Soccer Stadium Plan At Bannister Mall In Peril

It appears the decrepit sights of dozens of abandoned buildings in the old Bannister Mall area will be with us for awhile.

Recently- The Missouri Development Finance Board (MDFB) met- and did not take action on the $21-million in state tax credits to the developer of the project- Lane4/Three Trails Development LLC (L4/TTD).

The board claimed that L4/TTD had not submitted their proposal of how many square feet of building would compromise each phase of the project.

The next MDFB board meeting was scheduled November 18.

L4/TTD had proposed an 18500 seat soccer stadium for the Kansas CIty Wizards- along with a retail and office development for the area around the former Bannister Mall site and the "first" phase that includes the soccer stadium and some retail was to be completed by 2010.

As of this morning- October 7- 2008- not one spade of earth has been turned nor one brick removed for the project. The old Bannister Mall and the numerous empty structures in the area around it- open to the elements in many cases- continues to deteriorate.

In addition to the delay on the state tax credits looms a bigger elephant in the room: the faltering American economy.

One HAS to wonder if the project will get the needed private funding to proceed even if the state tax credits are approved.

The article linked above indicates that if the stadium isn't completed by the originally proposed deadline of 2010- the Wizards may build their stadium elsewhere.

Fellow residents in this seemingly neglected area of Kansas City wonder aloud if indeed this- or any other project- will replace this major-league eyesore (see the CSW post "Photo Essay...." ) visible to drivers along Chuck Eddy (Hillcrest) Road and I-435.

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Kansas City MetroRegion Weather: Showers- Thunderstorms On The Increase

Here's the latest image from our own in-house GRLevel3 radar- showing a large area of showers and a few heavy thunderstorms approaching Metro K.C. from the southwest & west.



The activity within this area is actually moving almost due south to north- so precipitation is likely soon lasting for at least 2 hours- then off and on through at least early Tuesday morning.



Mostly heavy rain and some deadly lightning strokes are expected and some hail cannot be ruled out with any thunderstorms that approach severe levels.

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Environmental Disaster - 300 Still Missing In Hurricane Ike's Wake

The death toll from Ike has passed 70- with around 300 people still missing- and there are hundreds of enviromental challenges left after Hurricane Ike's September landfall near Galveston- according to this AP story.

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Voting AGAINST November's Light Rail Plan

That's right- this long-time supporter of a commuter rail system in this backwards burg is coming out against the city council- manufactured plan.

Mainly- but not totally because the City Council put it together. The SAME City Council that OVERTURNED the voter-approved Clay Chastain plan.

I ABSOLUTELY oppose elected officials overturning the voted WILL OF THE PEOPLE.
I'll even go you one better: Those council people that voted to overturn the voter's wishes should be thrown out of office.

Which leads to reason Number 2 why I'm voting against this plan: Clay Chastain.

You see- Mr. "Hundred Pounds of Tedium" Clay has a pending lawsuit against the City because the Council overturned Chastain's VOTER-APPROVED plan earlier this year.

I'll be the first to admit Chastain's plan had some folly about it (gondolas? really!). But Chastain's lawsuit has merit- a lot of merit- and if the judge rules in Chastain/public's favor- ANY light rail plan that voters approve after they were disapproved will be thrown to the pavement.

I'm only glad we didn't have the PRESENT city leaders around back when the parks & boulevard systems were proposed- we'd have no parks or boulevards.

At any rate- we have hundreds of millions/billions to spend to fix the sewer system and the millionaire sports players playpens. In this tightening money market- there won't BE many dollars to throw at a glorified bus line on rails.

We need council members with a little (a lot of) imagination- something to occupy their time rather than peeping to see if the Mayor's wife is in his office.

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Politician Term Limits Not The Only Solution

Ms. Linda Esposito of Leawood writes in the Monday KANSAS CITY STAR that "partisanship has paralyzed this country to the detriment of the American people" and that "term limits seem to be the only solution."

Actually- term limits AREN'T the only solution Linda.

The REAL solution is viable 3rd and 4th political parties. Alternatives to Demoblicans and Republicrats.

That's where I'm headed to vote on November 4th- for an alternative party solution to America's ruling class mess.

Throw the Fear of God into the Demoblicans and Republicrats this year- join me in voting for 3rd & 4th-party candidates.

(I'm Captain Geoffrey Spaulding- and I believe in my soul this message.)

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KANSAS CITY'S BREAKING NEWS: Homicide In KC-MO

KC-MO homicide count for 2008 has reached at least 103 Sunday morning after a 2-victim shooting.

Police responding to a 1:45am shots-fired call at 11th Street & Cleveland find a party breaking up- and a person down with gunshot wounds. That person died on the spot..

A 2nd gunshot victim is found about 20 minutes later about a block away. That victim- "an approximately 20-year-old Hispanic male" according to MAST-EMS- was taken to an area trauma center in critical condition.

The only suspect information police had to report as of this one is that they're looking for "a Hispanic male" with only a clothing description.

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Kansas City's Breaking News Leader - NBC41 ACTION NEWS.

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The Truth Is: Whatever You Say It Is

ITEM: Wall Street needs and gets a taxpayer bailout ... er ... "rescue" or the American economy will go to Hell.

The truth is there are/were "no guarantees.

The American economy is going there WITH that $800-something-billion Washington D.C. pollys shoveled into it THIS week- also WITH that $600-something-billion package the pollys approved LAST weekend.

Truth: I'm wholly pissed off- and will vote in November STRICTLY for 3rd-party candidates. Then- as America votes in more business as usual Republicrats & Demoblicans- I quit voting altogether.

ITEM: Independence-MO police are involved in yet ANOTHER incident in KC-MO- this time it's a fatal shooting on the city's East Side AROUND 1:35am Saturday morning.

Truman Road & White are nearly 2 miles west of Independence's borders- yet KC-MO police finds IN-MO PD officers already there with Jackson County Sheriff and a shooting victim in the backseat of a car heading to a hospital with the victim.

The victim dies in that backseat but IN-MO PD through 6am won't say how THEY were involved.

Truth is- I guess we- the news media & the public- don't need to know what the truth is.

ITEM: CSW runs with what I thought is a human interest story a couple of weeks ago- about a 3-year-old boy mangled in a mower accident.

I had stumbled upon the child's accident listening to a medical helicopter dispatch- then was emailed additional details on the accident about a week later- plus notification of a help fund set up for the child.

The assistance fund checked out with the local bank number provided. So I run with the human interest side- even sending a few dollars (even though Ms. Rittenhouse needs a medical condition checked out and SHE has no health insurance- thank you Federal government) of our own.

So a few days ago I get an email from a woman who claims to be the child's mother (Michelle?)- telling me that the do-gooder's email had stuff wrong and that Colten Newman was doing just fine thank you and the family DOES have medical insurance.

Now I used a question mark above because there's no way- other than email- to verify that this IS the child's mother who was correcting the information.

Truth is (I guess) is that the child's still in the hospital and there IS/was a help fund for the child.


I'm just a lone wolf in this wilderness- trying to shed a little light and- I hope- a little truth. I only know what I hear and can check out and most of the time it's amazingly dead-on.

Sometimes I don't get it just right. Things sometimes aren't what they appear to be- as a story twists & turns in the light of revelation and investigation.

There's a point here- and if I wear a wool stocking cap it won't show....

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Like Obama- McCain's In The Twilight Zone Too

In this Associated Press article- McCain says this about his joke of a running-mate pick:

""We let Sarah be Sarah. She's smart, she's tough, she's been in debates before," McCain told "Fox & Friends" on Fox News Channel. "The American people ... the more they see of her, the more they love her, and I'm confident of that at the end."

Obviously a slip when McCain said "love"- did he actually mean "loath???" And let's hope that "end" he speaks of comes sooner rather than later.

Geez- PLEASE gimme a break... in Costa Rica or somewhere.

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Senate Ignored Most Americans On Bailout - House Is Next

This was so absolutely and totally blatent- to ignore the desires of a large majority of fellow Americans against Millionaire Welfare.

The bastards are even now trying to "dress it up"- as a "rescue" for millionaires.

Most of those who voted against Americans are millionaires.

My votes will go to a Third-Party candidate in November- in a last attempt (by me) to save ourselves from ourselves.

It may be this Americans last vote- ever.

A sad- sad day..

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Happy Birthday To An American Hero

Groucho Marx would be 118 years-old today- and his birthday cake would be declared a fire hazard.

"Animal Crackers"


"A Night At The Opera"

Happy Day Groucho !!!
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Feds Should Seize Failed Company And Their Executives' Assets

The American justice system has- for some time now- somewhat reverted to a "guilty until you prove your own innocence" mentality with us middle to lower-income people.

There is no "innocence" in the Money (Wall) Street scam going down right now.

So- as the government does the "average" American (whoever THAT is)- I think it is entirely appropriate for the Federal Government to seize all physical and monetary assets of these failed companies- as well as those same assets of their executive officials.

A number of fellow citizens I've spoken with also agree that somebody (a LOT of people) should be going to jail over this mess.

There currently is a FBI investigation of firms and bankers- but heard or read little else since.

Initiative petitions should be started recall/impeach- seize assets of- and jail any political figure who votes for Money Street bailouts over true American needs.

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