Kansas City to rename street to honor Martin Luther King Jr.

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Officials in one of the nation’s largest cities without a public memorial to Martin Luther King Jr. have voted to rename a 10-mile stretch of roadway after the civil rights leader.

The City Council in Kansas City, Missouri, voted 8-4 Thursday to rename the Paseo in the city’s predominantly black east side as Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard.

The Kansas City Star reports the vote came after a months-long debate over which Kansas City landmark should honor King.

Opposition mostly centered on whether residents and business owners along the Paseo had been properly consulted about the name change, and whether a different choice — such as the city’s airport — would be a better way to honor the civil rights leader.

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Information from: The Kansas City Star, http://www.kcstar.com