The majority of Sedgwick County commissioners were right Tuesday to resist Commissioner Gwen Welshimer’s wrongheaded suggestion to put the brakes on downtown arena construction over the parking issue. Even worse — her idea of moving the arena project to another site with easier parking, such as the county-owned Kansas Coliseum. Welshimer certainly is not alone in having concerns about where arenagoers will park. But voters approved the arena in 2004 in part so the millions of dollars could benefit downtown, rather than be spent at the Coliseum. Now, with land acquired and bulldozers ready to roll, the answer is not further delay but a clear parking plan — which is in the works and should be helped by a commissioner-led work group set up in response to Welshimer’s worries. The arena project is on track and nearly paid for. At this late date, it needs sharp oversight, not roadblocks.
Posted by Rhonda Holman
Nearly a quarter of Republicans (23 percent) can’t or won’t say which GOP candidate they would back for president, up from 14 percent last month, according to the latest Associated Press-Ipsos poll. As a result, there are now more uncommitted or unsatisfied GOP voters than there are supporters of any particular candidate. Rudy Giuliani had 21 percent support in the poll, Fred Thompson had 19 percent, John McCain had 15 percent, and Mitt Romney had 11 percent.
Democrats are more satisfied with their choices, with only 13 percent picking none of the above. Hillary Clinton had 36 percent support, Barack Obama had 20 percent, and John Edwards had 11 percent.
Posted by Phillip Brownlee
The raging industrial fire that shut down Valley Center shows again that disasters, whether natural or man-made, can strike without warning. When they do, it’s important to have emergency response plans ready to go.
The fire will be, at minimum, a major inconvenience for the residents who were evacuated Tuesday to the Kansas Coliseum, as well as for residents who stayed behind and were told to “shelter in place” by turning off air conditioners and sealing their homes — not easy on a 90-plus degree day.
It appears that the Barton Solvents plant and the town were evacuated safely and speedily, and without major incident or injuries. It was also a good sign that police and fire crews from Sedgwick County, Valley Center and Wichita were promptly on the scene, working together to control the blaze and maintain order.
Here’s hoping all residents can return to their homes soon.
Posted by Randy Scholfield
Americans have real reasons to feel gloomy about many things foreign and domestic, but they can take comfort in the surging of the U.S. economy. It took just 57 trading days for the Dow Jones industrial average to travel from 13,000 to 14,000 — the historic line it crossed Tuesday. Compare that to the 7½ years the Dow took to rise from 11,000 to 12,000. The economic picture still has worry spots, but consumers are consuming and business is good.
Posted by Rhonda Holman
It’s good that the Wichita City Council and city firefighters’ union finally resolved their contract impasse. The new contract, which the council unanimously approved Tuesday, gives all union members a 4 percent pay raise each year through 2009, plus an additional 2.5 percent merit-based increase for about half of the members. Some citizens have complained that there aren’t as many fires anymore, so the firefighters don’t need a big pay raise. But Wichita salaries need to remain competitive with other cities. And as the chemical fire in Valley Center showed, when you need firefighters, you really need them.
Posted by Phillip Brownlee
Congratulations to all those who worked so long and hard to finally place a fitting memorial on the site of the KC-135 tanker crash at 20th and Piatt — a place that project coordinator state Rep. Oletha Faust-Goudeau (in photo), D-Wichita, once likened to “an unmarked grave.” Their tenacity and generosity will ensure that Wichita knows and remembers the story and the names of the 30 victims of that tragedy on Jan. 16, 1965, providing an enduring place of healing and tribute.
(To better understand the horror and loss of that day, see The Eagle’s slide show.)
Posted by Rhonda Holman
