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5 things you can do if you’re overwhelmed by Kansas COVID-19 news
The latest COVID-19 wave has swept through Kansas, bringing not only illness but a feeling of beleaguered powerlessness. The last two years have left those of us who take the pandemic seriously exhausted and frustrated. The situation shouldn’t be this challenging, not with the vaccines and treatments we have available. We shouldn’t be battling science-denying […]
This anesthesiologist and state senator spins COVID-19 fairy tales as virus slams Kansas
Hey, Kansas Board of Healing Arts — you might want to check in with Dr. Mark Steffen, the state senator from Hutchinson and noted purveyor of COVID-19 lies. My predecessor in this opinion editor chair, the incomparable C.J. Janovy, wrote you a letter back in March about Steffen. Unfortunately, it must have gotten lost in […]
Do Kansas legislators understand that we’re all in the middle of a pandemic?
Does the Kansas Legislature know there’s a pandemic going on? Do Kansas senators and representatives understand that we’re all enduring a once-in-a-century event, one in which millions of people are falling ill and being hospitalized, with thousands dying each day? I ask because last week’s session launch demonstrated that state legislators aren’t just pursuing policies […]
In banishing reporters, Kansas Senate joins destructive GOP trend
Kansas Senate leadership’s decision to bar reporters from the floor during debate should trouble everyone who values a free and fair press in the Sunflower State. Unfortunately, the ramifications spread further and should trouble concerned citizens across the country. To put it bluntly, this move appears to be part of a multistate effort on behalf […]
To track Kansas Statehouse accurately, distinguish shiny objects from vital basics
News from the Kansas Statehouse operates on a couple of levels. On one, you have headline-grabbing hearings about critical race theory and vaccine mandates. On the other, you have the nuts-and-bolts work of allocating tax dollars, funding schools and highways, and overseeing social service programs. Those who follow current events should learn to make the […]
Kelly delivers dazzling show of bipartisanship — however unlikely — at State of the State
If Kansas Gov. Laura Kelly was an aging pop diva, last night’s annual State of the State address would have been a spirited greatest hits show, packed with favorites such as balancing the budget, supporting education and economic development. She previewed a new effort, repealing the sales tax on food, and dipped into her back […]
Don’t look up: Kansas conservatives ready destructive asteroid of proposals that threaten us all
What’s the difference between a Kansas-sized asteroid barreling toward our state and the latest conservative proposals for our new legislative session? The asteroid won’t insist it’s being helpful. The space rock has other benefits, too. It will definitely lower taxes, as Republicans say they want, by obliterating all taxpayers and services. It will reduce the […]
This Kansas official says he’s securing elections. He might as well be defending us from hippos.
Imagine Kansas Secretary of State Scott Schwab made a big announcement last month: Kansas is one of the Top 10 most secure states from hippopotamus attacks. We know for a fact that hippos are dangerous, Schwab writes in an imaginary campaign fundraising email, because they kill 500 people across Africa each year. They’re the most […]
Trump likes what he sees in Hungary’s anti-democratic prime minister — and Derek Schmidt
When you play footsie with fascism, sometimes the fascist flirts back. On Monday, would-be autocrat Donald Trump did Derek Schmidt a solid, endorsing the Kansas attorney general’s run for governor. Schmidt spent much of 2020 doing whatever he could to cater to Trump’s cult of personality, joining a lawsuit to overturn the presidential election and […]
Take a look at these six hot topics from Kansas’ 2021, with opinion pieces to match
For our special, year-end edition of the Kansas Reflector podcast, editor in chief Sherman Smith invited senior reporter Tim Carpenter and myself to discuss six big topics from 2021. To accompany that podcast, I looked through the opinion section archives for columns tackling those subjects. Some of these pieces echo our exchanges, while others take […]
Here’s to our hangover year of 2021, with fear and hope to spare
As 2021 crams in its final thwacks on our collective psyche (thanks, omicron variant), I’m in the pensive mood that strikes columnists toward the end of each year. Mixed doesn’t begin to describe my feelings. On one hand, I can’t believe my good fortune to write for Kansas Reflector’s engaged readers. On the other hand, […]
Kansas Gov. Laura Kelly flaunts pragmatism, fortifying reelection plans
Kansas Gov. Laura Kelly is politically smarter than you. Before you object, answer this question: Did you run for governor in Kansas as a Democrat in 2018 and win? And before you brush off that question as a one-time fluke, answer this one: Do you have a positive approval rating (54%) in an overwhelmingly Republican […]