Top 10 Kansans of 2005 / LJWorld.com

Archive for Friday, December 30, 2005

Culture wars, court, corporation figure largely

J-W Staff Reports

December 30, 2005

The culture wars dominated Kansas news in 2005.

Battles over evolution, homosexuality, abortion and more flared with higher-than-usual intensity during the year - a fact reflected in the Journal-World's first annual list of Top 10 Kansans.

This is a list of who caught our attention during the year. In doing so, they sometimes made a splash on the national scene - and sometimes influenced the way we are educated, live our lives or watch movies.

And we cheated a little, naming a whole court, a corporation and a utility.

Take a look and give us your own top 10.

Kansas Education Commissioner Bob Corkins

Bob Corkins

When Corkins, of Lawrence, was hired by the 6-4 majority on the Kansas State Board of Education as education commissioner, a Senate leader on education said she heard the news on her car radio and nearly ran off the road.

The selection of Corkins, who for years worked as a hired gun providing the talking points for a steady stream of anti-public school rhetoric, prompted sputtering disbelief from key policymakers and galvanized a growing opposition movement to the conservative majority on the board.

Corkins' appointment seemed to put an exclamation point on one of the most controversial years ever at the State Board of Education - a year that included battles over evolution, private school vouchers, sex education and travel expenses.

Wichita minister Terry Fox

Rev. Terry Fox

The Wichita minister was the force behind the latest addition to the Kansas Constitution: a ban on gay marriages.

Spurned by the Legislature in 2004 in getting a same-sex marriage ban on the ballot, Fox and like-minded ministers worked the campaign trail and helped elect enough legislators to put the constitutional amendment on the ballot in April.

Kansas voters approved it by a 3-1 margin, and Fox started aiming at other issues, including prohibiting gays from adopting. Most state leaders were not interested in that idea, but with televised sermons and a popular radio show, Fox is in the hunt.

author Thomas Frank

Thomas Frank

If you've been out of state lately, chances are you've been asked to weigh in on Frank's best-selling book, "What's the Matter With Kansas? How Conservatives Won the Heart of America."

Frank, a former Kansas University student, argued that today's conservatives have figured out how to use hot-button issues such as abortion, gun control and homosexuality to elect candidates who, once they're in office, blindly serve the interests of big business.

"What's the Matter With Kansas?" spent several weeks on The New York Times best-seller list last summer. It returned to the best-seller list in mid-November as thoroughly trounced Democrats went looking for answers.

Topeka attorney Pedro Irigonegaray

Pedro Irigonegaray

An attorney from Topeka, Irigonegaray was at the center of Kansas' culture wars while also representing clients in high-profile criminal proceedings.

He and his partner Bob Eye, of Lawrence, unsuccessfully defended Thomas Murray, a Kansas State University professor who was convicted in Douglas County District Court of killing his ex-wife, Carmin Ross.

Irigonegaray also represented mainstream, pro-evolution scientists during State Board of Education hearings in May that trumpeted intelligent design.

Irigonegaray said he clashes with religious fundamentalists to keep religions free of government intrusion.

"The separation of church and state, religion and government, is a fundamental building block of our democracy," he said.

Kansas Supreme Court

The seven-member court rocked Kansas by overturning the death penalty, ruling the school finance system unconstitutional and declaring the state's sodomy law unfair.

On the issue of school finance, some lawmakers fussed and fumed but eventually complied with the unanimous court order to increase funding. The battle will continue in 2006 with the court retaining oversight of the case, and some legislative leaders calling for measures to rein in the court.

In the sodomy ruling, the court ruled unanimously that the state cannot punish illegal underage sex more harshly if it involves homosexual sex. The stage was set for the decision by a 2003 U.S. Supreme Court ruling that struck down a Texas law that criminalized gay sex.

On the death penalty, the court split 4-3 in declaring the Kansas law unconstitutional because it favors a sentence of death when juries are considering evidence. Atty. Gen. Phill Kline appealed the ruling to the U.S. Supreme Court, which hasn't decided the case.

Atty. Gen. Phill Kline

Phill Kline

In a case watched nationally, the Kansas attorney general, a vocal opponent of abortion, opened an investigation that sought the records of 90 patients from Dr. George Tiller's abortion clinic in Wichita and the Overland Park clinic operated by Planned Parenthood of Kansas and Mid-Missouri.

Kline said he was investigating allegations of child abuse and illegal late-term abortions.

The clinics accused Kline of going on a fishing expedition, and that the subpoenas for the records would violate patients' privacy. They have asked the Kansas Supreme Court to block the subpoenas or restrict them.

In addition, Kline filed a lawsuit seeking to end state-financed abortions for Medicaid recipients.

Koch Industries Inc.

The Wichita-based conglomerate made business and political headlines. Koch announced that paper-products giant Georgia-Pacific Corp., the maker of Brawny paper towels and Dixie paper cups, had agreed to be acquired for $13.2 billion in cash.

Koch, with annual revenue of $60 billion from refineries, pipelines and manufacturing, employs 30,000 people and is the second-largest private company in the nation.

On the political front, the Koch family continued to fund numerous anti-tax think tanks. The Kansas chapter of Americans for Prosperity, for example, made a high-profile bus tour pushing for a measure that would limit taxes and state spending.

Marci Penner

Depressed about the downward spiraling signs about rural life in Kansas? Penner is the antidote.

Penner is director of the Kansas Sampler Foundation, which is a nonprofit dedicated to sustaining rural life. Penner also is co-chair of a rural life task force that is working to try to help towns survive and grow.

In 2005, her exuberance about rural life was reflected in a travel guide she published called "Kansas Guidebook for Explorers."

Westar Energy, whose former CEO, David Wittig, was convicted of looting the company

Westar Energy

There was a time when the state's largest electric utility made news only when ice storms knocked out power.

In 2005, former chief executive officer David Wittig and former chief strategy officer Douglas Lake were convicted in federal court of engineering huge salaries and benefits for themselves while keeping shareholders, board members and federal regulators in the dark. Just weeks after the September convictions, then-House Majority Leader Tom DeLay, one of the most powerful men in Congress, was indicted on a charge of illegally funneling corporate contributions to several Republican candidates for the Texas Legislature.

The connection with Westar? In an early phase of the investigation, Westar was indicted on a charge of making an illegal contribution to the political action committee formed by DeLay. Westar has denied any impropriety.

Kansas University film professor Kevin Willmott

Kevin Willmott

The art (and commerce) of filmmaking is on the rise in Kansas, and Kevin Willmott is leading the charge.

"We must tell the rest of the country that there are many talented filmmakers here and that the stories that we tell are just as important, if not more so, than those made in Hollywood," the writer-director says.

The Lawrence resident and Kansas University assistant professor in theatre and film has gained international prominence on the strength of "CSA: The Confederate States of America," a satirical look at the United States if the Confederacy had won the Civil War and slavery was a mainstay of contemporary society.

"There are clearly a group of people out there who aren't going to like this," says the 47-year-old Willmott. "But the reality is that most people are ready for this."

"CSA" was shot entirely in Kansas and Kansas City, Mo., with a local cast and crew over the course of seven years. It debuted at the 2004 Sundance Film Festival to standing-room crowds, and was soon bought by IFC Films (which released "Fahrenheit 9/11"). The feature has since been released in Europe and a few Southern states, and IFC plans to open it wide in February to correspond with Black History Month.

Entertainment Weekly reviewed the movie last month, giving it an A-minus and calling it a "fearless and brilliant racial-historical satire."

Willmott proves that though Kansas may be geographically far removed from Hollywood, that gap can be successfully bridged through vision and determination.

Staff writers Scott Rothschild, Dave Ranney and Jon Niccum contributed to this report.

Discussion

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30 December 2005
at 9:59 a.m.

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Speicher (Danny Speicher) says…

Dang it! I didn't make the list… AGAIN!
30 December 2005
at 10:27 a.m.

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prospector (Anonymous) says…

Well. Corkins appears to be a bearded-gnome???

YUCK
YUCK

With all due repected to the genuine. :0)
30 December 2005
at 10:56 a.m.

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cutny (Anonymous) says…

Nice….another Top 9 white men of Kansas compilation. The LJW is soooooooooo diverse. Wonder how long it took them to decide who the one non-white male would be?
30 December 2005
at 10:57 a.m.

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cutny (Anonymous) says…

oh…my bad. I guess Marci Penner's contributions didn't warrant her own picture.
30 December 2005
at 11:01 a.m.

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princess (Anonymous) says…

Uhm cutny, me thinks that you are a tad off on your count.

From my count only 7 of the 10 are your “white men” of Kansas. Which could be better, but I am just sayin' that it isn't as bad as you think.
30 December 2005
at 11:08 a.m.

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Gootsie (Anonymous) says…

I wish they'd titled the article as to what it is - Top 10 newsmakers of Kansas. To me, it looks like we think those 10 choices are our favorite Kansans, and that just ain't so. Again, not for me anyway.
30 December 2005
at 11:16 a.m.

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Gootsie (Anonymous) says…

Even after this morning when I filled my travel mug with coffee, then noticed when I got into my vehicle that I had put my mug in the fridge and had my Coffee Mate in my cup holder?

30 December 2005
at 11:19 a.m.

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prospector (Anonymous) says…

Gootsie

Top ten, to love or despise?

With Gootsie , we know it is love.
30 December 2005
at 12:25 p.m.

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captain_poindexter (Anonymous) says…

does it matter that they are white.

and by the way, the above mentioned aren't all good.
for god sakes, david wittig and westar?
30 December 2005
at 12:45 p.m.

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pepper_bar (Anonymous) says…

i don't see how you can have this list and not include Mirecki. love him or hate him, he brought an awful lot of national news coverage to the state.
30 December 2005
at 12:52 p.m.

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HUB (Anonymous) says…

Poindexter….They are not all white. Pedro and his fake accent are from Cuba (hispanic) and Kevin is black.

Pepper….I do not think bringing national attention to your town should be the criteria for top 10 Kansan. If that was the case Pedro's client, Thomas Murray, would qualify.
30 December 2005
at 12:56 p.m.

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pepper_bar (Anonymous) says…

HUB - point well taken, but here's the standard LJW claims to have used:

“This is a list of who caught our attention during the year. In doing so, they sometimes made a splash on the national scene - and sometimes influenced the way we are educated, live our lives or watch movies.”

tell me Mirecki doesn't qualify for at least serious consideration under that guideline. not that this is a huge deal, i'm just wondering why Mirecki would be left out.
30 December 2005
at 1:01 p.m.

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chzypoof1 (Anonymous) says…

Cutny, excerpts like yours amaze me. It is genius to take a mis-titled article like this, and turn it into a race issue. It seems that some people can turn any situation into a race problem. These were obviously the best they could come up with.

I'm going to guess, that if this had been titled “The top 10 blunders in Kansas that made the news”, and there had been ethnic persons in it, you would have said it was racist also. Being a person of ethnic background, it depresses me when people turn everything into a race issue.

Can't we all just get along? :)
30 December 2005
at 1:17 p.m.

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prospector (Anonymous) says…

This comment was removed by the site staff for violation of the usage agreement.
30 December 2005
at 1:31 p.m.

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staff04 (Anonymous) says…

Top Ten for what? Most of them succeeded in drawing negative attention and helping to further the view that Kansans are simpletons who would rather say, “Well, if it is too complex for me to understand, rather than try to learn about it I'll just say 'God must have done it.'”

30 December 2005
at 2:02 p.m.

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cowboy (Anonymous) says…

This comment was removed by the site staff for violation of the usage agreement.
30 December 2005
at 2:18 p.m.

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srj (Anonymous) says…

Umm, how many people outside of Lawrence has heard of Kevin Willmott? He made a low-budget movie that no one has ever seen (yet anyway). And to Cutny…10% on the list is black, guessing that less then 10% of kansas population is black.. :)
30 December 2005
at 2:22 p.m.

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prospector (Anonymous) says…

Chzypoof1

You bet we can!

“I love Cheesy Poofs, you love Cheesy Poofs,,, If you don't love Cheesy Poofs, you're soooo LAME”

AHHH…must refrain from making light of subject as serious as these opinions.

Thanks
30 December 2005
at 2:24 p.m.

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DaREEKKU (Anonymous) says…

Where is Kathleen Sebelius!? She's not perfect, but look at the mess she has straightened out for out state, PLUS she was named one of the top governors in the U.S.! Kansas actually did something RIGHT for once! Why do we have a large majority of people in the top 10 who draw negative attention? Take Phil Kline down….he's not worth the tiniest bit of effort it takes to even upload a picture on LJworld.
30 December 2005
at 2:35 p.m.

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hawkrew (Anonymous) says…

Who chose this list???
30 December 2005
at 3 p.m.

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KU7679 (Anonymous) says…

Kevin Wilmot, a fine Junction City native with a degree from Marymount College in Salina.
30 December 2005
at 3:29 p.m.

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laughingatallofu (Anonymous) says…

This state IS a lot worse off than most people think. For now, count your blessings, and hope that the jackasses who run this nation/state/city don't do any more damage than they've already done.
30 December 2005
at 3:36 p.m.

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moveforward (Anonymous) says…

Gootsie

At least your coffee didn't have to take a long ride in the cold on top of your car. I do like a little coffee with my cream.

These are, and could only be, the top newsmakers… especially considering Wittig is amongst them.

30 December 2005
at 6:10 p.m.

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classclown (Anonymous) says…

For those of you griping about who made the list and who didn't, who is worthy and who isn't.

This artical was done in the same context as Time magazine's Person of the Year. Basically they are stating that these people generated the most news for their paper. Not who is good or not good.

I'm not going to argue whether or not they did or whether others had more newsworthy events. This is simply the local newspaper calling it like they see it.

I will state however that as is typical with most media they seemed to have forgotten that the root of news is NEW. Rehashing the same artical with a slightly different headline the next day doesn't make it new(s).
30 December 2005
at 8 p.m.

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cowboy (Anonymous) says…

Not to be difficult but why would staff remove a comment that criticizes thier article , jeez , take your ball and go home ! It still a pathetic piece of journalism !
30 December 2005
at 8:41 p.m.

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corporate_sleaze (Anonymous) says…

hurray for Koch Industries- my hero, my mentor, the measure by which all others are measured on the sleaze scale.