By Sherman Smith | editor-in-chief
Good morning! Opinion editor Clay Wirestone in his column today tries to make sense of what’s happening in the U.S. Senate and gubernatorial races.
Anna Kaminski/Kansas Reflector
OPINION
Kansas polls and GOP insiders agree: Roger Marshall is in a heap of trouble. Maybe hiding will help.
By Clay Wirestone
Roger Marshall is in trouble.
An accumulating pile of evidence proves the U.S. senator from Kansas needs help in his reelection bid. I’ve already mocked the Republican’s lackluster debate performance on Sept. 12 in Hutchinson.
Then we watched Vice President JD Vance parachute into Johnson County for a campaign event. Then U.S. Sen. Joe Kennedy, R-Louisiana, told reporters that senators in Kansas, Nebraska and Iowa required assistance: “The races are close.” Finally, an Emerson College poll released Friday showed Democrat Adam Hamilton with a narrow lead in the race. Hamilton led Marshall 45-43% with Libertarian David Graham drawing 4%.
“In this race, we have got Dr. Roger Marshall, a proud servant of this state, and a proud Christian to boot, versus a guy who would insult your faith and spit on your religion to accrue donations to himself,” Vance informed the crowd.
You, uh, don’t use language like that if your guy has a healthy lead in the polls.
Amanda Watford/Stateline
Violent victimization at school rose among students in 2024, federal data show
Students ages 12 to 18 experienced higher rates of reported crime at school than away from school in 2024, according to a new federal analysis. But the overall rate of crime victimization at school has not changed significantly since 2014.
The rate of total victimization, including theft and nonfatal violent crimes such as robbery, aggravated assault and simple assault, was 27 per 1,000 students at school in 2024, compared with 17.7 per 1,000 away from school, according to a new federal Bureau of Justice Statistics report released this month.
The findings come as school safety remains a chief concern among educators, students, parents and policymakers nationwide, with ongoing attention to violence, discipline and shootings.
UPCOMING EVENTS
Kansas Reflector staff will participate in the following free public forums.
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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