Business
Who wins in a predatory market? The wolves, naturally.
The billion-dollar question of who got rich from the February cold wave has been answered, despite the best efforts of the state’s regulatory commission and our largest natural gas utility to keep that information secret. Need a hint? Those who made bank were rich already. It wasn’t scrappy small entrepreneurs who rolled up their sleeves […]
Rental housing program delivers $41.5 million in aid to struggling Kansas households
TOPEKA — Olathe residents Sheryl and Gary Evert were among thousands of Kansans struggling to pay their rent during the COVID-19 pandemic. They eventually sought assistance under the Kansas Emergency Rental Assistance program authorized by Congress and financed through federal coronavirus relief legislation. Under KERA, the Kansas Housing Resource Corporation, or KHRC, has granted $41.5 […]
Advocates, experts recommend reforms to inadequate Kansas payday loan system
TOPEKA — A consumer finance expert is recommending Kansas make payday loan reforms that could save consumers more than $25 million per year while still maintaining credit access. These loans have come under fire in states across the country, with some going as far as to ban them. Data suggests that while the majority of […]
Audio Astra: Calculating public harm from tax break, deep freeze
Audio Astra reviews recent audio reporting on Kansas news, including podcasts and radio stories. Eric Thomas directs the Kansas Scholastic Press Association and teaches visual journalism and photojournalism at the University of Kansas. How does the government calculate what we each owe? Whether it’s a decision by a utility regulatory board or a court decision about property […]
KS gas utility won’t release invoices detailing winter prices, but some data is already available
Kansas’ largest natural gas utility has resisted releasing records about what suppliers charged it during the historic cold snap in February that saw prices rise by more than 200 times. But according to a new filing, it has already disclosed much of that information. In February, when temperatures in Kansas City plunged below 15 degrees […]
Evergy scales back plans to add solar power by 2024, will keep Lawrence plant partially open
Evergy will keep open part of its Lawrence coal plant to run occasionally on natural gas despite earlier plans to shutter it completely and fall short of earlier pledges to add massive amounts of solar power to the electric grid, the utility revealed in regulatory filings this week. Earlier this year, Evergy filed its “integrated […]
Kansas foes of COVID-19 vaccinations push for political protection from mandates
Conservatives, Republicans come together at Lenexa church revival to consider how best to advance an anti-vaccination agenda in state's political process.
Attorney: More public disclosure needed in historic natural gas price proceedings
State regulators’ refusal to dig deeper into the causes of a historic spike in natural gas prices this winter effectively shuts down the investigation, an attorney says. Prices for the largest natural gas pipeline serving Kansas rose to about 200 times their normal price this winter during a severe cold snap that pushed the electrical […]
From alcohol to pain-relieving pot, Prohibition runs deep in Kansas
Amy Reid is serious about medical marijuana. She’s a Wichita registered nurse and president of the Kansas Cannabis Coalition. She describes herself as a cannabis navigator for her patients, and she is all business when it comes to advocating for medical weed. I couldn’t help but chuckle when she told me the name of a […]
As child care options dwindle, Kansas advocates seek funding to address staffing shortages
TOPEKA — Lack of accessible child care often pushes Kansas families to leave their children with overworked or unlicensed caregivers. Amid a growing workforce shortage exacerbated by the pandemic, child care advocates say there is an immediate need for long-term solutions. Throughout the last decade, the number of family child care providers across Kansas has […]
AG says winter natural gas price spikes ‘appear to violate Kansas law,’ seeks help for investigation
The Kansas Attorney General’s Office is seeking outside legal help to investigate huge spikes in natural gas prices this winter, signaling the state could consider suing over the disaster. Attorney General Derek Schmidt’s office announced in a news release Monday that it planned to hire a law firm with expertise in the natural gas market […]
Inside Mission Control: Hospital capacity in Kansas at its worst with latest COVID-19 surge
TOPEKA — Richard Watson says the latest surge in COVID-19 infections has stressed Kansas hospital capacity to new extremes, nearing the point where doctors have “brutal conversations” about which patients they take care of. Watson’s company makes the Mission Control software Kansas hospitals use to find available bed space for acute care patients. He said […]