By Clay Wirestone | opinion editor
Good morning! I'm back to Kansas from a week-plus in the wilds of Alabama. I have some thoughts about that experience — as tends to happen when I visit my in-laws — but you’ll have to wait until the inevitable column to experience those. For now, let’s delve into the day’s newsletter.
Submitted by Lissa Sexson
‘Inspired by art’: Murals help unite and define Kansas towns, boosting pride, health and economy
TOPEKA — Artist Sarah Fizell doesn’t need convincing that public art affects neighborhood pride, community perceptions and even residents’ physical health.
But sometimes the real impact is conveyed in simple words from a little boy, who stopped by as she painted a mural on a Topeka bridge near Ripley Park.
“There was a kid who came and told us that before we painted the bridge, he just had to tell people he lived near where there had recently been a couple of murders that had been really high profile,” she said on the Kansas Reflector podcast. “Since we painted the bridge, he could tell people he lived by the bridge.
“That’s important for kids. That’s important for anybody to be able to be proud of where they live.”
Morgan Chilson / Kansas Reflector
OPINION
What I learned from serving on the Kansas Supreme Court nominating commission
By Frances Graves
When I accepted an appointment to the Kansas Supreme Court Nominating Commission seven years ago, I expected to learn about judges. Instead, I learned about institutions.
The most effective institutions aren’t built around the people who happen to serve in them. They’re built to endure long after those people are gone.
Sherman Smith / Kansas Reflector
U.S. House candidate who lost job to DOGE campaigns on grassroots fundraising, rural Kansas issues
LAWRENCE — Democratic candidate Lauren Reinhold decided to run for Congress in Kansas after the Trump administration’s U.S. Department of Government Efficiency — better known as DOGE — eliminated her federal position.
Kansas AG among those expanding consumer work as prices rise and Trump guts federal protections
Since President Donald Trump has gutted much of the federal government’s consumer protection work, state attorneys general are increasingly left to fight high prices and investigate businesses themselves.
Administration asks US Supreme Court to uphold sweeping Trump order restricting vote-by-mail
DescriptionThe Trump administration on Monday asked the U.S. Supreme Court to halt a district court ruling that blocked President Donald Trump’s broad March 31 executive order restricting vote-by-mail.
Trump urges US Senate to hold off on August recess until SAVE America Act passes
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump on Monday called on the U.S. Senate to cancel its five-week August break, keeping lawmakers in session to advance several of his priorities, despite not having the votes.
UPCOMING EVENTS
Kansas Reflector staff will participate in the following free public forums.
6 p.m. Aug. 12, Celtic Fox in Topeka. Editor-in-chief Sherman Smith will answer audience questions about Kansas Reflector reporting on the primary and general elections. Host: Capital Area Democratic Women's Club.
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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