Home prices everywhere on the rise, this isn’t breaking news. But home prices in Weston in particular are on the rise, it seems.
The Kansas City Business Journal had a piece last week on home prices that had some interesting information. According to data provided by the Kansas City Regional Association of Realtors, each of the counties in the Kansas City Business Journal coverage area experienced an increase in median sales price of homes during the past year.
The median home price in Platte County during the past year is $375,000. That’s an increase of 16.5% compared to the previous year.
Specifically, the Weston zip code of 64098 now has a median home sales price of $380,000, which is up 100% from this time a year ago. That was the second highest percentage change of a zip code in the Business Journal’s coverage area, according to the report, outdone by only the 64034 zip code in Cass County, which saw a 117% increase.
From the ‘Whatever Happened To?’ department:
•According to his LinkedIn page, Mike Reik, former superintendent for Platte County R-3 School District before retiring from the post effective July 1, is now working as a director for Raymond James, a financial services firm. Raymond James Financial has 8,600 financial advisors throughout the United States, Canada and overseas.
•Michael Short, former member of the Platte County Commission from the mid 90s to the mid 2000s, has been named branch manager of the Kansas City, Wichita and Springfield public finance offices for Stifel Nicolaus & Company. Short provides public finance advice and bond underwriting structuring service to municipal jurisdictions in the Midwest region.
•Kurt Foley, who served as Landmark facilities manager in his high school days circa 2006-ish to 2009-ish, is an instructor/energy specialist at K-State University Engineering Extension/Kansas Energy Program. He has taken up photography as a hobby and a piece of his work has been accepted to be included in an art show called Visions of the Flint Hills, an exhibit that will be at the Buttonwood Art Space in Kansas City from October through early December.
•You know who else has had some photography work accepted for that same art exhibit? Word on the street says it is none other than Missouri Photojournalism Hall of Famer Bill Hankins, legendary Landmark photographer and former photojournalism instructor at Oak Park who lives in northern Platte County.
“Back the Blue unless they’re going after Trump” just doesn’t have the same ring to it, you guys.
Soccer fans, where y’at?
I ask that question because there are a lot of soccer fans among Landmark readers. I know this because I typically hear from you when we poke some good-natured fun at your favorite sport. Hey, it’s all done with a wink and a smile. There’s nothing wrong with soccer, other than it’s, you know, a little sleepy. I’d be fibbing if I told you soccer is my favorite sport, but I try hard not to make fun of it these days. Because soccer adds value to our region, right? I mean, right? Yes, yes it does. Heck, the World Cup is coming to Kansas City in 2026, after all, and I’m excited about that.
Anyway, this is a long-winded way to say that the Kansas City Current, which is Kansas City’s professional women’s soccer team, is hosting its first-ever media soccer game at halftime of their home game Friday night at Children’s Mercy Park in Kansas City, Kan. at Legends.
Chris Kamler, better known as our Rambling Moron and you know why, will be representing The Landmark in this game. Kamler will be playing–or at least standing on the field–during Friday’s media soccer battle at halftime of the Current’s game against Angel City.
I want to make this written declaration in advance: The Landmark is not gonna be held responsible for any injuries Kamler may or may not suffer during Friday’s game. This includes medical conditions such as heart attack, stroke or heat exhaustion. Nope. None of those are covered under the employment contract that Kamler does not have.
I haven’t played in a media soccer game since 2013. That’s the year I sprinted down the field in the opening 30 seconds of the game hoping to get a breakaway shot on goal. Didn’t get the shot. Only thing I got was dangerously out of breath. At that point I decided to spend the rest of the game slowly roaming about a 10 square foot area of the field. Trying to catch my breath and not die was my only goal for about 15 minutes. That’s when I announced to my inner self that I would never again be playing in a media soccer game. “Landmark publisher dies playing boring sport” didn’t sound like a positive headline to end my career.
Nowadays I’m waiting for somebody to ask me to play in a media slow-pitch softball game. Or darts. Or checkers.
I remember before that 2013 game one of the organizers from the Kansas City Comets game asked me if I would play goalie for my assigned media team. I politely said no, because I fancied myself as above it. I’m sure they asked because they figured as the oldest guy on the team goalie would be a good fit for me. So their intentions were pure, but come on, man. Goalie ain’t got a chance to score. I wanted a chance to score.
Goalie. Hah. No thanks. I can recall in grade school when we played soccer during recess, the overweight kid was always ‘asked’ by his classmates to play goalie. That sounds harsh in today’s world but relax, it was the early 70s. Bullying wasn’t really a problem and political correctness had yet to be invented. Besides, the overweight kid always knew why he was being ‘asked’ to play goalie. It was because he was addicted to cookies and cake and stuff. He knew it was a fair trade. And frankly, he was probably perfectly happy about playing goalie. Less running than the rest of the team.
I don’t know if Kamler will be playing goalie but I feel confident he’ll be the one doing considerably less running than anybody else.
(You can find Foley nervously watching his phone for 911 alerts from Kamler’s soccer game. Email ivan@plattecountylandmark.com)