Playing it again: Pianos, policing, pings and complaints in 2015
Leave Sumner Academy’s piano alone
So maybe the “optics” are unfortunate, but the Kansas City, Kan., school board ought to be applauded for investing in its students.
That’s right, spending $48,000 for a grand piano is absolutely the right thing to do for the students at Sumner Academy. As the high-achieving high school with a longtime focus on the arts, Sumner and its leaders are suggesting that music is important in the lives and education of their students.
Replacing a worn-out instrument that has served, for better or worse, for decades is part of the cost of doing education. It’s not a luxury item to be deleted because Kansas Gov. Sam Brownback and state legislators have ravaged funding for schools.
But going after pianos is easy, because Brownback and his conservative allies in the statehouse have already proved their lack of interest in the arts. It’s part of an anti-intellectual movement causing pressure throughout the ranks of education. And it’s indicative of a crucial misunderstanding of what arts education contributes to the lives of our children and to the state of our culture.
(Feb. 3)
Restored Nichols fountain dedicated
Fountains justifiably contribute to Kansas City’s collective self-esteem. As visual entertainment, as backdrop for meditation and wedding photos, as gathering places for urban conversation and daily serendipity our fountain assets are civic necessities. Caretakers such as the City of Fountains Foundation, established more than 40 years ago, and their public and private partners should be thanked profusely for these efforts. As the mesmerizing anchor of Mill Creek Park, the refreshed Nichols Fountain will stand for many more years, attracting locals and visitors and their never-ending cameras.
It’s easy to dismiss the overused promotion of the city as one with “more fountains than Rome.” But on a gloriously balmy morning when the streams of water are spraying and the inherent energy and magic of the Nichols Fountain sculptures are dancing in your head, it might as well be true.
(March 5)
Swift reforms must follow Ferguson report
The widespread and crippling racial profiling by police of African-Americans in Ferguson, Mo., must be followed by immediate and far-reaching reforms.
The Justice Department on Wednesday released a report capping a six-month investigation that shows years of constitutional violations built on racial biases that corroded trust and fueled a growing anger in the mostly African-American suburb of St. Louis. The city exploded in protests and violence after the Aug. 9 fatal police shooting of unarmed, 18-year-old Michael Brown.
The Justice Department declined to file civil rights charges against former Ferguson Police Officer Darren Wilson in Brown’s death, saying the evidence did not support it. A state grand jury in November also declined to charge Wilson. Brown was black; Wilson, who resigned from the force in November, is white.
The report on the Police Department, however, showed a disturbing practice of police and city officials viewing African-Americans “less as constituents to be protected than as potential offenders and sources of revenue.” It shows an oppressive abuse of power and must serve as an object lesson for all law enforcement agencies.
(April 14)
A disgraceful week for the Missouri legislature
Any doubts that the Missouri General Assembly’s priorities are seriously off kilter have been dispelled in this final week of the legislative session.
The Star reported Wednesday that House Speaker John Diehl had traded a long series of text messages, some of them sexually charged, with a 19-year-old college freshman who was working as a legislative intern.
Diehl, 49, apologized for “poor judgment” and asked for “forgiveness.” That’s a good start, but Diehl needs to resign his leadership post and reconsider his career in public life. The age of the woman and Diehl’s position as one of the most powerful leaders in state government make his conduct abhorrent.
(May 13)
Kansans will bear the brunt of tax increases backed by Gov. Sam Brownback and GOP legislators
The image of a grown legislator sobbing in the middle of the night would be poignant if it weren’t so symbolically wretched.
Surely Republican Rep. John Whitmer of Wichita wasn’t tearing up around 3 a.m. Friday for the Kansas single mom who’ll have to pay more in sales taxes to put food on her family’s table and shoes on her children’s feet. Or for the welder whose tire popped in a highway pothole, which went unfilled because of warped state priorities.
Perhaps he was issuing tears of joy for his lawyer and business buddies who will keep their zero income-tax lifestyle intact. Have another round on the Kansas House!
...Brownback’s sunshine fantasy has become a radioactive cautionary tale for those who thought it would be a model for the rest of the nation.
(June 12)
Marriage equality ruling places U.S. on right side of history
Look around, Americans. Your nation just became bigger and better.
In a giant stride forward for civil rights, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled Friday that gay men and lesbian women are equal under the Constitution and entitled to marriage and all of its benefits.
What a day.
(June 26)
KC should approve a modest minimum wage boost
After six weeks of talking past one another, as Mayor Sly James has put it, stakeholders pushing for and against a proposed increase in Kansas City’s minimum wage seemed to recognize a glimmer of common ground in a work session on Monday.
Although the two sides remain hopelessly divided on a proposal to boost the minimum wage in Kansas City to $15 an hour by 2020 or 2021, they found a point of agreement that a wage floor approaching $9 an hour could be appropriate for the local economy today.
This represents a breakthrough opportunity that should not be squandered.
(July 7)
New convention hotel is a risk worth taking for KC
We’re not unabashed cheerleaders for a new downtown hotel. The $311 million, 800-room project has flaws.
However, this baggage should not be allowed to sink a deal that has more strengths than weaknesses. Mayor Sly James and the City Council have solid reasons next Thursday to move forward with this project.
It has the potential to be a huge victory for Kansas City, wooing out-of-town spenders, boosting overall convention numbers and continuing downtown’s revival. Most notably, this can be done without placing an undue burden on taxpayers.
(July 18)
Move ahead on affordable, convenient new KCI terminal
Prospects for building a modern, convenient and affordable new terminal at Kansas City International Airport have brightened considerably.
That’s a huge step forward in the long-lasting debate over what to do with an aging airport that gives many visitors — and many residents who travel — a poor image of our bustling, progressive community.
In a blunt report that built upon months of study by people with decades of experience in the aviation industry, the airlines at KCI as well as the consultants working for the city agreed on a key issue:
Kansas City should focus on what it would take to construct a new terminal.
(July 21)
Approve bold Johnson County tax plan
Despite a last-minute campaign by opponents to derail the plan, the Johnson County Commission should approve a modest tax increase on Thursday.
That would be a brave way to serve county residents by investing wisely in better parks, libraries and transit systems.
(Aug. 11)
Ferguson violence must end
Ferguson, Mo., has endured more than its share of violent protest since the death of teenager Michael Brown a year ago. It should not have to mark that event with more bloodshed and property damage.
Unfortunately, that is the scenario that played out, as peaceful weekend protests over the police shooting death of Brown, 18, turned violent Sunday night.
(Aug. 11)
Harmful streetcar delay can be overcome
Kansas City’s streetcars probably won’t get here by late September as once promised, and that’s a problem.
Boosters of the streetcar system made a mistake by not telling the public earlier about the delayed delivery of the four vehicles that will carry passengers on the two-mile line.
In turn, that has harmed the credibility of City Hall and the Kansas City Streetcar Authority, especially with the people who derisively refer to the “toy train” project.
(Aug. 14)
Praise to courageous jurors
The men and women who serve on juries never get enough praise. The 12 jurors and four alternates who spent the last three weeks hearing the case against a neo-Nazi killer in Johnson County are owed a huge round of thanks and a bountiful supply of comforting hugs.
(Sept. 9)
Think long term on homicide problem in KC
Kansas City’s rising murder numbers were sounding alarms even before eight persons, including two children, were killed by gunfire over the last seven days.
But this spate of violence, adding to a homicide count that is 20 percent higher than it was at this time last year, doesn’t mean the prevention strategies put in place over the last few years are failing.
In fact, officials say, the number of killings that appear to be related to group, or gang, violence is down from last year.
(Sept. 10)
Kansas City takes the crown, on and off the field
One of the famous phrases attributed to Satchel Paige, the great Kansas City baseball player, was this: “Don’t look back. Something might be gaining on you.”
This bit of wisdom applies to the Royals in two ways. In the 2015 postseason the Royals gained on and then overcame every opponent they faced.
And coming home with the World Series trophy means the Royals — and their fans — don’t have to look back with longing and regret at 2014 or 1985 or all the fallow years in between.
(Nov. 2)
Tim Wolfe’s removal needed to quell crisis at MU
A rapidly accelerating crisis at the University of Missouri calls for drastic measures, starting with the departure of Tim Wolfe, the university system president.
Members of the Board of Curators need to step up and take control of the situation, something Wolfe refuses to do.
Wolfe’s response Sunday to explosive developments on the Columbia campus was woefully inadequate.
A student is in the seventh day of a hunger strike, angry protesters are camped out on the lawns, and black players on the football team have vowed not to return to the field until Wolfe leaves his post.
(Nov. 8)
Keep a solid city manager in Kansas City
Mayor Sly James and City Manager Troy Schulte have been good partners the last four years, pushing a forward-looking agenda for Kansas City. Both are enthusiastic and positive influences on the city’s future.
Residents and businesses have benefited from the alliance. Citizen satisfaction scores on annual surveys are up. The city has boosted spending on basic services, such as park upgrades and road resurfacing. Major city investments, like the new downtown streetcar line, are moving ahead.
This is no time for the new City Council to break up the team, create uncertainty at City Hall and in the business community, and try to move in a different direction. That’s especially true now that the election to renew the 1 percent earnings tax is barely four months away; the tax contributes more than $220 million to the city’s $1.4 billion budget.
(Nov. 28)
Independent probes are crucial in deaths of two KC firefighters
Diligent investigations into a deadly October fire in Kansas City must be relentlessly pursued. And the findings released to the public have to be the unvarnished truth.
Two crucial questions require answers.
What went wrong that night, resulting in the deaths of two firefighters?
What must the Kansas City Fire Department and other U.S. fire agencies do to prevent firefighter fatalities in similar cases?
(Dec. 7)
This story was originally published December 18, 2015 at 4:00 AM with the headline "Playing it again: Pianos, policing, pings and complaints in 2015."