http://www.kansascity.com/276/index.xml News, sports and entertainment from The Kansas City Star en-us Copyright 2013Kansas City Star Mary Sanchez 60 Wed, 19 Jun 2013 00:10:39 CDT http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/tech/rss McClatchy Interactive's PubSys 1.1.fi feedback@kansascity.com (Feedback) http://www.kansascity.com/2013/06/18/4300266/immigration-protesters-were-out.html http://www.kansascity.com/2013/06/18/4300266/immigration-protesters-were-out.html#storylink=rss Tue, 18 Jun 2013 20:15 CDT Kris Kobach is a menace to the passage of reasonable and necessary changes to immigration law. But Kobach is also a father and a husband. There is no condoning the actions of the nearly 300 people who stomped onto his private property Saturday for a protest. http://www.kansascity.com/2013/06/14/4293167/stand-your-ground-laws-a-shaky.html http://www.kansascity.com/2013/06/14/4293167/stand-your-ground-laws-a-shaky.html#storylink=rss Fri, 14 Jun 2013 13:21 CDT People are confused about what constitutes self-defense. What many people term self-defense is really just the last act in an argument gone out of control, a situation that escalates until one or both parties reach for a gun. http://www.kansascity.com/2013/06/16/4296542/belcher-hearing-is-about-salvaging.html http://www.kansascity.com/2013/06/16/4296542/belcher-hearing-is-about-salvaging.html#storylink=rss Sun, 16 Jun 2013 23:31 CDT Neither side of Zoey Belcher's family is vying for guardianship of the 9-month-old solely because she arrives with a hefty bank account. The decision is who has the maturity to put Zoey ahead of their connection to her: Team Jovan Belcher or Team Kasandra Perkins. http://www.kansascity.com/2013/06/12/4289129/judges-say-kids-can-transfer-from.html http://www.kansascity.com/2013/06/12/4289129/judges-say-kids-can-transfer-from.html#storylink=rss Wed, 12 Jun 2013 16:51 CDT The Missouri Supreme Court has finally ruled on a closely watched case out of St. Louis dealing with whether children can change school districts if theirs is unaccredited. Obviously, there are implications for the Kansas City school district. But nip the inclination to assume that if children transfer to a different district, their test scores will skyrocket. Teacher quality matters more. http://www.kansascity.com/2013/06/07/4279140/time-to-end-the-imposed-ignorance.html http://www.kansascity.com/2013/06/07/4279140/time-to-end-the-imposed-ignorance.html#storylink=rss Fri, 07 Jun 2013 14:23 CDT A revealing thing happened in the grief-filled days that followed the massacre of helpless children and their teachers at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Conn. Virtually every conversation about gun control, about any possible remedy for gun violence, hit a roadblock. http://www.kansascity.com/2013/06/03/4271905/a-good-paying-job-is-more-effective.html http://www.kansascity.com/2013/06/03/4271905/a-good-paying-job-is-more-effective.html#storylink=rss Mon, 03 Jun 2013 22:23 CDT Demographically, single mothers are a growing and younger percentage of the population. They are the nation's future, and it's not a promising one. But here is the more sobering tale within the data: Nearly two-thirds of these "sole or primary" breadwinning women fit that description because they are the only one working in their households. http://www.kansascity.com/2013/05/27/4253898/when-will-military-get-serious.html http://www.kansascity.com/2013/05/27/4253898/when-will-military-get-serious.html#storylink=rss Mon, 27 May 2013 17:00 CDT The U.S. military has proved to be a sexually hostile environment for women -- and for a fair number of men as well. By the Pentagon's own measures, women are more likely to become victims of sexual assault while in the military than in civilian life. http://www.kansascity.com/2013/05/26/4258034/tragic-deaths-show-need-for-real.html http://www.kansascity.com/2013/05/26/4258034/tragic-deaths-show-need-for-real.html#storylink=rss Sun, 26 May 2013 22:17 CDT Finding people to cast blame upon, satisfying a vindictive zeal, says little to the broader questions surrounding Missouri's child welfare agency. Bureaucracies often throw a few people under the wheels. Reshaping an agency's culture is far more difficult. http://www.kansascity.com/2013/05/21/4248473/questions-of-accountability-and.html http://www.kansascity.com/2013/05/21/4248473/questions-of-accountability-and.html#storylink=rss Tue, 21 May 2013 22:37 CDT Missouri's efforts to shut down Gordon Parks Elementary School show we still need to figure out a way to fairly hold accountable charter schools, which often set out to serve disadvantaged students. http://www.kansascity.com/2013/05/20/4246328/did-a-sweatshop-worker-die-for.html http://www.kansascity.com/2013/05/20/4246328/did-a-sweatshop-worker-die-for.html#storylink=rss Mon, 20 May 2013 18:18 CDT Consumers need to keep pressing companies to follow through on their ethical commitments and codes of conduct. We need to make it clear that responsibility for poor working conditions and safety lapses rests with them, not just with third parties overseas. http://www.kansascity.com/2013/05/19/4244552/commissioner-opening-shows-vibrancy.html http://www.kansascity.com/2013/05/19/4244552/commissioner-opening-shows-vibrancy.html#storylink=rss Sun, 19 May 2013 23:19 CDT A field of 17 people have stepped forward to replace new Mayor Mark Holland on the Unified Government's Board of Commissioners. In an era when so few people even bother to vote, it's a plus for Wyandotte County that so many are willing to engage politically. http://www.kansascity.com/2013/05/15/4238046/missouri-can-shoulder-some-blame.html http://www.kansascity.com/2013/05/15/4238046/missouri-can-shoulder-some-blame.html#storylink=rss Wed, 15 May 2013 21:05 CDT Half the staff, same amount of work. No wonder Jackson County reassessments are so screwed up. In 2009, the county had 36 appraisers. Now there are 17. http://www.kansascity.com/2013/05/10/4229073/heritage-foundation-analyst-earned.html http://www.kansascity.com/2013/05/10/4229073/heritage-foundation-analyst-earned.html#storylink=rss Fri, 10 May 2013 17:08 CDT In his dissertation, titled "I.Q. and Immigration Policy," Jason Richwine, a senior policy analyst at the Heritage Foundation, is offensive, but he's also wrong. Hispanics are assimilating at the same rates as previous immigrant groups, in some ways even faster due to technology. http://www.kansascity.com/2013/05/12/4231891/after-horrors-of-ottawa-murders.html http://www.kansascity.com/2013/05/12/4231891/after-horrors-of-ottawa-murders.html#storylink=rss Sun, 12 May 2013 23:31 CDT The Ottawa murders punctuate the depravity of humanity, that a man would allegedly murder two men, rape and murder a woman and then kill her 18-month-old little girl and toss her aside like trash. In cases so filled with horrors, the public yearns for clear examples of how law enforcement works for them, not against. http://www.kansascity.com/2013/05/08/4225562/we-can-hold-teachers-accountable.html http://www.kansascity.com/2013/05/08/4225562/we-can-hold-teachers-accountable.html#storylink=rss Wed, 08 May 2013 15:09 CDT Efforts to speed up a possible state takeover of the Kansas City School District aren't going away, nor are ones to unravel tenure for teachers and pressing for more ways to grade teachers, despite slim chances for passage this session. Here is the thing: Politicians aren't necessary to press forward many accountability reforms. http://www.kansascity.com/2013/05/02/4215295/kentucky-5-year-old-shoots-his.html http://www.kansascity.com/2013/05/02/4215295/kentucky-5-year-old-shoots-his.html#storylink=rss Thu, 02 May 2013 19:42 CDT I don't care where you're from or what "culture" you purport to be a part of: You don't "play" with guns. And if a child is too young to understand that fact, to respect weaponry, adults shouldn't be giving them guns as gifts. And companies have no business marketing to children. http://www.kansascity.com/2013/05/05/4220354/immigration-reform-faces-tough.html http://www.kansascity.com/2013/05/05/4220354/immigration-reform-faces-tough.html#storylink=rss Sun, 05 May 2013 19:46 CDT U.S. Rep. Luis Gutierrez, who has long been one of the most passionate and involved voices on immigrant rights, visited Kansas City this weekend at the invitation of Rep. Emanuel Cleaver. http://www.kansascity.com/2013/05/01/4213102/iron-mike-and-golden-values.html http://www.kansascity.com/2013/05/01/4213102/iron-mike-and-golden-values.html#storylink=rss Wed, 01 May 2013 23:26 CDT The death of Paul Giovagnoli, the Kansas City man who designed the universally used baseball pitching machine that came to be known as "Iron Mike," is an opportunity to appreciate his contribution to baseball -- and America. http://www.kansascity.com/2013/04/26/4204169/immigration-reform-threatened.html http://www.kansascity.com/2013/04/26/4204169/immigration-reform-threatened.html#storylink=rss Fri, 26 Apr 2013 13:04 CDT The Boston Maration bombings have become a pretext for many Republicans to retreat from sensible immigration legislation, even though the measures have nothing to do with terrorism. http://www.kansascity.com/2013/04/28/4207469/sanchez-ryan-gig-in-atchison-tests.html http://www.kansascity.com/2013/04/28/4207469/sanchez-ryan-gig-in-atchison-tests.html#storylink=rss Sun, 28 Apr 2013 21:14 CDT A planned May 11 commencement address by U.S. Rep. Paul Ryan at Benedictine College is drawing scrutiny from fellow Catholics, who see the Wisconsin Republican's budget proposal as contradicting the church's social teachings. http://www.kansascity.com/2013/04/24/4200626/hiding-records-doesnt-help-abused.html http://www.kansascity.com/2013/04/24/4200626/hiding-records-doesnt-help-abused.html#storylink=rss Wed, 24 Apr 2013 17:02 CDT When a child dies or is a near fatality, records can be released at the discretion of the director of the Department of Social Services. But there doesn't seem to be a rhyme or reason to how those decisions are made. http://www.kansascity.com/2013/04/22/4191259/keeping-the-nation-focused-on.html http://www.kansascity.com/2013/04/22/4191259/keeping-the-nation-focused-on.html#storylink=rss Mon, 22 Apr 2013 18:06 CDT Significant social change doesn't happen easily, quickly or even in reaction to a horrifying national tragedy. A groundswell for change is a cumulative process. It builds, sometimes needing an image, a martyr, as a tipping point. And we've got a long way to go before we reform the country's gun laws. http://www.kansascity.com/2013/04/21/4195248/after-boston-trolley-run-should.html http://www.kansascity.com/2013/04/21/4195248/after-boston-trolley-run-should.html#storylink=rss Sun, 21 Apr 2013 23:06 CDT Two things are certain post-Boston: There will be no calming the most anxiety-prone. And any reaction will always be viewed as overreach by some people. Somewhere in between is the middle ground that all of America is now seeking, individually and collectively. http://www.kansascity.com/2013/04/17/4187654/stoking-fears-of-big-brother-in.html http://www.kansascity.com/2013/04/17/4187654/stoking-fears-of-big-brother-in.html#storylink=rss Wed, 17 Apr 2013 22:21 CDT Technology advancements like biometrics will continue to collide with privacy concerns for Americans. One person's red flag of a privacy violation is another's sense of security. What's not needed is a fanning of the conspiracy flames purely for political gain. http://www.kansascity.com/2013/04/12/4178296/abortion-doctors-trial-puts-media.html http://www.kansascity.com/2013/04/12/4178296/abortion-doctors-trial-puts-media.html#storylink=rss Fri, 12 Apr 2013 17:34 CDT The horrific abuses of a Philadelphia abortionist are raising accusations of media bias and questions about just what society should learn from his "House of Horrors." Kermit Gosnell is standing trial on capital murder charges. http://www.kansascity.com/2013/04/14/4182055/startup-weekend-shows-how-successful.html http://www.kansascity.com/2013/04/14/4182055/startup-weekend-shows-how-successful.html#storylink=rss Sun, 14 Apr 2013 22:58 CDT The inventive talent that is drawn to events such as the one held over the weekend at Rockhurst University are the entrepreneurial mindsets that will determine how successful Kansas City is with its opportunity to try out Google Fiber first. http://www.kansascity.com/2013/04/11/4174774/no-time-for-kc-to-dawdle-with.html http://www.kansascity.com/2013/04/11/4174774/no-time-for-kc-to-dawdle-with.html#storylink=rss Thu, 11 Apr 2013 01:10 CDT So far, much hope and hype has gone toward the idea that a young entrepreneur will be lured by our ultrafast gigabit, develop their ingenious idea and voila! Kansas City becomes Silicon Prairie. Catchy label, but it's even less likely now that parts of Austin, Texas, could be wired as soon as the middle of next year. http://www.kansascity.com/2013/04/05/4163960/school-safety-as-managed-by-the.html http://www.kansascity.com/2013/04/05/4163960/school-safety-as-managed-by-the.html#storylink=rss Fri, 05 Apr 2013 15:30 CDT Can an organization that is adamantly opposed to measures to keep children safe outside of school really be trusted to ensure their safety during the school day? The answer is no. http://www.kansascity.com/2013/04/07/4167911/reaction-to-ymca-closings-shows.html http://www.kansascity.com/2013/04/07/4167911/reaction-to-ymca-closings-shows.html#storylink=rss Sun, 07 Apr 2013 22:45 CDT More effort earlier by the YMCA to be upfront could have sidestepped much of the anger now that the organization is closing facilities in Raytown, Independence and Kansas City, Kan. Human nature doesn't value what it has until it's threatened with losing it. http://www.kansascity.com/2013/04/03/4159846/prosecutor-puts-focus-where-it.html http://www.kansascity.com/2013/04/03/4159846/prosecutor-puts-focus-where-it.html#storylink=rss Wed, 03 Apr 2013 17:59 CDT U.S. Attorney Barry Grissom found a cost-effective, efficient and humane way to pursue a case.