KSHB 41 reporter Caroline Hogan covers development across the Kansas City area. Share your story idea with Caroline Sheryl Vickers used to drive by the property at 2108 W or cared for quite to the level I thought it deserved," Vickers said the commercial real estate agent decided to give the owners a call "We are curating the right group of practitioners that will hopefully appeal to the Prairie Village and the Mission Hills woman who wants to come here for her services," Vickers said She has a group of 22 other women helping her out It's through the group she started called Women in Real Estate Development "We provide resources and share our experience and mentor women to learn how to invest in commercial real estate," Vickers said a first-time commercial real estate investor "I had no idea where that was going to take me Chai and other first-time investors lean on the group filled with professionals like Vickers and Diane Botwin Botwin knows the importance of investing in your community She's been in the industry for close to 40 years "If we maintain this then all the houses around here are maintained and that’s what makes a community stay a community," Botwin said "If you’re developing your own community with what you want and what you need rather than an outside developer coming in and deciding what you need I think it just feels better," Vickers said It makes it that much more special that there's a strong group of women not just supporting the project Vickers said they're about to launch their next project and will begin looking for funding soon. Learn how to get involved here. Report a typo Share on FacebookShare on X (formerly Twitter)Share on PinterestShare on LinkedInPRAIRIE VILLAGE local authorities corrected their earlier investigation that named a Prairie Village shooting an attempted armed carjacking Further investigation now shows it as a violent road rage encounter Prairie Village police responded to an incident in the 1900 block of W just a few blocks north of Hy-Vee and due west of State Line Road a driver was stopped at the red light when two suspects pulled up next to them on a motorcycle The suspect passenger opened the victim’s driver’s side door but the victim was able to pull the door shut and drive away one suspect pulled out a handgun and fired several shots at them Both suspects were taken into the Kansas City Police Department’s custody and brought to an area hospital for treatment They will reportedly face charges once they are released police believed the shooting was an attempted armed carjacking the Prairie Village Police Department announced that further investigation revealed it was the result of road rage Police told KCTV5 Wednesday afternoon that the two suspects are out of the hospital and in custody they are facing charges of aggravated assault but could face more as the investigation is not over “I’ve lived here my whole life and haven’t seen anything like this,” said Evan Stone People do dumb stuff but it’s not worth risking your safety.” — An electrical fire in The Shops of Prairie Village last week is continuing to impact local business operations Major generators were transported from Texas and lined the parking lot of the shopping center "You're dealing with an unknown and you have to make pretty big decisions fast," said Sarah Jabbour Scoobie is a women's clothing boutique situated across the walkway from where the basement electrical fire occurred Jabbour told KSHB 41 that news of the fire took to social media and she was hesitant to race to view the damage "I was first thankful everyone was okay," she said Jabbour's boutique has benefited from the Chiefs' successful postseason runs "January and February in retail are pretty slow," she added Success at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium bolsters business during the down months An electrical fire impacting lights and heat creates a concern heading into a Super Bowl week of sales "We ordered special things to have here in time and know we have a short little window to sell," said Jabbour She said neighboring businesses put their heads together offering Scoobie window space to sell their products and find ways to get over the hump "We really bonded trying to figure out and brainstorm how do we still get this product to our customers that are so excited," she explained "Who wants to get it and celebrate for their parties.. We're so lucky to be in the shopping center community here." While business appeared to look up for the boutique Scratch Gourmet Kitchen around the corner faced some ongoing challenges "We walked in on Friday morning after the fire and our gnocchi everything had now gone from being both cold and frozen to being wasted," explained Tyler Morrison "Our executive chef...he's been spending about six hours making raviolis to get back up ready for service tonight." KSHB 41 met with Morrison at his restaurant around 4 p.m Morrison called to explain the power had gone out and he would have to shut down operations for the night "We had to call all our reservations to tell them we can't serve them," said Morrison "We have to have security that this isn't going to be something that doesn't affect us." Morrison offered KSHB 41 a tour of its kitchen He said the restaurant experienced hefty losses from refrigerators that shorted out due to the fire The kitchen estimates the total losses range upward of $75,000 "I store all of our wine at the proper temperature.. I won't serve it any other way," he explained "That is not how we got on the Top 500 wine lists in the country Scratch Kitchen recently renovated its current location and relaunched last week ahead of the unplanned fire "It's just something that we're going to have to work with a lot and we must find a good solution...or we won't make it." Business owners in The Shops of Prairie Village put their heads together to host a Red Friday Chiefs rally ahead of Super Bowl Sunday There is also an autographed Travis Kelce jersey for a raffle The winner will be drawn at the shopping center's Red Friday Rally "This just goes to show the business owners resiliency and finding new ways to help each other," said Morrison The Shops of Prairie Village is located at 6920 Mission Road in Prairie Village "We are really lucky to be in the community," added Jabbour KSHB 41 reporter Ryan Gamboa covers Miami County in Kansas and Cass County in Missouri. He also covers agricultural topics. Share your story idea with Ryan Ann Catholic Church rang Monday in honor of Pope Francis Father Mitchel Zimmerman is the Prairie Village church's pastor He said it was a sad but beautiful day to remember Francis and reflect on what he did within the Catholic Church "He does not see the world in political terms "And he hates the superficial judgments we make about each other Francis was known as "the people's Pope." He changed many lives Zimmerman said Francis' influence was felt especially during his time serving at St 'How do I want to reach the students at KU?'" he said "Just his example inspired me that don’t go for the insiders go and try to reach the lost and the outsiders." While some criticized Francis' unpredictable nature He said the Pope was not progressive but rather personal "To not be afraid of people who think differently or live differently than us but to go out and make a relationship with them," Zimmerman said Zimmerman said the significance of the day the Pope died is no coincidence "He did not have to appear in the crowd or to greet people but he kinda died with his boots on just wanting to empty himself in love." Zimmerman said he'd like to see another forward thinker become the next Pope is always inviting the church forward in history But how do we move forward?" Zimmerman said Ann bells will toll not in tragedy but in celebration of a new papal leader KSHB 41 reporter Caroline Hogan covers development across the Kansas City area. Share your story idea with Caroline KSHB 41 reporter Alyssa Jackson covers portions of Johnson County, including neighborhoods in Overland Park, Shawnee and Mission. Share your story idea with Alyssa next month will be the last for the Paul Henson Family YMCA in Prairie Village the city of Prairie Village spearheaded an effort for a multi-million dollar Recently, the city decided not to move forward with the project The Paul Henson Family YMCA reacted to that decision on Thursday by announcing their Prairie Village location will shut down on Dec "After careful consideration over several years the final day of operations for the Paul Henson Family YMCA will be Dec Discussions with the City of Prairie Village starting in 2019 allowed us to extend our operations as we explored the possibility of a new Prairie Village Community Center operated by the YMCA Following the City Council’s decision on Oct 21 to cease exploration of a new community center despite widespread support for the project in two statistically valid community surveys the Y determined it is no longer feasible to sustain the facility with the resources available." Prairie Village residents voiced concern during the community center proposal about the YMCA's financial standing and track record There's been a significant decline in membership since 2019 and the facility has been operating at a $200,000 deficit annually even though the YMCA would run the proposed center details weren't given on their financial share KSHB 41 spoke with regulars who use the YMCA about hearing they only have a month left of using the facility I think that's a loss to the community," said Gerald Wolford "There's a lot of places to go to exercise Wolford also thinks the YMCA should've invested more into the facility to attract members He's a 90-year-old man who goes to the YMCA on a regular basis "I knew there was some difficulty but not that it was that severe," he said "I said to the staff yesterday it was really a blow The YMCA said people can allow their memberships to automatically roll over to the Cleaver Family YMCA in Kansas City You can also contact the YMCA to cancel your membership at (816) 360-3311 or by email Owning her own restaurant had long been a dream of Wan Phen “Penny” Mufuka The newest one, simply to be known as Penny’s in the Village, is now open in the The Shops of Prairie Village and worked for area restaurants – moving up the ranks from busing tables to chef She married Doug Mufuka in 2013 and together they opened Thai House in south Kansas City But Penny’s dream also included a rooftop bar and outdoor patio. So they pooled their funds and opened Bamboo Penny’s in Park Place (5270 W KS) in mid-2021 with both a rooftop bar and patio – hugely popular draws They probably weren’t going to look at us over a national chain when there’s not a pandemic,” Doug said They looked across the street at the long dark Gordon Biersch (11652 Ash St.) and envisioned an upscale seafood restaurant with an oyster bar. They spent a year and $1.4 million renovating the 7,100-square-foot space for Aqua Penny’s, which debuted in April. High-energy Penny, usually always ready for the next step, started to worry that maybe they were going too fast or spending too much money. But Doug assured her he had a back-up plan – if they lost everything, they could just pack up their car and move in with his parents in Florida. Now they will open Penny’s in the Village, which will specialize in Thai street food and shared plates to make it a community gathering place. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Penny’s (@pennysinthevillage) “We want to further showcase original Thai food “The street food is missing here – here as in the United States.” look for barbecue and fried sticky rice rolls (with marinated rib eye) Krapow Moo Krob (crispy pork belly tossed in Thai basil sauce with sauteed bell pepper) served with steamed rice and fried egg Shared plates will include Thai spicy sausage lettuce wraps The menu also includes Thai soups and salads along with desserts such as warm butter toffee cake and mango cheesecake Penny’s combo platter includes Penny’s Rangoon dumplings and an egg roll served with an assortment of dipping sauces The restaurant’s specialties include mango duck Chilean sea bass dressed tableside with red curry sauce and Beef Short Ribs Hung Lay (with a combination of sweet bean sauce The Mufukas have been hosting pre-opening events while waiting for their liquor license but opened to the public over the weekend.   a lot of people who have been to Thailand,” Doug said.  While many Asian operations in the area focus on carry-out ‘We had a great time,’ that feels good and it feels like we are sharing culture and not just food.”  Another area restaurant company had operated several concepts in the spot (4160 W KS) over the last 25 years – Mosaic Bistro-Wine Bar Blue Moose Bar & Grill and then Gravity The Mufukas sold their Thai House restaurant in 2022 but own Str-Eatz, a small Mexican cafe selling tacos, in the same center (9928 Holmes Rd., KCMO). They also own KC Thai (12250 W Coming up, they plan to roll out a hot pot menu at Aqua Penny’s in the spring as well as revamp the Bamboo Penny’s decor to keep it fresh “We are in that ‘entertaining offer’ stage. That’s where we are right now,” Doug said. We’ve had talks with Zona Rosa, Lee’s Summit’s Discovery Park.” Kansas City magazine keeps readers updated on the latest news in twice-weekly newsletter.  Dish brings you food news and our critic picks.  The Loop offers exclusive news reports and our curated events picks It is often said that there is no middle ground.. These prominent golden-agers talk about lifelong achievements KC restauranteurs and husband and wife duo Pam and Ted.. we help our readers celebrate our city’s triumphs tend to its faults and revel in the things that make it unique the former Macy's on the corner of 71st and Mission in Prairie Village finally is going to get an upgrade the Prairie Village Planning Commission and First Washington Realty the group that owns Prairie Village Shoppes "The new plan is to radically change what we’ve seen over the last 70 years that it’s been here," said Prairie Village councilmember Terry O'Toole O'Toole also acts as the Council Liasion to the Planning Commission The Macy's closed in 2020. Redevelopment plans were created in 2021 "I think they lost a period of time through COVID and construction costs where they probably put a pause on everything," O'Toole said O'Toole explained the first floor of the building will be the Hen House grocery store The second level will be dedicated to retail The Hen House is relocating from its original home at 69th and Mission in Prairie Village O'Toole said First Washington is going to repurpose that building with more retail O'Toole said First Washington is funding the project A groundbreaking is expected to happen at the beginning of 2025 "I’m very excited to see this Macy’s building no longer be called the Macy’s building," O'Toole said She's lived at her home right across the street from the space for almost 30 years She said she doesn't want to stare at an empty parking lot anymore "It doesn’t look good for the neighborhood to have something empty here for years and years." Agbes said she's on board with anything to go in the building as long as it brings more life to the area "Just makes it more like a village or a city," Agbes said KSHB 41 reporter Alyssa Jackson covers portions of Johnson County, including Overland Park, Prairie Village and Leawood. Share your story idea with Alyssa They'll see roads treated and a lot of main streets clear of snow and ice you don't usually get to meet the crews who do the work KSHB 41 went behind-the-scenes with public works crews in Prairie Village who work 12-hour shifts to clear away the snow Patrick Lisky has been with the department for seven years Lisky said he can work any route because he knows every area of Prairie Village "I enjoy it...I like plowing snow," he said The city provides 24-hour snow removal coverage using eight crews KSHB 41 meteorologists said weather this week will be the worst it's been all winter "Because the temperatures are a lot colder it's hard to get it clear to the black pavement compared to other storms where you can get salt down and start the melting process," Lisky said "This one pretty much is plowing off powder the grounds crew leader for the city's public works department said they have a routine before crews head out “Every vehicle gets inspected thoroughly at the beginning and end of each shift," Norman said vehicles are constantly being looked over to make sure there are no hazards the drivers are unaware of." Norman said there are benefits to Prairie Village being a smaller city followed by residential streets and cul-de-sacs The department has a tracking system on each truck so they can go back and see how many passes were made down a street if they get a complaint said sometimes there are reasons people don't see their neighborhood streets plowed if cars are parked directly across from each other sometimes bigger trucks can't get down the street," Johnson said "We may have to get a small truck to come out later and go down that street so some of those streets don't get missed they back down the street because they are not allowed to turn around in driveways because their trucks could cause damage Johnson said they try to keep residents in mind at all times "When we are plowing in the residential streets and we're coming up and someone has shoveled their driveway we try to turn our blades straighter and that will help a little with not putting so much snow in their driveway," Johnson said Public works crews who deal with a handful of these storms each year may be out of sight to most people "Knowing that people are moving around the city accidents are being reduced and people are getting around our city safely makes it all worth it," Johnson said Prairie Village police confirmed after further investigation it has been determined the shooting was attributed to a road rage incident — not an attempted carjacking Anyone with information related to the incident is encouraged to contact the Prairie Village Police Department at 913-642-6868 EARLIER | Two suspects are in custody after an attempted carjacking in Prairie Village Tuesday night Police say officers responded around 8:25 p.m to the attempted carjacking in the 1900 block of West 75th Street They say a driver was stopped at a red light when two suspects pulled up next to them on a motorcycle one suspect opened the victim's driver's side door and the victim was able to pull the door shut and drive away Police say one of the suspects pulled out a handgun and fired shots at the victim as they drove away The suspects fled eastbound on West 75th Street into Missouri and were apprehended by KCPD officers after an accident Both suspects were taken to the hospital and were held in custody to be charged Crime Stoppers could offer you a cash reward NORTH PRAIRIE — North Prairie newcomer Dan Miresse ousted incumbent Village President Deborah Hall during Tuesday’s election Donna Samuels and newcomer Dan Miresse won three seats during Tuesday’s election against Andy Harmann and Steven Svec or 25.3% of the votes; Miresse received 582 votes or 24.6% of the votes; and Samuels received 557 votes The results are unofficial until canvassed 10 things to know this week from the WOW counties (Waukesha Ozaukee and Washington) sent on Sundays Get the latest Waukesha County news delivered every day so you don't miss out on updates Have Waukesha County breaking news alerts sent to your inbox as they happen At 12:54 p.m. on Wednesday, a vehicle was stopped at Michigan Avenue and Grandview Boulevard for a stop sign violation. The driver a… Read moreWaukesha police blotter: April 30-May 1, 20225 Your browser is out of date and potentially vulnerable to security risks.We recommend switching to one of the following browsers: KSHB 41 reporter Charlie Keegan covers politics on both sides of the state line. If you have a story idea to share, you can send Charlie an email at charlie.keegan@kshb.com are sending fliers to homes to put pressure on the city council to let voters decide whether to build a new city hall The city’s been exploring the idea of a new municipal complex since 2021 It spent roughly $4.5 million in 2024 to buy an old church at 7820 Mission Road; one block away from the current city hall The proposal is to tear down the church and build a new city hall in its place for $18 million Then spend $7.5 million to renovate the old city hall so the police department can expand into that space we will only be spending more money in the future,” said Councilman Cole Robinson “These needs are going to continue growing.” The city would pay for the project with a bond Robinson said paying off the bond would not increase taxes PrairieVillage United and Preserve Prairie Villagemailed fliers to residents last week They called the proposal a waste of tax dollars Rob Ingaham isn’t a member of either group He thinks Prairie Village hasn’t been transparent about the project He called it “oversized,” especially for a relatively small number of full-time city staff members He wonders if a smaller project would save taxpayers money which is why he wants a citywide vote on the topic “It’s not like we have hundreds or thousands of people walking in and out of there,” Ingraham pointed out “Maybe there are three or four cars in the parking lot I said,'Why do we need a brand new city hall that’s going to cost $30 million?"' To put a question before voters, the city would have to pass a measure to go around a charter ordinance it passed in 2016 That ordinance said the city doesn’t have to get voter approval for every bond proposal Former Councilman Dan Runion voted yes on that 2016 proposal saying his decision was based on small bond issues He wants the city to send this $30 million issue to voters “I just think that would be appropriate to involve the people,” Runion said if the benefits are as claimed by the proponents then the people who are voting on it will see that.” said making an exception to the city’s charter isn’t as easy as it sounds He believes it’s the responsibility of city council members to make decisions for the people who elected them “When we look at the long-term needs of the city making a larger investment now makes sense for taxpayers in the long run,” Robinson said The city council is set to review different aspects of the proposal throughout the year with more concrete talks about funding scheduled for the fall Robinson gave KSHB 41 News a tour of City Hall and the police department Many offices are cramped as they used to be storage spaces or conference rooms The police department has outgrown its space Mental health co-responders do not have their own offices The evidence storage room is not big enough Closets and interrogation rooms are now offices for police officers Occupation:  Senior Transaction Specialist Previous elected office (if any):  North Prairie Village President (current) and North Prairie Village Trustee NORTH PRAIRIE — Incumbent North Prairie Village President Deborah Hall hopes to retain her seat against challenger Dan Miresse The Freeman asked both candidates questions ahead of the April election Freeman: Why are you running for this position Hall: I am running for village president because I love being involved in my community skills and knowledge needed to continue to move North Prairie forward in a collaborative and positive manner My priorities include building a stronger community through citizen engagement listening to and acting on citizen concerns and communicating in ways that are useful to community members to be fiscally responsible and hold myself the board and staff accountable to North Prairie residents Miresse: I am running for North Prairie village president to further my involvement in the community in a capacity where I feel I can have a positive impact on the future of the village My priorities will be transparency in government FREEMAN: What is your approach to handling controversial and complicated issues Hall: I approach issues head on by listening to each side doing research and by communicating my position in a clear and concise manner This is critical in working together to provide solutions and making well-informed decisions that are in the best interest of our citizens not reactive and work hard to anticipate and address issues before they happen to minimize the impact on residents Miresse: Transparency when dealing with controversial issues allows for a more systematic approach Listening to the concerns of the residents of North Prairie will allow for an understanding of multiple perspectives and proper presentation of the facts involved is a must FREEMAN: How would you deal with the need to improve/grow the area (developments etc.) with the need to respond to the local taxpayer burden Hall: I support increasing our tax base through development that is done in a controlled manner that fits in with the village’s uniqueness and overall land use plan I believe that community involvement is key to improving North Prairie without placing additional tax burden on taxpayers I support partnering with our many local organizations to set up community days that clean up our parks and highlight and raise awareness of all that North Prairie has to offer SIGN UP Miresse: Sustainability and relevance require proper planning Proper budgeting and responsible spending will allow for needed growth and improvement while maintaining an acceptable level of tax along with collaborative efforts to increase local revenue will allow for proper funding of necessary improvements FREEMAN: Funding and budgets are ongoing issues I initiated audits of all departments and will continue this process until wasteful and duplicate spending is identified and eliminated I will work to increase our tax base by supporting developments that do not place additional financial burden on current residents I will engage residents by listening to their thoughts on what our budget priorities should be while also educating and informing residents on how our tax dollars are spent Communication with and from residents is key in providing our citizens with what they want for North Prairie Miresse: The current budget is in good standing with added focus on increased revenue to ensure necessary funding for future expenditures FREEMAN: Do you think our main street/downtown is healthy and successful Hall: North Prairie has a unique mix of businesses and residential homes in our downtown area so thinking outside the box is critical to a healthy and successful North Prairie downtown I will support and encourage community events that draw people to North Prairie which will highlight North Prairie community organizations and businesses so that our residents and neighboring communities can get to know a little bit more about what makes North Prairie special Miresse: I believe our downtown is in decent shape and falls similarly in line with the values of the community there are always ways to improve upon anything Collaborative efforts between the board and the residents of North Prairie to address the needs/wants of the community will ensure a healthy See all of our election coverage at gmtoday.com/elections Read more of our election coverage at gmtoday.com/elections To see every race and referendum that will be on your ballot, visit myvote.wi.gov and click on the "What's On My Ballot?" button The future of the old Prairie Village Macy's store at W 71st and Mission Road looks a little brighter after officials held a "wall-breaking" ceremony Monday Longtime residents remember the store as being one of the few places to shop in Prairie Village But the store was caught up in Macy's retail reorganization and closed it was hard to image the space was once a busy Macy's After a decade of research and bargaining, it's being re-imagined into a new shopping experience so much more," First Washington Reality Managing Director Gregg Zikeduring said at Monday's "wall-breaking" event The company owns the Prairie Village Shoppes and is tasked with redeveloping the location Monday's wall-breaking marked the start of the multi-million dollar project First Washington Chief Operating Officer Mary Rottler said their plan is to bring the 75-year-old building into the new age "We had a vision of what we wanted it to be and really be part of the community," Rottler said The plan is to move the Hen House Market from its current home on Mission Road to the first floor of this building The second floor will be a variety of retailers Rottler said they're looking at everything from boutique fitness to restaurants Prairie Village Mayor Eric Mikkelson said this is a positive improvement for the local economy and for residents "There's hardly a long-term Prairie Village resident who I run into who doesn't have a story about what this place means to them," Mikkelson said Mikkelson also said the renovated space will be another way to welcome people to the shops but officials said it'll be worth the wait a lot of people involved in being able to make this vision come true," Rottler said That vision is a revitalized space that will be meaningful for generations to come (KCTV) - Businesses in Prairie Village enter their second day of closures as their bottom lines are expected to be hit hard following an electric fire Parts of Prairie Village remained in the dark on Saturday That includes The Shops of Prairie Village on Thursday as crews learned a transformer that powered 16 businesses caught fire Electricity to those buildings was knocked out as a result Firefighters were able to keep the blaze under control and safely extinguish it without any damage done to nearby structures KCTV5 stopped by the businesses on Saturday morning to see if any had reopened The closures are expected to cause a hit in sales for those local businesses “It was even more of a bummer when this happened because it’s also a Friday and Saturday which is also a big shopping weekend - usually,” said Sarah Jabbour especially when people are getting ready to go out of town next week if they are going to the Super Bowl so there’s never a good time for something like this.” Evergy said it continues to wait for property owners to make repairs before they can move forward with power restoration there is no timeline on how long that will take When Maria Loconsolo didn’t get an email terminating her employment on Valentine’s Day she regained a smidge of hope that she would avoid the mass firings of federal employees occurring nationwide But since President Donald Trump’s inauguration in January she’d heeded reports that federal employees would be quickly locked out of the system She spent Saturday after Valentine's Day collecting personnel documents records about her performance and other vital things before turning back to her email once more This time, the termination letter was there. Loconsolo had worked as a regional health advisor with the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration Region 7 for just 10 months “I planned to devote the next 20 years at least of my life to this,” she said “There was no reason for me to think I wouldn't be able to I was all in and committed to be a public servant for the rest of my career.” The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Administration provides grants to states and local communities, supports education and training, and collects data on behavioral health issues. Region 7 covers Nebraska is a trained clinical professional counselor in the state of Kansas a license she pursued because she said she's always been a helper at heart In her role as a regional behavioral health advisor she spent most of her time meeting with people and organizations throughout the region who were involved in the mental health and substance abuse treatment systems and connecting them with resources to fill gaps in coverage Loconsolo said she’s always been a systemic thinker so the job allowed her to leverage that mindset It was a role she felt was tailor-made for her But Loconsolo was among thousands of federal workers fired due to the Trump administration’s widespread cuts She believes her employment was unlawfully terminated SAMHSA Region 7 is down to just one staff member out of a previous four while other regional offices have been totally depleted more than 10% of the staff working for SAMHSA were fired this month as part of the government-wide cuts led by the Department of Government Efficiency team leads on 988 projects — no post was spared According to the letter Loconsolo received she was let go because she wasn’t “fit for continued employment” because her “ability knowledge and skills” did not fit the agency’s needs The letter also suggested her performance had not been adequate “I even got an award from the director of the larger office especially for somebody who was just in their first 10 months,” Loconsolo said “What hurt most about that was that I take immense pride in the work I do I was incredibly proud to be serving the American people.” spreading word about the realities for federal employees and supporting colleagues meeting the same fate family and former coworkers are keeping her going She’s also trying to keep the mood light with other activities More than the financial and career stability her heart breaks for people who aren’t getting needed support “I feel such a strong desire to try to stand in the gaps and offer whatever shield I can to our most vulnerable community members,” Loconsolo said choking up as she discusses the reality of her situation “The fact I can’t do that for them … it’s really hard.” Loconsolo is leaving behind a lot of unfinished work She had spent months building connections in different states with people working in early psychosis programs — immediate and comprehensive treatments for individuals losing contact with reality for the first time she planned to speak at a conference bringing together many of these people to help map resources and fill gaps And she was working with researchers and peer support experts on a national advisory for addressing substance use in those early psychosis programs the team planned to demonstrate how widespread the issue is Loconsolo said she'd still love to one day work in the same job again “The vast majority of federal employees truly enter into their jobs because they want to serve the American public,” she said “I think that there's been that kind of false dichotomy that's been put forth in some rhetoric and I just want to make it very clear that we serve under every president and every administration and we serve the goals and the priorities of that administration Because what we serve is the American people and we serve the Constitution.”