Op - Ed Clay Wirestone: DISINFORMATION CAUCUS OF KANSAS GOP SPREADS DANGEROUS FALSEHOODS @ Kansas Reflector

"Unwelcome Return", eNewsletter, Kansas Insider

 

FRIDAY, JULY 30, 2021 COVID's back After a long, steady drop in COVID case numbers, the pandemic has taken a turn for the worse. Positive cases and hospitalizations are climbing again in Kansas. Now, the contagious delta variant, and a lack of people who are vaccinated, are bringing Kansas back to a situation not seen since early this year. Health experts continue to urge people to get the COVID vaccine. The Kansas News Service’s Celia Llopis-Jepsen reports on the skyrocketing numbers. "These are just heroic vaccines." — Vaughn Cooper, from the University of Pittsburgh, on the positive impact of getting the COVID vaccine. Who can order masks? Who can tell you to mask up in Kansas? There's no easy answer. School districts and government officials are once again looking at mask requirements as COVID cases rise. Kansas lawmakers approved a bill earlier this year that clamped down on the ability of the governor and local governments to respond to the pandemic, but then a court struck that law down. The issue is now on appeal. Abigail Censky of the Kansas News Service reports on the legal limbo. Electric farm truck There’s good reason a Chevy Bolt EV, Tesla or electric Ford F-150 could show up in the farm store parking lot next to a line of gas and diesel trucks. Rural areas of Kansas are a good fit for electric vehicles because the longer distances driven by residents mean more savings compared to internal combustion vehicles. But as Brian Grimmett of the Kansas News Service reports, there are some obstacles to rural EV adoption. No more MD A Johnson County doctor surrendered his medical license after pleading guilty to asking drug companies for kickbacks. Dr. Steven M. Simon admitted that in 2017 he told a drug company that he would stop prescribing the company’s drugs unless the manufacturer paid him for speaking engagements. Simon got more than $1 million from drug companies, according to records. Dan Margolies reports for KCUR on the developments. Over the next few weeks, we'll be introducing our readers to members of the Kansas News Service team.  Meet Abigail Censky "I joined the Kansas News Service as the Politics Correspondent earlier this year. It’s my job to bring what’s going on in statewide politics to our audience in a way that’s clear, thought-provoking, and hopefully not headache-inducing. "That could mean covering the daily grind of the legislature in Topeka or traveling across Kansas to speak with people who are being impacted by policies. "When I’m not working, I prefer to be far away from my phone, basking in the sunshine with my partner and my senior dog." Find more of Abigail's work here, and follow her on Twitter @AbigailCensky. Enjoying The Insider? Share with a friend. Have comments or questions for the editor? Let us know what you think. Not an Insider subscriber? Sign up now. Subscribe

Loud Light Suspends Voter Registration Due to New Voter Suppression Law

Tim Carpenter: Influx of Texas, Oklahoma residents seeking an abortion drives up Kansas total in 2020 @ Kansas Reflector

 

Influx of Texas, Oklahoma residents seeking an abortion drives up Kansas total in 2020

by Tim Carpenter, Kansas Reflector
June 1, 2021

TOPEKA — A surge in out-of-state residents seeking abortions in Kansas last year amid the COVID-19 pandemic moved incidence of the procedure to a level comparable to 2012 and 2013 when Republican Gov. Sam Brownback was signing bills and championing regulations to curtail access to abortion.

Democratic Gov. Laura Kelly kept abortion clinics in Kansas open during the pandemic by deeming the facilities essential to public health. Temporary closure of abortion clinics in nearby states factored in a rise of 626 abortions in Kansas during 2020. The state’s total of 7,542 represented an increase of 9%.

Documented abortions in Kansas tend to be divided between in-state and out-of-state women, but that trend was broken in 2020. Abortions among residents of Kansas climbed 2.7%, while the number for out-of-staters shot up 15%.

Statistics from the Kansas Department of Health and Environment indicated the increase in Kansas was linked to services provided to patients from four nearby states. Key contributors to Kansas’ influx: Texas, up from 25 abortions in 2019 to 289 abortions in 2020; Oklahoma, up from 85 to 277; and Arkansas, up from 40 to 74. The number of Missouri residents obtaining an abortion in Kansas climbed by 23, pushing that annual total to 3,201.

Jeff Colyer, an Overland Park physician campaigning for the GOP nomination for governor in 2022, said the 9% expansion of abortions reported by KDHE was a consequence of Kelly’s decision not to shutter abortion clinics in the pandemic.

“There is only one person to blame,” Colyer said. “This is the direct result of Laura Kelly declaring abortion clinics essential even while she was closing churches, schools and small businesses.”

Kelly issued detailed executive orders declaring hospitals and other businesses essential. She decided certain business operators, such as barbers and hairdressers, had to close in an attempt to thwart spread of COVID-19. Her directive restricting mass gatherings at churches was blocked after the filing of a lawsuit. Public school instruction statewide transitioned, with a few exceptions, to an online format.

A spokeswoman for Kelly said Tuesday the governor wouldn’t have a comment about the new KDHE report on abortion. Kelly is a candidate for re-election in 2022.

“Abortion is time-sensitive, essential health care,” said Rachel Sweet, regional director of public policy at Planned Parenthood Great Plains. “Decisions about whether to end a pregnancy are deeply personal and should be left to a woman in consultation with her health care provider — not politicians.”

Under Brownback, KDHE records show, the number of abortions in Kansas declined in six of seven years that he served as governor. The overall total fell from 8,373 in 2010 to 6,826 in 2017 while Brownback was the state’s governor.

Following Brownback’s resignation, Colyer served as governor from Jan. 31, 2018, to Jan. 14, 2019. During 2018, KDHE said, abortions in Kansas increased by 222 to 7,048. More than half — 122 — of that surge came from out-of-state women.

During Kelly’s first year in office in 2019, abortions declined by 132 to 6,916 before expanding in 2020 to 7,542. The preliminary count for 2020 fell between Brownback-era totals of 7,598 in 2012 and 7,485 in 2013.

In August 2022, Kansans have an opportunity to vote on a proposed amendment to the Kansas Constitution on the issue of abortion. Passage of the amendment, labeled Value Them Both by proponents, would reverse a 2019 decision by the Kansas Supreme Court that the state constitution’s Bill of Rights protects a woman’s right to an abortion.

The state’s highest court referenced a section in the state’s Bill of Rights declaring “all men are possessed of equal and inalienable natural rights, among which are life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.”

The justices then wrote: “We are now asked: Is this declaration of rights more than an idealized aspiration? And, if so, do the substantive rights include a woman’s right to make decisions about her body, including the decision whether to continue her pregnancy? We answer these questions, ‘Yes.'”

Kansans for Life, a lobbying organization that waged a two-year struggle to secure the Legislature’s endorsement of the proposed abortion amendment, referred to the 9% increase in Kansas as “disturbing.”

Danielle Underwood, spokeswoman for KFL, said governors of Texas and Oklahoma declared elective medical procedures, including abortion, not essential and prohibited them to protect medical personnel from unnecessary exposure to COVID-19 and to conserve medical supplies.

Underwood said in a statement Kelly’s leadership during a year of expanded reliance on abortion meant the governor should now be called the “abortion industry governor.” The KFL statement didn’t address one-year increases in Kansas abortions that transpired while Brownback and Colyer served as governor.

Kansas Reflector is part of States Newsroom, a network of news outlets supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Kansas Reflector maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Sherman Smith for questions: info@kansasreflector.com. Follow Kansas Reflector on Facebook and Twitter.

Week 14 Kansas Statehouse Recap: the final week, marijuana, veto overrid...

Kansas Reflector: READ AND REFLECT, Morning eNewsletter, April 24, 2021

 

Morning newsletter of the Kansas Reflector

Sherman Smith | Editor in chief Good morning. "Voting is a right, not a privilege conferred on a favored faction able to traverse a bureaucratic, statutory maze calibrated to weaken turnout. These measures rammed through the last session are intended to make voting more difficult." — Nadine Johnson, executive director of the American Civil Liberties Union of Kansas, responding to the governor's veto of proposed election reforms

Advocacy groups push for transparency in Evergy’s $8.9 billion ‘sustainability’ plan KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Environmental and consumer groups are raising alarms about what they claim is limited transparency as Kansas regulators review Evergy’s plan to spend more than $8.9 billion on the utility provider’s infrastructure across the state. “The (plan) represents the direction of the energy future that our monopoly utility is saying we should go, and the people who that’s going to affect should have a say in that process,” said Ty Gorman, Kansas representative for Sierra Club’s Beyond Coal Campaign. The Kansas Corporation Commission is reviewing Evergy’s “sustainability transformation plan,” which it announced last year after Elliott Management Corporation, a major Evergy shareholder, told the utility company it should either develop a plan to invest in its infrastructure or sell. The plan, which Evergy says will help speed its transition to renewable energy and improve grid reliability after widespread outages during a severe cold snap this winter, doesn’t need KCC approval. But a third-party consultant’s analysis that helped form the plan — and some information about the plan itself — aren’t publicly available. Evergy has marked them confidential through the KCC review process, claiming they contain sensitive information and plans that are still evolving. It says the KCC case gives environmental and customer groups a window into its planning, but shouldn’t require as much disclosure as a normal KCC case. And while the name indicates Evergy’s plan is about sustainability, only a sliver of the spending is dedicated to generating new renewable energy. Consumer and environmental groups worry the plan, developed under pressure by Elliott, is meant to boost shareholder profits, not customer benefits. Read more.

Democratic Kansas governor vetoes GOP-inspired voting, firearm and flag bills Gov. Laura Kelly vetoed two bundles of election reform measures Friday that would have restricted advance voting, eliminated emergency powers to alter voting procedures, added a new crime for turning in others’ ballots, and strengthened penalties for existing election crimes. Kelly also vetoed a bill allowing teenagers to carry concealed firearms after obtaining a state permit. Read more.

Gov. Kelly signs legislation creating workforce development scholarship program Gov. Laura Kelly signed bipartisan legislation Friday authorizing a scholarship program aimed primarily at encouraging Kansas community college and technical college students to develop skills in high-demand areas of the state’s economy. Read more.

Kansas has a chance to close the digital divide — but only if we invest wisely Opinion from Jade Piros de Carvalho, director of industry and community relations at Ideatek, a company that focuses on bringing fast broadband to underserved Kansans: Kansas has a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to build broadband infrastructure that will meet our needs for years to come. Read more.

Federal health regulators urge states to restart use of Johnson & Johnson vaccine The Food and Drug Administration and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced Friday evening that they were urging states to end the sudden, 11-day suspension of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine’s use. Read more.

Support one-of-a-kind Kansas journalism  with a tax-deductible donation to the Reflector. Help us grow

Ann Mah eNewsletter, April 19, 2021

 

State Board News from Ann Mah Dear Michael Caddell, Wanted to share the latest from the state board of education and legislature. Visit Our Website Opportunites for organizations The state board received funds from the most recent federal CARES bill to provide after school and summer programs statewide. Some of it is to be used to help students with learning loss. We are also looking at offering free experiences for families to help with social/emotional recovery and give families a chance to "get out of the house" and reconnect. So...if you are part of an organization that provides quality after school or summer programs for students, or you are an organization that provides experiences for families and want to be considered, be on the lookout for the upcoming RFP process. The money we have is to take us through 2024, but we believe that COVID recovery will take years for some students and families. Let me know if you have any questions. Civic engagement award Congratulations to the students and staff at North Fairview Elementary School for being a 2020 Civic Advocacy Network award winner. The Seaman School District has been a leader in civic engagement, as Seaman High School was an award winner in 2019. Well done! Area districts recognized Last week school districts across the state were recognized for achieving goals set by the state board for student success. The seven areas recognized were: Academic Preparation; High School Graduation; Postsecondary Success (how many students went on to study beyond high school); Social-emotional growth; Kindergarten Readiness; Individual Plans of Study for all students; and Civic Engagement. Here are our area schools recognized for accomplishments: Auburn-Washburn: Postsecondary Success; Graduation; and Academic Preparation Atchison County Community Schools: Postsecondary Success; Civic Engagement; and Commissioner's Award Baldwin City: Academic Preparation Burlingame: Graduation and Academic Preparation Easton: Graduation and Academic Preparation Holton: Postsecondary Success and Academic Preparation Jefferson County North: Academic Preparation Jefferson West: Postsecondary success; Graduation; and Academic Preparation Kansas City Catholic Diocese (includes Topeka schools): Postsecondary Success; Graduation; Academic Preparation; and Commissioner's Award Kaw Valley: Postsecondary Success and Graduation Lawrence: Academic Preparation Lyndon: Postsecondary Success; Graduation; and Academic Preparation McLouth: Postsecondary Success; Graduation North Lyon County: Postsecondary Success; Graduation; Academic Preparation; Civic Engagement; and Commissioner's Award. Osage City: Academic Preparation Oskaloosa: Academic Preparation Perry-Lecompton: Social-Emotional Growth and Kindergarten Readiness Rock Creek: Postsecondary Success; Graduation; Academic Preparation; and Kindergarten Readiness Seaman: Academic Preparation; Civic Engagement; Social-Emotional Growth; and Individual Plans of Study Shawnee Heights: Postsecondary Success; Graduation; and Academic Preparation Silver Lake: Postsecondary Success; Graduation; and Academic Preparation Valley Falls: Postsecondary Success; Graduation; Social-Emotional Growth; Individual Plans of Study; and Commissioner's Award Wabaunsee: Postsecondary Success; Graduation; and Academic Preparation Wamego: Postsecondary Success; Graduation; and Academic Preparation West Franklin: Academic Preparation Congratulations to these schools, students, and staff for their accomplishments! This is just the first year for the awards. Looking forward to their continued progress. For more information and a list of awards statewide, go to: Kansans Can Star Awards 2020 Legislative action The Legislature sent several education-related bills to the Governor's desk, including new curriculum and graduation requirements, the education budget, and rules about transgender athletes. The Governor has 10 days after receipt of the bills to sign the bills, veto them, or allow them to become law without her signature. She has not acted on any of these bills yet. When she does, I will send out a notice to let you know what's going on. CCommunity Events If you have community events coming up, let me know. This email goes to nearly 3000 homes in Shawnee, Osage, Jefferson, Wabaunsee, Pottawatomie, and Douglas counties. I'd love to help you get the word out!  Just remember to send your activities well ahead of time.   For things to do in Topeka and surrounding area, check out the Visit Topeka calendar, Topeka 365 at: Topeka 365 (topekapartnership.com) Sincerely, Ann Mah www.annmah.org Paid for by Ann Mah for Kansas, Nancy Griffin, Treasurer