Report: Numerous calls made between Morrison, woman
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Documents obtained Thursday from the offices of the attorney general and the Johnson County district attorney under the Kansas Open Records Act show Morrison placed at least 480 telephone calls this year from his personal and work telephones to numbers assigned to Carter. At the time, he was serving as the state's top law enforcement officer in Topeka and she was director of administration in the Johnson County district attorney's office in Olathe. Telephone records obtained by The Capital-Journal provide support to claims made by Carter that Morrison called her repeatedly around noon Oct. 31 threatening to "destroy" her effort to obtain employment if she wouldn't talk to him about their relationship. In a portion of one of those calls overheard by witnesses, Carter said Morrison told her she was a "monster, (expletive) sociopath liar." Half of the telephone calls linking Morrison and Carter in 2007 occurred from July to October, seeming to undercut Morrison's public statement in early December that he had been "working for the past year to repair the damage this relationship (with Carter) caused to others."

Roberts and Brownback continues to make Ft. Riley strong again
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Fort Riley will see its military population grow by another 1,300 soldiers during the next five years as a new engineering battalion is stationed at the post. The move is part of the Army's Grow the Force initiative, in which Fort Riley will "play a vital role, be the head of the spear," Sen. Pat Roberts said Wednesday. The soldier population at the fort will grow to about 21,000 during the next few years, Roberts said. Sen. Sam Brownback said he was "very pleased that the Army continues to recognize that Kansas is a great place to station new soldiers and build new capabilities." Roberts and Brownback in a joint statement said the estimated economic impact of Kansas's total military installations to the state's economy is more than $2 billion each year.

Morrison criminal probe to proceed
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The pending resignation of Paul Morrison won't stop a special prosecutor in Johnson County from evaluating allegations of criminal activity by the attorney general, officials said Wednesday. Johnson County District Attorney Phill Kline likely will appoint the independent counsel soon after Jan. 1 to investigate whether Morrison engaged in blackmail, telephone harassment and other crimes during a two-year extramarital affair.

Area Mayors sign Global Warming Agreement
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More than 20 area mayors, including those from Kansas City, Mission, Shawnee and Independence, recently signed a climate protection agreement. “There is now an acceptance from the public that global warming is real,” said Mike Scanlon, Mission city administrator. “And we public leaders are still racing to catch up with the public.” The city of Mission spearheaded the agreement after attending an environmental conference at a resort in Colorado. “We are going to be giving up the way we act and what we do,” Scanlon said. “People have got to know it can be 82 degrees in your house, and it isn’t going to kill you.”

County expresses support for coal-fired plants in Holcomb
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The Ford County Commission said this week it would back Sunflower Electric Cooperative's proposal for two new coal-fired power plants to be built near Holcomb. The commission's support came in the form of a resolution asking Governor Sebelius to reverse the October decision to deny an air-quality permit for Sunflower's proposal, a decision which effectively put the brakes on the project indefinitely.

Boyda, freshman Democrats not shy about Pork
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This year, freshmen Democrats were the No. 1 sponsors of "earmarks," according to a USA Today analysis. Earmarks from freshman Democratic lawmakers added up to $351 million, according to USA Today. Rep. Nancy Boyda (D-KS) sponsored or co-sponsored in the 2008 Omnibus Appropriations Bill, totaling more than $190 million of Pork barrel spending.

Who's hot, who's cold for A.G.
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Kansas Gov. Kathleen Sebelius has a big decision to make, as we all know. Which possible candidates are hot, and which are not? Here's one Kansan's take.

Board of Healing Arts fails to act on Doctor
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Some legislators are calling for answers into why Haysville osteopath Stephen Schneider was allowed to continue prescribing pain medications even though he had been under federal investigation for four years on allegations of illegally dispensing medicine. They also want to know why the Kansas Board of Healing Arts didn't do something sooner even though the board was aware of complaints against Schneider. "It seems like the system failed 56 families and 56 individuals," said state Sen. Susan Wagle, R-Wichita, chairwoman of the senate Health Care Strategies Committee. The Board of Healing Arts is comprised of a 15-member board, appointed to four-year terms by Democratic Gov. Kathleen Sebelius.

Sebelius endorses tax increase for Health Care Program
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Gov. Kathleen Sebelius has endorsed a $160 million health care package. Some Republican legislators already have expressed doubts that their colleagues will approve an increase in taxes, a key part of the plan. The state tax on a pack of cigarettes would rise by 50 cents, to a dollar and 29 cents.

Boyda in Turkey
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Rep. Nancy Boyda (D-KS) and other members of a congressional delegation met with Turkish officials on Wednesday to discuss what could be done to improve relations between the two countries.

KCK School Laptop Program a Huge Success
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School district officials said the project has exceeded their expectations. “I could not have even fathomed how successful we’ve been to this point,” said Assistant Superintendent Cynthia Lane. “Kids are writing more. They’re certainly taking their work a little more seriously. Teachers are reporting that kids are more engaged in the classroom.” Students say they’re protective of the machines because they’re keenly aware that a broken or lost machine requires them to pay a $100 insurance deductible. School administrators said students are also policing one another and that they love the laptops, and they love being able to use them. They don’t want somebody to make this project fail.

Grain theft rises with wheat prices
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Authorities are investigating a series of thefts that netted 9,000 bushels of grain worth $52,000 from the Syracuse Co-op Exchange. Wheat prices have been hovering around $9 a bushel over the past several months. Kansas Farmers Service Association attorney, Terry Bertholf, said the group is counseling elevators on how to prevent more grain thefts.