News .

TOPIC 1: OUT ON A LIMB.
Political columnist Steve Kraske is predicting that Mitt Romney will be the GOP presidential nominee AND the next president. Kraske also predicts Claire McCaskill will win re-election and that Lt. Governor Peter Kinder will be pressured to withdraw his candidacy for re-election.
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TOPIC 2: KRASKE IN KANSAS.
Steve also offers a prediction or two about the Sunflower state. He says Governor Brownback’s legislative agenda includes some “whoppers.” Specifically, they are school finance, lower income taxes, redistricting and Medicaid reform. Kraske thinks Brownback will fail in the school finance and income tax categories, but will prevail on re-districting and Medicaid.
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TOPIC 3: WORST SCHOOL DISTRICT ANYWHERE?
Interim Kansas City School Superintendent Steve Green is not happy with Mayor Sly James’ depiction of the district as the worst in the country. James says he was quoting Education Secretary Arne Duncan whose reference was to the dropout rate. James also notes that when he met with the Secretary, Duncan endorsed the plan for mayoral control of Kansas City Schools.
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TOPIC 4: CORE VALUES.
Leaders of the Kansas City Urban Summit (including Gwen) say they plan a petition drive to put a one-eighth-cent sales tax on the ballot. The revenues would be used to “address blight, economic development and neighborhood stabilization.” The Kansas City Star quotes Gwen as saying “It is time to make a sustainable economic investment in Kansas City’s urban core.”