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On behalf of the Kansas Supreme Court, I am pleased to invite the people of Lawrence and neighboring communities to join the court for a special session Monday, April 1. The court will hear attorneys present arguments in two cases starting at 6:30 p.m. in the Lied Center at the University of ...
In recent decades, the rise of chronic disease as the predominant driver of health in our country has spawned new models for the role and function of local public health departments. Each year the first week of April is recognized as National Public Health Week. This represents a great ...
Dear Gov. Laura Kelly, 2019 marks a hopeful turn for Kansas. Your election as governor and the return of essential tax revenue bodes well for the rebuilding of our state, beginning, as you said in your State of the State address, with education, child welfare and Medicaid. There is also much ...
On Wednesday, five members of the U.S. House of Representatives from both parties introduced the most significant climate change legislation in over a decade. Sponsored by Rep. Ted Deutch (D-Fla.), Rep. Francis Rooney (R-Fla.), Rep. Charlie Crist (D-Fla.), Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick (R-Pa.) and ...
“I (expletive) hate my life. I am going to end it. My friend just took all my guns away. This is serious.” That is what my friend told me Wednesday morning as I stood next to the apple stand at the Merc waiting for my fancy coffee. His hands were shaking as he fidgeted — wiping his ...
The Kansas Jayhawk football team recently broke a nine-year road game losing streak, just one year after state legislators approved the largest income tax in state history, so the Jayhawks’ road win is a result of the tax increase. That conclusion is obviously absurd, but it’s the same ...
An Open Letter to Senators Moran and Roberts: As a professor of constitutional law, I normally strive to be nonpartisan and avoid taking positions on Supreme Court nominations. I will make an exception in this case. Each of you recently announced that you will vote to confirm Judge Brett ...
“You’re stuck in my head and I can’t get you out of it/If I could do it all again/I know I’d go back to you.” These are the lyrics to the recent Selena Gomez hit “Back to You.” I heard this song on the radio while driving my children to school the other day. As I reflected on ...
A national trend is being felt right here in Lawrence. The convergence of increasing costs of land, labor, materials, permitting and regulatory requirements has made it nearly impossible for developers and home builders to invest in moderately priced housing. As a result, our community has a ...
My role as CEO (Chief Encouragement Officer) here at the Boys & Girls Club of Lawrence has been a very rewarding and humbling experience for me the past six years. I have learned a lot and have been fortunate to be part of an organization that recently accomplished a goal that we had been ...
In its nearly 70-year history, the Bert Nash Center has witnessed many changes and challenges. But one thing remains constant: our commitment to our core values of compassion, integrity and equity, on a foundation of hope. Those values are at the very heart of what we do, and they always will ...
Life tenure for Supreme Court Justices, combined with increasing partisan polarization, is a toxic combination that is poisoning our democracy. It is time to find a better way that preserves judicial independence while reducing the level of conflict over nominations. A move to a nonrenewable ...
In 1970 after establishing the EPA, President Nixon said, “Restoring nature to its natural state is a cause beyond political party and beyond factions.” In that spirit, it will take courage, commitment and vision to address the growing threat of climate change. During Citizen’s Climate ...
Recently, Douglas County voters narrowly rejected a proposition to remodel and increase the size of the Douglas County Jail and to fund the construction of a crisis intervention center. Faced with jail overcrowding and the continued need for crisis intervention programs in the community, the ...
Lawrence prides itself on being a progressive and inclusive community, but rarely engages in the tough conversations necessary to live up to our values of equity. On May 15, the City Commission considered whether to send a plan for a mural depicting Women of Color in Lawrence to the Arts ...
The words of a recent guest column in the Lawrence Journal-World about the Kansas Coalition for Fair Funding were not surprising. It was a continuation of the intellectually shallow, fact-short screed about taxes, school finance and the Kansas budget. Certainly, reasonable people can disagree ...
In 2012, Kansas lawmakers cut income taxes in a bigger, faster, more dramatic way than any other state had done. And revenue from tax collections dropped like a rock, causing Kansas to enter a multiyear period of serious financial trouble.In 2016, Kansans voted for a new Legislature. One-third ...
The Journal-World headline read “Jail’s daily population fell in 2017, reversing a 5-year trend.” The article continued: “The decrease stems from the introduction last year of behavioral health court, pretrial release and home arrest programs.” As a member of the Criminal Justice ...
False narratives are attempting to confuse Douglas County voters about the upcoming Proposition 1 vote. This is not a vote for or against expansion of the Douglas County Jail. The county is statutorily responsible for providing a humane jail that promotes prisoner reform: after several years of ...
Raising revenue is tough, especially in red states.Kansas tax receipts nose-dived between 2013 and 2016, placing great pressures on public services. The 2017 income tax revisions have staunched the bleeding, and revenues have consistently exceeded estimates since July, to the tune of $275 ...