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 Yael T. Abouhalkah, Kansas City Star Editorial Page columnist
The full-scale makeover of steroid user Alex Rodriguez of the New York Yankees is under way in The New York Times, Sports Illustrated and other media outlets.
Sorry, not buying the hype.
By Yael T. Abouhalkah, Kansas City Star Editorial Page columnist
Now that's more like it. Hanging together, Democrats on Thursday steamrolled GOP opposition to a climate change bill in a U.S. Senate committee.
For all the talk about dithering Democrats in Washington, at least they were able to pass a key measure despite a Republican boycott.
By Yael T. Abouhalkah, Kansas City Star Editorial Page columnist
Democratic U.S. Rep. Ike Skelton of Missouri isn't going to let those darn Republicans attack him as a pro-health care kind of guy.
So Skelton has made it clearer than ever that he's going to oppose the Democratic reform measure.
Part of his statement on Wednesday:
By Yael T. Abouhalkah, Kansas City Star Editorial Page columnist
Maine voters on Tuesday once again showed quite clearly that Americans have a deep belief that marriage ought to be between a man and a woman.
That's the obvious and rather harsh conclusion from the vote to repeal Maine's gay-marriage law.
by Yael T. Abouhalkah, Kansas City Star Editorial Page columnist
It’s time for a bistate wrap-up of interesting developments from the past week.
First, Missouri-side voters were in a positive mood Tuesday and deserve a pat on the back for endorsing several needed issues.
By Yael T. Abouhalkah, Kansas City Star Editorial Page columnist
You can't keep Sarah Palin down. Today she's celebrating victories by GOP gubernatorial candidates in Virginia and New Jersey.
By Yael T. Abouhalkah, Kansas City Star Editorial Page columnist
The COMBAT election passed Tuesday, but it sure cost Jackson County taxpayers a huge amount to do it.
Overall, the estimated cost for the COMBAT portion of the election was $847,000.
A total of 46,700 votes were cast.
By Yael T. Abouhalkah, Kansas City Star Editorial Page columnist
The Louisiana justice of the peace with the racist views that prevented him from marrying an interracial couple has resigned. It took too long, but Keith Bardwell made the right decision.
Bardwell embarrassed himself and his state a few weeks ago when he drew national scorn for his actions.
By Yael T. Abouhalkah, Kansas City Star Editorial Page columnist
The American Academy of Family Physicians should be ashamed of itself.
The Leawood-based group has essentially taken a bribe from Coca-Cola, which wants to influence the physicians group to mute its concerns over the consumption of sugary drinks in America.
By Yael T. Abouhalkah, Kansas City Star Editorial Page columnist
Fearful New York Yankees fans can almost taste it: The bitter defeat of losing the last three games of the 2009 World Series to the Philadelphia Phillies.
The first loss occurred Monday night, when the Phillies pounded the Yankees 8-6. That cut New York's Series lead to 3-2 games.
By Yael T. Abouhalkah, Kansas City Star Editorial Page columnist
A few months ago, Kansas City Zoo Director Randy Wisthoff told me he was worried about getting a polar bear to roam around in his facility's planned exhibit.
By Yael T. Abouhalkah, Kansas City Star Editorial Page columnist
Like many people, I occasionally take part in the guilty pleasure of eating a Hostess Ho Ho. Or some Twinkies.
Until recently, I was supporting a hometown, Kansas-City based firm that made these sugary products -- Interstate Bakeries.
But the company moved to Texas earlier this year.
By Yael T. Abouhalkah, Kansas City Star Editorial Page columnist
In a pitiful display of "leadership," Republican boycotted today's discussion of a climate bill in a U.S. Senate committee.
By failing to show up, the GOP senators showed they have no interest in trying to help the nation pass a responsible bill to control harmful emissions while not killing the U.S. economy.
By Yael T. Abouhalkah, Kansas City Star Editorial Page columnist
How quickly did the Republican National Committee change its spots on the special congressional election in New York? Watch this.
Early Saturday, Republican candidate Dede Scozzafava dropped out, badly trailing in the polls.
By Yael T. Abouhalkah, Kansas City Star Editorial Page columnist
Today's entertainment comes from radio shock jock Rush Limbaugh who on Sunday ripped President Barack Obama for being "immature, inexperienced, in over his head."
By Yael T. Abouhalkah, Kansas City Star Editorial Page columnist
In a stunning development Saturday, the Republican candidate in New York's 23rd Congressional District race dropped out. It's a huge victory for ultra-conservatives.
By Yael T. Abouhalkah, Kansas City Star Editorial Page columnist
Remember the birthers? I'd almost forgotten the people who absurdly think Barack Obama wasn't born in the U.S. and thus can't be president.
But now a court opinion has brought the birthers back to the public limelight -- if blessedly only briefly.
By Yael T. Abouhalkah, Kansas City Star Editorial Page columnist
It may be fleeting in the end, but House Speaker Nancy Pelosi enjoyed a big moment of victory Thursday.
She unveiled an $894 billion health care reform bill that includes a public option, that reportedly won't add to the deficit and that will provide near-universal coverage to Americans.
By Yael T. Abouhalkah, Kansas City Star Editorial Page columnist
Sprint kept me and my family as customers this summer -- but not enough other people, it turns out.
By Yael T. Abouhalkah, Kansas City Star Editorial Page columnist
Kansas basketball fans got the good news Thursday: The KU Jayhawks are ranked No. 1 in the nation in Top 25 polls by The Associated Press and by ESPN/USA Today.
By Yael T. Abouhalkah, Kansas City Star Editorial Page columnist
Birmingham Mayor Larry Langford is likely going to jail after his conviction Wednesday on federal charges of accepting bribes.
Now he's kicked out of office, too, for accepting cash and goods worth $236,000 when he was president of the Jefferson County Commission.
By Yael T. Abouhalkah, Kansas City Star Editorial Page columnist
Here's a short atta-boy to Kansas Gov. Mark Parkinson for his implied criticism of the Wizards and Cerner Corp. on Wednesday.
As Parkinson noted, Kansas and Wyandotte County have offered lavish incentives (I'd say overly lavish) to build a stadium and office complex at The Legends.
The result?
By Yael T. Abouhalkah, Kansas City Star Editorial Page columnist
During 22 years of evaluating tax and fee elections in the Kansas City area, I’ve found they fall into three general categories:
“Thumbs Up,” “Thumbs Down” and “Nose Holders.”
By Yael T. Abouhalkah, Kansas City Star Editorial Page columnist
Don't expect miracles when Josh Freeman gets his big chance to start at quarterback for the NFL's Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
That's not necessarily a harsh reflection on the skills of Freeman, a former star player at Grandview High School and now an NFL rookie out of Kansas State University.
By Yael T. Abouhalkah, Kansas City Star Editorial Page columnist
Sarah Palin's new poll numbers are going the wrong way.
But that's not the kind of thing her avid supporters will key in on, especially with her new memoir just weeks away from being released.
By Yael T. Abouhalkah, Kansas City Star Editorial Page columnist
Yes, it appears Democrats holding the U.S. House, the U.S. Senate and the White House feel compelled to squander their ability to pass a positive health care bill this year.
The big winners: Republicans laughing at the inept Democrats.
The big losers: The American people.
By Yael T. Abouhalkah, Kansas City Star Editorial Page columnist
Sarah Palin has struck it rich with her memoir, "Going Rogue," and she's going to deserve every penny she gets when it's published next month.
And that starts with her stunning $1.25 million advance for writing the book for HarperCollins.
By Yael T. Abouhalkah, Kansas City Star Editorial Page columnist
Sen. Joe Lieberman on Tuesday dumped all over the millions of Americans who would be helped by a public option for health insurance.
Heck, it won't even take much effort by the GOP to derail a public option if a few wayward Democrats and Lieberman, an independent, keep up their destructive ways.
By Yael T. Abouhalkah, Kansas City Star Editorial Page columnist
U.S. health officials are preaching patience to anxious Americans awaiting vaccination against swine flu. But it's tough not to be frustrated when scare stories abound.
