Author: Patrick Richardson
Lack of oversight leads to high surcharges at KCK BPU
Employee pay and electric rates aren’t the only things that are sky-high at the Kansas City, Kansas Board of Public…
Kansas Justice Institute, Sandbar owner sue over unconstitutional curfew
LAWRENCE, Kan. — A curfew forcing the Sandbar and other bars to stop serving alcohol at 11 p.m. due to…
High electric rates fund big salaries at KCK Board of Public Utilities
Kansas City, Kansas residents pay some of the highest electric rates in the region to the city-owned Board of Public…
Blue Valley backs away from Timber Creek quarantine order
Approximately 100 Timber Creek elementary students who had allegedly been ordered into quarantine by their school are returning to their…
Kelly administration refuses questions about voter registration letter
Governor Laura Kelly’s office is declining to answer questions about a voter registration application offer mailed to Medicaid recipients by…
Kelly admin, KDHE continue to mislead on COVID data
The Kansas Department of Health and Environment is still struggling to get basic COVID-19 reporting numbers correct. According to a…
Kelly administration obstructs, obfuscates on PPE distribution
In spite of a legislator’s concern that personal protective equipment — also known as PPE — isn’t getting to nursing…
Kelly admin refuses to answer questions about $7 million no-bid contract
Despite stating opposition to giving out a no-bid contract, Democrat Kansas Governor Laura Kelly continues to use them — and…
State agencies that ignored lobbying audit inquiry named
(editor’s note: a previous version of this story said Kansas Public Employees Retirement System didn’t respond to the audit request,…
Suspension, ‘acceptable feelings’ in Hutch mask policy
On the day before classes were to reopen for in-person learning in USD 308 Hutchinson, Kansas, Faris Elementary School posted…
Osage County commissioners ignore questions about no-bid contract
Osage County Commissioners Fred Diver, Gaylord Anderson, and Ken Kuykendall have refused to answer questions about a no-bid contract to…
Audit finds $1.3 million taxpayer money spent on lobbying
State agencies, local government entities, and school districts spent at least $1.3 million in taxpayer money lobbying for more of…
Study says privatizing Kansas Turnpike could generate $1 billion
With the state facing an approximately $1.5 billion budget deficit next year, legislators are looking at unpalatable options to fill…
KPI: Johnson County should fix flawed COVID policy metrics
The COVID policy metrics being used to make public health decisions and to decide when — or if — to…
JoCo commission approves property tax hike despite opposition
(Update – the original version of this story referenced a 5.3% property tax increase for 2021; a tiny quarter-mill reduction…
Emporia drops COVID shutdown prosecution against restaurant owner
In a victory for common sense, the City of Emporia dropped their prosecution of a local restaurant owner after he…
Public outcry over Johnson County’s 5% property tax increase
Residents gave Johnson County commissioners an earful at the August 12 public hearing on the county’s 2021 budget proposal, which…
Justice Institute stops mandatory contact tracing in Riley County
A letter from the Kansas Justice Institute to the Riley County Board of Health brought a swift victory for liberty,…
Gov. Kelly shuts down legislator’s COVID transparency inquiry
For the second time in less than a month, Kansas Governor Laura Kelly shut down a discussion and refused to…
A guy named ‘Bill’ decides which Kansas businesses are essential
A spreadsheet obtained in an Open Records request details a pattern of arbitrary and questionable decision-making by a guy named…
Kelly claims credit for foster care ideas after vetoing them
Not only is Kansas Governor Laura Kelly accepting credit for an idea in a bill she vetoed, but the Kansas…
Kansas AG says counties can opt out of Kelly’s school mask order
In another apparent abuse of the rule of law, Kansas Governor Laura Kelly insists — contrary to the advice of the top…
Governor Kelly ignores Majority Leader’s COVID transparency request
Don’t expect additional COVID transparency from the State of Kansas any time soon. Kansas House Majority Leader Dan Hawkins, (R-Wichita),…
State Board of Ed slaps down executive order delaying school opening
In a stunning rebuke Wednesday, the Kansas State Board of Education declined to ratify Kansas Governor Laura Kelly’s executive order…