By Sherman Smith | editor-in-chief
Good morning! We're reporting on the latest skirmish among Democratic candidates for governor, the three Republicans who showed up for the final GOP gubernatorial debate, a proposed $70 million settlement for the Keystone Pipeline oil spill, the bond between Lawrence and the Algerian national soccer team, the latest from Washington, and the latest dubious belief about ivermectin.
Grace Hills for Kansas Reflector
Gov. Laura Kelly affirms endorsement in Kansas governor’s race despite rivals’ protest
TOPEKA — Intraparty skirmishing among Kansas Democratic gubernatorial candidates Ethan Corson, Cindy Holscher and Curt Skoog intensified as Gov. Laura Kelly pushed a new TV commercial reaffirming her preference of Corson ahead of the August primary election.
Kelly cut the updated endorsement ad for Corson, a state senator from Fairway, to remind voters that he supported expansion of eligibility for Medicaid, embraced abortion rights and wasn’t intimidated by President Donald Trump. Her 30-second spot said Corson had the “strength, judgment and backbone” for the job.
On Friday, Kelly said she ran for governor to get Kansas back on track, grow the economy and make the state a place people were proud to call home.
Kansas Reflector
Three Kansas GOP candidates for governor share harmony, hostility in party-sponsored debate
TOPEKA — The three Kansas Republican gubernatorial candidates eligible and in attendance at a televised debate Thursday agreed the state’s public schools had plenty of funding to operate successfully but were mired in inefficiencies that harmed student learning.
Philip Sarnecki of Overland Park, who declared his lack of experience in elective office an advantage, said local, state and federal government spent a combined $18,800 per public school student in Kansas for 2024-2025. Tragically, he said, barely half that money was deployed where it was needed — in classrooms — while support for administrative bloat continued.
Kansas Reflector
Keystone Pipeline owners to pay nearly $70 million in proposed settlement for Kansas oil spill
TOPEKA — Operators of the Keystone Pipeline agreed to pay Kansas $3 million for remediation projects and complete $40 million in work as part of a settlement from the 2022 spill that poured 13,000 barrels of oil into Mill Creek near Washington.
South Bow (USA) LP and South Bow Infrastructure Operations Inc., which own and operate the Keystone Pipeline, also agreed to pay more than $26.8 million as a civil penalty, according to a consent decree filed Friday.
USA 250, Algeria 64: A shared weekend of independence days among World Cup allies
LAWRENCE — The bond built between this college town and the Algerian national soccer team during its World Cup stay came together last weekend with back-to-back independence days.
Trump guts election commission in move seen as increasing his sway over midterms
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump’s latest shot in a relentless war on how elections are conducted has triggered enormous concern among voting rights activists.
Ivermectin isn’t a cancer miracle drug, but influencers claim otherwise. Good science takes time.
OPINION
By Dannell Boatman
As a health communication researcher, I study how people interpret new cancer information, how health misinformation spreads and how communication can support good health behaviors.
The renewed attention surrounding ivermectin and other antiparasitic drugs offers an opportunity to understand why some scientific findings become influential before researchers fully understand what they mean.
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 Arts 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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