Huelskamp champions the “Pledge” in the Senate
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For the first time in decades, all 40 Kansas senators stood Tuesday, faced the flag and recited the Pledge of Allegiance. This change in tradition was championed by Sen. Tim Huelskamp, a Fowler Republican.

Patton pushes property tax relief
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Kansas seniors could see reduced property taxes under a proposal heard Wednesday in the House Tax Committee. Rep. Joe Patton, R-Topeka, sponsored the bill that would give to those over 65 a tax credit equal to the increase in their property taxes over the past year.

Ethanol Cause and Effect Occurs in Emporia – Mass Layoffs
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The elimination of slaughter operations will result in the reduction of 1,500 of the 2,400 jobs currently provided at the Emporia plant. In addition, the U.S. cattle herd is not growing. Tyson sees no signs of appreciable growth in the fed cattle supply over the next two to three years. The rising price of grain, caused by the use of corn for ethanol, has put pressure on feed costs, land costs and the use of farm ground, the company said. Further, the number of cows being retained for calf production continues to decline. We should always remember the law of unintended consequences.

Sebelius’ Son uses “Tax-Payers” Governor’s Residence for Personal Business
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The Gilius Web site describes "Don't Drop the Soap" as a game "Where no one playing enters through the front door!" "Fight your way through 6 different exciting locations in hopes of being granted parole," the site says. "Escape prison riots in The Yard, slip glass into a mob boss' lasagna in the Cafeteria, steal painkillers from the nurse's desk in the Infirmary, avoid being cornered by the Aryans in the Shower Room, fight off Latin Kings in Gang War, and try not to smoke your entire stash in The Hole." The Web site says John Sebelius can be contacted at 1 S.W. Cedar Crest Road in Topeka, which is the address of the governor's mansion. At 23, perhaps it’s time for the Governors’ son to leave the Mansion and get a place of his own.

State GOP takes stand on requiring voter ID
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The Kansas Republican Party favors legislation to require that voters show photo identification at the polls. The GOP's State Committee unanimously approved a resolution supporting the proposal Saturday. The resolution says the party supports requiring people to show some form of government-issued identification when they register to vote and when they go to the polls. Supporters say the measure will combat election fraud and prevent illegal immigrants from casting ballots.

Property Theft on the Rise in Kansas and across Nation
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Across the nation last year, more than half the states, including Kansas, considered legislation to combat thefts, according to the Institute of Scrap Recycling Industries. The proposals included government-issued ID cards for sellers, fingerprinting of sellers and requirements for verifying sources of metal.

Assured Roberts files for 3rd term
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Sen. Pat Roberts, R-Kan., stressed Friday while officially launching his re-election campaign that partisan bickering in Washington must be tempered to make progress on health care, agriculture, taxation and national security issues.

Liberal GOP Senators introduce Nanny-State Legislation
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A Senate committee today allowed introduction of a bill setting the stage for a statewide smoking ban in most public places. Sens. David Wysong, R-Mission Hills, Jim Barnett, R-Emporia, and Vicki Schmidt, R-Topeka, and Roger Reitz, R-Manhattan are the chief sponsors of the measure.

Missouri Law Banning "Choose Life" License Plates Ruled Unconstitutional
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A federal court Wednesday ruled in favor of attorneys with the Alliance Defense Fund who were defending "Choose Life" as a slogan for specialty plates. ADF attorneys represent pro-life organization Choose Life of Missouri in the lawsuit.

Corruption Consequences in Cherokee County
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The new Cherokee County attorney says he is cleaning out some of the cases left by his predecessor, who is accused of taking money and favors from a strip club. Labette County Attorney John Bullard was tapped to serve the rest of Michael Goodrich’s term in Cherokee County. Goodrich resigned Dec. 1 after a federal grand jury indicted him on felony charges including extortion and witness intimidation.

Crack Sentence Downgrades will release violent offenders early
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Federal court officials in Kansas are going over crack cocaine cases that may require resentencing because of a U.S. Supreme Court decision in December and changes in sentencing guidelines made last year. In 2005, Maurice Trotter, of Lawrence, was sentenced to 14 years in prison for crimes that included conspiracy to distribute crack in a school zone. His younger brother, Mardell, also of Lawrence, received more than 26 years in prison, including about 21 years for drug dealing and five more for a gun conviction. This decision is an American Judicial travesty, when the 200 hard-core crack dealers get out early, 99% of the will re-offend and maybe your son or daughter will be the victim this time.

Lawmakers considering 3 strikes bill
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Senate Majority Leader Derek Schmidt, the bill’s sponsor, said while there may be an immediate increase, he feels there also would be a subsequent decrease because “the idea is to have a deterrent effect because of the certainty of punishment.” The proposal is modeled after legislation enacted last year that requires those convicted of a third or subsequent burglary to serve their sentence behind bars, rather than being placed on probation. Schmidt’s proposal would expand that to include all felonies. The bill drew support from the law enforcement community, including Ed Klumpp of the Kansas Association of Chiefs of Police and the Kansas Peace Officers Association. “We believe the repeat nonviolent criminals have fallen too far off the imprisonment radar,” he said. “The net result of weak handling of nonviolent criminals is further victimization of our citizens and our businesses by these repeat offenders.”

Liberal Politicians Gather to Discuss Global Warming in Lawrence
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A panel, sponsored by a liberal environmental advocacy group, gathered at the Dole Institute of Politics on KU’s West Campus is designed to engage students and the community. Among those scheduled to appear are U.S. Rep. Dennis Moore, Lt. Gov. Mark Parkinson, state Sen. Marci Francisco, Mayor Sue Hack and City Commissioner Boog Highberger.

The Story of Baby Gianna
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Twenty weeks into their third pregnancy, John and Jennifer Schmidt were on top of the world. They’d just told their two young sons — Jacob, 5, and John Paul, 2 — that there was a new baby on the way. Now, all four of them were crowded into the examining room, waiting for the sonogram to show whether the baby was a boy or a girl. Suddenly, it didn’t matter. The perinatologist first grew very quiet, then looked almost frantic. “All he told us was that something was very wrong,” said Jennifer. The Schmidts’ baby had a condition called bilateral renal agenesis. She would not develop a kidney. If she survived labor and delivery, the obstetrician said, she would die within a few hours.