Anti-Tax Opponents Challenge Sheriff on Spending
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When Johnson County voters go to the polls Aug. 5, they’ll decide whether a quarter-cent sales tax will be used for public safety. Tax opponent Charlotte O’Hara brought up a similar tax passed in 1995 that was to be used to build a medium-security jail and Sheriff’s Department. She said the public was “hoodwinked” by that tax as 15 percent of it went to facilities, the rest to operating costs and a mandatory portion to cities within the county. All three of the tax’s opponents noted the lack of a sunset on the tax. Flaherty told an anecdote about reading a newspaper in heaven with a headline about the tax expiring and a colorful description of it. “It said, ‘Hell freezes over’. That’s when this thing will end, when hell freezes over and not one second before,” Flaherty said. “That’s a terrible legacy to leave. Don’t do it to your kids, your grandkids or anybody else.” Moderator and Radio Talk Show Host, Darla Jaye, asked the forum why a “no sunset” approach was deemed acceptable instead of a 10-year or 20-year expiration commonly seen in city taxes.

Bad Economic News for Kansas
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The bad news from Kansas: Preliminary figures show that the state collected $51 million less than anticipated in taxes in May, a shortfall of almost 8%. That is a problem because legislators based budget decisions on a financial forecast made earlier this spring. They ended their session last month expecting to face financial headaches next year. The state expected to collect about $664 million in general tax revenues in May, but it collected only $613 million. Individual income tax collections fell almost $38 million short of expectations.

Clinton Whopping Mad at Kansas Governor
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When asked to name "these people," Clinton staffers specifies "all the women who sold out Hillary that includes Senator Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota, Senator Claire McCaskill of Missouri, Governor Janet Napolitano of Arizona and Governor Kathleen Sebelius of Kansas.

Missouri Right to Life Will Bring Back Human Cloning Ban Effort
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Missouri pro-life advocates say they will bring back their efforts to ban human cloning in 2010 after failing to get a measure on the ballot for November. Cloning opponents want to close the loophole in the Amendment 2 proposal Missouri voters narrowly approved in 2006.

Oh Crap! Wastewater could quadruple in JOCO
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But surging through the sewers of Johnson County each year are more than 6 billion gallons of raw sewage that go to Kansas City wastewater treatment plants. And that could end up costing Johnson County big. Kansas City, which is under the gun to stop raw sewage from overflowing into its waterways, is about to launch a $2.3 billion overhaul of its sewer system. As a result, sewer rates are expected to quadruple in the next decade for Kansas City residents.

Liberal Controlled Regents Board Raises College Tuition Cost, Again
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The state Board of Regents on Thursday approved tuition and fee increases at Kansas University and other public colleges, but several regents said they feared students were being priced out of an education. Board members are appointed by Governor Kathleen Sebelius.

150K worth of Art at new Police Station
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There is art for Kansas City’s new Metro Patrol police station scheduled to open next year. An art committee awarded the project to Michael Davis, an East Coast artist who created a 25-foot weather vane called “Salute.” It will feature a two-dimensional copper police officer designed to move when the wind blows, as if the officer is saluting the surrounding community, The project budget is $150,000, which is part of the city’s “1 Percent for Art” program, that is funded by taxpayers.