DUI Checkpoints Planned For Lee's Summit This Weekend

Drunken driving-related accidents have been increasing in the Kansas City area lately, and police are taking measures to make the roads around the metro safer. One part of this plan is to increase sobriety checkpoints, which will occur in Lee’s Summit this weekend.

The Lee’s Summit Police Department’s traffic safety unity will conduct sobriety checkpoints and patrols this weekend, most likely in areas where DUI arrests and other alcohol-related incidents have occurred recently.

The police department has stated that its goal is to identify drivers who are under the influence of drugs or alcohol and remove them before an accident occurs. Several Kansas City residents have lost their lives in accidents that occurred in the early morning hours of a weekend night over the past couple of weeks, which has forced police in the Kansas City area to crack down.

The lesson, as always, is to grab a ride with a friend or take a cab if you have been out drinking. A little inconvenience or a few dollars is a much better alternative to losing your license, paying hundreds in fines or going to prison.

Kansas City News, official kc news site with breaking stories on The Kansas City Royals, Chiefs, charity events, the 2012 MLB All Star Game, weather, sports, MU, KU, ufo sightings, dui checkpoints, Kansas City neighborhoods, nightlife, concerts, the Sprint Center, the Power and Light District and current Kansas City news articles.

Murder Suspect Van Note Freed On One Million Dollar Bond

Susan “Liz” Van Note, a Lee’s Summit lawyer who is accused of killing her father and his girlfriend, was recently freed from jail on bond. The bond was set at an astonishing one million dollars – an attempt to keep Van Note in prison by the judge. Where the money has come from is baffling the prosecution; however Van Note has paid the fee and has been released from prison.

By now, the Van Note murder case is well known to those in the Kansas City area. On the night of October 2, 2010, William Van Note, a 67-year-old millionaire businessman and his longtime girlfriend, 59-year-old Sharon Dickson, were attacked in front of Van Note’s lakefront home in the Sunrise Beach area at the Lake of the Ozarks. When police arrived on the scene, Dickson had been shot several times and had been slashed with a knife, while Van Note had a bullet wound in his head.

Dickson died at the scene, and Van Note was taken to the University Hospital in Columbia, MO and lapsed into a coma after having the bullet removed from his brain. Liz Van Note presented a signed document stating that she had the authority to make medical decisions for her father, and requested that he be removed from life support. Van Note died after doctors turned the life support machine off.

Only last month, a grand jury indictment accused Liz Van Note of killing her father and his girlfriend, and forging his signature on the document that granted her authority to make his medical decisions. Due to the premeditation of her actions, Van Note has been charged with first degree murder.

What is shocking about Van Note paying a million dollar bond is that she declared bankruptcy only a few years ago. A search has begun to find out where this money came from and how Van Note was able to beat the system. Until then, a woman who is suspected of murdering two people is walking free… after paying a one million dollar bond.

Kansas City News, official kc news site with breaking stories on The Kansas City Royals, Chiefs, charity events, the 2012 MLB All Star Game, weather, sports, MU, KU, ufo sightings, dui checkpoints, Kansas City neighborhoods, nightlife, concerts, the Sprint Center, the Power and Light District and current Kansas City news articles.

Man Dies After Police Hit Him With Taser

Travis Maupin Killed by Police Taser - KCMB Kansas City News

Unfortunately, police officers have to use deadly force at times in their job. In the worst situations, an officer may have to open fire on a criminal who attacks police or is threatening the lives of others. Other times, an officer may have to use deadly force with… a taser?

That is the situation that developed in Osawatomie, where a 32 year old man died after police hit him with a taser responding to a domestic disturbance. Travis L. Maupin had locked himself in his home off of Chestnut Avenue around 1:00 a.m. last night when police arrived at the scene in response to a domestic disturbance - Maupin had allegedly strangled a woman in his home. Maupin eventually came out of his home and was willing to talk to the police, however he ran away as paramedics began to check the woman for injuries.

After setting off on foot, the Miami County police officers chased after Maupin and eventually caught up to him. When he resisted the officers, they hit him with a taser. Travis Maupin was quickly rushed to the Miami County Medical Center, and was later pronounced dead.

The Kansas Bureau of Investigation has been asked to look into the death of Maupin, as requested by Osawatomie authorities. The situation is bizarre, as the whole objective of tasers are to restrain people without causing them death or any serious harm. It is entirely possible that Travis Maupin had a preexisting health condition, or was under the influence of a substance that resulted in his death when the taser was used.

The use of tasers by police officers has been a hotly debated topic for several years. Many feel like it offers the police a weapon for potential abuse, and that officers are too willing to use a taser since they know it will not kill the suspect. In the past, there have been examples of police using tasers too quickly or willingly, even on women and children. Others also argue that briefly electrocuting someone is a violation of basic human rights. Maupin’s death will only heighten this debate.

Travis Maupin killed by police taser by KCMB Kansas City News, official kc news site with breaking stories on The Kansas City Royals, Chiefs, charity events, the 2012 MLB All Star Game, weather, sports, MU, KU, ufo sightings, dui checkpoints, Kansas City neighborhoods, nightlife, concerts, the Sprint Center, the Power and Light District and current Kansas City news articles.

Suspect Arrested For Johnson County Hit And Run Accident That Killed Victim

Over the weekend, Christopher P. Randolph Sr. was killed in a hit and run accident along I-35 in Johnson County. This morning, Kansas City police have announced that they have arrested and jailed a suspect in this case. Randolph was 41 years old and leaves behind six children as well as six siblings.

The accident occurred at 2:30 a.m. Saturday morning, when Randolph was putting gas into his minivan in a construction zone off I-35, just north of College Boulevard in Johnson Country. Randolph’s girlfriend, Charlsetta Redd, told police a car knocked over Redd, which led to other vehicles striking him as well. The suspect sped off in a 2010 silver Chevrolet Silverado pickup.

After fleeing the scene, the driver of the pickup abandoned the vehicle. It was later found nearby with heavy front end damage.

Randolph’s minivan had run out of gas, which forced him to exit his vehicle along the highway before the incident occurred. What is sad is that the cars along the highway refused to stop, despite repeatedly hitting Randolph. According to Redd, the final car dragged Randolph down the road while refusing to slow down.

If past convictions are any indication, the driver of this vehicle will likely be in prison for a very long time. It is one thing to convict manslaughter and kill another person, but the driver of the vehicle sped away and did not take any consequence for his actions. Many suspect the driver of the pickup truck was likely drunk, given that this occurred early in the morning over the weekend and the refusal to pull over. If the driver was not intoxicated, their stupidity will likely cost them years in prison, as they could have stopped and been forgiven for an “accident.”

Sadly, the roads of the Kansas City metro have become incredibly dangerous any time after 11:00 p.m. on a weekend night. When people complain about DUI checkpoints being set up on the weekend, they need to keep stories like this in mind. Why people can't pay $15 for a cab ride is beyond me - it certainly is cheaper than losing your license, paying thousands of dollars in fines and spending years in prison.

Kansas City News, official kc news site with breaking stories on The Kansas City Royals, Chiefs, charity events, the 2012 MLB All Star Game, weather, sports, MU, KU, ufo sightings, dui checkpoints, Kansas City neighborhoods, nightlife, concerts, the Sprint Center, the Power and Light District and current Kansas City news articles.

Dan Walsh Shot in Police Standoff - Kansas City News

Photo of the crime scene - NOT a photo of Dan Walsh's home

KCPD Involved in Standoff and Eventually Shooting of Dan Walsh by Kansas City News

Sunday afternoon around 3pm Kansas City Police reported to the home of Dan Walsh in south Kansas City to investigate a situation involving a firearm. When police arrived at the home of Dan Walsh (58), he came outside holding a handgun, fired off a round and then returned inside the home. Police quickly escalated the operation by bringing in several squad cars and some SWAT members armed and taking aim at the man's home. The street was closed down temporarily and the KCPD quickly got into position to fire upon the house if necessary.

After about 20 minutes of trying to reason with the home owner, the man finally emerged from his house again, this time brandishing a rifle. This time the police were shouting at the man to "DROP THE GUN!", when the man didn't comply and instead ran into his neighbor's front yard police opened fire. Police later told the press that Dan had actually pointed his rifle at the policemen. Kansas City police shot 3 times and killed Dan Walsh in the neighbor's yard and he immediately fell to the ground. As Walsh was being loaded into an ambulance police told neighbors that Dan's "injuries were not life threatening", but they obviously knew that they had shot and killed him. According to our interview with close neighbors, he was shot to death immediately in his neighbor's yard, as he fell to ground instantly and did not move at all after he went down.

Dan Walsh was a very inspired man who enjoyed his family and friends and had plans to move to Mexico to enjoy his retirement with his wife. Dan was active on Ebay selling slot cars and had over 8,000 positive feedbacks. In the 80's and 90's Dan remodeled houses and worked on several houses in his neighborhood. Walsh was also an excellent basketball player and all around athlete. He was a devoted father and husband and participated in the Kansas City community in several ways including being a soccer coach for a local sports team. Dan lived life to the fullest every day that he was alive and he will be missed by all.

Dan Walsh shot and killed by police - Kansas City News, official kc news site with breaking stories on The Kansas City Royals, Chiefs, charity events, the 2012 MLB All Star Game, weather, sports, MU, KU, ufo sightings, dui checkpoints, Kansas City neighborhoods, nightlife, concerts, the Sprint Center, the Power and Light District and current Kansas City news articles.

James Holmes Batman Shooting Spree in Aurora - Kansas City News

Movie theater shooting at Batman opening in Colorado by KCMB Kansas City News

In the largest mass shooting in history, James Holmes allegedly killed 12 people and injured at least 50 others during the opening midnight showing of the new Batman movie "The Dark Knight Rises". Aurora, a small town just east of Denver, Colorado, was home to a medical student named James Holmes who had moved to Aurora to work on his PHD in neuroscience at the University of Colorado, just a few miles from the Century 16 movie theater where the mass shooting occurred.

According to movie goers who were in the theater during the shooting, James Holmes came to the Batman premier dressed in riot gear essentially, but did not stand out as several people attending the opening of The Dark Knight Rises were dressed in costume, Holmes then went into the theater and opened the emergency exit door, propped the door open so that he could go to his car parked outside and grab an AR-15 assault rifle, a shotgun and two handguns and return to the theater. James Holmes waited until about 20 minutes into the Batman movie before he threw exploding canisters of tear gas into the crowd. As some of the witnesses stated, at this point they thought that the exploding canisters might have been part of the "show" and they remained seated. That is when Holmes opened fire with his automatic weapon, pacing up and down the stairs shooting people in their seats. One witness said that there was no pause in his weapon fire and that he did not ever seem to reload, he just fired on the audience incessantly for over 2 minutes. James Holmes then moved his position to the exit door where he opened fire on people trying to flee the theater.

After a few minutes, James Holmes went outside to his car where he was apprehended by police. While police were arresting him Holmes claimed that he was "The Joker" and that they had better not search his apartment because it was booby trapped with explosives. This turned out to be true, as police are still trying to "disarm" James Holmes' apartment on the third floor of an apartment building that houses only medical students from the University of Colorado. According to authorities Holmes' front door was completely set up to explode upon entry, and luckily police decided to enter through the exterior windows with crane lifts.

James Holmes had recently dropped out of medical school in the spring of 2012 during his 2nd year at the university. Police contacted his parents and his mother told them that they "had the right person" but it is not yet known what else she may know about James Holmes' behavior at the time. Holmes has no prior arrest record, and no terrorist ties are suspected to be linked to the Batman shooting.

The new Batman movie "The Dark Knight Rises" reportedly has several "mass destruction" scenes, including explosions at public events including a football game. Watch the new Batman movie trailer on YouTube and you can easily see that the violence levels continue to rise with each new Batman movie, they have strayed completely away from the comedic relief tendencies of past Batman movies and have gone forward with this "Dark" series. The youth of today, particularly in the age group of James Holmes (age 24) have grown up watching such horrendous things on TV that they are completely desensitized to things that other generations would have considered "shocking". Television shows depicting tens or hundreds of people being shot or blown up with blood splattering everywhere can be found on almost any channel at any time during the day. It is clear that James Holmes was indeed a Batman enthusiast as he most likely stood in line for hours to purchase his ticket, and in the end claimed that he was "The Joker" as police took him away. There is a much bigger issue at hand here than just this one incident.

James Holmes, the Batman shooting Aurora, Colorado by Kansas City News, official kc news site with breaking stories on The Kansas City Royals, Chiefs, charity events, the 2012 MLB All Star Game, weather, sports, MU, KU, ufo sightings, dui checkpoints, Kansas City neighborhoods, nightlife, concerts, the Sprint Center, the Power and Light District and current Kansas City news articles.

Clifford Miller Charged With Murder of Britny Haarup and Ashley Key - Kansas City News

After 3 days of searching, the story of two missing girls from Edgerton, Missouri, Britny Haarup and Ashley Key took a very disturbing turn when Clifford Miller, a 31 year old man from Trimble, Missouri admitted to murdering the girls and told police where their bodies were hidden. Clifford Miller has been charged with first degree murder and is in jail in Platte County on a $500,000 bond. Authorities have not yet released information as to whether or not they will seek the death penalty in this case.

Clifford Miller admitted to police that he had been smoking crystal meth before he drove to Britny Haarup's home in Edgerton, planning to rape her. It is not yet known what the relationship between Clifford Miller and Britny Haarup was, but he obviously knew where she lived. As Miller told it, he entered Haarup's home and discovered Ashley Key sleeping on the couch. She attempted to stop Miller, who then hit her in the head and suffocated her. Miller then said that he went into Britny Haarup's room, beat her with a stick (a stick?) and suffocated her as well. Clifford Miller then took the two bodies and put them in his pickup truck before returning to the house to clean up blood, after which he most likely drove the pickup truck to the location where police found it on the side of the road abandoned on Saturday afternoon.

Two children of Britny Haarup's, ages 6 months and 18 months were home at the time of the murders. Britny Haarup and Ashley Key were allegedly murdered in the home on Friday morning before being moved in Clifford Miller's truck to a dirt road near Trimble, Missouri where Clifford lived. It is unknown at this time what transpired after Clifford parked the truck, but somehow he made it to his girlfriend's house in Parkville, Missouri where he then informed police that he murdered the girls and he also told them where he put their bodies.

Clifford Miller told police and investigators that he was smoking crystal meth heavily during the murders, however this will have no effect on his sentencing as being under the influence of alcohol or drugs cannot be used as an excuse to commit a crime in the state of Missouri. Clifford Miller is no stranger to the criminal life, as he has been charged with a felony (unknown type) as well as drunken driving charges and also driving while suspended.

Clifford Miller charged with murder of Britny Haarup and Ashley Key by Kansas City News, official kc news site with breaking stories on The Kansas City Royals, Chiefs, charity events, the 2012 MLB All Star Game, weather, sports, MU, KU, ufo sightings, dui checkpoints, Kansas City neighborhoods, nightlife, concerts, the Sprint Center, the Power and Light District and current Kansas City news articles.

Edgerton Girls Missing Ashley Key and Britny Haarup - Kansas City News

The Platte County Sheriff's Office announced that Ashley Key and Britny Haarup are officially missing from Edgerton, Missouri as of today.  Key and Haarup were last seen in Edgerton on Friday morning. Just a few minutes ago police found a 2002 Dodge Ram 2500 Series pickup truck abandoned along Clinton County Line Road near the small town of Trimble, Missouri. It is believed that this was the truck that the girls were last seen driving. Ashley Key and Britny Haarup were first reported missing when a call came in to police reporting two children that had been left at home unattended. The children belonged to Britny Haarup, and they are now safe in the care of their father in Edgerton, Missouri.

 Britny Haarup is 19 years old, is 5'3" / 130, and Ashley Key is 22 years old and 5'5" 100. No further information has been released about the girls and their typical social lives. The discovery of the abandoned truck on the side of the road definitely raises a flag of foul play. The road that the girls' truck was found on today was a gravel / dirt road and the truck appeared to have been carefully pulled over to the side of the road and parked neatly off to the side of 200th street near 169 Highway and about 3 miles away from Trimble, Missouri. Police are searching for Britny Haarup and Ashley Key today in the surrounding areas near the abandoned truck.

If you have any information on the missing Edgerton girls please contact the Platte County Sherrif's Office at 816-858-3521.

Britny Haarup, Ashley Key missing girls from Edgerton, Missouri by Kansas City News, official kc news site with breaking stories on The Kansas City Royals, Chiefs, charity events, the 2012 MLB All Star Game, weather, sports, MU, KU, ufo sightings, dui checkpoints, Kansas City neighborhoods, nightlife, concerts, the Sprint Center, the Power and Light District and current Kansas City news articles.

Ward Parkway Mall, The Rise and Fall of an Empire

Ward Parkway Mall - Kansas City News

The Rise and Fall of an Empire, the Tale of The Ward Parkway Mall - Kansas City News

If you had spent your Saturday afternoon eating a delicious "loose-meat" greasy hamburger with curly fries at Nu-Way, then headed over to Aladdin's Castle arcade to play a few games of Sinistar or Punch-Out, then topped it all off with a giant cinnamon roll from TJ Cinnamons, odds are that the year was 1985 and you were at the Ward Parkway Mall.

Malls in the 1980's

You see kids, in the generation before mass communication wireless devices and social networking digital wastelands of useless information that will surely burn everyone's eyes out by the time they turn 50, there were the days of the shopping mall. The shopping mall was an actual physical realm where kids hung out, eating greasy mall food, going to movies and playing video games at these things we called "arcades". Whether you scraped up some quarters from mom and dad's change bowl, or maybe you got up early and mowed the neighbor's lawn, about $10 would set you up for an entire day of goofing off at the mall. In those days kids would spend their entire childhood at the mall, gradually hanging out more and more as you grew older and then eventually, when you turned 15 years old, a lot of them also went to work at the mall. The girls who worked at Russel Stover would get in trouble for spending too much time talking to boys who would stroll past the store, and if you were really lucky one of your friends was a coin operator at the arcade and they could open up the machines and give you free credits.

Typical Scene in a 1980's Mall - Kansas City News

The mall was a very intricate social scene you see, and I guess you could say it was our generation's Facebook. The similarities are uncanny; some of your friends were in there, some of them were not (or offline), there were many products being marketed to you from all sides, you could watch movie clips and for the most part you were just wandering around aimlessly killing time. Remarkable similarity.

For many of us who grew up in Kansas City, the most popular mall was The Ward Parkway Mall, named for the boulevard's namesake, Mr. Hugh Ward. The Ward Parkway Mall is now a clump of stores at 8600 Ward Parkway that include a movie theater that no one goes to, a Trader Joe's that EVERYONE goes to, a 24 hour fitness that some of us should go to more often, a Petsmart, a Target, and some knock off woman's clothing stores that are hideous. The story of the Ward Parkway Mall is laden with carnival rides and bank fraud, a story of a place built to it's summit by two brothers who would eventually end up in prison.

The Ward Parkway Mall is Born

The Ward Parkway Mall was built nearn a piece of land that was formerly an amusement park called "Kiddie-Land" and later purchased by Frank Wizarde alias "Whizzo the Clown" and called Whizzoland for it's final years. As amusement parks are extremely expensive to maintain, especially in cities such as Kansas City that have a winter season, the amusement park had to go. In 1959, the Ward Parkway Mall was erected with a handful of department stores and a grocery store.

Mall Climax, The Kroh Brothers, and Prison

The Ward Parkway Mall was purchased by the John Kroh, Sr., a successful real estate developer.  John Kroh, Sr. would soon retire and turn his company over to his two sons, John Kroh, Jr. and George Kroh. The Kroh brothers would bask in the light that was the flourishing Kansas City social circle of the 1980's. The 1980's in Kansas City were by far the best years this town has ever seen, when it seemed that everything was lined with gold. The Royals won the World Series, the economy was booming along with George Brett's bat, and the Ward Parkway Mall rose to it's pinnacle of success. An upper middle class shopping mall complete with a Woolf Brothers Fine Clothing store, a J.M. Importers, and the St. Louis based 2-level department store, Stix, Baer and Fuller. With the Kroh brothers at the helm, the mall would expand to open a 2 story movie theater, the largest in Kansas City, and a food court (one of the first food courts) complete with the aforementioned Nu-Way Burger. Throw in Aladdin's Castle Arcade, and you've got the hottest spot in the city to hang out.

Then it happened...after balancing over 100 commercial properties in 13 states, The Kroh Brothers were going bankrupt. At one point the brothers were an estimated $261 million dollars in the hole. They began to perform the illegal maneuver of "kiting" checks. A process by which you have two bank accounts with no money in either, then you write a check to a creditor from bank A, then deposit a check into account A from your (empty) account B. There will be a couple of days before bank A realizes that your deposit from bank B is no good and if the scam works, bank A will cover the 1st check that you wrote to the creditor. In the case of the Kroh Brothers, they did this to the tune of about $7 million dollars at a local UMB bank (back then it was called United Missouri Bank). When the smoke cleared, charges were brought, Chapter 11 Bankruptcy was filed, and some prison time was dealt out.

In the end the Ward Parkway Mall was purchased for .24 cents on the dollar, after most of it's tenants vacated. The last days of the Ward Parkway Mall signified the end of the best 10 years that Kansas City had ever seen, or has seen since.

The Ward Parkway Mall Shooting

The Ward Parkway Mall made National news on April 29th, 2007 when CNN broke the story of the Ward Parkway Mall Shooting that left 4 people dead.  David Logsdon of Kansas City, Missouri was a former employee of the Ward Parkway Target in 2006 and according to them he "left on his own accord". He then applied and was turned down for a job as a security guard. Trouble arose when Logsdon's elderly neighbor was found dead in her home and Logsdon was spotted at a gas station driving her car. An officer approached him and he shot the officer in the arm. The officer fired back and blew out a window in his car. Logsdon then drove to the Ward Parkway Mall, parked his car, shot from his car at both cars parked along side him and killed two people. He then went inside the mall and continued to shoot people at random. Police shut the mall down and swarmed inside, chasing Logsdon outside into the parking lot where police shot him to death.

David Logsdon - The Ward Parkway Mall Shooter

David Logsdon was later found to have been partially living in the home of his next door neighbor with her dead body still inside. He had not paid his bills and his water and electricity were shut off. He was using a large plastic container of kitty litter as a toilet police later found in the center of his bathroom. He also used his neighbor's credit card to purchase ammunition for the assault rifle that was used in the shootings. Logsdon's sister told police that her brother was mentally ill and also an alcoholic. Police never officially connected Logsdon with the death of his neighbor although he was a prime suspect.

Ward Parkway Mall by Kansas City News, official kc news site with breaking stories on The Kansas City Royals, Chiefs, charity events, the 2012 MLB All Star Game, weather, sports, MU, KU, ufo sightings, dui checkpoints, Kansas City neighborhoods, nightlife, concerts, the Sprint Center, the Power and Light District and current Kansas City news articles.

Amber Alert in Kansas City Porter Stone Taken from St. Louis Children's Hospital - Kansas City News

An amber alert has been issued in Kansas City, St. Joseph and St. Louis after 5 year old Porter Stone, while awaiting a heart transplant, was taken from St. Louis Children's Hospital after his release around 4pm.  According to sources at St. Louis Children's Hospital, Porter was released, while still toting around an I.V. (why did they release a child, hooked up to an IV, awaiting a heart transplant, from the hospital??).  After his release, his parents, father Jeffrey Stone, and mother Rhonda Matthews took Porter to the hospital's downstairs pharmacy to fill some of Porter's prescriptions and the child - and his "parents" - disappeared.

As if this story wasn't sketchy enough, Porter's doctor went on the news saying that "the mother went to get the car, and [reported] that the father never came to the car."  This just sounds crazy.  The mother "reported" that the father never came to the car?  How did she report this information?  Did she call in on a cell phone?  Why would she leave the hospital AT ALL without knowing where her son was?  If she was waiting for Jeffrey and Porter to come out to the car, why in the hell wouldn't she stay at the hospital until they were located?

Surely, more answers will present themselves on Wednesday, but for now, the amber alert for Porter Stone advises citizens to be on the lookout for a silver Toyota Corolla with California license plate 6BMU445.   Porter Stone was in the official custody of his mother at the time of his abduction from the hospital, yet both parents "drove in from California" a few days ago.  Where did this child live?  Why is the town of St. Joseph mentioned at all?  Why would he be in Kansas City, and eventually in St. Louis when his parents are in California?  Rhonda Matthew's brother, Porter Stone's uncle, Ian Fife, was interviewed on the scene and he says that Rhonda and Jeffrey Stone were in a heated divorce and custody battle, and he believes that a kidnapping has been staged.

According to medical officials at the hospital, Porter Stone's heart was rapidly deteriorating and he only had enough medication to last him through Wednesday afternoon.  Porter, hailing from St. Joseph, Missouri, while his parents somehow were in California, suffered from acute cardiomyopathy was placed on the heart transplant list after going from hospitals in Kansas City to St. Louis for care.

At this time, this story has MAJOR holes in it, and we will need to gather more facts concerning Porter Stone, Jeffrey Stone and Rhonda Matthews - not to mention facts about why the 5 year old child was released from St. Louis Children's Hospital in the first place - before we can report further on this amber alert case.

Photo - Rhonda Matthews, mother of Porter Stone

Here is the Official Amber Alert from the St. Louis Police Department:

The suspect is believed to be Jeffrey Stone, a white male, age 33, 6'6", 230 pounds, bald, wearing a black and orange San Francisco Giants baseball cap, gray shirt, and black shorts. The second suspect is Rhonda Marie Matthews, a white female, age 59, 5'3", 130 pounds,brown hair, brown eyes, wearing unknown clothing. The victim, Porter Stone, is a white male, age 5, 46", 44 pounds, brown hair in a mohawk style haircut. He was last seen wearing a gray shirt, black and white shorts, Spiderman shoes, carrying a backpack with medical IV pump inside. Anyone seeing the victim, suspect, or vehicle or anyone having any information related to the abduction should immediately dial 911 to contact the nearest law enforcement agency or call the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department at 314-444-5622.

Photo - Jeffrey Stone, father of missing child Porter Stone

Kansas City News, official kc news site with breaking stories on The Kansas City Royals, Chiefs, charity events, the 2012 MLB All Star Game, weather, sports, MU, KU, ufo sightings, dui checkpoints, Kansas City neighborhoods, nightlife, concerts, the Sprint Center, the Power and Light District and current Kansas City news articles.

DUI Checkpoints Kansas City February 24th, 25th, 26th

Be careful out there this weekend! Here at Kansas City News we would like to bring you up to speed on the DUI checkpoints in Kansas City for February 24th, 25th and 26th. Remember, there is a new casino that just opened by the Kansas Speedway called Hollywood Casino and they will be swarming all over that place so be careful driving anywhere out and around The Legends Shopping Center.

Checkpoints will also be lurking in the usual places including:

Anywhere along Southwest Trafficway or Southwest Boulevard - avoid those streets if possible, especially on Southwest Trafficway near the Penn Valley Community College (around 31st Street) and also near the Sunfresh in Westport.

Avoid Ward Parkway all together if possible if you are trying to rocket out of the Plaza area from a night of embibing. Ward Parkway will have DUI checkpoints set up in a number of different areas including the most popular areas which are on the 77th block and the 79th street intersection where Ward Parkway splits into Kansas.

Wornall Road is always a popular spot for DUI checkpoints and they usually set those up around the Waldo area, near 75th Street or 77th Street. Wornall also has surprise checkpoints around 93rd Street on that blind corner where if you are driving south towards the intersection of 95th and Wornall, BANG! - there they are and you won't see a thing. Sometimes the Kansas City Police have a motorcycle posted up on the side street of 93rd looking to see if anyone tries to turn around and avoid the trap.

The best idea, of course is to avoid drunk driving and take a cab or find a sober friend to drive, this way you don't have to worry about DUI checkpoints in Kansas City at all! Be careful out there this weekend (February 24th, 25th and 26th) and drive safe!

You do not have to sign up to comment! If you have any trouble publishing your comment, try hitting the "Preview" button to publish from there. Thanks you from Kansas City News!

Alyssa Bustamante Pleads Guilty to Murder of Elizabeth Olten

Alyssa Bustamante pleads guilty of the murder of 9 year old neighbor Elizabeth Olten. In one of the most appalling cases of 2009, Alyssa Bustamante admitted to police that she slit Elizabeth Olten's throat and then strangled her to death "just to see what it felt like".

Bustamante murdered her neighbor on October 21st, 2009 and has been awaiting trial ever since, in the meantime being evaluated by psychiatrists and other medical professionals on whether or not she would stand trial as an adult in the murder case. It was determined that Alyssa was performing in the top 3rd of her class in the small hick town school in St. Martins, Missouri - which isn't saying much. Alyssa was constantly seeking attention both in public and on Facebook, acting out, wearing provocative clothing often bearing some clever remark or skulls. She was the typical garden variety small town emo girl, black painted fingernails, punk rock hair, and she claimed that she wanted to start a band called the "penile projectiles", referencing her complete knowledge of sex, probably having had it several times with friends and/or family.

Alyssa Bustamante had been in the custody of her grandmother since she was 7 years old as her Mexican father was busy serving 3 consecutive sentences for assault, one of those involving a knife, which was Alyssa's weapon of choice which until October 21st, 2009, she had only used on herself for "cutting", another classic attention getting device. Initially, a judge had entered a plea of not guilty on Bustamante's behalf, but today she came forward and entered a plea of guilty.

Due to Alyssa Bustamante's complete lack of remorse and the incredible "I did it to see what it would feel like" comment made to police, she will likely spend the rest of her life in prison, or at least we hope so.

You do not have to sign up to comment! If you have any trouble publishing your comment, try hitting the "Preview" button to publish from there. Thanks you from Kansas City News!

DUI Checkpoints Kansas City January 6th, 7th

Kansas City police will set up random DUI Checkpoints in around the Kansas City area on Friday January 6th and Saturday January 7th looking for drunk drivers among other things. As you may have read, the KCPD can now set up road blocks and checkpoints looking for outstanding warrants, illegal immigrants and drivers driving with suspended licenses as well as setting up DUI checkpoints.

On January 6th and 7th, Kansas City Police will set up random DUI checkpoints in the usual areas including:

Anywhere along Ward Parkway, but especially near the 69th Street split where drivers can choose to go into Kansas or continue on in Missouri. Another popular DUI checkpoint location is around the 77 Street area on Ward Parkway just before the stoplight at 79th Street because this is a blind corner. It is best to just avoid Ward Parkway all together on weekend nights when the checkpoints are set up.

As usual, DUI checkpoints will most likely be set up along Wornall Road, near the Waldo and Brookside areas, specifically at the intersection of 77th Street and Wornall where the KCPD usually sets up post.

Other streets to avoid would be ANYWHERE on Southwest Trafficway, and State Line Road where hungry Mission Hills and Prairie Village Police wait to get money from Missouri drivers. If you have Missouri tags, you are twice as likely to get pulled over by a Kansas police officer while driving down State Line, they want to suck money from Missouri drivers and not from their own precious Kansas drivers. Avoid State Line all together this weekend unless you are south of 103rd Street.

Happy safe driving this weekend Kansas City, and watch out for those DUI Checkpoints!

You do not have to sign up to comment! If you have any trouble publishing your comment, try hitting the "Preview" button to publish from there. Thanks you from Kansas City News!

KC School District Enrollment Halt Denied by Jackson County Judge

In a court hearing that many agree should not have been held in a Jackson County courtroom today, the 6 school districts who put in a petition to halt the transfer of students from the unaccredited Kansas City School district were denied today as Circuit Judge W. Brent Powell ruled against the temporary halt. Spokesmen from each of the six districts are expecting absolute chaos as thousands of inner city students and parents show up at their doorstep demanding to enroll their students in their accredited schools. The six schools who are expecting the worst at this point are The Center School District (we thought that this WAS a Kansas City School District), The Independence School District, The Blue Springs School District, The Raytown School District and The North Kansas City School District.

Let's just put up the main points in this situation to make it simple:

1. The Kansas City School District failed for a reason. The parents of the students in that district do not care enough about their children's education (the majority, that is - there are some exceptions so don't get all worked up). The fact is, the KC School District FAILED, it had it's chance, and it FAILED, so yes, we can say that the students are undereducated and that blame falls squarely on the parents who did not get involved.

2. The neighboring districts do not want an influx of students from the ghetto mixing in with their students. No one has said it, but believe me, THEY ARE THINKING IT. These students will bring an element of crime, thuggery and failure to these districts, which is not fair. These students couldn't make it work in their own district, so the answer is to abandon ship and go mess up another district? Not a good plan. Stay and fix your own problems. Can't wait to see the first urban mother on the news talking about how the neighboring school districts are "being racist" towards her children. Ah, the race card, it will definitely get played before this is all over. Race has nothing to do with the failure of your children and the society that you have created for them. Get over yourselves and fix your neighborhoods and schools and quit blaming everything on someone else. You got your president, now shut up and start doing some actual WORK.

3. The neighboring districts want their tuition PAID IN FULL, and PAID UP FRONT. It has been predicted by experts that most of these students who attempt to transfer will fail in the new school district and return or drop out within months or even weeks. The schools accepting new students have every right to demand their money up front so that they don't waste countless overhead and man hours preparing for these students, only to have them drop out when they can't keep up. The City of Kansas City wants to pay on a "month to month" basis, kind of like a low rent ghetto apartment complex or a sleazy hotel. That should tell you something right there.

4. The students and parents of the Kansas City School District DON'T NEED TO PANIC! It is ok for your kids to attend and graduate from an unaccredited school. They will still be able to get into the college of their choice on the merit of good SAT scores and academic history. If your student doesn't have a good academic history or cannot score well on the SAT, then they are going to fail anyway - a change of school district is not going to change that - sorry.

Just as a matter of easy transportation math, I would assume that the Center School District would be getting the worst of this influx of students. The Center School District lies closest to the Kansas City School District, and actually has a student body that would closely resemble the students who currently attend the Kansas City School District schools. Urban, low test scoring, police records, history of violence and bad parenting - the Center School District might actually be the best fit for the transferring students. But do they have enough room? Will the students who transfer lower Center School District's overall standing with the state as far as test scores, etc.?

Aside from the suburban school administrator's fears of large numbers of students trying to squeeze into their schools, there is, of course, a matter of money. The neighboring school districts have a policy in place that clearly states that a student wishing to transfer who does not reside in the the district boundaries must pay tuition (in North Kansas City's case around $9500.00), and the fee must be paid UP FRONT. The Kansas City School District has offered to pay around $3700.00 per student on a MONTHLY payment schedule. This is not satisfactory to the neighboring schools and is most likely a reflection on the City of Kansas City's lack of faith in the dropout rate of the students who will attempt to attend schools that are far advanced in education and curriculum, and most of the students who transfer will simply not be able to keep up and will either return to the Kansas City School District or simply drop out.

Here is a great quote from a teacher:

"What makes these school districts different is the level of parental and community support. What makes these schools different is that most of the parents are very involved in our children's lives and education and are actually parenting, raising our children to be productive, law abiding members of society."

And that, my friends sums it up pretty well.

You do not have to sign up to comment! If you have any trouble publishing your comment, try hitting the "Preview" button to publish from there. Thanks you from Kansas City News!

Kyle Orton Not Starting Palko Starts vs Bears

Todd Haley looks like he's been rode hard and put away wet, we've seen heroin addicts with more spunk and inspiring speech pathology. Haley has been getting pounded with the same question over and over in the past few days; who will you start vs the Bears on Sunday? The answer comes out as quickly as the question - "our starter is still Tyler Palko", and though we did pick up Kyle Orton he will remain the third or fourth option at quarterback for the lowly Chiefs. Tyler Palko has a career passer rating of 50.1, has thrown ZERO touchdowns in the NFL and has thrown 6 interceptions. Palko is easily the worst quarterback in the NFL, and Chiefs fans are baffled as to why he would remain the starting quarterback in the second half of an NFL season that is clearly all over for the Kansas City Chiefs.

By this time the only people who are paying attention to Chiefs news are the hard core Chiefs fans who watch the team's every move no matter how poorly the team is performing. Though not as sad as Royals fans who have to sit through a grueling 162 game season with a losing team who's owners will spend no money to improve the team, the Chiefs fans only have to suffer through 17 weeks of watching an underfunded team struggle against the current that is the NFL. Though it would seem that the Chiefs stand a better chance of going into history as world champions each year, it is actually the Royals who have won the championship most recently in 1985. The Chiefs haven't gone all the way since 1970, and do not look like they are going to return any time soon.

I remember a time in Kansas City when you never saw a Chiefs game turned on anyone's TV, but you always saw people tuning in to watch the Royals. Growing up in the 80's I don't even remember anyone EVER watching a Chiefs game. The first time that I became aware of who the Chiefs even were was when the Kansas City Police used to hand out Chiefs Cards to us kids (looking back it makes me wonder who's idea that was??). The Royals were so popular in Kansas City that people even listened to the game on transistor radios, sitting in lawn chairs in the driveway when the game wasn't televised.

The Chiefs are clearly the most popular sports team in Kansas City right now, but that can only be attributed to the fact that NFL football is just simply more fun to watch than baseball in general. HD television, increased advertising revenue, and perhaps a more violent society has contributed to the popularity of the NFL (now that would make a good topic for a thesis, "how a more violent society has led to the increased popularity of the NFL" - go ahead and use that one students if you need a topic). The Chiefs Tailgate parties are also a huge reason for the team's dedicated fan base, and the Chiefs invest a lot of money to insure that the tailgate parties flourish and that the Chiefs fans have a reason to keep renewing their season tickets each year even though the team cannot compete in the NFL.

The Chiefs look like they are probably going to end up going 5-11, or maybe 6-10. The defense looks decent, but with Tyler Palko at the helm they are in trouble. Kyle Orton might be able to bring something to the table, but without blocking up front, and Orton's lack of scrambling ability, he may not put up good numbers either. If you've even read this far into this article I commend you on your support of the flailing Kansas City Chiefs, or maybe you are just spacing off at work again...

You do not have to sign up to comment! If you have any trouble publishing your comment, try hitting the "Preview" button to publish from there. Thanks!

School District Loses 3 Cabinet Chiefs in Kansas City

The members of the Kansas City School District are jumping ship as it slowly sinks into the water. It was announced today that Chief of Finance Rebecca Lee-Gwin, Chiefs of Curriculum Mary Esselman and Chief Academic officer MiUndrea Prince are quitting the School Board in the wake of the Kansas City School District losing it's accreditation. For a map of the Kansas City School District see photo.

The panic will probably not end here as there is talk of dissolving the entire school board and installing a state controlled commission. Board member Arthur Benson gave a statement that he believes that the state is undermining the actions that the board has been taking to steer the Kansas City School District back on the right path. Most board members who are jumping ship are headed to Detroit, where they are putting together a state controlled school board to overtake leadership of Michigan schools that are in the dumpster.

The Kansas City School District cannot succeed because it is rooted too deeply in the ghetto, where kids know more about rappers, cell phones, gold chains, tennis shoes, guns and petty larceny than they do about math, science and history. Few to none of the schools located within the Kansas City School District are in good neighborhoods, the last one being Southwest High School, which is located in the semi good neighborhood of Brookside - the only problem is that in the case of Southwest High School, all of the residents of the immediate neighborhood are terrified to send their children to that school and opt to pay premium costs to have their children sent to private schools instead. There is no arguing with the facts, however, and you can't blame the residents of Brookside for avoiding Southwest High like the plague, the police were called to that school over 50 times in just 3 months for violence, arson, and other ghetto thug crimes. I wouldn't send my children anywhere NEAR a Kansas City public school, and the people of Brookside seem to agree.

Education of Kansas City's children starts at home people. If you are feeding your child McDonald's, Pizza Hut and Kentucky Fried Chicken 3 or more times a week for dinner, letting them watch rap videos with Jigs grabbing their nuts and treating women like prostitutes, and having no male role models around them to teach them the value of a hard days work, then your children are probably going to grow up fighting the system and performing poorly in school. Those are the cold hard facts. I'm sure that the parents of children attending Kansas City public schools are whining and complaining like the Democrats always do, that something is wrong with the system and it's the city or the state's fault (another Democrat reasoning), but let us here at Kansas City News wake you up a little bit: If you're child is failing classes at ANY school, it is YOUR fault as a parent. Sit that child down and make sure that they do their homework, it's that simple folks, it really is. Quit blaming the city, state and your country for your own laziness - get off your butt and do something for your children and then maybe the test scores for the city as a whole will improve and the Kansas City School District can regain it's accreditation.

Lisa Irwin Missing Infant Search Continues

The search continues today for missing 10 month old infant Lisa Irwin. The missing toddler was last seen sleeping in her crib at 10:30pm on Monday night at her home at 3600 N Lister Avenue in Kansas City.

Lisa Irwin was reported missing by her father when he returned home from work at 4am Tuesday morning. Police are extremely concerned because in this case both of the parents are accounted for and both reported Lisa missing. Usually in a missing child case such as this, one of the parents is involved, but in this case both parents have been extensively grilled by police and both are cooperating fully. An Amber Alert was issued initially but has since been cancelled. 30 detectives still remain on the case, continuing the search near the child's home. Police fear that Lisa Irwin was abducted via a window in her bedroom and could very well be several miles away by now. The search party is using search dogs at this point in hopes of picking up a trail of Lisa Irwin and her abductor. Police are responding to leads but said that no hard leads have come in on the case. Surely the police are interviewing family members from inside the family circle to the outer circle as in a case like this, the kidnapper is usually someone who knows the family and the missing child. Certainly a 10 month old toddler cannot just get up and walk outside and disappear, at least she wouldn't have gotten that far away - this is almost definitely a kidnapping case and Lisa Irwin has probably been transported by car miles from away from her home.

Police urged anyone with information about the girl's whereabouts to immediately call the TIPS hotline at 816-474-8477.

Lisa Irwin has blue eyes and blond hair, is 30 inches tall and weighs 26 to 30 pounds. She was last seen wearing purple shorts and a purple shirt with white kittens on it, police said. The child has two bottom teeth and a beauty mark on her right outer thigh. Her parents said she also has a cold with a cough.

by Kansas City News, Wednesday, October 5th, 2011

DUI Checkpoints in Kansas City September 16th 17th

Well, it's time to brace for another weekend in Kansas City. There are several great events going on including The Foo Fighters concert, The Human League at The Uptown Theater, and several other events that will no doubt have the Kansas City Police Department putting up several DUI checkpoints in Kansas City this weekend of September 16th and 17th.

The checkpoints will be set up in the usual places and there may be a few surprises as well. Remember that there is almost always a DUI checkpoint along Southwest Trafficway, as well as anywhere along Ward Parkway but mainly near 77th Street and 79th Street. Wornall road will see it's share of DUI Checkpoints as well, hosting one at 75th and Wornall, as well as 93rd and Wornall as you round that blind corner heading up to the stoplight at 95th Street and Wornall.

A few surprise DUI checkpoints could pop up near the Power and Light District and there will be a lot of police activity on the Plaza due to the recent ghetto thug gatherings there. Also, if you are under 18 years old, remember that there is a curfew on the Plaza of 9pm. The Human League concert will most likely cause police to set up a DUI checkpoint somewhere on Main street or Broadway near midtown. The Chiefs game is an away game this week, so there could be a number of checkpoints set around 3pm when the game is over and people are coming out of the bars. Let's all have a safe weekend Kansas City! Courtesy of Kansas City News, September 16th, 2011

Kansas City News Stories

Here are some of today's headlines brought to you by Kansas City News:

Wichita teacher gives her kidney to another teacher at Oak Hills High School in Cincinnati, Ohio. After her kidneys shut down after the birth of her second child, Kelly Shattuck a young math teacher has been searching for a kidney donor for over a year. When Kelly's family and friends turned up no matches, a fellow Oak Hills High School teacher and friend, Debby Glandorf came through. Debby volunteered to be tested and was found to be a match. The two teachers have been friends and church buddies for years and both seem very positive about the situation. Both are to be admitted today for surgery and our hopes and prayers are with them for a successful outcome for both of these courageous women. September 13th, 2011 Kansas City News

Burglar falls asleep while robbing a home in Wichita, Kansas. A homeless man was busy robbing a home in Southwest Wichita on Saturday when he decided he needed a shower and then a little nap. While this is completely understandable for a homeless person, it is not such a great idea if you're also a burglar on the job. The owners of the house came home to find the burglar sleeping in their bed, the burglar quickly tried to put on some clothes that belonged to the man of the house but eventually ended up hiding in the closet where Wichita police found him minutes later. September 13th, 2011 Kansas City News

Kansas City Airport Bomb Scare on the 10th Anniversary of September 11th. Former New York City Police officer, 45 year old Anthony Falco, Jr., was going through security at MCI airport on Sunday morning around 9:30am when airport security asked Mr. Falco if they could open up his carry on bag to search it. Falco told them that they could not search his bag and naturally airport security immediately detained Mr. Falco and found a mysterious device in his carry on bag. It was later determined that the mysterious items found were only spare computer parts and were not bomb related. Terminal B at Southwest Airlines was shut down for several hours while airport security, FBI agents, bomb sniffing dogs and other law enforcement officials redirected passengers waiting to board and go through security, causing several delays in flights on Sunday, September 11th. September 13th, 2011 Kansas City News

Chiefs former offensive lineman Brian Waters signed by the New England Patriots. 34 year old offensive line veteran Brian Waters left the Kansas City Chiefs in the off season, went home to work on his retirement plans and possibly do a little work on his lawn when he got a call from The New England Patriots. Waters was a part of what was arguably the best offensive line in Kansas City Chiefs history during the 90's and early 00's. It was reported that Waters left the Chiefs after butting heads with new head coach Todd Haley. In a recent interview Waters was asked if it was difficult leaving the Chiefs, "not really" was his response. September 13th, 2011 Kansas City News

Stanford Griswold Trial for Brian Euston

The trial starts today for Stanford Griswold, who "accidentally" killed a drunken Brian Euston last October outside of the ghetto and trashy America's Pub in Westport. You can see from the picture at the right that Stanford Griswold is an upstanding fine young man...NOT. Look at his thug pot stoned eyes, and his smug ghetto face - this guy is a trashy thug piece of shit.

This incident occurred at a time when Westport was the hot spot for ghetto trash hanging out outside the nightclubs and driving around in their boom boom cars with nasty rap music blaring and causing legal problems for the Kansas City Police and of course, killing people. This is the natural flow of events for any area of Kansas City that attracts the ghetto folk to hang out. The ghetto thugs have moved their hang out to the Plaza now for the most part, as police have finally got them out of Westport. Do they go back to the neighborhoods that they live in to hang out? No, they just moved a few blocks south and now they are harassing customers on the Plaza instead, hoping to meet white women who watch too many rap videos and think that all young black males are rich rap stars (and most of them probably claim to be). But the story of Stanford Griswold and Brian Euston is just an unfortunate result of the ghetto folk hanging out where they shouldn't be.

Brian Euston was drunk that night at America's Pub, and his BAC level was over .30 which is incredibly high. But let's consider that most young white males who engage in heavy drinking do not end up dead at the end of the night, for instance fraternity parties. But, when you place an extremely drunk Brian Euston in the same place as a ghetto thug uneducated street trash Stanford Griswold, you get trouble. Black male youths are extremely violent and they absolutely HATE white people. They only go to places like Westport and the Plaza in hopes of picking up white women, otherwise they would stay in the hood where they belong. In the case of Brian Euston, he was at the wrong place at the wrong time. Stanford Griswold, true to ignorant ghetto mentality, struck Brian Euston and then RAN - which is ghetto style - and luckily was later caught by police. Griswold is being charged with involuntary manslaughter for the involvement in the death of Brian Euston. Hopefully today Stanford Griswold will get a stiff sentence in court and teach the rest of the ghetto population in Kansas City to stay in their own neighborhoods to party, and let the rest of the good citizens party in their own neighborhoods where it is safe.