Cerner Corporation announced plans for a major redevelopment of the old Bannister Mall site. And the city reveled in the glory of another All-Star Game. Steve Bell revisits those and other top stories of the week on KCUR's Saturday News Review.
MLS All-Star Game makes its point: KC is a big soccer town
This time, Kansas City's all-star game was Major League Soccer, played in Sporting Park in Kansas City, Kan. Sporting Kansas City coach Peter Vermes rejoiced that soccer in the city has grown from the struggling days of the Wizards to maybe the soccer capital of the United States.
The American all-stars lost to AS Roma 3-1, but most agreed that it was a win for Kansas City and the local economy.
Bannister redevelopment plans include 15,000 new jobs
At one time, the pro-soccer stadium was going to be at the site of the old Bannister Mall – but Kansas lured it across the state line. This week, there were big new plans for the Bannister site – with the Missouri Development Finance Board endorsing $10 million in incentives for Cerner Corporation to develop a 233-acre site that could produce 15,000 new jobs.
Fast food workers picket for higher wages nationwide
Congressman Emanuel Cleaver joined striking fast-food workers as they campaigned to raise the minimum wage to $15 an hour. Cleaver said there is no empirical support for claims that raising the minimum wage will harm businesses or damage the economy.
The pickets in Kansas City were part of a 7-city effort.
Car crashes through front of KC daycare center
Amazingly, 3 injured children were out of the hospital just two days after a car crashed through the front of a daycare center near 27th and Monroe – despite the fact that two were for a time pinned underneath the vehicle.
Police say the driver of an SUV rear-ended the parked car, shoving it through the front of the daycare center.
KC Anti-bullying ordnance includes fines for parents
The Kansas City city council passed an anti-bullying ordinance under which parents could be fined up to $1,000 if their kids are bullies. Sponsor Scott Taylor said a similar parental responsibility ordinance had been a help with curfew violators.
Parents would not necessarily be fined. The kids could go through an educational diversion program on the effects of bullying.
GOP may not try for override of Nixon veto of tax cut bill
It appeared that Governor Nixon's veto of a Missouri tax-cut bill would not face an override attempt. House Speaker Tim Jones said he just doesn't have the votes to override.
Jones scoffed at the governor's multi-city campaign against the override as a waste of taxpayer dollars. Reputed billionaire Rex Sinquefield had spent 2 ½ million dollars campaigning for the4 override.
Sanders ends term as chair of Missouri Democratic Party
Missouri Democratic Party chair Mike Sanders announced that he will resign from the position. Sanders said he had intended to do so months ago, but other party officials had asked him to stay on until at least July. The Jackson County Executive said he leaves the party in solid financial condition.
Court blocks Gordon Parks Elementary charter revocation
A Jefferson City judge overruled the Missouri Department of Education's attempt to close Kansas City's Gordon Parks Elementary School. The court ruled that the department had unfairly revoked the school's charter without opportunity for rebuttal from the school's sponsor, Central Missouri University.