explains why water bodies polluted with high levels of bacteria are unsafe for swimming.
Missouri's Department of Natural Resources lacks the manpower to test as much as 90 percent of the state's waterways for pollutants like E. coli, the nasty buggers that caused such a commotion last summer at the Lake of the Ozarks. The rivers, creeks, streams and lakes that the state has tested and deemed "impaired" wind up on the Final Consolidated 2008 303(d) List (2010's list isn't yet
final).
We've compiled a list of the 52 water bodies on the 2008 list that are too poopy for swimming, according to the DNR. If
you find yourself floating down any of the following waterways this
summer, keep your mouth closed and your open wounds under wraps:
This week's Pitch feature story details how a simple divorce case muddied the reputation of Johnson County District Court Judge Kevin P. Moriarty.
Moriarty had been assigned as a mediator in the divorce of Kevin and Kimberly Ireland, filed in 2007. After the mediation, Kimberly (who was an attorney at the time) accused the judge of masturbating behind the bench, discussing her sex life and her panties. She has since retracted her accusations and issued an apology, blaming her actions on stress caused by her divorce. Because come on, who hasn't been so stressed out that they had hallucinations of masturbating judges?
A hospitality consultant has come up with numbers supporting the idea of building a 1,000-room convention hotel in downtown Kansas City, Missouri. The consultant based the report on surveys of convention planners, who were asked what kept them choosing from KC as a site for their meetings.
In this week's Martin column, I question the consultant's data. It seems strange to me to rely on speculative convention bookings when real-word data is available.
In recent years, several cities have opened convention hotels like the one Kansas City is considering. Why not look at what's happened in those places?
Studio 804 proves Jayhawks know how to swing a hammer.
Each year, the graduate students in this innovative class at the University of Kansas design and construct entire buildings within the span of a single semester. But they aren't run-of-the-mill houses. These students come up with designs that consistently win industry awards and draw international attention to KU's School of Architecture, Design and Planning.
To see their latest effort -- a hyper-efficient home in Kansas City, Kansas, click here for a slideshow. Or, better yet, check it out in-person during the open house (32 South 16th Street, KCK) this Saturday from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Ed Venerable's routine as a 30-something I.T. guy was disrupted in February by a summons for jury duty. Rather than troubleshooting at a keyboard, Venerable spent five weeks in a Jackson County courtroom, listening to testimony about pig shit.
As this week's feature describes, Venerable and his fellow jurors ultimately found Premium Standard Farms liable for causing a prolonged nuisance to their neighbors, a group of farmers who own property near PSF's Homan farm in Gentry County, Missouri. The jury awarded the plaintiffs $11 million for the rank odors that continue to waft from PSF's 80,000 hogs and their waste.
Meanwhile, PSF's attorneys installed a shadow jury to watch the proceedings. The shadow jurors found in favor of PSF. Venerable thinks there's a pretty obvious reason for that.
The head honchos at Smithfield Foods, meat manufacturers and owners of Premium Standard Farms (PSF), weren't too happy about the $11 million judgment against them that a jury handed down in Jackson County Circuit Court last month (as described in this week's feature).
Some of the lawmakers in northern Missouri, where Smithfield and PSF own 11 confined animal feeding operations, were disappointed, too.
Missouri state Rep. Brad Lager, a Maryville Republican, is one of the lawmakers who has asked Gov. Jay Nixon to give PSF a break. Lager says he is worried about the jobs that PSF provides in his district. It would be too cynical to suggest that his underlying motive has anything to do with PSF's ham-handed political contributions, right?
Melissa Eddy sits through just about every meeting of the Kansas City, Missouri, School Board, taking careful notes on the behavior and actions of its nine elected members.
The mother of two often watches petty politics and in-fighting wreck havoc on the education of her kids. "The board is quite divided and quite tense and there is a very clear line of us and them," she says of the alliances and interests around the board table.
In 2008, Eddy started Do The Right Thing for Kids, a group of parents and community members that keeps a close eye on the inner workings of the school district. She's happy there's some competition in the April 6 school board election, but she's not confident it will make much difference.
And if the new board doesn't get its act together, her group will make sure there are repercussions at the state capitol.
Running for a volunteer position on the Kansas City, Missouri, School Board doesn't take big bucks.
Still, some familiar names have written impressive checks to back their favored candidates in the April 6 election.
Robert Peterson is the clear winner of the individual money race thus far, bringing in more than $11,000 for his at-large campaign. Not surprising: His yard signs are everywhere.
But the political committee of current board member Airick West -- Kansas Citians United for Educational Achievement -- raised a staggering $32,000 to back a trio of endorsed candidates.
After the jump, check out who's giving to the other candidates, too.
Whether apathetic, uninformed or just plain fed up, few residents typically cast a ballot in elections for the Kansas City, Missouri, School Board (see this week's feature, "Board Brawl"). Bitch and moan about our failing schools? Sure. Bother to attend a candidate forum? Uh, no thanks.
But a crowded field of at-large candidates and a battle in Subdistrict Four (not to mention, a ton of press about Superintendent John Covington's school closings plan) could make this election a little more participatory.
A handful of influential groups have made their preferences clear. So who's got the backing of teachers, labor unions and political organizations?
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