Author: Patrick Richardson
City of Frontenac violated Kansas Open Records Act, AG’s office finds
In a 17-page finding, the Kansas Attorney General’s Office last week concluded that the City of Frontenac violated the Kansas…
KPI releases annual “A-F” school grades
The Kansas Policy Institute, which owns the Sentinel, released its annual “A-F” School Grades on Monday, and the results are…
Senate bill would allow Kansas counties to levy 1 percent income tax
Editor’s Note: This article has been updated to remove mention of deductibility from the state income tax; we regret the…
Proposal to raise income tax rates costs $100 million over 3 years
Yes, that headline is correct. A tax bill touted as revenue-neutral by its sponsors would actually result in a net…
Kansas water rights controlled by an unelected state employee
Unbeknownst to many, Kansas water rights are controlled by one unelected employee of the state Department of Agriculture. That person…
Frontenac continues to obfuscate on open records requests
The City of Frontenac continues to delay and refuse to hand over documents relevant to the decision in September of…
Kelly’s KPERS reamortization would cost taxpayers $4.4 billion
For the second straight year, Democratic Kansas Governor Laura Kelly has proposed a KPERS reamortization plan for the Kansas Public…
Legislation requires local elected officials to vote on full property tax increase
Senate Bill 294, co-sponsored by 15 state senators, would require city and county elected officials to vote on the entire…
Polls show overwhelming support for school choice
A new study by the American Federation for Children, conducted by Beck Research shows national support for school choice is…
Electric rates hurt economic development; Evergy customers getting $41 million rate hike
Having significantly higher electric rates than surrounding states isn’t just a millstone around the neck of the average Kansan, it’s dragging…
Kansas utility rates include bogus state income tax cost
Not only are Kansans paying higher utility rates — as much as 35% higher than some surrounding states — but…
Kansans pay 25% higher electric rates than neighboring states
A recently released audit of the electric rates Kansans pay concluded that Kansans pay anywhere from 22 to 25 percent…
Gov. Laura Kelly out of touch with average Kansan on budget issues
In a press release just before the first of the year, Kansas Governor Laura Kelly said she’s going to “rebuild”…
Fort Scott discovers it doesn’t need a hospital
“This should not have happened,” Gov. Laura Kelly said in October 2018 after Fort Scott’s Mercy Hospital closed. “Simply put: if…
Legislators hope to preempt federal red-flag laws
Two Kansas legislators have pre-filed a bill they hope will protect Kansans from so-called “red-flag” laws, sometimes called “extreme risk…
Kansas school board chair rejects audit findings in contradiction-laden column
After a scathing editorial by the Kansas City Star called out school districts across Kansas for misusing funding for at-risk…
Wayfair decision hammering catalog sellers into extinction
Not only has the Wayfair decision heavily impacted small e-commerce sites but it’s also threatening an entire industry, with catalog…
City of Frontenac won’t comply with Open Records requests
Earlier this year, the City of Frontenac in southeast Kansas requested $3,500 to provide documentation surrounding the secretive dismissal of…
Gov. Kelly’s illegal sales tax policy hurts small businesses nationwide
Kansas Governor Laura Kelly’s likely illegal attempt to collect sales tax on the first dollar of all internet and catalog sales…
K-State Olathe spends $122,000 per student
With a budget this year of $7.3 million and just 60 full-time equivalent (FTE) students, K-State Olathe Innovation Campus will…
Report for America grant raises objectivity concerns for Wichita Eagle
Two more full-time reporters will be coming to Kansas as part of the Report for America Grant program, but the…
Gov. Kelly, David Toland need to answer questions on student achievement
On Nov. 14 of Kansas Framework For Growth, created by Governor Kelly’s administration and Commerce Secretary David Toland, put out a…
Will expanded statehouse news coverage lead to better reporting?
At least one new face will be joining the Associated Press in Topeka to expand statehouse news coverage next year,…