On The Vine: A shot in the arm — get your vaccine
Just so you know, your normal voice on the vine, Trey Williams, is on a break this week and I, Mará Rose Williams, veteran education reporter, and my colleague, Cortlynn Stark, race and class reporter, are tag teaming on this edition.
I don’t know about you, but this staying in, not visiting friends and family or having them over for meals and conversations is starting to really get to me. Hard to believe it’s been almost a year that my weekly outing has consisted of nothing more than a quick run to the grocery store to stock up on essentials. At least there’s plenty of toilet paper on the shelves.
Never thought I’d say this but I think I might be suffering from — what a lot of others might also be experiencing — FOMO (fear of missing out). On what, I’m not exactly sure since everyone seems to be in the same boat. Nevertheless, it is why I’m eager to get my shot in the arm. The sooner we all get vaccinated the better and safer it’s going to be for everyone. I believe that. Dr. Anthony Fauci — America’s infectious disease guru — says it’s so.
Granted, vaccine supply is down everywhere. It’s been only trickling in here in the Kansas City area. Still, it’s pretty important for us to get our names on a list at a local health department or hospital, so when the time comes, we’ll be ready.
Most public health departments for area counties and the city of Kansas City have set up online surveys where people can sign up to receive information on vaccine eligibility and availability.
My turn has not come yet — I don’t work in health care or emergency services, my health is good and I’m not old enough, and that’s all Missouri is vaccinating right now. I’m not sure when my turn will come. I went online and signed up anyway, done.
A few Tips:
▪ Monitor your local public health department’s website for additional information.
▪ All vaccinations will be conducted by appointment only.
▪ Commit to the appointment if you register to help ensure that doses are not wasted.
Lately, the news sounds good though since the seven-day rolling average for new cases in the Kansas City metro seems to be trending down. On Sunday it sat at 210. One week ago, it was 481. Two weeks ago, it was 583.
Kansas is currently vaccinating people in Phase 1 and 2 of its distribution plan, which includes residents 65 and older, emergency responders and some critical jobs. In Johnson and Wyandotte counties, that means teachers and child care workers. Wyandotte also includes other “high-contact” workers, such as grocery store employees.
Missouri is vaccinating residents eligible in its first three groups, which include people age 65 and older and those with certain high-risk health conditions.
Still it seems we aren’t doing as well on getting those shots in arms as most other states. Data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has placed Kansas, along with Missouri and Alabama, as the three lowest-ranking states in the number of vaccine doses given.
One thing good this week about staying at home because of COVID, it has kept us out of the sub-zero temperatures that encased the metro area. So extremely cold it created a high demand for electricity and caused rolling service outages for thousands of customers throughout Kansas City and Independence. Yikes!
Got a question, recommendation or just want to say hey? Email Trey Williams, race and equity editor, at cewilliams@kcstar.com
Around the block
A fierce fighter for the disenfranchised, KC civic leader and civil rights activist Carol Coe has died.
Kansas City lost one of a its toughest fighters for fairness, equity in education and social justice this week. Former city councilwoman Carol Coe died on Sunday, Feb. 14. She was 74.
“She was a fierce warrior,” is how Kansas City attorney Clinton Adams described Coe, who had represented Kansas City’s Third District on City Council from 1991 to 1995.
An attorney and civil rights activist, Coe was a dedicated member of the Delta Sigma Theta Sorority Inc.
In a post on Twitter, Mayor Quinton Lucas said Coe, who was also a former member of the Jackson County Legislature, was “devoted to improving life for all Kansas Citians.”
Other friends and colleagues described Coe as an advocate for the advancement of women, people of color and those less fortunate.
Rodney Bland, president of Freedom Inc. told The Star that Coe was a “protector of people who had less,” and he said “she was tenacious in everything she did.”
In October, the city council adopted a resolution declaring that the bridge near East 19th and Vine streets be named the “Carol Coe Bridge of Opportunity.”
Three Kansas City-area Proud Boys were arrested in connection with Capitol raid
Given the hundreds who took part in the U.S. Capitol raid and attempted insurrection on Jan. 6, it’s probably no surprise that there were some folks from the Kansas City area in the crowd. And, they may have been doing more than just waving signs and yelling for a president who was on his way out of office after a fair and legal election.
Louis Enrique Colon of Blue Springs and Christopher Kuehne and William Chrestman of Olathe were charged Thursday in connection with conspiring in the Capitol riot. Five people died, more than a hundred were injured.
Information from federal law enforcement agencies identifies known far-right extremists and white nationalist group members as leading participants in the attempted subversion at the capitol.
Proud Boys have appeared alongside other hate groups at extremist gatherings such as the “Unite the Right” rally in Charlottesville, Virginia, in August 2017.
The three face charges of conspiracy, civil disorder, obstruction of an official proceeding, knowingly entering or remaining in a restricted building or grounds without lawful authority, and disorderly conduct on Capitol grounds.
Chrestman was also charged with threatening to assault a federal law enforcement officer and using and carrying a dangerous weapon during the commission of the offense.
On Friday, the FBI arrested two Springfield men for their alleged role in the riot. Michael Aaron Quick and Stephen Brian Quick faced federal charges of disorderly conduct, parading and demonstrating in the Capitol building. And last week William A. Pope, 35, of Topeka also was arrested in connection with the melee at the Capitol.
Check this out ...
Girl wakes from coma after crash involving now-former Chiefs coach Britt Reid
A lot of folks across the country have been praying for the adorable 5-year-old Kansas City girl, who has been in a coma since being critically injured in the car crash involving now-former Chiefs coach Britt Reid. Yes, he is the son of head coach Andy Reid.
Good news: She’s awake according to a post Monday on a GoFundMe page for the family. At last check, nearly $500,000 in donations was in the fund to help with doctor’s bills. Little Ariel suffered swelling and bleeding in and around her brain in the Feb. 4 crash. Police said she was still unresponsive but breathing on her own.
“What a fighter, God bless you. We are praying for your recovery here in Charlotte NC. You go girl, I am so happy to hear this!! “ one person wrote on the donation page.
Reid, whose employment with the Chiefs ended last week, hit two cars on the side of an entrance ramp along Interstate 435, near the team’s practice facility, according to police. Two kids — Ariel and her 4-year-old cousin — were in the second vehicle.
In case you missed it...
- Kansas teachers are getting COVID vaccines now. In Missouri, they might wait months.
- As nasty as ever:’ remote learning renews fight for school choice in Kansas, Missouri
- How Terez Paylor inspired a nation of journalist colleagues, and will continue to do so
Beyond the block
Texas blackouts hit minority neighborhoods especially hard
As Texas continues to deal with energy blackouts and loss of water, underserved communities were hit especially hard. This is something we see time and time again.
Experts and community groups in Texas said that minority communities who were hit with outages first could be the last to have power turned back on.
Lower-income and minority communities are also more at risk when large industrial complexes — which they tend to live nearer — shut down and restart when those complexes release pollutants.
Thursday morning, pictures of Texas Sen. Ted Cruz allegedly on a flight to Cancún, Mexico, went viral. Many criticized the senator for leaving on a beach vacation in a time of devastating crisis at home.
Rush Limbaugh, conservative radio provocateur and cultural phenomenon, dies at 70
At 70 years old, Rush Limbaugh, a native of Cape Girardeau, Missouri, has died after a battle with lung cancer.
His nationally syndicated radio show “The Rush Limbaugh Show” that focused on conservative politics began in 1988. And while his show was the most listened to talk radio broadcast in the U.S., he was often racist and misogynistic.
Former President Donald Trump awarded him the Presidential Medal of Freedom in February of last year. After Trump lost the 2020 election, Limbaugh repeated the president’s baseless allegations of election fraud. And after the Jan. 6 insurrection at the Capitol, Limbaugh compared the rioters to the colonists that sparked the American Revolution.
In case you missed it...
Republican senators from Kansas, Missouri vote to acquit former President Trump
After Capitol riot, desperate families turn to groups that ‘deprogram’ extremists
Amy Cooper, Who Falsely Accused Black Bird-Watcher, Has Charge Dismissed
‘Time is not going to stand still.’ Cleaver has big goals for housing policy under Biden
For the culture
As ‘a love letter to Black women,’ tea shop on KC dividing line empowers community
Nika Cotton, a single mother of two, is working to do more than just provide for her children. At her tea shop near East 30th Street and Troost Avenue, she’s working to empower Black women — and maybe even inspire her daughter in the process.
As a Black woman who started a business, she’s also facing systemic barriers. Those systemic challenges include access to credit and constraints on capital, which tie back to the history of segregation and redlining.
Cotton’s shop is full of empowering signs and beautiful art. One sign near the entrance is modeled after a 2015 Drake album: “If you’re reading this, God is a Black woman.”
Serena Williams: ‘Wouldn’t tell anyone’ if this was my last Australian Open
Serena Williams, 23 time Grand Slam champion, lost to Naomi Osaka in the Australian Open semifinals this week.
When the crowd gave her a standing ovation, she waved and put her hand on her heart — a gesture that stirred speculation that she played her last match at the Australian Open. Williams is one of the greatest athletes of all time.
Williams denied it was a goodbye, saying: ““If I ever say farewell, I wouldn’t tell anyone.”
She walked out of the post-match press conference in tears.
In case you missed it...
Author talks, music and more: Celebrate Black History Month in Kansas City, virtually
Commentary: Critics ridiculed Brandy’s ‘Cinderella.’ Its lasting legacy is a lesson to Hollywood
Here’s to history... Arrested for trying to go bowling: At 98, Kansas City man lived and made Black history
Mará and I are glad to have been here.
Until next time!
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This story was originally published February 18, 2021 at 12:43 PM.