Author: David Hicks
Cowley County dog trainers lose first round of warrantless search ruling
Award-winning bird dog trainer and handler Scott Johnson and his wife Harlene Hoyt were dealt a setback in federal court…
Georgia teacher wins back job, six-figure settlement after firing for DEI complaint
A substitute teacher in Georgia who lost her job after objecting to the reading of a book depicting gay parents…
SCOTUS to decide if public officials can block critics on their social media platforms
Free speech rights in the era of social media are on the docket in the U.S. Supreme Court as justices…
Prairie Village City Council narrows focus in residential rezoning debate
A standing-room-only audience crowded into the Prairie Village City Council chambers and an adjoining multi-purpose room to watch council members…
Arkansas teachers freed from compulsory union membership; what about Kansas?
Arkansas Governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders recently signed into law the “Teacher Paycheck Protection” bill removing union membership as a condition of…
Kansas falls farther behind in annual Rich States, Poor States report
Kansas’ mediocre economic growth over the last decade, coupled with a domestic-migration population loss over the same period, has driven…
Eudora school leaders focus on bond issue vote; avoid reference to 2022 controversy
With veto-proof majorities, the Kansas House and Senate passed and sent to the governor’s desk Senate Substitute for House Bill…
Prairie Village wants to strip homeowners of property rights and won’t answer questions
Discussions on changing zoning regulations to to strip homeowners of property rights to increase the supply of more affordable housing…
Kansas Senate OKs constitutional amendment capping property valuations
Three initial “No” votes on SCR 1610 changed to “Yes” for a revised proposal in SCR 1611 limiting increases in…
KSBRC workshops in June to cover creation of a school budget
The next round of training workshops for school board members sponsored by the Kansas School Board Resource Center, a subsidiary…
Douglas County officials consider reparations program to address homelessness
The Douglas County Commission has been presented a 5-year Strategic Plan to address homelessness in the county that includes a…
Constitutional amendment limiting property valuation to 3% annually is one vote shy of passing Kansas Senate
A proposed amendment to the Kansas Constitution limiting yearly property valuation increases to 3%, except under certain conditions, is one…
Women’s Bill of Rights, defining male and female, passes Kansas House
The Kansas House has followed the Senate by approving SB 180, the Women’s Bill of Rights, codifying into state law…
Some Overland Park employees got big raises in 2022
The City of Overland Park last year stuck taxpayers with a 10% property tax hike and now we know that…
Median sales price isn’t valid basis to raise all property values
Taxpayers across Kansas are howling about double-digit valuation hikes on their homes, which some appraisers justify by an increase in…
KSBRC holds first training workshops on building needs assessments
The Kansas School Board Resource Center has begun a series of training workshops for board members to help them be…
At least 3 KS school districts hide students’ transgender status from parents
Over 160 school districts nationwide, including three in Kansas, have policies to keep students’ transgender status a secret from their…
Forever Fencing suit claims civil, constitutional rights violated by LVCO Commission
Forever Fencing, Inc. has filed a federal lawsuit against the Leavenworth County Commission, Commissioner Doug Smith individually, and Commission Attorney…
KC Star only reports half the story on Leavenworth School Board controversy
The Kansas City Star reported in its online edition of March 11th a remark by Leavenworth USD 453 board member…
USD 512 DEI administrator Tyrone Bates resigns; silent on his effect on student achievement
Shawnee Mission School District has announced that Dr. Tyrone Bates, Jr., is resigning effective at the end of this school…
Civic learning survey shows room for improvement in Kansas
March 6th-10th is designated as National Civic Learning Week. But a 50-state survey of curriculum and legislative initiatives shows Kansas…
SB 79 proposes theoretical property tax relief with a local earnings tax
A unique “tax swap”, allowing counties to institute an earnings tax, if approved by voters, to lessen some of the…
Tax fairness, profitability at the heart of the debate over HB 2062
The House Taxation Committee hearing on HB 2062 featured the relatively-new idea of car sharing and an established rental car…
Satellite, streaming services defeat Fort Scott franchise fee in court, urge passage of SB 144
Streaming service giants Netflix and Hulu, along with satellite providers DIRECTV and Dish Network, emboldened by a state court decision…