Free complimentary copy August 12, 2016 • Volume 3, No. 42
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Don’t miss the 2016 Raytown Parks Arts & Music Festival on Aug. 27 By Diane Krizek Raytown Parks & Recreation will host its 5th annual Arts and Music festival at C. Lee Kenagy Park at 9608 E 79th Street. The festival promises a good show of artists that include members of the Raytown Artist’s Association and Independence Artist’s Associations, Vincent VonFrese and photographer, Luke LeTourneau, plus artisans Jessie Roggenbach (glass), Maggie B’s (metal works), Chuck Watson (pottery), Linda Morrison (cigar box guitars), Wine and Design’s Kathryn Edwards more! Tribute bands lead the theme of this year’s festival with headliner Liverpool: A Tribute to The Beatles and Lyin’ Eyes. Liverpool: A Tribute to The Beatles is one of the most sought after, highly acclaimed tribute bands in the world today. The Kansas City band has entertained crowds large and small, at public and private events, for the better part of 25 years. From the mop-top hair and costumes to the vintage collection of guitars and amplifiers, no detail has been over-
Lyin’ Eyes
Liverpool: A Tribute to the Beatles
looked to bring the look, the sound and the songs of The Beatles to the
live stage. To this day, three original members, Gary Butler, Larry Kips
and Steve Davis, plus another recruit, Dave Tanner, carry on the traditions of performing what the whole world knows and loves as the greatest music catalog of any band in history. Website: liverpoolband.com Lyin’ Eyes is an Eagles tribute band dedicated to accurately recreating the music of one of America’s
favorite bands, the Eagles. Lush harmonies, beautiful melodies and layers of guitars are the cornerstone of the Eagles’ sound. Lyin’ Eyes strives to recreate the Eagles wall of sound with five talented and well-rounded musicians playing a variety of instruments. The Eagles’ music appeals to
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Aldermen approve 15 percent raise for Raytown EMS paramedics, EMTs By Kris Collins In an effort to counter low morale and to grow staff retention, the Raytown Board of Aldermen approved a 15 percent raise for EMS paramedics and EMTs during the regular board meeting Tuesday evening. The department’s pay was the
lowest among 17 other agencies in the Kansas City Metro Area. Finance Director Mark Loughry presented a 10 percent raise for the board’s consideration, but Alderman Josh Greene, who sits on the finance committee, made a motion to increase the raise to 15 percent. Jason Greene started the conversation on a greater pay raise and
also alluded that the current state of operations in the department could not continue. The EMS department has 13 employees who run two ambulances 24 hours a day. When both ambulances cannot be fully staffed, only one runs. Taylor Seedorff, president of International Association of Fire Fighters Local 1730, of which ap-
proximately half the EMS employees are members, said some EMTs or paramedics will choose to take on extra 24-hour shifts so that their coworkers don’t have to bear the total call volume with one ambulance if the second car could not be staffed. “I feel like EMS, with the situation we’re in, with the understaff-
ing, with the wages, with the lack of being competitive, and a lot of structural issues, they’re having a very difficult time meeting this community’s needs, frankly, over years of financial neglect,” Jason Greene said. “There are some structural changes, in my opinion,
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Area kids get to test out cold treats at new QuikTrip
Photos by Kris Collins Delilah Pellow, 9, left, enjoys a milkshake on her birthday alongside her sister, Josephine, 12. Michell Bolden, 10, of Raytown, slips on her visor in preparation of testing out cold treats at the new QuikTrip on Missouri 350 Aug. 10 ahead of the grand re-opening.
By Kris Collins Approximately a dozen kids from the Kansas City Metro Area were at the newly remodeled QuikTrip on Missouri 350 Wednesday to test cold treats ahead of the convenience store’s grand re-opening Thursday. Mendi Parker, director of store marketing, public relations and
By Kris Collins
events for QuikTrip, said the kids get to have treats and QuikTrip gets to test out some of its new fare. “The kids are brutally honest,” she said. “They’re going to tell you what they like and what they don’t like, no matter what you bribe them with. We can get some really great feedback from the kids.” On Wednesday, the kids got to try
out variations of the QT Twister — soft serve ice cream mixed with flavors or toppings like Oreos or M&Ms — and Quikshakes. The feedback is the tail end of a long process of product development. “We did this event in Dallas about a year ago and we tested the birthday cake shake and the kids loved it,” Parker said. “It was their favorite,
hands down, so we rolled it and it was a huge success.” The kids also got a chance to try their hand at naming the treats. One suggestion offered Wednesday for the Caramel Golden Oreo treat (ice cream with caramel and lemon Oreos) was “Sweet-Good.” Another form a different test group, Parker said, was “The Superman” because the
taste-tester found the snack fit for a super hero. On Thursday, the store opened to the public. It closed in March and was demolished, along with structures on a neighboring property, to make way for QuikTrip’s newest store model, the 5,700-square-foot Generation III model, which, in addition to the typical QT offerings, includes a kitchen.
No timeline to fill board of aldermen vacancy
A month has passed since the death of Alderman Steve Mock and his position on the Raytown Board of Aldermen has been unfilled, though that was the plan, according to Raytown Mayor Mike McDonough. “Out of respect to him I was going to give it a month and then I was going to start entertaining and
investigating who might be somebody to bring forward for the board to ratify,” McDonough said. He added that he felt confident in not making an appointment immediately because the board has no other vacancies. McDonough said he hasn’t given himself a deadline to make the appointment, though he said he will start the process of screening potential appointments in the “near future.”
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“I will find somebody I think is worthwhile and who will be good for the city,” he said. “I don’t make appointments to any committee or board lightly. I really look if they have the skill set or personality.” State statute requires the mayor to fill the position, but the law does not require the position be filled within a timeframe. The appointee will serve until the next regular municipal election in April 2017.
Mock’s daughter, Chelsi, was at the Board of Aldermen meeting Tuesday to request permission to plant a cherry blossom at City Hall in her father’s memory. No action was made by the board because the request was made during the public comment portion of the meeting. McDonough said after the meeting that the city has not made any concrete steps toward the plan, but he said there are plans in place to
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honor Steve Mock in some fashion. During the board meeting Tuesday, several aldermen cited a desire among the board to name the 83rd Street bridge after Mock when the bridge is replaced. Mock was a steadfast advocate of replacing the bridge. The board took no official stance or vote on the matter. Mock died July 6 following health complications after suffering a stroke.
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