.

The sweltering weather should play in the Sporting's favor as the weather in Newcastle United's home town is 59 degrees and rainy. The forecast for tonight's match is 95 degrees and around 85% humidity. The Sporting KC roster for tonight is as follows:

10 M Jeferson Sporting Kansas City 27
3 M Korede Aiyegbusi Sporting Kansas City 23
22 M Davy Arnaud Sporting Kansas City 31
5 D Matt Besler Sporting Kansas City 24
99 F Omar Bravo Sporting Kansas City 31
9 F Teal Bunbury Sporting Kansas City 21
55 D Julio Cesar Sporting Kansas City 32
78 D Aurelien Collin Sporting Kansas City 25
25 D Daneil Cyrus Sporting Kansas City 20
20 F Birahim Diop Sporting Kansas City 32
14 D Kevin Ellis Sporting Kansas City 20
15 D Roger Espinoza Sporting Kansas City 24
2 D Michael Harrington Sporting Kansas City 25
23 F Kei Kamara Sporting Kansas City 26
21 GK Jon Kempin Sporting Kansas City 18
18 GK Eric Kronberg Sporting Kansas City 28
24 D Scott Lorenz Sporting Kansas City 23
7 F Chance Myers Sporting Kansas City 23
1 GK Jimmy Nielsen Sporting Kansas City 33
4 M Craig Rocastle Sporting Kansas City 29
11 F Soony Saad Sporting Kansas City 18
17 F C.J. Sapong Sporting Kansas City 22
32 D Luke Sassano Sporting Kansas City 25
16 D Seth Sinovic Sporting Kansas City 24
88 M Milos Stojcev Sporting Kansas City 24
6 D Shavar Thomas Sporting Kansas City 30
12 M Konrad Warzycha Sporting Kansas City 22
8 M Graham Zusi Sporting Kansas City 24

Three Kansas City Kansas Police Officers Indicted

We first told you in January about an alleged sting operation by the FBI where several Kansas City Kansas Police officers were arrested. It now becomes clear that a citizen filed a complaint last summer about officers stealing her property during the execution of a search warrant.

According to the Indictment, Tawana L Webster of Haskell Rd in Kansas City, KS was allegedly deprived of her Constitutional Rights to protection from seizure of her property without due course. In other words, the dirty pigs stole her shit while searching her house.

The Charged are:

Jeffrey M Bell
Darryl M Forrest
Dustin Sillings

All are charged with Conspiracy Against Rights carrying a maximum penalty of 10 years in Federal Prison and a $250,000 fine.

Bell and Forrest are also charged with Deprivation of Rights for last summer stealing a Camcorder and a Play Station Portable from Ms. Webster during a search at her residence. Punishable by 1 yr and $100k fine.

All three are charged with theft of Government property for the January sting operation set up by the FBI. Cash and Video games were left at an apparent search warrant site. Forrest took $300 in cash and two Nintendo DS games, Sillings took $340 in cash, and Bell took a Nintendo DS game and a piece of computer equipment.

These acts show a blatent disregard for the officers swarn duties. It's detrimental to community cooperation with law enforcement, and just plain wrong. I hope they are prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.

At the very least, these guys need help for their video gaming addiction.

Hyatt Skywalk Collapse 30 Year Memorial Design Unveiled

I can't believe that it has been 30 years since the Hyatt Skywalk Collapse. I remember that night well, watching from the TV at grandma and grandpa's house as rescuers ran in and out of the dust and fire, rescuing as many victims as they could. 114 people lost their lives and 216 were injured in Hyatt walkway collapse on July 17th, 1981. At the time and for several years to come, this was the world's largest and deadliest structural collapse in history. The collapse was the result of a faulty change in the skywalk design plans by the Havens Steel Company.

Much like a surreal scene from one of Jack Torrence's fantasy segments in "The Shining", the Hyatt was hosting a formal tea party dance that night. A live Kansas City jazz band was performing, cocktails were flowing and dancing was underway. With over 1,500 guests in attendance, this was quite a gallant affair. At the time The Hyatt was the most prestigious and elegant hotel in Kansas City and the skywalk was one of it's main attractions.

The basic structure of the Hyatt skywalk consisted of 3 suspended open atrium walkways that were about 120 feet long, overlooked the lobby below, and weighed about 64,000 pounds each. The highest fourth floor walkway was suspended directly above the 2nd floor walkway, with the 3rd floor walkway offset from the other two by a few meters. So the lobby of the Hyatt was an open 4 story atrium with 3 open "skywalks" where guests could stand and watch the activities below. At 7:05pm, with that party going strong, there were about 20 people on the fourth floor skywalk and about 40 people on the second floor skywalk when the fourth floor skywalk broke loose from the wall, came down directly on top of the 2nd floor skywalk, and then both skywalks came crashing down to the floor below, instantly killing 111 people and injuring 216. 3 more victims died later in the hospital. The following aftermath lasted 14 hours and included fireman, police and several emergency physicians from nearby hospitals. The rescue operation involved setting up a temporary "morgue" in an adjacent area, and an onsite triage area for those too dangerously injured to be moved. Anyone who was able to walk was told to evacuate immediately, and those trapped under the walkways who were injured fatally were given morphine and told that they were probably going to die. One brave man, who's legs were trapped, authorized the on-site amputation of his legs in order to free him, but he died before they could get him to the hospital due to loss of blood.

In the aftermath of this horror, a group of concerned citizens called the Skywalk Memorial Foundation and family and friends of those who died in the Hyatt skywalk collapse have organized an effort to erect a monument in Hospital Hill at 22nd and Gillham. Today, on the 30th anniversary of the Hyatt skywalk collapse, the foundation unveiled the design for the $800,000 memorial. They are hoping to have the memorial completed by the 31st anniversary of the collapse next year.

Our First Real Hate Mail !!

Here at Kansas City News we pride ourselves in creating controversy, bearing naked truths, and pulling the wool OFF of the eyes of the people.  In our quest to tell the news like it is instead of candy coating it, we often run into resistance and even hatred from some readers.  With this premise I present to you, OUR FIRST HATE LETTER!!

Here is the letter in verbatim:

To whom it may concern:

As a veteran journalist, I just wanted to give you some insight on what it appears you're trying to do.

You cannot "tell the news like it is" if you're just scraping the material off the other news organizations' websites in the metro. If you're "news writers" or "bloggers" are not on the scene, talking to the sources themselves then how do you expect them to write with authority on any of these subjects or news items?

You do, realize, that when you express your opinion, you are stating your bias. You cannot write an opinion that is without bias. By nature, the opinion is stating your bias.

I'm not sure what "candy coat" (not hyphenated because those words are not double modifying any words that follow it in the sentence) you are talking about. If anything, the local news stations sensationalize things and make a bigger deal out of things than they really are. They do not candy coat the news.

And really, you're paying $50 for four paragraphs of someone's random thoughts on news in Kansas City? A freelancer doing actual reporting work is lucky to make that (depending on the market and type of story). Unless you have some money-making scheme (see how money and making both modify scheme to prompt the hyphen) or are obscenely rich, I don't know how you're going to afford that for very long. Please, please, please do not say you're innovative approach is to make money off advertising because that is the actual business plan for most publications. The cost of a subscription to a newspaper or to pick it up out of the rack/newsstand doesn't even cover the cost of the actual raw materials to produce the paper - let alone the labor or overhead costs.

In case you hadn't noticed, I'm also hinting that you should brush up on your grammar to ensure clean writing on these blogs.

I just thought I'd give you a few pointers for your little start up.

Good luck.

Sincerely,

Cynic Journalist

Ok, and here is our AWESOME response:

(From Kansas City News)  Well, you sir are a real treat!  And you are also an idiot.  No real journalist in Kansas City would have time to sit down and write this email to us.  But alas, let's play your game and start with YOUR grammatical errors.  See highlighted below:

To whom it may concern:

As a veteran journalist, I just wanted to give you some insight on what it appears you're trying to do.  You sir, are NO veteran journalist.

You cannot "tell the news like it is" if you're just scraping the material off the other news organizations' websites in the metro. If you're "news writers" or "bloggers" are not on the scene, talking to the sources themselves then how do you expect them to write with authority on any of these subjects or news items?  Question, have you ever heard of the internet?  Are you from 1965 or something (hey Johnny, yeah see, let's go get the scoop from Sammy down on 3rd street, yeah he's a real wise guy see)?

You do, realize, that when you express your opinion, you are stating your bias. You cannot write an opinion that is without bias. By nature, the opinion is stating your bias.

I'm not sure what "candy coat" (not hyphenated because those words are not double modifying any words that follow it in the sentence) you are talking about. If anything, the local news stations sensationalize things and make a bigger deal out of things than they really are. They do not candy coat the news.  The "candy coating" that we're referring to is the politically correct manner in which the local news stations use to relay the news.  If there are 400 black kids from the ghetto on the plaza at night in front of the movie theater causing a riot, then there are 400 black kids on the plaza causing a riot, NOT "400 teenagers" as the news puts it.  If the crowd is made up of black teenagers from the ghetto then that is what the news should report.

And really, you're paying $50 for four paragraphs of someone's random thoughts on news in Kansas City? A freelancer doing actual reporting work is lucky to make that (depending on the market and type of story). Well, we have a lot of money because we know what we're doing, apparently unlike yourself.  The news online is not about the news at all, it's about getting web traffic and generating ad revenue.  You see, there's this thing in the world called money, and with money you get power, and with power you can tell the news any damn way you want to.  It's a beautiful thing.  Unless you have some money-making scheme (see how money and making both modify scheme to prompt the hyphen) or are obscenely rich, I don't know how you're going to afford that for very long. Please, please, please do not say you're innovative approach is to make money off advertising because that is the actual business plan for most publications. The cost of a subscription to a newspaper or to pick it up out of the rack/newsstand doesn't even cover the cost of the actual raw materials to produce the paper - let alone the labor or overhead costs.  Newspaper?  Newsstand?  Haha, you ARE from the 50's man.  What the hell is this newspaper item that you speak of?

In case you hadn't noticed, I'm also hinting that you should brush up on your grammar to ensure clean writing on these blogs.  You made more grammatical errors in this email than you found in my post.

I just thought I'd give you a few pointers for your little start up.  We would like to give you a few pointers as well, switch hands every once in awhile when you masturbate so you don't get carpal tunnel, you douche bag.

Sincerely,

Kansas City News

Bernard Jackson Convicted of 1980s Waldo Rapes

It only took 4 hours of jury deliberation to convict Bernard Jackson of 18 total counts of Rape, sodomy, and robbery. During the trial, the prosecution relied heavily on DNA evidence saved from the almost thirty year old cases to convince the jury beyond a reasonable doubt. None of the victims that took the stand could positively identify Jackson because they were blindfolded, but all told similar stories of threats with a gun and robbery during the rapes.

Bernard Jackson, it seems, is a lifelong rapist. He was first sent to prison on a rape conviction in 1977 at 19 years of age. When he got out six years later, the crimes he was just convicted of took place, as well as another attack that he plead guilty to in 1985. He was sentenced to 30 years then, but was paroled in December of 2008.

He is also a suspect in the 2009 through 2010 series of attacks in the Waldo area. Do you see a pattern developing here? Finally he will be put away for good. Too bad they didn't castrate him after the second rape conviction.

Man Charged in 11 Year Old's Death on Fourth

Take a look at this Dumb Fuck. Aaron Sullivan, 50, of Kansas City, has been arrested and charged with involuntary manslaughter and armed criminal action in the Fourth of July death of 11 year old Blair Lane. For those of you not following this story already, Blair was killed by a stray bullet while lighting fireworks in an east Kansas City neighborhood. The assumption was that some dumbass was celebrating the Fourth by shooting in the air like a West Virginia Hillbilly.

Four men admitted to taking turns firing the gun that investigators linked to the bullet that killed the little girl. The weapon was a 9mm Glock belonging to Sullivan. He turned the gun over to the police earlier this week for testing.

Grown men, fifty years old, firing a gun indiscriminately. Unbelievable. And why are they not charging the three other geniuses? Hopefully charges are pending on them as well. Sullivan is currently being held on $25,000 bond.

And WTF is he looking at in that mug shot? Is he already keeping an eye out for the prison rapists? Enjoy your time in the slammer, dipshit!

US Women Advance To World Cup Final

After a dramatic, come-from-behind win over Brazil in the quarterfinals, many feared the US women's team would have a let down in their semifinal matchup against France. Despite some inconsistent play, USA was able to pull away late for a 3-1 victory.

Abby Wambach has emerged as one of the most clutch players in the world, and her performance against France added to the reputation. Wambach sent a header into the back of the net in the 79th minute to break a 1-1 tie. It was Wambach who scored the game-tying goal against Brazil to force penalty kicks - the latest goal scored in the history of the women's world cup. Alex Morgan broke through France's defense and added another goal minutes later, wrapping up a finals berth for USA.

The trip to the finals will be team USA's first since 1999, the year the Americans defeated China to win the cup. Up next for the Americans is either Sweden - who beat the US in the group stage - or Japan. The final will be held on Sunday.

Raytown School District to Start Random Drug testing

On Monday the Raytown School Board voted unanimously to approve a new policy to randomly drug test it's students. Only students involved in extracurricular activities will be required to submit to the tests, but parents can also opt in their children who are not involved in the targeted activities.

The controversial practice will begin this fall after the school district finds a suitable vendor and their lawyers have OKed the verbiage in the new regulations. Raytown will be the first urban Kansas City area public school with a drug testing policy. Many rural school districts in Missouri have similar policies in place, and O'Hara High School, a private Catholic School in Kansas City drug tests it's athletes.

Some oppose drug testing students on the grounds of being a violation of Civil Rights. Some oppose spending money on such programs when the money is badly needed elsewhere. Others believe that a drug testing policy will push those kids on the edge out of after school activities, further isolating and worsening the problem.

Others applaud the efforts as an effective way to keep kids off drugs by taking away activities that are important to them.

Me?, I think it's stupid and a waste of time and money. If they did that where I went to High School, they wouldn't have been able to field any teams. What about alcohol, by far the most dangerous drug, will they be screening for that too?

2011 All-Star Recap, Game Moves to Kansas City Next Year

After the AL dominated the All-Star game for 14 years, the NL is finally starting to put a streak of its own together. Prince Fielder hit a three run homer in the fourth, propelling the national league to a 5-1 victory.

Roy Halladay and nine other pitchers combined to keep the potent AL lineup off balance all game. The American League's only run came in the top of the fourth inning, when Adrian Gonzalez hit a solo shot to give the AL a 1-0 lead. However, Fielder's blast only a few moments later gave the NL a lead that was rarely threatened. The NL would pad the lead with runs in the fifth and seventh inning.

The victory gives the NL home field advantage for the world series. However, the bigger story seems to be the list of no-shows on the AL side. Derek Jeter pulled out of the game, citing exhaustion fresh off of reaching 3,000 hits for his career. The AL's pitching was also hit hard, as Justin Verlander, C.C. Sabathia and Felix Hernandez did not play. A total of 16 of the 84 All-Stars did not participate in the festivities.

The All-Star game moves to Kansas City in 2012, and will be the first time the Royals have hosted the mid-summer classic since 1973. The team sent representatives to the 2011 game to help prepare for next year, and will reveal next year's All-Star logo on August 2.

NFL Eyes July 21 As Potential End Of Lockout

Sources indicate that the NFL and NFL Players Association are nearing a deal that would bring an end to the 2011 lockout. The common belief is that a deal will be in place and will be ratified during the July 21 league meetings.

Other sources believe that a deal will be reached between the NFL and NFLPA during the next week or so. One of the owners who has been present during the talks has been quoted as saying there is "no reason to believe it won't get done."

Despite a possible finish line in sight, there are still several key issues that the NFL and NFLPA must workout before a deal can be reached. One subject that could prolong the negotiations is that of rookie salaries and contracts. If an agreement is reached on July 21, every team will be able to play all of its preseason games. The only game that would be in danger of being canceled is the Hall of Fame Game on August 7.

Woman Shot and Killed by Police in Kansas City

In a bizarre incident, Kansas City Police shot and killed what they described as a white woman in her 20's or early 30's this morning in the 5800 block of Manchester Ave. That's near I-435 and 350 Hwy on the east side. It all started when a woman called 911 to report that another woman (the now dead one) showed up at her house with an assault rifle and woke her up telling her to "get out". As she fled her home, she heard four or five shots. Police responded to the scene and the woman pointed an assault rifle at officers. KCPD responded with at least one shot.

Suicide by cop? Love triangle? Lover's quarrel? Time will tell, but it is a strange story that Police are trying to piece details together. Police will only say that the two women knew each other, but won't say how. There was a picture of the suspect inside the victim's home though.

One thing is for sure - you point an assault rifle at the Police, they will shoot you. Everytime.

US Women's Soccer Team Win in Dramatic Fashion

On Sunday, the US Women's Soccer team beat their rival Brazil in dramatic fashion to advance to the Semi-Finals of the World Cup. In perhaps the most thrilling finish to a Women's World Cup game ever, and certainly the finest Women's Soccer game I have ever seen (and I watch a lot of soccer), the US scored in the final minute of overtime injury stoppage time to tie the game and send it to PKs.

Down a player for the final hour of the game, the US refused to give up. Megan Rapinoe hit one of the finest crosses you will ever see just beyond the reach of Brazilian Goalkeeper Andreia. US star Abby Wambach went aerial to head the ball in the back of the net. That tied the game as overtime expired sending the outcome to Penalty kicks. The dejected Brazilians still made all but one of their kicks with American Goalkeeper Hope Solo (pictured) making a brilliant stop to seal the victory and a trip to the Semis Wednesday against France.

The US was in danger of making their earliest exit in World Cup history, but showed tremendous heart to beat a Brazil team chocked full of the best individual talents in the world. Brazil had not been beaten in two years, but also had lost the last 5 meetings with the US. Clearly we have their number, knocking them out of five of the last seven major tournaments. Tune in for the next match Wednesday at 10:30 AM against France. You will not be disappointed.

Mike Vrabel Retires From Chiefs

Whether we have an NFL season or not, Mike Vrabel's NFL days are over. Vrabel has retired from the NFL to take a position at Ohio State as linebackers coach. Ohio State is Vrabel's alma mater.

The move comes as a shock to the Kansas City Chiefs' organization, who still had Vrabel listed as a starting linebacker. All reports indicate that the Chiefs expected Vrabel to both return for this season and see significant playing time.

Then again, with Vrabel's career coming to an end, the move makes sense. Vrabel wanted to get into coaching, and being a position coach for the college he played for is a dream job. He knew this opportunity may never open up again, and while unexpected, this is different than a player quitting a team for other personal reasons.

Vrabel was a two time All-American at Ohio State, and won three super bowl titles with the New England Patriots.

Kansas City News Celebrates 2 Years on July 12th

We're turning 2 years old!  We want to thank everyone for stopping by and reading our articles here at Kansas City News.  We've recently become a main fixture on page 1 of Google for the search "kansas city news" which is not a very easy task - we beat out several local newspapers, tv news stations and other Kansas City news sources and we appreciate it!  For our birthday we've given ourselves a little makeover, hope you like the new logos and artwork.

We are a grassroots website that is based solely in Kansas City, Missouri.  We are not some national website like about.com that generically reports (more like regurgitates) news stories without any real Kansas City insight.  All of our authors live in Kansas City, and they work hard to bring you honest, refreshing, and even downright opinionated Kansas City news stories.  We take pride in reporting the news to you in an honest manner, we don't dilute our stories by trying to be politically correct, we don't worry about whether or not we're going to offend anyone or not.  This is the news, and we tell it like it is, we're hoping that most of our Kansas City readers find that approach refreshing.  For our entire lives the news has been spoon fed to us by a limited amount of resources who force their opinion on us, and choose what news we get to hear and what news to edit out.  Kansas City has always been stuck with about 3 TV stations, and one newspaper to report the news and it's time that an honest, tell it like it is news source stepped up to tell Kansas City news the way it should be told.

We know that a crowd is gathering, we know that we gain more and more readers every week in Kansas City as we watch our website traffic stats rise.  Whether you read our articles because you appreciate our honesty and lack of appropriate filters, or you just stumbled in, we want you to know that we hope you continue to follow our Kansas City news stories.

Sincerely,

Kansas City News

Former Grandview Police Officer Charged with Murder, Rape

Prosecutors from both Jackson and Cass Counties announced this morning at a joint press conference that they are charging Jeffrey Moreland with murder and rape in connection with several cases that span a number of years. Moreland medically retired from the Grandview, MO Police Department several years ago before any of the alleged crimes took place.

The suspect picked up a woman walking down MO 291 in Harrisonville on June 30. He took her to his home and raped her. Afterward, he gave the woman $100, hit her on the head and told her she was stupid for getting into a car with a stranger. The investigation into her abduction and rape, and the DNA taken from that case, led to the break in the cold case murders from 2008 ands 2010.

Moreland has been charged with the 2008 murder of Cara Jo Roberts. Roberts was found in her bathtub, shot in the head. He has also been charged in the 2010 murder of Nina Whitney in south Kansas City.

Moreland had been a suspect in the murder investigations and was asked for a DNA sample on June 16th and declined. Well, he provided one by raping the woman on June 30 and was subsequently linked to the homicides. He fled the area and was arrested on July 5th in Des Moines. Good luck in prison Jeff, I hear they enjoy former Police Officers in there! You're going to be real popular.

Courts Rule in Favor of NFL, Deem Lockout Legal

Earlier this week, it appeared that the NFL lockout may soon be coming to an end. While negotiations have continued this week in New York, the 8th curcuit courts recently ruled in favor of the NFL, deeming that the lockout is indeed legal.

The decision came fresh off the news that Roger Goodell and DeMaurice Smith have started a second day of negotiations in New York. The ruling was not a surprise to both the owners and the players, as previous court decisions have often ended the same way regarding cases similar to the 2011 lockout.

While the news caught both the players and owners off guard, the ruling is not expected to be a factor in the present negotiations. Sources say that both parties feel an agreement is close to being reached, although we still do not know when that will be. While an agreement for how the revenue split should be settled appears close, there is still a lot of work to be done in regards to the new free agency rules. Progress is being made, but it appears that a decision is likely a few weeks away.

Royals Take Series Vs. White Sox, Pitching Continues To Impress

After Felipe Paulino and the Royals bullpen shut down the Chicago White Sox on Wednesday, Bruce Chen delivered an even better performance yesterday. Chen only allowed one run in six innings of work, and Kansas City won 4-1. The win gave the Royals a series victory over the White Sox.

Kansas City's offense quickly gave Chen a lead, highlighted by Eric Hosmer's eighth home run of the season. Hosmer now has three multi-hit games in the last four days, and he has given the Royals' offense a major shot in the arm since being called up.

The biggest story of the day, however, was Chen. Time and time again, he was able to escape jams while keeping Chicago's batters off balance all day long. Starting pitching was a major concern a few weeks ago, however Paulino and Chen's recent performances have given Kansas City fans some renewed hope. The team still needs to address its starting rotation if it wants to compete in the future, but the situation doesn't seem nearly as dire as it did earlier in the season.

The Royals begin a new series tonight against the struggling Detroit Tigers. Danny Duffy (1-3) will get the start for Kansas City.

Three Elementary School Playgrounds Damaged in Blue Valley

Over the last week, three fires have been set at Elementary School playgrounds in the Blue Valley School District. Police say the fires are suspicious and connected (no shit).

The first fire was at Cedar Hills Elementary on west 165th St in Overland Park. It occurred around 10 PM last Friday. Later that evening a fire occurred nearby at Morse Elementary - 152nd and Monrovia at around 1:30 AM. The third fire was reported at Liberty View Elementary on Tuesday night around 1 AM. This fire was also near the others just into Olathe.

The Liberty View fire damage estimate is $75,000, basically a total loss for the play structures. An estimate has not been given on the other two fires, but 80% of the playgrounds are consumed likely leading to the entire structure being replaced. At a time with when budgets are tight, I sure hope they catch the (probably kids) that are guilty of this. Assholes.

Paulino Leads Royals to Win Over White Sox

Despite failing to pick up a victory, Felipe Paulino has been the best pitcher in Kansas City since the Royals stole him from the Rockies. Paulino finally earned a win last night, once again pitching well in a 5-3 victory over Chicago.

Paulino had a strong game, striking out nine batters over six innings. The win was his first since June 4, 2010, which seems shocking given how well he has pitched in Kansas City. The Royals aquired him for cash considerations after he was designated for assignment by Colorado - a move that is now looking like one of the biggest steals of the season. Paulino has brought consistency to a starting rotation that desperately needed it, and the Royals management deserves credit for finding a diamond in the rough.

Kansas City's bullpen pitched well after Paulino left the game, as Louis Coleman and Joakim Soria both kept the White Sox scoreless over the final three innings. Coleman has been very consistent this season, while Soria seems to be working his way back into all-star form.

Bruce Chen (4-2) will start for Kansas City this afternoon when the Royals face Chicago in a rubber match. The game will start at 1:10 p.m., and Edwin Jackson (5-6) will get the start for the White Sox.

Kansas City Man Loses Hand to Homemade Firework

I've had some stupid fucking friends over the years, but luckily none as idiotic as a Northland Man's who had his right hand nearly blown off on Sunday night. It seems three young men were gathered in a Kansas City North Apartment when one fellow decided to light a homemade firework and drop it on the floor of the living room.

The Apartment renter, fearing certain loss of security deposit, attempted to retrieve the explosive and throw it out the window. It exploded in his hand causing gruesome, and probably debilitating lifelong injury. Really, it's not funny, but how could you be so stupid as to light an explosive in a man's living room. Excessive alcohol was no doubt involved.

KCPD is still investigating the incident and no charges have been filed.

Casey Anthony Not Guilty of Murder

A jury of 12 men and women found Casey Anthony not guilty today at the verdict hearing.

First Degree Murder - Casey Anthony found Not Guilty

Aggravated Child Abuse - Casey Anthony found Not Guilty

Aggravated Manslaughter of a Child - Casey Anthony found Not Guilty

Four Counts of Providing False Information to Law Enforcement - Casey Anthony was found guilty of all of the counts of Providing False Information.  The sentence for these offenses will be determined by the judge on Thursday.  The maximum sentence for these charges combined would be 4 years.  Speculators say that Casey Anthony will serve no more than 1 year total.

I think that Casey Anthony just pulled an O.J.

The world is most certainly stunned by this verdict.  Protesting began outside of the courtroom immediately following the announcement of the verdict.

NFL Lockout May End Soon

The NFL owners and the NFL Players Association continued their talks today in New York in hopes of ending the lockout, however there has been a great deal of optimism surrounding these discussions. Reports indicate that the lawyers on both sides are meeting to discuss the language of a potential agreement, which indicates the lockout could end soon.

While there is still a lot of work to be done, sources believe that an agreement is within reach, however this would likely not be completed until next week at the earliest. Today marks the 112 day of the lockout.

In similar news, the NFL hall of fame announced that it still plans on hosting the league's first preseason game on August 7 between the Bears and Rams. To make the August 7 date, both teams would likely need to begin training camp sometime in the next two weeks. Despite the small window of time, both the Bears and Rams have told the hall of fame they plan on participating.