Editorial: Calling for peace
Last weekend hundreds of area residents demonstrated near the Country Club Plaza. They were united in common cause with people in cities across other countries worldwide – to stop the war.Hundreds of such demonstrations have taken place and continue every day since last Thursday. On Feb. 24, the world’s largest country, Russia, invaded its considerably […]
Editorial: Women’s History Month
March is the month designated as Women’s History Month here in America since 1987. The 31-day celebration of women’s contributions to culture and society throughout history is finite in duration but not in ambition. The monthlong attention serves to invigorate permanent inclusion of women’s vital role in America in studies across the curriculum at all […]
Preventing teen dating violence
February is the month of love. It’s given over to celebrating love in all its glorious forms. There’s the mutual familial affection shared by parents and children and children and siblings; the romantic appeal of two people for one another; the platonic fondness and goodwill enjoyed with friends; the amity and caring for animal and […]
Editorial: American Dream vs. American Violence
People from everywhere migrate to the U.S. Many seek to escape the poverty and violence infesting their respective countries. Most yearn for whatever ideal is their own interpretation of the “American Dream.”On consecutive days last month in different cities, the American Dream died for three immigrant families. Two New York City police officers were ambushed […]
Editorial: The reality of masking empowerment
Tis the season for the common cold and influenza virus, aka, the flu. And now, cases of Covid are spiking locally and across the country. Two of the area’s largest school districts – Kansas City, Kan., and Olathe, along with St. Joseph, Mo., cancelled classes and before-and-after-school programs for Tuesday and Wednesday because of a […]
Editorial: Finding the right short-term rehab care
An elderly widowed neighbor of mine broke her hip this fall. She underwent surgery the next day. After a short hospital stay, she transferred to a skilled nursing/rehabilitation facility. Insurance paid for a three-week stay there. Not strong enough or steady enough to return home, she went to the nearest short-term assisted care center that […]
Editorial: Vanessa’s legacy a starting point
In March 2020, Juan Cruz proposed to Vanessa Guillén. Their engagement was short-lived; weeks later, Guillén, age 20, was dead. But it was months before Cruz learned her fate, despite persistent inquiries to authorities, public entreaties and relentless searching.Guillén’s family lobbied for legislation benefitting victims of sexual assault in the armed forces. Last week, they […]
Editorial: Christmas brightens darkness of pandemic
La navidad ilumina la oscuridad de la pandemia Por segundo año consecutivo, la pandemia se cierne sobre la Navidad, amenazando con amortiguar la alegría navideña y descarrilar las celebraciones navideñas. El coronavirus sigue mutando e infectando a más personas. Omicron, la variante más reciente de Covid-19, es la que se propaga más rápido hasta ahora […]
Remembering Bob Dole
In his pioneering personal development tome, Self Help; With Illustrations of Character and Conduct published in 1859, Scottish writer, Samuel Smiles noted, “Some men leave no memorial but a world made better by their lives.” Bob Dole of Kansas, who died Dec. 5, achieved both.The 98-year-old Russell native’s lengthy and many-sided résumé insinuates how the […]
Editorial: The nexus of stress & savagery
Two unrelated massacres nine days apart grotesquely bookended America’s Thanksgiving holiday. The combined death tolls from the violent attacks so far: 10; the number of those who sustained bodily injuries: 69: the tally of victims: incalculable.The locations, settings, occasions and weapons used in the separate bloodbaths differed, and the two accused killers represented disparate life […]