Attorney General Paul Morrison made the right decision Friday in announcing his resignation, effective Jan. 31. He noted that “because of my actions in my personal life, many people have stopped believing in me, which is damaging the office, my staff and the state.â€
He again apologized for violating his marriage vows but disputed other ugly accusations of official misconduct made by his former lover, including blackmail and sexual harassment.
Multiple investigations of Morrison’s conduct are pending, but clearly his effectiveness and credibility have been compromised. It’s also evident that he brought this mess upon himself through serious and serial lapses of judgment.
Posted by Randy Scholfield
The office of Attorney General Paul Morrison announced that he will make a statement at 3 p.m. today. Some are expecting a resignation announcement. Harris News Service reported that Linda Carter confided to Johnson County District Attorney Phill Kline about her affair with Morrison before filing a sexual harassment complaint. The article also includes more detailed allegations against Morrison, including that he made telephone calls threating to bad-mouth Carter to prospective employers.
Posted by Randy Scholfield
Barry Bonds doesn’t deserve to bear all the weight of scrutiny and sanctions for steroid abuse in pro baseball. The long-awaited Mitchell report on steroid use among Major League Baseball players released Thursday named plenty of other big-name stars, most notably pitching legend Roger Clemens, whose mound performance showed "remarkable improvement" after he used the drug, according to the report.
That’s why steroids hurt — they work. Players who go by the rules rightly feel that doped athletes have an unfair advantage.
As the report shows, Bonds had plenty of company. Maybe the entire Steroids Era in baseball deserves an asterisk.
Posted by Randy Scholfield
“Congress can still act decisively this year to right a wrong that is hurting both small American farmers and the poorest people on the planet,†former President Jimmy Carter wrote wrote in a Washington Post commentary about the U.S. farm bill.
He noted how the original farm bill was passed during the Great Depression to alleviate the suffering of America’s family farmers. “Tragically, in its current form this legislation does not fulfill its original purposes but instead encourages excess production while channeling enormous government payments to the biggest producers,†Carter wrote. “This product of powerful lobbyists now punishes small-scale farmers in the United States and is devastating to families in many of the world’s least affluent countries.â€
Posted by Phillip Brownlee
Wanting a baby’s gender to be a surprise at birth is one thing. What’s with Kansans’ increasing fondness for androgyny in baby naming? For the first time since the state began keeping records, the most popular boy and girl names last year were “gender-fluid,†as the experts say: Madison (253 girls were so named last year) and Aiden (338 boys). Emma slipped to third for girls, with Emily rising a place into second. Aiden has topped the boys’ list since 2004.
Most think the loosening of societal sex roles is behind the trend, but parents arguably are just exercising one of America’s liberties. In Finland, for example, births are not recognized unless parents choose names from official boy and girl lists that have no names in common.
Posted by Rhonda Holman
Wichita’s infrastructure is far from bicycle-friendly. But until that changes, watch out for those on two wheels.
The death of 65-year-old man on Broadway Wednesday morning should serve as a solemn reminder that no matter who is at fault, the cyclist will always lose in a car and bicycle accident, many times resulting in serious injury or death.
The Kansas Driver’s Handbook says to always lend caution to cyclists and pass at least 4 feet to their left.
Posted by Kristin Mehler
