November 24, 2024

Keeping Media and Government Accountable.

Author: Danedri Herbert

Counties, cities use budget loopholes to avoid property tax lid

Though it’s only been in effect for two years, local officials are finding ways around the state’s property tax lid.…

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Owner of KC Star, Wichita Eagle continues losing money

McClatchy, the parent company of the Kansas City Star and the Wichita Eagle, continues to lose money and miss expectations.…

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Gov. Kelly misleads on employee insurance premiums, media play along

The Topeka Capital-Journal ran a news story about Gov. Laura Kelly’s claim that state employees’ had been ‘bearing the brunt’ of…

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With little oversight, Commerce approves STAR bonds for competing developments

The Kansas Department of Commerce last week preliminarily approved the use of STAR bonds to finance two Johnson County projects…

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Former budget director retires; Media glosses over his failed record

Is media allowing Interim Secretary of Administration Duane Goossen to retire with limited fanfare to avoid exposing the damage done…

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Media selective reporting could set up your next tax increase

When was the last time you saw a Kansas newspaper or TV station publish bad news about economic conditions in…

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Lax enforcement aids in escalation of protests at Capitol building, Senator says

Acts of civil disobedience in the Kansas Capitol escalated throughout the session and according to one state Senator, Capitol Police…

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Blue Valley teachers vote to abandon the KNEA

Teachers in the Blue Valley school district left the Kansas National Educators Association (KNEA) last May and they overwhelmingly rejected KNEA…

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Legislators to attempt override of Kelly vetoes on final day

Kansas Majority Leader Dan Hawkins has spoken to every single Republican House member leading up to the legislature’s final day…

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SFFF diverts $8.4 million from classrooms to pay lawyers

Kansas public school districts have paid more than $8.4 million in membership fees to Schools for Fair Funding (SFFF), an…

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Shawnee voters reject community center tax increase

Shawnee voters overwhelmingly rejected a proposal to raise property taxes to fund a $38 million community center. The mail-in election…

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Kansas legislators, governors ignore state law so they can spend more

Remember the promises about fiscal responsibility and upholding the rule of law from people running for state office over the…

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Kelly vetoes tax bill, reporters act like her deputies

Instead of asking hard questions about obviously misleading statements in Gov. Laura Kelly’s veto of HB 2033, reporters across Kansas…

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Senator Denning, House moderates disagree over Medicaid interim committee

The makeup of a Medicaid interim committee that will be tasked with writing expansion legislation is causing a rift between…

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Advocates admit Medicaid expansion won’t save rural hospitals

Pressed to consider the facts with emotion removed, even some strong advocates admit Medicaid expansion won’t save rural hospitals.  And…

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Media bias – shaping news to fit an agenda

Media bias takes many forms, as demonstrated in a recent story that ran in the Kansas City Star and Wichita…

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School district lawyers say $1 billion isn’t enough to resolve Gannon suit

Legislators just increased school funding another $90 million per year, bringing the total being phased in through the 2023 school…

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Kansas budget to jump 9 percent next year

Legislators just increased the Kansas budget by almost 9 percent next year but you wouldn’t know it from reading mainstream…

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KC Star political agenda drives coverage of Senator Jim Denning

The Kansas City Star’s recent coverage of State Senator Jim Denning seems driven less by facts than a dual political…

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Voters to decide on Shawnee community center tax increase

Voters will soon be deciding whether property taxes should be increased to pay for a $38 million Shawnee community center.…

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Arizona-like law could reduce occupational licensing hurdles in KS

Arizona became the first state in the nation to recognize occupational licenses from other states. But Arizona’s new license portability…

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Kansas Justice Institute to educate, advocate for constitutional rights

A former Kansas woman’s fight over Arizona licensing regulations served as a catalyst for a pair of occupational licensing laws…

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90 Kansas counties lost population since 2010 Census

The 2018 population estimates just released by the U.S. Census shows Kansas grew by just 2 percent since the 2010…

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KCUR report misleads on school funding

Public radio station KCUR published a story suggesting a Kansas school district can’t fund basic building maintenance, but they left…

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