Author: Dave Trabert
7 Kansas counties have more government jobs than private jobs
The Kansas Department of Labor just released data showing seven counties had more government jobs than private-sector workers in the…
COVID case hype pushes fear despite good news in the data
There’s considerable good news in this week’s COVID-19 update but you wouldn’t know it from media and many government officials,…
Mask mandates not driven by data
Government proponents of mask mandates say they’re driven by data, but the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) says cloth…
Johnson County affirms mask mandate, enforcement unlikely
The Johnson County Board of Commissioners arguably made a political decision to affirm Governor Kelly’s statewide mask mandate, even though…
COVID mortality rate hits new low, Kelly imposes mask mandate
The COVID mortality rate in Kansas fell to a record-low 1.9% statewide, and the rate outside of state-identified clusters also…
Gov. Kelly’s budget plan creates $1.5 billion deficit in 2022
Kansas Governor Laura Kelly announced budget changes last week that she said would close a $653 million deficit in the…
Ruckus cancellation by KCPT seems related to conservative censorship
Kansas City public TV station KCPT announced today the effective cancellation of Ruckus, seen by many as the gold standard…
Oklahoma liberty group defends free speech suit
Questions surrounding where robust debate stops and libel begins are being asked in an Oklahoma lawsuit. Constitutional and legal issues…
Average daily COVID increase hovers around 1% in Kansas
Data released today by the Kansas Department of Health and Environment shows the 7-day moving average of new COVID cases…
107,000 fewer private jobs since February, state loses 200
Editor’s note: this story was revised on June 23 to reflect Oklahoma as being a locked-down state; we regret the…
Average daily increase in COVID just 1% in Kansas
Data released today by the Kansas Department of Health and Environment shows the 7-day moving average of new COVID cases…
New COVID case increase drops below 1% in Kansas
New data provided by the Kansas Department of Health and Environment through June 8 shows the 7-day moving average of…
Cities, counties use your money to fight property tax relief
City and county officials often justify tax increases as being necessary to provide services demanded by residents. But if they…
Overland Park proposes 6% property tax increase
The City of Overland Park is proposing a 6.2% property tax hike next year, according to their proposed 2021 budget. …
COVID average daily increase drops to all-time low
Data provided by the Kansas Department of Health and Environment through June 1 shows the COVID average daily increase dropped…
Facts refute KDHE Secretary’s concerns with interference
Kansas Department of Health and Environment (KDHE) Secretary Dr. Lee Norman told the Topeka Capitol-Journal that legislative efforts to curb…
Johnson County commission meeting devolves into autocracy
Autocracy is a system of government by one person with absolute power, and there were times in today’s Johnson County…
Senator Sykes misleads on Kansas Medicaid expansion
Senator Dinah Sykes (D-Lenexa) took time out during last week’s legislative session to send a very misleading fundraising email about…
Property tax reform survives efforts to scuttle the bill
Local elected officials will have to be honest about the entire property tax increase they impose starting next year. The…
Legislature restricts Gov. Kelly’s power, adds liability protection
A 24-hour marathon legislative session last week added legislative and local government oversight to Kansas Governor Laura Kelly’s emergency management…
April jobs: private sector down 10.5% , state gov’t. steady
Kansas Governor Laura Kelly’s mandatory shutdown order caused the loss of almost 122,000 private-sector jobs in April, but state government…
Average daily COVID increase down to 2% in Kansas
As of May 20, the 7-day moving average of the daily increase in COVID cases is down to 2%. That’s…
Gov. Kelly withholds federal COVID funds from localities
The National League of Cities reported this week that Kansas is one of thirty-two states that are withholding federal COVID…
States not shut down have a lower COVID mortality rate
Kansas Governor Laura Kelly said her statewide shutdown order was necessary to “slow the spread” of COVID-19, but data from…