Opinion

Religious bullies in Kansas politics fantasize about being victims of the left. Don’t fall for it.

BY: - May 22, 2023

The epic church and state series published last week by Kansas Reflector shocked and surprised me. Sure, I understood the radical agenda and anti-democratic goals of religious extremists in my beloved state. But I hadn’t appreciated the way a group of fervent bullies — folks wanting to drive people with different beliefs out of the […]

Kansas faces grim spike in train-pedestrian deaths. We can do more than label victims ‘trespassers’

BY: - May 21, 2023

At age 85, John Speece was using a walker the afternoon of May 4 to cross the triple railway tracks on Commercial Street in downtown Emporia. He was struck and killed by an eastbound BNSF freight, one of 80 trains that pass through the city day and night, at speeds of up to 40 mph. […]

Close-up of bartender serving beers at bar

Craft breweries are fermenting change, addressing local ills while serving local ales

BY: - May 20, 2023

Some scholars say beer and wine — and fermentation in general — helped develop civilization and shaped culture and landscapes over millennia. Today, craft breweries, which are by definition small and independent and thus focus their production on innovative, small-scale methods rather than industrialized, mass-produced ones, are still playing that role. They are increasingly prominent players in America’s […]

From fellow conservative states, here’s a model for Kansas to protect kids from social media

BY: - May 19, 2023

After a day of skiing in December, my then-13-year-old son made a pitch to me while we were sitting in a hot tub in Colorado. Surrounded by knee-deep snow, he asked if I would let him have his first social media app, SnapChat.  The price? He was willing to run a lap around the house […]

Construction has already begun on the Panasonic electric vehicle battery production plant in Desoto, Kansas. (Rachel Mipro/Kansas Reflector)

Acceptance, not land restrictions, will guarantee Kansas success in the future

BY: - May 18, 2023

The announcement, groundbreaking and construction of the Panasonic plant in De Soto is a transformative event for Kansas, painting a pathway for the future. Our state has been the beneficiary of fantastic financial news that will change the look of our population and makeup of our industries, while attracting new residents. We can already see […]

Gov. Laura Kelly gives her second inaugural address at the Kansas Statehouse

Kansas governor cooked renegade representative’s goose. Like it or not, that’s how politics work.

BY: - May 17, 2023

Gov. Laura Kelly, by all appearances, dished out a chilly bowl of revenge to Kansas City Rep. Marvin Robinson on Monday. Robinson, in case you stayed sane and didn’t follow the Kansas legislative session this year, abandoned his Democratic colleagues to vote for a host of hard-right Republican priorities, such as banning transgender girls and […]

While we wait placidly, climate change and gun violence threaten Kansans and Americans

BY: - May 16, 2023

Mark Twain liked to say that if you put a frog in a pot of boiling water, it would immediately jump out. However, if you put the frog in cool water and then turned on the heat, the frog would remain in the water until it boils to death. We Kansans — and Americans — […]

Kansas Attorney General Kris Kobach appears April 12, 2023, at the Kansas Reflector office in downtown Topeka for a podcast recording

Good journalism means talking to public figures. That includes Trump and Kansas AG Kris Kobach.

BY: - May 15, 2023

Political commentators have been outraged by CNN’s decision to broadcast a town hall with former President Donald Trump. They objected to Trump’s repeated lies, the studio audience’s lively support of the candidate, and shaky fact-check attempts from moderator Kaitlan Collins. “This is an abnormal candidate who must not be normalized on national television in some […]

Gov. Laura Kelly appears with school children

Kansas schools are a success story. Lawmakers don’t want to acknowledge that.

BY: - May 14, 2023

Some of our state legislators have been claiming that Kansas schools are failing our students. That is just not true. In 2022, a Kansas Association of School Boards study found Kansas ranked 10th in the nation on a weighted average of 16 educational outcomes. The report examined performance in areas of preschool enrollment, math and reading […]

Former U.S. President Donald Trump arrives for his arraignment at Manhattan Criminal Court on April 4, 2023, in New York City

Trump found liable in assault case — after relying on a myth about how women should react to rape

BY: - May 13, 2023

A Manhattan jury has found that former President Donald Trump sexually abused journalist E. Jean Carroll in the 1990s and defamed her by saying that she had lied about the assault. The jury, which announced its verdict May 9, awarded Carroll $5 million in damages. Trump’s legal team ended its closing arguments in his rape trial […]

Participating in the Hot Dog race during the baseball game against Blue Valley High School on April 20, Blue Valley West High School juniors Cooper David, hot dog, and Jason Michael, ketchup, fade behind senior Josh Kidd, mustard

The best Kansas student journalism provides a window into the lives and talents of teens

BY: - May 12, 2023

As staffing in professional newsrooms shrinks, journalism educators in Kansas have delivered pep talks to their students. “If you don’t cover it, no one will.” “It’s our responsibility now.” “How often do you see our high school covered in the local media?” “Local news matters. And this school is local news.” In response, Kansas student […]

Transgender Kansans and their allies rally May 5, 2023, at the Statehouse in Topeka in protest of the "women's bill of rights."

With anti-trans bill override, 112 Kansas legislators unleashed hatred

BY: - May 11, 2023

Eight-four representatives voted for the law in the Kansas House. Twenty-eight senators voted for the law in the Kansas Senate. These 112 individuals voted to codify the so-called “women’s bill of rights” in the Kansas Legislature. Said another way, these 112 individuals do not see transgender people as real people. These are the 112 that […]