Daily Archives: April 8, 2007

Open thread

April 8, 20071:05 a.m.

By Phillip Brownlee | Filed under Open thread | Comments (33)

Where to put a destination casino?

April 8, 20071:04 a.m.

With a Sedgwick County casino vote on the horizon, the speculation has already started as to where it would be sited, if approved by voters. Here are a few of the ideas and arguments we’ve heard people talking about so far:
– Convert the Kansas Coliseum. It needs a new role, this argument goes, and would be next to the Wichita Greyhound Park (now with slots!), Wild West World and other Park City attractions.
– Adopt Bob Knight’s site and proposal near Park City.
– Add a casino to the west side of Century II. One developer group has already proposed it.
– Tear down Lawrence-Dumont Stadium. That might have been unthinkable a year ago, but the pending move of the Wranglers baseball team leaves the charming ballpark without an anchor team or much reason to exist after this season. And the location would be a huge boost for WaterWalk and Century II.
– Use the former Derby Coastal refinery site west of I-135 along 21st Street. This could be a very visible, accessible area that could benefit the planned 21st and Broadway area redevelopment.
– Cowtown. Large river site. Troubled attraction. You do the rest.
Heard any other ideas?
Posted by Randy Scholfield

By Phillip Brownlee | Filed under Wichita events | Comments (73)

The rich got richer; bottom 90 percent got hosed

April 8, 20071:03 a.m.

The top 1 percent of Americans, whose income is above $348,000, now receives the largest chunk of the national income since the Great Depression, the New York Times reported. Their average incomes increased by 14 percent in 2005, while the incomes of the bottom 90 percent of Americans dipped an average of 0.6 percent.
“If the economy is growing but only a few are enjoying the benefits, it goes to our sense of fairness,” said economist Emmanuel Saez. “It can have important political consequences.” Next year’s election could be a good test.
Posted by Ross Stewart

By Phillip Brownlee | Filed under American life | Comments (136)

Time to get serious about Ogallala Aquifer

April 8, 20071:02 a.m.

The decline of the Ogallala Aquifer in western Kansas needs to be a higher priority for water officials, the Kansas Water Authority decided last week.
That’s a welcome call to action for state water officials.
The group approved a plan that immediately begins addressing how to better manage and conserve the vast Ogallala Aquifer of western Kansas, which has been seriously depleted by wasteful irrigation practices.
Board members also noted the current ethanol boom and its potential drain on water resources in western Kansas.
There are barriers to taking action, said board member Lisa French: “But at some point, reductions are going to be forced.”
Posted by Randy Scholfield

By Phillip Brownlee | Filed under Environment | Comments (20)

But I’m not that Ross Stewart

April 8, 20071:01 a.m.

Could a person in Afghanistan who has the same name as you be keeping you from landing your next job or getting a bank loan? Yes, he could, according to a report released by civil rights lawyers.
The Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control maintains a terrorist watch list of more than 6,000 names on a Web site that employers, health insurers, car dealerships, credit bureaus and landlords use to check potential employees, tenants or customers.
Because of the possibility of fines and jail time, businesses don’t want to risk providing services to or hiring someone whose name appears on the list, many of which are common names. But an innocent American should not lose an opportunity because of a coincidence.
Posted by Ross Stewart

By Phillip Brownlee | Filed under Homeland security | Comments (5)

Woodard still the first, no longer the only

April 8, 20071:00 a.m.

The morning after Carl Brewer’s election as mayor of Wichita, our editorial called him the “first African-American to become mayor of Wichita via a citywide vote.” That prompted at least one reader to ask: What about A. Price Woodard Jr.? The key words were “via a citywide vote.” Woodard, an attorney, became the first African-American on what was then called the Wichita City Commission in 1967, then the first African-American mayor when he was chosen for that job by his fellow commissioners. He was mayor from April 14, 1970, to April 13, 1971, and died in January 1972. His name adorns a downtown park, and the Legislature honored him with resolution calling him “a man of good humor, great courage; who could tell the truth and look the world right in the eye.” In 1989, Wichita voters began electing their mayors directly.
Posted by Rhonda Holman

By Phillip Brownlee | Filed under Wichita elections | Comments (8)