Craig Lentz finally has been awarded custody of his son after 7 years. His son Noah was adopted without Mr. Lentz’s consent in 2004.  RaytownOnline.com reported on the custody dispute almost exactly one year ago.

 http://raytownonline.com/2011/a-raytown-father-battles-for-custody-of-his-son/

This new video on the battle is from FOX 4 Kansas City and we thank them for providing the embedding code that allows RaytownOnline.com to add the video to this article.

For more on this click HERE to read the FOX 4 Kansas City article.

AARP tax representatives will be at Raytown Mid-Continent Library, 6131 Raytown Road to help seniors with moderate incomes with questions and preparation of their tax forms at 10 a.m. on Monday the 27th of Feb.

 LaRay Jenkins, 45, pleaded guilty today to involuntary manslaughter and armed criminal action in connection with the 2010 murder in Raytown of his wife, Diana Jenkins.

 As part of the plea agreement, Jenkins was sentenced to 15 years in prison for involuntary manslaughter and 3 years for the ACA count, to be served concurrently.

Diana Jenkins, 45, died in March 2010 from gunshots at her home in Raytown. Court documents filed when Jenkins was charged with his wife’s murder revealed that the victim had told police that her husband had been smoking crack. Jenkins told detectives he didn’t intend to shoot his wife.

A fire in the garage of a house located on Hardy Ave., late  Sunday evening (Feb. 19, 2012) caused about $45,000 in property damages and destroyed two cars in the garage.

BEFORE

AFTER

(The after picture and the follwing text are from a Raytown Fire Department press release)

KCFD dispatch received a call for a reported structure fire at the residence. The reason why KCFD received the 911 call instead of the Raytown dispatch center is still being investigated and may be related to the 911 call being made from a cell phone. KCFD dispatched according to the automatic aid agreement that both departments entered into two years ago. This means citizens benefit from having the closest fire truck responding regardless of which departments name is on the door. KCFD pumper 43 arrived at the scene first to find smoke and flames emanating from the garage. Three occupants had safely exited the structure and were found at their predetermined meeting place in the front yard. Both Raytown and KCFD crews utilized two 1¾” attack lines to bring the fire under control, and managed to rescue the family dog from the structure unharmed.

The Ron Ballenger family got to see a lot off the crocodiles while waiting for the all clear for roaming gorillas at the Kansas City Zoo.  The Ballenger family joined others in the crocodile house for safety at the zookeepers direction.

Click HERE to read the KC Star article on the incident.

In a interesting article in the Kansas City Star, Raytown Superintendent Allan Markley is quoted as stating…

“Some will argue they’ve had a chance for 30 years,” Raytown Superintendent Allan Markley said. “But their feet haven’t been held to the fire the way they are now. If everyone is ready to rally behind them, they should be given the chance.”

Read more here: http://www.kansascity.com/2012/02/19/3439864/scenarios-swirl-for-kc-district.html#storylink=cpy

The “Ultimate Chili Challenge” was held at Raytown High School last night where five teachers – one from each department – competed for the best chili concoction during halftime of the varsity basketball game for a monetary grand prize to put towards his/her department. Assistant Principal, Brad Drace, sampled the unique chili concoctions and chose the spicy, beefy chili recipe made by Social Studies teacher, Kevin Page. His secret ingredient? Raytown High School pride and, of course, Williams Chili Seasoning.  Clicking on the photos below will result in a much larger view.

Raytown High School Assistant Principal Brad Drace quickly samples the teachers’ chili concoctions during halftime of the varsity basketball game.

(L to R): Social Studies Teacher, Kevin Page, won $500 to put towards the Social Studies Department; Assistant Principal Brad Drace proudly displays the other check for $500 for Raytown High School. In total, Williams Foods donated $1,000 to Raytown High School.

There will be a Raytown School Board candidate forum on Feb. 25th at 2PM. The location is the Raytown Christian Church, located at 6108 Blue Ridge Boulevard. The event is sponsored by the NAACP and is open to the public. The NAACP held a similar forum for the candidates in the school board election held last year.

The following is from the invitation to the candidates.

“The forum format is a panel discussion, co-facilitated by two individuals with experience in education and community affairs. Candidates will have a brief opportunity to introduce themselves at the beginning of the forum, and to give a short summary at the conclusion. Questions will be solicited from district parents and other stakeholders in advance, as well as from audience members during the forum. Questions will be screened by the facilitators, and edited or condensed as needed to avoid redundancy and fit into the time allowed” 

City Administrator’s Report
FROM: Mahesh Sharma, City Administrator

Administration

Mayor Bower will be delivering the 2012 State of the City Address on Wednesday, February 22nd. Reservations can still be made with the Raytown Chamber until noon on Monday, February 20th.

Economic Development

Staff is currently seeing a steady stream of development interest including potential new tenants for the Downtown, Gregory Square and Raytown Crossing East redevelopment areas. Additionally, we are assisting a number of firms in evaluating relocation (within Raytown) and expansions of existing operations. It appears that 2012 will continue the momentum established over the past few years.

Public Works

Crews responded to the first significant snowfall of the season on Monday; using 143 tons of salt and drove 1,549 miles in response to the snow event. Additionally, the sanitary sewer crews cleaned 5,781 feet of sewer line; the storm Crews removed debris and leaves from storm box inlets identified on the storm water issues spread sheet, repaired a ditch washout at 72nd Terrace and Hunter and reset a large storm box lid hit by a car at 81st and Spring Valley; and the maintenance garage mechanics have been busy up-fitting the new police patrol cars by installing lights, sirens, and data terminal equipment.

The Mid-America Regional Council (MARC) is expected to announce a “Call for Projects” for the Federal Surface Transportation Program Grant Allotments for fiscal year 2015 – 2016, sometime this April. The Call for Projects is a competitive process with all municipalities and other eligible entities within the MARC metropolitan planning area vying to secure grant funding for roadway related projects. Staff has been successful in the past securing such grants and will work together to identify and submit projects that we believe to be the most competitive with the biggest impact and benefit to our community.

Board, Committee and Commission Meetings, and Events

February 21 – Fire Board Meeting; Station 1, 9:00am
February 21 – Board of Aldermen Work Session; Council Chambers, 6:00pm
February 21 – Board of Aldermen Meeting; Council Chambers, 7:00pm
February 22 – Mayor’s State of the City Address; First Baptist Church of Raytown, 11:00am