By SCOTT ROTHSCHILD, The Lawrence Journal-World
Republicans leaders on Friday adjourned the Legislature for the long holiday weekend after being unable to reach a consensus on taxes and the budget.
Later on Friday, Senate conferees accepted a new House offer in the tax conference committee, but the Senate majority leader said the plan was unlikely to pass the full Senate.
Democrats, who have been relegated to the sidelines, said the overtime session was going downhill fast. House Minority Leader Paul Davis, D-Lawrence, said the Legislature was in “meltdown” mode.
On Thursday, the Senate, with only Republican support, approved a five -year, $824 million tax increase that increased the state sales tax, eliminated deductions, but cut income tax rates. Gov. Sam Brownback, who has championed income tax cuts as the way to spur the economy, supported the measure.
But early Friday, the House, in a bipartisan fury, swatted it down 109-5 and then adjourned until Tuesday.
The move prompted criticism from Senate leaders.
“The Legislature doesn’t deserve to go home for the weekend,” Senate Majority Leader Terry Bruce, R-Hutchinson, said. Senate President Susan Wagle, R-Wichita, had urged legislators to work through the weekend.
But House Speaker Ray Merrick, R-Stilwell, criticized Senate leaders, saying they were playing politics instead of trying to work out compromises.
“This is an agonizing process,” he told his caucus.
PHOTOS: Home mural by artist Alexander Austin
By NICK SLOAN, nick@kansascitykansan.com
Homes stand out for different reasons - whether it's the beautiful lawn, the size of the home or the color of it.
One home on 79th Street and Longwood in Kansas City, Kan., stands out in a different way.
A large mural from Kansas City-based artist Alexander Austin was completed on Friday. The mural, located on the eastern wall of the home, includes Civil Rights icons Martin Luther King Jr., and Ghandi.
"I grew up in the 1960's and experienced racism," Austin said. "Those icons have always been a part of my life."
Austin's art career began somewhat on accident. During his time in kindergarten, he developed a reputation for cutting out paper neatly and art was recommended for him.
Over the next few decades, his horizons would expand from cutting paper to painting very large murals in the Kansas City metro area.
He's painted a number of murals across Kansas City - including the Buck O'Neil mural on 18th and Vine, the Kansas City Power & Light Mural and a Martin Luther King, Jr., one in Kansas City, Mo.
Gary SouthShore wins on balk as tempers flare
By MATT FULKS, tbonesbaseball.com
The T-Bones fought to overcome a three-run deficit, but in the end were undone on a Jose Jimenez balk in the eighth inning that drove in the Gary SouthShore RailCats’ final run in their 6-5 victory in front of 5,124 at CommunityAmerica Ballpark on Friday night.
Both leadoff hitters scored in the first inning. Gary’s Adam Klein touched home on a passed ball in the top half, while Kansas City’s Kennard Jones crossed the plate on a Justin Bass triple to right field.
The triple was the T-Bones’ first of the season. Brandon Jones drove in Bass later in the inning and put Kansas City up 2-1.
After pitching to the minimum RailCats for three innings, T-Bones starter Lucas Irvine struggled in the fifth and sixth innings as Gary SouthShore sent 13 batters to the plate, scoring four times on seven hits.
“We lost our composure a couple of times,” said T-Bones manager Kenny Hook, “and let them play their style of baseball.”
The T-Bones trailed 5-2 until the sixth inning, when Matt Padgett tied the game on an opposite field three-run home run, his fourth of the year.
Hook was thrown before the eighth inning after arguing balls and strikes with home plate umpire Tim Henderson. An inning later, Henderson tossed pitching coach Andy Shipman after Shipman disputed the Jimenez balk.
The T-Bones take on Gary at 7:05 p.m. on Saturday night in an effort to end a four-game losing streak. Tickets are available by calling the Providence Medical Center Box Office at CommunityAmerica Ballpark at 913-328-5618 or at tbonesbaseball.com.
The T-Bones fought to overcome a three-run deficit, but in the end were undone on a Jose Jimenez balk in the eighth inning that drove in the Gary SouthShore RailCats’ final run in their 6-5 victory in front of 5,124 at CommunityAmerica Ballpark on Friday night.
Both leadoff hitters scored in the first inning. Gary’s Adam Klein touched home on a passed ball in the top half, while Kansas City’s Kennard Jones crossed the plate on a Justin Bass triple to right field.
The triple was the T-Bones’ first of the season. Brandon Jones drove in Bass later in the inning and put Kansas City up 2-1.
After pitching to the minimum RailCats for three innings, T-Bones starter Lucas Irvine struggled in the fifth and sixth innings as Gary SouthShore sent 13 batters to the plate, scoring four times on seven hits.
“We lost our composure a couple of times,” said T-Bones manager Kenny Hook, “and let them play their style of baseball.”
The T-Bones trailed 5-2 until the sixth inning, when Matt Padgett tied the game on an opposite field three-run home run, his fourth of the year.
Hook was thrown before the eighth inning after arguing balls and strikes with home plate umpire Tim Henderson. An inning later, Henderson tossed pitching coach Andy Shipman after Shipman disputed the Jimenez balk.
The T-Bones take on Gary at 7:05 p.m. on Saturday night in an effort to end a four-game losing streak. Tickets are available by calling the Providence Medical Center Box Office at CommunityAmerica Ballpark at 913-328-5618 or at tbonesbaseball.com.
KCKFD taking donations for Moore tornado victims
By NICK SLOAN, nick@kansascitykansan.com
The Kansas City, Kan., Fire Department will be collecting donations for victims of the tornado in Moore, Okla. this Memorial Day weekend.
All donations will be forwarded to the Eastern Kansas Chapter of the American Red Cross.
Donations can be made at the following locations across Wyandotte County and Kansas City, Kan.:
The Kansas City, Kan., Fire Department will be collecting donations for victims of the tornado in Moore, Okla. this Memorial Day weekend.
All donations will be forwarded to the Eastern Kansas Chapter of the American Red Cross.
Donations can be made at the following locations across Wyandotte County and Kansas City, Kan.:
KCKCC-TEC Auto Collison students refurbish clown car
By ALAN HOSKINS
The skills of students in the Auto Collision Repair program at the Technical Education Center of Kansas City Kansas Community College are about to be seen throughout the greater Kansas City area and more.
“If there’s a parade, this car will probably be in it,” says Richard Gravelle, an Auto Collision Repair at the new TEC at 65th and State Avenue.
The car is the Abdullah Shrine Clown Car. Owned by the Overland Park Shriners, it has been given a complete refurbishing and refinishing by Gravelle’s students.“The car had been painted several times and the paint was cracking and had a lot of surface rust and just looked bad,” said Gravelle. “Our students stripped the dead paint and repaired the rust areas along with some body repair.”
Once the body work was completed, the car was painted white and a former student in the Collision Repair program, Jason Ewing, was contracted to replace all the graphics.
An instructor in the KCKCC Continuing Education Night Air Brush Class, Ewing spent about 40 hours in re-doing the many graphics.
Once the graphics were completed, the car got a coat of clear to maintain its glistening look.
Gravelle said the project was a win-win project.
“The Shriners do a lot of good things for people and it provided out students experience in body and rust repair and paint refinishing.”
Materials needed to get the car ready for painting were donated by the KCKCC-TEC; Keystone Automotive and PPG Industries donated the paint.
A 1957 four-door Chevrolet Bel-Air with a hard top, Gravelle said the car has only 34,000 miles on the odometer. Ironically, the car had been sold new to someone in Hays by the father-in-law of Mike Wichtendahl, the instructor in the TEC’s High School Auto Technology program.
“The Shriners do a lot of good things for people and it provided out students experience in body and rust repair and paint refinishing.”
Materials needed to get the car ready for painting were donated by the KCKCC-TEC; Keystone Automotive and PPG Industries donated the paint.
A 1957 four-door Chevrolet Bel-Air with a hard top, Gravelle said the car has only 34,000 miles on the odometer. Ironically, the car had been sold new to someone in Hays by the father-in-law of Mike Wichtendahl, the instructor in the TEC’s High School Auto Technology program.
“Not too long after it had been purchased, the car was in an accident and rolled over, at which point someone decided to cut the top off and create a convertible,” said Gravelle.
Acquired by Shriners in Salina, the car was made into a clown care and in 1964, was purchased by the Overland Park Shriners for $250.
“D.L. MacRae, whose grandson was a former TEC student, contacted me about the job and I said I thought we could do it.”
------
PHOTO: Thanks to body and rust repair and repainting of the car and graphics by students of Richard Gravelle in the Auto Collision Repair program at the KCKCC Technical Education Center, a clown car owned by the Abdullah Shrine Club of Overland Park will be showcased in parades throughout the metro area. (KCKCC Photos by Alan Hoskins)
PHOTO: Thanks to body and rust repair and repainting of the car and graphics by students of Richard Gravelle in the Auto Collision Repair program at the KCKCC Technical Education Center, a clown car owned by the Abdullah Shrine Club of Overland Park will be showcased in parades throughout the metro area. (KCKCC Photos by Alan Hoskins)
Former Wyandotte Bulldogs player signs with Bethany College
Brandon Huskey, Kansas City, Kan., has signed a letter of intent to play men's basketball at Bethany College for the 2013-2014 academic year.
Huskey, a 6-foot-5 power forward, is transferring to Bethany from Coffeyville Community College where he made the All-Academic Team. Prior to college, Huskey attended Wyandotte High School where he was a four-year starter. He earned second-team all-conference his senior year and honorable mention all-conference his junior year.
During his senior season Huskey averaged 17 points per game, ten rebounds per game and had a 71% free-throw shooting percentage.
"We are pleased to have Brandon Huskey transfer to Bethany from Coffeyville Community College. Brandon had a really good high school career at Wyandotte High School in Kansas City and has grown, developed and matured as a player at Coffeyville," said head men's basketball coach Clair Oleen. "Brandon should be a real force for the Swedes in the paint at both ends of the court as his size, skill and athleticism will be very good in the KCAC. Brandon is also a very good and serious student in the criminal justice field."
Huskey is the son of Brenda Huskey. He has a 3.5 grade point average and plans to major in criminal justice.
The Bethany College Swedes compete in 18 intercollegiate sports in the Kansas Collegiate Athletic Conference (KCAC) of the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA).
Bethany participates in the NAIA Champions of Character program, which encourages integrity, respect, responsibility, sportsmanship, and servant leadership in student-athletes, coaches, and youth in the community.
Since 1902, Bethany has won 152 conference championships. Learn more about the Bethany College Swede’s athletic programs at www.bethanyswedes.com.
Senate Republicans approve sales tax increase, cuts in income tax rates, lower food sales tax
By SCOTT ROTHSCHILD, The Lawrence Journal-World
The Kansas Senate, with only Republican support, on Thursday approved a tax plan that will increase taxes by $879 million over the next 5 years.
The measure would make permanent the 6.3 percent state sales tax, but lower the sales tax on groceries to 4.95 percent.
Over the next 5 years, it would also phase out itemized deductions, such as mortgage interest and property tax, and decrease the standard deduction. But it would also lower state income tax rates from the top rate of 4.9 percent to 3.5 percent, and the bottom rate from 3 percent to 2.5 percent.
"We see this as an overall tax cut," said Sen. Caryn Tyson. R-Parker.
But Sen. Tom Holland, D-Baldwin City, disagreed, saying, "This, make no mistake, is a tax increase."
The combination of the various tax changes will produce $879 million more in taxes over 5 years.
Holland said the tax cuts are skewed to the wealthy, with low-income Kansans seeing an increase in their tax burden.
But Tyson said the lower food sales tax proposal "does get the money into the hands that need it."
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
