Editorial: Star Brights, salutes to the goodness around us this week
You belong, Sunayana
Sunayana Dumala, the young widow of Srinivas Kuchibhotla, the Indian engineer who died in the recent shooting in Olathe, has decided to return to her home here and let us show her how welcome she is.
Living in the “dream house” where she and her husband hoped to raise a family will be difficult, and we share some of her pain. He should be with her right now, celebrating his 33rd birthday this week and his cousin’s engagement.
After all she’s lost, we’re grateful that she is still willing to give us a chance to support her now. We thank her for sharing the stories of her kindhearted husband, most recently in an astonishingly generous Facebook post. And we are confident that she’ll find that the answer to her question about whether immigrants are really welcome in the United States — “Do we belong?” — is that absolutely, yes Sunayana, you do.
Kindness across faiths
After the Islamic Society of New Tampa mosque burned in an arson attack last week, Adeel Karim noticed something unusual.
He saw contributions in multiples of $18 from names such as Avi, Cohen, Goldstein, Rubin and Fisher. Karim deduced that they were meant in the spirit of the Hebrew word chai, meaning long life.
The interfaith outreach echoes Missouri’s Muslims Unite to Repair Jewish Cemetery fundraiser, which has raised over $156,000 so far to repair more than 154 headstones damaged in a suburban St. Louis Jewish cemetery.
When the specter of intolerance hangs ominously in the air, this grass-roots goodwill reminds us of America’s openness and generosity.
Chiefs legacy
Jamaal Charles, one of the greatest running backs in NFL history, no longer is a Chief, and it seems like we’re all just moving on like nothing happened.
But something did happen here. For nine seasons, Charles dazzled as he became the most productive runner in franchise history.
Let’s say this slowly. No one … in the history of professional football … has ever rushed for more yards … per carry … than No. 25.
Every time he touched the ball on a running play, Charles took it an average of 5.5 yards.
That’s more than Gale Sayers. That’s more than Barry Sanders. And it’s more than the man who still ranks as the greatest running back ever: the indomitable Jim Brown.
Thanks for the thrills, Jamaal. We’ll see you again when the Chiefs add you to their Ring of Honor.
Property tax relief
When you mention sky-high property taxes in these parts, most people immediately have one thought: Wyandotte County.
Mayor Mark Holland said this week he’ll continue to push for lower rates in a county that consistently ranks among the highest property taxers in Kansas.
In his annual state of the government address, Holland said he’ll work this year to drop the city’s rate to its lowest in 50 years. The Board of Commissioners signed off on a small reduction last year. Holland wants to keep it going “at a steady and responsible” pace.
That’s the right approach. Many Wyandotte County residents have low incomes, and high property taxes are a challenge.
A balanced tax burden is always the best approach. Lower property taxes are a step in that direction.
This story was originally published March 3, 2017 at 8:30 PM with the headline "Editorial: Star Brights, salutes to the goodness around us this week."