By Barb Shelly, Kansas City Star editorial page columnist
What does everybody think about American Airlines charging $15 for the first piece of checked luggage?
I can see the logic behind the policy. Baggage equals weight and weight requires fuel. Hence, make user pay for the extra weight.
Kansas City ranked seventh among the nation’s 50 largest metropolitan areas for traffic fatalities involving drivers 15 to 19 years old, according to a study by Allstate Insurance Co.
That number, drawing on data from 2000 to 2006, should be a concern for lawmakers and police agencies.
Plans to build a memorial to victims of the 1981 Hyatt Regency Hotel skywalks collapse should move forward.
This would be a fitting tribute for the 114 people who died, and for rescuers who worked through the night to save lives.
By Denise Tiller, Midwest Voices columnist
What would you do if your healthy 22-year-old daughter had a stroke?
If you’re like me, once you finished freaking out, you would want to find the best medical care possible. But how would you pay for it?
The U.S. Senate paid a fitting tribute to members of the armed services last week by expanding education benefits for veterans.
The proposed new G.I. Bill is a statement that those who go to war for their nation deserve generous help with paying for college.
Efforts to have employers check the Social Security numbers of potential workers in a federal database may sound simple. Think again.
Like many efforts to stem illegal immigration, this one is fraught with unintended complications.
By E. Thomas McClanahan, Kansas City Star editorial page columnist
Barack Obama’s run for the White House has already made history, and not merely because of his race. He came out of nowhere to upset the supposedly unbeatable Hillary Clinton. Now the nomination seems within his grasp.
The wars that followed Sept. 11 began with broad popular support and soon became bogged down in controversy. Yet through it all, those we sent in harm’s way have done their duty, and many have paid the ultimate price.
At least half the teachers in urban schools quit their jobs within three to five years.
Young teachers who were inadequately prepared to educate impoverished children leave, and are replaced by teachers who are no better equipped for the challenge.
By Laura Scott, Kansas City Star editorial page columnist
This long weekend is considered the traditional summer vacation season kickoff, when people of the plains head to the mountains, the seashore, the national parks, and beyond.
By Mary Sanchez, Kansas City Star editorial page columnist
Guess which life may be more likely to receive heroic efforts to revive it: a premature infant, or an older patient with a lower chance of survival?
Federal officials are proposing tougher rules on how credit-card companies handle their relationships with customers — steps that are long overdue.
The recommended changes were drafted by the Federal Reserve, in conjunction with the Office of Thrift Supervision and the National Credit Union Administration. They are expected to become final by the end of the year.
