Massive infusion of funds used to boost liberal supporters of cloning and embryonic stem-cell research

Stowers money flows from Missouri into Kansas politics

During the two-year 2008 election period, millions of dollars were donated to various political action committees in Kansas.

But no donor was as generous as James and Virginia Stowers, the Missouri financier and his wife, who topped the list of the large contributors with their $900,000 donation to the Greater Kansas City Chamber of Commerce political action committee in 2007.

The Stowers are the wealthy founders of the Stowers Institute for Medical Research, a biomedical research group which uses a variety of research methods, some of which - like adult stem cell research - are not controversial. But some are, including research done using human embryos. [ Read more...]

The 'decision to drop a case that had previously been won at the federal level' resulted in 'a $500,000 'handout,' claims Kline spokesman

Morrison settlement benefits Center for Reproductive Rights

The Kansas attorney general’s office has paid $475,000 in legal fees to the Center for Reproductive Rights as a result of a settlement for the 2007 Aid for Women v. Foulston case.

The case disputed an interpretation of a Kansas child-abuse reporting law supported by Phill Kline, who was serving as Kansas attorney general at the time of the lawsuit.

A recent statement issued by Kline’s spokesperson, Brian Burgess, claimed the fee was a "handout" arranged by Paul Morrison, who replaced Kline as attorney general in 2007. [ Read more...]

And despite the warnings, so far zero gun crimes

AG's Office has issued 15,000 concealed carry permits

When the debate over the carrying of concealed weapons raged in Kansas, critics warned that violence would ensue and that more children would die in accidental shootings because of ready access to handguns carried by a parent.

According to state authorities, neither has happened.

Since January 2007, more than 15,000 Kansans have become concealed carry permit holders, and, according to the Attorney General’s Office, not a single one has committed a crime using a handgun. [ Read more...]

Siegfried reiterates his intent to re-write statute if re-elected

Wyandotte County Commissioners could face prosecution under disputed provision in expanded lottery law

Three Wyandotte County officials are being investigated and could be charged with misdemeanors for appearing in a presentation promoting Pinnacle Entertainment, Inc., one of four gaming companies vying to become operators of a Wyandotte County casino.

The three commissioners of the Unified Government of Wyandotte County and Kansas City, Kansas, are Donald DeSeure, Bill Miller and Ann-Brandau-Murguia. The trio appeared in the computer presentation, which was shown Wednesday to the Lottery Gaming Facility Review Board, the group that will award contracts to gaming companies who will manage state-owned casinos.

The investigation will be based on a provision in the Expanded Lottery Act that forbids public officials from attempting to influence gaming regulators, a provision that has been criticized by some legislators. An attorney general’s opinion issued in April interpreted the provision to mean that public officials couldn’t attempt to influence gaming regulators in their official capacity, but could do so as private citizens. [ Read more...]

Revenue continues to drop; advertisers flee; stocks at all-time low; wages frozen

Wichita Eagle, KC Star publisher stumbles again

The McClatchy Company, publishers of the Kansas City Star and the Wichita Eagle, continued to struggle to keep its newspapers afloat, despite rapidly crumbling business conditions.

The company's CFO, Pat Talamantes, told the Wall Street Journal Wednesday that July advertising activity was "only slightly better than June." Unfortunately for McClatchy, June was disastrous.

In a statement issued Wednesday, McClatchy announced that total revenue fell 16 percent, led by a steep decline in print advertising as businesses followed readers in abandoning the papers. [ Read more...]

One Democrat's frugal alternative: shed some buildings

University officials say lower funding increases would mean cutting jobs and programs

University Presidents told the Board of Regents Wednesday that if they comply with budget cuts requested by the Governor, they will have to cut employees and programs.

One legislator says he has a better idea. Sen. Chris Steineger, a Kansas City Democrat, said instead of targeting employees and programs as a means to reduce spending, universities should consider getting rid of a few buildings.

“As a real estate investor I think they’ve invested too much in university real estate,” Steineger said. “The building maintenance costs are eating us up, and we need to redirect some of that spending to things like higher salaries for professors, so we can attract the very best professors out there.” [ Read more...]

Analysis: 'Third windiest state' can generate additional power - but it'll cost more. Critic says it's all politics. Windmill supporter says, 'They're ugly.'

Is Sebelius' call for more wind-power all hot air?

Gov. Kathleen Sebelius has once again challenged Kansas to utilize alternative energy sources.

The voluntary initiative encourages Kansas to have 1,000 megawatts of renewable energy installed by 2015.

But if some experts are right, that increased reliance on renewable energy will mean Kansas will also have higher utility bills. And because of a lack of transmission lines, there may be no place for the energy to go. [ Read more...]

Week on the Web

Huff and puff: Will the "renewable resources" touted by Gov. Sebelius save us from global warming and rising seas? The answer, my friend, is blowing the wind - except, as the Kansas Meadowlark notes, the wind doesn't always blow. So the answer's probably "no." Here's the 'lark in full cry:

If we don’t change course soon, we likely will pay the price...by power black-outs or brown-outs in future years. These problems may hit many of us in our golden years, and could easily affect quality of life when we don’t have electricity for heating or cooling, or for electronic entertainment devices — or for medical devices. With the lack of adequate planning and attention to infrastructure, we’ll spend our golden years with the same unpredictable power Kansas farms had in the 1930s. Thank you, Gov. Sebelius.

Morris dancing. There's a good reason why State Senate President Steve Morris is so soft-spoken. It's because when people can actually hear what he has to say, they realize he's a Democrat far more often than he is a Republican. 

Here's the Pride of Hugoton making the mistake of speaking softly to the New York Times on the topic of Sebelius' perpetual rejection of new power plants in western Kansas:

Steve Morris, a Republican who is president of the State Senate and represents the part of the state where the power plants would have been situated, disagreed with Ms. Sebelius about them.

“But that’s the only major disagreement we’ve had since she took office,” Mr. Morris said. “She knew she would have to work with Republicans when she came in, and she’s done pretty well doing that.”

In Kansas, he notes, Democrats tend to be less liberal, giving them a natural affinity with more moderate Republicans. There is also a deep divide there between moderate and conservative Republicans.

“I don’t know whether she’s consciously exploited it,” Mr. Morris said, “but she’s taken advantage of those circumstances.”

If that still makes no common sense, here it is in English: "Other than her stand on the Holcomb power plant expansion, Kathleen Sebelius and I are in agreement on abortion, education, taxes, environmentalism, jobs, judges, lower speed limits, welfare for illegal immigrants and gay marriage. And because I would rather pass every single piece of Democratic legislation she suggests than vote with the conservatives in my own party, this big pup's happy to roll over for the Kat!"

Morris just won his primary re-election fight, the liberals maintained control of the state senate, he's not going to become the commissioner of baseball and Obama passed him over as a VP nominee, so Kansas is stuck with him for the foreseeable.

Maybe Steve can go as a cheerleader. Latest news just in from GayAgenda.com:

A gay Democratic group mapping strategies to influence the Democratic National Convention will hear from a politician known for securing gay rights in solid GOP country.

That would be Gov. Sebelius, who has never had a major disagreement with GOP senate president Steve Morris, who is openly soft-spoken.

The occasion is Sebelius' address to the Stonewall Democrats in Denver as a kind of pep rally for the DNC. According to an AP report, Democrats have a record number of openly gay, lesbian and transgender delegates this year at about 6%.

A Preview of the Coming Week