Leah Wankum  - Daily Planner

Your daily planner: Thursday, Nov. 17

Students at Harmony Elementary were able to learn about pickleball from a couple of pros on Tuesday. Blue Valley West grad and former Sporting KC defender Matt Besler, along with former Chiefs wide receiver Gehrig Dieter taught the Huskies some of the basics as ambassadors for Chicken N Pickle. Photo via Twitter.

Greetings and welcome to the near end of the week. Here’s a rundown to get you updated in Johnson County.

Forecast: 🌨 High: 40, Low: 18. Partly sunny, plus a chance of sprinkles in the afternoon mixing with flurries after 5 p.m.

Diversions

  • The city of Mission is hosting a Thanksgiving feast called “Thanks for Seniors” from 11:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. today at the Powell Community Center. Cost is $12.
  • The city of Shawnee’s Christkindl at Moonlight Market takes place from 4 to 8 p.m. tonight in downtown Shawnee. Details here.
  • Jewish Family Services of Greater Kansas City is hosting author Adam Stern as part of its Acclaimed Author Series at 7 p.m. tonight at the Jewish Community Center of Greater Kansas City. Details here.

Public Agenda

  • The Johnson County Board of County Commissioners meets at 9:30 a.m. today with plans to consider authorizing
    • a $1.4 million budget increase to what will become a $7.2 million project to upgrade detention center security; a million-dollar investment in a townhomes project in Gardner;
    • a nearly $2 million increase in budget for Shawnee Med-Act’s improvement project;
    • and $1.3 million in funds for the design and bid phase of a wastewater treatment facility in Overland Park. Agenda here.
  • The Johnson County Community College Board of Trustees meets at 5 p.m. today with plans to consider updated board policies. Agenda here.

Noteworthy

  • “Police said the suspects ripped off the jewelry, which was worth over $10,000, from an employee’s hand. It caused the employee to suffer a broken finger.” [41 Action News]
  • “Ashley Sherard will succeed Blake Schreck in February as CEO of the Lenexa Chamber of Commerce and as head of the city’s Economic Development Council. Sherard has been the vice president of the chamber since 2002.” [Kansas City Business Journal]

Hi there! I'm Leah Wankum, and I'm the Post's Deputy Editor.

I'm thrilled to call Johnson County home, and I'm deeply committed to the Post's philosophy that an informed community is a strong community.

But we can't produce truly local coverage of Johnson County without your support. To the more than 7,000 of you who already subscribe, THANK YOU! If you don't subscribe yet but want to support our truly local community reporting, please sign up for a trial today — it's just $1 for your first month, and you can cancel anytime.

A bit about me and my background:

I'm a native of mid-Missouri, and attended high school in Jefferson City before going on to the University of Central Missouri, where I earned a master's degree in mass communication.

Prior to joining the Post as a reporter in 2018, I was the editor of the Richmond News in Ray County, Missouri. I've also written for several publications, including the Sedalia Democrat and KC Magazine.