|
||||||||||||
|
|
|
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 - Thursday, November 29, 2007 Katy Trail Connection to Kansas City Announced KANSAS CITY, MO (SLFP.com), November 29, 2007 - Today the Missouri Department of Natural Resources, the Attorney General, and Ameren, announced a settlement in the Taum Sauk case. The settlement includes a Trail Agreement allowing the state to build a trail connecting Windsor, on the Katy Trail, and Pleasant Hill, on the edge of the Kansas City metro area. "We couldn't be more pleased by the agreement to 'Complete the Katy Trail' by connecting it to the Kansas City metro area," says Brent Hugh, Executive Director of the Missouri Bicycle Federation. Together with bicycling, walking, running, and trails groups across the state, the Missouri Bicycle Federation has been working for the Katy Trail connection to Kansas City for over a decade. When the Taum Sauk dam broke, and it become clear that Ameren would be responsible for millions in reparations to the state, the Federation's efforts moved into high gear. Cities and agencies have made plans for the connecting links, passed resolutions of support, and even built portions of the connecting links that will be needed. From Pleasant Hill, plans are already underway to connect the trail through Lee's Summit and eventually to downtown Kansas City and, via the planned metro area trails system, throughout the entire Kansas City metro area. The portion of the Rock Island corridor that will be used for the trail is about 42 miles. The trail will be built in the railroad right-of-way alongside the railroad tracks so that railroads can still use the corridor in the future. Building the Katy Trail Connection alongside the existing track will be relatively expensive compared with building a trail on the railbed, as the rest of the Katy Trail and most rail-trails are. Much grading and foundation work must be done, and bridges and underpasses built alongside existing railroad bridges and underpasses. However, the agreement includes $18 million from Ameren to assist in construction expenses. Apparently this is not enough to completely construct the 42-mile segment and additional funds will be needed. The state also receives first right of refusal for purchase of the railroad corridor if Ameren ever decides to sell it. "Over 5000 citizens have email, mailed, or called the Department of Natural Resources, the Attorney General, and Ameren since December 2005," says Hugh. "The outpouring of support for the Complete Katy Trail has just been amazing." Macy's Announces Plans for New Store at Summit Fair KANSAS CITY, MO (SLFP.com), November 25, 2007 - Macy's, Inc. has announced plans for a new store at Summit Fair in Lee's Summit, MO, in the metropolitan Kansas City area. The open-air lifestyle center will be located at 50 Highway and Chipman Road in southeast Jackson County. At 120,000 square feet, the Summit Fair location will be a new format for a one-level lifestyle store. It will feature a full range of apparel, and accessories for men, women and children, along with selected products for the home. Construction will begin in fall 2008 and opening is planned for fall 2009. This will be the sixth Macy's store in the Kansas City metropolitan area. It will be operated by the Macy's Midwest division, headquartered in St. Louis. "We are very pleased to be expanding our stores in the important Kansas City market," said William P. McNamara, chairman and CEO of Macy's Midwest. "Summit Fair will be a great, new shopping destination in Lee's Summit. We look forward to building on our strong presence in the community and are dedicated to delivering customers the style, quality and value they expect from Macy's." Summit Fair is being developed by Red Development in partnership with CBL & Associates Properties, Inc. Macy's, Inc., with corporate offices in Cincinnati and New York, is one of the nation's premier retailers, with fiscal 2006 sales of $27 billion. The company operates more than 850 department stores in 45 states, the District of Columbia, Guam and Puerto Rico under the names of Macy's and Bloomingdale's. Prior to June 1, 2007, Macy's, Inc. was known as Federated Department Stores, Inc. REACH Foundation Awards $1.29 Million in Health Grants MERRIAM, KANSAS (SLFP.com), November 25, 2007 - The REACH Healthcare Foundation has approved grants totaling $1,293,601 to 14 nonprofit organizations that are working to improve the health of the Kansas City region's poor and medically vulnerable children and adults. The approved projects range from mental health services for home-bound senior citizens to free dental care for low-income and HIV-positive adults, to projects that offer interpretation and translation services to improve communication with patients who have limited language and literacy skills. "As the REACH Foundation begins its fourth year of awarding grants, we are grateful for the ingenuity of the region's nonprofit organizations working to serve the health needs of uninsured and underinsured residents," said Brenda Sharpe, REACH Foundation President and CEO. The grants represent the Foundation's first round of program grants for 2008. Sixteen projects that address primary medical care, oral health care and mental health services for children and adults were selected to receive funding. The projects include: * Westport Cooperative Services, Inc., in Kansas City, Missouri ($65,467), will train its Meals on Wheels volunteers, senior companions and Medicare counselors to help isolated seniors in the urban core who show signs of dementia, depression and other mental conditions obtain mental health evaluations and treatments at home. The program aims to address the high rates of mental health problems that affect senior citizens who live alone and without support networks. The agency also will help clients navigate the Medicare enrollment process. * Kansas City Free Health Clinic in Kansas City, Missouri ($100,000) will provide free dental care to low-income, uninsured adults and expand a pilot program that offers adults an oral rapid HIV test that can be conducted as part of a routine oral health exam. * The Medical Society of Johnson and Wyandotte Counties in Mission, Kansas ($75,000), through its Wy/Jo Care project, connects low-income, uninsured residents of the two counties with physicians, laboratories and hospitals willing to donate specialty medical services. Wy/Jo Care will expand to include access to donated specialty dental services in 2008. With this latest round of program grants, the Foundation has invested more than $8.3 million in community-based health programs in Cass, Jackson and Lafayette counties in Missouri, and Allen, Johnson and Wyandotte counties in Kansas. At the REACH Foundation's November 19 Board of Directors meeting, the board awarded the following grants: Cabot Westside Health Center Oral Health $99,463 Duchesne Clinic Safety Net Services $31,804 The Family Conservancy Mental Health $30,000 The Family Conservancy Safety Net Services $79,602 Johnson County Health Department Oral Health $70,233 Kansas Association for the Medically Underserved Core Operating $100,000 Kansas City Free Health Clinic Oral Health $100,000 Kansas City Free Health Clinic Core Operating $100,000 KVC Behavioral HealthCare Inc. Mental Health $57,200 Medical Society of Johnson & Wyandotte Counties, Inc. Safety Net Services $75,000 Riverview Health Services, Inc. Safety Net Services $45,000 Somali Foundation, Inc. Safety Net Services $64,878 Swope Health Services Oral Health $125,000 University of Missouri-Kansas City School of Dentistry Oral Health $124,954 Visiting Nurse Association Safety Net Services $125,000 Westport Cooperative Services, Inc. Mental Health $65,467 Total Awards: $1,293,601 The Foundation's Board of Directors also announced a capacity grant of $28,000 to Sheffield Place, a transitional living program in Kansas City, Missouri, that provides mental health services to homeless women and their children. For more information on the REACH Foundation and the projects funded, go to www.reachhealth.org and select Grant Recipients. Top Management Changes at H&R Block KANSAS CITY, MO (SLFP.com), November 25, 2007 - H&R Block Inc. has announced several management changes. Effective immediately: Mark A. Ernst has resigned as Chairman, President and CEO. Mr. Ernst will remain with the Company as a consultant through year-end to facilitate the transition to new leadership. Richard C. Breeden has been elected by the Board of Directors to fill the position of Chairman of the Board. Mr. Breeden will serve in a non-executive capacity, with a principal focus on external constituencies and leadership of the Board of Directors. Mr. Breeden is a former Chairman of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, and he leads an investment fund that is a major investor in the Company. Alan M. Bennett has been named interim CEO. Mr. Bennett retired earlier this year as Chief Financial Officer and a Member of the Office of the Chairman of Aetna Inc. Mr. Bennett has a background in public accounting and finance, as well as having had previous assignments in sales and marketing. Mr. Bennett will temporarily relocate to Kansas City and work full time at the Company during the search for a new CEO. The Board has formed a search committee to recruit a new CEO on a permanent basis. Mr. Bennett has informed the search committee that he does not wish to be considered as a candidate for the new CEO search.   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 Moore Design Group. |
   |
