Sam Mellinger

So much to be learned about Royals pitcher Yordano Ventura, which makes his starts all the more thrilling

The problem with the Royals’ Yordano Ventura, who makes his seventh major-league start Friday in Baltimore, is that nobody knows. This is the wonder in watching him pitch. It is also the danger. The thrill. The fear. Baseball is a world where everything is calculated, by computer or by intuition, and Ventura doesn’t fit any of the formulas. He is the size of a high school sophomore and throws a baseball, literally, harder than anyone on earth. What can you make of a guy like this?

News

Jewish centers murder suspect F. Glenn Miller Jr. was once caught with a black male prostitute, former prosecutor says

Police in Raleigh, N.C., filled out an incident report after finding Miller in a car with a black male prostitute dressed as a woman, said Douglas McCullough, who in 1987 prosecuted Miller on charges of possessing hand grenades and mailing a threatening communication. McCullough said the prostitute case was never prosecuted.

News

Three construction projects will shut down lanes and ramps along I-35 and U.S. 69

Drivers who traverse Interstate 35 on the Kansas side can expect to wrestle with construction at three interchanges, starting with a ramp closure on Friday and more closures into next week. These projects are not part of the massive Johnson County Gateway Project scheduled to begin early next month at the Kansas 10, Interstate 35 and I-435 interchange.

Campus Corner

KU has two recruits in top six of Rivals’ class of 2014 basketball rankings

If you put much stock in basketball recruiting rankings, the rich continue to get richer in the Big 12 and Southeastern conferences. Kansas features two players in the top six of Rivals’ final top 150 rankings for the class of 2014, which were released on Thursday morning. Kentucky has four players in the top 30. Defending SEC champ Florida boasts three signees in the top 50.

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University of Missouri

Xavier’s Chris Mack, Dayton’s Archie Miller haven’t been contacted by Missouri

Xavier men’s basketball coach Chris Mack (above) has not been contacted about the vacancy at Missouri, a source close to Mack told The Star on Thursday. “Chris is happy at Xavier,” the source said. Also on Thursday, Dayton confirmed that it has not been contacted by Missouri or any third party about Flyers coach Archie Miller’s interest in the Tigers’ vacancy.

News

Charges filed in gas station shooting that left a father dead and his son paralyzed

"Now my nephew can be at ease. He no longer has to sleep with his eyes open," says an aunt of the 10-year-old boy who was severely wounded in the shooting. The boy’s father was killed. A Kansas City man accused of shooting a father and paralyzing his 10-year-old son was arrested through a combination of witness information and good detective work, Jackson County Prosecutor Jean Peters Baker said Thursday.

TIMOTHY FINN

Arcade Fire’s Starlight Theatre show highlights a busy week for live music

Live music’s busy season is now upon us. Here’s a look at some of the best shows rolling into town over the next week or so. Arcade Fire’s previous Kansas City show, in April 2011, topped many best-concert lists that year. This time, the seven-member band is touring on “Reflektor,” its most-recent album, and one that requires a larger ensemble of musicians.

Chow Town

What defines Chow Town? These 52 thoughts are a start

Fred W. Sauceman introduces his new book “Buttermilk & Bible Burgers” with some reflections on what “Appalachia is” to him. As the one-year anniversary of Chow Town draws near, let’s reflect on what Kansas City’s culinary scene is to us. Here are my 52:

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