FROM SUSAN ENLOE, KCKPS

The first annual Kansas City, Kan., Foundation for Excellence Academic Walk was held on Saturday morning, Sept. 26.  

More than 180 community members, led by the F.L. Schlagle Marching Stallions, walked five miles from Kansas City Kansas Community College (KCKCC) to Providence Medical Center and back.  

Walkers included families with their students, school district staff members, and vendors.

The purpose of the Academic Walk, said Shelley Coulter, Executive Director of the Foundation for Excellence, is “to bring family, students, school district staff and community members together for one cause – the success of our students.”

The Foundation for Excellence will use the nearly $3000.00 raise through the walk to fund grants. These grants will help teachers to offset recent cutbacks made recently in classroom and extra-curricular
budgets.

At the end of their five-mile trek, walkers were treated to fruit, water, yogurt donated by Anderson-Erickson Dairy, and a performance by Rose Marie’s Fiesta Mexicana dancers. 

(MORE PHOTOS AFTER THE JUMP)

Kansas City, MO - KCNORML will be hosting an ALL AGES Fundraiser and Membership Drive with Speaker Brian Leininger (http://www.leininger-law.com) from Law Enforcement Against Prohibition (LEAP) and Medical Mary Jane, Jacqueline Patterson at The 1809 conveniently located at 1809 Troost in Kansas City, MO. Music By: DJ Jabberock, Nicolette Paige, Mouth, SeedLove and REACH. We will also be having a silent raffle provided by Kansas City's finest head-shop, It's A Beautiful Day located at 39th & Broadway.

Brian Leininger

Prosecutor

"The War on Drugs creates far more misery than it prevents."

We often hear that drug dealers are attracted to the trade because of the excitement that lifestyle provides. After over fourteen years fecklessly fighting the war on drugs, Brian Leininger is convinced that many law enforcement officers and prosecutors perpetuate the war for the same reason.

As a young Assistant District Attorney in inner-city Kansas City, Kansas, Brian quickly learned that writing search warrants and accompanying the police as they took a ram to someone's door was a lot more exciting than prosecuting forgery, auto burglary and traffic cases. The narcotics officers he worked with were the thrill-seeking type who delighted in looking like Serpico and doing battle with their rival gang, the dope dealers. Brian was a 25-year-old blue-collar kid and had never been involved in anything so exhilarating.

Brian moved on to become General Legal Counsel to the Kansas Highway Patrol. Kansas is a wide open state and its interstate highways host a fair amount of the country's trans-national drug shipments. Brian rode along as the troopers combed the desolate highways trying to determine which passing car contained the mother lode. When they found it (after shaking down scores of innocent people) they posed with it as if it were a record-breaking fish.

Brian entered the private practice of law and, to supplement his income, took a job as the part-time City Prosecutor for an affluent, nearly all-white suburb of Kansas City. He did the job he was assigned to do but quickly realized his heart was not in it. The police spent an inordinate amount of time working on drug cases and executing search warrants to recover a few grams of marijuana. Brian saw this as a huge misallocation of resources.

Now Brian's only association with the drug war is to oppose it. It is clear to him that the war on drugs creates far more misery that it prevents.

Brian Leininger is a member of the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers and the NORML Legal Committee. The vast majority of his practice is devoted to the defense of DUI and drug cases.

Fore more information visit: http://www.kcnorml.org.

The Downtown Kansas City, Kan., Second Friday Art Walk will feature a number of displays in local businesses and organizations in the downtown core of KCK.

The art walk will be Friday, Oct. 9, from 5-8 p.m.

Among the businesses that will hold displays include:

• Kaw Valley Arts and Humanities Gallery: Located at 756 Armstrong, the gallery will host  the "Art Meets Biology" display.

• Fat Matt's Vortex, 411 N. 6th Street, will host a pottery exhibit and will host an after art walk party.

• Pressroom Studios: Studios will be opened for public observation at 750 Armstrong. Studios from Darrell Trubey, George Morris, Michael Brantley, Ronald Smith, Jose Faus, Kim Eichler-Messmer and Carol Kariotis will be available for public view.

• The YWCA, 1017 N. 6th Street, will host exhibits from David Goodrich, Allan Winkler, Aaron Wrinkle, Ann Dean, Luke Rocha, Ernie Block, Tom Valverde and others.

• S2 Studios at 750 Armstrong will host "Chasing the Light" and photography from Steve Curtis will be available.

• Wheat State Pizza on N. 5th Street on Strawberry Hill will host a new art display.

• Imago Dei Arts Center will host "Word as Image" from Sandra Bowden. The display will be available at the location of the Granada Theatre.

• The KCK Public Library's main branch will feature paintings from Janet Manson, "Poet-in-Residence" and will feature poet Glenn North.

• Town House Gallery, 1021 N. 7th Street, will host "Reflections of Wyandot Art Association."

• Tomasic & Rehorn, 419 N. 6th Street, will host the Dottefest, featuring a number of artists, BBQ and prizes.

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The new Kansas City Kansan is live.