We’ve halfway there, Shawnee Mission!
? Today’s forecast: Sunny and breezy with wind gusts up to nearly 40 mph. High: 62. Low: 51.
? One thing to know today
A former nurse in Overland Park has been sentenced to 18 months in federal prison for stealing opioids from Menorah Medical Center.
In December, Alec Ramirez, 32, of Overland Park, pleaded guilty to one count of tampering with a consumer product and one count of possession of fentanyl by deception and subterfuge.
In a press release, the U.S. Department of Justice said Ramirez in March 2021 “removed vials of fentanyl and hydromorphone from an automated dispensing cabinet at Menorah” and replaced them with vials filled with an “alternate liquid.”
Fentanyl and hydromorphone are both synthetic opioids typically prescribed for pain relief.
The drugs are highly addictive and have played a role in America’s ongoing opioid crisis, which researchers say has been responsible for more than 500,000 deaths over the past two decades.
Ramirez was originally indicted by a federal grand jury in October 2021 and was one of two nurses that year charged with illegally removing vials of fentanyl from an automated dispensing cabinet at Menorah.
? Public meetings Wednesday
- Mission City Council, 7 p.m. [View agenda]
? Post’s top Tuesday stories
- Going to the new KCI from JoCo? Here’s what you need to know
- New French restaurant planned for downtown Shawnee
- Aging Quivira Square strip mall in Lenexa to get upgrades
- JoCo Notes: How Lucky the cat got home to Florida from Prairie Village
- Local obituaries for March 10-13
? Other local news
- Starting teacher pay in the Shawnee Mission School District will soon trail that of the nearby Kansas City, Missouri, and Hickman Mills districts, which both recently approved pay increases, though SMSD teachers continue negotiations over a contract for next year. [KCUR]
- The Chick-fil-A fast food chain will open a new $31 million, 148,000-square-foot distribution center in Olathe. [Fox 4]
- Kansas City area cities, including Overland Park, are boosting lifeguard pay this year to meet persistent staffing shortages that have saddled local pools the past few summers. [KSHB]
? Notable tweets
Overland Park Fire on the scene of a garage fire Tuesday afternoon in south Overland Park.
OPFD on scene 6809 blk. W.146th terr. apt fire. Fire in garage, quickly knocked down. No injuries reported. pic.twitter.com/lkAsMsJJJf
— Overland Park Fire (@OverlandParkFD) March 14, 2023
A chance later this month to talk with a Merriam cop.
☕️ Coffee with a Cop is March 25 ?
Join Merriam police officers for free coffee and donuts on Saturday, March 25, from 9-10:30 a.m. at the @MerriamPolice Department (9010 W. 62nd St.).
Tour the station, look inside a cruiser, and enjoy meeting your neighborhood officers. pic.twitter.com/K0mTx0Qyrv
— City of Merriam, Kan (@MerriamKS) March 14, 2023
And the JCCC men’s basketball team is going dancing.
Ticket punched ➡️ Danville.
NJCAA Selection show is tomorrow at 1:00 PM
Livestream ?️ https://t.co/QO0Xk1xau3#GoCavs #CavsBasketball #SwordsUP pic.twitter.com/fnQ5H6oc7V— Johnson County Men's Basketball (@JCCC_CavsMBB) March 14, 2023
? A thousand words
A view commuters on U.S. 69 Highway in south Overland Park should get used to: work has started on what is expected to be a years-long project to add toll lanes to the highway south of 103rd Street. Picture submitted by a reader.
