Abby Hoover
Northeast News

The Northeast News staff is proud of the work we did in 2022. We brought you news on local government, education, crime, social services and nonprofits, history, community building, events, and so much more. We approached these issues with care and understanding, as we too live in the Northeast neighborhoods.

According to our Northeast News readers, the following 10 articles were the most popular in 2022.

1) The article “Police clear 18 squatters from apartment building” was published on February 1, 2022.

Kansas City, Mo., police officers from two patrol zones responded to an apartment building at 145 S. Hardesty to assist a property management company clear a building full of squatters.

According to officials with Hasty Property Management, the building was secured repeatedly. Initial access was gained by standing on an awning over the front door and breaking a window on the first to second floor landing. Then the window to a basement apartment was broken and a board dragged over the opening for protection.

Upon arrival, officers entered the building with property management officials. In total, 18 squatters and two pet cats were removed from the building.

Two of the illegal occupants were arrested for outstanding felony warrants, one for burglary and one for possession of a controlled substance. Both were taken into custody. Tickets for trespassing were issued to the remaining subjects.

Police returned to the building again Tuesday morning and cleared the building again.

Editor’s note: Since then, the building has been broken into and re-secured many times. Kansas City is experiencing a homelessness crisis as housing prices skyrocketed during the pandemic. The Northeast community has seen many vacant houses and buildings go up in flame during the colder months as people set fires to stay warm.

2) The article “Stabbing at Northeast Middle School, one student dead” was published on April 12, 2022.

The death of 14-year-old Manuel Guzman, a student at Northeast Middle who was stabbed to death by a classmate, rocked the Northeast community.
On that Tuesday morning just after 9 a.m., officers were called to Northeast Middle School in regard to a cutting call. Upon arrival, officers located the victim, a juvenile male, suffering from apparent stab wounds inside a bathroom. Officers immediately began performing life saving measures along with security inside the school.

There is no ongoing threat at this time. One victim, a male student, was transported to the hospital in life threatening condition after being stabbed multiple times inside the school. A subject of interest, a male student, was detained.

The school was placed on lockdown while the student was transported by ambulance to Children’s Mercy Hospital, where he later died of his injuries.
The area immediately surrounding the school was shut down by KCPD traffic crews. There is no known motive at this time.

“At this time, our students are safe, and we are working directly with Northeast Middle School families on reunification plans and an early dismissal,” Elle Moxley, KCPS Public Relations coordinator said. “We are in the process of dismissing students now.”

KCPS is working with law enforcement to investigate what happened. This is an evolving, emergency situation, and the district expects new information will become available throughout the day. Their goal is to communicate first with families and staff.

“Your student’s safety at school is our number one priority,” Kelly Wachel, Chief Communications and Marketing Officer for KCPS wrote in an email to parents. “Today and tomorrow, we will be providing additional information and counseling support to students and staff who need help processing today’s events. Please keep our NEMS students, families and staff in your thoughts today. We are committed to keeping you informed as we can throughout the day and following few days.”

Superintendent Dr. Mark Bedell informed KCPS families Tuesday evening of the student’s death. He noted that staff worked quickly following the incident to ensure the safety and security of all students.

“We are working in partnership with law enforcement to safely reopen Northeast Middle School tomorrow,” Bedell said in his evening update. “We will have additional security officers in the building when students and staff return in the morning – as well as increased security protocols. Additionally, all our students at Northeast Middle School will receive personal support from our trained clinicians, counselors and trauma team members tomorrow.”

KCPS has counselors and clinicians in schools every day working with students on numerous support systems, positive behavior interventions and conflict resolution when needed.

“We continue to provide additional training, resources and support for our security officers, all through a trauma-informed lens,” Bedell wrote. “Today, that training helped our NEMS security officers work alongside our school staff to provide life-saving first-aid until paramedics could arrive.”
The suspect, who was taken into custody, has been charged with First Degree Murder, Armed Criminal Action, and Unlawful Use of Weapons through the Jackson County Juvenile Court.

Editor’s note: The Northeast News and the community mourned Manuel’s death and the all too common violence in our city. An article written in remembrance can be found at northeastnews.net/pages/community-mourns-northeast-middle-stabbing-victim/.

3) The article “New clearance warning system slated for infamous Avenue bridge” published on December 14, 2022, was popular among the bridge’s massive following.

The Independence Avenue Bridge’s truck eating days may be coming to a close if a plan to install an early warning curtain system gets funding.
Kansas City Terminal Railway (KCTY),which owns the bridge, and the City of Kansas City announced last week that they have entered into a cost sharing agreement to split the cost, roughly $150,000, of installing advanced warning devices on each side of the 12-foot tall bridge.

The devices consist of an extended cross arm over the traffic right-of-way with long, plastic cylinders hanging on chains at the height of the low clearance bridge. The dangling cylinders are designed to strike the front part of any over-height vehicle, making enough noise to alarm the driver in time to stop prior to striking the bridge.

Similar devices are being used in San Antonio, Texas, and Seattle, Wash., and have been relatively successful in quelling bridge strikes.

The infamous Independence Avenue railroad bridge was constructed in 1912 when trucks didn’t even begin to approach the 80,000-pound, 13’ 6” tall behemoths that regularly get wedged underneath. The standard clearance for overpasses, established in 2005, is now 16 feet, roughly four feet taller than the Avenue overpass.

According to Shawn Lauby, Director of Safety and Administration, KCTY has studied options for raising the bridge, but those options run into the millions of dollars, given the utility rights-of-way under the pavement and the potential for flooding.

“We tried to utilize sensors for detecting collisions, but we were unsuccessful because the vibrations from truck collisions were hardly distinguishable from a normal train passing overhead,” Lauby said in a prepared release.

Installation would be in advance of any “escape” intersection so trucks could re-route and not get caught trying to back a large vehicle up in heavy traffic. Once funding for the project is identified, construction would start shortly thereafter, possibly as soon as the first quarter of 2023.

4) Northeast News readers were excited about “Winter magic coming to Cliff Drive,” published on September 14, 2022.

The article reads, at Tuesday’s Kansas City Parks and Recreation Board meeting, Commissioners approved an agreement with Jolt Lighting to bring Winter Magic, Kansas City’s premier drive through holiday lights display, to Cliff Drive in Northeast Kansas City.

“Jolt Lighting, LLC has been in the Christmas display business for 17 years,” a press release from the department said. “They have primarily served as manufacturers and consultants. Jolt Lighting, LLC has helped many organizations over the world create amazing light experiences and is looking forward to creating their own.”

For the past two years, Jolt Lighting has presented Winter Magic in Swope Park through Camp Lake of the Woods. There had been complaints that the staging area, or line to get in, overflowed onto City streets through the park.
“We thought it would be great this year to move it over to Cliff Drive and activate that, so it’s a good kind of test run of doing events in Kessler Park or opening up Cliff Drive again,” Communications and Events Manager Heidi Markle told the board. “It’s just kind of a short-term two month holiday event, but we’re excited about it, Jolt is excited about it, and I think the neighborhood will be, as well.”

This year, Jolt Lighting wishes to enter into a Facility Use with Concession Agreement for the use of Cliff Drive in Kessler Park for Winter Magic. The agreement runs from September 13, 2022, to February 28, 2023.

The event will occur daily, beginning at 5 p.m. and ending at 11 p.m. from November 3, 2022 to January 1, 2023. Jolt Lighting is expecting 23,000 vehicles over the course of the event. A portion of proceeds will go to KC Parks and to capital improvements on Cliff Drive in Kessler Park.

Markle said it’s hard to know how much money the event will bring in, since the ever changing COVID-19 situation has affected attendance over the last few years. The first year, it brought in about $30,000 for the Parks department, but then with other activities reopening the next year, they brought in $20,000. This year, tickets are $25 per car, and a portion of sales will go toward the Park department, with 2% of sales going directly toward capital improvements for Cliff Drive, which has deteriorated over the years.

The contractor will be responsible for providing plans for traffic and parking control, safety and security, and marketing. They will also provide Parks with a list of items for sale, if applicable, a certificate of insurance, per City requirements, a map of the event layout and copies of other City permits required to host the event.

Attendees will enter Gate 1 at The Paseo Boulevard to line up and wait on Cliff Drive before driving the one-mile display.

“The lighted displays are made of steel and holiday light strands. Rarely, they are wood and theatrical PAR lighting,” an explanation from Jolt Lighting reads. “All displays over a few feet in height are rigged with aircraft cable to rebar stakes. Rarely, some items are hung from trees.”
They will exit at Gate 3 by the Kansas City Museum.

“Everybody waiting in line will actually be on the Drive so there will not be lines out into the neighborhoods or onto our City streets,” Markle told the board.

Jolt said in a statement that they are sad to leave Swope Park, but they need more space.

“Congestion in Swope Park is the issue, limited space is the problem,” the statement read. “Cliff Drive allows us the space we need (and more) to be able to entertain the community, spread holiday cheer – and to do it without inconveniences for the neighborhood. All of our traffic will be contained to Cliff Drive and none will spill into the neighborhood.”

In Swope Park, they didn’t have an area for folks to queue. For this season, Jolt is allocating 3,000 feet to act as a queue, which they say is more than enough for even the busiest days.

“As our lighting tradition deepens and the display grows over the years, we will be able to continue to move further down Cliff Drive to support even more overflow, cliff just is that long,” according to the statement. “We know that these types of displays normally come with baggage, but roads like Cliff just don’t exist most places. It’s nearly four miles of unused two-lane road in the heart of the city. We are so excited to get the opportunity to join these historic and beautiful communities in Northeast, to get to entertain such an amazing community, to bring a special tradition to the area, to bring fresh faces and new business to the area, and to do it all while being tucked quietly away in an under-utilized stretch of road, all while playing our part to help revitalize a piece of KC history.”

Tickets will be sold online, purchased in advance, and limited to 250 cars per hour.

“We are excited to bring Winter Magic to Cliff Drive and reactivate the byway for a limited engagement,” a statement from KC Parks reads. “We are confident that the drive through holiday lights event will have a positive effect on the neighborhood by raising visibility and awareness of this historic part of Kansas City. Additionally, we look forward to partnering with Northeast businesses and attractions to amplify the economic impact and create an extended experience for visitors.”

5) Michael Bushnell’s Historic Postcard column went “viral” last month as shared with readers a look back at the last time Kansas City’s airport got a major upgrade. “Drive to your gate at the new KCI” was shared widely on social media in history and aviation groups, even being shared by KCI.

6) On Sunday morning, February 27, 2022, Kansas City, Mo., Police Officer Vito Mazzara, tragically took his own life. The Northeast News published an article, “Remembering Officer Vito Mazzara,” on March 9 about all the ways Mazzara positively impacted his community.

Those familiar with East Patrol and the Badges for Basics program rolled out by Mazzara and Officer Danielle Williams know the community-based outreach effort connected with people who lived on the fringe, often between homelessness and couch-surfing.

In a July, 2019 Issue of KCPD’s Informant newsletter, Mazzara said people often asked him during these outreach events, “Why are you here?”
“I tell them it’s because right now there’s violence here, and I don’t want you to be afraid to be here,” Mazzara said in an interview. “I’m showing you it’s okay to be here.”

We first met Officer Mazzara in 2011 when The Northeast News covered the new KCPD Foot Patrols on Independence Avenue. Vito, a recent graduate of the police academy, was a fresh-faced 25-year-old kid who wanted to make a difference. He and fellow beat officers Jonathan Cook and John King volunteered for a pilot program that brought foot patrols back to the Avenue.

“When we’re not here and to know we’re still making a difference,” Mazzara hoped for his legacy.

We caught up with Vito again in 2017 when he was working with the Independence Avenue Community Improvement District (CID). Officer Mazzara developed a number of the programs used to this day by the Titan Security officers who work for the Independence Avenue CID.

Mazzara and the Titan Security officers handled more than 1,000 incidents over a roughly six-month period, with Mazzara developing the Summons for Citation program, allowing Titan Officers to make a running list of criminal nuisance violations.

A couple years later on a warm April afternoon in 2019, Officers Mazzara and Williams, Captain Jeff Hughley, along with then-KCPD East Patrol Social Worker Trena Miller, set up shop at the corner of Belmont and St. John avenues to give away a small mountain of personal hygiene products as part of the Badges for Basics program. Once again, making a difference and community took center stage for Officer Vito Mazzara.

About a month later, in May of 2019, The Northeast News published a tattoo issue, a fun side trip into the world of tattoo artists and the people who crave the buzz of the ink and the needle. Once again, Officer Vito Mazzara was front and center. Mazzara told us he only has two tattoos, but they’re all interconnected and at least in May of 2019, they covered some 80% of his body.

“I love the sessions,” Mazzara said. “It all started with my kids and my parents and they are all represented in the tattoos I have. After going through the experiences of the tattoos and the experiences I had on the police department, those tattoos became my time where I decompressed. Police officers need that time to just sit and be open with an artist. We need that outlet and tattoos are mine.”

In June of 2020, Officer Mazzara led a small army of relief efforts at the Gabriel Towers apartments at 1600 Jackson. The multi-story building had been without air conditioning for over a week. When Vito learned of this, he reached out and discovered that food was a priority for the overheated tenants seeking relief outside of the sweltering heat in the building. Vito teamed up with Center Patrol Community Interaction Officers who provided a free, catered barbecue meal and RIDE KC cooling buses for the overheated tenants. Once again, making a difference in his community.

Officer Vito Mazzara leaves his loving wife Tessa Maria Mazzara; children Jade Victoria Mazzara, Vito Corleone Mazzara, Vincenzo “Vinny” Paul Mazzara, Isabella Marie Mazzara, and Kelly Giovanna Mazzara. He is also survived by his parents Paul and Kelly Mazzara; and two sisters, Michele Gregg and Courtney McClannahan (Mike); and his maternal grandmother Emily Hogan.

While the department does not have a dedicated mental health or crisis hotline for employees, they do have a Wellness Unit, police chaplains, an Employee Assistance Program and peer support through the Fraternal Order of Police.

7) Readers shared the January 11 article “KCPS community celebrates earning full accreditation,” widely. After years of hard work, Kansas City Public Schools received full accreditation from the Missouri State Board of Education, effective immediately.

“This is a tremendous accomplishment for our students, our staff, our families and our community,” said KCPS Superintendent Dr. Mark Bedell. “I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again: Schools can’t do it alone. Thank you, Kansas City, for believing in us. Together, we’re building a school district that works for all families.”

The board voted unanimously in favor of the status update at the Tuesday, Jan. 11 meeting in Jefferson City. Tuesday’s vote followed a presentation by Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education staff outlining the progress KCPS has made since 2014, when the district was provisionally accredited.

In six years, KCPS improved its four-year graduation rate from 68.7% in 2016 to 77.8% in 2021.

In 2019, KCPS students exceeded the state’s expectations for academic growth in English Language Arts. In 2021, KCPS students exceeded the state’s expectations for academic growth in math despite the COVID-19 pandemic. (State tests were not administered in spring 2020.) KCPS continues to outpace state expectations for student growth, particularly among students of color.

KCPS has been an active participant in DESE’s Regional School Improvement Team (RSIT) process, helping to improve the district’s utilization of data to improve curriculum, instruction, professional development and systems.

KCPS has increased the number of high school students taking Advanced Placement (AP), International Baccalaureate (IB) and dual credit courses by 34% — and quintupled the number of students scoring 3 or better on these tests.

“Kansas City schools should take time to celebrate this milestone of full accreditation while also understanding that the work of educating kids and operating successful public schools is never truly finished,” said Commissioner of Education Margie Vandeven.

KCPS was unaccredited from 2012 to 2014. The district regained provisional accreditation in 2014 and has retained provisional accreditation ever since. Many KCPS schools are individually accredited.

“We still have work to do,” Dr. Bedell acknowledged. “But now that KCPS is fully accredited, we can really focus on building the equitable education experience Kansas City kids deserve. We must make sure our students have access to the same resources as every other student in the state, whether that’s academics, activities or facilities. Today, we celebrate. Tomorrow, we continue setting new goals.”

KCPS held a press conference at J.A. Rogers Elementary following Tuesday’s decision. In the immediate future, the district is focused on becoming more agile, creating a broader range of learning options, and improving proficiency.

Editor’s note: Since the district received full accreditation, Dr. Bedell has moved on to be superintendent of another district. Interim Superintendent Dr. Jennifer Collier has continued the Blueprint 2030 discussions, in which consultants recommend closing three Northeast schools. The district began Community Conversations around the national search for a new superintendent earlier this month.

8) On May 28, the Northeast News published an article detailing the events of a disc golfer being shot in Kessler Park. “Disc golfer shot in Kessler Park” drew scrutiny, fear and frustration.

On a Saturday afternoon a man was shot on the Kessler Park Disc Golf Course during the 2022 Kansas City Flying Disc Challenge (KCFDC). Just after 2 p.m., first responders were called to Kessler Park on a shooting.

Upon their arrival, it was determined the victim and three witnesses were playing in the KCFDC when the suspect, who is unknown to them, approached them, pointed a gun and shot the victim.

The suspect was taken into custody fleeing the scene by responding officers. That person remains in custody for further investigation at this time. The victim was transported to an area hospital in critical condition.
“First and foremost, the victim, his family and friends are foremost on our minds as a tournament staff and disc golf community,” organizer Michael Krueger shared on Facebook.

Jack Lowe, planner of the event, anticipated over 270 players from 21 states. Lowe has been instrumental in keeping the courses, and the parks, clean.

“I have defended Cliff Drive over and over and over,” Krueger said. “I have run many events at Cliff Drive. I have been proven wrong.”

The tournament staff and organizers are devastated by the events today at Kessler Park. Event planners attribute the shooting to a random act of violence.

“He was shot – but the medics and the police say that [he] should be okay,” Krueger said. “I am also told that the perpetrator was apprehended.”

The four round tournament was planned to play over two days on four different courses: Kessler Park/Cliff Drive, Water Works Park, Blue Valley Park and LaBenite Disc Golf Course.

All events at Cliff Drive are now canceled for the KCFDC. The remainder of the event will carry on without the rounds at Cliff Drive.

9) The Northeast News’ “Historic Northeast Neighborhood Issue” was popular among readers. The March 16, 2022, issue was dedicated to the historic neighborhoods of Northeast Kansas City, Mo. The six neighborhoods – Pendleton Heights, Scarritt Renaissance, Indian Mound, Sheffield, Lykins and Independence Plaza – date back to the late 1800’s. Columbus Park has also been included because, although it is separated from Northeast by highways, the same resilience is found there.

Through the centuries and decades since, the neighborhoods have been home to some of Kansas City’s richest, but also blue collar families and immigrants from across the world. As time passed and they moved on to greener pastures, areas of the Northeast became blighted.

However, determination and grit, and the affordability that could once be found here, have kept many residents here for decades and attracted both skilled rehabbers and community-minded neighbors.

Northeast neighborhood groups have gotten creative with solutions to long-standing problems, found ways to acquire blighted properties to create safe housing, brought neighbors together for litter clean ups and celebrations, and supported the social service agencies that call our community home.

Historic Northeast is home to Kansas City’s Kessler Park with beautiful vistas of the Missouri River and downtown, meandering boulevards, the Kansas City Museum, and many cultures shared through businesses, religions and restaurants.

There are 105,579 residents in Northeast Kansas City, with a median age of 34. Of this, 48.97% are males and 51.03% are females. US-born citizens make up 91.66% of the resident pool in Northeast Kansas City, while non-US-born citizens account for 5.27%. Additionally, 3.07% of the population is represented by non-citizens.

The ever-changing, ever-growing and ever-improving Northeast is fortunate to have so many working to create a safe, clean and welcoming place we’re proud to call home. Links to articles on each neighborhood can be found at northeastnews.net.

10) “Final Paseo Gateway projects to break ground this month,” published in February, gave readers a summary of the Paseo Gateway Initiative, and the impending completion of the project.

The Paseo Gateway Initiative has been in the works since January 2016 when the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) executed a five-year Choice Neighborhoods Implementation Grant for $30 million, along with $109 million in local investment through 30 local partners.

The purpose of the grant is to replace the 134-unit Chouteau Courts public housing site, once located at Independence and Tracy avenues, and to support the revitalization of Pendleton Heights and portions of the Paseo West and Independence Plaza neighborhoods, known collectively as the Paseo Gateway.

Choice Neighborhood activities include housing, people and neighborhoods. The project has already funded the construction of five scattered mixed-income housing sites to replace Chouteau Courts: Quinlan Place and Quinlan Row, Pendleton Arts Block, Pendleton Flats and Rosehill Townhomes.

The United Way leads the “People” portion of the Choice Neighborhoods Initiative utilizing key operational partnerships with a variety of community-based organizations that serve immigrants, career seekers, medically uninsured and families. The team is focused on providing a range of human services that focus on education, economic opportunities and health outcomes. The core focus is to support and promote self-sufficiency for the 150 Target Households – former Chouteau Courts residents – as well as the residents of the Paseo Gateway with a key focus on positive outcomes in education, health and employment.

Greater Kansas City LISC is the Choice Neighborhood partner dedicated to ensuring the successful implementation of the neighborhood strategy. This means that residents of the Choice neighborhoods – Chouteau Courts, Paseo West, Independence Plaza and Pendleton Heights – are stakeholders in the Paseo Gateway project.

The goal of the neighborhood strategy is to create the necessary conditions to attract public and private investment. Along with improvements to Independence Plaza Park and the 8th and Woodland area, the Neighborhood portion is funding storefront and homeowner facade improvements.

The Paseo Gateway area is home to 4,833 residents living in 1,828 households within approximately one square mile. The article gave updates on the Independence and Paseo Intersection, the Samuel U. Rodgers Healthy Living Campus, the 8th and Woodland Streetscape, and Independence Plaza Park Redevelopment.

As we head into 2023, we’d like to thank our loyal readers, advertisers, critics and sources for helping us bring essential news to our community. We couldn’t do it without you. For insight into our goals for the next year, listen to the Northeast Newscast on Saturday, Dec. 31. We’ll also be looking at the staff’s top picks for 2022.