Author

Tim Carpenter

Tim Carpenter

Tim Carpenter has reported on Kansas for 35 years. He covered the Capitol for 16 years at the Topeka Capital-Journal and previously worked for the Lawrence Journal-World and United Press International. He has been recognized for investigative reporting on Kansas government and politics. He won the Kansas Press Association's Victor Murdock Award six times. The William Allen White Foundation honored him four times with its Burton Marvin News Enterprise Award. The Kansas City Press Club twice presented him its Journalist of the Year Award and more recently its Lifetime Achievement Award. He earned an agriculture degree at Kansas State University and grew up on a small dairy and beef cattle farm in Missouri. He is an amateur woodworker and drives Studebaker cars.

U.S. Sen. Roger Marshall, a Kansas Republican, said presence over Kansas of a Chinese spy balloon was evidence of President Joe Biden's shortcomings in the national security realm. (Kansas Reflector screen capture from U.S. Senate YouTube channel)

Marshall, Moran point to China spy balloon as proof of national security lapses
By: - February 3, 2023

Sen. Roger Marshall, Rep. Jake LaTurner of Kansas say drift of Chinese spy balloon over Kansas shows President Biden's national security shortcomings.

Sen. Mike Thompson, R-Shawnee, proposes passage of a bill requiring local government officials follow a standard of confict-of-interest disclosure related to wind and solar project developments not required of state legislators. (Jill Hummels for the Kansas Reflector)

Senate bill sets local government conflict-of-interest standard for Kansas solar, wind projects
By: - February 3, 2023

Kansas Senate bill creates confict-of-interest laws for local government officials on solar and wind projects that don't exist for state legislators.

Independent state Sen. Dennis Pyle of Hiawatha is at the center of a neighor-to-neighbor property dispute that made its way Thursday to the Kansas Supreme Court. (Tim Carpenter/Kansas Reflector)

Northeast Kansas farm neighbors Pyle, Gall ask state’s highest court to settle property dispute
By: - February 2, 2023

TOPEKA — Protracted legal friction between neighboring northeast Kansas landowners Dennis Pyle and James Gall Jr. about vehicle and farm equipment access to crop fields finally matured sufficiently to reach the Kansas Supreme Court. The Gall and Pyle farming families endured a bench trial in Brown County District Court and proceedings with the Kansas Court […]

Kansas Attorney General Kris Kobach plans to request a $1 million budget increase from the Legislature in response to challenges filling 23 attorney vacanices in the office, including seven criminal prosecution positions. (Tim Carpenter/Kansas Reflector)

Attorney General Kobach to request $1 million budget increase to fill prosecutor vacancies
By: - February 2, 2023

Attorney General Derek Schmidt seeks $1 million budget increase to hire prosecutors to work complex criminal cases and enforce the new sports wagering law.

Stanley Goldfarb, a physician and founder of Do No Harm, asked the Kansas Senate to approve bills banning medical schools from involvement in diversity, equity and inclusion programs, critical race theory and race-based admissions. (Kansas Reflector screen capture from Kansas Legislature YouTube channel)

Physician asks Kansas lawmakers to ban racial diversity programs at medical schools, hospitals
By: - February 2, 2023

Kansas Legislature welcomes physician seeking state law banning critical race theory, implicit bias and affirmative action from medical education.

Rep. Bill Rhiley, R-Wellington, urged the Kansas House Transportation Committee to embrace a bill imposing a new battery recharge tax on owners of electric vehicles in response to decline of state gasoline tax revenue used to repair highways. (Kansas Reflector screen capture from Kansas Legislature YouTube channel)

Kansas electric vehicle advocates stomping brake on bill imposing new state recharge tax
By: - February 1, 2023

Kansas House weighs idea of assessing special tax on charging stations for all-electric vehicles because EV owners are dodging state fuel taxes.

Kansas state Treasurer Steven Johnson endorsed a Kansas Senate bill requiring a $1 billion increase in the state government's rainy-day fund. Gov. Laura Kelly recommended addition of $500 million to a fund with a Jan. 1 balance of $980 million. (Sherman Smith/Kansas Reflector)

Kansas Senate bill funnels $1 billion into rainy-day fund to bridge economic downturns
By: - January 31, 2023

Kansas Senate's budget chairman wants to set aside $1 billion in a rainy-day fund, while Gov. Laura Kelly suggests adding $500 million to the account.

Sen. Rob Olson, left, an Olathe Republican and chairman of the Senate Utilities Committee, wants to increase the state's response to irritating robocalls often placed by financial scammers. (Rachel Mipro/Kansas Reflector)

Kansas attorney general’s office eager to work with Legislature to dam robocall tidal wave
By: - January 31, 2023

The chairman of the Senate Utilities Committee and the attorney general's consumer protection division plan to collaborate against the robocall plague.

Child advocates and Kansas legislators endorse proposal to name foster care bill of rights legislation in honor of the late state Rep. Gail Finney, right, who died in August 2022. The bill would place in state law rights of foster children and foster parents. (Sherman Smith/Kansas Reflector)

Support emerges for naming Kansas foster care bill of rights for late Rep. Gail Finney
By: - January 30, 2023

Coalition backs naming foster care bill of rights to honor late Rep. Gail Finney, while lawmaker quizzes agency secretary on new child welfare contracts.

Adam Proffitt, budget director for Gov. Laura Kelly, presented a new state government budget to House and Senate members Thursday that deposits $500 million in a rainy-day fund, expands Medicaid and ends the state's 4% sales tax on groceries April 1. (Rachel Mipro/Kansas Reflector)

Analysis shows Kansas Chamber’s flat tax proposal costs $1.5B, favors top 20% of wage earners
By: , and - January 30, 2023

A flat-rate income tax sought by the Kansas Chamber would reduce state revenue $1.5 billion per year and primarily benefit the state's highest wage earners.

Shawnee County District Court Judge Rachel Pickering was confirmed by the Kansas Senate to a vacancy on the Kansas Court of Appeals, but her nomination provided some Senate Republicans with justification to call for a change in the Kansas Constitution to require Senate confirmation of appointees to the Kansas Supreme Court. (Kansas Reflector screen capture fro Kansas Legislature YouTube channel)

Scuffle over Kelly’s nominee to Court of Appeals foreshadows bigger fight over Supreme Court
By: - January 29, 2023

Senate GOP's spat with Gov. Laura Kelly on Court of Appeals nominee points to renewal of constitutional feud on selection of Supreme Court nominees.

The FBI, private sector cybersecurity executives and University of Kansas researchers convened to search for ways to deepen collaboration to meet growing challenges of hackers, intellectual property thieves and rogue governments damaging IT infrastructure in the United States. (Tim Carpenter/Kansas Reflector)

FBI special agent’s take on national cybersecurity threats: ‘I have a hard time going to sleep’
By: - January 27, 2023

University of Kansas, FBI point to need for greater cybersecurity investments to thwart criminals and governments seeking to undermine U.S. economy.

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