October 30, 2024

Keeping Media and Government Accountable.

Category: News

AG Kobach: implementing Title IX policy now is”foolish and a waste of money”

The Kansas Association of School Boards (KASB) is telling school districts they must soon adopt policies — contrary to state…

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Part 2: New solutions to fix the federal immigration system

In Part 1 of this series, retired federal immigration judge Elliot M. Kaplan explained why, in his view, the federal…

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Retired immigration judge says the federal immigration system is broken

Calling it “anarchy,” former Federal Immigration Judge Elliot Kaplan said, in an exclusive interview with The Sentinel, that the federal…

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More than $50,000 in overtime paid to 95 public employees in 2023

More than $50,000 in overtime was paid to 33 municipal employees in Kansas in 2023. There were 28 county workers, primarily…

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Clock ticking on Leavenworth County Treasurer Office probe of $10,000 theft

In 2019, about $10,000 went missing from the Leavenworth County Treasurer’s Office. Then-Treasurer Janice Van Parys determined it was taken…

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Johnson County hires Government Relations Coordinator as taxpayer-funded lobbyist

Johnson County has hired a Government Relations Coordinator at a salary of $122,000 per year.  The new position increases county…

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JoCo Commissioners release Peg Trent opinion on library funding after Sentinel publication

In a victory for transparency, within hours of publishing a story about Johnson County Chief Counsel Peg Trent refusing to…

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The promise of Brown v. Board of Education is still “unfulfilled”

The 70th anniversary of the landmark Brown v. Board of Education U.S. Supreme Court decision outlawing state-sanctioned segregation in schools…

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Johnson County avoiding questions about Library retirement funds

Johnson County Chief Counsel Peg Trent is refusing to answer questions about the legality of using more than $6 million…

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New state assessment at odds with Legislature’s improvement targets

Deputy Education Commissioner Dr. Ben Proctor revealed that a new state assessment plan will be given to students during the…

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Education officials at the top of the 2023 KPERS ‘millionaires’ list

Data provided by the Kansas Public Employees Retirement System shows that Kansas has 4,375 KPERS ‘millionaires’—state and local government retirees…

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Most Kansas cities lost population over the last three years

Most of the largest cities in Kansas have lost population over the last three years. According to data from the…

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Prairie Hills / Sabetha USD 113 now in land transfer dispute with Nemaha Central

Its long-running financial disagreements with school districts in Jackson Heights and Vermillion over its closure of the Wetmore School was…

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Kobach sues federal government over new Title IX rules

Kansas Attorney General Kris Kobach is suing the federal government over changes to Title IX requirements that are supposed to…

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Former Manhattan mayor defends city’s taxes, salary increases

Manhattan city taxpayers have seen their property taxes increase by 25% since 2019.  Since 1997, taxes increased by 351%; that…

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USD 434 Santa Fe Trail seems in violation of building needs assessments law

Unified School District 434 Santa Fe Trail appears to be in violation of state law K.S.A. 72-1163, which requires local…

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Study shows Kansas tax burden is the 12th highest in the nation

While taxpayers await another threatened veto of tax relief, a new analysis shows Kansas has the 12th highest tax burden…

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USD 233 Olathe surrenders records after nearly a month of obfuscations and denials

After weeks of back and forth reminiscent of a Franz Kafka novel, USS 233 Olathe finally sent the records they…

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Some Kansas schools support Open Enrollment law, others seem hostile

The bipartisan Open Enrollment legislation signed into law in 2022 offered hope for students who are trapped by their zip…

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Kansas House fails to override veto of youth “gender-affirming care”

A bill that would have banned so-called “gender-affirming care” for minors in the state is dead, at least for this…

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Legislature passes less expensive tax plan in SB 37, Kelly vows another veto

The Kansas House and Senate came together late last night to pass SB 37 with slightly higher tax rates that…

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IVE Part 4: The impact of integrated voter engagement and the blueing of Kansas

Note: This is the final article in a four-part series on “Integrated Voter Engagement” in Kansas by Earl F. Glynn. …

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IVE Part 3: Nonprofits receiving Integrated Voter Engagement funding from Kansas healthcare foundations

Note: This is the third article in a four-part series on “Integrated Voter Engagement” in Kansas by Earl F. Glynn. …

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A-F Grading for Kansas schools results show continued declines in 2023

The new “A-F Grading for Kansas Schools,” based on 2023 state assessment scores, shows nearly half of Kansas public schools…

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