Author: David Hicks

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…

Aron Dody out as superintendent of USD 417 with $115,000 separation pay
Morris County USD 417 has announced it has terminated its five-year relationship with Superintendent Aron Dody, according to The Council…

U. S. Census data details Kansas population loss
78 Kansas counties lost population between 2020 and 2022, with the remaining 27 posting gains, according to demographic data from…

Moms for Liberty labeled “extremist group” by SPLC
The Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC) has designated Moms for Liberty, which advocates for more parental involvement in public schools,…

USD 453 Leavenworth won’t remove false claims about academic progress
Glowing, but incorrect posts about academic progress at USD 453 Leavenworth have appeared on the school’s Facebook page, but apparently…

Olathe school board member Julie Steele suggests parent critical of DEI/SEL leave Kansas
Olathe school board member Julie Steele answered a critic of the district’s progressive policies including Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI)…
Lansing superintendent published false claims in ad pushing a 12% tax hike
USD 469 Lansing last week published on its website an advertisement entitled “Revenue Neutral Rate Explained” designed to encourage support…

Nebraska cuts income tax rates, leaving Kansas the highest in the region
The tax motto in Kansas — ‘we aren’t as bad as Nebraska’ — no longer applies now that Nebraska Governor Jim…

Kansas schools received $1.25 billion in COVID relief funds
The amount of money Congress borrowed to give away in the name of COVID relief was mind-boggling. Eventually, $190 BILLION…

Dept. of Labor investigation finds children working in slaughterhouses, including Kansas
CBS News reports that a U.S. Department of Labor investigation found school-age children were hired to work on overnight…

Next KSBRC workshops to focus on creating effective school budgets
The next series of training sessions offered by the Kansas School Board Resource Center (KSBRC) will help school board members…

Retiring JCCC professor claims his free speech rights were restricted over political views
Frank Syracuse, who recently retired after 32 years at Johnson County Community College (JCCC), laments what he sees as a…

Recall effort underway for Leavenworth school board member Vanessa Reid
Opponents of first-term Leavenworth USD 453 school board member Vanessa Reid have launched a recall effort against her, accusing her…

Council Grove school leaders silent on district controversies
USD 417 in Council Grove has been rocked in recent weeks with the resignations of its curriculum director, school board…
Colorado teachers union says capitalism exploits workers, children, schools
The Colorado Education Association (CEA) recently passed a resolution condemning capitalism for its exploitation of “children, public schools, land, labor,…