The Chiefs set a record. Phill Kline indefinitely lost his Kansas law license. And a Maryville rape case got national attention, thanks to Kansas City reporters. KCUR's Steve Bell looks back at those and other top stories on this week's Saturday News Review.
Special prosecutor to reopen Maryville teen rape case
Nodaway County prosecutor Robert Rice continued to maintain that he was justified in dropping charges against a young man who was the grandson of a prominent area political figure. Rice said it was about lack of cooperation by the family of teen Daisy Coleman, but in the blaze of national attention and regional outrage he called for the appointment of a special prosecutor to delve into the case.
On Thursday, the girl's mother, Melinda Coleman, gave the Kansas City Star excerpts from a recording she said she secretly made of a conversation with Rice... which she said proves that she was not uncooperative.
Area Congressional delegations split on end to shutdown
As the wheels of government began to turn again, Midwesterners keeping score on the end of the federal government shutdown were calculating who voted how. I
n Missouri and Kansas, the only Senator voting against ending the shutdown. Missouri Senator Roy Blunt hoped a lesson had been learned and that the lawmakers could get back to business, which he said ass reducing spending and lowering the deficit..
Most of the area's House Republicans, including Kevin Yoder, Vicky Hartzler and Sam Graves voted against ending the shutdown. Lynn Jenkins was an exception, voting to end it.
Missouri Congressman Emanuel Cleaver voted with fellow Democrats, but was not optimistic about the long range picture. He worried that the gridlock would recur after the first of the year.
Cleaver said what is needed is a long-range solution and possibly an end to having Congress vote on whether to pay debts the country already owes.
Harrisonville siblings go missing, found with mother in Canada
An 11-year-old Harrisonville girl and her two teenage brothers disappeared in the company of their non-custodial mother.
They were found safe in Canada, which Major Jeff Weber of the Cass County Sheriff's Office said posed a second mystery: that officials there had no record of them having crossed the border.
A Canadian social worker recognized Sheri O'Neal and her children when they sought help at a Calgary, Alberta homeless shelter.
Chiefs go 6-0 as fans raise record racket
Kansas City Chiefs fans set a record for loudness --137.5 decibels, which audiology experts said wasn't good for fans' hearing.
Even better news was that the Chiefs not only broke their losing streak against the Oakland Raiders, but were 6 and 0 for the season and one of only two undefeated teams in the NFL.
Kansas high court suspends Phill Kline's license
The Kansas Supreme Court indefinitely suspended the law license of Phill Kline, former Attorney General and Johnson County District Attorney. The court found that Kline intentionally misled a grand jury and other fact finders during his investigations of abortion clinics, including Planned Parenthood and Dr. George Tiller's Wichita clinic.
Intermodal facility opens, craft brewerey sold
In Business news, the new BNSF intermodal facility in Edgerton held its grand opening. Giant cranes will hoist a half-a-million semitrailers and bulk shipping containers each year there, transfering them between rail and truck.
The founder of Boulevard Brewery sold his controlling interest to a Belgian brewer Duvel Moortgat for an undisclosed amount. The new owner met with reporters Friday to assure them that Boulevard's work force would remain intact or grow and its product quality and product innovation would not diminish.