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Pedro moved to the Kansas City area about 13 years ago and has held the same job for 11. Though he sometimes struggles to pay bills, he knows most people think he should receive no public aid. He’s an illegal immigrant. He doesn’t deserve handouts. He understands that. “I’ve never asked for anything for myself,” said Pedro, who didn’t want his last name used to protect his family. “Never. I just work. Work hard.” A new debate swirling around Kansas, though, isn’t about Pedro. It’s about two of his three children. They were born here, and one day they will...

If members of Occupy Kansas City want to march in the streets next week, they’ll need to pay a $4,100 fee for police protection, police commissioners announced Friday. ****snip**** Members of the movement have camped peacefully for months in a city park south of the Liberty Memorial. At a meeting earlier this month, a lawyer representing the group asked the police to waive the cost of having officers shut down traffic near Ninth and Main streets. The lawyer, Gina Chiala, said the march would be called “The death of the social safety net,” would involve about 100 people and would...

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) -- A suburban Kansas City woman was left sitting in a vinyl recliner for so long that her skin had fused to the chair and she had to be pried out to be taken to a hospital after suffering an apparent stroke, authorities said. Carol F. Brown's adult son told a state official he had left his 74-year-old mother in the chair for five days without helping her get up to use the bathroom or bathe because he was honoring her wishes to die in her Independence home, according to court documents that described the woman...

<p>A man has been arrested after witnesses reported that he became unruly while aboard a Southwest Airlines flight.</p>

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – In a presidential straw poll taken at the National Federation of Republican Women’s (NFRW) 36th Biennial Convention on Oct. 1, Republican presidential candidate Herman Cain took a near-majority of the vote. Cain received 48.9 percent of the 505 total votes cast, with Rick Perry placing a distant second and Mitt Romney placing third. The poll featured nine Republican presidential candidates. ... Herman Cain – 48.9% Rick Perry – 14.1% Mitt Romney – 13.3% Newt Gingrich – 12.5% Rick Santorum – 6.9% Michele Bachmann – 1.4% Ron Paul – 0.6% Gary Johnson – 0.4% Jon Huntsman –...

<p>DEVELOPING -- Federal authorities have come across what they believe may be a credible threat to the U.S. homeland surrounding the 10th anniversary of the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks, several sources tell Fox News.</p>

The pilot of the biplane that pancaked into the runway at Wheeler Downtown Airport before a stunned air show crowd Saturday described himself as obsessed with flying. Bryan Jensen grew up on a farm in Iowa, took his first flying lesson when he was 13, soloed on his 16th birthday and as an adult flew jumbo jets for Delta Air Lines, according to a website promoting his passion for aerobatic flying. He’d been a stunt pilot the past 15 years, when not in the captain’s seat of a 747.

"Kansas City police said three teenagers were wounded in a shooting on the Country Club Plaza, intensifying talk about whether there should be a curfew in places like that in Kansas City. KMBC 9's Justin Robinson reports."

Kansas City police arrested more than 50 protesters this morning as they peacefully marched onto the construction site of the billion-dollar Honeywell plant that will produce parts for nuclear bombs. Police warned the protesters several times to leave, but they refused. Police said the group waited until news cameras arrived and then walked in an orderly fashion toward the plant’s gates. When company officials closed the gates, the protesters surrounded a truck that was trying to leave the property. Protesters held hands and sang hymns before going peacefully with officers. Police transported the arrestees to police headquarters using a police...

Rep. Cleaver has proposed a $48 billion earmark When absurdity gives way to hilarity, you must be talking about politics. In the midst of a colossal global concern for the economic stability of our great nation, Emanuel Cleaver, Missouri's 5th Congressional District representative, has one small earmark on his wish list that deserves some attention. Cleaver has listed a new earmark -- one of several -- and he promises to "fight for every one." But this is a whopping $48 billion package that must go down as the grandaddy of all earmarks.

The Eli Young Band has performed at countless venues across the country, including at a music Festival that can draw up to 70,000 fans per day. So singing the National Anthem before the Kansas City Chiefs game shouldn't have been too out of the ordinary for the band's singer, Mike Eli. But, oh, it was. And let's just say the Chiefs fans didn't shower Mr. Eli with that Midwestern hospitality for which they're known after he forgot what comes after "twilight's last gleaming"

Through a combination of massive, Somali-driven voter fraud, stunning Election Board incompetence, and the willful blindness of the Kansas City Star, machine Democrat J.J. Rizzo managed to beat conservative Democrat Will Royster by one vote in a Missouri State House primary on August 3. There is no Republican running in this heavily Democratic, multi-ethnic Kansas City district. The Democratic nominee will face only a seriously outgunned Libertarian in the November election, and truth be told, Royster may be to the right of the Libertarian. What the Democratic machine and the Star, which endorsed Rizzo, did not count on was for...

The NAACP is expected to approve a resolution today condemning the Tea Party for "racist elements that are a threat to democracy." The proposed resolution, which is expected to pass today at the organization's annual convention in Kansas City , Mo., cites cases of what it calls "explicitly racist behavior," including "signs and posters intended to degrade people of color generally and President Barack Obama specifically." NAACP spokeswoman Leila McDowell told ABC News, "We're deeply concerned about elements that are trying to move the country back, trying to reverse the progress that we've made," and asked that "law-abiding members of...

Note: The following text is a quote: http://www.justice.gov/usao/mow/news2010/harrison.ind.htm JULY 9, 2010 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE BLACK MARKET TRAVEL AGENTS 38 DEFENDANTS INDICTED IN MULTI-MILLION DOLLAR FRAUD LOCAL INVESTIGATION EXPOSES NATIONWIDE NETWORK THAT USED STOLEN IDENTITIES, CREDIT CARDS TO PURCHASE AIRLINE TICKETS KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Beth Phillips, United States Attorney for the Western District of Missouri, announced today that 38 defendants from across the United States have been charged in a series of indictments that allege an extensive network of black market travel agents who used the stolen identities of thousands of victims as part of a multi-million dollar fraud scheme...

The home of the football Chiefs welcomed the Commander-in-Chief on Thursday, as Barack Obama visited the Midwest to raise some campaign money for U.S. Senate candidate, Robin Carnahan, and to tout his economic plan. What we heard and saw was more lies and foolishness from the President. After 18 months as Chief Executive of this nation, the President continued to lay the blame for our economic woes on former President George W. Bush. Obama said, "This recession was the culmination of a decade of irresponsibility-a decade that fell like a sledgehammer on middle class families." Imagine if after spending 18...

 East W L Pct GB Home Road East Cent West Streak L10 New York Yankees 50 31 .617 -- 28-13 22-18 20-11 10-7 9-6 Won 2 6-4 Boston Red Sox 49 33 .598 1.5 29-17 20-16 18-17 10-9 8-2 Lost 1 6-4 Tampa Bay Rays 48 33 .593 2.0 20-19 28-14 19-10 11-6 11-6 Won 2 6-4 Toronto Blue Jays 41 42 .494 10.0 21-19 20-23 13-14 11-9 10-8 Lost 2 2-8 Baltimore Orioles 25 57 .305 25.5 16-25 9-32 9-27 4-6 5-13 Lost 1 5-5  Central W L Pct GB Home Road East Cent West Streak L10 Detroit...

Obama amputates our nuclear arms By: Charles Krauthammer ...snippet...Under President Obama’s new policy, however, if the state that has just attacked us with biological or chemical weapons is “in compliance with the Non-Proliferation Treaty,” explained Gates, then “the U.S. pledges not to use or threaten to use nuclear weapons against it.” Imagine the scenario: Hundreds of thousands are lying dead in the streets of Boston after a massive anthrax or nerve gas attack. The president immediately calls in the lawyers to determine whether the attacking state is in compliance with the NPT. If it turns out that the attacker...

Note: The following text is a quote: Al Qaeda Supporter Pleads Guilty to Supporting Terrorist Organization Kansas City Man Also Admits to Bank Fraud, Overseas Money Laundering KANSAS CITY, MO—Beth Phillips, United States Attorney for the Western District of Missouri, announced today that a Kansas City, Mo., man pleaded guilty in federal court today to his role in a conspiracy to provide material support to the terrorist organization al Qaeda. He also pleaded guilty to bank fraud and money laundering. “National security is the highest priority of the Department of Justice,” Phillips said. “I applaud the diligent work of our...

Did you ever wonder what happens to your tax return after you drop it in the mail? Well, it goes to somebody like me. I work at the IRS processing center in Kansas City, Missouri. There’s a number of these centers around the country but there all pretty much the same. I sit at a desk in a large circular room on the second floor of our building. Each morning I go to work and find a large stack of mail waiting for me. I open each envelope, scan the return and any supporting documents into a computer, and then...

The Kansas City school board narrowly approved a plan Wednesday night to close nearly half the district's schools in a desperate bid to avoid a potential bankruptcy. The board voted 5-4 after parents and community leaders made final pleas to spare the schools even as the beleaguered district seeks to erase a projected $50 million budget shortfall. The approved plan calls for shuttering 29 of 61 schools _ a striking amount even as public school closures rise nationwide while the recession eats away at academic budgets.

'A good friend of mine lost a good friend yesterday. My friend is Claire Smith, and her friend was Alfred “Slick” Surratt. Slick was a player for the Kansas City Monarchs, a teammate of Satchell Paige and Jackie Robinson in the Negro Baseball League. He died at 87.'

The 1986 Dodge Ram pickup coughs and sputters. It threatens to slide back down the slushy hill, until Kate Quigley finds its sweet spot, shifting it into four-wheel drive. “All right,” she says as the tires grab. “Let’s go save some dogs.” Quigley — known widely as “the dog lady” and “Miss Kate” — works six days a week, driving into high-poverty neighborhoods to look for animal abuse and neglect. Knocking on doors, talking to owners, leaving supplies. By borrowing pets to have them spayed and neutered, she stops the misery of neglect from repeating itself litter after litter. Inside...

Kansas City police want to know the identity of a woman who trashed a McDonald’s restaurant Dec. 27 because she hated her hamburger. She caused thousands of dollars in damage to the restaurant at 3255 Main St. Police said she complained about her hamburger. Employees offered to replace it. She demanded her money back. Employees declined. She threw a glass water dispenser over the counter, breaking it. She pushed three cash registers off the counter, smashing one touch screen. She cursed and fled. Police released surveillance video of the altercation Tuesday to seek help in identifying the woman.

After a stormy summer in which the Kansas City School District shed more than 500 employees, its remade human resources department faces another huge task. With about 3,300 employees, the district still has about 1,000 more people than most districts with enrollments of about 17,000 students, said Steve Harris, the new assistant superintendent for human resources. “We’re way out of sync,” Harris said. “We want to try to get as close as we can for the next school year.”

Friday, November 20, 2009 Pics - 22,000 Youth in Eucharistic Procession through Kansas City at NCYC Cardinal DiNardo gave the keynote at today’s session of the National Catholic Youth Conference in Kansas City, while Kansas City, Kansas Archbishop Joseph Naumann led Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament and Benediction at Sprint Center. Kansas City – St. Joseph Bishop Robert W. Finn then led 22,000 High School students through his See City from Sprint Center to the Kansas City Convention Center. At some point, I should probably explain why there is an Archbishop of Kansas City who isn’t the Bishop of...

<p>KANSAS CITY, Mo. — The Kansas City Chiefs have released troubled running back Larry Johnson.</p>

THE BRIEFING ROOM • THE BLOG MONDAY, AUGUST 31ST, 2009 AT 6:13 PM Green Impact Zone Posted by Adolfo Carrión, Jr. We have just arrived in Kansas City where, tomorrow, we will continue our discussion of smart growth and smart planning for America’s metropolitan areas. Special Assistant to the President on Urban Policy Derek Douglas, Special Advisor for Green Jobs Van Jones, and I will be joined by HUD Secretary Shaun Donovan and Transportation Deputy Secretary John Porcari. Together, we will meet with local elected officials, stakeholders, and community members to discuss the development of the Green Impact Zone, an...

KANSAS CITY, Mo. - Dozens of children with a Connecticut youth group and their parents were kicked out of a Kansas City hotel in the middle of the night this week after hotel officials said they had gotten tired of fielding noise complaints from other guests. But members of the Nation Drill Squad and Drum Corps, based in New Haven, claim their eviction from the Sheraton Kansas City Sports Complex Hotel culminated several days of what they called prejudicial treatment because they are black. "Everyone should be respected regardless of your skin color," said Douglas Bethea, director of the group...

Note: The following text is a quote: Eight Uzbekistan Nationals Among 12 Charged with Racketeering, Human Trafficking & Immigration Violations in Scheme to Employ Illegal Aliens in 14 States Twelve defendants, including eight Uzbekistan nationals, have been charged in a 45-count indictment returned by a federal grand jury in Kansas City, Mo., on May 6, 2009, on RICO (Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act) charges related to labor racketeering, forced labor trafficking and immigration and other violations in 14 states. Abrorkhodja Askarkhodjaev, 30, Nodir Yunusov, 22, Rustamjon Shukurov, 21, citizens of Uzbekistan residing in Mission, Kan.; Ilkham Fazilov, 44, Nodirbek...

A tornado headed east down I70 towards the Kansas City speedway causing motorists to jump out of their cars and head for the ditch.

Here are some pics from the Kansas City Tea Party, starting with one of my favorites: The crowd was huge.  It was difficult to get a good shot of it all, but here are a few from different angles (The Kansas City Star says the crowd was at least 4,000):

After arriving 1/2 hour late due to prior committments and incliment weather, I arrived just after the group had started their walk to Clair McCaskill's office.I wandered behind the main group and caught up just as the crossed the main street.With the temperature hovering around 20 degrees farenheit, snow on the ground 3 to 4 inches deep, and more snow blowing on the wind we made our way to the Plaza/Westport office of Clair McCaskill.It appeared that there were approximately 200 people gathered to protest PORKULUS.As chants rose on the wind Blind Mule stepped forth and began reading letters he...

Don't forget to see part one and Bishop Robert Finn's homily from the consecration of Old Saint Patrick Oratory in Kansas City. As opposed to the pic dump you see here, Kansas Catholic will be posting pics methodically and actually explaining them. So check back there often. Saint Louis Catholic has a list of other sites with pics. He also announces that St. Francis de Sales Oratory in St. Louis, whose choir came to sing at the St. Pat's consecration, will be hosting all-day Adoration on Election Day. Kansas City has the world's tallest bishop. Here, actually, Bishop Finn climbs...

Last Saturday I had the privilege of consecrating the restored church of Old St. Patrick. This is the oldest existing Catholic church in Kansas City. It will serve as the Oratory for the Latin Mass community which first began here under Bishop John Sullivan, and for many years has shared the parish of Our Lady of Sorrows. One of the beauties of the Traditional Latin High Mass that I celebrated is that it highlights a most profound aspect of the Mass, namely our participation with the Communion of Saints. The high altar, multiple candles, incense and Gregorian chant, collectively give...

ST. LOUIS - Under the Gateway to the West, the St. Louis arch, Barack Obama addressed an estimated 100,000 people in the “red” Show Me State just 17 days before the general election - his biggest rally to date in the United States.

A friend of mine sent me an email this morning with a disturbing report. This stuff is getting ridiculous. A whole bunch of little kids 50/50 black and white, maybe 4 to 5 years old and a well-dressed young black teacher-looking guy wearing a plastic name badge walked by my house. Some of the little girls waved and said hi to my neighbor's daughter, so they must live near here. They started chanting "We love Obama!" I'm not sure if that's the point of their outing, or if the kids were just goofing around. Then they started chanting "We hate...

A picture of Joyce McGautha superintendent of the Urban Community Leadership AcademyUrban Community Leadership Academy 1524 Paseo Boulevard Kansas City, MO 64108 816-483-8035Principal: Joyce McGauthaGrades: 5-9Sponsor: University of Central MissouriClick Below to listen to Joyce McGaetha the school superintendent admit she knew the kids  were being taped and didn't see a problem with it. She is just upset it was posted on youtube. Joyce%20McGauthe%20on%20Stigall%20100608.mp3Here is the original video: Obama Youth Regiment LYRICS:"Alpha, Omega, Alpha, Omega, Alpha, Omega, Alpha, Omega, Alpha, Omega, Alpha, Omega, Alpha, Omega, Alpha, Omega, Alpha, Omega, Alpha, Omega, Alpha, Omega, Alpha, Omega, Alpha, Omega,""Because of Obama, I'm...

Sarah Palin stands on stage as a crowd of exuberant Republicans, some wearing “I love pitbulls with lipstick” T-shirts, roar “Sar-ah, Sar-ah, Sar-ah” at their newfound heroine — a woman they believe has just transformed their hopes of winning the White House. Behind her, having woken to the news that he has taken a lead over Barack Obama for the first time in nine months, is a grinning 72-year-old man, clapping along to the rhythm of the chanting as his running-mate basks in the adulation. His name is John McCain, by the way, but it is Mrs Palin the crowd...

Republican presidential and vice presidential nominees John McCain and Sarah Palin will be in the Kansas City area Sunday and Monday, the campaign announced this afternoon. After flying into Kansas City on Sunday evening, they will attend a rally on Monday in Lee’s Summit. The rally is on 520 NW Murray Road at the Pavilion at John Knox Village. Doors open at 8:30 a.m. The pre-program will begin at around 10:30 a.m. Tickets are not required. Admission will be on a first-come, first-served basis.

Legislation moving toward House debate would slash six judges from the St. Louis Circuit Court, while adding new judges to courts in the St. Louis County, Kansas City and Springfield areas.Rep. Bryan Stevenson, R-Webb City and a lawyer, said state resources must be allocated efficiently, and some courts desperately need more judges. He pointed to a special legislative committee report along with a state report conducted by the National Center of State Courts that found St. Louis has more judges than it needs. Stevenson said the studies and other judges have indicated St. Louis has more than it needs and...

I'm going to be in Kansas City this weekend as a summer vacation. Since I've never been there, I would like to hear some of your recommendations on what to do--besides th e primary reason why I'll be in KC--if there are restaurants, places to see and/or avoid, dive bars, and so on. Any suggestions are always appreciated (even from Chiefs fans) :) Thanks in advance.

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) -- The nation's largest Hispanic advocacy group on Thursday announced plans to hold its 2009 national convention in Chicago. The National Council of La Raza voted Oct. 20 to pull the conference from Kansas City because a woman on the Kansas City Parks and Recreation Board was also a member the anti-illegal immigrant Minuteman Civil Defense Corps. The member, Frances Semler, resigned from the parks board last month. La Raza believes the Minuteman organization is hostile to Hispanics. The group is known for its citizen patrols on the Mexican border and for picketing construction sites where...

President Bush arrived early this morning in Kansas City, Missouri to speak about the economy and to sign the Presidential Proclamation in Honor of American Heart Month (Transcript) The president had a breakfast meeting with Kansas City business leaders, then toured Hallmark Cards Inc. where he delivered a statement on the economy. (Transcript) Keeping with the American Heart Month theme, First Lady Laura Bush recorded the weekly radio address today: For the weekly radio address, President Bush has handed the mic over to me. And today, I'd like to talk about something that's close to my heart -- America's heart...

KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- A special Kansas City police counter-terrorism unit says they are battling international and domestic terrorism in the metro. The department's homeland security division has five detectives dedicated to investigating threats of terrorism. The unit's commander says it's an evolving threat. "We have investigated leads, that we believe are threads that are involved in the material support of terrorism that leads to acts of terrorism," Major Tom Dailey said. Dailey's unit works closely with the 15 different agencies, including the FBI and CIA. The police mainly gather leads and deliver credible threats to the proper authorities. Dailey...

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) - A national civil rights group has decided to pull its 2008 convention out of Kansas City because of actions by the city's mayor. The Southern Christian Leadership Conference was expected to announce the decision Tuesday morning, The Kansas City Star reported in its Tuesday editions. The group says Mayor Mark Funkhouser showed racial insensitivity in June when he appointed to the park board someone who is a member of an organization that opposes illegal immigration. The SCLC also was upset that Funkhouser tried to oust City Manager Wayne Cauthen, who is black, without first consulting...

Just aired on local radio: Mayor Mark Funkhouser holds a press conference expressing his regret that the SCLC (Southern Christian Leadership Conference) will not hold it's annual convention in KC in 2008. Under pressure to remove Frances Semler, a 73 year old grandmother, appointed by Mayor Funkhouser to the Board of Parks and Recreation Commission, who is also a member of the Minutemen, he has stood tall and has refused to cave to vicious and racist attacks at him and Ms. Semler.

A national civil rights organization co-founded by Martin Luther King Jr. is pulling its 2008 national convention from Kansas City to protest decisions by the mayor. The Southern Christian Leadership Conference thinks Mayor Mark Funkhouser showed racial insensitivity when he appointed a member of the Minuteman Civil Defense Corps to the park board and when he tried to oust City Manager Wayne Cauthen, an African-American, without consulting with the City Council. Local SCLC members also have criticized Funkhouser and his wife, who allegedly called a mayoral aide “Mammy.”

Word comes to us that Msgr. Heliodore Mejak, for over 63 years the pastor at Holy Family Parish in KCK, passed away on Christmas Day. Msgr. Mejak was reported to be the longest-serving pastor in the world, and only the SECOND pastor to serve in the parish since its formation in the 1920s. Deus, qui inter apostolicos Sacerdotes, famulum tuum Heliodore, sacerdotali fecisti dignitate vigere: praesta quaesumus; ut eorum quote perpetuo aggregetur consortio. O God, Who wast pleased to raise Heliodore, Thy servant, to the dignity of the priesthood: vouchsafe to number him with Thy bishops and priests for evermore....