http://www.kansascity.com/276/index.xml News, sports and entertainment from The Kansas City Star en-us Copyright 2012Kansas City Star Mary Sanchez 60 Fri, 25 May 2012 23:48:37 CDT http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/tech/rss McClatchy Interactive's PubSys 1.1.fi feedback@kansascity.com (Feedback) http://www.kansascity.com/2012/05/23/3624727/hate-finally-goes-to-prison.html http://www.kansascity.com/2012/05/23/3624727/hate-finally-goes-to-prison.html#storylink=rss Wed, 23 May 2012 05:00 CDT The term "rot in prison" was assigned a poster boy this week by an Arizona judge. http://www.kansascity.com/2012/05/21/3616031/the-massachusetts-indian-war-of.html http://www.kansascity.com/2012/05/21/3616031/the-massachusetts-indian-war-of.html#storylink=rss Mon, 21 May 2012 05:00 CDT Topic A is whether there is any way Elizabeth Warren could have had Cherokee ancestors, as she once claimed. Are her cheekbones high enough? Or is she "Fauxcahontas"? http://www.kansascity.com/2012/05/20/3619690/census-savings-would-put-us-on.html http://www.kansascity.com/2012/05/20/3619690/census-savings-would-put-us-on.html#storylink=rss Sun, 20 May 2012 05:00 CDT The U.S. House is attempting to eliminate funding for a socioeconomic survey. But without the data, government funding would be based on guesswork. http://www.kansascity.com/2012/05/16/3614720/kc-agencies-offer-new-help-for.html http://www.kansascity.com/2012/05/16/3614720/kc-agencies-offer-new-help-for.html#storylink=rss Wed, 16 May 2012 05:00 CDT By fall 2013, Kansas City is slated to have the beginnings of a campus for homeless veterans. The vision is to create an area where honorably discharged veterans can live in a supportive community and get the help they need, whether it's for their physical or mental health, job training or life skills. http://www.kansascity.com/2012/05/14/3606055/crossing-the-rubicon-on-same-sex.html http://www.kansascity.com/2012/05/14/3606055/crossing-the-rubicon-on-same-sex.html#storylink=rss Mon, 14 May 2012 05:00 CDT You would think that a president born to an interracial union in the 1960s would not need to undergo a tortuous "evolution" before expressing his support for same-sex marriage. But Barack Obama's past reluctance also reflects what an awesome struggle it will take to secure marriage rights for all Americans. http://www.kansascity.com/2012/05/13/3608874/probe-is-needed-connect-the-dots.html http://www.kansascity.com/2012/05/13/3608874/probe-is-needed-connect-the-dots.html#storylink=rss Sun, 13 May 2012 05:00 CDT Kansas City's Center for Practical Bioethics is part of a Senate investigation into the links between pharmaceutical firms and addiction to painkillers. http://www.kansascity.com/2012/05/09/3603604/maintaining-the-integrity-in-student.html http://www.kansascity.com/2012/05/09/3603604/maintaining-the-integrity-in-student.html#storylink=rss Wed, 09 May 2012 05:00 CDT Pitching hoops for UMKC is not exactly a pipeline to the NBA. http://www.kansascity.com/2012/05/04/3594125/the-talented-and-troublesome-mr.html http://www.kansascity.com/2012/05/04/3594125/the-talented-and-troublesome-mr.html#storylink=rss Fri, 04 May 2012 05:00 CDT Chen Guangcheng's next move should be up to him. If the blind Chinese dissident and his family must flee China to save themselves, so be it. But, strange as it is to say, while that may be good for Chen, it wouldn't be for the people and the causes he championed. http://www.kansascity.com/2012/05/06/3597780/grown-ups-who-dont-play-well-ruin.html http://www.kansascity.com/2012/05/06/3597780/grown-ups-who-dont-play-well-ruin.html#storylink=rss Sun, 06 May 2012 05:00 CDT No, Kansas City, Legoland does not presume everyone 18 and older could be a pedophile. http://www.kansascity.com/2012/05/02/3589892/judges-ruling-gives-kc-school.html http://www.kansascity.com/2012/05/02/3589892/judges-ruling-gives-kc-school.html#storylink=rss Wed, 02 May 2012 05:00 CDT Cease the political tinkering, plans for educational social engineering and efforts to use children to augment adult arguments. http://www.kansascity.com/2012/04/30/3580427/wal-mart-de-mexico-bribery-or.html http://www.kansascity.com/2012/04/30/3580427/wal-mart-de-mexico-bribery-or.html#storylink=rss Mon, 30 Apr 2012 05:00 CDT Poor Mexico! So far from God and so near the United States. The words are attributed to Mexican President Porfirio Diaz, who governed for a 35-year period ending in 1911. The angst-ridden quote feels pertinent today. Our countries are entwined in ways that don't always redound to the moral credit of either party. http://www.kansascity.com/2012/04/23/3572354/supremes-must-set-states-straight.html http://www.kansascity.com/2012/04/23/3572354/supremes-must-set-states-straight.html#storylink=rss Mon, 23 Apr 2012 05:00 CDT Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer argues that it was failure at the federal level that created the illegal immigration problem. And she's right. However, only federal action can fix this problem. And on this point, the U.S. Supreme Court must unequivocally set the states straight. Then Congress has to get to work. No excuses. http://www.kansascity.com/2012/04/12/3553022/has-the-catholic-hierarchy-really.html http://www.kansascity.com/2012/04/12/3553022/has-the-catholic-hierarchy-really.html#storylink=rss Thu, 12 Apr 2012 05:00 CDT The procedures that the Catholic Church has put in place to protect children are positive steps. But if the men at the top of the chain of command are still inclined to cover questionable behavior by priests, to shuffle them off to less public assignments rather than alerting police, it's all for nothing. http://www.kansascity.com/2012/04/15/3557289/teens-safety-was-not-prescribed.html http://www.kansascity.com/2012/04/15/3557289/teens-safety-was-not-prescribed.html#storylink=rss Sun, 15 Apr 2012 05:00 CDT A mother shouldn't learn from an autopsy report that her institutionalized teenage daughter was prescribed drugs. Especially not if they are strong medications, possibly to combat a bipolar disorder and a patch to prevent pregnancy. http://www.kansascity.com/2012/04/11/3548844/cities-need-to-build-relationships.html http://www.kansascity.com/2012/04/11/3548844/cities-need-to-build-relationships.html#storylink=rss Wed, 11 Apr 2012 00:00 CDT Dottie Newsom is recharging her battle to get the Unified Government of Wyandotte County to pay for damages to her home that she says came from the construction of the four-lane Parallel Parkway Project. The roadway is adjacent to Newsom's home, separated only by a sidewalk and a bit of grass. http://www.kansascity.com/2012/04/09/3540485/gun-rights-have-morphed-into-the.html http://www.kansascity.com/2012/04/09/3540485/gun-rights-have-morphed-into-the.html#storylink=rss Mon, 09 Apr 2012 05:00 CDT Shooting deaths of unarmed young men raise questions about how state legislatures have been encouraged by gun advocates to pass laws that encourage everyday citizens to use deadly force in situations where it previously would not have been allowed. http://www.kansascity.com/2012/04/08/3543591/case-shows-leaving-life-of-crime.html http://www.kansascity.com/2012/04/08/3543591/case-shows-leaving-life-of-crime.html#storylink=rss Sun, 08 Apr 2012 00:00 CDT People latched onto the promise of Nelson E. Hopkins Sr. -- police, crime activists, philanthropists, politicians and, yes, columnists. Hopkins still may emerge as a storyline of redemption. But it will be from inside, not out, of prison. http://www.kansascity.com/2012/04/04/3536933/missouris-shift-on-school-control.html http://www.kansascity.com/2012/04/04/3536933/missouris-shift-on-school-control.html#storylink=rss Wed, 04 Apr 2012 05:00 CDT Most desegregation cases were just that -- efforts to seat white and black children in classrooms together. Racial isolation can harm young people's attitudes and ability to interact with people different from themselves. But a poor education will seal their fate faster. http://www.kansascity.com/2012/04/02/3524805/tool-or-hero-what-role-will-rubio.html http://www.kansascity.com/2012/04/02/3524805/tool-or-hero-what-role-will-rubio.html#storylink=rss Mon, 02 Apr 2012 05:00 CDT The GOP is launching its secret weapon. The one with an ethnic persona and an assumed comfort level with a coveted demographic, along with boyish good looks and tea party credentials for added charm. Good luck, Sen. Marco Rubio. You will need it. http://www.kansascity.com/2012/04/01/3529330/trayvon-martin-case-shows-complexity.html http://www.kansascity.com/2012/04/01/3529330/trayvon-martin-case-shows-complexity.html#storylink=rss Sun, 01 Apr 2012 05:00 CDT Deciding whether George Zimmerman's half-Hispanic ethnicity means anything in regard to his actions in killing Trayvon Martin is a separate and foolish exercise. It also reveals something about the convoluted nature of Hispanic racial designations. http://www.kansascity.com/2012/03/28/3521032/on-race-we-pick-our-own-truths.html http://www.kansascity.com/2012/03/28/3521032/on-race-we-pick-our-own-truths.html#storylink=rss Wed, 28 Mar 2012 05:00 CDT Which version sounds like the truth? A white male vigilante stalked an unarmed black teenager and shot him dead. Or a black young man, suspiciously wandering around, is shot after he attacks a neighborhood watchman. Careful. The choice can say less about established fact and more about what you want the facts to be. http://www.kansascity.com/2012/03/26/3509319/komen-cure-thyself.html http://www.kansascity.com/2012/03/26/3509319/komen-cure-thyself.html#storylink=rss Mon, 26 Mar 2012 05:00 CDT Susan G. Komen for the Cure continues to be a cautionary tale about the toxicity of our politics and how easy it is for those politics to drive a large and trusted charity into a ditch. http://www.kansascity.com/2012/03/25/3512721/stand-your-ground-laws-deserve.html http://www.kansascity.com/2012/03/25/3512721/stand-your-ground-laws-deserve.html#storylink=rss Sun, 25 Mar 2012 05:00 CDT The nation must discover whether "shoot first" laws like the ones passed in 2007 in Kansas and Missouri are impeding police investigations and the pursuit of justice by prosecutors. It is the very least that can be done for Trayvon Martin now. http://www.kansascity.com/2012/03/21/3506051/freedom-inc-needs-to-tout-its.html http://www.kansascity.com/2012/03/21/3506051/freedom-inc-needs-to-tout-its.html#storylink=rss Wed, 21 Mar 2012 05:00 CDT Freedom Inc. is not the first long-term organization to face a need to regenerate. Any group that formed around such important causes and that filled a need for decades, can eventually find itself in a lull. The organization's fascinating history may be a place to start. http://www.kansascity.com/2012/03/19/3495765/woman-troubles-the-gops-bizarre.html http://www.kansascity.com/2012/03/19/3495765/woman-troubles-the-gops-bizarre.html#storylink=rss Mon, 19 Mar 2012 05:00 CDT Women get a lot of lip service about being equal and fully valued members of society, although sometimes we have to wonder. http://www.kansascity.com/2012/03/18/3499611/remember-the-real-victims.html http://www.kansascity.com/2012/03/18/3499611/remember-the-real-victims.html#storylink=rss Sun, 18 Mar 2012 05:00 CDT Karma is a b----. It's that sort of language, amped up with descriptions of sex acts and racial taunts, that is the crux of problems two Lee's Summit North High School students seem to have constructed for themselves. http://www.kansascity.com/2012/03/14/3491621/dont-blame-the-beef-were-the-ones.html http://www.kansascity.com/2012/03/14/3491621/dont-blame-the-beef-were-the-ones.html#storylink=rss Wed, 14 Mar 2012 05:00 CDT The pig lay prone, eyeing me snout up. http://www.kansascity.com/2012/03/12/3479880/romneys-sad-search-for-authenticity.html http://www.kansascity.com/2012/03/12/3479880/romneys-sad-search-for-authenticity.html#storylink=rss Mon, 12 Mar 2012 05:00 CDT Mitt Romney's backers decided to sully U.S. Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor's good name. It was one of their latest jabs against GOP opponent Rick Santorum -- another craven attempt to prove their candidate is the "true conservative." http://www.kansascity.com/2012/03/11/3484554/kck-woman-is-honored-for-bravery.html http://www.kansascity.com/2012/03/11/3484554/kck-woman-is-honored-for-bravery.html#storylink=rss Sun, 11 Mar 2012 05:00 CDT It's a great honor, her friend explains in Spanish, given to very few people. For your bravery in the fire, she's told. No, Claudia Gonzalez says, shaking her head and beginning to cry. "I don't care if everything burned," she says, "but the baby, the baby." A hero, she insists, would have saved all of her children. http://www.kansascity.com/2012/03/07/3476026/one-major-failing-for-scouting.html http://www.kansascity.com/2012/03/07/3476026/one-major-failing-for-scouting.html#storylink=rss Wed, 07 Mar 2012 05:00 CST To Robert Mazzuca, chief Scout executive, Boy Scouts of America: Welcome to Kansas City, a town immersed in the laudable history of the Boy Scouts. May you find our community passionate for the virtues of Scouting. And yet respectfully insistent that your organization stop casting out young men and adult volunteers who admit being gay.