TLS224 .

0

The Local Show: April 12, 2012

This week: The World's Fair exhibit at the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art, the Hattie McDaniel exhibit at the Bruce R. Watkins Cultural Heritage Center, Johnson County's Second Chance/Reentry Program and a look at the new solar panels in Kauffman Stadium.

This week on The Local Show, we preview the new exhibit, Inventing the Modern World Decorative Arts at the World’s Fairs which opens this weekend at the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art. Executive Director of the Bruce R. Watkins Cultural Heritage Center, Jesse Barnes, gives Nick Haines a tour of the facility and the current exhibit which highlights the career of Wichita, Ks. native Hattie McDaniel. We report on the innovative Second Chance/Reentry Program in Johnson County which seeks to reduce recidivism by treating mental health issues and providing support systems to inmates. Finally, we look at how Kauffman Stadium has become the greenest stadium in Major League Baseball.

Tags: ,
0

Local Treasures: Bruce R. Watkins Cultural Heritage Center & Hattie McDaniel

A new exhibit at the Bruce R. Watkins Cultural Heritage Center in Kansas City profiles the work of Hattie McDaniel. The free exhibit runs through the end of May.

She was the first African American to ever win an Oscar. The year was 1940. The movie? Gone with the Wind. Her name was Hattie McDaniel and a lot of people don’t realize that she was from Kansas.

A new exhibit at the Bruce R. Watkins Cultural Heritage Center in Kansas City profiles the work of the actress who never received her full due. Nick Haines got a tour of the exhibit from the center’s new Executive Director, Jessie Barnes.

Tags: , , ,
0

Reducing Recidivism: Johnson County Jails

The Second Chance Reentry Program in Johnson County seeks to reduce recidivism by treating mental health issues and providing a support system.

How do you stop offenders from re-offending, especially those who have a history of drug and alcohol addictions and often times have a history of mental illness? In Johnson County, the sheriff’s department, which runs the county’s jail, has been working on an innovative project to try and reduce the recidivism rate. They call it the Second Chance/Reentry Program. With 1 in 6 of their inmates diagnosed with mental health conditions, they’re working on a federal grant to try and change the way they do business. And as we discovered in this report by KCPT Producer Sean Holmes, they are seeing some results. We will be featuring a report about the Mental Health Collaboration Program in an upcoming episode of The Local Show.

Tags: , , ,
0

Soaking Up Sun: Kauffman Stadium Goes Green

Solar panels were recently installed around the outfield of Kauffman Stadium that will generate enough electricity to power four average homes. The Kansas City Royals play their first home game of the season on April 13.

Friday marks the Royals season home opener. If you are heading over to Kauffman Stadium, you will notice something different at the K. With 120 newly installed large solar panels wrapping the back of the ballpark, the Royals are going green. It is apparently the largest in-stadium solar installation in major league baseball.

The panels will generate about 36,000 kilowatt hours of renewable energy a year. That’s enough to power four average homes. The panels are non-reflective and tilted to keep any reflections from interfering with play. That was a concern of Major League Baseball, which had to approve the stadium change.

When the dog days of summer arrive and you are basking in the sun at the stadium, just remember that even your beer and soda are going to be cooled by the sun.

Tags: , ,