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Kansas News Service: THE INSIDER newsletter, Jan. 10, 2020

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Expansion team Red-state Kansas looks like it’s on the verge of embracing something with “Obama” in it. Democrats and moderate Republicans had been willing for a few years now to expand Medicaid coverage under the terms, and financial help, of the Affordable Care Act. First, then-Gov. Sam Brownback vetoed the idea of playing along with Obamacare. Then, last year, Republican bosses in the Kansas Senate blocked a bill. Now Democratic Gov. Laura Kelly and Republican Senate Majority Leader Jim Denning say they’ve found a bipartisan sweet spot. They unveiled their compromise this week: A deal that skipped work requirements and leans on hospitals to pay the state’s fraction of the bill. The feds will cover the rest, for now, to add 130,000 poor and disabled people to the Medicaid rolls. Jim McLean explains what’s happening. “It is simply about people wanting to live in a different area.”  — Lisa Southern, who's having trouble recruiting mental health professionals to Garden City. Lay Offs And Landings Spirit AeroSystems announced today that it will lay off 2,800 employees at its plant in Wichita as the shutdown of the Boeing 737 Max program drags on. The move comes just weeks after Boeing ordered Spirit to halt all deliveries of 737 Max components. The company says employees will receive compensation during the required 60-day notice period and will begin leaving on Jan. 22. Partner station KMUW has the details. Merger Time Gov. Laura Kelly wants services for foster kids, the elderly, the mentally ill and the juvenile justice system to become one massive department. That reformed Department of Human Services would theoretically streamline referral services and aim for a more holistic model of looking after groups of people who rely heavily on state government. But first, she’ll need an OK from lawmakers. In partnership with The Topeka Capital-Journal, the Kansas News Service's Nomin Ujiyediin has more. Short On Shrinks Mental health care jobs in rural Kansas stay open for years at a time. By one federal standard, only nine of the counties in Kansas have enough psychiatrists. One private group estimates the state is 53 psychiatrists short of what it needs, along with shortages of nurses and doctors. The state’s community mental health centers face the challenge of treating the state's poorest, often uninsured, patients. And their loads have grown after the state-run mental health hospital in Osawatomie dramatically cut new admissions. The more remote the location, the more scarce the mental health workers. Nomin Ujiyediin explains. Less Gassy For each of the last 10 years, Kansas has cut back its carbon dioxide emissions while the rest of the world has belched up ever-larger amounts of the greenhouse gas. The reason: Mostly a trend away from coal-burning electric plants and toward wind turbines. Brian Grimmet of the Kansas News Service breaks down the numbers. Back To School (Legislation) With decades of fights over state aid to local schools settled (for the moment), school districts and teachers unions will be lobbying on new fronts in the Legislature. Among the things they’re hoping for: more health care coverage for their schoolkids; more programs that offer college credit in high schools; and policies to combat vaping and bullying. Reporting on education for the Kansas News Service, Stephan Bisaha explains. Rural Desires People in rural areas harbor their own wishlists for help from the Legislature — even if they’re not terribly optimistic. Among other things, they want help from state government in building better highways, faster internet and some tax changes. Corinne Boyer brings you the rundown. A Capital Idea Topeka’s gaining national attention for working on a plan that would match money from employers to offer bonuses — up to $15,000 if you buy a home — to move to the city. So far, organizers of the “Choose Topeka” effort say they’ve fielded queries of possible transplants from New York to California. Apparently, the Hawaiians are content. Nomin Ujiyediin reports. Did you miss the latest season of our podcast, My Fellow Kansans? Catch up now wherever you get your podcasts. More from the Kansas News Service Pressure Mounts To Fix The Chronically Troubled Foster Care System In Kansas Farmers’ Struggles Bring Down Personal Income Growth In Kansas Topeka Wants Employers To Kick In On $15,000 Signing Bonuses For New Residents Dealing With Hospital Closure, Pioneer Kansas Town Asks: What Comes Next? Shawnee Mission School District Settles Sexual Assault Case For $165,000 Here's Why Kansas CO2 Emissions Are At Their Lowest Level In 40 Years A New Federal Law Protects Against Animal Abuse But Kansas Agencies Worry It Won't Help

Shawnee County Democrats newsletter, Jan. 8, 2020

Greetings Team Blue

Yay! It's Bean Feed Time! One of our biggest fundraisers is set for Saturday, January 25th. Join us! Opinion 2020: The Most Important Election of Our Lifetime Photo by Big Bear Vacations on Pexels You've heard it before, but it's worth repeating: it's up to us to save our form of government - our way of life - for future generations. I know, I know. Many people say Democrats and liberals are exaggerating the situation. That we're alarmists and drama queens. Nothing could be farther from the truth. Here's why: The right wing is strong. VERY strong. They are not about to step back and not fight to hold on to the White House and the U.S. Senate. They will pull out all the lies, innuendos, tricks, money, cheats and brainwashing they can muster. It makes no difference what candidate we nominate. Our selection for the presidency will fall victim to horrific illusions created by ruthless, greedy, hateful people who will stop at nothing to get what they want. Nearly half of the American voting population is in a mental state of denial, and they buy into everything they are told by Republicans and Fox News. They have been and continue to be brainwashed, and they don't even know it. That's the power of brainwashing. If you hear something enough times you will begin to believe it. Once you believe it there's rarely any changing the mind. So how do we combat this powerful hold that is entrenched in so many American minds? There is only one way. It is the way that creates the democracy we know and love. It is the way our founding fathers set up for us so many years ago. It is the way our Constitution gives us to change who is in charge of our government and how our government operates. It is the way each of us can affect the future of this great nation. VOTE. "Yes," you say, "I will vote." But what will you do to help get out the millions of voters we will need to conquer the oligarchy currently ruling our government? Will you volunteer to help a candidate? Will you donate to a candidate or your local democratic committee? Ask yourself: what can I do? What am I willing to do? If you have no answer to those questions, call our office and speak to someone about the plethora of opportunities available for you to get involved. You don't have to be rich. You don't have to be technically savvy. You just have to be you and take that first step. Go ahead. Call. 785-272-2646 We need you. by Brenda Green Shawnee County Precinct Leader Shawnee Count Democratic Committee Member Shawnee County Democrats Webmaster YES! I Want to Volunteer NOW! YES! I I Want to Donate NOW! Here are some of the many, many ways you can get involved in the political process and help us take back our government. Call 785-272-2646 and we'll help you get started. UPCOMING CALENDAR EVENTS

DONATE NOW! Hello Friend, Just a reminder that you're receiving this email because you have expressed an interest in the Shawnee County Democratic Party. Don't forget to add webmaster@sncodemocrats.org to your address book so we'll be sure to land in your inbox! Our mailing address is: Shawnee County Democrats PO Box 2634 Topeka, KS 66601 Headquarters: 5350 SW 17th St Office hours are 10:00 am to 4:00 pm on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday, and 1:00 pm to 4:00 pm on Friday. Phone: 785-272-2646 Email: webmaster@sncodemocrats.org Visit Us on the Web: http://sncodemocrats.org

Kansas News Service newsletter, Dec. 13, 2019

View this email in your browser December 13, 2019

Dibs on water Take the irrigation out of Kansas, and you remake modern agriculture in the state. Take too much water from irrigation, and you risk yanking away wetlands from hundreds of species of migratory birds who’ve been stopping in Kansas long before any cattle herds or wheat fields appeared in the state. One proposal would pipe water from wells to the Quivira Wildlife Refuge, essentially cutting into supplies for irrigators. Farms that started irrigating most recently would lose out first. Few legal areas get as complicated, or as contested, as water rights. But one principle holds steady: The past matters. And when the water supply is low, the longer ago a landowner established water rights, the more water they get to use. For now, though, farmers worry that the possibility of the wildlife refuge pressing its rights more aggressively threatens their ability to water their crops. Learn more.   "Quivira [National Wildlife Refuge] doesn't have to make a living off of their water. We do." — Wendy Mawhirter, one of the farmers in the central Kansas water fight. Designer prisons Lawmakers asked Kansans working in the criminal justice system to look at the state’s prisons. That Criminal Justice Reform Commission suggested creating specialty prisons — to handle a growing number of elderly inmates, and to better tackle the drug problems that put so many people behind bars. But the changes could cost tens of millions of dollars for a prison system already so overcrowded it farms prisoners out to a private outfit in Arizona. Here’s the latest. Share Tweet Forward Negotiations pending A 19-year-old player died last year after his first workout with the Garden City Community College football team. Since then, his mother and her attorney have pressured the school about what happened. Now both of Braeden Bradforth’s parents have asked the school for a multi-million dollar settlement in the case. The college has rejected their figure in a move toward mediation. Read what’s happening. Share Tweet Forward Settlement made Federal officials have agreed to pay nearly $7 million, split among 82 veterans, in the wake of the conviction of a physician assistant for sexually assaulting patients at the Veterans Administration hospital in Leavenworth. Mark Wisner assaulted the victims on the job. Understand the case. Share Tweet Forward