(Missourinet) – Maybe you are a Royals fan who remembers the first World Series title or were too young to even know what baseball was about? Maybe you weren’t even born yet in 1985? One thing is sure. The more and more you hear from fans at Tuesday’s historic World Series parade and celebration in downtown Kansas City, the better sense you’ll get of what this title means to this city as a whole.

Some people walked four miles, some further to get to the celebration. Families were split up, friend separated because of the mass crowds. It didn’t matter, they made new friends. College kids skipped classes. Many instructors were Royals fans themselves and canceled their own classes.

“The city is shutdown, schools are closed, businesses are closed, this is what Kansas City has been waiting,” said one fan.

This World Series, while it means different thing to different people, brought Kansas City together. It showed the true spirit of people. Pure celebration among 800,000 of your closest friends.

“I was at one of the games in 1985,” said one woman who was with two of her daughters, while the rest of her family was somewhere in the crowd. “I thought this might be something I’ll never see again. I want to see the crowd. Proud of our city. Proud of our team.”

Shawn Kober shows you the spirit of Kansas City fans.

UPDATE

In a @Royals-like late-inning win, KCPS has decided we will not be in session tomorrow, Nov. 3. Enjoy the day and go @Royals! #Crowned

— KCMO Schools (@KCMOSchools) November 2, 2015

(Missourinet and Post) – Some schools are closing as Kansas City hosts the Royals World Series victory parade on Tuesday, Nov. 3.

The parade starts at noon.

Kansas City, Kansas and Kansas City, Missouri public schools will be closed.

Districts that are closing:
Some area schools cancel for Royal Celebration parade.
Blue Valley School District
De Soto School District
Independence School District
Metropolitan Community College
Oak Grove R-VI School District
Olathe School District
Park Hill School District
Rockhurst
Shawnee Mission School District
Kansas City, Kan. School District
They are estimating one million fans will show up for the parade.
The 2.3 mile parade steps off on Grand Boulevard between the Sprint Center and the Kansas City Power & Light District and heads north to Ninth Street. It turns east to Oak, then goes south to Truman, then west back to Grand. After circling through the downtown business district, the parade continues south on Grand to Pershing Road. The parade turns west on Pershing Road to Union Station. The Victory Rally stage will be located in front of Union Station, with viewing opportunities on the north lawn of the National WWI Museum and Memorial. The Victory Rally will start at approximately 2 p.m., shortly after the end of the parade arrives.

(Missourinet) – Missouri is scheduled to on Tuesday execute a man who in 1994 killed three people at a Columbia Casey’s store. Ernest Lee Johnson was convicted of killing Mary Bratcher, Mable Scruggs, and Fred Jones using a hammer.

His attorney, Jeremy Weis, is trying to get that execution postponed or stopped altogether. He and Johnson don’t dispute that Johnson committed the murders.

Weis is asking the state Supreme Court to appoint a special investigator to consider his argument that Johnson is intellectually disabled, which would disqualify him for the death penalty.

Weis said testing of Johnson over more than 40 years establishes deficits in intellectual functioning. He said in Johnson’s trial the jury was given instructions including a clinical definition of intellectual disability but no guidance. He said that hampered their ability to consider his condition.

“If you don’t understand what an adaptive function is, there’s no definition that the court gave them. If you don’t understand what it means to have onset before the age of 18 and whether it’s documented before the age of 18, the court didn’t give any guidance on that. They didn’t talk about IQ scores, and what IQ score would qualify, what IQ score wouldn’t, margin of error – things like that,” said Weis.

Weis also argues that Johnson is prone to seizures after a 2008 operation to remove part of a brain tumor, and that the pentobarbital used in executions in Missouri poses the risk of violent and uncontrollable seizures in Johnson. He argues that this would violate Johnson’s right not to suffer cruel and unusual punishment. Weis is arguing that lethal gas would reduce the risk of pain to Johnson.

Lethal gas is the method of execution used by Missouri from 1937 until 1965. It is still in Missouri law as a method that can be used, but the state does not have a functional gas chamber.

Weis also represents Kimber Edwards who was scheduled to be executed in October, but Governor Jay Nixon commuted his sentence to life in prison.

If Johnson’s appeals and a request of Governor Nixon for clemency are not successful, Johnson will be executed between 6 p.m. Tuesday night at 5:59 p.m. Wednesday night at the state prison in Bonne Terre.

(Missourinet) – St. Louis police have charged a man in two of a series of church arsons around the city.

Today, police announced the arrest of 35-year-old David Lopez Jackson. He is black and most, but not all of the churches burned served black congregations. Officials say they are not sure of the motive, but the fires had stoked concern about racial targeting after renewed Ferguson riots and this year’s massacre at a South Carolina church.

Mayor Francis Slay held a press conference Friday afternoon, saying the fires affected the “foundation of the community.”

Jackson is a suspect in the other fires, but the is charged after evidence was found at New Life Missionary Baptist and Ebenezer Lutheran churches, police say. Surveillance camera footage shows Jackson’s car at the scene of one of the fires.

Slay says community involvement led to the arrest.

Jackson is being held on a $75,000 cash bond.

(Missourinet) – Home school students can’t participate in sports at public schools that belong to the Missouri State High School Activities Association, but some lawmakers want that changed. A bi-law prevents such students from being eligible. Association Executive Director Kerwin Urhahn said by-laws are passed by schools that belong to the Association.

Representative Don Rone (R-Portageville) said the Association needs to change that rule or else the Legislature will get involved.

“If your people in your Association doesn’t address it, I assure you that this group right here will address it,” said Rone. “I assure by what I’ve seen up here in a year, you won’t like what this side of the aisle does, compared to when your superintendents get together and decide.”

Representative Kirk Matthews (R-Pacific) said sports can enhance a student’s life.

“I would suggest to you that, as full taxpayers, if they’re opting out of the educational experience, they’re not opting out of the entire educational experience,” said Matthews. “They should be able to have the exposure to the extracurricular activities.”

Representative Brandon Ellington (D-Kansas City) disagrees with allowing such students to participate.

“If I had the opportunity to stay home and still go to school and play ball, but I didn’t have to show up to school, listen to the teachers, not follow the disciplinary procedures, not wear a uniform, then it would be counterproductive on my part,” said Ellington.

Urhahn said he will again ask schools that belong to the organization if they want to change the by-law.

(Missourinet) – A state House Democrat who was involved in the creation of a proposed policy for House interns doesn’t like the process that was used, but is pleased with the result.

Representative Kip Kendrick (D-Columbia) was part of the task force created in May to craft a new House intern policy, and submitted his proposed policy in July.

Kendrick says he’s pleased his recommendations became part of the proposal, including a clarification of who is considered a mandated reporter; expanded training of staff, interns, and lawmakers regarding sexual harassment and inappropriate relationships; and a workplace relationship policy that mirrored the nonfraternization policy proposed by House Speaker Tod Richardson (R-Poplar Bluff).

“That’s, I think, front-and-center. We need to identify clearly what is an acceptable relationship and what is not acceptable,” said Kendrick.

He’s pushing for more changes. The proposed policy calls for requiring investigation of sexual harassment complaints by outside counsel. Kendrick thinks potential counsel should be identified ahead of time.

“I think it will be important to identify a list of potential outside counsels before an investigation is needed, so it’s not just at the last minute the chief clerk or the speaker’s looking for outside counsel,” said Kendrick.

Kendrick was critical of the process, however, saying it needed to have been more transparent.

“I wish the work group could have had a chance to meet and sit down and talk about this in person, but I do think the recommendations that are moving forward are substantial, and it looks like there has been input definitely from outside groups, judging from how substantial the changes are,” said Kendrick.

The next step is for the proposed intern and sexual harassment policies to be considered by a House committee, which will meet Thursday.

(Missourinet) – A state House committee has suggested the Missouri State High School Activities Association work to recruit more referees, and see that they get more training. The association’s Executive Director Kerwin Urhahn understands the need for more refs, but he said recruitment is difficult.

“People are not willing to become an official because they get harassed, yelled and screamed at. They can do no right,” said Urhahn. “We see that revolving door. The thing is, we try to talk to our schools about the fact that if they run off the officials they can’t play games. They have to recruit young folks to try and do this. They have to support the officials, not yell and scream at them.”

Representative Paul Fitzwater, a ref himself, says proper training of referees is important.

“You can’t train someone to become a good official. It’s called experience. You have to referee. You have to get out there and do it. It doesn’t happen overnight,” said Fitzwater. “I think one of the real problems is we have Athletic Directors that don’t have officials. If you’ve got a license, a heartbeat and a shirt, you’re good to go.”

Urhahn said the Association will work on the quality and number of refs it employs.

“All of our officials are not perfect. They’re human beings. I hope for my sake, they all try and do the very best they can,” said Urhahn. “That’s what I expect of them, is to give their very best effort every time they walk out there. Those kids who are playing have worked hard to get to that point. They want to give their very best.”

Urhahn said the shortage of referees is statewide. He said soccer referees are needed most.

The committee continues meeting today discussing whether MSHSAA has followed the recommendations of a 2007 committee, most of which focused on student safety and compliance with Missouri’s open records and meetings law.