As the U.S. Supreme Court narrowly upheld one Kansas death sentence Monday — of Wichitan Michael Marsh — it also made it possible for the will expressed by Kansas lawmakers in 1994 and the death sentences handed down by Kansas juries in seven other cases to be served. Whatever one thinks of capital punishment, it is a relief of sorts that the state doesn’t have to start over with its law — and that heinous killers such as the Carr brothers, John Robinson, Gavin Scott and Douglas Belt can get the punishment their juries accorded them. That said, the debate will continue about whether Kansas’ death penalty law — still unused after 12 years — is worth the cost and trouble. And this judgment doesn’t do much to shore up the uncertain credibility of Kansas’ highest court. Meanwhile, the 5-4 decision and sharply worded dissenting opinions show the depth of the divide on the nation’s highest court.
Posted by Rhonda Holman
The wild gunfire in Old Town over the weekend that wounded seven people — two others were stabbed — can’t help but give pause to Wichitans considering an evening out in the popular entertainment district.
The shootings might be another “anomaly,” as police called the January incident in which police fired two dozen shots at a suspect in Old Town, but there’s cause for concern: Another shoot-out or two could permanently damage the area’s image.
A review is in order by police and Old Town merchants: Should nightclubs be adding more private security for their parking lots? The perception of safety is crucial for Old Town’s success, especially with the new arena going in nearby.
Posted by Randy Scholfield
What a long, strange trip Sedgwick County’s solid-waste management has been. But is it over? As The Eagle recently reported, the county finally has ruled out the use of the Wichita-owned Furley site for a landfill, in part because of the increased risk of bird strikes in Raytheon’s flight path. The idea of building elsewhere in the county appears to be off the table, too, not only because of the legal fight it would invite with neighbors but because a publicly owned local landfill no longer makes sense: Most of the county’s trash now goes to Waste Connections’ own landfill in nearby Harper County. But this means, as our editorial Friday argued, that Wichita is now stuck with the Furley acreage, and “Harper County is stuck with most of our trash. Wichitans pay far more and get far less for trash service than residents of comparable cities, because City Hall has refused to franchise trash service. And Sedgwick County’s recycling rates are laughable — 9 percent compared with an average 18 percent statewide and 25 percent nationally.” Is this any way to manage solid waste?
Posted by Rhonda Holman
Americans should be alarmed at how easy it is for private data brokers to get their hands on anyone’s personal banking and telephone information. The data peddlers’ aggressive tactics, including impersonation and trickery, are almost certainly illegal, according to the FBI.
But that hasn’t stopped federal and local law enforcement agencies — including the FBI — from paying millions to data brokers for the private information, according to a congressional investigation, in the process sidestepping warrants and subpoenas and violating citizens’ rights.
One ex-data broker’s testimony about how easy it is to get any information about anyone astonished lawmakers and prompted Rep. Cliff Stearns, R-Fla., to remark, “I don’t think we have any privacy at all.”
It’s another example of how our government is literally selling out our civil liberties.
Posted by Randy Scholfield
Among the Internet’s worst features is the temptation it offers would-be plagiarists, especially schoolkids. The Los Angeles Times noted that teachers across the country increasingly don’t even assign term papers. Bobbie Eisenstock, who teaches journalism at California State University-Northridge, said, “I got tired of night after night checking for cheaters.” John Barrie, who owns a company that makes plagiarism-detection software, said: “Students are using the Internet like an 8-billion-page, cut-and-pastable encyclopedia.”
The alternative to such research papers, though, doesn’t sound like a sufficient substitute: oral exams, role-playing demonstrations and in-class writing exercises.
Posted by Rhonda Holman
