Author
Once a Kansas petroleum powerhouse, Neodesha now drills down on education and investments
When I was a child, Neodesha was the big city. My family and I lived in nearby, even smaller Altoona. The city of Neodesha — population 2,275 — boasted a grocery store, library and a red caboose behind that library. This month, I drove back to Neodesha with my 11-year-old, on a mission to look […]
A year ago, I started a journey as Kansas Reflector opinion editor. Here’s what I’ve learned.
A year ago Tuesday, I came aboard the good ship Kansas Reflector as opinion editor. While my first column on the job promised big goals and lofty aspirations, I’ll admit that doubts lingered in the cobwebbed recesses of my mind. Would the work make a difference? Would readers pay attention? Would they and I find […]
In wake of amendment loss, anti-abortion Kansans face a choice: Take the L or fight the power
Losing hurts the soul. It throws our basic beliefs — in oneself, in the notion of a just world — into turmoil. Ultimately, we choose to do one of two things. We can look at the loss dispassionately, hoping to learn from the experience. Or we can decide that the loss wasn’t, actually, a loss […]
From spine-tingling tales to faces in the trees, Alabama trip puts Kansas in perspective
I was driving along an Alabama backroad with my mother-in-law, hearing about various Southern Gothic deaths that had befallen residents of her neighborhood, when I realized something simple yet important: This country is vast. The contiguous United States stretches more than 2,500 miles from coast to coast. Our 50 states go from sapphire blue to […]
These four dumb responses totally misread the stunning Kansas abortion rights vote
You could tell that no one was prepared for the nearly 20-point victory by abortion rights forces in Kansas by the incredibly dumb takes that soon followed. Anti-abortion supporters, insulated by the U.S. Supreme Court over the past half-century from the unpopularity of their beliefs, were faced with a broad public rebuke. This wasn’t a […]
Abortion-rights victory shakes Kansas political landscape from roots to branches
The failure of the anti-abortion amendment in Kansas on Tuesday was more than a single election result. It was an earthquake. That quake rumbled across the U.S. political landscape, surprising onlookers who had expected a tight contest or outright victory for anti-choice forces. All of a sudden, the rough political consensus that had formed since […]
Kansans embark on statewide civics experiment of abortion amendment vote, outcome unknown
The abortion amendment battle comes to a head this August election day, and if nothing else it proves that civic debate thrives in Kansas. TV ads burble, yard signs protrude and glossy fliers stuff mailboxes from one side of the state to the other. Online forums buzz with the back and forth. Folks chat in […]
In Kansas abortion amendment debate, three big lies prevent honest exchanges
For a group of people presumably interested in the guidance of the Lord Almighty, backers of the “Value Them Both” amendment have a lot of problems with the Ninth Commandment. They’re lying an awful lot. The state constitutional amendment on the ballot Aug. 2 has been debated ad nauseam in recent months. It would preempt […]
One simple question Kansas abortion-rights advocates could ask their opponents
Should a 10-year-old girl be forced to give birth to her rapist’s baby? If they want to stop a proposed constitutional amendment from passing, Kansas abortion-rights activists should be asking anti-abortion forces that one question each and every day. If they want a message that slices through congealed rhetoric, that’s the one they should deploy ruthlessly […]
In rare bipartisan achievement, Kansas leaders dream big to land $4B Panasonic megaproject
Sometimes, all you need is a dream, a little luck and a billion dollars. Such was the case with the Panasonic battery plant “megaproject” that Kansas leaders announced Wednesday. Lt. Gov. and Commerce secretary Dave Toland, along with Gov. Laura Kelly and assorted legislative leaders — not to mention U.S. Sen. Jerry Moran in Washington, […]
Derek Schmidt campaign tries to have it both ways on Kansas diversity and fundamental rights
Derek Schmidt’s campaign talks out of both sides of its mouth when it comes to diversity. When handling questions about fundamental rights, the presumptive Republican gubernatorial candidate’s operation says different things depending on the audience. Should women have a right to access birth control? Should LGBTQ people have a right to, well, exist? It depends! […]
Summer’s discontents weigh on Kansas mood, political races and long-term outlook
Now is the summer of our discontent. The end of Roe v. Wade has shaken the nation. Kansas has been gripped by an amendment vote on just that subject scheduled for next month. Political candidates circle one another like irritable peacocks, knowing that weeks or months of squabbling await. Nationally, inflation has stressed households and […]