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.

Kansas City Homicide Rate - KC Murder Rate News

Kansas City homicide rate statistics are staggering at around 100 per year.

What I've noticed is that we do a great job of keeping it a secret. Look at all of the murders that occurred in Westport this year - at least 30+ - but strange, most of you didn't even know that. Westport murders are not the focus of this blog but I thought that I might point out that every Friday and Saturday night around 12am Westport turns into a sort of "ghetto round-up" - where all of the minorities (or are they the majority now) cruise around in their pieces of crap hood cars shooting other people and mostly each other. In other words, don't go to Westport after dark - ever - especially if you're white.

Anyway, back to the blog about the Kansas City homicide rate - the saddest part about it is the news reporting. You can turn on the news after any given Kansas City weekend night and hear something like this:

"Welcome to (insert news channel) - we're going to talk mostly about the weather, but in other news there were 2 people killed last night at (insert ghetto address) - now we move quickly on to the important news...we just got a report that a small girl who resides in Overland Park has skinned her knee! We're going live to the site of this horrible accident. The Overland Park police have blocked off the dangerous sidewalk where the little girl fell on her bicycle and we have word that they will be tearing it down.

The Kansas City news skips over the murders that occur in the ghetto so fast it's hilarious. But oh my god if something happens to a resident of Overland Park or Mission Hills - we're talking bring in the helicopters and CNN.

Oh yeah, now back to the weather.

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.

Quintin O'Dell Admits To Murder Of Alissa Shippert & Assault Of Another Woman In Platte City

Quintin P. O’Dell of Northland has admitted to the killing of Alissa F. Shippert and sexual assault of another woman. By admitting to these crimes and sparing a long criminal trial, O’Dell will avoid the death penalty and be sentenced to life in prison.

O’Dell, who was Shippert’s coworker, attacked and killed the 22-year-old in 2011 along the Platte River area with a hatchet. Shippert and O’Dell were considered to be friends, as both worked at the Casey’s Store in Platte City.

O’Dell also sexually assaulted another woman several months later, disemboweling her with a razor blade. O’Dell slashed the woman’s abdomen in her living room, causing her intestines to fall out. After surviving the attack, the woman was able to identify O’Dell to police. O’Dell had attended high school with the victim.

Prosecutors have yet to determine what the motives were behind O’Dell’s attacks, but he has been put on medication for a bipolar disorder.

Prosecutor Eric Zahnd originally sought the death penalty as a result of O’Dell’s heinous crimes, but the families of the victims did not want to go through a long, drawn out trial that had the possibility of multiple appeals. O’Dell’s murder count carries an automatic sentence of life in prison without parole, and he was also charged with first-degree assault, 100 years each on two counts of armed criminal action and seven years for deviate sexual assault. The sentences will run consecutively, which guarantees that O’Dell will spend the rest of his life in prison.

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'Tis the Season for Stolen Cars!

Car theft is on the rise in Kansas City, and other cold weather cities as people leave their cars running unattended. Kansas City Police have reported that in the last 10 days there have been 8 stolen vehicles, with three of them being cars that have been left running unattended. We have all done it on a cold day, run into the store real fast and leave the car running so it will stay warm, or start the car in your driveway to warn it up. Don't do it, it makes you an easy target for thieves.

Actually, it is illegal (in both Kansas City and many cities in Kansas), you could end up with your vehicle stolen, AND get a ticket from the police. Leaving your car running unattended is stupid, certainly, but so is a law against it. It is even illegal to leave your car running in your own driveway. What's next, will it be illegal to leave your house unlocked? Have something valuable in your car? What about just being stupid, should there be a law against that? (there aren't enough prisons).

Anyway, just pay attention people and turn your car off when you get out of it and take the keys with you. And for God's sake, don't leave your baby unattended in a running car! Sheesh!

Woman Uses Facebook To Accuse Man Of Physically Assaulting Her



The picture Taylor uploaded to Facebook

A woman who had suffered physical abuse posted a picture of herself at Liberty Hospital on her attacker’s Facebook wall, leading to a charge of second-degree felony domestic assault.

Amber Taylor, 23, was found in a bathtub at a motel after being hit in the head with the handle of a baseball bat and knocked unconscious by 19-year-old Austin McCauley. A witness who found the woman initially feared that she was dead. McCauley also held a knife to his throat after the attack in front of other witnesses, threatening to hurt himself if any contacted the police.

Witnesses say that Taylor and McCauley have been living together in the motel room for a little over two weeks. After McCauley assaulted Taylor with the bat, he took her to the bathroom to clean her up before threatening to kill both the witnesses on the scene and himself with a knife.

Austin McCauley

It is believed that McCauley’s attack started after he found text messages on Taylor’s phone between herself and another man.

The woman then snapped a picture of herself recovering in Liberty Hospital and posted it to McCauley’s Facebook page using his account, where it received 6,500 likes and has been shared over 700 times. Taylor wrote on the picture’s caption “I want everyone to know who he is bc he is fake and honestly NO woman ever deserves to be in my spot.” Many people have left comments of praise and encouragement for the woman.

McCauley is currently in police custody with a court date scheduled for December 31.

In today’s world filled with social media outlets, one’s actions will get magnified. McCauley learned that the hard way, and thousands of people now know he is assaulted a woman, left her for dead and then threatened to kill others. Many people are weary of how platforms like Facebook have invaded our privacy, but in cases like this, they can help deliver justice.

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.

Micah Moore's Defense: Bethany Deaton's Killer's Confession Was Fake, Death Was Suicide

Two weeks ago, a man charged with the killing of Bethany Deaton confessed to the murder, and also indicated that Deaton’s wife Tyler, an International House of Prayer Leader, ordered the killing. Now the defense of Micah Moore, the man accused of killing Deaton, is claiming that Bethany’s death was a suicide, and that Moore’s entire confession was made up.

Moore had initially told police that he and other members of the prayer group shared by the Deatons had sexually assaulted Bethany Deaton and were afraid that she would tell someone about their actions. Moore said that Tyler Deaton ordered to have his wife killed to keep the actions of his religious group a secret.

Moore’s lawyer is now recanting this confession, calling it bizarre, nonsensical and untrue. According to the defense, Moore was distraught after the suicide of his friend Bethany and the removal of Tyler as a religious leader from their community.

What makes this story interesting is that police initially ruled Bethany Deaton’s death as a suicide. Officers found her body in a minivan parked by a lake with a plastic trash bag over her head that was tied below her chin. A suicide note and an empty bottle of over-the-counter pain medication were found at the scene as well.

Later, Moore confessed that it was he who held the bag over Deaton’s head, and he held it there until her body shook. After killing Bethany, he then reported back to Tyler informing him that he had killed his wife.

According to court documents, the men who lived in the house owned by the Deatons began drugging and sexually assaulting Bethany Deaton, which led her to start seeing a therapist. It is also believed that the men in the house were engaging in sexual acts with Tyler Deaton, which Bethany was not aware of. One man has confessed that Tyler Deaton said after his wife’s death that he had a dream he killed his wife by suffocating her.

Did Bethany Deaton commit suicide after suffering through sexual abuse at the hands of her husband’s religious outfit, or was she killed by Micah Moore on the orders of her husband? This is the new focus of the story, and the main focus of this case now turns to Moore and the validity of his confession.

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.

Five Year Old to be Charged With Murder?

In a sad story out of Kansas City, an 18 month old boy drowned in a bathtub Friday night in what seemed like a tragic accident. Upon investigating the incident, Kansas City Police questioned a five year old girl who was present at the residence. Her answers were shocking to say the least. She told investigators that she didn't like the little boy, he made too much noise and cried too much. She told Police she drowned the boy on purpose in an undrained bathtub.

Little Jermane Johnson, Jr was from St Louis, but had been living in a home in the 2600 block of Elmwood in Kansas City with relatives for the last several weeks. The adult who was present left a sixteen year old, who reportedly has mental disabilities, in charge of several young children. The older girl went to sleep and the five year old dragged the little boy into the bathtub and drowned him.

Murder charges on a five year old would be near unprecedented. They would have to show the perpetrator knew what she was doing, and knew that death was a permanent condition. I don't think a five year old knows that, but she certainly needs help, and someone should have stopped this from happening.

I will reserve judgement on this case until all the facts are in, but something is fishy. The adult supposedly left to get someone at the bus stop. It really doesn't take that long to get to the bus stop from that part of town. Did they leave the bathtub full of water before they left? Why did the 16 year old go to sleep if he/she was in charge of the other children. What is the severity of the mental disability of the 16 year old? In any case, this child needs to get some help.

Top 20 Crash Locations in Kansas City - Accidents

Top 20 Crash / Accident Locations in Kansas City Released
by Kansas City News

Today the KCPD released it's list of the top 20 accident sites in the Kansas City area.  The police department kept a running tab on how many wrecks happened at each site - check to see which ones are closest to your neighborhood:

The first place honor goes to N. Flintlock and 152 Highway in Pleasant Valley where I-35 meets up with I-435.  This site racked up 73 total car crashes in 2010.  Second place goes to E. Front Street and I-435, yet another North location totalling 66 wrecks.  Third place went to N. Church Rd. and 152 Highway, yet ANOTHER Northern location.  Sounds like the folks living up North need to take some driving classes.

DUI Checkpoints in KC - December 23rd, 24th, 25th

Holiday Weekend DUI Checkpoints in Kansas City
by Kansas City News

Well, the holiday weekend is upon us, and with it comes the police.  Kansas City's finest will be out in full force over the holiday weekend on December 23rd, 24th and 25th.  Please try not to drink too much if you're going to drive this weekend - nothing would put a damper on the holiday weekend than a DUI and a few hours in jail.

DUI charges are no longer easy to deal with.  In the old days, as our old friend and retired lawyer Robert A. would tell you, you could get 4 or 5 DUI convictions and still have a license.  Today, you are pretty much allowed 1 DUI, and even 1 is going to suck.  You're talking about spending the night in jail, possibly having your car impounded for up to 1 year, losing your license, paying around $1500 total (not including the lawyer), going to traffic school, and then finally going on probation for about 2 years.  Sound fun?  Well then stay home if you're going to drink this weekend, because they WILL be setting up checkpoints.

Common DUI checkpoint areas in Kansas City include anywhere along Southwest Trafficway, anywhere along Ward Parkway but particularly at 79th Street or 77th Street.  There will be checkpoints somewhere along Wornall Road, most commonly around 75th Street, or as far south as 93rd Street just as you round the corner to head south to the stoplight at 95th street.

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

Multiple Father's Day Shootings in Kansas City

Happy Father's Day Kansas City! For some reason many around town preferred to celebrate Father's Day by shooting someone and leaving them bleeding in the street. At least four people were shot and killed over the weekend in Kansas City. Not to be left out, early Monday morning KCK tried to get in on the action, failing miserably, as a man was found with non life threatening injuries due to a gunshot.

The festivities started early with the discovery of 19 year old Scott Smith dead of as gunshot wound inside a house in the 8300 block of Lydia. A few hours late, two men were found dead in the street around the 3300 block of Indiana. Later Sunday evening, a fourth man was found dead in the street in the 4100 block of Agnes while police were responding to a report of gunshots.

Bad jokes about Father's Day and Harlem not withstanding, the ghettos of America are filled with children (and adults) who have no father. It's probably the single biggest problem facing blacks in this country; deadbeat, absent father's are more the norm in the urban core than two parent households, and consequently kids are allowed to run the streets.

Maybe the thought of white people celebrating Dad's was just too much to take. Another hot summer in the city -precisely why I don't live in the city anymore.

Wife Shoots Husband in the Groin

A Kansas City man is recovering today after an altercation with his wife last night. Around 10PM last night, Kansas City Police were called to a residence at 1130 E 76th Terr for a domestic dispute with gunshots fired. When they arrived a 50 year old man with a gunshot wound was getting ready to drive himself to the hospital. He had a gunshot wound to his groin.

The man stated that he was showing his wife how to use the safety on the gun when is fired accidentally. Neighbors, however, told Police that they heard the couple arguing and the wife yelled "Give me my card or I will shoot you" - moments later they heard the gunshot and called Police. Next time the bitch asks for her card, give it to her, she obviously ain't playin. The wife was arrested on suspicion of aggravated assault.

Kansas City Missouri Police Shoot and Kill Man

Late Wednesday night a man was fatally shot by a Kansas City Missouri Police Officer. The incident started with the Officer noticing a driver on 71 Hwy driving erratically without headlights. Lights, Sirens, Chase ensue. Now dead criminal doesn't stop, of course - pulls into driveway at 7107 Agnes (nice neighborhood) and proceeds to run towards the front door. Cop catches him before he can get inside (must be one of our more in shape cops) - a struggle starts, crackhead (allegedly) reaches for his gun. Not fast enough; KCMO Police Officer shoots him first. The officers involved in the shooting have been placed on paid administrative leave per Department Policy. This is the second incident in about a week. A Ruskin Heights man was killed last week by Police after refusing to drop a pole (curtain rod, whatever) and rushing police after robbing a house.

From just the initial description of the incident, it sounds like this cop really has his shit together. He catches the guy before he can get inside (his?) house, and draws his weapon before dead dirt bag can. Nice job indeed! And we save the money of a trial and housing the prisoner. But seriously, another incident that highlights the dangerous job our Police Officers face everyday. I know they are irritating when they write you a speeding ticket for going 7 over, but they really do deserve our thanks.

Cue nasty comments from friends and family of the dead man claiming that cops love to shoot innocent people, and dead guy was such a great person and father, etc...

Southwest High School Problems are Avoidable and Embarassing

Southwest High School in Kansas City is a joke. On Friday, the Fire Department was called to the School on two separate occasions, and Police later called for a fight. The School, known as The Southwest Early College Campus, has been making some strides in recent years, but this year has been a shambles. The Kansas City Fire Department has been called to the school more than 50 TIMES since August! That's like once every 2 and half days. How can that be any kind of a learning environment.

Being an "Early College Campus" you might think the kids would be the best and brightest of the school district. If that's the case, the city is fucked for the future. Security has been doubled, some of the worst offenders were sent to a new alternative High School, and still the problems persist. If you live in the KCMO School District and you don't send your kids to private school, you are ABUSING them - plain and simple. Get out now if you can't afford private schools.

Every student and parent should be made to sign a document stating the rules for civilized behavior. This kind of bullshit is not tolerated anywhere else, why should it be tolerated in Kansas City schools?  If the rules cannot be followed, then the students should be expelled, plain and simple. The students causing the problems obviously don't want to be there anyway, and at least you can try to teach the ones that are left. The only problem with this plan is that the district is paid per student, and after weeding out the undesirables, you would have very few students left, and that might hurt the bottom line.

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.

Man Shot and Killed by Store Clerk in Kansas City

Man Shot and Killed by Store Clerk in Kansas City

For the second time this week, a disturbance at a local Shell Station has lead to gunshots. The gas station and convenience store located at 5501 Bannister Rd in Kansas City was the scene of a fatal shooting last night. Police responded to a disturbance call at the location that was quickly upgraded to a shooting around 7PM on Friday. A witness described the victim as "acting crazy", throwing things and generally tearing the place up before the clerk took action. The clerk reportedly tasered the man before shooting him. Police arrived to find the man bleeding just outside the door of the store. He later died at the hospital.

Early Wednesday morning, cops were called to the same station. Two armed men tried to hold up the store. A clerk (we don't know if it was the same one involved in last nights incident), pulled a gun from his waistband and fired several shots. The would be robbers fled and have not been arrested. One of the men may have been shot.

I think the message has been sent to would be robbers and other dirt bags. Do not pull any shenanigans at the Shell Station at 5501 Bannister Rd. They are packin' and not afraid to spray a little lead. One more piece of trash cleaned off the street.

Police Shoot Out Their Own Windows Responding to Backfiring Car

Thursday night Kansas City Police Officers were responding to reports of shots fired in a neighborhood near I-435 and Gregory. They came upon a broken down van that backfired with a man getting out of it. That man was Phillip Ransom. He was returning home from work when his van broke down just a block from his home. It had apperently been backfiring and his neighbor had called police reporting shots fired (he had heard the backfiring of the van a block away). The cops roll up, hear a backfire - while responding to a shots fired call - while a man is getting out of the van. One thing leads to another and the Officers open fire striking the van at least three times and scaring the shit out of poor Phillip. He hits the ground and is yelling at the cops that he is unarmed. He was unarmed.

In the aftermath of the incident it was discovered that the windows of the patrol car were also shot out. It turns out the Police Officers shot out their own windows while exiting the vehicle. Wow - that's embarassing. I know that Police Officers go through a lot. They never know what to expect when responding to a call, but this is not good. I'm would imagine disciplinary action of some sort is in order, not to mention a healthy ribbing at Police HQ. I'm sure they are very thankful that no one was injured - other than the two vehicles involved.

Mr. Ransom needs to obtain the services of an attorney. He be gettin' a settlement.

Checkpoints hurting Waldo and Brookside in Kansas City

 

Checkpoints are causing problems with club owners and restaurant owners in Waldo and Brookside, two midtown Kansas City restaurant and bar districts.

Checkpoints set up routinely at 77th and Wornall are seemingly targeting the blossoming Waldo area specifically.  According to a local business owner in the Waldo area, the checkpoint at 77th and Wornall is positioned directly in the middle of the Waldo restaurant and bar district, being just south of the busy intersection at 75th and Wornall.  We asked the business owner (who wished to remain anonymous) if they thought that the new checkpoint location was a result of the recent success in the Waldo bar area.  He had this to say:

"The checkpoint at 77th and Wornall is definitely a back-handed compliment to our latest success as a popular Kansas City hot spot.  The main problem is that there are 14 restaurants and bars in the Waldo area, and this checkpoint location sits right in the middle of them.  600 cars per hour travel down Wornall road, and at the last checkpoint they set up at 77th and Wornall only yielded 18 arrests.  This hardly warrants a checkpoint at this location.  Setting up checkpoints at or near The Power and Light District makes MUCH more sense, as they have 20 times the bar traffic that the Waldo restaurants and bars have combined.  for years the only location on Wornall that held sobriety checkpoints was near 94th and Wornall where Wornall meets Ward Parkway.  When they started setting up shop at 77th and Wornall they started hurting our business directly.  Besides the obvious negative effects, crowds thinning out, customers leaving but not coming in, there is another negative aspect that most don't realize; the checkpoints are affecting our waitstaff and kitchen employees and their income.  Once the news gets out that there is a checkpoint literally in our back yard, we invariably have to let a few servers go for the night who were counting on their weekend tips to pay the rent, etc.  We also have to cut our cooks early, leaving them short of the 40 hours that they are counting on to make ends meet.

To be fair to us and our employees, the police should notify local business owners at least two weeks in advance when they are planning on setting up the trap at 77th and Wornall.  The checkpoints aren't fooling or surprising anyone in this modern day of text messaging, facebook, and twitter.  Once the first person sees the checkpoint, they immediately notify all of their friends and the word actually spreads to US within minutes - that's how we know how well the texting, etc. works - because WE find out quickly.  Basically, there is no way to be sneaky about a checkpoint with today's technology, so they might as well notify us in advance so we can schedule less staff for the night of the checkpoint and try to make up their hours during the week prior."

Surely, the reason for the lack of checkpoints at The Power and Light is purely political, and it seems that the new checkpoint at 77th and Wornall is a tribute to the new success of the Waldo area, however the police should consider the livelihood of Waldo's work force and notify restaurant and club owners in advance so that they can make adjustments.

Man Attacks Woman in Motel, Carves "Hoe" into Chest

Kansas City Police are currently investigating a brutal attack on a 22-year-old woman this weekend that occured in a local motel. The woman, after passing out drunk, awoke to find the word "hoe" carved into her chest with a box cutter.

Accoring to the police report, the woman met a man at a hotel she had talked to on a chat line, but the man left after she refused to have sex with him. The woman then proceeded to finish her bottle of alcohol, then awoke in the night to see a man pacing in her room and calling her a hoe. The woman believes this was a different man than the one she had originally met. When she woke in the morning, she had been physically assaulted and possibly raped, with the word "hoe" cut in her chest.

While I feel terrible for the injuries the woman suffered, people need to learn not to put themselves in situations that can lead to personal trauma. Meeting up with someone you met on a chatline and then drinking an entire bottle of hard alcohol with him will often lead to bad things. Hopefully the horrible aftermath of this crime will serve as a warning to other Kansas City women to use more caution when meeting strangers, especially those met on the internet or through a chat line.