News

Clearance From the Tower

Letters from the week of November 1

State Lines: "Hopping Mad," October 11 Wort Removal

Thanks for writing "Hopping Mad." A well-respected member of our community brought it to my attention. It takes courage to call it what it is. I had no idea that American Legion and Elks Lodge members were treated that way by the Blue Springs Chamber of Commerce and why our local paper wouldn't cover it as John Amick did.

Ron Fowler, City Councilman, Blue Springs

Feature: "Fear of Flying," October 18

Thank you very much for Nadia Pflaum's accurate story on air traffic control. I have to say, it was right on the money and by far the most concise ATC piece I have read in 10 years. There was no fluff, no FAA doublespeak. You did your homework, and as a 19-year controller, I applaud you.

I am showing this article to everyone I know. The ones who have seen it agree with me that it is well-written.

What is going on at Kansas City International Airport and the Kansas City Center is also going on at every facility in the country. The controllers you interviewed expressed the same feelings all of us have about what is taking place. It has been grossly underreported — until now — about the pressures we are facing every day.

Thank you again.

Name withheld by request

As an air traffic controller, I just want to say that Nadia Pflaum wrote an amazing article. This story sheds some light on issues that affect all of us. New air traffic controllers are definitely getting the short end of the stick, and so is the flying public. I hope someone in Pflaum's chain of command commends her on the great work she has done.

However, I do hate that this is just in a KC paper. This needs to be on CNN, FOX, MSNBC. Great job, thanks for helping us out. There needs to be more stories like this.

Name withheld by request

Thank you for telling more of our story. I am a controller at the Fort Worth Center, and we are suffering the same as our brothers in Kansas City.

I urge you to do follow-ups. There are so many more horror stories to tell.

David Benedetto, Grapevine, Texas

Feature: "Best of Kansas City," October 4

Excellent Best of 2007. Once again, you are No. 1!

However, when referring to Kaw Point Riverfront Park, could you explain to us readers what a pubic boat ramp is?

John Zschiebsch, Independence

CD reviews, March 29 Sterling Silver

Regarding Jason Harper's review of Sterling Witt's CD: One might want to have a sense for what good music is before writing about what is or is not worth listening to. I'm not sure how Harper got the job of music critic. I suppose working for a second-rate newspaper might just explain it. But man, just because a musician has a sound different from the other mainstream crap everyone is listening to right now doesn't make it bad music.

You suck!

Shannon Heather Hiser, Kansas City, Missouri

Music

Thanks for the music, Pitch music updates, but where's the jazz? Are we in the home of Bobby Watson and the Metheny brothers, or what? KC is internationally known for jazz, like it or not. Witness: Karrin Allyson, Deborah Brown and the Wild Women of KC!

Every issue should feature something about the hometown brew, and I'm not just talking Megan Birdsall, either (although she definitely rocks!). Maybe you need someone over the age of 29 to cover the scene for the majority of the world.

Thanks.

Shar Valleau. Kansas City, Missouri

She Rocks

The American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers — known in the music business as ASCAP — recently announced the winners of its prestigious Deems Taylor Awards for outstanding print, broadcast and new-media coverage of music. Among those winners: Nadia Pflaum, for her article about entertainer Rick West and his history of mistreating female employees ("Horn Dog," February 16, 2006). Pflaum joins writers from publications such as The Atlantic Monthly, DownBeat, the University of California Press and Princeton University Press. Winners in all categories, including multimedia, broadcast, newspapers, magazines and books, will be honored on December 13 at Lincoln Center in New York City.