Kansas City gas customers shouldn’t have pay another rate increase | Opinion
Gas bill hikes
Spire is back again, asking the Missouri Public Service Commission for another rate increase — after receiving delivery rate and gas cost increases in late 2022 that raised bills by around 9%. Although those past increases were to quench the utility’s thirst for more revenue , here it is again, nickel-and-diming regular Missouri residential rate payers.
Inflation is not out of control, so Spire management needs to better grasp increased costs for itself and its workforce. Any exorbitant cost overruns exceeding budget expectations because of weather can be addressed by a temporary surcharge after damage assessment. Conservation efforts should be rewarded, not gigged for that penny saved.
In this day and age of creative financing, a satisfactory solution for both Spire and its customers can be found. Just leave residential ratepayers out of that equation.
- H. Jonathan Pratt, Kansas City
Be a voice
“Be a voice for the voiceless.” This rallying cry often touches hearts and moves others to action on behalf of vulnerable people. But has it motivated protection and enforcement agencies to investigate all deaths in Kansas nursing homes? Sadly, no.
There have been myriad voices over the years pleading for investigations on behalf of loved ones who perished in Kansas nursing homes. When my father died a suspicious death eight years ago, my voice was added to the mix. My writing about this in The Kansas City Star and The Topeka Capital-Journal has provoked responses from others who had unanswered questions about someone who perished in this setting. Derek Schmidt, then Kansas attorney general, was questioned about this by a grief-stricken caller during a 2022 live broadcast of an AARP town hall meeting, begging for an inquiry into her sister’s death in such a care facility. Kansas Advocates for Better Care has raised public awareness on this issue for years. The list goes on.
The lack of death investigations for a specific population can only be described as discrimination. All Kansans deserve justice, regardless of their address — no ifs, ands or buts.
- Valerie Harper, Topeka
Our choice
I hope The Kansas City Star does not make the same mistake that a newspaper in Columbus, Ohio, recently made.
A prominent story in The Columbus Dispatch began by saying, “Between 200 and 300 people gathered in downtown Columbus June 10 to protest the Trump administration’s crackdown on immigration.”
A clarification, of course, is needed for that statement because the Trump administration is cracking down only on illegal immigration. It should also be pointed out that the Trump administration has always been in favor of legal immigration.
Yes, there is a big difference between something that is illegal and something that is legal. Illegal immigration is a crime, and therefore it deserves arrests and prosecution. And as many have stated, no one is above the law. People who enforce the law, including U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials, are simply doing their job.
Also, contrary to what some may say, Donald Trump is not a king. He won both the Electoral College and popular vote in 2024 . It was an honest and fair election. He was chosen by the people to be our country’s president.
- Kevin Lindeman, Kansas City
Law and order?
I find it ironic how quickly Donald Trump sent troops to Los Angeles, causing chaos, but did nothing when the U.S. Capitol was attacked on Jan. 6, 2021.
- Eva Foster, Lake Quivira
River assets
Riverfront cities across the country are recognizing the value of restoring their riverfronts for recreation, economic development and ecological rejuvenation. Kansas City’s plans to continue improving the area near the River Market look promising, as does the commercial development of the Rock Island Bridge over the Kansas River.
The Kansas is one of the longest prairie rivers on Earth at 173 miles. Lawrence, Topeka and Wamego have citizen groups interested in restoring access to the river. A Manhattan, Kansas, civic group recently produced a riverfront plan, which the city is considering as part of its master plan. The public can review it on the City of Manhattan’s Parks and Rec website at mhkprd.com/3862/Riverfront-MHK-Plan
Our rivers are a precious resource.
- Phil Anderson, Manhattan
This story was originally published June 15, 2025 at 5:06 AM.