Week in Review .

KC Week in Review
April 20th, 2012

THIS WEEK: Friday, April 20th 2012 @ 7:30 pm
(Rebroadcast Sunday @ 11 am )

GOOD LUCK GETTING SEATS TO ALL-STAR GAME: Kansas Citians are now getting excited about hosting the All-Star game this July but have you tried to get a ticket? Well you can’t. There’s none to be had. They’ve all gone. With nearly three months to go before the first pitch, neither the Royals nor Major League Baseball has any seats at Kauffman Stadium left to sell just as the tickets were about to go on sale to the general public.

KC MAYOR’S FAMILY WOES: His son has caused him embarrassment. Now his brother is making the headlines after pistol whipping another family member after a funeral. The Mayor issues a twitter message: “I’m willing 2b accountable 4 my actions. Can’t control others.” Are these strictly private matters? Or do they impact his public role as the city’s top elected official?

JOHNSON COUNTY’S “FAUX FARMS” COSTING TAXPAYERS BIG: A front page story in the Kansas City Star reports on the growing trend in Johnson County that allows developers to classify their land as agricultural by planting a few Christmas trees or a small wheat crop as they wait for a future Starbucks, big-box retailer or a new high-price sub-division to go up. And it represents a great deal. The Star reports on how a 20-acre plot in Olathe owned by Walmart, if zoned for commercial development, would be taxed at $89,000. But last year, the retailer payed just $53 in taxes. Who’s harmed by the practice and why are Kansas lawmakers so reluctant to clamp down on “faux farms?”

MISSOURI BILL CRIMINALIZES “UNFLATTERING” FARM VIDEO: The Missouri House greenlights legislation this week that would make it a crime to produce videos portraying poor conditions at agricultural facilities in the state. The proposed “Ag-Gag Law” creates the new crime of Agricultural Production Facility Interference, making it illegal to produce or distribute video occurring on a farm without the consent of the owner. Violators could be subject to six months to four years in prison. Supporters say the measure is needed to stop activists producing propaganda against agriculture. Opponents of the bill said some of those undercover investigations have helped improve conditions at agricultural facilities.

THIS WEEK’S NEWS REVIEWERS:

Stacey Cameron
KCTV5

Chris Hernandez
41 Action News

Dana Wright
NEWSRADIO 98.1 FM KMBZ

Dave Helling
Kansas City Star

***A NOTE FROM NICK:
Your thoughts are always important to me. Send an e-mail to nhaines@kcpt.org or share and connect at the Nick Haines page on Facebook.
Thanks for watching Kansas City Week in Review.
Nick!

Tags: News

KC Week in Review
August 19, 2011

What the city is now doing to curb hordes of teens on the Country Club Plaza. Plus, Brownback's selective budget worries... And, why you won't get to vote on light rail or a contentious Plaza office tower plan after all.

THIS FRIDAY, AUGUST 19 7:30 PM
(Rebroadcast Sunday @ 11:00 am)

PLAZA: A 9:00 pm curfew and $500 fines – what the city is now doing to curb hordes of teens on the Country Club Plaza.

BROWNBACK: The Kansas Governor is making national news. Why Sam Brownback’s administration is returning $32 million dollars in federal money to help the state enact health care reform.

HIGHWOODS DROPS OFFICE BUILDING PLAN: After pretty much an entire year of controversy and debate that included protests, and petition drives, hundreds of yards signs and an aggressive Facebook campaign the Plaza office controversy is over.

NO TO LIGHT RAIL: Despite collecting more than 3,600 signatures, far more than required by the city’s election rules, a city council committee this week holds up an effort by maverick activist Clay Chastain to put a new light rail initiative on the November ballot.

JOHNSON COUNTY SUN SHUTS DOWN: After more than 50 years, one of the metro’s most prominent suburban newspapers shuts down. The Johnson County Sun lays off all of its staffers and ceases production.

THIS WEEK’S NEWS REVIEWERS:

Kris Ketz
KMBC 9 News

Chris Hernandez
NBC Action News

Eric Wesson
The Call

Dave Helling
Kansas City Star

Tags: KC Week in Review, Local, Politics

KC Week in Review
August 24, 2012

Todd Akin...Standing alone but refusing to quit. A Kansas Congressman's skinny-dip lands him in hot water. Plus, as the deadline looms to pre-register for Google fiber who is being left behind? And the grassroots campaign to coax David Glass to sell the Kansas City Royals.

THIS WEEK: Friday, August 24th 2012 @ 7:30 pm
(Rebroadcast Sunday @ 11 am )

AKIN UPROAR: Its the local political story that led most national TV newscasts this week. Congressman Todd Akin and a handful of words he may live to regret. The Republican nominee for U-S Senate in Missouri claims in a TV interview that rape victims have a biological ability to fend off pregnancy. While Akin says he simply misspoke, almost the entire leadership of the Republican Party are quick to distance themselves from the man they hoped would unseat Democratic incumbent Claire McCaskill and help the GOP regain the US Senate. Four former Republican Senator’s from the Show-Me-State call on Akin to withdraw from the race. Current Missouri U-S Senator Roy Blunt also pushes Akin to drop out. And even Republican Presidential nominee Mitt Romney says for the good of the party Akin should bow out. But Akin ignores the overwhelming chorus of disapproval from his party’s establishment. Why? Does he still have a path to victory in November?

YODER SKINNYDIP LANDS HIM IN HOT WATER: On the other side of state line, Kansas Congressman Kevin Yoder has spent much of his week apologizing to his constituents after a published report revealed the freshman Republican swam nude in the Sea of Galilee during a private fact-finding trip to Israel last August. The influential Washington based news source, Politico reported the incident on its website over the weekend and claimed the FBI investigated the trip, which included several other lawmakers. Yoder, admitted he dove into the sea “without a swimsuit, but was only in the water for about 10 seconds.” Christians consider the Sea of Galilee a holy site where the Bible says Jesus walked on water. The incident made big news though. Including being the subject of David Letterman’s TOP 10 list Monday night. Does the incident warrant national news coverage? Why has it taken a year for this story to surface? Why would the FBI get involved in this story? Were any laws broken?

GOOGLE DIVIDE: Will many local schools, libraries and other public buildings end up missing out on what was supposed to be Kansas City’s big digital revolution now that Google has come to town with promises of hundred times faster internet connections? As the September 9th pre-registration deadline for signing up for Google Fiber looms, a glaring gap is appearing between rich and poor neighborhoods in Kansas City. If not enough people in your neighborhood agree to pay a $10 online registration fee by September 9th, then Google will not hook up that area. And as Mary Sanchez observes in a column in the Kansas City Star, that means those schools and libraries most in need won’t be getting the free service they thought they’d be getting either. So far, most of the area’s that have not signed up are in the lower-income east side of Kansas City.

“NO MORE GLASS” AD: A half-page advertisement calling for Kansas City Royals owner David Glass to step down as the team’s owner appeared this week in the Kansas City Star. According to the media watch site Bottomline Communications, the ad buy would have cost more than $5,000. Who’s behind this campaign and is there any substance to this movement?

THIS WEEK’S NEWS REVIEWERS:

Steve Kraske
The Star/KCUR

Mary Sanchez
Kansas City Star

Scott Parks
NEWSRADIO 98.1 KMBZ

Dave Helling
Kansas City Star

Tags: Election 2012, Google, News

KC Week in Review
August 3, 2012

PRE-ELECTION SPECIAL: You've been inundated with political ads, yards signs and campaign billboards, now its decisions time. On the eve of Primary Election Day, we pour over the most important ballot choices you have to make on both sides of state line.

THIS WEEK: Friday, August 3, 2012 @ 7:30 pm
(Rebroadcast Sunday @ 11 am )

KANSAS CITY TAX ELECTION: If you live or work in Kansas City Missouri, you’ve no doubt seen signs for Questions 1 and 2 – Reform, Repeal, Repair. We look at what you need to know before Election day…

U-S SENATE (MO): The biggest candidate election in Missouri is the Republican primary for United States Senate where three candidates are seeking the chance to unseat Democratic incumbent Claire McCaskill. We dissect the choices you’ll be making on Tuesday’s ballot.

MO LT. GOVERNOR: It’s one of the most competitive races being decided Tuesday on both the Democratic and Republican tickets. But what does the Lieutenant Governor of Missouri actually do?

WHAT ABOUT KANSAS?: If you live in Kansas, what do you have at stake on Tuesday> We ask our political reporters to lay out the significance of this primary election to you.

MISSOURI PRAYER AMENDMENT: Did you know you’re also going to decide a constitutional amendment on Tuesday upholding prayer in schools?

AND FINALLY: In the words of Monty Python, and now for something completely different.

THIS WEEK’S NEWS REVIEWERS:

Steve Kraske
KC STAR/KCUR

Chris Hernandez
41 ACTION NEWS

Dave Helling
KANSAS CITY STAR

Tags: Election, News

KC Week in Review
August 31, 2012

THE MAYORAL TOUR: This week we do something a little different on KCWIR. We ask KC Mayor Sly James to return to a neglected Kansas City neighborhood he toured as a candidate to see what he's done to improve things a year after taking office.

THIS WEEK: Friday, August 31st 2012 @ 7:30 pm
(Rebroadcast Sunday @ 11 am )

THE MAYORAL TOUR: This week we do something a little different on KCWIR. We ask Mayor Sly James to return to a neglected Kansas City neighborhood he toured as a candidate to see what he’s done to improve things more than a year after taking office.

HOW SATISFIED ARE YOU WITH YOUR CITY GOVERNMENT?: The numbers are in on how well your elected officials are doing to deliver basic services and how you rate their leadership.

STREETCAR VOTE: It’s a $100 million public project. So why won’t you get to vote on it at the ballot box? Why the city has chosen to yank streetcars the November ballot and make it a mail-in election.

THIS WEEK’S NEWS REVIEWERS:

Stacey Cameron
KCTV5

Eric Wesson
The Call

Lynn Horsley
Kansas City Star

Tags: News

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KC Week in Review
December 14, 2012

THIS WEEK: Friday, December 14th 2012 @ 7:30 pm
(Rebroadcast Sunday @ 11 am )

STREETCARS APPROVED: The results of that unusual mail-in streetcar election are in… and voters green-light the $100 million project. Now what?

BORDER TAX BATTLE: The bi-state business border battle continues. But even when there’s no state line involved, we look at how neighboring cities are hurting each other in their quest to lure projects.

BOXER: Why world boxing champion Floyd Mayweather is repeatedly making our local headlines

MEDICAID EXPANSION: Why Kansas and Missouri lawmakers are adamantly opposed to accepting billions of dollars in federal cash to help hundreds of thousands of Kansas and Missouri families get healthcare.
We take a closer look at the arguments.

REVIEWING THE NEWS THIS WEEK:

Steve Kraske
The Star/KCUR

Bill Grady
KMBZ 98.1 FM

Lynn Horsley
Kansas City Star

Dave Helling
Kansas City Star

***A NOTE FROM NICK:
Your thoughts are always important to me. Send an e-mail to nhaines@kcpt.org or share and connect at the Nick Haines page on Facebook. Thanks for watching Kansas City Week in Review.
Nick!

Tags: News

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KC Week in Review
December 2, 2011

NICK’S NOTE 12/02/12: There’s a lot happening in the news this week! Mayor Sly James proposes taking over the KCMO School District. There’s the Shawnee Mission East High Schooler “tweet” that echoed around the country. Some people viewed it as simply rude and disrespectful. Others lashed out at Kansas Governor Sam Brownback.

We’d love to be around “the cosy confines of our week in review table” discussing these issues with you. But the nature of public television requires that we come to you several times a year to ask directly for your financial support.

Tonight, instead of my face and the the faces of the areas top journalists, KCPT will be broadcasting its Holiday Pledge Drive. If you’re already a member of KCPT, thank you. I promise we will catch up on these issues once the pledge drive is over.

If you’re not a member, would you consider becoming a financial supporter today? You can join the KCPT family by clicking here. It takes but a minute.

Thanks so much.
Nick!

Tags: KC Week in Review, Local

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KC Week in Review
December 23, 2011

THIS WEEK: Friday, December 23 @ 7:30 pm
KANSAS CITY YEAR IN REVIEW

This week it’s our annual “Year in Review” edition of the program where in quiz show style we look back at the most important issues, moments and newsmakers from the year 2011 in our metro and prognosticate over what’s in store in 2012 for this city we call home.

With their fingers on the buzzers…

Dana Wright
KCTV5
Chris Hernandez
NBC Action News
Dave Helling
Kansas City Star
Steve Kraske
KC Star/KCUR

Tags: News

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KC Week in Review
February 10, 7:30pm

THIS WEEK: Friday, February 10th 2012 @ 7:30 pm
(Rebroadcast Sunday @ 11 am )

THE TOUGHEST JOB IN KANSAS CITY: It’s been called the hardest job in the metro. It’s the person who sits in the superintendent’s chair in the KCMO school district. This week, Dr. Stephen Green joins us in the newsmaker chair on Kansas City Week in Review.

Dr. Stephen Green
KCMO School Superintendent, Interim

PLUS WE DISSECT THE REST OF THE WEEK’S TOP LOCAL STORIES WITH LOGAN AND HELLING…

MOORE: Former Kansas Congressman Dennis Moore discloses he has Alzheimer’s disease.

DRUG TESTING: Should Missouri lawmakers be drug tested? A year after the state legislature requires drug testing of welfare recipients, a bill is introduced requiring random testing of elected officials.

MO PRIMARY: Santorum wins the Missouri GOP primary, yet fewer than 8% of eligible voters go to the polls.

MAYOR’S BILLION: Mayor Sly James asks for a billion dollars this week, to fix up the city’s streets, sidewalks and other infrastructure.

UNWANTED LAWYERS: Shrinking demand for attorneys has area law schools cutting back on class sizes.

NEWS REVIEWERS:

Fred Logan, Columnist
The Business Journal

Dave Helling
Kansas City Star

***A NOTE FROM NICK:
Your thoughts are always important to me. Send an e-mail to nhaines@kcpt.org or share and connect at the Nick Haines page on Facebook.
Thanks for watching Kansas City Week in Review.
Nick!

Tags: KC Week in Review

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KC Week in Review
February 15, 2013

THIS WEEK: Friday, February 15th, 2013 @ 7:30 pm
(Rebroadcast Sunday @ 11 am )

WHO WILL SUCCEED MAYOR JOE REARDON?:
This week we push aside our regular cast of reporters to bring you the five people who believe they have what it takes to be the next Mayor of Wyandotte County. Last month, Joe Reardon stunned the metro when he announced he was calling it quits just weeks before he was to begin campaigning for his third term. The primary election to choose his replacement will be held a week next Tuesday (February 26th). The two top vote getters will move on to the General Election April 2nd.

MEET THE CANDIDATES:

Nathan Barnes
Unified County Commissioner/Real Estate developer

Mark Holland
Unified County Commissioner/Methodist Minister

Cordell Meeks
Businessman/Activist

Ann Murguia
Unified Government Commissioner/Neighborhood Development leader

Janice Witt
Small Business owner

WANT TO KNOW MORE ABOUT THE CANDIDATES?

WATCH THEM DEBATE: Wednesday, February 20th @ 7pm.
Our friend Dave Helling of the Kansas City Star moderates a 90-minutes forum sponsored by the Kansas City, KS Chamber of Commerce @ the Kansas City, KS Public Schools Central Office Auditorium, 2010 N. 59th St.

CANDIDATES QUESTIONNAIRE: All five candidates for Mayor answer a wide range of questions put to them by the Wyandotte Daily News

ARMOURDALE DEBATE: Check out how the candidate’s responded to questions at one of their first campaign forums as reported by the online Kansas City Kansan newspaper.

RECENT KANSAS CITY STAR STORIES WORTH CHECKING OUT:
http://www.kansascity.com/2013/01/23/4026071/five-vie-to-succeed-joe-reardon.html
http://www.kansascity.com/2013/02/07/4054977/unified-government-mayoral-candidates.html

KCPT’s Ruckus dissects the Wyandotte County Mayor’s race Thursday night @ 7. You can catch the rebroadcast Sunday @ 11:30 am.

Tags: News