Opinion
Where did the Kansas Legislature’s moderates go? The Kansas Chamber targeted them.
Kansas Reflector welcomes opinion pieces from writers who share our goal of widening the conversation about how public policies affect the day-to-day lives of people throughout our state. J.C. Moore served two years as the Republican representative for District 93 and has written more than 300 articles for local newspapers and his website, “Current Events […]
One group’s not-so-impossible dream: progressive majorities in the Kansas Statehouse by 2026
Cast your mind ahead to November of 2026. In that month, in that year, activists in Kansas could well be celebrating as voters send progressive majorities in both the state House and Senate. Wait, you say. What? That’s the ambitious aim of the nonprofit group Prairie Roots, headed up by executive director Peyton Browning. The […]
Bill offers opportunity to fund threatened wildlife in Kansas without new taxes
The Kansas Reflector welcomes opinion pieces from writers who share our goal of widening the conversation about how public policies affect the day-to-day lives of people throughout our state. Michael Donnelly is a member of the Audubon of Kansas communication and Celebration of Cranes committees and is editor-in-chief of Prairie Wings magazine. Residents and visitors […]
Anti-immigrant law motivated by xenophobia and racism makes Kansas less welcoming
The Kansas Reflector welcomes opinion pieces from writers who share our goal of widening the conversation about how public policies affect the day-to-day lives of people throughout our state. Huascar Medina is the poet laureate of Kansas. On Feb. 22, HB 2717 was introduced in the Kansas House of Representatives. By April 11, the bill became law. […]
The art of community: How creative contributions can transform a Kansas town
The Kansas Reflector welcomes opinion pieces from writers who share our goal of widening the conversation about how public policies affect the day-to-day lives of people throughout our state. Brett Crandall is an actor, writer, producer, puppeteer and LGBTQIA+ activist based in Garden City. Dear Cindy Crandall, I wanted to congratulate you and your newlywed […]
Going plus-one: Republicans keep leapfrogging previous political barriers
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. This week’s Kansas Supreme Court’s decision permitting Republican-drawn legislative maps delivers so many different lessons. It just depends on who you are. A Black […]
While Ukraine repels Russia, Rep. Ron Estes of Kansas votes against NATO support and $40B in aid
As Ukrainians battle to save themselves from Russian leader Vladimir Putin’s war of choice, a U.S. representative from Kansas isn’t helping them. In two big votes over the last two months, Rep. Ron Estes has voted against supporting NATO and sending $40 billion in military and economic support to Ukraine. In the earlier case, he […]
Kansas House Majority Leader Dan Hawkins has Medicaid expansion all wrong. Here’s why.
The Kansas Reflector welcomes opinion pieces from writers who share our goal of widening the conversation about how public policies affect the day-to-day lives of people throughout our state. Susan Osborne is a member of the state leadership team of Women for Kansas. Kansas House Majority Leader Dan Hawkins recently wrote an opinion piece about Medicaid […]
Simple reforms could make the Kansas Legislature more transparent. Leaders don’t want that.
Kansas Reflector editor Sherman Smith published a must-read analysis last week. “How the Kansas Legislature avoids public scrutiny by hiding in darkness” included detail after detail showing how an institution with Republican supermajorities nonetheless takes shortcut after shortcut to conceal its actions. Others have written about these problems before. The Kansas City Star published a […]
Death penalty must fall as Kansas reckons with violent racial past
The Kansas Reflector welcomes opinion pieces from writers who share our goal of widening the conversation about how public policies affect the day-to-day lives of people throughout our state. Gretchen Eick is an author, educator and publisher in Wichita. Kansas has a violent racial history, and the death penalty just might stand as that history’s […]
Some 68 years after Brown v. Board, similar foes continue stubbornly fighting progress
The Kansas Reflector welcomes opinion pieces from writers who share our goal of widening the conversation about how public policies affect the day-to-day lives of people throughout our state. Mark McCormick is the former executive director of The Kansas African American Museum and a member of the Kansas African American Affairs Commission. During a 2014 symposium […]
Pandora’s Box: Overturning Roe is only the beginning of the threats to women
Kansas Reflector welcomes opinion pieces from writers who share our goal of widening the conversation about how public policies affect the day-to-day lives of people throughout our state. Taylor Hirth is a freelance writer, public speaker, and dedicated advocate for survivors of sexual violence. When I was raped in 2016, one of my attackers reached inside […]