Kansas City talk radio pioneer Walt Bodine died at 92. And police made quick work of a robbery and homicide near the Plaza. KCUR's Steve Bell recaps on those and other top stories of the week on the KCUR Saturday News Review.
Two Arrested In Killing Of UMKC Student
Police say the two young men were “looking for a place to rob” and chose a house near UMKC where they had been to a party one time... and one of the robbers shot four people because one of them recognized him.
Prosecutor Jean Peters Baker wouldn't comment on that, but did say, “Crimes, even a planned robbery are usually poorly planned, and this one was planned more poorly than most.”.
The two men are held on a half-a-million dollars bond each.
Three shooting victims survived. UMKC student Aaron Markarian died. He was a promising, well-liked music student majoring in voice.
Church Computers Seized After Child Porn Download
Police and the FBI agents confiscated 4computers from St. Ann's Catholic Church in Independence after the IP address showed up as having downloaded child pornography through a peer-to-peer network.
Kansas City-St. Joseph Diocese public information officer Jack Smith said the person who did the downloading could have been someone at the parish, but could have a neighbor or someone in a car outside, though. The wireless network was unsecured. He said the parishes had never been instructed about wi-fi security, but “they will be now.”
The FBI is analyzing the hard drives. No arrests have been made.
Medicaid Expansion Unlikely In Kansas
Medicaid remained a major issue in the state capitals. In Kansas, Governor Sam Brownback didn't sound like a man about to commit to a big expansion. He said at his weekly news conference that he wanted a system that Kansas “could afford over the long run. Republican controlled Legislature has passed measures urging him not to participate in the program expansion.
Missouri Republicans Offer Alternative Medicaid Plan
Republicans in the Missouri Legislature proposed an answer they said would be affordable over the long run. It would add 180,000 low income adults, but end the program for others, including 44,000 children with family incomes above 100 percent of poverty level.
Some advocates of the Democratic plan said they would settle for that, and spoke in favor of the Reublican proposal at a haring on the subject/ Brent Hemphill, a lobbyist who represents the Missouri Ambulance Association, said his group “wasn't necessarily in favor of everything in the bill, but encouraged its adoption as at least “a good start.”
Meanwhile, the Missouri House passed a budget with no Medicaid expansion.
Kansas City Budget Boosts Roads, Youth Programs
Kansas City, Missouri finalized its budget. The plan increases funding for street maintenance six-fold and several other items get substantially more money, including youth programs, the mayor's reading initiative, and the bus system. But Mayor Sly James said..the city still did not have the revenue stream to address all its needs. Optimistically, he said the city was working on that by encouraging economic development and keeping city government expenses as low as possible..
Huge Greenhouse Project Set for Riverfront Area.
The city also celebrated the announcement of plans for a 100,000 square-foot greenhouse project to grow produce in the riverfront area near downtown.
Developer Brightfarms Corporation works with hydroponic growing methods and gained attention when it started putting a commercial greenhouse atop an old Navy storage building in Brooklyn. CEO Paul Lightfoot said no tax breaks were involved.
KU Falls In Sweet 16; Wichita State Advances
The “Sweet 16: was not sweet for KU fans. The Jayhawks fell to Michigan 87-85 in overtime Friday night despite leading the Wolverines for almost the entire game. But that other Kansas team – Wichita State – beat LaSalle to move on the the Elite 8 and faces Ohio State tonight.
City Mourns Passing Of Walt Bodine
Talk show pioneer Walt Bodine died at an area retirement facility last weekend. The genuinely genial radio peronality started in broadcasting as an announcer-newscaster, and became one of Kansas City's first talk show hosts at WDAF in the 1950s. Later he did call-in shows for WHB and then KMBZ and commentary for several local TV stations. Walt moved his show from KMBZ to KCUR in 1981, and remained at the station until he retired last year. He was 92.