Yael T. Abouhalkah

Tiger Woods' suspicious accident

By Yael T. Abouhalkah, Kansas City Star Editorial Page columnist

Questions are going to be asked when one of the best-known athletes in the world -- Tiger Woods -- is injured in any kind of accident.

But rumors are going to spread like wildfire now that Woods has been involved in a suspicious-sounding accident outside his Florida home.

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Submitted by Yael T. Abouhalkah on November 27, 2009 - 3:26pm.
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Google's correct decision on Michelle Obama image

By Yael T. Abouhalkah, Kansas City Star Editorial Page columnist

Google made the right call in refusing to block publication of an offensive image of Michelle Obama.

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Submitted by Yael T. Abouhalkah on November 25, 2009 - 12:02pm.
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Cauthen's ouster gives KC a good chance to move on

By Yael T. Abouhalkah, Kansas City Star Editorial Page columnist

And off we go again, as Kansas City begins the search for a city manager who will pinch pennies, tear apart bureaucratic fiefdoms and make nice with elected officials.

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Submitted by Yael T. Abouhalkah on November 25, 2009 - 11:44am.
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Obama takes bold leadership on climate change

By Yael T. Abouhalkah, Kansas City Star Editorial Page columnist

In a sudden move Wednesday, President Barack Obama surprised and pleased global warming believers in two different ways.

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Submitted by Yael T. Abouhalkah on November 25, 2009 - 11:15am.
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Judge's cartoon for Wednesday

Click READ MORE for larger version.

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Submitted by Anonymous on November 24, 2009 - 3:33pm.
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Mammogram outrage could kill health care reform

By Yael T. Abouhalkah, Kansas City Editorial Page columnist

Never underestimate the power of a woman scorned -- especially when she's been told by a government group that she doesn't need so many mammogram tests if she's under 50 years old.

And women outraged by that advice could tip the scales against the passage of health care reform in Congress.

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Submitted by Yael T. Abouhalkah on November 24, 2009 - 2:09pm.
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Anti-government zealots didn't murder Census worker

By Yael T. Abouhalkah, Kansas City Star Editorial Page columnist

All the talk about rural Kentucky residents hating the Census Bureau enough to kill one of its workers has turned out to be completely false.

Anti-government zealots did not kill a Kentucky U.S. Census worker in September. Instead, he committed suicide, authorities said Tuesday.

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Submitted by Yael T. Abouhalkah on November 24, 2009 - 1:52pm.
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Marcason's reasonable comments on firing Cauthen

By Yael T. Abouhalkah, Kansas City Star Editorial Page columnist

City Council member Jan Marcason was a key vote in the decision to fire City Manager Wayne Cauthen last week. Now she's telling the public why she did it.

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Submitted by Yael T. Abouhalkah on November 24, 2009 - 12:39pm.
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Disaster looms in Copenhagen on climate change

By Yael T. Abouhalkah, Kansas City Star Editorial Page columnist

After years of planning, backers of a new climate change treaty see disaster looming early next month in Copenhagen.

The main reason: There's no leadership from two major polluters -- America and China -- to establish tougher limits on harmful greenhouse emissions that are causing global warming.

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Submitted by Yael T. Abouhalkah on November 24, 2009 - 8:04am.
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Dennis Moore picks the right time to quit

By Yael T. Abouhalkah, Kansas City Star Editorial Page columnist

Dennis Moore is announcing Monday that he will retire as the U.S. congressman representing Johnson County and northeast Kansas. It's the right decision.

It was time for Moore to go, not the least because he would have had a difficult time getting re-elected in 2010.

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Submitted by Yael T. Abouhalkah on November 23, 2009 - 8:49am.
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Cauthen's firing won't ruin KC

By Yael T. Abouhalkah, Kansas City Star Editorial Page columnist

Calm down, Kansas City. The clumsy ouster of City Manager Wayne Cauthen isn't the end of the world.

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Submitted by Yael T. Abouhalkah on November 21, 2009 - 12:11pm.
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New poll: Americans turn thumbs down on Obama

By Yael T. Abouhalkah, Kansas City Star Editorial Page columnist

Bad news for Barack Obama fans: The new Gallup Poll shows only 49 percent of Americans approve of his performance in office.

What a stunning turnaround from the heady days of near-70 percent approval ratings in early 2009.

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Submitted by Yael T. Abouhalkah on November 21, 2009 - 11:56am.
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A City Hall history lesson featuring Cauthen, Collins, Brown and Olson

By Yael T. Abouhalkah, Kansas City Star Editorial Page columnist

Four city managers have served Kansas City since 1987 when I began covering City Hall. In that 22 years, only one has been fired -- Wayne Cauthen on Thursday.

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Submitted by Yael T. Abouhalkah on November 20, 2009 - 11:13am.
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Who is Troy Schulte?

By Yael T. Abouhalkah, Kansas City Star Editorial Page columnist

Troy Schulte is the new acting city manager in Kansas City, replacing the fired Wayne Cauthen. But who is Schulte?

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Submitted by Yael T. Abouhalkah on November 20, 2009 - 10:42am.
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Funkhouser made right move wrong way

By Yael T. Abouhalkah, Kansas City Star Editorial Page columnist

As a critic of Wayne Cauthen's general job performance the last few years, I'm not surprised nor disappointed he's out as city manager.

I do wish Mayor Mark Funkhouser would have arranged the firing in a more professional, less messy way.

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Submitted by Yael T. Abouhalkah on November 20, 2009 - 10:12am.
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Racism didn't cost Cauthen his job

By Yael T. Abouhalkah, Kansas City Star Editorial Page columnist

The firing of Kansas City's first black city manager, Wayne Cauthen, wasn't based on his race. It was based on his inability to meet the managerial expectations of seven of his bosses on the City Council.

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Submitted by Yael T. Abouhalkah on November 20, 2009 - 9:03am.
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Why did Gottstein, Marcason and Circo support firing Cauthen?

By Yael T. Abouhalkah, Kansas City Star Editorial Page columnist

Mayor Mark Funkhouser got his way Thursday when a council majority decided to fire City Manager Wayne Cauthen. Opponents correctly criticized the mayor for how he handled the matter. However....

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Submitted by Yael T. Abouhalkah on November 19, 2009 - 8:54pm.
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Fly-on-the-wall time at Funkhouser, council get-together Friday

By Yael T. Abouhalkah, Kansas City Star Editorial Page columnist

How's this for bad timing: On Friday, Mayor Mark Funkhouser and the City Council will hold their annual legislative lunch.

It's where Kansas City's elected officials tell their local state lawmakers what they want to see happen during the 2010 legislative session in Jefferson City.

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Submitted by Yael T. Abouhalkah on November 19, 2009 - 7:42pm.
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Will City Council support Funkhouser and dump Cauthen?

By Yael T. Abouhalkah, Kansas City Star Editorial Page columnist

Mayor Mark Funkhouser's attempt to get rid of City Manager Wayne Cauthen hinges on this question:

Does he have six other votes on the City Council to make this move?

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Submitted by Yael T. Abouhalkah on November 19, 2009 - 2:35pm.
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Funkhouser vs. Cauthen, Round 2

By Yael T. Abouhalkah, Kansas City Star Editorial Page columnist

Mayor Mark Funkhouser suspended City Manager Wayne Cauthen on Thursday. The mayor's letter to City Council members said the reason was, "I believe we need new leadership for the city." This is not surprising.

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Submitted by Yael T. Abouhalkah on November 19, 2009 - 2:15pm.
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Power & Light District's stunning $15 million black hole

By Yael T. Abouhalkah, Kansas City Star Editorial Page columnist

The potential for a $15 million deficit at the Power & Light District in the next city budget is stunningly bad news for taxpayers.

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Submitted by Yael T. Abouhalkah on November 19, 2009 - 12:23pm.
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Funkhouser supports Capital Projects Department (good for him)

By Yael T. Abouhalkah, Kansas City Star Editorial Page columnist

The idea of creating a Capital Projects Department to oversee large construction projects for City Hall has an important ally: Mayor Mark Funkhouser.

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Submitted by Yael T. Abouhalkah on November 19, 2009 - 11:41am.
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Senate health bill trumps House measure

By Yael T. Abouhalkah, Kansas City Star Editorial Page columnist

The Senate health care reform bill unveiled Wednesday by Majority Leader Harry Reid is superior to the House-approved measure, at least when it comes to costs.

These are important points for senators to keep in mind when they vote on the bill, possibly as early as this weekend.

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Submitted by Yael T. Abouhalkah on November 19, 2009 - 7:30am.
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Holder's 9/11 balancing act

By Yael T. Abouhalkah, Kansas City Star Editorial Page columnist

U.S. Attorney Gen. Eric Holder isn't backing down from his decision to hold public trials in New York of five accused 9/11 terrorists.

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Submitted by Yael T. Abouhalkah on November 19, 2009 - 7:29am.
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Funkhouser's candid teleconference call

By Yael T. Abouhalkah, Kansas City Star Editorial Page columnist

Mayor Mark Funkhouser's teleconference call Wednesday night allowed the mayor to get across his candid talking points, though not with enough detail.

The candid examples:

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Submitted by Yael T. Abouhalkah on November 18, 2009 - 8:25pm.
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Disabled people get a voice in KC's parks, recreation decisions

By Yael T. Abouhalkah, Kansas City Star Editorial Page columnist

Kudos to the Kansas City Parks and Recreation Department for reaching out to see what kinds of amenities are needed to serve disabled people.

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Submitted by Yael T. Abouhalkah on November 18, 2009 - 4:47pm.
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New department could improve building big projects in KC

By Yael T. Abouhalkah, Kansas City Star Editorial Page columnist

The City Council’s top priority over the next several months is to determine whether it has the political will to establish a Capital Projects Department.

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Submitted by Yael T. Abouhalkah on November 18, 2009 - 4:21pm.
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GOP's sensible attacks on mammogram report

By Yael T. Abouhalkah, Kansas City Star Editorial Page columnist

Republicans are attacking a new government-produced mammogram report, saying it's the kind of thing that could lead to rationed care in the future.

The critics make a legitimate point.

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Submitted by Yael T. Abouhalkah on November 18, 2009 - 3:53pm.
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McCain vs. Palin: She's wrong to attack my aides

By Yael T. Abouhalkah, Kansas City Star Editorial Page columnist

Finally, John McCain on Wednesday entered the fray surrounding Sarah Palin's "Going Rogue" memoir.

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Submitted by Yael T. Abouhalkah on November 18, 2009 - 2:44pm.
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Michael Kaiser's optimistic take on the arts

By Yael T. Abouhalkah, Kansas City Star Editorial Page columnist

Michael Kaiser has thought a lot about the arts, funding them and their essential roles in society. And it shows.

On Wednesday, Kaiser -- president of the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts -- talked for more than 90 minutes at the Lyric Theatre about his passion for the arts.

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Submitted by Yael T. Abouhalkah on November 18, 2009 - 12:20pm.
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