Local Productions .

TOPIC 1: NON-HEAD LINER
Controversy has erupted over the placement of a headless female nude statue in the Overland Park Arboretum. Unable to persuade city officials to remove it, The American Family Association has undertaken a petition campaign. The petition calls for a grand jury investigation of the matter.

TOPIC 2: THE FED FIX
Unable or unwilling to reach agreement, the Kansas Legislature ended its session without redistricting the state electoral boundaries. Just weeks away from the August primary, Secretary of State Kobach called for the federal courts to resolve the impasse. A three-judge panel completed the task in a few days and released the revised districts late last week. The filing deadline was yesterday (June 11) at noon.

TOPIC 3: SHINING STAR!
Kansas City Star reporter Christine Vendel is receiving praise for her two-part story on the reluctance of shooting victims to cooperate with law enforcement. That reluctance means many aggressors are not prosecuted and remain on the streets. Police Chief Forte, Mayor James and Prosecutor Peters-Baker say things will change.

TOPIC 4: ON WISCONSIN!
Efforts to recall Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker failed and many Republicans see the election as a positive indicator for the fall. The recall effort was spearheaded by public employee unions, opposed to Walker’s cuts in their benefits. Walker said the cuts were necessary to balance the state budget.

ROASTS AND TOASTS

TOPIC 1: IF IT AIN’T BROKE…BREAK IT!
There’s another plan now being discussed to reconfigure KCI. This one would put all facilities in what is now Terminal A. Anecdotal evidence suggests area residents like KCI and are happy with the three terminal approach now in use.

TOPIC 2: TAXICOLOGY!
Yael writes in a recent column about the value of sun-setting (putting a time limit on) taxes. He also notes that there is no sunset provision for the sales tax on the August 7th ballot in Kansas City.

TOPIC 3: MISSION IMPOSSIBLE?
It’s been seven years since a developer bought the Mission Mall area at Shawnee Mission Parkway and Roe. The plan was to build a mixed-use project featuring a major aquarium and a 150-room hotel. Now, plans for the aquarium and the hotel have been scrapped. The apparent centerpiece of the new project will be a Walmart which will move a few blocks from nearby Roeland Park. When the project was originally announced, it was seen as a major economic development victory for Mission.

TOPIC 4: GIVE ME YOUR YOUNG, YOUR HISPANIC, YOUR FUTURE DEMOCRAT
Through an Executive Order, President Obama is enabling a certain group of illegal immigrants to remain in the U.S. without fear of deportation. The group involves younger immigrants who were brought to the U.S. by their parents and played no role themselves in committing an illegal act. Some analysts say Obama is playing politics in an effort to solidify and expand his already strong Latino support for the fall election.

ROASTS AND TOASTS

TOPIC 1: DEFICIT DISORDER
A Kansas City Star editorial notes that city government has a cumulative debt of two-billion dollars, about five-thousand-dollars per resident. By law cities are not allowed to run deficits?

TOPIC 2: THE “RIGHT” STUFF
A National Journal poll shows the Kansas congressional delegation is the most conservative (in terms of votes cast) in the nation. The four members all ran in 2010 as conservatives at the height of the Tea Party movement.

TOPIC 3: ROSE: ON DEFENSE
Steve writes in defense of the suburban lifestyle after listening to a guest lecturer who mocked malls, concrete parking lots and homes with multiple cars. The audience response to the downtown Kansas City event was positive, according to Rose’s column.

TOPIC 4: JOBS! JOBS! JOBS! (and the lack thereof.)
The latest jobs report was disappointing and the overall economic recovery is mixed. Recent incumbent presidents, both Democrats and Republicans, who have lost re-election have faced difficult economic conditions.