Crime

From jail, man charged in 10 highway shootings offers a defense

Mohammed Whitaker, the man charged in 10 shootings in March and April on area roadways, has called The Kansas City Star at least eight times in recent weeks from the Jackson County jail, saying he’s been wrongly accused. He says that if the time of the sixth shooting listed on a police report — about 5:30 p.m. April 2 — is correct, then cellphone tower records show he could not have been the gunman.

Local

Kansas City area’s digital-age schools hail an education revolution

Liberty’s EPiC school and the Kauffman School in KC stand with other new school buildings that are designed to serve and anticipate the rapidly advancing world of digital learning.

Chiefs

Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce healthy and eager to play

Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce got to show his additional abilities, such as his deep-snapping skills, in training camp Monday after missing his rookie year with a knee injury.

Royals

Royals’ offense silenced again by Chris Sale in 3-1 loss to White Sox

White Sox starting pitcher Chris Sale struck out eight while scattering seven hits across as many innings as the Royals fell 3-1 in the opener of a three-game series in Chicago. In losing seven of its last eight games, Kansas City fell two below .500 at 48-50.

Latest News

21-year-old Kansas City woman found dead in KCI pond

Tue 8:20 AM

Hottest day of summer hits Kansas City

Tue 7:56 AM

Gunshot victim found in Gladstone dies from injuries

Tue 7:55 AM

By 4-3 vote, Roeland Park City Council rejects anti-bias ordinance

Mon 10:35 PM

Driver stops to help ducklings, gets $100 ticket

Tue 7:19 AM

Israeli aircraft hit more than 70 targets in Gaza

Tue 12:34 AM

Verizon 2Q profit rises 93 percent

Tue 8:19 AM

Authorities in Leavenworth announce arrest in death of 5-year-old girl

Mon 10:31 PM

Rebels release train with bodies from downed jet

Tue 5:44 AM

Retired Shawnee Mission East teacher Charles Black convicted of pushing wife off a cliff

Mon 3:56 PM

KC school district asks Missouri for temporary provisional accreditation

Mon 6:33 PM

‘Bachelorette’ Andi Dorfman faces exes in ‘Men Tell All’ episode

Tue 6:40 AM

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Living

Random facts: Khaleesi beats Betsy in baby names & the Caribbean beaches of parrotfish poop

The Kansas City Star accumulates a cooler’s worth of frothy facts, from fish farts to talking mongooses, for sharing at the next neighborhood picnic. Just hope the tsetse flies don’t bother you.

Crime

Car drives through group from Westboro Baptist Church protesting at KC concert

A Sunday night protest in Kansas City by the Westboro Baptist Church was interrupted when someone drove a car onto a sidewalk and into the group. The female driver eluded police who were monitoring the protest. The band Panic! At the Disco was performing at Crossroads KC, and the band said it would donate $20 to the Human Rights Campaign for each Westboro protester.

Sporting KC

Matt Besler’s letter to Kansas City fans: ‘I am right where I belong’

In a letter addressed to Kansas City, Sporting KC defender Matt Besler thanks his fans and explains why he decided to re-sign with the team long-term and remain in Major League Soccer: “You’ve provided the most loyal fans in MLS. You’ve made Sporting Park the best stadium in the country. … You’ve reassured me that I am right where I belong.”

Basketball

Cleveland Cavaliers are reportedly close to signing rookie Andrew Wiggins

Former Kansas star Andrew Wiggins might just get some stabilitity to his start in the NBA, at least temporarily. According to reports, the Cleveland Cavaliers are close to signing Wiggins, the No. 1 overall pick by the Cavs in last month’s draft. The deal is expected to happen this week.

Government & Politics

Attorney General Derek Schmidt says more than 14,000 Kansans apply for concealed-carry permits

The state received the second most applications since program started in 2006.

Local

Big 12 commissioner Bob Bowlsby can see fiscal trouble in flush world of college sports

Ball Star

George Brett, Frank White head Royals Dream Team

Mary Sanchez

Let’s treat gun safety as a public health issue

University of Kansas

KU coach Charlie Weis hopes new offense leads to more wins

Government & Politics

KC school district asks Missouri for temporary provisional accreditation

Cityscape

Coffee roasting hobby leads to new Waldo coffee shop

Government & Politics

Texas Gov. Rick Perry to send up to 1,000 guard troops to border

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Blogs & Columns

Don't Kill The Mellinger

Twitter Tuesday: football season, ghosts of Royals past, Michael Sam, and is USMNT better off with Besler and Zusi in KC?

You probably know that, for the most part, the NFL shuts down between minicamps and the beginning of training camp. You know the way junior high kids look forward to summer break? That’s sort of the way a lot of football people look at those three or four or five or however-many-they-can-squeeze-in weeks.

Don't Kill The Mellinger

Twitter Tuesday: football season, ghosts of Royals past, Michael Sam, and is USMNT better off with Besler and Zusi in KC?

Stargazing

‘Bachelorette’ Andi Dorfman faces exes in ‘Men Tell All’ episode

It was a sea of scarves and man tears on Monday’s “Men Tell All” episode of the “Bachelorette,” where attorney Andi Dorfman defended her honor to the suitors she sent home throughout the season.

Judging the Royals

Jeremy Guthrie throws a quality start, but the offense doesn’t come through

Jeremy Guthrie threw six innings and gave three earned runs: that’s a quality start. The Royals bullpen supplied a quality finish; three scoreless innings from Aaron Crow, Scott Downs and Jason Frasor. Once again the Royals pitched well, but couldn’t come up with enough offense to make the pitching pay off. Kansas City has scored two runs in the last three games. They’ve already gotten one hitting coach replaced; at some point you need to look at the players.

Local Columnists

Dave Helling: Primary campaigns lay down a weary tune

With two weeks to go until the Aug. 4 primaries in Missouri and Kansas, the campaigns seem unusually listless this season. Sluggish campaigns lead to low turnout, and it’s going to be hard to awaken voters in the next two weeks.

Chow Town

As summer heats up, enjoy pleasures of the smoked tomato

Every season has a star ingredient, a golden child that hogs all the attention like a precocious, cute nephew at a family gathering. For summer, that vegetable is undoubtedly the tomato, the universal symbol of summer and seasonal eating.

Special Projects

Economic mobility: The chance to move from poverty to wealth defines the American dream.

Boilermakers union leaders receive lofty pay, benefits

Doctors Inc.: Medicine goes corporate as more physicians join hospital payrolls

Denise’s decision: How will she know when it’s time to place her husband in nursing care?

Kansas City Zoo: Penguins

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