By Sherman Smith | editor-in-chief
Good morning! We're reporting on a new audit that shows schools, cities, counties and the state may have lost $1.1 billion in property tax collections through industrial revenue bonds between 2010 and 2024.
We're also sharing a story — produced through a University of Kansas journalism class — on how Lawrence landed the Algerian team for the World Cup.
And opinion editor Clay Wirestone has some thoughts about the Senate president's lucrative side hustle.
Sherman Smith/Kansas Reflector
OPINION
Kansas governor candidate engulfed by blowback over ‘no-show job’ at Wichita State. It’s about time.
By Clay Wirestone
Some of us have to work for a living.
Others of us are Ty Masterson.
I don’t mean his efforts as Senate president, which we report on assiduously and for which the Andover Republican collects $85,000 a year for a 90-day session. That already puts the gubernatorial candidate ahead of the average Kansan’s salary of $58,230 for a whole year’s worth of work.
No, I mean his role as director of “GoCreate, a Koch Collaborative” at Wichita State University, for which he collected a tidy $163,000 last year. New reporting from the Kansas City Star’s Matthew Kelly digs into Masterson’s role and uncovers the uncomfortable truth that no one associated with the university or the candidate can really explain what he does.
Or whether he even shows up all that often.
Sherman Smith/Kansas Reflector
Kansas lawmakers hear about potential $1.1B in lost property taxes from industrial revenue bonds
TOPEKA — Kansas counties issued $18.3 billion in industrial revenue bonds to new and existing businesses between 2010 and 2024, leaving about $1.1 billion in potential property taxes on the table, legislators learned Wednesday.
The Legislative Post Audit Committee reviewed an audit of industrial revenue bonds with the goal of answering three questions: fiscal impact of the bonds on state and local governments; what estimates cities and counties report to the Board of Tax Appeals about property tax exemptions; and how many foreign companies received industrial revenue bonds.
Emma Noble
Halal, Arabic and French are among the skills Lawrence honed to be good hosts to the Algerians
LAWRENCE — Bidding for a spot as a host city seemed nearly impossible.
Until it wasn’t.
The University of Kansas, Explore Lawrence, Rock Chalk Park, and Lawrence city government teamed to argue that their small city could play, or host, on the World Cup Stage. Their bidding preparation started before Kansas City was announced as a host city in June 2022.
Kansas Democratic candidate for U.S. Senate attracts $3.6M in two months of campaigning
TOPEKA — U.S. Senate candidate Adam Hamilton, who is part of an 11-candidate field seeking the Democratic Party’s nomination, reported raising $3.66 million from 16,000 people since launching his campaign in April.
Obamacare premiums likely to surge again next year
Health insurance premiums are likely to grow more expensive next year for those who buy Marketplace plans, after increases this year.
Trump faces looming deadline to sign popular bipartisan housing package
President Donald Trump is running out of time to decide what to do with a bipartisan bill meant to lower housing costs by making it easier to build.
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].
Thanks for reading Read & Reflect. Did you know our weekend digest is also free? Sign up here. And if you enjoyed today’s edition, please forward to a friend. Increasing our readership helps us cover more news.