KCUR’s untimely eviction is a hardship for the public radio station | Opinion

Plan needed

Public radio in Kansas City is a major asset that provides news, music and features that enhance our quality of life. The loss of federal funding in 2025 was a major blow. Now there is another.

Just before Christmas, the University of Missouri-Kansas City gave KCUR and Classical KC barely one month to vacate the building on Troost Avenue that they’ve occupied for decades. They must be out by Jan. 31 — or sooner. UMKC cites “safety” concerns.

Although the building needs attention, it seems doubtful the situation is so dire that our public radio stations should soon find themselves homeless. UMKC should not have evicted them so summarily, knowing that an orderly transition would take more time. UMKC needs to develop a solid and more reasonable plan. Its current position is neither.

- Frank Byrne, Overland Park

Arrowhead costs

Given Missouri state Sen. Nick Schroer’s propensity for unserious antics (see his proposal for duels in the Senate and attempts to officially declare the Royals a subpar team), it’s no surprise that many are quick to categorize his new bills seeking to punish the Chiefs for their move to Kansas as performative fodder.

However, Schroer’s proposal to require the Chiefs to pay to tear down Arrowhead Stadium deserves some debate. Demolition is not cheap. Missouri House Speaker Jon Patterson said in a recent radio interview that total demolition costs could reach more than $150 million.

Why should Missouri taxpayers give another financial gift to an organization and family that are leaving the state? Beyond being an eyesore and poor welcome sign for visitors to Kansas City, a vacant and decaying Arrowhead would invite crime while city leaders inevitably fight and decide whether the demolition is worth the hefty price tag.

The iconic Jackson County-owned stadium has been a staple of Kansas City and the NFL for more than 50 years. Given that the Hunts determined Arrowhead deserves to die, they should be on the hook proverbially, and financially, to pull the plug on the beloved complex.

- Patrick Baker, Maryville

Bad timing

With the Chiefs missing the playoffs and stadium talk dominating every holiday party, one thing has become clear: Kansas will get the team after its peak.

Dynasties are rare and fragile. Patrick Mahomes will be 35 when the new stadium opens. Tom Brady won championships at that age, but Aaron Rodgers shows that’s the exception, not the norm. Bill Belichick, at 66 in 2019, is the oldest coach to win a Super Bowl. Andy Reid will be 73 in 2031.

The Chiefs’ brand burned bright enough to attract Kansas and convince it to make the largest public stadium investment in U.S. history. But the team Kansas is getting will more likely be a rebuilding project looking for its next great coach and quarterback combination. How do the economics of this deal look when the bandwagon fans disappear and the hardcore fans, who fill seats during losing seasons, are priced out?

Through that lens, Kansas’ public funding offer looks less like a winning investment and more like buying AOL stock before the dot-com bubble burst.

- Brian Finucane, Lee’s Summit

Other side?

If our nation’s Republican members of Congress and the presidential Cabinet would condemn the invasion of foreign countries, threats to invoke the Insurrection Act in our cities, overreach by Immigration and Customs Enforcement and National Guard deployment if these actions were done by a Democratic president, then they should have the courage to stand up to Donald Trump.

- Geraldine Francis, Centerview, Missouri

Missed opportunity

We won on Jan. 6, 2021. The government wasn’t overthrown and martial law wasn’t declared.

When it became apparent Congress would have to certify the election results, the order to stand down was given: “We are the party of law and order.”

I don’t know why Democrats didn’t seize that title when it was up for grabs, after the riot.

- Jim Turner, Independence

Cut red tape

The threat to keeping hardworking Kansans from contributing to our state’s growth has never been more obvious. The outdated and overly complicated process for getting large energy projects moving is still slowing down everything . Kansas needs steady and intentional growth to remain competitive in the energy space, and that can happen only when natural gas and other major energy projects are allowed to move forward without a maze of obstacles and red tape blocking the way.

When these projects stall, countless operative plasterers and cement masons lose the chance to support their families and help drive Kansas forward. Permitting reform is not a luxury — it is a necessity. Without it, energy becomes less reliable, jobs disappear and families across the state are left to carry the burden.

Even nationally, leaders are recognizing the urgency. House Natural Resources Committee Chair Bruce Westerman of Arkansas is pushing for a vote on the bipartisan SPEED Act, which would streamline approvals for major energy and infrastructure projects.

Kansas deserves better. Let’s clear the path, keep people working and keep this great state growing.

- Kevin Gard, Business Manager, Operative Plasterers and Cement Masons Local 518, Independence