Kansas City News Blog

This week: A stark conversation piece exposes the War Within for U.S. soldiers and veterans, the city's cycling guru gets you ready for Bike to Work Week, and a possible reason why your mom thinks you're missing the point when you buy her a dumb card from Walgreens in honor of Mothers Day.

Last week, Kansas Gov. Mark Parkinson said the single greatest boost to the Kansas economy could be the passage of a federal Renewable Energy Standard -- a national mandate to get, say, 20 percent of our power from sustainable sources. Congress is set to vote on such a measure as early as Thursday and Renew Kansas has set up an online letter writing campaign to make sure Sen. Sam Brownback gets on board. Check it out here.

What are you going to do when the world runs out of oil and our current economies start to collapse? The Kansas City Greens are hosting a forum Monday at Aquarius Book Store at 7 p.m. to get citizens prepared for the shock and thinking about a "transition plan" for the metro.

The suicide rate among American soldiers and veterans is at its highest rate in decades, prompting some to call the loss of life an epidemic. Highlighting the problem in Kansas and Missouri, "The War Within" exhibit will open in the Murphy Lobby of KU Medical Center on Tuesday, with a panel of speakers from 12 to 12:45 p.m. in Room 1050 of the School of Nursing.

Bike to Work Week starts on Friday and the Deb Ridgeway is the city's guru of two-wheeled transportation. Hear an update on efforts to make Kansas City more cyclist-friendly when Ridgeway gives an update on the Bike KC project at the monthly meeting of the Sierra Club Tuesday at 7 p.m. at the Discovery Center.

It's also National Women Build Week and the local Habitat for Humanity outfit is offering a free class in power tools for ladies who've never wielded a rotary saw or nail gun at 7 p.m. Wednesday at the Lowes at 133rd and State Line Road. (RSVP to mandy@habitatkc.org) Then, at 2 p.m. on Sunday, the team will break ground at 4906 East 39th Street for an all-female constructed home. To get involved, fill out a volunteer form here.

Just like the spring weather, Kansas City's annual eco-celebration is lagging a little bit behind the calendar. But Earth Fest is so big it needs "five villages" to contain all the vendors and exhibits. Get outside or volunteer from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. at Theis Park, just south of the Nelson-Atkins Art Museum.

Last year more than 500 women rallied to rekindle the original reason for Mother's Day as intended by founder Julia Ward Howe: opposing war and promoting peace. Once again, mothers will "Stand for Peace" to honor the century-old holiday from 3 to 4 p.m. on Sunday at the corner of 95th Street and Quivira.