WE Blog

The Eagle editorial board’s parade of state and local candidates began last week and continues through July 13, on the way to the board’s endorsements for the Aug. 1 primary. Two of the top three GOP gubernatorial contenders will visit this week. So far, the economy has received the most attention, though the question of how bad or good it is and how much credit or blame Gov. Kathleen Sebelius deserves is in dispute. One reader called Friday to implore the board to quiz these candidates on their vision, or lack of same, on such little-discussed issues as alternate energy, solid waste, the environment, transportation, water policy and homeland security. Any other ideas out there for what state issues should be defining this election year?
Posted by Rhonda Holman

When the U.S. Supreme Court gave its blessing to Kansas’ death penalty law last week, it clearly was a victory for Attorney General Phill Kline. He successfully defended it in two hearings before the high court. But does the victory mean Kline is suddenly invulnerable to Democratic opponent Paul Morrison’s criticisms of his courtroom experience? Morrison (responsible for putting one of the men on Kansas’ death row) also has blasted Kline for needing to be coached by former U.S. Solicitor General Ted Olson before the hearings. Asked last week how the ruling might affect his campaign, Kline variously said that was up to the media and that “I did my job.” The Kansas City Star’s David Klepper aptly observed that the ruling also was a win of sorts for Gov. Kathleen Sebelius — because “the issue’s off the table for the election and she won’t have to answer questions about her stance on capital punishment.”
Posted by Rhonda Holman

With much of the news from New Orleans still bleak, it is nice to hear of survivors making a better life for themselves — especially in Wichita. Louisiana native Melissa Gordy recently wrote to USA Today telling of how she found opportunity in Wichita after Katrina struck: “There, in the downtown area, we found the Red Cross, which helped us to buy clothes and food and to get registered for any additional help we could qualify for. The Salvation Army also provided help with food, donated furniture and vouchers for various furniture stores. Within two weeks, I had purchased a great home and had the kids enrolled in a fantastic school. I later got a job that pays twice as much as the one I lost to the hurricane.” Wichita emergency services deserve a great deal of credit for making stories such as this one happen. Let’s hope that the rebuilding of New Orleans will eventually allow all those who stayed a better life, too.
Posted by Melissa Cooley