Kansas City got a new council district map. KU got a new head football coach. And a small area town was in the national spotlight as the site of a speech by President Obama. Steve Bell revisits those and other top stories of the week on KCUR's Saturday News Review.
President Speaks In Osawatomie
President Obama picked Osawatomie for his speech on the economy this week because it was the site of a similar address Teddy Roosevelt more than a hundred years ago.
Mr. Obama referred to these as "make or break times for the middle class," and stood firmly against conservative laissez-faire economics. His prescription for the economy included higher taxes on the wealthy and more federal involvement in job creation.
Mayor And School Board President Meet
The prescription Mayor Sly James and School Board President Airick Leonard West have for the takeover-threatened Kansas City schools is dialog. The two held a joint news conference early in the week. Neither actually advocated James's suggestion that he was willing to take over running the schools rather than have a state-appointed board, but West said a change in district governance was not out of the question.
Missouri Education Commissioner Chris Nicastro has been quiet on the possibility of a state takeover for a week or so now, but it remains to be seen how the Legislature will react to the district's loss of accreditation when it convenes next month.
Council Chooses Redistricting Map
Councilman John Sharp held out for some changes to the to a citizens' commission's redistricting plan, claiming it robbed District six of its identity. But with few people thrilled with the plan, really, council colleagues thought it was not a good idea to open a can of worms. Mayor James even talked about the “elephant in the room” of the fact that the if the city were not racially segregated the boundary creating process would not have to comply with the federal voting rights act. The council approved the commission's map without further changes.
Apartment Complex Approved Over Neighborhood Objections
The council also endorsed a 177-unit apartment complex north of the Plaza over the objections of neighborhood association president Erik Heitman. Heitman said the association was unified in rejecting both the height and density of the project.
Tax Breaks Granted for New West Edge
The full council signed off on bonding and more than $30 million in tax breaks for the Polsinelli-Shughart revival of the West Edge development. Chase Simmons of the law firm said it was mostly about finishing the stalled construction of the hotel. Council members winced, but said it was pain to be endured to bring the development back to life and keep a major law firm in Kansas City.
Hyatt Refuses Giving to Skywalk Victims Park
Hyatt Hotels raised local hackles with its announcement that it will not contribute to a memorial for the 114 victims of of the 1981 Skywalk collapse disaster. The hotel chain justified non-participation by the fact that it no longer manages the hotel as of this month.
Weis chosen to coach KU Football
The University of Kansas named its new football coach – Charlie Weis, former Chiefs' offensive coordinator and coach at Notre Dame. At a news conference, Weis said he was hired to figure why Jayhawk football has floundered while the K-State Wildcats have soared to success.