Author: Patrick Richardson
Kansas senators concerned about state’s use of Unacast GPS tracking
Last week the Sentinel reported that the State of Kansas was using GPS data from aggregator Unacast to track Kansans’…
COVID-19: massive unemployment, except in government
Last week a record 55,428 people filed for unemployment in Kansas, and nationally the number stands at 7.14 million due…
Cell phone tracking system raises privacy concerns for Kansans
The Kansas Justice Institute on Wednesday warned of potential privacy issues surrounding the use of data from a cell phone…
Frontenac sued in federal court over city administration firings
The three top Frontenac city officials who were fired in September of last year have filed a federal lawsuit alleging…
Forty books about socialism everyone should read
Socialism and communism have killed more than 100 million people worldwide, yet millions of (mostly young) people across the country…
SCOTUS overturns Kansas Supremes again, legislators call for changes to appointment process
The United States Supreme Court (SCOTUS) has again overturned the Kansas Supreme Court, after vacating a decision that would have…
Kudos to KC Star on the courage to say ‘we were wrong’
Give a tip of the hat to Kansas City Star Assistant City Editor Maria Martin. Last week the Star ran…
Informed consent legislation for release of sensitive student data fails
A House bill that would have required informed consent before parents allow their children to participate in a controversial survey…
Janus bills clear committee, head to full House, Senate
A pair of bills that would bring the State of Kansas into compliance with the United States Supreme Court’s 2018…
Johnson County legislator proposes 5% ‘privilege’ tax on sale of guns and ammo
Rep. Jerry Stogsdill (D-Prairie Village) introduced a bill in the Kansas legislature that would impose a 5% privilege tax on…
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…