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.

Tara Mays, of the Kansas Hospital Association, endorsed a bill creating a $10 million grant program for benefit of struggling rural Kansas hospitals. (Tim Carpenter/Kansas Reflector)

House explores launch of $10 million grant program to boost health of rural hospitals
By: - March 16, 2021

Kansas House explores idea of financing $10 million in innovation grants for rural hospitals struggling with financial future.

Senate majority leader arrested, released after allegedly driving wrong way on I-70
By: and - March 16, 2021

Kansas Senate's No. 2 Republican arrested on DUI charge after allegedly driving wrong direction on Interstate 70 in Topeka.

Democratic Rep. Valdenia Winn, left, and Republican Rep. Sean Tarwater disagreed about merits of a Senate bill requiring all 286 Kansas public school districts to offer students full-time, in-person instruction by March 26 and to never turn to exclusive online teaching again. (Sherman Smith/Kansas Reflector)

In-person teaching debate triggers House altercation on parochial vs. public education
By: - March 15, 2021

Kansas bill forcing public school districts to return to full-time, in-person classes raises ruckus about Catholic v. public education.

Sen. Ethan Corson, D-Fairway, said the 2022 Legislature was working on election bills that could complicate voting without improving security. He urged senators to be honest with constituents who falsely claim Kansas' election were tainted by fraud. (Sherman Smith/Kansas Reflector)

Senate rookie says Kansas needs to think bigger on economic front to counter brain drain
By: - March 15, 2021

Democratic senator uneasy with GOP's quest to once again pass Kansas tax cuts threatening school, highway investments.

Blake Flanders, president of the Kansas Board of Regents, said public research universities in Kansas must figure out how to adhere to a COVID-19 mandate issued by the federal government while following a state law targeting budgets of universities that adopt such mandates. (Screen capture/Kansas Reflector)

Public university tuition rebates demanded by House GOP could top $150 million
By: - March 12, 2021

TOPEKA — The Kansas Board of Regents is pushing back against a budget amendment adopted by a Kansas House committee requiring public universities to refund students more than $150 million in tuition for canceled classes and courses shifted online during the COVID-19 pandemic. Blake Flanders, president of the state Board of Regents, appeared with university […]

Scott Schneider, a lobbyist with the Kansas Restaurant and Hospitality Association, said the 2021 Legislature needed to develop mechanisms for county and state governments to compensate businesses forced to close or reduce services during the COVID-19 pandemic. (Screen capture/Kansas Reflector)

Senate building case for county, state payouts to businesses undercut by COVID-19 mandates
By: - March 11, 2021

Kansas Senate committee developing bills to force county and state government to compensate businesses for COVID-19 mandates.

The Kansas Department of Corrections reported the 16th inmate fatality during the COVID-19 pandemic. The latest death was at Winfield Correctional Facility. (Alex Potemkin/Getty Images)

Kansas prison system reports 16th inmate fatality tied to COVID-19
By: - March 11, 2021

Death of Winfield Correctional Facility inmate brings to 16 the number of prisoners to die after infected with COVID-19 during the pandemic.

Rep. Aaron Coleman, a Democrat from Kansas City, Kansas, was arrested Sunday on a charge of domestic violence. This statehouse office photograph was for an interview about a his bill requiring taping of conversations between legislators and lobbyists. (Tim Carpenter/Kansas Reflector)

Bill calls for body camera recording of conversations between lobbyists and legislators
By: - March 11, 2021

Kansas House member wants to require body camera recordings of all lobbyist-legislator conversations and make the video available to the public.

The Kansas House spiked a bill tweaking state law on placing tolls on new highway lanes after Overland Park and Kansas Department of Transportation officials expressed interest in adding toll lanes to U.S. 69. (Submitted/Kansas Reflector)

House pumps brakes on tweak to Kansas law allowing toll on new highway express lanes
By: - March 10, 2021

Kansas House forces detour of KDOT's plan to modify 2019 law authorizing use of tolls to pay for new highway construction.

Sen. Molly Baumgardner, R-Louisburg, and Rep. Susan Humphries, R-Wichita, made the case for passage of an amendment to the Kansas Constitution declaring no fundamental right to abortion existed in the state. The Kansas Supreme Court issued a decision in 2019 declaring otherwise. (Noah Taborda/Kansas Reflector)

Kansas legislative session by the numbers: House passes 124 bills, Senate adopts 88, Kelly signs four
By: - March 10, 2021

House and Senate gets breather after tallying 212 bills and pushing through abortion amendment and city utility aid program.

Kansas Attorney General Derek Schmidt, a Republican candidate for governor, issued a nonbinding legal opinion saying the Legislature had authority to delay preparations to rebid the $4 billion contracts with KanCare providers until 2024 rather than 2023.. (Noah Taborda/Kansas Reflector)

Attorney General Derek Schmidt to campaign for GOP gubernatorial nomination in 2022
By: - March 9, 2021

A 2022 gubernatorial showdown is already brewing between Attorney General Derek Schmidt and former Gov. Jeff Colyer.

Kansas Jayhawks part ways with football coach Les Miles amid allegations of misconduct at LSU
By: and - March 8, 2021

Reports emerging from LSU about former football coach Les Miles' alleged misconduct with women ends his coaching career at KU.

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