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Daily Archives: June 24, 2007
At least Roberts did his homework on NIE
June 24, 20071:04 a.m.
People may not like how Sen. Pat Roberts, R-Kan., handled the issue of Saddam Hussein and weapons of mass destruction during his time on the Senate Intelligence Committee, but at least Roberts was among the few senators who read the full 92-page National Intelligence Estimate before voting to go to war. “I thought he had WMD based on the NIE report of 2002,” Roberts recently told the Hill newspaper. Sen. Sam Brownback, R-Kan., said during a recent presidential debate that he didn’t recall reading the full NIE report, but believed he understood the threat from hearings, briefings and the like.
Posted by Rhonda Holman
Ground broken at arena site, but no groundbreaking yet
June 24, 20071:03 a.m.
Though dirt now is being moved at the downtown arena site, a “groundbreaking” will come later. Moving day is Monday for Episcopal Social Services, which has purchased the former Breakthrough Club at 1005 E. Second St. And “we will be starting demolition on properties in mid-July,” Sedgwick County spokeswoman Kristi Zukovich told The Eagle editorial board Thursday. The project is on schedule, she said. Next, the arena citizen design review team and arena steering team will meet Tuesday, and the citizens involved will be recognized at Wednesday’s Sedgwick County Commission meeting.
True, the arena project is not moving fast enough for some — and too fast for those still fighting to kill it — but what matters is that it’s now making visible progress.
Posted by Rhonda Holman
Williams wants ATF gun data, too
June 24, 20071:01 a.m.
Add Wichita Police Chief Norman Williams to the list of national law enforcement officials who say they’d like greater access to crime gun data in the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives’ gun trace database — information the ATF is restricting under its interpretation of the Tiahrt amendment.
In an interview with The Eagle editorial board, the chief said he shared concerns that release of sensitive gun trace data, if handled improperly, could inadvertently reveal the identity of undercover cops.
But Williams also noted the importance of gun trace data in crime fighting — gangs, for instance, often use stolen guns — and said having the raw aggregate gun data now locked up “would be helpful” to police in analyzing regional patterns of gun trafficking.
As long as the safety of cops is ensured, Williams said, he would like access to this crime-fighting tool.
Posted by Randy Scholfield
Candidates by day, comedy fodder by night
June 24, 20071:00 a.m.
“Republican presidential candidates Sam Brownback and Tom Tancredo both promise that if they are elected president, they will pardon ‘Scooter’ Libby. . . . So sorry, Scooter, you are going to jail.” — Conan O’Brien
Posted by Rhonda Holman
