Kansas
For Black leaders in Kansas City, MLK Day is a hectic — and empowering — day of service
On Martin Luther King Jr. Day, the Rev. Vernon Howard Jr. always starts work early and ends work late.
“The work really is year-round because of the magnitude of the events that we make an effort to put on,” said Howard, a prominent Black leader in Kansas City who has been involved in local civil rights struggles for more than three decades.
His list of events is long. Like many Black community leaders in Kansas City, Martin Luther King Jr. Day is anything but a day off for Howard. Given the current plight of Kansas City’s Black residents, he said, it’s an obligation to work.
“I serve others on this day because I am the beneficiary of persons who shed blood for my right to be free,” said Howard, pastor of St. Mark’s Church and president of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference of Greater Kansas City, part of a national organization founded by King, Ralph Abernathy, Bayard Rustin and other civil rights leaders in 1957.
Howard was the keynote speaker for a Kansas City Public Schools luncheon last week in King’s honor. He contributed to radio broadcasts on the SCLC’s airwaves and on Kansas City’s independent community radio station, KKFI. On Monday, he’ll make an appearance at the Northland’s 40th Martin Luther King Jr. celebration, and the SCLC-GKC’s flagship celebration, the MLK Community Forum and Mass Celebration. This year’s theme is “Reparations Now.”
“We have a moral duty in this regard,” he said. “And, as Dr. King said: ‘The time is always right to do what is right.’”
In the lead up to the national birthday commemorations, Howard and his team dedicate between five and 10 hours a week getting ready.
“The quest for racial and social justice is not a sprint, it’s a marathon,” he said, and it continues today.
Howard’s activism and advocacy are aimed at addressing the inequities African Americans and other marginalized people experience in public education, economic divestment, and voting rights — some of the same issues King grappled with in his time.
Lawrence Brooks IV
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KCUR 89.3
High on Howard’s list of priorities for Kansas City is a way to make amends for the city’s role in historic slavery and racial discrimination. But a commission created by City Hall in 2023 has yet to receive the funding it needs to do its work.
“We’re advocating for reparations for Black people,” he said, citing a poverty rate among Black people in Kansas City “that is just absolutely atrocious.”
“Black people are suffering from a lack of economic access and economic development and entrepreneurship, particularly on the east side,” Howard said.
While he urges city leaders to fund the Mayor’s Commission on Reparations, Howard has also been working to engage a diverse set of organizations in his King Day plans.
“In the last couple of weeks there’s been more activity from both a business and a community organizing standpoint,” he said, “because we wed the celebration of Dr. King’s birthday and life with activism and advocacy that Dr. King would be doing, were he here.”
“The legacy he leaves shows us that standing for principles of truth, love, peace, nonviolence, and equal justice for all are worth fighting for, and will prove victorious. They killed the dreamer but they can’t kill the dream,” Howard said.
‘A relearning of what we thought we knew’
Rodney Smith also worries about attacks on public education, freedom of speech and further attempts by lawmakers to make it harder to vote.
“We need to be fighting against any movement that attempts to further marginalize those who’ve been historically marginalized,” said the vice president of Access and Engagement at William Jewell College in Liberty.
Smith also is co-owner of the consulting firm Sophic Solutions, which specializes in diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging. Smith has worked for years on Martin Luther King Jr. Day celebrations for William Jewel College and other entities.
“We need to be focused on that,” Smith said. “What we learn in our history books, and what we teach and what we don’t teach. It involves an unlearning, a relearning of what we thought we knew about our country.”
Smith said he has taken part in Martin Luther King Jr. Day celebrations since it was first observed as a federal holiday, in 1986. Smith was a freshman that year at Morris Brown College, a historically Black university in Atlanta, Georgia.
“As an 18-year-old kid, I got the opportunity to interact with one of the giants of the civil rights movement, Hosea Williams,” a close associate of King’s, he said with a smile. “I remember him as Uncle Hosea.”
Williams led the historic “Bloody Sunday” march on Selma, Alabama, in 1965 with former U.S. Rep. John Lewis.
“I sang in the concert choir in college, so it was very frequent that we would sing at church,” Smith said, “and we got an opportunity to develop a relationship with Rev. Dr. Joseph Lowery,” the first vice president of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference.
The modern holiday efforts give emerging Black leaders in Kansas City a similar chance to engage and serve their communities.
22-year-old D’asya Collier-Williams is a multimedia creative director for the AdHoc Group Against Crime, and has been working to relaunch the SCLC-GKC’s youth division, the Mountain Movers. 2024 is her second year planning and working the group’s Martin Luther King Jr. Day events.
“I feel like it’s very empowering and impactful, and I feel like it’s a blessing to have a leader such as MLK, as well as continuing to do the work,” she said. “I love knowing about it and just being more informed about different things that I may have (not) known learning about Black history, especially being a young person.”
Eddy Burrett
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AdHoc Group Against Crime
Collier-Williams’ work with AdHoc sometimes involves interviewing and producing social media videos with the families of murder victims whose cases are unsolved. She says this small deed helps families feel heard, and gives them hope.
“People still want to know that somebody wants to help them, somebody still wants (to solve) their case,” she said. “They also want to know that they’re not fighting alone.”
If Smith’s experiences are any indication, the work of young leaders like Collier-Williams will shape the rest of their lives and careers.
“I think it has a direct correlation,” Smith said. “Most of my own personal research and my doctoral degree, I did a lot of reading and research relative to race and racism in our society.”
“I give a lot of credit to those foundational, formative years,” he said.
WICHITA, Kan. (KSNW) — Colorado-based chicken restaurant Birdcall is expanding into Kansas.
The company announced Friday its plans to expand into Kansas and five other Midwestern states over the next five years. Birdcall plans to add six to eight fast-casual restaurants in Wichita and Topeka.
“The Midwest represents a tremendous opportunity for Birdcall,” CEO Mark Lohmann said. “From our award-winning chicken sandwiches and other handcrafted menu offerings to our commitment to innovation and community, we believe Birdcall offers an experience that resonates with today’s guests and is a natural fit for the region.”
Other locations announced are:
- Indiana – 10 to 15 restaurants across Indianapolis, Bloomington, Evansville and Fort Wayne
- Missouri – Up to 18 restaurants across St. Louis, Columbia, and Kansas City
- Nebraska – Seven to 10 restaurants across Omaha and Lincoln
- Ohio – Up to 20 restaurants across Cleveland, Cincinnati, Columbus and Toledo
- Wisconsin – 10 to 15 restaurants across Milwaukee, Madison and Appleton
Birdcall’s menu features a variety of chicken sandwiches, chicken fingers and nuggets, salads, tater tots, fries, and more. The restaurant also makes its own in-house sauces and serves up draft beer and house-made margaritas, with happy hour specials.
The company said each restaurant will use self-service kiosks and occupy about 2,300 square feet, with indoor and outdoor seating that can serve up to 150 people.
Birdcall currently operates 17 restaurants across Colorado, Arizona and Texas.
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KSHB 41 reporter Ryan Gamboa covers Miami County in Kansas and Cass County in Missouri. He also covers agricultural topics. Share your story idea with Ryan.
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A video shared by a viewer, shows a resident speaking at the Osawatomie, Kansas City Council meeting being escorted out by police on Thursday evening.
The video shows a man holding a “Hell No Alcove” sign, while commenting about a blighted property, which according to public records is owned by Pacific Apartments, LLC, operating out of the same address as Alcove Development in Lawrence, Kansas.
KSHB 41
Alcove Development is behind the effort to build a $1 billion, 283-acre data center development in Osawatomie’s northland property.
The video, shared by a viewer, goes on the show two law enforcement officers approaching the individual, who is Lee Brewer, at the podium, after he begins to yell, while the crowd joins in behind him. Lee Brewer reached out to KSHB 41 late Thursday night, identifying himself as the person who was escorted out.
Osawatomie, Kansas Police Chief Dave Stutteville is seen in the video also approaching the man.
Fabian Rosales/KSHB
KSHB 41 Miami County Reporter Ryan Gamboa reached out to the Police Chief, City Manager, and Mayor Nick Hampson for comment late on Thursday night and is waiting on a response.
Residents in contact with Gamboa attending the meeting shared the meeting was still in session after 9:30 p.m.
Thursday night’s meeting was the city and Alcove Development’s attempt at sharing potential benefits of a data center for the community.
Gamboa has long covered the data center project in Osawatomie, Kansas — and neighbors to the project have voiced their opposition to the proposed development.
Brian Luton/KSHB
This is the first time Alcove Development has approached the public, but not the first time it has worked with the city of Osawatomie.
In late 2025, Alcove Development approached the city with the project and weeks later, a pre-development agreement was signed giving Alcove exclusive rights to the development for three years.
But city council meeting records from 2023 show, the city of Osawatomie entered into a pre-development agreement with Alcove Development to redevelop a property known as Old Swenson School.
Alcove Development had six months to asses the condition of the property and determine a course of action for redevelopment, and the overall agreement would last 18 months, according to public records.
Will Shaw/KSHB
The pre-development agreements states, Alcove would consider asking for tax breaks on the project, including utilizing the Low-Income Housing Tax Credit.
At the time, the property had sat in disrepair since 2016, according to the records, and was frequently found in violation of city code.
If the re-development were to fall through, the city would be on the hook to purchase the property from the developer for $25,000, with unclear total costs for infrastructure improvements.
KSHB 41
KSHB 41 will follow up on the status on this project at a later date.
Earlier this week, Miami County Reporter Ryan Gamboa, sat down with Donna Ingram who doesn’t live far from the data center site.
Ingram expressed her concerns about the amount of infrastructure that would be built to operate a data center, and how it might overtake the land around her home.
Ryan Gamboa/KSHB
She expressed concerns because the City of Osawtomie changed the public comment guidelines of a promise town hall with the developer.
“Watching this process play out is disheartening,” Ingram said in an interview on Monday. “A town hall was promised that didn’t come to fruition… I don’t believe it’s the definition. This is a city council meeting. We’re the ones that are gonna live next to it. We’re the ones that live in the path of the infrastructure.”
The city told KSHB 41 on Monday in a statement, they changed the format to prioritize the voices of city taxpayers, as county taxpayers have dominated the public comment periods over the past couple of months.
Brian Luton/KSHB
Mayor Nick Hampson also told Gamboa in an earlier interview he was hoping to have a productive “town hall” — instead, the first meeting with the public and the developer of the project was during a formal and regularly scheduled city council meeting.
The city also required residents to submit questions ahead of time, and the city would filter questions to the developer, while limiting public comment to three minutes.
“We have been and will continue to hear from the residents that are in the county and closest to this project,” Hampson told KSHB 41 in an email on Monday.
Miami County, Kansas
Residents shared a record to KSHB 41, submitted to the city for a formal investigation into 1009 Pacific Avenue in Osawatomie, which is owned by a company operating out of Alcove Development’s address.
The dilapidated property is the a former school house, that sits with broken windows, and other parts of the building breaking down.
The Miami County Republic reporting on Thursday, the city launched an investigation into the building.
Ryan Gamboa/KSHB
Residents cite the buildings deteriorating condition and potential danger to the public, and lack of property maintenance.
Lee Brewer issued a comment regarding the incident at Thursday night’s meeting, stating he was escorted out after the Mayor closed public comment, and he was not on the list.
Brewer told KSHB 41, he has a time -stamped email of pre-submitted questions ahead of the meeting. KSHB 41 asked Brewer to review the email, and is waiting for an answer.
I am severely disappointed in our Mayor and the city council. They told us we were required to send in an email with our questions and our address to prove we were citizens of the town by Wednesday the 24th at noon. I have my email which is timestamped at 10:26 a.m. Wednesday the 24th. They shut me down and first told me I didn’t put the email in and then once I was kicked out of there I was told by people coming out that they were told I turned in my email too late. I’m not a math teacher but last time I looked at my clock 10:26 a.m. falls just over an hour and a half before noon. I mean correct me if I’m wrong. I thought because the mayor and I were having decent conversations on Facebook Messenger, whereas I would ask him questions and he would answer to the best of his ability. And I would thank him I thought we were pretty cordial. So to basically call me a liar in front of the entire town on video recording, take away my freedom of speech My first amendment right, and have me removed from a public building was completely wrong I am very disappointed in our city council and mayor. When I approached the podium all I was trying to do was point out that resolution number 1169 in Osawatomie Kansas refers to Alcove development LLC being the owner of the old Swenson School at 1009 Pacific. As I pointed out in these earlier messages to you Alcove has left this building dilapidated in ruins and a danger to our community. Our great city council and mayor seem to have other plans for me being able to speak though.
Lee Brew, via Facebook to KSHB 41 News
KSHB 41 reached out to Alcove Development late on Thursday night, and is waiting on a response.
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Editor’s note: This article has been updated to clarify information about cleanup information.
WICHITA, Kan. (KSNW) — A tanker transporting 8,000 gallons of ethanol crashed in El Dorado on Thursday.
It happened at the intersection of Kansas Avenue and South Main Street.
According to dispatch, the vehicle overturned, causing the fluid to leak out and spill into the storm sewer system.
City Manager David Dillner said traffic is being diverted in the area while crews work to clean up the ethanol.
Nearby residents have been evacuated to the El Dorado Civic Center due to the pungent smell of the fuel, Dillner said.
No injuries have been reported.
This is a developing story.
For more Kansas news, click here. Keep up with the latest breaking news by downloading our mobile app and signing up for our news email alerts. Sign up for our Storm Track 3 Weather app by clicking here. To watch our shows live on our website, click here.
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