WRITER: Chad Lawhorn

A look at which Kansas counties have the highest wages and the best match between earnings and home values

Now that gas prices have you again thinking of ways to save money — carpooling, an electric vehicle, boarding a horse in the guest bedroom — I figured you might appreciate some new data on wages. Specifically, there’s new data out that shows what a worker in Douglas County earns on average versus a worker in Johnson, Shawnee or any other county in the state. The numbers from the Bureau of Labor ...

Kansas House committee makes key changes to bill that will keep KU, other universities under the oversight of Board of Regents

KU will remain under the supervision of the Kansas Board of Regents after a Kansas House committee on Thursday significantly changed a bill that was designed to help universities move at the “speed of innovation.” The House Committee on Higher Education Budget approved HB 2798, which puts the bill on track to be voted on by the full House and then move to the Kansas Senate for consideration in the coming ...

Girod traveled to the White House to discuss future of college sports, but he thinks Congress holds the keys

The wild world of college athletics — think $20 million per year in revenue sharing with student-athletes — has leaders at Kansas State and Wichita State going to their universities' checkbooks for help. The top finance officers at K-State and Wichita State this week told a committee of the Kansas Board of Regents that they plan to transfer several million dollars out of their universities’ general funds ...

Last-minute bill would strip Regents of many oversight powers regarding KU, K-State, Wichita State

A late-arriving bill in the Kansas Legislature has a power struggle brewing between the Kansas Board of Regents and the University of Kansas, among others. A bill introduced Wednesday morning would strip the Kansas Board of Regents of several key oversight powers related to KU, Kansas State and Wichita State University. By Wednesday afternoon, the Regents had unanimously voted to oppose the bill as it works ...

Former pool hall space to become a 'pubcade' with video games, pinball, Skee-Ball, plus full service bar

Skee-Ball and schooners definitely could be a new combination on Lawrence’s entertainment scene. A longtime pool hall soon will re-open as a “pubcade” that has about 40 video games, pin ball machines, and even more traditional classics like Skee-Ball, foosball and air hockey. Importantly, to some, they all will be just steps away from a full-service bar. “I didn’t just want to do a regular bar,” ...

Lt. Gov. Toland tells higher education leaders they need to start having some 'uncomfortable conversations'

The Kansas Board of Regents — the organization that oversees the leaders who hand out grades to thousands of the state’s college students — had the tables turned on it at Wednesday’s meeting. Lt. Gov. David Toland, who also is Kansas’ secretary of commerce, came to Wednesday’s meeting and handed out grades on how the state’s major universities are doing in helping attract new businesses and serve ...