By Morgan Chilson | senior reporter
Good morning! A Kansas election race is drawing national attention as the odds shift slightly, noting that Democrats may have more of a chance than usual to win. A University of Kansas graduate is also making national news as she fights her dismissal from the military publication Stars and Stripes. A Kansas Army National Guard soldier settled with the Kansas Department of Health and Environment after the agency eliminated her job.
Finally, you’ll want to touch base with your friends after reading Mark McCormick’s look at a friendship spanning seven decades.
Sure hope you’re staying cool — in temperament and temperature — as Kansas heads into September with some unusually hot weather.
Anna Kaminski/Kansas Reflector
Kansas attorney general’s race nears toss-up designation in ‘Democratic-leaning midterm’
The Kansas attorney general’s race is the latest to gain recognition from national political observers, who began cautiously adding to Democrats’ November chances following the August primaries.
In a rematch from four years ago, Attorney General Kris Kobach, the Republican, is still favored to beat attorney and former law enforcement officer Chris Mann, but Sabato’s Crystal Ball, an election forecasting arm of the Center for Politics at the University of Virginia, readjusted its rating of the race from “likely Republican” to “leans Republican,” which is closer to a toss-up than a safe Republican seat.
Submitted by Lara Korte
Kansas journalism grad sues the Pentagon after being fired from Stars and Stripes
A University of Kansas journalism graduate is suing the Pentagon after being fired from the Stars and Stripes for comments about the military publication’s editorial freedom.
Lara Korte received a notice of separation from the Pentagon on Aug. 21, along with editor-in-chief Erik Slavin and publisher Max Lederer.
“I was stunned. I couldn’t believe it at first,” Korte said. “We quickly realized that this is something that we should fight.”
Kansas agency settles with Army National Guard soldier after eliminating her job
An Army National Guard employee who accused a Kansas agency of eliminating her job because of an upcoming military deployment will receive $35,000 in a settlement agreement announced Tuesday.
The U.S. Department of Justice sued the Kansas Department of Health and Environment on behalf of Staff Sgt. Stacy Gonzales, claiming the agency violated terms of a federal law that protects employment rights for service members.
A diehard Wichita friendship tested through seven decades of life and, now, death
OPINION
By Mark McCormick
Gwendolyn Nevada Toney, 96, died peacefully in her sleep the Sunday morning of Aug. 24.
Gwennie long had been the caterer of choice for Wichita’s elite. A mother of five who lost four before her death. A faith-filled Christian. A neighbor who offered children M&Ms from the candy dish in her immaculate living room.
According to Cindy Carnahan, the honorific “friend” offered the truest measure of Toney's steady magnificence. Their friendship spanned more than 70 years of love and heartbreak and laughter, and perhaps most important, interdependence.
USPS whistleblower predicts ‘catastrophic’ effect on elections under Trump vote-by-mail order
The U.S. Postal Service rushed the development of electronic tools to comply with a Trump administration policy placing new restrictions on mail-in voting, and defied a court order to stop work on the system, according to an explosive whistleblower complaint published Tuesday by Democratic U.S. Sen. Richard Blumenthal.
US House clears spending stopgap backed by Trump that averts government shutdown
The U.S. House approved a short-term government funding bill Tuesday that would avoid a shutdown this fall once President Donald Trump signs it. The 370-48 vote showed neither Republicans nor Democrats want a repeat of the funding lapse that took place last year when disagreement over enhanced Affordable Care Act tax credits led to a historic 43-day shutdown.
UPCOMING EVENTS
Kansas Reflector staff will participate in the following free public forums.
1-5 p.m. Sept. 6, Smoky Valley Arts & Folklife Center, Lindsborg. Opinion editor Clay Wirestone previews his new book at painter Mike Hartung’s latest exhibit.
3 p.m. Sept. 26, Washburn Library in Topeka. Opinion editor Clay Wirestone will participate in the panel “Why UPK: University Press of Kansas Celebrates 80 Years.” Host: Kansas Book Festival.
2 p.m. Sept. 27, Red Rocks Visitor Center in Emporia. Host: Red Rocks.
7 p.m. Sept. 29, Raven Book Store in Lawrence. Book release event for opinion editor Clay Wirestone’s “Opinionated.” Editor-in-chief Sherman Smith will moderate.
6 p.m. Oct. 12, Riverbank Brewing in Council Grove. Opinion editor Clay Wirestone talks about his book and the latest news. Host: Flint Hills Books.
5:30 p.m. Oct. 19, Frank Carlson Library in Concordia. Host: NCK Voters.
6 p.m. Dec. 3, Prairie Star Restaurant in Manhattan. Host: League of Women Voters of Manhattan and Riley County.
If you're interested in having us talk in your town, email Sherman Smith at [email protected].
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