Jon Stewart sums up the Governor’s Democratic Response
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Kansas Governor Kathleen Sebelius delivered a flat and boring response to Bush’s State of the Union.

Keeping Kansas Competitive
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The Sunflower state once was one of the most economically vibrant states in the region. What has happened and why is Kansas in this financial mess

Economic Impact of Emporia’s Layoffs Identified
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The economic impact of the layoff is sweeping and will affect the city, schools, businesses, restaurants, the housing market, the ranching community and social services. Banks will see a massive reduction in payroll checks and payroll could decline by $40M per year. The 2,500 layoffs are occurring at Tyson Foods Beef Operation due to rising cattle feed costs due to ethanol use.

Vote in the GOP Kansas Caucus
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The Kansas Republican Presidential Caucus field is now complete with 7 candidates for President of the United States appearing on the Kansas ballot February 9, 2008. Detail and locations included in the link.

Judge Orders Tiller to Turn Over Records
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A Sedgwick County judge ruled Wednesday that George Tiller must begin turning over redacted medical records of about 2,000 women who obtained late-term abortions in the past five years.

Kinzer offers Late Term Abortion Bill Enhancements
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Representative Lance Kinzer (R – Olathe) announced that he will be filing a bill to enhance enforcement of late term abortion laws, and to halt coerced abortions in Kansas. “Women should have the right to accurate medical information, including viewing ultrasound pictures and hearing fetal heart beat tones during pregnancy,” said Kinzer. “All Kansans have a right to expect that existing laws limiting late term abortions in Kansas will be followed and enforced. Unfortunately, we now know that all too often this is not the case.”

Garmin executives unveil ‘our future’ — the Nuvifone
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The Olathe company on Wednesday introduced a touch screen wireless phone that combines features of Garmin’s Nuvi portable navigators with those found in cutting-edge smart phones.

Wysong wants taxpayers to pay for “smoking” election in counties
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Statewide smoking bans have fared poorly in the Legislature. Last year, Sen. David Wysong sponsored a statewide ban but could not get a full vote in the Legislature. This year, Wysong, a Mission Hills Republican, thinks the momentum is in his favor. House Majority Leader Ray Merrick, a Stilwell Republican, a critic of statewide bans, thinks the “opt-out” approach is an improvement, but still prefers that local governments decide smoking bans.

Tax Fatigue in Lawrence
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Members of the Lawrence school board shouldn’t expect the approval of additional taxes to support the district budget to be a slam-dunk with local voters. Lawrence is extremely supportive of its schools, but the recent history of the Lawrence school board taking every opportunity to levy the maximum property tax allowed by law is starting to wear on local taxpayers.

Lawrence City Manager turns down pay raise!
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In a sign of the city’s fiscal woes, City Manager David Corliss turned down a raise in his salary as part of his annual evaluation. Mayor Sue Hack said commissioners agreed to give Corliss a raise on Thursday, but the second-year city manager declined to accept it. “I thought to assist in driving home the message to our employees about the city’s fiscal situation, it would be best to respectfully decline a salary increase,” Corliss said.

Sebelius announces new KHP Superintendent
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The superintendent of the Kansas Highway Patrol, Col. William Seck, will retire next week and be replaced by patrol veteran Lt. Col. Terry Maple.

Douglas County: $732 million in road projects needed
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Area transportation planners have identified $732 million worth of road projects needed in Douglas County between now and 2030. The biggest question in the plan, however, is how many of these projects actually will get funded between now and 2030.

Kansas Ethics Commission has their own ethics questioned
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In this last week the Ethics Commission again failed a fairness test in applying state law KSA 25-4119a. Somehow, the Ethics Commission has interpreted this state law only to apply to the Kansas Speaker of the House. See details below. The political makeup of the current Commission hints at political partisanship, which explains why the appointment by the current and former Speaker of the House may have been procedurally blocked. Why the powerful Speaker of the House has not made his voice heard on this matter is an enigma.