The Kansas City Star from Kansas City, Missouri • 8

THE KANSAS CITY STAR Saturday October 9 2004 FROM THE COVER A8 1 www kansaMcitycom JOBS: Report shows growth weaker than expected Continued from A-I PAYROLL EMPLOYMENT GROWTH OR LOSS DURING PRESIDENCIES Numbers cover period from January of inauguration year untl the September prior to the next election Source US Department of l-dbor Bureau of labor Mansurs rhe Konsaa Qiy Star covery cycles The numbers fueled both political campaigns and opened the door for interpretation by independent economists creation is now 7 million job6 behind where the administration projected in February 2002 our economy would now be if we followed die economic plan" Kerry said in a statement released while he was preparing for die debate The Bush campaign issued "talk ing points" in rebuttal: employment data indicate that President Bush's economic policies are creating jobs and continuing to move the economy forward but there is still more work to the campaign state ment said Republicans focused on the household survey which polls individuals to arrive at the unemployment rate rather than the payroll report which surveys businesses to produce the job-creation number Contrary to the establishment survey that shows job losses the household survey indicates that the number of people who say they are working has grown nearly 17 mil lion since January 2001 to almost 1395 million in September 2004 The number of people working had slumped throughout 2001 2002 and most of 2003 before rebounding past its January 2001 level in October 2003 Some economists say the recent gains reflect rapid growth in the number of people who are self-employed Most economists including Federal Reserve Chairman Alan Greenspan put more stock in the payroll survey US Treasury Secretary John Snow emphasized the relatively low renew and strengthen job training programs for American workers while proposing misguided policies that would kill jobs and halt the growth in our From the other side of the aisle George Miller of California the senior Democrat on the House Education and the Workforce Committee said: clear that the lawmakers who control the House and the Senate have no real job creation plan All we've seen for four years has been a failed policy that has lost over 15 million private-sector jobs left over 8 million people unemployed and encouraged outsourcing US jobs Outside the halls of Congress most analysts called the September jobs report disappointing The 96000 job-creation number was far less than the 148 0(X) median gain predicted by 73 economists polled by Bloomberg News in advance of the release Furthermore the report pointed unemployment rate of 54 percent which he said remains under the average of each of the past three But administration critics countered that the unemployment rate is low partly because about 220000 persons dropped out of the job market and were not counted as unemployed in the household sur vey that produced the jobless data Administration spokesmen said Bush would continue with his tax-cut stimulus plan believing that tax cuts to small business owners in particular are an effective way to encourage job creation John Boehner an Ohio Republi can and chairman of the House Education and the Workforce Committee said the policies are "focused on helping our economy create high-wage jobs for US workers and these efforts are paying off for American Boehner said Democratic leaders had blocked legislation "that would 1005520 on Friday The Standard 500 index was down 851 or 08 percent at 112214 and the Nasdaq composite index dropped 2855 or 15 percent to 191997 Economists at the Economic Policy Institute which researches work force issues said in a confer ence call that to restore the em-ployment-to-population ratio to its level when the recession started in March 2001 the nation would need a net job pin of 260000 to 300000 jobs a month At the Institute for International Economics a nonpartisan research group analyst Martin Baily said the jobs report showed getting adequate economic growth but not enough to generate adequate job growth" The news services contributed to this report To reach Diane Stafford business writer call (816) 234-4359 or send e-mail to out weaknesses in private-sector hiring Government hiring accounted for more than a third of the September job growth In addition to reporting weaker-than-expected job growth during September the government reduced its previous estimate of August job growth by 16000 down to 128000 Among the most disappointed was AFI-GO President John Sweeney who called the job market news across the The September report showed that lost 18000 manufacturing jobs and 12000 information jobs good jobs that support families while temporary low-wage jobs rose by Sweeney said in a prepared statement Pessimism over the economy sent stocks lower Friday as investors registered their disappointment over the jobs report and as oil moved past $53 per barrel The Dow Jones industrial average fell 7020 or 07 percent to PRAIRIE: Kansans work to save tallgrass preserve Continued from A-l TRACK: County sees more jobs homes Continued from A-l the vitality of the Village West area went over to one of the restaurants for Valley said "and on an off-day there was a 20-minute wait for lunch That showed Marinovich is flattered by the a(-tention from other communities "People want to replicate what done with Village West in other parts of Kansas she said speedway sparked confidence to do business with Wyandotte County And it helped provide an identity for this commu-I nity "I know what dollars and cents you can put on that but it When the soon-to-be-con-structed Legends Shopping and Entertainment District ana 14-screen Legends Theatre are complete next summer Village West will encompass 2-million-square feet of development attract up to 10 million visitors a year and take in $450 million in annual sales It will produce $53 miflion in annual tax revenue $7 miflion in property taxes and create 4000 new jobs Just as significant these projects have stimulated a housing boom in Kansas City Kan At least 506 single-family home permits have been approved for 2004 and the increase in new housing since 2000 will double the number of single family home permits issued during the entire 1990s Property values have gone up 40 percent since the opening of the speed way according to a city official In addition to new housing developments and multifamily rental projects that are popping up in western Wyandotte County investments are being made in the aging Kansas City Kan urban core Developments such as the Strawberry Hill Townhomes and City Hall Lofts are rejuvenating ffie community think ffie biggest impact is almost a psychological impact Bob Mairusse president and CEO of the Kansas City Area Development CounciL as if it has lifted a veil that had fallen over KCK for many years and suddenly a sense of optimism and prosperity is The effect goes beyond Wyan- dotte County When the track opened in 2001 a study commissioned by Kansas Speedway officials estimated the three racing weekends would produce a $170 miflion economic impact on the Kansas City area The effect could be significantly greater if the speedway lands a second Nextel Cup date in 2006 or beyond The speedway sold out for today's Busch series race and Sunday's Nextel Cup race will draw more than 200000 fans this week -end The track has season-ticket holders from 44 states and 70 percent of the fans will be from outside the area The Convention and Visitors Bureau of Greater Kansas Gty estimates that 90 percent of the area's 26500 hotel rooms are booked this weekend represent ing 38650 room nights About the time Kansas Speed way opened a Hampton Inn was built in Shawnee on 1-435 at Mid land and now a Courtyard by Marriott is under construction on the other side of the interstate no doubt influenced by the activity a few exits to the north "For all the communities that have 1-435 or 1-35 running through them I know they have felt a tremendous salt! Blake Schreck president of ttze I nexa Chamber of Commerce "The hotels are full the restmi rants are full I've seen groom stores where they are pulling three or four carts around and loading up their Winnebagos and a great sight "People make a week of it They shop they eat they drink and have a great time There is always a spike in both the retail activity and the hotel and tourism type stuff when race weekend comes around" Although some in neighboring areas may view Village West's shopping and dining options as threats to Johnson Jackson or Platte counties Schreck does not see any evidence Certainly the casinos on the Misssoun sick wd corned NASCAR dads "Wyandotte County has done such a good job out there I don't think any resentment' Schreck said we are all competitive we understand what it means to the metropolitan To reach Randy Gmitz call (816) 234-4796 or send email to KEITH MYERSThe Kansas City Star In a 1964 photo left Wangari Maathai (center) dissected a mouse in a biology class as a student at Mount St Scholastica Sister Thomasita Homan right was among those who nominated her for the Nobel Peace Prize NOBEL: Laureate has ties to Kansas Nobel Peace Prize Kenyan environmentalist Wangari Maathai won the 2004 Nobel Peace Prize for aiding the poor Background: Bom Nyen Kenya in 1940 Career: University education in the US and Nairobi Kenya: PhD in biological sciences in 1971 associate professor In 1976 elected to Kenyan Parliament in 2002 assistant Kenyan minister for environment ment also has planned to spend $4 million to build a visitors center The federal government maintains die 32 acres where the ranch headquarters is located but witliin a few months the Kansas Park Tmst will take title to the preserve Rurdett Loomis a professor of political science at the University of Kansas said the public private arrangement was unusual as was the makeup of the Kansas Park Trust The list of heavy liitters dent onstrated their level of commitment would think they would have a better chance but clearly the past experiences demonstrate it is not easy" he said Kansas Park Trust members said they were researching whether to join with another conservation group and acknowledged that they had been talking with the Kansas chapter of the Nature Conservancy The Nature Conservancy the eighth -largest charity has the largest system of privately owned nature preserves It owns the largest tallgrass prairie preserve 39000 acres on the southern edge of the Flint 1 fills in Oklahoma complete with headquarters visitors center and an estimated 2600 bison It also has at least two other tail-grass prairie preserves in Kansas including the Konza Prairie near Manhattan Alan Pollom director of the Kansas chapter and vice president of the national organization acknowledged they were in the midst of talks and said he had discussed the topic with his board two weeks ago While no decisioas had been made it was important to save as much of the tallgrass prairie as pos sible he said think that opportunity is still there and desperately needs to be realized" Pollom said would be realh tragic to see it somehow fail and those promises The tallgrass prairie once covered more than 140 million acres of the United States from Indiana to Kansas and from Canada to Texas But nearly all is gone For decades the government triecj to create a preserve or park in Kansas but ranchers and farmers feared government ownership So when the national preserve was created many naturalists and environmentalists were enthusias tk That feeling did not transfer into donations said Pritchard who believes now the public -private ar rangement may have been a mis take "Maybe there isn't the commitment to have a privately owned na tionai park unit" be said "I think this Is going to send a cold shiver up eke spine to do this sort of project in the future espe daily if the Kansas Park Trust doesn't fulfill its commitment To reach Karen Dillon call (816) 234-4430 or send e-mail to MWQVVVVflDHHrDfPi by raising donations As a result several features that had been planned grazing bison expanded trails and marketing of the park have never occurred In 2000 the national group sent 4200 letters to Missourians and Kansans who had been identified as likely donors But the effort raised less than $70000 said Paul Pritchard president of the National Park Trust isn't like we tried ev erything under the sun to pay this Pritchard said "We have knocked on every door that we could get in We have waited months for some foundations to get back to us and then been told zero been Even Baker who persuaded Congress to designate the historic ranch a national preserve was able to raise only $90000 The Kansas group called the Kansas Park Trust may be the last chance for the park to succeed JYitchard said the leadership of the Kansas Park Trust will put it together but at this point not going to be any more optimistic than 1 have Pritchard said showdown time" Sebelius disagreed that her group is the last chance and said she had not even considered the possibility that it might fail are very optimistic about support from Kansans in the she said Sebelius is president of the board of directors and Baker Is chairman Among other board members: Mike Hayden secretary of the state Department of Wildlife and Parks is secretary He is a former Kansas governor Dan Glickman a former con gressman from Kansas is trea surer Glickman has served as secretary of the US Department of Agriculture and now heads the Motion Picture Association of America Bill Kurtis television journalist Kurds has invested at least $1 million in his native southeast Kansas Sen Pat Roberts a Kansas Republican is an member The group needs to raise about $4 million to pay off the debts The remaining mortgage is $17 million and the National Park Trust owed $700000 for a portion of the money it has spent To free the tanrt for bison the group also needs to pay off a $17 million 35-cattle grazing lease held by Worth billionaire Ed Bass going to be hard work and ft 9 going to be lengths" Hayden said don want to make any false promises or anything Our sdmtr goal realh is to preserve the preserve in perpetuity for the American people The group already has received its first donations $250000 each from Westar Energy and SBC which wtD be paid ewer five years Haydersaad the federal govern Activist involvement: Established Green Belt Movement: has planted about 30 million trees across Africa to combat deforestation that often deepens poverty: persistent struggle for democracy and human rights member of UN Environment Program's Global 500 Mall of Fame serves on boards of several international organizations tourer Qmn to Mcwement IJNFP (phono) loan Greene of Shawnee graduated in the same class as Maathai known as "Mary to her classmates "Mary Jo was always very outgoing and personable and Greene said "She would just as soon pull a practical joke on you as But she also was serious about her studies and quick to absorb the values "We were all taught that everybody is responsible for everybody" Greene said "That when you see a problem you solve it When you come up against a person who needs help you help them" Maathai herself has credited the school with contributing to the values she has carried with her throughout her years as an activist Since she left Benedictine her former instructors and friends have followed her career In 1977 Maathai formed the Green Belt Movement which advocated the planting of trees as a way to help rural women cope with the scarcity of firewood The practice spread across Africa and was responsible for the plant ing of more than 30 million trees Maathai expanded it to embrace human rights rights and the practice of democracy In 1989 Maathai led a one woman charge against the auto cratic government of Daniel arap Mol the former president when he wanted to build a skyscraper and statue of himself in Nairobi's only pubbe green space She lost the case in court but because of her protest no financiers were willing to work on the project Maathai has endured intimidation and pobce brutality as she has waged her crusades But in 2002 after Moi lost power her activism led to political dout when she won a seat in Parliament and then became the deputy environment minister Fred Barbash and Emily Wax of the Washington Post and Patrick Tyler of The PJew York Times contributed to this report To reach Mark Wiebe call (816) 234-5995 or send email to mwietm Firstar com Continued from A-l suit winning recognition from feminists and environmentalists worldwide Homan who came to know Maathai vvliile serving as director of alumni at Benedictine during the 1980s heard news of the award early Friday morning believe said Homan now an Fnglish professor at the college "It was 4 o'clock in the morning when I learned about it and I wanted to tell the world Because of Wangan because of what she stands for wanted that cause to be recognized respected and revert'd and it was happen Maathai is the first African woman to receive the $13 million prize Departing from tradition the commitlee awarded the prize to someone who had used environmental activism to advance peace The committee said Friday in a citation that "peace on earth depends on our ability to secure our living environment Maathai stands at the front of the fight to promote ecologically viable social economic and cultural development in Kenya and Africa" Maathai arrived at Mount St Scholastica run by nuns in the Order of St Benedict in 1960 She came on a scholarship and gradu ated four years later with a degree in biology She followed that by earning a degree at the University of Pittsburgh in 1966 and her doctorate from the University of Nairobi in 1971 The leadership skills that commanded the attention of nuns in Atchison would soon be on display in Africa where Maathai became known as Green Mili An example of that leadership: In 1992 she was among a group of women who made a pow erful political statement by strip ping naked in downtown Nairobi to protest police torture "They stripped to show their nakedness to their sons" she later said reflecting on the incident is a curse to see your mother Sister Regina Hansen the prefect at Maathai's residence hall said the young Kenyan arrived at the dorm a cardboard suitcase and Knight Riddei Tribune nothing in terms of clothes" That sounds humble but Sister Kathleen Egan said she detected something special about Maathai in the speech course she taught something that went beyond her solid command of the English lan guage Despite having traveled halfway across the world to a foreign culture Maathai fit right in winning over the students with her dynamic personality get up in front of class and flash her smile the students would be ready for some thing Egan said But what they got was strong oratory "She would light up the Egan said that Maathai thrived in the school's intimate environment in a setting that preached the order's motto 'Pray and Work" "She was open to the richness of the culture we Egan said "She fit in so because that was what she was reach' for as a teen.