How LINC, DSS revolutionized the road out of welfare

Marge Randle wasn’t expecting the welfare revolution that would soon draw President Bill Clinton to town that day she first walked into Gayle Hobbs’ LINC office some 30 years ago. Randle and Hobbs quickly knew something special was happening. The creative concept of LINC, Randle said, was “a breath of fresh air.”

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‘Most fortunate man': LINC's founder at 100

To find Bert Berkley, you push a doorbell set in a ceramic rainbow trout, and the man himself, on the verge of 100, stands at the threshold, beckoning visitors into the ambiance of the life he’s lived. The civic giant — named Mr. Kansas City in 1971 — and former longtime CEO and president of the still family-owned-and-run Tension Envelope has powered on, seemingly non-stop, while LINC’s Caring Communities mission grew and evolved beyond his early imaginings.

So begins our tribute to LINC's founder, Korean War survivor, business innovator, civic giant and master fisherman as he reaches a full century of life.

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Genesis School petitions court to keep doors open

Genesis School’s fight to stay open is heading to court. The Kansas City public charter school filed a petition this week in Cole County Circuit Court after the Missouri state school board on Monday, without addressing admitted flaws in the process, upheld the state’s charter school commission’s decision earlier this year to revoke the school’s charter.

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LINC children find power and peace in yoga

Dreamy music rises in a classroom lit by slanting afternoon light. Children lie face-up on mats, limbs splayed. “The peace . . .” says their instructor, seated at the center, in a solemn chant. “The peace,” respond the children, their voices soft in echo. “Begins. . .” she says. “Begins,” they answer, like a heartbeat. “With.” “Me.”

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