USD 345 approves teachers’ contract

Members of the Seaman Unified School District 345 board of education approved the 2016-17 school year teachers' contract during a special meeting Thursday but not without one dissenting vote. Board member Rich Eckert said he voted against this year's negotiated agreement because he doesn't agree with the formation of a committee made up of teachers and administration officials, who in the coming months will review the potential of combining the current annual two days of vacation leave with 10 days of sick leave into one pot for certified staff.

Dona t throw a fit if your candidate loses

I do not know if American democracy will survive this bizarre election year, but if it does not make it, I can predict the cause of death. The smoking gun will be the growing, highly toxic, self-serving, and baseless belief that whenever one's favored candidate, party or issue loses an election, it must be because "the system" was "rigged" by the winning side.

Police: Kansas boy suffered fatal neck injury on waterslide

A Kansas waterslide billed as the world's tallest remained off-limits as authorities pressed to figure out how a state lawmaker's 10-year-old son died of a neck injury while riding it. Details remained murky about what happened Sunday to Caleb Thomas Schwab on the 168-foot-tall "Verruckt" - German for "insane" - that since its debut two years ago has been the top draw at Schlitterbahn Waterpark in Kansas City, Kansas.

Budget-woes-weary Kansans oust 11 GOP incumbents

Gov. Sam Brownback had for years assured the public that the income-tax cuts he championed would stimulate the Kansas economy, supply plenty of money for schools and give other states a "pro-growth" policy model to follow. But voters, including many Republicans, appear to have rejected that idea in the face of budget woes and court battles over education funding.

Goddard, Schimidt to face off for Senate seat

Kansas Senate District 15 residents will have someone new to the capitol representing them next year as Republican Dan Goddard of Parsons beat his opponent Tuesday to win the right to face fellow newcomer Chuck Schmidt, a Democrat from Independence. Goddard defeated State Rep. Virgil Peck of Tyro 3,469 to 3,301 in the Republican primary.

GOP moderates make Kansas primary about schools, budget woes

Moderate Republicans were making the Kansas primary a referendum on the state's budget problems and education funding as they tried Tuesday to oust conservative incumbents. More than two dozen GOP legislators faced primary opponents, and most were allies of Republican Gov. Sam Brownback who continued to support his experiment in cutting state income taxes to stimulate the economy.

Kansas tax collections $13M short of expectations in July

Kansas' tax collections fell nearly $13 million short of expectations in July, and the report of the shortfall Monday came on the eve of a primary election in which Republican Gov. Sam Brownback's critics hoped to oust some of his legislative allies. The state Department of Revenue reported that Kansas collected $425 million in taxes last month.

Judge to monitor Kansas’ actions on gay marriage for 3 years

A federal judge has told Kansas that for three more years he will monitor its compliance with the U.S. Supreme Court's historic decision legalizing gay marriage across the nation. U.S. District Judge Daniel Crabtree issued a permanent order Friday barring the state from treating same-sex couples differently than opposite-sex couples in allowing them to marry or extending the benefits of marriage to them.