Log Out | Member Center

59°F

64°/50°

TOP OF THE NEWS

Today at 12:07 a.m.

Tax increase —No one wants to see taxes raised or restored, but neither can the state afford to cripple important budget areas that may help lead it out of the current recession. Economic development efforts are still vital, as is maintaining the quality of the state's public schools and higher education system. Providing some level of service to people who are struggling in the current economy is both humane and an investment in the state's safety and security. The challenge, of course, is to balance the state's financial needs against the taxpayers' needs. We can't afford to cripple state government, but we also can't afford to pass taxes that will cripple businesses that provide tax revenue and jobs in the state.— Lawrence Journal-World

  • Prevent another financial debacle

    Nov. 8 at 3:20 a.m.

    The usual indicators of economic well-being remain on a roller coaster. Any hopes raised by the third quarter’s 3.5æpercent growth dipped with Friday’s news of the

  • Good luck with school consolidation

    Nov. 6 at 12:07 a.m.

    In general, state Rep. Jason Watkins, R-Wichita, is correct: The people of Kansas don't "buy into the argument that this is the way we have always done it so we have to keep doing it."

  • Trust eroding in jail consultant

    Nov. 5 at 12:07 a.m.

    Maybe in the end, the results from the Justice Concepts Inc. consulting firm will prove the majority on the Sedgwick County Commission right. County taxpayers certainly can hope so, because the county's control of the population of the Sedgwick County Jail is the only thing standing between them and another multimillion-dollar jail expansion.

  • Roundtable illuminating, frustrating

    Nov. 3 at 11:03 p.m.

    Put suppliers and potential buyers in a room for an hour anytime, and the talk is guaranteed to be illuminating. Do it at a time when expectations far exceed resources, and frustration will follow, too.

  • City-county pay gap hard to justify

    Nov. 2 at 11:05 p.m.

    Most observers of the Sedgwick County Commission and Wichita City Council would be hard-pressed to explain why a seat on the commission should draw more in annual salary than a seat on the council — let alone nearly $50,000 more.

  • Kansas views

    Nov. 2 at 6:20 a.m.

    Stimulus —A picture-perfect example of the Republican criticism of the Democratic administration's stimulus program came from the lips of Sen. Sam Brownback, R-Kan.: "Unfortunately, it is much more of a government stimulus than an economic stimulus and the bill will be left to be paid by our grandchildren," he said. His separation between the government and the people would be funny if it weren't so exasperating. How irritating it is to have a U.S. senator suggest that money spent on public schools, public highways and to care for the indigent is somehow less important to the state's economy than money spent in the private sector — as though public employees weren't people; as though state spending was somehow robbed of any impact on the economy.— Iola Register

  • State budget problems taking toll

    Nov. 1 at 12:53 a.m.

    Even though Sedgwick County "may be crawling out of recession," as an Eagle headline put it last week, the funding cuts already made to the state budget are straining services statewide.

  • Questions, lessons on H1N1 virus

    Oct. 30 at 1:08 a.m.

    A lot of good people are working hard to guide the nation through the H1N1 flu epidemic as safely as possible, from Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius on down through state and county health departments and school districts. They surely are saving lives during this first pandemic in 40 years, through the impressive public information effort and otherwise.

  • KCC late to embrace rate parity

    Oct. 29 at 1:09 a.m.

    Wichita can be irrational in thinking that its interests get short shrift in Topeka's circles of power. Unfortunately, the way the Kansas Corporation Commission came down Monday on electric-rate parity did nothing to dispel such suspicions.

  • Arena bookings look good so far

    Oct. 28 at 1:05 a.m.

    More than half of Sedgwick County voters were able to wrap their minds around the mere idea of a downtown arena in 2004, long before it had a site, design or facade, let alone a schedule.

  • Layton is on right track on trash

    Oct. 27 at 1:05 a.m.

    Best wishes to City Manager Robert Layton on his efforts to bring trash franchising to Wichita and, in turn, bring down the needlessly high rates paid by residents and businesses.

  • Kansas views

    Oct. 26 at 1:16 a.m.

    Plant closing —For months we've been hearing rumors that Salina would lose its Hawker Beechcraft airplane manufacturing plant. Those rumors took on credibility with the report that Hawker Beechcraft was looking to consolidate its operations, and that it was "very likely" it would close its Salina plant. The plant employs 241, down from 500 a year ago. The decision isn't final. Salina Airport Authority executive director Tim Rogers said the possibility of the plant closing is one of the highest priorities for local civic and government leaders — as it should be. Those aren't just any jobs Hawker Beechcraft provides. Those are great-paying manufacturing jobs, the kind that almost any community would covet and would find nearly impossible to replace. To lose them would be a blow worth millions of dollars a year to Salina and the area in salaries alone. Still, if it does close, Salina will be hurt but not devastated. And that's a direct result of the community leaders and hardworking employees who helped rebuild Salina after the closing of Schilling Air Force Base in 1965. Their fortitude and vision are the same qualities that will get us through the next painful challenge.— Salina Journal

  • Wichita, aviation have strong future

    Oct. 25 at 3:26 p.m.

    Suddenly Wichita is the talk of the business media, and not in a good way. Long the center of so much airplane manufacturing because of Cessna, Hawker Beechcraft, Bombardier Learjet, Spirit AeroSystems, Boeing and their suppliers, it’s now the poster community for the unprecedented collapse of the market.

  • Try to spare social services more cuts

    Oct. 23 at 12:09 a.m.

    To their credit, state lawmakers have tried in recent years to reduce, if not eliminate, the waiting lists for in-home services for disabled Kansans, sometimes swooping in to save the day with more dollars just as the Legislature adjourns. But they fell short this year, closing a ghastly budget gap by forcing cuts in those and most state services.

  • Mental health efforts should help jail

    Oct. 22 at 12:09 a.m.

    One puzzle piece for helping reduce the population at the Sedgwick County Jail is finally in place. The city of Wichita began operating the state's first mental health court this month — though it will take a while before it has a significant impact.

  • Reasons to rethink death penalty

    Oct. 21 at 12:09 a.m.

    Kansas has a death penalty in theory. It does not have a death penalty in practice, although capital punishment has been back on the books in Kansas since 1994 and there currently are nine men on death row. Each complex phase of each case seems to churn up new legal questions, leading to more delays in realizing lawmakers' goal of making execution available for the "worst of the worst" criminals in Kansas.

  • Momentum on downtown inspiring

    Oct. 20 at 7:33 a.m.

    Wichita’s elected and business leaders could have let the economy rebound before they proceeded on downtown redevelopment, mindful of the appearance of fiddling over quality-of-life issues while the recession burns up thousands of local aviation jobs.

  • Kansas Views

    Oct. 19 at 1:53 a.m.

    Consolidation —Last week the House Appropriations Committee started discussing school consolidation during a hearing on budget problems. One lawmaker spoke in favor of merging districts. Which part of the state did he represent? A.) A rich city in Johnson County. B.) A rural area in western Kansas. We hope you guessed the one from Johnson County, because that means you understand the dynamics of this ongoing debate. Lawmakers from urban areas argue that consolidation is swell, while rural ones understand that merging school districts will affect more than education. It can devastate entire communities. For consolidation savings to be realized, schools must close and jobs disappear, including janitors, teachers and principals. When those classrooms and jobs are eliminated, then families vanish, also. Local businesses close or move when there are no more customers and no labor pool. That's a huge price to pay, considering consolidation will have little effect on total state education spending for kindergarten through high school, which is nearly $4 billion of the state's total budget of nearly $20 billion.— Salina Journal

  • U.S. jobs paramount in tanker sequel

    Oct. 18 at 2:42 a.m.

    The latest round of bidding for a new $35æbillion fleet of refueling tankers for the U.S. Air Force already is dangerously overloaded with baggage. It will be a miracle if a contract emerges in mid-2010 that doesn’t invite more protests and do-overs.

Search for a job

in

Top jobs