By Sherman Smith | editor-in-chief
Good morning! We hope to see some of you tonight at Raven Book Store in Lawrence, where opinion editor Clay Wirestone will be signing his new book.
Jill Hummels for Kansas Reflector
Roger Marshall alleges defamation in new ad about former Kansas patient arrested while in debt
TOPEKA — Lawyers for a Kansas Republican U.S. senator running for reelection sent his opponent a cease-and-desist letter demanding the Democrat stop airing an ad featuring one of the senator’s former patients.
The lawyers for U.S. Sen. Roger Marshall, R-Kansas, said in a Monday letter that the Rev. Adam Hamilton’s campaign had published and distributed ads about Marshall’s medical debt collection practices that were “defamatory.”
The ad begins with Meischa Zimmerman, who said she was arrested while eight months pregnant for missing a $50 payment to Marshall. She was paying roughly $50 a month to account for 18% interest on nearly $3,600 in total debt, according to court records.
The woman was one of more than 700 patients who Marshall sued while a practicing physician in Great Bend, according to reporting by the New York Times.
Anna Kaminski/Kansas Reflector
‘Data nerd’ running for insurance commissioner wants to protect Kansans, make costs more affordable
TOPEKA — The Kansas insurance commissioner is a regulator who protects consumers but also must be an advocate and use data to shape policy, a candidate for the office said.
Senate Minority Leader Dinah Sykes, a Lenexa Democrat, said on the Kansas Reflector podcast that she’s a “data nerd” who, if elected, looks forward to delving into the insurance rate increases in Kansas and understanding the factors that affect costs and coverage.
Sherman Smith/Kansas Reflector
OPINION
Thoughts from Kansas farmers as the US careens toward moral and fiscal bankruptcy
By Ben Palen
In recent weeks, I have had a number of conversations with other farmers.
They cover the spectrum from Millennials to Gen Zers to folks of my generation, with many of that last group remembering the heartache of the 1980s. During that time, lots of folks lost their farms, and the effects were felt throughout rural America as bankruptcies were frequent occurrences.
Trump thwarted in hunt for rare noncitizen voters as midterms near
Five weeks before Election Day, President Donald Trump’s sprawling effort to identify and remove noncitizen voters hasn’t produced the kind of large purges that could meaningfully affect the midterm elections.
Trump administration revokes $810M approved by Congress for refugee aid and more
WASHINGTON — The Trump administration has, once again, infuriated lawmakers from both political parties by using a controversial maneuver to cancel funding previously approved by Congress.
The signs offer quick cash for homes. But states want more oversight.
The signs, text messages and mailers promise cash, quick sales and a seamless means of unloading unwanted homes.
But advocates say the business of buying homes for cash can confuse vulnerable homeowners and rob them of home equity. And now, many states are cracking down.
UPCOMING EVENTS
Kansas Reflector staff will participate in the following free public forums.
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.
6:30 p.m. Sept. 30, Round Table Bookstore in Topeka. Opinion editor Clay Wirestone talks about his book and the latest news. Host: Round Table Bookstore.
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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