Author: David Hicks
Governing article suggests school board members add “lobbyist” to their skillsets
As school board campaigns head into the fall, the online newsletter Governing is offering candidates and incumbents a “How-To” in…
Switched vote insures Lansing school district patrons won’t see tax increase
The USD 469 Board of Education in Lansing has approved a budget for the 2023-2024 school year that will not…
Dueling news releases show rift widening in aftermath of Wetmore closing
The ongoing financial dispute stemming from the closure of the Wetmore Academic Center (WAC) between USD 113 Prairie Hills and…
USD 453 budget video makes deceptive property tax claims
New Leavenworth Superintendent Dr. Kellen Adams posted a recent video to justify the proposal for USD 453 to exceed the…
Family fights city’s red tape seeking to separate boy from emotional support animal
A two-year-old Vietnamese potbellied pig name Ginger and the nine-year-old boy who relies on her for emotional support are in…
Shawnee Mission School District must pay $400K to family in special education dispute
A federal court in Kansas ordered the Shawnee Mission School District (SMSD) to pay a Westwood family $400,000 for legal…
Ethics Commission: No conflict of interest if school board member also works for KNEA
Shawnee Heights School Board Member Lauren Tice Miller’s additional responsibility as Director of Legislative and Political Advocacy for the Kansas…
Controversy continues following closing of Wetmore Academic Center
The Wetmore Academic Center (WAC) buildings are vacant as its former students prepare to return to classes elsewhere this fall,…
County Attorney Joel Ensey: “insufficient evidence” for raid on Marion County Record
Marion County Attorney Joel Ensey issued a stunning press release, saying yesterday he reviewed the warrant application for the raid…
Police raid on Marion County newspaper raises First and Fourth Amendment concerns
The August 11th raid on the newsroom of the Marion County Record and its publisher’s home and confiscation of computers,…
Revenue-Neutral hearing dates set across Kansas…here’s where you can attend
Your chance to tell elected officials what you think of property tax increases is coming up soon, and history indicates…
$1,000 KEEP grants available to Kansas students to combat pandemic learning loss
The Kansas Education Enrichment Program (KEEP), using $50 million in federal Covid-19 relief funds, offers $1,000 grants to eligible Kansas…
Federal judge hobbles “Kansas Two-Step”
Writing that the Kansas Highway Patrol “waged war on motorists,” U.S. District of Kansas Senior Judge Kathryn H. Vratil ordered…
Recall of Leavenworth School Board Member Vanessa Reid fails
Supporters of a campaign to oust USD 453 board member Vanessa Reid failed to gather the required number of signatures…
Overland Park officials blow off residents’ requests for help with storm cleanup
You might think an elected offical of city that hiked property tax more than three times the combined rates of…
BCBS Kansas hides Pride Parade participation from policyholders
Blue Cross/Blue Shield Kansas (BCBSKS), headquartered in Topeka, will not answer questions about the company’s role in the Pride Parade…
Research shows poor people are the hardest hit by green energy costs
The price impact of green energy policies on necessities like gasoline, home heating oil and electricity impose a greater cost…
Ohio becomes 8th state to enact universal school choice in the last two years
With a stroke of his pen, Ohio Governor Mike DeWine signed into law the nation’s eighth School Choice legislation, all…
Kansas taxpayers snookered again; Oklahoma lands bigger Panasonic battery plant with smaller price tag
The Kelly/Toland administration told Kansas legislators they had to approve nearly $1 billion in subsidies to ‘win’ the competition with…
Kansas #8 on list of least tax-friendly states for middle-class families
High income and sales taxes in Kansas, the result of Governor Kelly’s vetoes of two tax relief packages this year…
Nebraska storm issues “Hail No!” warning for Johnson/Douglas County solar farm
A late June storm with baseball-size hail devastated the Community Solar Farm in Scottsbluff, Nebraska, shattering some 14,000 panels, and…
Evidence-Based Grading: another attempt to obscure poor performance?
The Shawnee Mission School District will unveil the concept of “Evidence-Based Grading” (EBG) in the upcoming school year,fueling the conversation…
Shawnee City Council members push back on staff departure complaints
A year ago, the Shawnee City Council was labeled “the only conservative-majority council in Johnson County.” Now that majority is…
Kansas has lost 5,500 private-sector jobs in 2023, rest of the region gains
Kansas is the only state in the region that has lost private-sector jobs so far in 2023 according to statistics…