Opinion
Symphony in the Flint Hills faces off against massive Kansas storm system, and the spirit persists
Symphony in the Flint Hills encountered that dependable adversary of Kansas events on Saturday evening: severe weather. Audience and performers had gathered for the 17th annual celebration — eloquently written about by longtime emcee Dave Kendall last week in the Kansas Reflector — when the bad news came. Organizers were informed at 6:43 p.m. that […]
To reduce rising energy costs in Kansas, Evergy must step up efficiency programs
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. Joel Campbell is a second-year engineering student at the University of Kansas and has been a member of the Sunrise Movement for more than a year. Energy […]
With open government on the line, we’re calling Kansas legislators to account
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. Max Kautsch is an attorney whose practice focuses on First Amendment rights and open government law. Following one of the more contentious and veto-heavy legislative sessions […]
Growing up with school shootings hardened my generation in ways you don’t understand
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. Sam Bailey is a senior at Emporia State University, majoring in communication, and is a staffer on the student newspaper, The Bulletin. When the voices of 70 […]
In my Kansas backyard, a parable for Texas school shooting
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. Eric Thomas directs the Kansas Scholastic Press Association and teaches visual journalism and photojournalism at the University of Kansas. My daughter came in from our backyard to tell […]
Kansas high schoolers use digital photography to express their voices
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. Josh Davis is a graduate of Washburn University. He teaches digital photography at Topeka High School and is the chair of the art department. High school students […]
News media can tell you what’s the matter with Kansas. But you have to do the repairs.
The news media won’t save you. The news media — even the opinionated and outspoken parts of it like this opinion section — won’t save Kansas or the United States. I wish more people understood this, because if you want our nation to see a revival in civic participation and progressive values, you have to […]
Symphony in the Flint Hills taps into restorative power of the Kansas prairie
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. Dave Kendall served as producer and host of the “Sunflower Journeys” series on public television for its first 27 seasons and continues to produce documentary videos through […]
Report on legislators in ‘far-right’ Facebook groups doesn’t tell real story of Kansas extremism
By any measure, the Kansas Legislature has a problem with right-wing extremism. Sen. Mark Steffen, a Hutchinson physician, introduced legislation that would give him an exemption for prescribing ivermectin to COVID-19 patients. Sen. Mike Thompson shared in the viral skepticism, while also agitating against wind power. And Rep. Cheryl Helmer spewed a torrent of lies […]
Black rifles are the favorite of mass shooters. To save lives, these guns have to go.
We must ban the black rifles. It’s the only way to stop the epidemic of mass killings in America, where the favored weapon of the gunmen (and they are nearly all men) is the AR-15 and its variants, assault weapons collectively known as “black rifles.” Yet the National Rifle Association and a chorus of conservatives […]
How should Dostoevsky and Tolstoy be read during Russia’s war against Ukraine?
As someone who teaches Russian literature, I can’t help but process the world through the country’s novels, stories, poems and plays, even at a time when Russian cultural productions are being canceled around the world. With the Russian army perpetrating devastating violence in Ukraine — which includes the slaughter of civilians in Bucha — the discussion of what […]
Screaming on the sidelines: Confessions of a semi-reformed sports dad in Kansas
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. Eric Thomas directs the Kansas Scholastic Press Association and teaches visual journalism and photojournalism at the University of Kansas. Any parent who has a child playing sports has […]