Sunday Civic Blogging

[Updated below]

Okay Kansas City readers - I am going to start doing something just for you. Call it this atheists Sunday offering, if you want to piss off the bible bleaters with a minor blasphemy while reminding 'em that even non-believers can be altruistic, and genuinely so, because it ain't getting us past St. Pete.

Anyway, I live in this city, and when I say "live" I mean that as an active verb, emphasis on active. Especially now that spring has sprung (they mowed the grass at the Kenneth A. Spencer Center yesterday), look for a lot of mobile blogging with this spiffy new laptop for which I want to say thanks once more - I am still radiating from the goodwill that poured in when we had our fundraiser in January.

But getting back on topic - this post is the first in what I am mulling making a regular Sunday feature - right now it's a notion, and we'll see where it goes...

VOTE YES APRIL 8th

Go to the polls next Tuesday and vote "yes" to extend the 3/8 cent sales tax to maintain our METRO until 2024. I use the bus service, and I can say with absolute surety that the ridership is increasing. More and more people are parking their cars and riding the bus as gas prices have stabilized at three bucks a gallon.

Can we get metro schedules on Broadway, please?

Speaking of the METRO - we need to pass the extension, and then the powers that be need to spend a few bucks to update the stops along the 51/Broadway route. Just try finding a stop with a schedule posted! At the very least we need one at the Broadway/Linwood stops. More and more Penn Valley students are riding the bus. Can we take some of the guesswork out of it? On the printed schedule, the times listed jump all the way from Pershing & Grand to 39th and Broadway. And none of the stops in between have schedules and only one has a shelter. That's a huge gap. No, it isn't necessary along the Broadway Extension, but once the bus gets up the hill, and there are stops on every block, there needs to be a schedule posted on every other.
You know it's spring...

I haven't seen a robin yet, but I know it's spring anyway. Folks in Midtown/Westport know that the first sure signs of spring are found on Pennsylvania in the heart of Westport. The Westport Beach Club spring volleyball league started this week. Time to get out the Hawaiian shirts! The Sons of Venezuela kick off the summer Salsa dancing season at 8:00 p.m. on May 3. With the exception of the May 3 show, the bands will start at 10:00. Every Saturday, you can get a free Salsa lesson before the show. Lessons start at at 8:30.

Chubby's Closed Temporarily Everyones favorite after-hours breakfast joint is temporarily closed. A week ago Friday the LaBruzzo family, who owns the building and operated the diner as a family business for decades, evicted the company that took over operations about a year ago. The business was founded by father and son Vito and Nick LaBruzzo, and now Nick's sons, Vito and Nick, are taking back over. They are closed for a couple of weeks for remodeling and will reopen as The Original Chubby’s on Broadway.

Light Rail citizen input meetings next week

The next midtown gathering will be April 10 at St. Paul's Episcopal Church on Main. The meeting will run from 5:30 to 7:30. What we do is break into groups with a map of the area and citizens offer their input on routes, stops and stations. It's our city and it's our train. I'm damned sure making my voice heard.

Appreciating what we have



The Sculpture Garden at the Nelson is the perfect place to fritter away an afternoon.

And since Katie lied to me and it isn't raining, I think that is precisely what I am going to do.

I'll be back this evening.

Consider this an open thread, Kansas City. Put your own input in comments, and if you know something I need to make sure to include next week, send me an email.

Update 8:45 p.m.

Even Christians are DFH's in my neighborhood

I spotted this walking from McCoy's where we took our granddaughter for lunch (some day they will make mac and cheese as good as I do) and I said "Hold up. I have to get a picture for my friend [Blue Gal ]" (no relation). Resolution could be better, I took this with my phone. I am posting it to atone for missing something so huge and important as the annual Blog Against Theocracy blogswarm last weekend.

(click to enlarge)

BG (too) told me posting this would be atonement aplenty. As she is a driving force behind Blog Against Theocracy, I will consider my slate clean until next year.