By Clay Wirestone | opinion editor
Good morning! We’re checking in with candidates for Kansas governor and U.S. Senate today, as well as looking into the fraught question of free speech for high school students. I had some experience with the last of those; let’s just say my tenure as editor of the El Dorado High School Crier was full of drama. Read on!
Anna Kaminski / Kansas Reflector
Kansas Democrat outlines vision for governor that relies on community conversations to set agenda
TOPEKA — Overland Park Mayor Curt Skoog’s vision for leading the state is to bring people together from local communities to determine priorities for lawmakers.
Currently, the agenda is being set by Republican extremists in charge of the Legislature, he said on the Kansas Reflector podcast.
Skoog, who is seeking the Democratic nomination for governor, sees his town’s commercial development during his 21 years in elected office as a blueprint for creating thriving communities. His sights are trained on Senate President Ty Masterson, who has the president’s endorsement in the GOP race for governor.
“This is not easy. This is not for the faint of heart,” Skoog said. “There is hard work ahead, and we have to bring the residents from across the state, citizens and Kansans across the state, together and establish our priorities.”
“That’s the way that we get this machine turned into a community conversation, instead of political bickering for 90 days,” he added, referring to the length of the legislative session.
Tim Carpenter / Kansas Reflector
‘I’ll feel better about myself’: Kansas Republican makes second U.S. Senate run against an incumbent
LAWRENCE — In his youth, Arch Naramore had to leave Ottawa University after his stash of pot embarrassingly fell from his hat during a campus church service for students.
He looked back on that transfer to the University of Kansas as fortuitous, because he found a home in Lawrence that has remained a sanctuary for an independent, free spirit such as himself.
Maya Smith for Kansas Reflector
OPINION
Kansas public high schools need more free speech, not less, in these contentious times
By Ronald C. Den Otter
When it comes to constitutional protection for the speech of high school students, too many lawmakers care too much about scoring partisan points with their constituents and not nearly enough about the educational importance of student speech as we prepare students for adulthood and citizenship.
1st day of weeklong hearing begins in Charlie Kirk killing, with widow Erika Kirk in attendance
For the first time, widow Erika Kirk and the 23-year-old Utah man charged with shooting and killing her husband sat in the same courtroom Monday.
Do data centers impact our physical health? Studies are few and far between.
Data centers fuel the ever-growing demand for social media, artificial intelligence and streaming services, allowing people to access a plethora of entertainment options and streamline everyday tasks.
UPCOMING EVENTS
Kansas Reflector staff will participate in the following free public forums.
1 p.m. July 11, South Branch Library in Kansas City, Kansas. Opinion editor Clay Wirestone joins a panel discussion: "Elected vs Appointed: Inform Your Choice." Hosts: Voter Rights Network of Wyandotte County, Advocates for Immigrant Rights and Reconciliation, the League of Women Voters of Johnson County, and El Centro.
6:30 p.m. July 14, Morrill Public Library in Hiawatha. Editor Sherman Smith will lead a discussion with opinion editor Clay Wirestone, Natalie Haag and Kevin Hill on the proposed constitutional amendment to elect Kansas Supreme Court justices. Host: Brown County United.
5:30 p.m. July 23, Emporia Art Center. Editor-in-chief Sherman Smith will lead a discussion on the proposed constitutional amendment to elect Kansas Supreme Court justices. Host: Kansas Appleseed. Register here.
2 p.m. Sept. 27, Red Rocks Visitor Center in Emporia. Host: Red Rocks.
If you're interested in having us talk in your town, email Sherman Smith at [email protected].
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