Kansas City

By Miriam Pepper, Kansas City Star editorial page editor

The last time Kansas City Mayor Mark Funkhouser tried to oust the city manager two years ago he failed to communicate with his council colleagues. And this time? Same story; no lesson learned.

By Barb Shelly, Kansas City Star editorial page columnist

Rev. Mark Tolbert's resignation from a Power & Light District advisory board is a big deal.

The Star's Saturday editorial

Last April, U.S. Rep. Emanuel Cleaver began promoting an effort to use federal stimulus funds to upgrade 150 square blocks of inner Kansas City. He called it the Green Impact Zone.

“I’m so excited, I’m trying to calm down,” Cleaver had said. “This is a perfect storm of opportunity.”

By Barb Shelly, Kansas City Star editorial page columnist

The merits of the discrimination case filed against a nightclub in the Power & Light District remain to be seen.

George Harris Kansas City Star Reader Advisory Panel 2008

The New York Yankees beat the Philadelphia Phillies 4 games to 2 in the 2009 World Series. Kansas City must find a way to match the investment New York put into their team to capture this world prize.

By Tom Ryan, Kansas City Star Reader Advisory Panel

This morning, I listened to local builders, contractors, and a consultant propose forming a “Capital Projects Division” in the city’s government. They are tired of the slow and disjointed bureaucracy that they see stunts the growth of Kansas City public works and infrastructure projects.

By Tom Ryan, Kansas City Star Reader Advisory Panel

People are seeing their dreams dashed in many ways. The resources are not there right now to bring visions into reality. Beginning at the personal level to the community, we realize our dreams may not be resourced this year.

By Tom Ryan, Kansas City Star Reader Advisory Panel

This is not supposed to happen to Kansas City. However, yesterday, Joel Kotkin, on a national radio program, yes national, told the national audience how he thought Kansas City is beautiful, settled, stable….this really worries me.

Our special secret will have people flocking here now.

By Tom Ryan, Kansas City Star Reader Advisory Panel

As if the target of all of this law enforcement focus is a buffet table of drugs, we continue to deny ourselves the need to name this conflict of interest properly. For people in the drug business, business is good, but competition is keen. Tax breaks abound. Right here in Kansas City, the underground economy flourishes. Why?

By Barb Shelly, Kansas City Star editorial page columnist

(Ooops. I'm correcting an error below. The fine on the red-light camera tickets is $100, no points on the license.)

Here's an epilogue to our post of a couple days ago about Kansas City's red light cameras nabbing motorists for not coming to a complete stop before making a right-hand turn.

By Tom Ryan, Kansas City Star Reader Advisory Panel

Language is powerful. The acronym, COMBAT, should be replaced with something that speaks of peace not conflict. We have police trained to confront and deconflict. If you think, you’re fighting something, you are…

By Matthew Schofield, Kansas City Star editorial columnist

The common belief around Kansas City is that no one walks or pedals a bike.

Kansas City is a car town, and will remain one, and should remain one, is the logic.
The city is too spread out, too hilly, too hot in the summer, too cold in the winter, for any outdoor mode of transport.

That's not totally true, of course.

The Star's Friday Editorial

Thousands of people and hundreds of horses will march with pride starting at 10 a.m. Saturday when they hit the streets for the 84th annual American Royal Parade. This beautiful spectacle is a Kansas City tradition.

The Star's Wednesday editorial

True, caveats came attached to the good news that arrived in driveways and on computer screens Wednesday. But after the year this city has just been through, we’ll take good news in whatever form it arrives.

So, the good news:

By Barb Shelly, Kansas City Star editorial page columnist

Kansas City Council members are tying their collective knickers into knots over Mayor Mark Funkhouser's choice of the artist known as Stretch to serve on the Tax Increment Finance Commission.

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

In the byzantine world of Kansas City's Fire Department, it's impossible to parse all the political machinations behind words and actions of Local 42 President Louie Wright, his followers or his enemies.

By The Kansas City Star Editorial Board

A new citizen survey offers some mixed views of Kansas City government.

Mayor Mark Funkhouser emphasized the positives last week, saying progress is being made on the city’s major goal of improving basic services.

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

KC's beleaguered mayor, Mark Funkhouser, received some positive news Thursday.

City Auditor Gary White reported at a City Council business session that 47 city services had increased in citizen satisfaction ratings in the first 2,000 of 8,000 planned surveys in a year.

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

Get ready to drink and eat a lot of Pepsi products at City Hall, at KC golf courses and the city's convention centers in the years ahead.

At a business session Thursday, city staff said Pepsi had provided the best bid to provide product for all of the city's vending machines for years to come.

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

Former top mayoral aide Joe Miller has produced a behind-the-scenes look at his time with Mayor Mark Funkhouser.

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

The proposed new Troost Avenue bridge is on the verge of becoming Kansas City’s version of the Bridge to Nowhere in Alaska.

In other words, a shameful example of how politics corrupts the spending of millions of taxpayer dollars.

By The Kansas City Star Editorial Board

The long waits for callers to reach Kansas City’s 311 Action Center are frustrating for residents — and inexcusable for City Hall.

City Manager Wayne Cauthen should hire part-time call takers to help solve the problem for now, until other steps are taken.

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

U.S. Rep. Emanuel Cleaver has taken a number of risks throughout the years, promoting many projects that worked -- and some that didn't.

By The Kansas City Star Editorial Board

Some of Kansas City’s most challenged neighborhoods step into the national spotlight today. Top-ranking officials from the Obama administration are scheduled to visit the Green Impact Zone, a 150-square block area on the East Side.

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

One more maddening aspect of the 311 Action Center debacle at City Hall:

City Manager Wayne Cauthen wants to use $360,000 to hire part-time workers to more speedily answer calls. It's a reasonable idea. But here's the problem.

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

The problems with KC's 311 Action Center are embarrassing for Mayor Mark Funkhouser and yet another black mark against the performance of City Manager Wayne Cauthen.

By The Kansas City Star Editorial Board

The Kansas City area is preparing an aggressive bid for federal transportation stimulus money that could go a long way toward improving links for commuters and bike riders.

By The Kansas City Star Editorial Board

Kansas City has mistakenly allowed the aging Kemper Arena to become a forlorn stepchild of city government, losing hundreds of thousands of dollars annually.

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

Former Kansas State star Michael Beasley has become yet another reason NBA Commissioner David Stern will continue pressing for age limits on pro basketball players.

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

Mayor Mark Funkhouser is absolutely correct on his warnings about the public cost of a new downtown convention hotel.