Category: Featured
Gov. Kelly on no-bid contracts: do as I say, not as I do
Despite roundly criticizing the use of no-bid contracts in previous administrations, Kansas Governor Laura Kelly finally admits she hired an…
Mask mandates not driven by data
Government proponents of mask mandates say they’re driven by data, but the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) says cloth…
Johnson County affirms mask mandate, enforcement unlikely
The Johnson County Board of Commissioners arguably made a political decision to affirm Governor Kelly’s statewide mask mandate, even though…
Whistleblower alleges serious fraud, abuse at state agency
A whistleblower complaint by a former Kansas Division of Emergency Management (KDEM) employee alleges serious misconduct by the division management.…
COVID mortality rate hits new low, Kelly imposes mask mandate
The COVID mortality rate in Kansas fell to a record-low 1.9% statewide, and the rate outside of state-identified clusters also…
Gov. Kelly’s budget plan creates $1.5 billion deficit in 2022
Kansas Governor Laura Kelly announced budget changes last week that she said would close a $653 million deficit in the…
Media crucified Brownback, but glosses over Kelly’s budget tricks
When Republican Governor Sam Brownback used budget tricks to avoiding spending cuts, media pounded him on the front page and…
Michigan decision rejects county’s ‘Dark Store’ appraisal theory
For years, Johnson County, and others, have — illegally, according to courts — been attempting to use a different method…
107,000 fewer private jobs since February, state loses 200
Editor’s note: this story was revised on June 23 to reflect Oklahoma as being a locked-down state; we regret the…
Kansas stalls while Texas acts on Supreme Court Janus decision
While Kansas still hasn’t reacted to the 2018 U.S. Supreme Court Janus decision, Texas is making it clear that public…
KPI calls on Kelly to use COVID stimulus funding for property tax relief
Kansas Policy Institute today asked Governor Laura Kelly to follow the lead of Idaho Governor Brad Little, who is leveraging…
Cities, counties use your money to fight property tax relief
City and county officials often justify tax increases as being necessary to provide services demanded by residents. But if they…
Overland Park proposes 6% property tax increase
The City of Overland Park is proposing a 6.2% property tax hike next year, according to their proposed 2021 budget. …
Kelly admin won’t respond to pervasive problems at long-term care facilities
(editor’s note: the story has been updated to include a quote from KDADS that was provided after publication) The problems…
State of Kansas “encourages” nursing homes to accept COVID patients
Despite having the most vulnerable population to COVID-19, the Kansas Department of Aging and Disability Services and the Kansas Department…
COVID average daily increase drops to all-time low
Data provided by the Kansas Department of Health and Environment through June 1 shows the COVID average daily increase dropped…
Johnson County commission meeting devolves into autocracy
Autocracy is a system of government by one person with absolute power, and there were times in today’s Johnson County…
Property tax reform survives efforts to scuttle the bill
Local elected officials will have to be honest about the entire property tax increase they impose starting next year. The…
April jobs: private sector down 10.5% , state gov’t. steady
Kansas Governor Laura Kelly’s mandatory shutdown order caused the loss of almost 122,000 private-sector jobs in April, but state government…
Average daily COVID increase down to 2% in Kansas
As of May 20, the 7-day moving average of the daily increase in COVID cases is down to 2%. That’s…
Linn County rescinds contact tracing order after KJI lawsuit
The Kansas Justice Institute has won another victory for liberty. Linn County, in the wake of a federal lawsuit and…
House tax committee chooses government interests over taxpayers
At Tuesday’s House Taxation Committee, Rep. Ken Corbet (R-Topeka) expressed frustration that the committee seems to favor government interests over…
COVID cases trending down but Kelly extends shutdown order
Legislators and others feared Kansas Governor Laura Kelly would drag out her economic shutdown when she wouldn’t identify specific criteria…
Federal lawsuit against Linn County alleges 4th Amendment violation
Two Linn County businesses have filed a federal lawsuit challenging an order by Linn County Health Director Dr. Jay Allen…