Johnson County Transit to Expand Service

Good news from Johnson County Transit, a client I have been working with the past couple of months. On Nov. 6, 2008, they received approval for emergency funding to buy up to additional seven buses to handle increased ridership. A Fox 4 TV reporter called me, and I worked to get an interview set up with Chuck Ferguson of JCT, which ran on the evening broadcasts. The news release also generated coverage on KSHB-TV 41 and in the print media.

NEWS RELEASE


Release Date: Nov. 7, 2008

Contacts: Phil Detrixhe, Marketing Manager, (913) 782-2210 or Phil.Detrixhe@jocogov.org
Susan Pepperdine, Public Relations, (913) 262-7414 or susan@pepperdinepr.com


Commissioners Approve $2.45 Million in Funding
For Johnson County Transit to Expand Service

OLATHE, KAN. ... By a unanimous vote of 7-0 on Thursday, the Johnson County Board of Commissioners approved Johnson County Transit’s (JCT) emergency funding request for $2.45 million. The funding includes a one-time capital expense of $1.4 million to be used to purchase as many as seven additional buses, and $1.05 million transferred from the general fund to increase current operating hours by an additional 50 hours per day.

Currently The JO buses provide 254 hours of daily service – not enough to handle ridership that is at an all-time high. “Since January 2008 The JO has experienced unprecedented growth in ridership as well as requests for additional service, complaints regarding overcrowding and service delays,” explained JCT Transportation Director Alice M. Amrein in her briefing sheet presented to the commissioners. Safety and comfort have become a concern, with many routes operating under “standing room only” conditions, she reported.

El Torreon (Cowtown Ballroom) to Rise Again

One of the things I enjoy most about public relations is the opportunity to promote good causes and civic projects. That was certainly true a few weeks ago when I was in charge of setting up a press conference announcing Jeanne Bojarski's planned restoration of the historic El Torreon building. All four Kansas City television stations, the Business Journal and other print media covered the event.

The El Torreon opened in 1927 at 31st and Gillham. Many Kansas Citians remember when the Cowtown Ballroom was the building's star attraction during the early 1970s. Many popular performers, including Alice Cooper and the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, played there. To read more about the building's star-studded history, click on the following link to download a PDF version of the El Torreon Timeline.

El Torreon Timeline (pdf).

As restoration proceeds, events are once again being scheduled at the El Torreon. For information, call Jeanne Bojarski at (816) 588-1869.

On the Podium

As I watched the Olympics, I was pleased to see a record being set for the correct usage of the word “podium." Before each awards ceremony, the announcers said that the medalists would stand on the podium.

That's in contrast to the barrage of news broadcasts and political talk shows at the local and national levels. According to the Associated Press stylebook, which journalists and commentators should follow, speakers stand BEHIND a lectern and ON a podium or rostrum.

There, I feel better getting that out of my system!

Pearl Harbor Event Is Fitting Honor for Veterans

It turned out to be a beautiful day for the special flag raising at the Pearl Harbor Memorial Park in Mission, Kan. The Aug. 15 event commemorated the fourth anniversary of the park's opening and the 63rd anniversary of V-J Day (Victory over Japan).

Dorwin Lamkin, my “adopted” uncle, offered his comments, pointing out how the attack on Pearl Harbor pushed the United States onto the world stage. Other Pearl Harbor survivors attending were Edmund “Russ” Russell, Jack Carson and Jesse Dunnagan. World War II veterans who had recently visited Washington, D.C., on “Honor Flights” also attended.

Rep. Dennis Moore and Mission Councilman John Weber also spoke. The VFW Post 7397 assisted with the flag raising, along with Quinn Appletoft, a student who helped organize the Pearl Harbor commemorative event last Dec. 7 in Mission.

As a volunteer, I sent a news release and contacted The Star and TV stations. The Sun ran an article, The Star ran a photo feature, and all four local TV stations covered the event. The media coverage was a fitting recognition of the veterans to whom we owe so much.

Aug. 15 Flag-raising at Pearl Harbor Memorial Park

In the summer of 2001, I realized the 60th anniversary of the attack on Pearl Harbor would be on Dec. 7 that year. Since I was editor of a newsletter for an insurance company that served the military, I suggested a story and was put in touch with Joe Brant, a Leawood, Kan., resident and member of the local chapter of the Pearl Harbor Survivors Assn.

After interviewing Joe (now deceased), I volunteered to help publicize the anniversary event, which became more poignant after Sept. 11. All of the TV stations covered the event. In 2003, after my last uncle, a World War II Navy veteran, died, I “adopted” Dorwin Lamkin as my uncle. The local chapter president, he is a Navy survivor of the USS Nevada. Then in 2004 the Pearl Harbor Memorial Park was dedicated in Mission, Kan.

This year we are planning a special flag-raising on Aug. 15 at the park. You're invited! See the details in the accompanying news release.

NEWS RELEASE

PEARL HARBOR SURVIVORS ASSOCIATION
Kansas City Metro Chapter III

Release Date: 7/17/08

Contact: Susan Pepperdine, (913) 262-7414, or susan@pepperdinepr.com

Rep. Moore to Join in Aug. 15 Flag Raising
At Pearl Harbor Memorial Park

(MISSION, KAN.) ... Rep. Dennis Moore will participate in a flag-raising ceremony at 10 a.m., Friday, Aug. 15, at the Pearl Harbor Survivors Memorial Park on the corner of Martway and Maple streets in Mission, Kan. Mission city officials, local Pearl Harbor survivors and other World War II veterans will also attend.

The American flag used will be one flown over the Capitol that Moore presented to PHSA Metro Chapter III President Dorwin Lamkin, Mission, during the June Honor Flight to Washington, D.C. (Honor Flight is a nonprofit organization that honors America’s veterans for their sacrifices.)

Aug. 15 is the fourth anniversary of the park dedication and the 63rd anniversary of V-J Day, commemorating victory over Japan in World War II.

The park honors survivors of the Dec. 7, 1941, attack on Pearl Harbor. Located in the park are two granite benches displaying the names of 54 Metro Chapter III members and other Pearl Harbor veterans, both living and deceased. A three-ton anchor donated by the U.S. Navy and shipped from Williamsburg, Va., is also on display.

The event is free and the public is invited.
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