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Kansas City News Today Kansas City Front Page is a weekly news publication, with daily updates, spotlighting attractions, events, business and hospitality in Kansas City. |
KANSAS CITY NEWS TODAY - Sunday, February 24, 2008 
Kansas City BCA Announces the 2008 Partnership Award HonoreesKANSAS CITY, MO, (kansascityfrontpage.com), February 17, 2008 - The Kansas City Business Committee for the Arts (BCA) announces the three business honorees of the 2008 Partnership Awards, which will be presented on Friday, March 7, 2008. This year's ceremony marks the 5th Anniversary of the sold- out event which honors business-arts partnerships. This year's honorees include: H&R Block for their partnership with the Kansas City Repertory Theatre in using their new corporate headquarters for the Rep's second stage; Embassy Landscape Group, Inc., for partnering with the Kansas City Art Institute in implementing former Mayor Kay Barnes' 10,000 Rain Gardens initiative; and, Mallin/Gibson Family Properties for creating ArtSpace - home to the Kansas City Artists Coalition. The Partnership Awards recognize businesses in the five-county Kansas City metropolitan area that have successfully partnered with the arts to realize such returns for their business as heightened visibility, retention of employees, development of a skilled workforce and increased profits. The award winners were nominated and selected based on innovative programs that integrate business and the arts for the benefit of their employees and the greater community. The three business award honorees will be recognized with an original piece of art by local artist Stanton Fernald at the Partnership Awards ceremony. The ceremony will take place from 11.30 a.m. to 1 p.m. on March 7, 2008, on Starlight Theatre's enclosed stage, 6601 Swope Parkway, Kansas City, Mo. The Kansas City BCA will also present Henry Bloch, Honorary Chairman of the Kansas City BCA, with the national BCA Leadership Award which recognizes a business executive who demonstrates exceptional vision, leadership and commitment in developing and encouraging business alliances with the arts throughout his/her career. Bob Lynch, President of Americans For The Arts in New York, will attend the lunch to personally present Henry with his award. "This is an exciting year for the Partnership Awards," says Kelly Seward, Kansas City BCA Program Manager. "Our honorees have all made a huge impact on our local arts community, and the opportunity to honor Henry Bloch for all of his tremendous contributions to the Kansas City BCA and community makes the event even more meaningful." Kansas City BCA member company employee Vanessa Vaughn with UMB Bank will also receive the honor of 2008 Outstanding Cultural Concierge for her volunteer efforts in implementing Kansas City BCA programs at UMB. "Our Cultural Concierge program is vital in keeping our member companies active in the arts," says Seward. "Vanessa has been excellent at engaging her employees through an arts email newsletter and their employee art show through the Art/Work - Creativity from the Cube program." The event will feature performances by the Kansas City Repertory Theatre, Pangea Piano Project performing Mara Gibson's "hands", Quixotic Dance Fusion, and StoneLion Puppets with Esoke African Dance and Drum. Rep. Grill Pushing Bill Dealing with Fed. Tax Rebate KANSAS CITY, (kansascityfrontpage.com), February 24, 2008 - Rep. Jason Grill, D-Parkville, is co sponsoring a bill in the Missouri House of Representatives to exempt Missourians from paying state income taxes on the federal rebate checks they will soon receive. Without legislative action Missourians likely would have to pay state income taxes on the rebates. Rep. Jason Grill joined Rep. Jason Holsman, the lead sponsor, Minority Leader Rep. Paul LeVota, and Rep. Mike Talboy who also support this legislation. "Missourians and Platte Countians deserve to receive the full amount of the rebate checks to help them provide for their families in the short term," said Rep. Grill. "I am proud to stand with Rep. Holsman in calling on the legislature to exempt Missourians from paying taxes on these rebate checks. I hope that the majority party will work with us on this legislation to see that our fine citizens are not taxed on something that is designed to help our economy." The package signed by the president includes tax rebates of up to $600 for individuals and up to $1,200 for couples. Families will receive an additional rebate of $300 per child. Lower-income taxpayers who earned more than $3,000 last year but paid less than $300 in income taxes will also receive payments of $300. Public Meetings About Paseo Reconstruction Project KANSAS CITY, (kansascityfrontpage.com), February 24, 2008 - The public is invited to attend one of two open house meetings to learn more about the upcoming construction project to replace the Paseo Bridge. The kcICON (Interstate 29/35 Connections) Project is scheduled to begin this spring. To help people better understand the project and its impacts, the contractor and Missouri Department of Transportation are hosting two informational meetings. The first is Thursday, Feb. 28, at the North Kansas City Community Center, 1999 Iron St., and the second is Wednesday, March 5, at the Don Bosco Senior Center, 580 Campbell. Both meetings start at 5:30 p.m. Along with a formal project presentation, both meetings will offer the chance for people to get information on upcoming closures and detour routes and to see what roadway and interchange improvements are being planned. kcICON is a $245 million project that will improve about four miles of Interstate 29/35 from just north of Route 210/Armour Road to the northeast corner of the downtown Kansas City, Mo. freeway loop. The project includes improving outdated interchanges and the construction of the Christopher S. Bond Bridge - a new landmark, cable-stayed Missouri River Bridge. Construction work is currently scheduled to begin in April with completion slated for summer 2011. City Launches Diversity/Harassment Trraining Initiative KANSAS CITY, (kansascityfrontpage.com), February 24, 2008 - The City of Kansas City, Mo., Human Resources Department and a panel of City staff have selected two companies to conduct a comprehensive training initiative on diversity and anti-discrimination/harassment in the workplace. The selection panel, which included department directors and senior managers from the City, selected Kansas City-based ECCO Select to conduct the diversity training and Centennial, Colo.-based Anderson-Davis Inc., to perform the discrimination/harassment training. "I appreciate the hard work of the selection committee and was pleased that the group reached a clear consensus on the vendor selection," said City Manager Wayne A. Cauthen. "The organizations will work with our Human Resources Department to develop a highly-effective training program that will help City employees deal with these critical issues." Training session curriculum development will begin in March. As part of the project development, the Human Resources Department will conduct a preliminary cultural audit/survey to determine training design methods. The classes will serve the City's 3,800 employees and will include a Web-based e-learning tool to train new employees who are hired after the initial classroom training and as a refresher tool for existing employees. For more information on the training initiative, contact the Human Resources Department at (816) 513-1947.   The Kansas City Front Page is owned and maintained by the Moore Design Group for the sole purpose of disseminating news and information about the Metropolitan Kansas City area. Text or graphics may not be copied, rewritten or distributed in any manner whatsoever without written permission. For more information, contact editor@slfp.com All rights reserved world wide © 2007 - 2008 Moore Design Group. |
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