The Scene is Set
Though both Kathy Dusenbery and Bill Quitmeier won their respective primaries by wide margins a few voters expressed surprise over how many votes their opponents received. Combined, Dusenbery and Quitmeier have about 35 years worth of… Read full editorial
July 25, 2008Tough Wife of a Gunn
For the past couple of years, it’s been hard to make plans with Michael Gunn. With his wife Jan battling cancer, Michael wanted to make sure all of his time was hers first. That’s why if you… Read full editorial
July 11, 2008No Debate
I had planned on reporting on the Kathy Dusenbery / Jeff Jones debate when I walked into the Platte County Pachyderm meeting, honest I did. I even had a notebook and pen. And then Jeff Jones… Read full editorial
July 11, 2008Old Man Twinkle
It took me about eight years, but I finally figured out how to get a Sunday-only subscription to The Kansas City Star. Naturally, I had a little help from the telemarketer on the other end of the… Read full editorial
June 09, 2008The Quick Reverse
For all the noise about ethics last month, quick: Name the only person to be fined for an ethics violation from the last election cycle. I was incredulous as anybody when The Luminary learned that the answer… Read full editorial
May 16, 2008Get Your Move On
At the last meeting of Parkville’s ad-hoc economic committee, participants in the discussion listed various things that Parkville could do to improve the economic climate around town and, maybe surprisingly to some, live music was near the… Read full editorial
May 16, 2008The Young Letter
I am writing to give perspective to the recent ethics commission complaint filed against Kathy Dusenbery, former Parkville Mayor and candidate for Platte County Commissioner (Ethics Commission Proceeds with Investigation into Forwarded E-mails, April 28). This complaint… Read full editorial
April 28, 2008No Surprise Here
For the last two weeks, I have been enjoined in a culinary extravaganza that has rivaled the presidential races in terms of restaurants and states visited. It started the week after the municipal election in New… Read full editorial
March 26, 2008Why 'They' Matter
Joe Turner’s resignation as Parkville’s city administrator comes at a good time for Parkville because the city is at an ominous crossroads. While I believe Gerry Richardson should and will be the next mayor of Parkville,… Read full editorial
March 19, 2008The Audacity of Some People's Hope
I have to hand it to Tom Hutsler because, man, he is shameless. The letter to constituents that many of you received from the Hutsler mayoral campaign this week is one of the more mouth-gaping, head… Read full editorial
March 07, 2008Who needs oxygen?
I want to thank those of you who have asked about the health of my father-in-law. The optimist in me, and the doctors attending to him, say that he has beaten prostate cancer but our family is… Read full editorial
February 25, 2008Sins of the CID Districts
Last week I took a jab at the Parkville Board of Aldermen, implying that they took themselves too seriously while conducting one of their far-too-regular closed sessions. And while my jab at the aldermen was clearly… Read full editorial
February 15, 2008Keep the Door Open
It occurs to me that more than a few people still don’t get where I’m coming from with previous comments made in this space regarding the recent employment tussle at City Hall — something I’ve taken… Read full editorial
February 15, 2008Matter Not Closed
It occurs to me that in the case of Parkville’s city governance, the city is still in that awkward growth period. Surely more than a few of us remember going through that stage right after our pituitary… Read full editorial
January 19, 2008Too Many Clerks in the Kitchen
Let’s just pose a question to all the business people out there: what would you do if an employee of yours complained about not being invited to a lunch? I’m just guessing that you’d pretty much tell… Read full editorial
January 12, 2008Somewhere only we know
As Missouri goes, so goes the nation. This is a statement that the politically observant citizen of the state knows and knows well. Missouri has gone with the winner of every Presidential election since 1904 with… Read full editorial
January 06, 2008Getting it Right
I had a heart-to-heart chat with longtime Parkville administrator Barbara Lance at city hall last Monday night. Naturally, our conversation revolved around the loss of Nancy Jack. She asked me what my immediate plans were for The… Read full editorial
December 07, 2007Homes and the Home Team
Top of the column and the most important news first, the news that I just have to give you the bottom line on, without inverted pyramids, fancy ledes or nut grafs… Nancy Jack, as you may… Read full editorial
November 30, 2007Rocking the SCHIP Vote
While I still feel that Graves’ election year blood lust on the illegal immigration problem is out of proportion with the perceived negative effects we are receiving from their presence in Parkville and southern Platte County,… Read full editorial
October 01, 2007Don't take offense, dude
So it’s truly come to this: Americans – politicians and politically aware citizens alike – are down to playing the game of who can show proper outrage and take total offense to the words of talking heads… Read full editorial
September 26, 2007Don't Tase Me, Bro
For the past few weeks, I have been made aware of e-mail transcripts from the elected officials of the Southern Platte County Ambulance District (SPCAD) that have disparaged yours — and America’s — favorite newspaper (The Parkville… Read full editorial
August 02, 2007Getting it Right
As we reported last week, there was no missing $2 million dollars from Platte County’s road tax coffers – despite certain Republican elements (and their shills) hope to the contrary. Two Democrats now sit at the… Read full editorial
July 20, 2007Growing Pains
It’s too early to really tell, but this week’s page one story about the Vertical Ventures has all of the earmarks of becoming a troublesome situation. Until I speak with Richard Kopp personally, I want to give… Read full editorial
July 13, 2007Chiggers: Hate You
Every summer, a veritable cornucopia of natural vegetation springs forth from my backyard. I take particular pride in this, because like all great Americans, I purchased the garden (it came with the house). A lot of what… Read full editorial
June 15, 2007Now that's just crazy, Janie
So I was talking with Lynn Anderson, the owner of the River Rock Coffee and Martini Bar, and Steve Brooks, the store’s manager the other week about booze. Booze, in moderation, can be delicious and we… Read full editorial
May 24, 2007Flying No Class
Few things are worse in life than being relegated to “C” status on Southwest Airlines. That thought occurred to me as I stood at the end of the C line at 7 a.m. Saturday. Not only was… Read full editorial
May 18, 2007Graves Situations
It was an interesting week for the Graves family, northwestern Missouri’s answer to the Kennedy clan except for the fact that the Graves don’t sail and they aren’t, like, all liberal and stuff. Last week it… Read full editorial
May 07, 2007Strange Brew
Even though business is spotty in downtown Parkville these days it’s a great thing to see a festival that’s done right and for the past several years Angelo Gangai has done a terrific, first class job with… Read full editorial
March 26, 2007Feel the Vibrations
Look, the bottom line is, when Mark Wahlberg points at you with a golf club, you’re going to listen – for as we all know, he’s like, only superceded in strength and power by Chuck Norris…. Read full editorial
March 06, 2007Ring-A-Ding-Ding
And so, with little fanfare or aplomb, Mayor Kathryn Dusenbery has finally announced what Parkville political insiders have known for months – that she intends to challenge Republican Tom Pryor for the commissioner’s seat in Platte County’s… Read full editorial
February 24, 2007Faint Memories
I crashed my boat against one of the buoys of life last weekend. I was in a performing arts center in Johnson County, Kansas. I had just taken in a ballet, and now I was standing… Read full editorial
February 16, 2007What's New is Old Again
I had a chance to catch the first 15 minutes of the Grammys last weekend. I wanted to see The Police open the show after all, Sting provided a large part of the soundtrack of our… Read full editorial
February 08, 2007Nice Work if You Can Get It
I thought we did a great job with last week’s paper, then a story like the one the Orlando Sentinel broke last week about the diaper wearing, pepper spray and mallet wielding astronaut and it made… Read full editorial
February 02, 2007A Great Snow Job
I love when it snows, if only because it gives me yet another opportunity to show off my home-owning prowess. All up and down my street, you can hear the constant scraping of shovels against cement and… Read full editorial
January 25, 2007What Didn't Happen
A relatively slow news week for Parkville and the Southern Platte County area, a week in which we report on what didn’t happen instead of what did, and rejoice in that. As reported on page one,… Read full editorial
January 19, 2007A Tale of Two Cities
I make no bones about it: the driving source of news for this newspaper is the downtown sector. It’s the soul of our town, it’s the place we bring the out-of-towners when they come to visit,… Read full editorial
December 22, 2006The Christmas Spirit
As The Luminary went to press on Thursday, I fielded a few phone calls from close friends of the Grill family who were upset at a report featured in a Platte City newspaper. The story, based… Read full editorial
October 20, 2006Another Train of Thought
The Parkville Board of Aldermen met last Tuesday night to discuss a battery of items that directly affect Dorla Watkins, the Park University chief financial officer who lives in the Rock House on 9 Highway. As… Read full editorial
September 29, 2006Train, Train Go Away
Since breaking the story about Burlington Northern Santa Fe’s plan to lay double tracks through downtown Parkville, The Luminary has reported on the evolution of the plan and the various reactions by local officials, residents and stakeholders…. Read full editorial
September 22, 2006Digging In
With Republican power broker Jeff Roe and his vaunted Axiom Strategies election consulting firm running roughshod all over the state, handling some 47 candidates according to Roe himself, it is interesting to note that it is in… Read full editorial
September 15, 2006Don't Playah Hate
This weekend, forces from your Parkville Luminary will take to the softball fields of Lee’s Summit, Missouri, where we will face off against one of the scariest opponents we have ever faced – television journalists, namely… Read full editorial
September 08, 2006The Only Way to Go is Up
At the Luminary, I admit it, there are certain things we don’t cover very well. Take last Valentine’s Day for instance. We blew it. There wasn’t even a mention of the event in your local paper…. Read full editorial
September 08, 2006Crocodile Tears
Crikey! Weren’t we all just soooo surprised that Crocodile Hunter Steve Irwin died last week? Give me a break. This was a guy that lived to the age of 44. For an Australian who lives far… Read full editorial
September 01, 2006A Half MAST Job
In the end, the only real compliment the six members of Southern Platte County’s Ambulance District received last Monday night was a backhanded one, delivered courtesy of Lee Pedego. “I want to thank you for serving,”… Read full editorial
August 07, 2006Whatever It Is That I Do
Well, it’s finally happened, Parkville. My wife has left me. Of course, it’s only for two weeks, but it will no doubt seem like an eternity for me. My wife, she’s a doer. She does. When I… Read full editorial
July 21, 2006On Parenting
Last Monday I was toting my pack along the dusty Tan-Tar-A road but since then, I’ve been everywhere, man. I’ve been everywhere. I’ve been to Sedalia, Atlanta, Farmingdale, Glendale, Glen Cove, Park Slope, Highlands, Collingswood, Red Bank,… Read full editorial
June 23, 2006The House that Jack Built
And so The Luminary is charged with the unenviable task of informing the community that one of their friends is gone. Jack Friedman, a student of Park and true community volunteer, has passed away, after bravely battling… Read full editorial
June 06, 2006An Inappropriate Memorial
It appears that several Marines may have, if news reports citing un-named sources are accurate, committed an atrocity of major proportions in Haditha. And while the investigation has apparently dragged on for a lot longer than… Read full editorial
May 26, 2006A Muss of Ribs
When I was fresh out of college, I lived just outside of Atlanta, in a quaint town called Vinings. Finally free of cafeteria food, I embarked on a wonderful culinary adventure and amassed knowledge and techniques… Read full editorial
May 05, 2006Knottingham Sandwich
The latest version of the Parkville Board of Aldermen failed to gain momentum this Tuesday, following up one of their most entertaining and raucous meetings by failing to muster a quorum. As a result, the aldermen… Read full editorial
April 04, 2006Smoke on the Water
Welcome to another episode of The Parkville Luminary, where former mayors are our most cherished readers. With election season wrapping up this week (by the time some of you read this the winners will already have been… Read full editorial
March 28, 2006Coal Plants are a Bad Deal for Parkville
The new coal plant proposed at Nearman Creek, just across the river from Parkville is a bad situation for this city and for Platte County in general. I literally have stacks of information of coal-fired power… Read full editorial
March 14, 2006How I Got My Squint Back
Within moments of my arrival in Philadelphia, my glasses were crushed under the foot of a woman who is – and remains at the time of this writing — nine months pregnant. I had flown into… Read full editorial
February 01, 2006Vision Quest
President Bush was in Kansas last week and while there, gave what was viewed, at least by more than a few people, a controversial speech. I watched the speech and I’ll admit – it was hard… Read full editorial
December 19, 2005That's How I Roll
With Christmas on the River safely behind me, there became only one clear choice as to what to do next. Go to Vegas, baby. Now, I had been warned about Vegas, how it wasn’t what it used… Read full editorial
November 09, 2005Parkville Politics: Grand Entertainment
How far we have come! As a long time observer and sometimes participant in Parkville government, I have watched and read in these pages about many of the developments. The current City staff and elected officials are,… Read full editorial
November 09, 2005The Ears Have It
A lot of people (and readers) think that a newspaper should be a “watchdog”… someone to watch over us all. Really, that does make a lot of sense. After all, newspapers are the “fourth estate.” We’re the… Read full editorial
October 21, 2005Communing Everywhere
Welcome to yet another thrilling edition of your Parkville Luminary, folks. We’ve got a lot of information in this week’s episode and we hope it serves you well. On page one, you’ll notice that we opted… Read full editorial
October 10, 2005A Man's World
For those of you out there who know just how buttoned down, how neat and organized I am (and for those of you who don’t, hopefully you’ll catch the irony in this), it should come as little… Read full editorial
October 03, 2005You're Doing a Heck of a Job, Brownie
Hey! Have you heard the latest rumor du jour in Platte County politics? No? Well then, you must not have been at the recent Platte County Citizen’s Coalition meeting. And that’s what we’re here for at your…
August 17, 2005Doing the Right Thing
A few week’s ago, I had the opportunity to visit Ripon, Wis., which, as we all know, is the birthplace of the Republican Party. The party was started in the 1850s by Alvan Bovay, an influential Wisconsin… Read full editorial
July 29, 2005We The People
Hi everybody, and welcome to The Parkville Luminary’s version of People magazine. This week, our news gatherers traveled far and wide – from Washington D.C. to Oshkosh, Wisconsin to the truly far-out locale of Tracy, Missouri –… Read full editorial
July 22, 2005Not Above the Law
Much has been written and reported in recent days regarding Judith Miller, the New York Times reporter who sits in jail on contempt of court charges. She will more than likely spend about four months behind bars… Read full editorial
July 15, 2005Zone Defense
At last week’s abbreviated meeting of the Board of Aldermen, Charley Kutz, a former Parkville mayor, resurfaced as a potential candidate for a position on the Parkville Planning and Zoning Board. This came after a 3-2 vote… Read full editorial
June 24, 2005Keep Mobilizing, Parkville
The other day, after a lunch at a restaurant in The Parkville Commons, one of my lunch companions asked me if he was in downtown Parkville. When informed that we were not in the city’s historic downtown,… Read full editorial
June 17, 2005We Know This Story
In March, an incident occurred that generated little press. The president of the United States, fed up with hearing of abuses of prisoners of war at the hands of American troops drafted a letter to the general… Read full editorial
June 10, 2005Oh, That Biased Media
One of the top news stories of the day is the continuing introspection of the media geared towards their own supposed bias in reporting. It’s gotten to the point where it’s almost a cliché; biased pundits point… Read full editorial
June 03, 2005Mobilize, Parkville
Since Luminary readers have learned the Kansas Department of Transportation is planning to close down another major artery connecting the Northland with the rest of the Kansas City region, the top question received at our downtown headquarters… Read full editorial
May 27, 2005I Have an Edger Now
So I’m standing in the kitchen, watching and listening as my wife talks to her best friend on the phone. And that’s when I realize that I have hit another milestone, taken another exit ramp away from… Read full editorial
May 20, 2005Do Something
The great Pete Hamill, a newspaper legend in New York who began his career at the New York Post in 1960, served as that paper’s editor-in-chief for five weeks during the early ’90s. Hamill knew his stint… Read full editorial
May 13, 2005I Love a Cliché
I was reminded of a great cliché last week while taking a bite out of the Big Apple. A favorite cliché of New York columnists, talk show hosts and the like — and a joke that everyone… Read full editorial
May 01, 2005Even the Losers Get Lucky Sometimes
I’m going to take this time to talk about our beloved sports teams, but for all of you readers who look to this space each week to read an uncommonly candid column about Parkville politics, there’s some… Read full editorial
April 22, 2005Worth Fighting For
Essentially, what has happened over the last several weeks is former Mayor Bill Quitmeier dealt himself back into the Parkville political game hardcore (not that he ever really left it in the first place). It should come… Read full editorial
April 15, 2005Do What Now?
I had an apparent crisis the other day. Seems the missus and myself were to attend a showing of the arts in downtown Kansas City. At my wife’s command, I rose off of the couch and began… Read full editorial
April 08, 2005Sign Language
As I write this missive, the candidates in Ward 1 are still arguing about cell towers that weren’t built in 2002, gambling boats that didn’t dock here in 1995, and various other things that didn’t happen. The… Read full editorial
March 25, 2005Have it Your Way
Much has been written in recent days of the Schiavo case, and to a much lesser extent, the Jackson/Peterson/Blake cases and the steroids in baseball “scandal.” For those of you looking for a respite from stories such… Read full editorial