Free complimentary copy January 22, 2016 • Volume 3, No. 13
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2016 MLK Celebration breaks attendance records
Stormwater/parks committee agrees on recommended revenue split By Kris Collins eagle@raytowneagle.com
By Diane Krizek editor@raytowneagle.com
The 2016 Martin Luther King Jr. Multi-Cultural Celebration garnered the largest audience since its inception 19 years ago. The annual event was made possible through partners Barker Memorial Cathedral of Praise Community Outreach, Raytown Community Interfaith Alliance, the city of Raytown Human Relations Commission, Graceway and Raytown Area Chamber of Commerce. The essay contest, in which Raytown C-II School District students are asked to reflect on King’s work and its relevance today, typically drew a few dozen essays. This year the numbers grew exponentially. “A few years ago we started a new feature in the celebration that has taken off as never before, the MLK Today Essay contest,” said Pat Jackson, pastor at Blue Ridge Presbyterian Church. “We used to get 20 to 40 essays. This year we received 1,761 essays from students K through 12. Our event team narrowed it down to 100 finalists and from those we chose the top three essays from the elementary, middle and high schools.” Students were asked to write essays that would answer the question: In the spirit of Dr. King, what can I do today to make my community better? Pastor Ron Haley of First Baptist Raytown is credited for being the brain child of the essay contest in 2013, and Anthony Moore, assistant superintendent of the Raytown School District, spearheaded promotion of the contest throughout the school district. Graceway, The Police Benefit Fund and the Raytown Community Interfaith Alliance funded the essay awards of $100 for first place and $50 for second and $25 for third place. The elementary school finalists are 5th grade students of Fleetridge: First place went to Shawn Hulen, second place to Zander Samuels and Ayden Clark received third place. The middle school finalists are 7th graders from Raytown Middle: Tamia Trotter won first place, Rianna Ellis came in second and Cheyenne Neal third place. High school first place was awarded to Rachel Krull of Raytown South High School, second place went to Ashley Stevenson of Raytown High School and third place to Sarah Owen of Raytown South. The multi-media celebration was an exceptional tribute to the legacy of King. The program opened
Photos courtesy of Holly Grimwood Taimane, Tausala and Teuila Key (TK3) sing the “Star Spangled Banner”.
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Raytown public works prepared for surprise snow fall
Keynote speaker Anthony Moore motivated the audience with his message.
with a patriotic color guard and “The Star Spangled Banner” sung in three-part harmony siblings Taimane, Tausala Teuila Key, of the group TK3. The audience was transported to the 1960s with the rich, melodic cadence of King’s voice in his recorded speech “The Better,” considered one of his best. Raytown Mayor Mike McDonough delivered a proclamation
Rev. Pat Jackson presents Maxine “Queen Mother” McFarlane with the 2016 Light One Candle Award.
making Jan. 18, Martin Luther King Jr. Day. McDonough followed up with his reflections on King’s legacy (published below). Graceway’s Music Ensemble, led by director Jeremy Schell, played “Lift Every Voice and Sing” and “I Know Where I Have Been.” Pastor Andy Castro led the invocation. With his distinctive style, John Anderson, host of “Legacy Alive Testify,” introduced McDonough
and Moore, the keynote speaker. Moore delivered a motivational and inspirational message of believing in ones self no matter what others say, even teachers. Respecting and accepting others doesn’t mean you have to agree with them, he said. He shared his personal struggles to earn his bachelor’s degree that took him seven years. Tra-
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Martin Luther King Jr. Celebration at Graceway
Speech by Raytown Mayor Mike McDonough “Good day and thank you for inviting me to participate in the annual Martin Luther King Jr. celebration here in the great city of Ray-
Following lengthy discussions by the Raytown Board of Aldermen and the Raytown Parks Board at the end of the 2014-2015 fiscal year, the special committee formed to come up with a recommended split in the 1/8-cent sales tax revenue for use by the parks department and for stormwater projects came to a solution Jan. 18. The stormwater/parks sales tax committee, chaired by Ralph Monaco, voted 5-1 to recommend to each entity the following solution: The parks department receive a guaranteed $200,000 of the approximately $280,000 the tax generates annually, while the remaining funds be split 75:25, with the lion’s share going toward stormwater projects. For example, if the tax generates $280,000, the parks board would receive the guaranteed $200,000 and $20,000 of the remaining funds, leaving $60,000 for stormwater projects. The provision guaranteeing the parks department $200,000 of the revenue was included because the city, prior to the voters’ approval of the tax in 2003, had given the parks department a $200,000 subsidy from the general fund. Since 2003 the revenue was to be used only for parks. During the 2010 renewal of the tax, language was added to the ballot to allow revenue to go toward stormwater projects. The parks department has received 100 percent of the tax revenue since 2003. In the fall of 2015, Alderwoman Karen Black raised the point that
town, Missouri. I appreciate all that our citizens do every day to make diversity one of our strengths. I appreciate the Raytown Community Interfaith Alliance that help minister to this community toward that strength. The Martin Luther King Jr. holiday was signed into law by President Ronald Reagan in November 1983. This holiday is about so many things: service to our community, encouraging respect, freedom and peace for all. It is named after one of the greatest men in history, who worked so hard to peacefully bring the American people together and rid our nation of the scar of racism that had been prevalent for so long. “The push for freedom and
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equality should always be at the forefront and in the heart of every American. We should always keep in mind that we are all Americans first, no matter what our color, religion or political affiliation. For this great country and its form of government to survive, we must always expect the best from our leaders, our citizens, our children, our educational systems and our government. We must continue to work together to make good things happen for us all and realize that we, as Americans, live in a land where people have dreamed the dream of equality and justice, and have fought in so many ways for that freedom and justice. “This battle for equality cannot
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be won by being divided. Our forefathers understood this. “To survive, we must learn to work peacefully at making King’s dream a reality, and we will have to keep working on that dream through each generation. The job of that dream will never end, as long as men and women chose to be free and to demand justice for us all. We must always remember, we are Americans, a free people destined by God to be such and filled with that seed he planted in all mankind since the beginning of time. This republic is the first one of its kind and was the dream of our forefathers. This country has been blessed with brave and intelligent dreamers from
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By Kris Collins eagle@raytowneagle.com
The winter weather that put a thin but slick layer of snow over the Kansas City Metro Area Saturday evening and into the early morning hours of Sunday came as a bit of a surprise, but the Raytown Public Works Department handled it all the same. Public Works Assistant Director Kati Horner Gonzalez said though most weather organizations were reporting a light snow event Saturday, crews had their work cut out for them Sunday morning. Single-digit temperatures during the weekend precluded any use of salt by the city. Instead, the public works crews applied beet juice to streets Friday in anticipation of the snow hitting, which was a boon to their efforts after the snow came. “Unfortunately, as cold as it was Sunday — in the single digits — we didn’t use salt on the roads,” she said. “One piece of info [sic] that solidifies understanding is that salt is five times more effective at melting snow at 30 degrees than at 20 degrees. You can see the linear progression that occurs at those two points. Under 15 degrees it doesn’t work at all.” Horner Gonzalez said the sun helped warm the streets later in the day Sunday and salt became a
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