Podcasts about kansas reflector

That small-town postcard mural isn't just a tourist attraction. Topeka artist Sarah Fizell discusses with Kansas Reflector senior reporter Morgan Chilson the public health benefits of art that is accessible to everyone. New episodes of the Kansas Reflector Podcast drop on Mondays. Kansas Reflector staff interview elected officials, politicians, researchers, experts and everyday Kansans who are in the thick of state politics and current events. This episode was hosted by Morgan Chilson and produced by Anna Kaminski.

As one of 11 Democrats running for Kansas' open U.S. Senate seat in August, Noah Taylor has set himself apart with a no-filter approach to politics. He slips curse words into his promotional materials and offers blunt opinions on TikTok. In conversation with Kansas Reflector reporter Anna Kaminski, he said "people aren't looking for someone to come riding in on a white horse and save the day." Instead, he said he wants to "stand up, stand tall, and fight like hell with them." New episodes of the Kansas Reflector Podcast drop on Mondays. Kansas Reflector staff interview elected officials, politicians, researchers, experts and everyday Kansans who are in the thick of state politics and current events. This episode was hosted and produced by Anna Kaminski.

The August 4th Kansas ballot has a blockbuster constitutional amendment to change the way the state Supreme Court is selected. This week on the Heartland Labor Forum we'll find out from the Kansas Reflector's Tim Carpenter what this means for the rights of women to control their bodies and funding for our public schools. Then, Labor Notes has been the voice of union activism since 1979. Their biennial conference was held last month in Chicago, and we'll hear some of the speeches and presentations from the conference that will hopefully inspire you to put the movement back in the labor movement.

Colin McRoberts is determined to build a better Kansas Democratic base as he runs for U.S. Rep. Tracey Mann's seat in the big 1st Congressional District. He discusses with senior reporter Tim Carpenter his specialty in negotiations, his favorite conspiracy theory and how he sees Trump administration policies on research funding and international aid hurting Kansans. New episodes of the Kansas Reflector Podcast drop on Mondays. Kansas Reflector staff interview elected officials, politicians, researchers, experts and everyday Kansans who are in the thick of state politics and current events. Get the latest news from Kansas Reflector by signing up for our free newsletters at kansasreflector.com/subscribe. This episode was hosted by Tim Carpenter and produced by Anna Kaminski.

When Overland Park Mayor Curt Skoog unexpectedly filed to run for governor hours before the filing deadline, he surprised the Kansas political world, prompting current Democratic Gov. Laura Kelly to call his campaign "foolhardy." In conversation with Kansas Reflector's editor-in-chief, Sherman Smith, Skoog criticizes Republican frontrunner Ty Masterson, advocates for Medicaid expansion and property tax relief and details his path to public service. New episodes of the Kansas Reflector Podcast drop on Mondays. Kansas Reflector staff interview elected officials, politicians, researchers, experts and everyday Kansans who are in the thick of state politics and current events. Get the latest news from Kansas Reflector by signing up for our free newsletters at kansasreflector.com/subscribe. This episode was hosted by Sherman Smith and produced by Anna Kaminski.

With roughly six months left as governor, Laura Kelly reflects on how she entered the governor's office and speaks on how she hopes to leave it in an interview with senior reporter Tim Carpenter. She highlights what she views as major accomplishments, recounts how she beat tough gubernatorial opponents (twice), and articulates why she wanted to change to economic and social perception of Kansas. New episodes of the Kansas Reflector Podcast drop on Mondays. Kansas Reflector staff interview elected officials, politicians, researchers, experts and everyday Kansans who are in the thick of state politics and current events. Get the latest news from Kansas Reflector by signing up for our free newsletters at kansasreflector.com/subscribe. This episode was hosted by Tim Carpenter and produced by Anna Kaminski.

Part 1:We talk with Thomas Neuburger, author of numerous articles, and "God's Spies', a novel.We discuss the effects of AI on everyone's lives. we also discuss the role of fiction, and how it affects reality.Part 2:We talk with Clay Wirestone,  Editorial Editor at the Kansas Reflector. We discuss elections in Kansas, changes that the Republicans have proposed to elections to ensure that power stays with Republicans.  WNHNFM.ORG  production

Cole Epley is one of four Democrats challenging U.S. Rep. Ron Estes in August, but Epley has differentiated himself from his fellow Democratic candidates by leaning into Democratic socialism and unapologetically progressive ideals. Kansas Reflector's editor-in-chief Sherman Smith speaks with Epley about his political origins, his approach to fundraising outside the bounds of the traditional party and his views on key issues such as immigration and abortion. New episodes of the Kansas Reflector Podcast drop on Mondays. Kansas Reflector staff interview elected officials, politicians, researchers, experts and everyday Kansans who are in the thick of Kansas politics and current events. Get the latest news from Kansas Reflector by signing up for our free newsletters at kansasreflector.com/subscribe.

Kevin Latz is one of 11 Kansas Democrats running to replace U.S. Sen. Roger Marshall, and he said he is differentiating himself from the rest with his experience as a surgeon, physician and father. He said scientists are underrepresented in Congress, and his work making difficult decisions, operating under pressure and treating everyone as a patient mirrors that of a lawmaker's. His policy priorities span generations, but he is particularly passionate about gun safety policy and ensuring kids are protected from social media. New episodes of the Kansas Reflector Podcast drop on Mondays. Kansas Reflector staff interview elected officials, politicians, researchers, experts and everyday Kansans who are in the thick of Kansas politics and current events. Get the latest news from Kansas Reflector by signing up for our free newsletters at kansasreflector.com/subscribe.

Kansas Reflector opinion editor Clay Wirestone and managing editor Sherman Smith break down the latest news in Kansas politics as election season heats up. They discuss the latest candidates, which races they're paying attention to and what Kansas Reflector has been covering in the lead-up to the Aug. 4 primary election. New episodes of the Kansas Reflector Podcast drop on Mondays. Kansas Reflector staff interview elected officials, politicians, researchers, experts and everyday Kansans who are in the thick of Kansas politics and current events. Get the latest news from Kansas Reflector by signing up for our free newsletters at kansasreflector.com/subscribe.

Why was Kansas Attorney General Kris Kobach's name repeated four times in a ad from an outside group? Why did a Democratic candidate for Kansas governor begin her TV ad in a grocery store, and why did her primary opponent film his from his kitchen? Can a pastor translate his lifetime of public speaking experience to voters as he runs for U.S. Senate? Bob Beatty, a political science professor at Washburn University, gives a play-by-play of Kansas politicians' choices in their early campaign ads. He answers these questions and more with senior reporter Tim Carpenter in an interview woven with clips from a dozen campaign ads running ahead of the 2026 primary election. New episodes of the Kansas Reflector Podcast drop on Mondays. Kansas Reflector staff interview elected officials, politicians, researchers, experts and everyday Kansans who are in the thick of Kansas politics and current events. Get the latest news from Kansas Reflector by signing up for our free newsletters at kansasreflector.com/subscribe.

Kansans hoping for a break on their property taxes will have to wait. The legislative session adjourned with Republicans unable to compromise on property tax reform. Sherman Smith, editor-in-chief of the Kansas Reflector, joined KCUR's Up To Date to provide an overview of the session.

Kansas Reflector editor in chief Sherman Smith and opinion editor Clay Wirestone sum up the Legislature's two-day veto session and preview a new series.

The Kansas Legislature wrapped up its main session the early morning hours of Saturday, March 28. Opinion editor Clay Wirestone leads a conversation with Kansas Reflector reporters to recap what happened.

Erik Murray is a Kansas City, Kansas-based entrepreneur who is trying to beat out a crowded field of Democrats running for U.S. Senate with a solutions-oriented campaign and a 105-county tour, which he announced on the Kansas Reflector podcast.

As their public approval sinks lower and lower, the MAGA right is leaning harder and harder into policies of abject cruelty directed at vulnerable populations that have been turned into sacrificial scapegoats; that is especially true when it comes to immigrants and trans people. In the state of Kansas, for instance, Republicans just rammed through one of the most extreme anti-trans bills in the country. TRNN Editor-in-Chief speaks with journalist and LGBTQ+ policy analyst Erin Reed about how the new law is affecting trans Kansans and about the explosion of anti-trans policies around the country. Additional links/info: Erin Reed website, Substack, Facebook page, Bluesky page, TikTok, and Instagram Erin Reed, Substack, “Anti-Trans National Legal Risk Assessment Map: Feb 2026”Erin Reed, Substack, “"You outlaw it": Heritage Foundation President announces intent to outlaw all trans adult care”Sherman Smith & Morgan Chilson, Kansas Reflector, “Trans Kansans struggle with Legislature's ‘cruelty' as driver's licenses are invalidated”Sherman Smith, Kansas Reflector, “Trans men file lawsuit over Kansas law that restricts bathroom use and invalidates driver's licenses”Credits:Audio Post-Production: Alina Nehlich Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/the-real-news-podcast--2952221/support.Help us continue producing radically independent news and in-depth analysis by following us and becoming a monthly sustainer.Follow us on:Bluesky: @therealnews.comFacebook: The Real News NetworkTwitter: @TheRealNewsYouTube: @therealnewsInstagram: @therealnewsnetworkBecome a member and join the Supporters Club for The Real News Podcast today!

Kansas Reflector editor in chief Sherman Smith leads a discussion with reporters Tim Carpenter, Anna Kaminski and Morgan Chilson to recap the busy first week of the 2026 session of the Kansas Legislature, from the governor's State of the State speech and GOP response to hearings, debates, rallies, a high-profile court case and vaccines.

Artspeak Radio, Wednesday, January 21, 2026, 9am -10am CST, 90.1fm KKFI Kansas City Community Radio, streaming live audio www.kkfi.org Producer/host Maria Vasquez Boyd welcomes poet, editor, essayist Huascar Medina. Huascar Medina was born in Killeen, Texas and has lived artfully in Kansas for over two decades. As a second-generation immigrant living in the Heartland, Huascar considers himself a New American exploring the boundaries between identity and location, focusing on cultural empathy, social cohesion, class structures, first-generation trauma, mental health, and internalized diasporic longing and belonging. Huascar Medina served as the Poet Laureate of Kansas from 2019 to 2022 and became an Academy of American Poets Laureate Fellow in 2022. Medina has authored three books of poetry; Protest As Love Poem (Meadowlark Press, 2026) Un Mango Grows in Kansas (Spartan Press, 2020) and How to Hang the Moon (Spartan Press, 20019). Medina's forthcoming collection of essays, The Prairie Fook (Plainspoken Press, 2027), is a lyrical meditation on politics, class, and culture. Medina is the literary editor for seveneightfive magazine, a staff editor at South Broadway Press in Denver, Colorado, and a contributing op-ed writer at Kansas Reflector . His work has appeared in The Flint Hills Review, Gasconade Review, Green Mountains Review, Inscape, Kansas Magazine, Latino Book Review, The New York Times, and other publications. www.huascarmedina.com Read his poems and profile at poets.org

Kansas Reflector senior reporter Tim Carpenter and editor in chief Sherman Smith provide a rundown of state and political news from 2025 and insights into what to look for in 2026.

Mark McCormick has written for Kansas Reflector since the summer of 2021, The distinguished journalist has a long career, with stents at the Wichita Eagle, the Kansas African American Museum and the ACLU of Kansas. He also co wrote a book with his lifelong friend, Barry Sanders. McCormick was inducted into the Kansas Press Association's Hall of Fame in November, and he came to the podcast to talk about his life and work.

There are few reporters who have covered the GWG fallout like InvestmentNews' Bruce Kelly has, but we found one who has covered it even more comprehensively and at a granular level in Tim Carpenter of the Kansas Reflector.

Investigative journalist ⁠Liz Farrell⁠ and producer David Moses examine a disturbing new chapter in the ongoing saga surrounding “Pastor” JP Miller and the Horry County Police Department. What began as a protest seeking Justice for Mica has spiraled into a maze of legal complaints, retaliatory tactics, and baffling law-enforcement decisions—and now the arrest of protester Sandra Caron for writing on a $50 sign JP allegedly created to antagonize her. (29:00) Then we're diving into attorney Jonny McCoy's powerful press conference on behalf of former HCPD employees Mikayla Moscov and Kelsey Manemeit, who allege retaliation and misconduct inside the department. Shocker… today we're talking about Good Ole Boy systems protecting powerful men while punishing those who speak out.  So much to cover, so let's dive in!

For the Kansas Reflector podcast, former Wichita Mayor Brandon Whipple speaks publicly for the first time about a Republican donor who tipped him off to a covert operation against his 2020 campaign. He later lost a bid for re-election.

Kansas Reflector opinion editor Clay Wirestone leads senior reporters Tim Carpenter and Morgan Chilson through a discussion of the annual Kansas Speaks opinion survey from the Docking Institute of Public Affairs at Fort Hays State University. Plus, they all discuss Halloween costumes!

Republican leaders of the Kansas Legislature are working to cobble together the necessary two-thirds majority of the House and Senate to call a special session in November. The original purpose was to redraw the four Kansas congressional districts to make it easy to defeat U.S. Rep. Sharice Davids, a Democrat. But there are maybe a dozen or so House GOP members not thrilled about redistricting in 2025 when it wasn't scheduled to be done again until 2032. Republican leaders want to appeal to dissenters by trying to pass a bill during the special session to prevent individuals from changing their gender marker on Kansas driver's licenses. With this proposed special session about three weeks away, Kansas Reflector senior reporter Tim Carpenter and editor Sherman Smith take stock of the drama.

Kansas Reflector reporter Morgan Chilson talks about the stories of perseverance and resilience and the challenges remaining for the Grinnell, Kansas, community. Grinnell was hit by an EF-3 tornado on May 18, 2025, and lost a large residential neighborhood and sustained damage to schools, a church and businesses.

Kansas Reflector opinion editor Clay Wirestone leads a discussion with editor Sherman Smith and senior reporter Morgan Chilson on federal immigration enforcement efforts and CoreCivic's lucrative, secret, no-bid contract to house detainees in Leavenworth.

Kansas Reflector opinion editor Clay Wirestone, reporter Anna Kaminski and editor in chief Sherman Smith talk about three recent examples where lawmakers have hidden their work from public scrutiny or directed animus toward journalists.

At the end of six weeks worth of session, the Kansas Legislature is barreling ahead at high speed with each chamber passing a bevy of bills. Kansas Reflector staff take stock of where legislators have ended up with a compressed schedule and tensions flaring.

#podcast #Michigan #Politics #news #DanaNessel #ProgressivePolitics #Progressives #Democrats #Agriculture #Farming #Economics #WorkingClass #CorporateGreed #CorporateCorruption #ElonMusk #Trump #Republicans #MAGA #USAID #LeftOfLansing Here's the Left of Lansing "Friday Short" for February 14, 2025. President Elon Musk and Dear Leader Trump are selling-out America's farmers, and all of rural America. With Dear Leader's crippling tariffs, and President Musk's gutting of government agencies, such as USAID, America's farmers are feeling the pain caused by this unelected billionaire and the puppet President.  They're doing all of this out in the open for everyone to see, but it's up to all of us to open our eyes to see it happening. Please, subscribe to the podcast, download each episode, and give it a good review if you can! leftoflansing@gmail.com Left of Lansing is now on YouTube as well! leftoflansing.com NOTES: "With Trump and Musk driving U.S. policy, Kansas farmers have been played for suckers." By Ben Palin of the Kansas Reflector (via Michigan Advance). "Weather agency caught in Musk's crosshairs." By Arianna Skibell of Politico "Michigan AG Nessel leads multistate suit seeking injunction against Elon Musk, DOGE." By Beth LeBlanc of The Detroit News

The Bloody Benders were a family of serial killers active in Labette County, Kansas, from 1871 to 1873. Consisting of John Bender Sr., his wife Elvira (or Almira), their son John Jr., and daughter Kate, they operated a small inn and general store on the Osage Trail, which was frequented by travelers. The family would invite guests to sit at a table with their backs against a curtain, where they would be struck from behind with a hammer, usually by John Sr. or John Jr., while distracted by Kate, who was known for her beauty and purported spiritualist abilities.   After the murder, the victims' throats were slit, and their bodies were buried in an orchard or thrown into a well on the property. The Benders are believed to have killed between 11 to 20 people, with the actual number uncertain due to the frontier's sparse record-keeping.   The family's crimes came to light after the disappearance of Dr. William York in 1873, whose brother, a prominent state senator, organized a search. When authorities arrived at the Bender homestead, the family had already vanished. The property was searched, revealing several bodies, confirming the grim suspicions.   The Benders' fate remains a mystery; stories range from them being lynched by vigilantes, escaping to other parts of the country or even abroad, or changing identities. Their story has since become a legendary tale in American folklore.   Sources: Nadel, D. (2024, July 19). The bloody benders: the family that wasn't. HubPages. https://discover.hubpages.com/education/The-Bloody-Benders-The-Family-That-Wasnt Sep 25, 1952, page 8 - The Wichita Beacon at Newspapers.com. (n.d.). https://www.newspapers.com/image/720215261/?match=1&terms=bloody%20benders McCoy, M. (2021, October 31). A mysterious murder site has a new owner. He's looking for answers about the Bloody Benders. Kansas Reflector. https://kansasreflector.com/2021/10/31/a-mysterious-murder-site-has-a-new-owner-hes-looking-for-answers-about-the-bloody-benders/   Join The Dark Oak Discussion: Patreon The Dark Oak Podcast Website Facebook Instagram Twitter TikTok Youtube This episode of The Dark Oak was created, researched, written, recorded, hosted, edited, published, and marketed by Cynthia and Stefanie of Just Us Gals Productions with artwork by Justyse Himes and Music by Ryan Creep

This episode was originally published on The Murder Sheet's main feed on January 17, 2025.The Cheat Sheet is The Murder Sheet's segment breaking down weekly news and updates in some of the murder cases we cover. In this episode, we'll talk about cases from Kansas, Oklahoma, Nevada, Pennsylvania, and Indiana. On this week's episode we used information from:WISH-TV's recent coverage of the disappearance of Marina Boelter: https://www.wishtv.com/news/bloomfield-woman-missing-2014/?utm_medium=social&utm_source=twitter_WISHNews8We also accessed reporting from the Journal and Courier, the Tipton County Tribune, the Associated Press, the Herald Times, and the Call Leader through Newspapers.com. If you have information on the Boelter disappearance, call Crime Stoppers of Central Indiana at 317-262-8477 or state police Detective Kent Rohfling at 812-332-4411.The Oklahoman's reporting on the murders of Veronica Butler and Jillian Kelley: https://www.oklahoman.com/story/news/2024/12/18/gods-misfits-oklahoma-murder-trial-witness-testimony-tifany-adams/77059269007/A great opinion piece from the Kansas Reflector on the God's Misfits and the murders of Veronica Butler and Jillian Kelley: : https://kansasreflector.com/2024/05/05/a-fifth-misfit-is-accused-of-murdering-two-kansas-women-last-year-he-declared-extremist-beliefs/KWCH's reporting on the murders of Veronica Butler and Jillian Kelley: ​​https://www.kwch.com/2024/09/12/court-document-reveals-how-2-kansas-mothers-killed-over-custody-dispute-died/KJRH's reporting on the murders of Veronica Butler and Jillian Kelley: https://www.kjrh.com/news/local-news/enraged-family-fills-courtroom-as-gods-misfits-appear-in-court#google_vignetteTrib Live's 's reporting on the kidnapping and murder of Jaime Feden: https://triblive.com/local/valley-news-dispatch/oakmont-native-sentenced-to-life-in-kidnapping-killing-of-bethel-park-woman/The Pittsburgh Post Gazette's reporting on the kidnapping and murder of Jaime Feden: https://www.post-gazette.com/news/crime-courts/2024/08/03/john-chapman-murder-jaime-feden-sentence-bethel-park-las-vegas/stories/202408030061WTRF's reporting on the kidnapping and murder of Jaime Feden: https://www.wtrf.com/wheeling/just-an-hour-from-wheeling-man-kidnapped-girlfriend-drove-to-nevada-desert-suffocated-her-pretend-to-be-her-and-lived-at-her-residence/?utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=socialflow&utm_source=facebook.comCBS Pittsburgh's broadcast on KDKA's report with Jaime Feden: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JXwMnXq1k00Associated Press' reporting on the kidnapping and murder of Jaime Feden: https://apnews.com/general-news-e68504d32fc52ae86dc9e74e5d2e7a94CJ Online's reporting on the sentencing of Amber Peery: https://www.cjonline.com/story/news/crime/2024/12/03/kansas-mom-amber-peery-in-deadly-girl-scouts-crash-sentenced-to-prison/76732510007/The Change.org petition for Peery: https://www.change.org/p/we-ask-for-mercy-on-behalf-of-amber-peeryPre-order our book on Delphi here: https://bookshop.org/p/books/shadow-of-the-bridge-the-delphi-murders-and-the-dark-side-of-the-american-heartland-aine-cain/21866881?ean=9781639369232Or here: https://www.simonandschuster.com/books/Shadow-of-the-Bridge/Aine-Cain/9781639369232Or here: https://www.amazon.com/Shadow-Bridge-Murders-American-Heartland/dp/1639369236Join our Patreon here! https://www.patreon.com/c/murdersheetSupport The Murder Sheet by buying a t-shirt here: https://www.murdersheetshop.com/Send tips to murdersheet@gmail.com.The Murder Sheet is a production of Mystery Sheet LLC.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Kansas Reflector opinion editor Clay Wirestone leads a discussion with editor in chief Sherman Smith, senior reporter Tim Carpenter and reporter Anna Kaminski on what to expect in the annual legislative session that begins Jan. 13.

Peggy Lowe, the reporter and voice behind “Overlooked,” KCUR's investigative podcast into disgraced Kansas City, Kansas, police detective Roger Golubski, appears on the Kansas Reflector podcast to talk about Golubski's past, upcoming trial, and the second season of “Overlooked.” 

Haley Kottler appears on Kansas Reflector podcast to talk about a new report from Kansas Appleseed that examines the benefit of providing universal free meals in public schools, and how schools and lawmakers could unlock more resources to combat child hunger.

Kansas Reflector staff sort through the ruby red results in this year's election, and what they mean for the Legislature, State Board of Education, and national politics.

This episode was originally published on The Murder Sheet's main feed on October 11, 2024.The Cheat Sheet is The Murder Sheet's segment breaking down weekly news and updates in some of the murder cases we cover. In this episode, we'll talk about cases from Arkansas, Minnesota, Kansas and TennesseeView the the Morgan Nick Press conference broadcast by 5News: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UqUIya9tZ_MRead the Tennessean's coverage of the Nashville district attorney recording people in his office: https://www.tennessean.com/story/news/local/davidson/2024/09/25/nashville-district-attorney-glenn-funk-slammed-state-comptroller/75375271007/Read the Nashville Post's coverage of the Nashville district attorney recording people in his office:https://www.nashvillepost.com/business/legal/legal-notes-comptroller-says-special-prosecutor-should-review-actions-of-nashville-da/article_9d9a9de6-7cda-11ef-8709-b7aab5c8c962.htmlRead more about the new law on felony murder in Minnesota at Fox 9: https://www.fox9.com/news/prosecutor-fighting-new-minnesota-law-aiding-abetting-murderRead more about the new law on felony murder in Minnesota at the Minnesota Reformer: https://minnesotareformer.com/2023/11/15/minnesota-lawmakers-changed-felony-murder-laws-which-could-mean-the-release-of-prisoners/Read more about the Kansas judge who was found to have violated the rights of a defendant in the Kansas Reflector:https://kansasreflector.com/2024/09/27/kansas-supreme-court-says-trial-judge-violated-constitutional-right-of-murder-defendant/Consider donating to those impacted by the recent hurricanes: https://www.redcross.org/donate/dr/hurricane-helene.html/Support The Murder Sheet by buying a t-shirt here: https://www.murdersheetshop.com/Send tips to murdersheet@gmail.com.The Murder Sheet is a production of Mystery Sheet LLC.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Richard Muma earned his doctorate 20 years ago before climbing the ranks at Wichita State University, becoming president in 2020. Now, an investigation by Kansas Reflector senior reporter Tim Carpenter has found dozens of instances where Muma copied someone else's work into his doctoral dissertation without adequate attribution. Carpenter joins editor in chief Sherman Smith to talk about the story and how he reported it.

Abortion access in Kansas remains at the forefront of state politics, with the 2024 election a little more than a month away. Kansas Women Attorneys for Freedom are at the forefront of this issue. Two members of the group, Adina Morse and Nicole Revenaugh join the Kansas Reflector podcast to talk about their priorities.

Kansas Reflector opinion editor Clay Wirestone hosts a conversation with editor in chief Sherman Smith, senior reporter Tim Carpenter and intern Grace Hills on the multitude of stories that emerged from the primary election — from the 2nd District congressional races to incumbents losing Statehouse races and implications for November.

Rachel sat down for a chat with Devon Heinen, a journalist with States Newsroom who principally writes for the Tennessee Lookout . States Newsroom has created State Capitol level coverage with sites like Missouri Independent, Iowa Capitol Dispatch, Kansas Reflector, and more. Listeners of our shows often hear us cite to these sources because they have proven themselves to be quality journalism that takes the work of reporting facts with context seriously. Devon is no exception to that rule.Learn more about Devon: http://www.devonheinen.com/articles.htmlArticle: http://www.devonheinen.com/images/2024-Heinen-AL-Reflector-Diane-Derzis-Story.pdf @TheHeartlandPOD on Twitter and ThreadsCo-HostsAdam Sommer @Adam_Sommer85 (Twitter) @adam_sommer85 (Threads)Rachel Parker @msraitchetp (Threads) Sean Diller (no social)The Heartland Collective - Sign Up Today!JOIN PATREON FOR MORE - AND JOIN OUR SOCIAL NETWORK!“Change The Conversation”Outro Song: “The World Is On Fire” by American Aquarium http://www.americanaquarium.com/

Rachel sat down for a chat with Devon Heinen, a journalist with States Newsroom who principally writes for the Tennessee Lookout . States Newsroom has created State Capitol level coverage with sites like Missouri Independent, Iowa Capitol Dispatch, Kansas Reflector, and more. Listeners of our shows often hear us cite to these sources because they have proven themselves to be quality journalism that takes the work of reporting facts with context seriously. Devon is no exception to that rule.Learn more about Devon: http://www.devonheinen.com/articles.htmlArticle: http://www.devonheinen.com/images/2024-Heinen-AL-Reflector-Diane-Derzis-Story.pdf @TheHeartlandPOD on Twitter and ThreadsCo-HostsAdam Sommer @Adam_Sommer85 (Twitter) @adam_sommer85 (Threads)Rachel Parker @msraitchetp (Threads) Sean Diller (no social)The Heartland Collective - Sign Up Today!JOIN PATREON FOR MORE - AND JOIN OUR SOCIAL NETWORK!“Change The Conversation”Outro Song: “The World Is On Fire” by American Aquarium http://www.americanaquarium.com/

Kansas legislators returned to Topeka for a special session originally meant just to tackle a tax cut plan. But an incentive package for the Kansas City Chiefs and Royals ended up getting more attention. Kansas Reflector reporters Tim Carpenter and Alison Kite break down the one-day special session, and the build up to it, in a conversation with opinion editor Clay Wirestone.

Mifepristone remains legal after major Supreme Court ruling | Trump lackey running for Michigan's state supreme court | Nebraska's competing abortion petitions | Kansas Farmers Faced With Major Water Shortage | South Carolina Ripe For Full Abortion Ban | Missouri begins major project to improve Interstate 70 | Indiana musician hitting the scene in a big waySHOW NOTESMifepristone remains legal after major Supreme Court rulinghttps://missouriindependent.com/2024/06/13/breaking-u-s-supreme-court-rejects-attempt-to-limit-access-to-abortion-pill/Justice Brett Kavanaugh wrote the opinion in the united ruling from the Supreme Court, with Justice Clarence Thomas writing a concurring opinion.“Plaintiffs are pro-life, oppose elective abortion, and have sincere legal, moral, ideological, and policy objections to mifepristone being prescribed and used by others,” Kavanaugh wrote.The four anti-abortion medical organizations and four anti-abortion doctors who originally brought the lawsuit against mifepristone have protections in place to guard against being forced to participate in abortions against their moral objections, he noted.“Not only as a matter of law but also as a matter of fact, the federal conscience laws have protected pro-life doctors ever since FDA approved mifepristone in 2000,” Kavanaugh wrote. “The plaintiffs have not identified any instances where a doctor was required, notwithstanding conscience objections, to perform an abortion or to provide other abortion-related treatment that violated the doctor's conscience.”“Nor is there any evidence in the record here of hospitals overriding or failing to accommodate doctors' conscience objections,” he added.Trump lackey running for Michigan's state supreme courthttps://michiganadvance.com/briefs/deperno-announces-michigan-supreme-court-run-amid-election-related-criminal-charges/Matt DePerno, a Republican lawyer who ran for Michigan Attorney General in 2022 with the support of former President Donald Trump, is running for the state's supreme court while facing charges for reportedly tampering with voting machines after the 2020 presidential election. Michigan's 4-3 Democratic majority state supreme court is falling short of doing its duty, Deperno said in an emailed statement to Michigan Advance.“After watching the abuse of our legal system both here in Michigan, as well as across the country, it is clear that the Michigan Supreme Court needs members that are committed to following the constitution and rule of law,” DePerno said. “Activist judges, prosecutors, and attorney generals are using their power to prosecute their political enemies. This has to stop.  And that is why I am running for Supreme Court.”Nebraska's competing abortion petitionshttps://nebraskaexaminer.com/2024/06/13/sorting-through-nebraskas-abortion-ballot-initiatives/Nebraska voters who want to weigh in this November on the future of abortion in the state have three petitions to consider signing.One group that is circulating petitions wants to make abortion a state constitutional right. Two other groups circulating petitions both oppose abortion. But their petitions approach the path to further restrictions differently.Organizers of all three petition initiatives have until July 3 to turn in signatures from 10% of Nebraska registered voters, or about 123,000 people, to the Secretary of State's Office. Of those, signatures are required from at least 5% of registered voters in at least 38 counties.Kansas Farmers Faced With Major Water Shortagehttps://kansasreflector.com/2024/06/13/time-for-a-reckoning-kansas-farmers-brace-for-water-cuts-to-save-ogallala-aquifer/After 50 years of studies, discussions and hand-wringing about the aquifer's decline, the state is demanding that local groundwater managers finally enforce conservation. But in this region where water is everything, they'll have to overcome entrenched attitudes and practices that led to decades of overpumping.“It scares the hell out of me,” farmer Hugh Brownlee said at a recent public meeting in the district on the changes to come.Last year, Kansas lawmakers passed legislation squarely targeting the Southwest Kansas Groundwater Management District, which spans a dozen counties. Unlike the two other Kansas districts that sit atop the crucial aquifer, this one has done little to enact formal conservation programs that could help prolong the life of the aquifer. The new law aims to force action.South Carolina Ripe For Full Abortion Banhttps://www.theguardian.com/us-news/article/2024/jun/13/south-carolina-abortion-banThe right to legal abortion in South Carolina is in a “dire” condition, said the state senator Penry Gustafson, who lost her seat on Tuesday to a primary challenger prepared to vote to ban abortion at conception.Gustafson is one of five female lawmakers dubbed the “sister senators” who blocked legislation to outlaw abortion from the point of conception in the state. The three Republicans among them – Gustafson, Sandy Senn and Katrina Shealy – each drew male primary challengers who competed for conservative primary voters seeking more restrictive abortion access.Missouri begins major project to improve Interstate 70https://www.missourinet.com/2024/06/13/shovels-come-out-to-break-ground-on-missouris-historic-i-70-expansion/A groundbreaking ceremony was held today to celebrate the start of construction for the Improve I-70 project, which will widen the interstate to at least three lanes each in both directions from St. Louis to Kansas City.Construction on the $2.8 billion Improve I-70 Program is set to begin in July. The first phase of the project begins in mid-Missouri, with the interchanges of U.S. Route 63 in Columbia and U.S. Route 54 in Kingdom City.Gov. Mike Parson was on hand to commemorate the occasion. One of his top priorities throughout his tenure has been to improve Missouri's infrastructure system.“What we're doing in infrastructure in this state is going to set us apart from many, many other states and it's just, for the future of our state, I can't even explain how much of an impact it's going to have. But it's fun. It's exciting to finish up your term on a high note like this,” he told reporters.Indiana musician hitting the scene in a big wayhttps://www.stephenwilsonjr.com/Stephen Wilson Jr. is a singer/songwriter from rural Southern Indiana. Self-described as “Death Cab For Country,” Stephen Wilson Jr. draws upon indie rock, grunge and country to create a distinct sound that is influenced by artists as diverse as The National, Willie Nelson, John Mellencamp and Nirvana.​Wilson was raised by a single father who was a boxer and had him boxing from age seven through adulthood as an Indiana State Golden Gloves finalist. The self-taught guitarist moved to Nashville to pursue a degree in Microbiology at MTSU, where he started indie rock band AutoVaughn after finishing his degree. After five years of touring the world as lead guitarist with AutoVaughn, Wilson turned his creative focus toward songwriting and singing. After the band, Wilson relied back on his education where he worked for several years as an R&D scientist at Mars until signing a publishing deal with BMG Nashville in 2016. His songs were soon recorded by acts like Caitlyn Smith, Brothers Osborne, Old Dominion, MacKenzie Porter, Sixpence None the Richer and Leigh Nash.SOURCES: Missouri Independent, The Guardian, Michigan Advance, Nebraska Examiner, Kansas Reflector, Missourinet.com, Stephenwilsonjr.com @TheHeartlandPOD on Twitter and ThreadsCo-HostsAdam Sommer @Adam_Sommer85 (Twitter) @adam_sommer85 (Threads)Rachel Parker @msraitchetp (Threads) Sean Diller (no social)The Heartland Collective - Sign Up Today!JOIN PATREON FOR MORE - AND JOIN OUR SOCIAL NETWORK!“Change The Conversation”Outro Song: “The World Is On Fire” by American Aquarium http://www.americanaquarium.com/

Mifepristone remains legal after major Supreme Court ruling | Trump lackey running for Michigan's state supreme court | Nebraska's competing abortion petitions | Kansas Farmers Faced With Major Water Shortage | South Carolina Ripe For Full Abortion Ban | Missouri begins major project to improve Interstate 70 | Indiana musician hitting the scene in a big waySHOW NOTESMifepristone remains legal after major Supreme Court rulinghttps://missouriindependent.com/2024/06/13/breaking-u-s-supreme-court-rejects-attempt-to-limit-access-to-abortion-pill/Justice Brett Kavanaugh wrote the opinion in the united ruling from the Supreme Court, with Justice Clarence Thomas writing a concurring opinion.“Plaintiffs are pro-life, oppose elective abortion, and have sincere legal, moral, ideological, and policy objections to mifepristone being prescribed and used by others,” Kavanaugh wrote.The four anti-abortion medical organizations and four anti-abortion doctors who originally brought the lawsuit against mifepristone have protections in place to guard against being forced to participate in abortions against their moral objections, he noted.“Not only as a matter of law but also as a matter of fact, the federal conscience laws have protected pro-life doctors ever since FDA approved mifepristone in 2000,” Kavanaugh wrote. “The plaintiffs have not identified any instances where a doctor was required, notwithstanding conscience objections, to perform an abortion or to provide other abortion-related treatment that violated the doctor's conscience.”“Nor is there any evidence in the record here of hospitals overriding or failing to accommodate doctors' conscience objections,” he added.Trump lackey running for Michigan's state supreme courthttps://michiganadvance.com/briefs/deperno-announces-michigan-supreme-court-run-amid-election-related-criminal-charges/Matt DePerno, a Republican lawyer who ran for Michigan Attorney General in 2022 with the support of former President Donald Trump, is running for the state's supreme court while facing charges for reportedly tampering with voting machines after the 2020 presidential election. Michigan's 4-3 Democratic majority state supreme court is falling short of doing its duty, Deperno said in an emailed statement to Michigan Advance.“After watching the abuse of our legal system both here in Michigan, as well as across the country, it is clear that the Michigan Supreme Court needs members that are committed to following the constitution and rule of law,” DePerno said. “Activist judges, prosecutors, and attorney generals are using their power to prosecute their political enemies. This has to stop.  And that is why I am running for Supreme Court.”Nebraska's competing abortion petitionshttps://nebraskaexaminer.com/2024/06/13/sorting-through-nebraskas-abortion-ballot-initiatives/Nebraska voters who want to weigh in this November on the future of abortion in the state have three petitions to consider signing.One group that is circulating petitions wants to make abortion a state constitutional right. Two other groups circulating petitions both oppose abortion. But their petitions approach the path to further restrictions differently.Organizers of all three petition initiatives have until July 3 to turn in signatures from 10% of Nebraska registered voters, or about 123,000 people, to the Secretary of State's Office. Of those, signatures are required from at least 5% of registered voters in at least 38 counties.Kansas Farmers Faced With Major Water Shortagehttps://kansasreflector.com/2024/06/13/time-for-a-reckoning-kansas-farmers-brace-for-water-cuts-to-save-ogallala-aquifer/After 50 years of studies, discussions and hand-wringing about the aquifer's decline, the state is demanding that local groundwater managers finally enforce conservation. But in this region where water is everything, they'll have to overcome entrenched attitudes and practices that led to decades of overpumping.“It scares the hell out of me,” farmer Hugh Brownlee said at a recent public meeting in the district on the changes to come.Last year, Kansas lawmakers passed legislation squarely targeting the Southwest Kansas Groundwater Management District, which spans a dozen counties. Unlike the two other Kansas districts that sit atop the crucial aquifer, this one has done little to enact formal conservation programs that could help prolong the life of the aquifer. The new law aims to force action.South Carolina Ripe For Full Abortion Banhttps://www.theguardian.com/us-news/article/2024/jun/13/south-carolina-abortion-banThe right to legal abortion in South Carolina is in a “dire” condition, said the state senator Penry Gustafson, who lost her seat on Tuesday to a primary challenger prepared to vote to ban abortion at conception.Gustafson is one of five female lawmakers dubbed the “sister senators” who blocked legislation to outlaw abortion from the point of conception in the state. The three Republicans among them – Gustafson, Sandy Senn and Katrina Shealy – each drew male primary challengers who competed for conservative primary voters seeking more restrictive abortion access.Missouri begins major project to improve Interstate 70https://www.missourinet.com/2024/06/13/shovels-come-out-to-break-ground-on-missouris-historic-i-70-expansion/A groundbreaking ceremony was held today to celebrate the start of construction for the Improve I-70 project, which will widen the interstate to at least three lanes each in both directions from St. Louis to Kansas City.Construction on the $2.8 billion Improve I-70 Program is set to begin in July. The first phase of the project begins in mid-Missouri, with the interchanges of U.S. Route 63 in Columbia and U.S. Route 54 in Kingdom City.Gov. Mike Parson was on hand to commemorate the occasion. One of his top priorities throughout his tenure has been to improve Missouri's infrastructure system.“What we're doing in infrastructure in this state is going to set us apart from many, many other states and it's just, for the future of our state, I can't even explain how much of an impact it's going to have. But it's fun. It's exciting to finish up your term on a high note like this,” he told reporters.Indiana musician hitting the scene in a big wayhttps://www.stephenwilsonjr.com/Stephen Wilson Jr. is a singer/songwriter from rural Southern Indiana. Self-described as “Death Cab For Country,” Stephen Wilson Jr. draws upon indie rock, grunge and country to create a distinct sound that is influenced by artists as diverse as The National, Willie Nelson, John Mellencamp and Nirvana.​Wilson was raised by a single father who was a boxer and had him boxing from age seven through adulthood as an Indiana State Golden Gloves finalist. The self-taught guitarist moved to Nashville to pursue a degree in Microbiology at MTSU, where he started indie rock band AutoVaughn after finishing his degree. After five years of touring the world as lead guitarist with AutoVaughn, Wilson turned his creative focus toward songwriting and singing. After the band, Wilson relied back on his education where he worked for several years as an R&D scientist at Mars until signing a publishing deal with BMG Nashville in 2016. His songs were soon recorded by acts like Caitlyn Smith, Brothers Osborne, Old Dominion, MacKenzie Porter, Sixpence None the Richer and Leigh Nash.SOURCES: Missouri Independent, The Guardian, Michigan Advance, Nebraska Examiner, Kansas Reflector, Missourinet.com, Stephenwilsonjr.com @TheHeartlandPOD on Twitter and ThreadsCo-HostsAdam Sommer @Adam_Sommer85 (Twitter) @adam_sommer85 (Threads)Rachel Parker @msraitchetp (Threads) Sean Diller (no social)The Heartland Collective - Sign Up Today!JOIN PATREON FOR MORE - AND JOIN OUR SOCIAL NETWORK!“Change The Conversation”Outro Song: “The World Is On Fire” by American Aquarium http://www.americanaquarium.com/

No Labels has No Candidates and is No More | One Suit, Two Suit, Red Suit Defamation Suit Filed against Missouri Lawmakers | Wisconsin Voters Restrict Themselves | Iowa State Senate Favors Chemical Creators over Citizens | Missouri House Speaker Investigation Continues | Tennessee woman sues over abortion access | Kansas Newspaper Raid Investigation Wrapping UpSOURCES: The Missouri Independent, KMBC news, Iowa Capital Dispatch, Kansas Reflector, St Louis Post-Dispatch, and The GuardianSHOW NOTES3 Missouri State Senators Suedhttps://missouriindependent.com/2024/04/04/three-missouri-state-senators-sued-for-defamation-over-posts-about-chiefs-parade-shooting/https://www.kmbc.com/article/olathe-kansas-man-wrongly-identified-as-chiefs-parade-shooter-sues-3-missouri-lawmakers/60388311Three Missouri Republicans – including one running for statewide office – are being sued for defamation over social media posts incorrectly identifying a Kansas man as an undocumented immigrant and the shooter at the Kansas City Chiefs' Super Bowl victory celebration.On Tuesday, Denton Loudermill of Olathe, Kansas, filed federal lawsuits against state Sens. Rick Brattin of Harrisonville, Denny Hoskins of Warrensburg and Nick Schroer of Defiance. Loudermill last week filed a similar complaint against U.S. Rep. Tim Burchett of Tennessee. The four lawsuits are almost identical in their allegations against, which involve the lawmakers using social media platforms to repost a photo of Loudermill in handcuffs shortly after the shooting. “The publication of the false representation that plaintiff was an ‘illegal alien' and a ‘shooter' was not made in good faith nor was it made by defendant with any legitimate interest in making or duty to make such assertions,” the lawsuit against Brattin states. Wisconsin Voters Vote To Limit Voting… No Seriouslyhttps://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2024/apr/04/wisconsin-amendments-harmful-voting-elections?CMP=Share_iOSApp_OtherWisconsin voters enshrined in the state constitution on Tuesday two amendments that election officials and voting rights advocates worry will hurt election administration in the state.The first bans election offices from accessing private grants – a source of revenue that election officials relied on in 2020 to run elections during the pandemic and have since used to stock voting equipment in polling places.During the 2020 elections, election offices across the country – already chronically underfunded – accessed grants from the Center for Tech and Civic Life, a non-profit organization funded by Mark Zuckerberg, the Meta CEO, and his wife, Priscilla Chan. The grants were doled out with the explicit purpose of funding Covid-19 mitigation in polling places, and election offices used the money for things like personal protective equipment and to set up drive-through, contactless voting. Iowa Senate Says “Suck It Up” to folks hurt by mega corporation chemicalshttps://iowacapitaldispatch.com/2024/04/02/iowa-senate-votes-to-limit-lawsuits-over-roundup-other-farm-and-lawn-chemicals/A bill that would partially shield the maker of a widely used agricultural and lawn herbicide from lawsuits over its health effects was adopted by the Iowa Senate on Tuesday.Senate File 2412 would protect Bayer against claims it failed to warn people about the potential health effects of Roundup so long as its product is labeled as required by federal regulators.The legislation would apply to all domestic producers of herbicides and pesticides, but eliminating the failure-to-warn claims is part of Bayer's public strategy to “manage and mitigate the risks of Roundup litigation,” according to its website.The company hopes the U.S. Supreme Court decides that the claims are overruled by federal law, which the company predicts “could largely end the Roundup litigation.” But a federal appeals court rejected that argument in February.Bayer says about 167,000 lawsuits have been filed by people who claim their exposure to Roundup caused ailments such as cancer, often non-Hodgkin's lymphoma. The herbicide has been used to kill weeds for about four decades. The litigation has cost the company billions of dollars.The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has said Roundup's primary ingredient, glyphosate, is not likely to cause cancer in humans and that it poses no health risks “when used in accordance with its current label.” But in 2015, the International Agency for Research on Cancer determined glyphosate is “probably carcinogenic to humans.”Missouri House Speaker Plocher, Now Candidate for Secretary of State, Narrows Focushttps://www.stltoday.com/news/local/government-politics/investigation-of-missouri-s-house-speaker-zeroes-in-on-lobbyist-aides-and-advisers/article_f77bc748-f203-11ee-8b90-d33ac8c58ed3.html?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=twitterAn investigation of the leader of the Missouri House appears to be focused on his efforts to steer an $800,000 state contract to a software vendor.Meeting for the seventh time since launching a probe into House Speaker Dean Plocher, the House Ethics Committee was expected to take closed-door testimony Wednesday from a handful of aides and advisers.If Plocher appears, it would mark his second time before the bipartisan panel, which has hired an investigator to conduct interviews and help prepare a report outlining any findings.Among those on the schedule is Rod Jetton, whom Plocher hired as his chief of staff last year as the scandal was unfolding. Jetton told the Post-Dispatch Wednesday he was not sure what information the committee wanted from him. Tennessee Woman Sues State Over Abortion Restrictionshttps://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2024/apr/04/tennessee-abortion-ban?CMP=Share_iOSApp_OtherJanuary 2023, whenever Kathryn Archer took her young daughter out to the local playground in Nashville, Tennessee, strangers often noticed her visibly pregnant stomach and wanted to make small talk.“When are you due?” they would ask Archer. “Do you know if you're having a boy or a girl?” “Oh, I bet your daughter's so excited to be a big sister.”Archer did not know how to tell them the truth: in early January, Archer's fetus had been diagnosed with several serious anomalies that made a miscarriage likely. If Archer did give birth, her baby could only be treated with surgeries and lifelong help – pain that Archer was unwilling to put a newborn through. Without those surgeries, which the infant might not survive, Archer's baby would die shortly after birth.But due to Tennessee's near-total abortion ban, Archer could not terminate her pregnancy in her home state and, instead, had to wait more than three weeks for an appointment at an out-of-state abortion clinic.“I don't want to confide in a stranger that I'm having to get an abortion because my baby can't survive outside of my womb and I can't get the care that I need as soon as I need it,” Archer recalled thinking. “Those three weeks were really bizarre, challenging, painful – beyond what it needed to be.”Investigation Into Marion Co. Raid That Killed Former Publisher in Kansas Is Winding Uphttps://kansasreflector.com/2024/04/02/colorado-authorities-wrapping-up-investigation-into-marion-police-who-raided-kansas-newspaper/The Colorado Bureau of Investigation is nearly finished with its inquiry into potential criminal activity surrounding the raid on the Marion County Record last year and will turn over findings to special prosecutors later this month, state authorities said Tuesday.The announcement comes a day after the Marion County Record filed a lawsuit in federal court seeking damages for alleged violations of civil rights.Melissa Underwood, a spokeswoman for the Kansas Bureau of Investigation, said Riley County Attorney Barry Wilkerson and Sedgwick County District Attorney Marc Bennett would determine whether to file criminal charges against journalists, law enforcement officers or anyone else.  @TheHeartlandPOD on Twitter and ThreadsCo-HostsAdam Sommer @Adam_Sommer85 (Twitter) @adam_sommer85 (Post)Rachel Parker @msraitchetp (Threads) Sean Diller (no social)The Heartland Collective - Sign Up Today!JOIN PATREON FOR MORE - AND JOIN OUR SOCIAL NETWORK!“Change The Conversation”Outro Song: “The World Is On Fire” by American Aquarium http://www.americanaquarium.com/

No Labels has No Candidates and is No More | One Suit, Two Suit, Red Suit Defamation Suit Filed against Missouri Lawmakers | Wisconsin Voters Restrict Themselves | Iowa State Senate Favors Chemical Creators over Citizens | Missouri House Speaker Investigation Continues | Tennessee woman sues over abortion access | Kansas Newspaper Raid Investigation Wrapping UpSOURCES: The Missouri Independent, KMBC news, Iowa Capital Dispatch, Kansas Reflector, St Louis Post-Dispatch, and The GuardianSHOW NOTES3 Missouri State Senators Suedhttps://missouriindependent.com/2024/04/04/three-missouri-state-senators-sued-for-defamation-over-posts-about-chiefs-parade-shooting/https://www.kmbc.com/article/olathe-kansas-man-wrongly-identified-as-chiefs-parade-shooter-sues-3-missouri-lawmakers/60388311Three Missouri Republicans – including one running for statewide office – are being sued for defamation over social media posts incorrectly identifying a Kansas man as an undocumented immigrant and the shooter at the Kansas City Chiefs' Super Bowl victory celebration.On Tuesday, Denton Loudermill of Olathe, Kansas, filed federal lawsuits against state Sens. Rick Brattin of Harrisonville, Denny Hoskins of Warrensburg and Nick Schroer of Defiance. Loudermill last week filed a similar complaint against U.S. Rep. Tim Burchett of Tennessee. The four lawsuits are almost identical in their allegations against, which involve the lawmakers using social media platforms to repost a photo of Loudermill in handcuffs shortly after the shooting. “The publication of the false representation that plaintiff was an ‘illegal alien' and a ‘shooter' was not made in good faith nor was it made by defendant with any legitimate interest in making or duty to make such assertions,” the lawsuit against Brattin states. Wisconsin Voters Vote To Limit Voting… No Seriouslyhttps://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2024/apr/04/wisconsin-amendments-harmful-voting-elections?CMP=Share_iOSApp_OtherWisconsin voters enshrined in the state constitution on Tuesday two amendments that election officials and voting rights advocates worry will hurt election administration in the state.The first bans election offices from accessing private grants – a source of revenue that election officials relied on in 2020 to run elections during the pandemic and have since used to stock voting equipment in polling places.During the 2020 elections, election offices across the country – already chronically underfunded – accessed grants from the Center for Tech and Civic Life, a non-profit organization funded by Mark Zuckerberg, the Meta CEO, and his wife, Priscilla Chan. The grants were doled out with the explicit purpose of funding Covid-19 mitigation in polling places, and election offices used the money for things like personal protective equipment and to set up drive-through, contactless voting. Iowa Senate Says “Suck It Up” to folks hurt by mega corporation chemicalshttps://iowacapitaldispatch.com/2024/04/02/iowa-senate-votes-to-limit-lawsuits-over-roundup-other-farm-and-lawn-chemicals/A bill that would partially shield the maker of a widely used agricultural and lawn herbicide from lawsuits over its health effects was adopted by the Iowa Senate on Tuesday.Senate File 2412 would protect Bayer against claims it failed to warn people about the potential health effects of Roundup so long as its product is labeled as required by federal regulators.The legislation would apply to all domestic producers of herbicides and pesticides, but eliminating the failure-to-warn claims is part of Bayer's public strategy to “manage and mitigate the risks of Roundup litigation,” according to its website.The company hopes the U.S. Supreme Court decides that the claims are overruled by federal law, which the company predicts “could largely end the Roundup litigation.” But a federal appeals court rejected that argument in February.Bayer says about 167,000 lawsuits have been filed by people who claim their exposure to Roundup caused ailments such as cancer, often non-Hodgkin's lymphoma. The herbicide has been used to kill weeds for about four decades. The litigation has cost the company billions of dollars.The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has said Roundup's primary ingredient, glyphosate, is not likely to cause cancer in humans and that it poses no health risks “when used in accordance with its current label.” But in 2015, the International Agency for Research on Cancer determined glyphosate is “probably carcinogenic to humans.”Missouri House Speaker Plocher, Now Candidate for Secretary of State, Narrows Focushttps://www.stltoday.com/news/local/government-politics/investigation-of-missouri-s-house-speaker-zeroes-in-on-lobbyist-aides-and-advisers/article_f77bc748-f203-11ee-8b90-d33ac8c58ed3.html?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=twitterAn investigation of the leader of the Missouri House appears to be focused on his efforts to steer an $800,000 state contract to a software vendor.Meeting for the seventh time since launching a probe into House Speaker Dean Plocher, the House Ethics Committee was expected to take closed-door testimony Wednesday from a handful of aides and advisers.If Plocher appears, it would mark his second time before the bipartisan panel, which has hired an investigator to conduct interviews and help prepare a report outlining any findings.Among those on the schedule is Rod Jetton, whom Plocher hired as his chief of staff last year as the scandal was unfolding. Jetton told the Post-Dispatch Wednesday he was not sure what information the committee wanted from him. Tennessee Woman Sues State Over Abortion Restrictionshttps://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2024/apr/04/tennessee-abortion-ban?CMP=Share_iOSApp_OtherJanuary 2023, whenever Kathryn Archer took her young daughter out to the local playground in Nashville, Tennessee, strangers often noticed her visibly pregnant stomach and wanted to make small talk.“When are you due?” they would ask Archer. “Do you know if you're having a boy or a girl?” “Oh, I bet your daughter's so excited to be a big sister.”Archer did not know how to tell them the truth: in early January, Archer's fetus had been diagnosed with several serious anomalies that made a miscarriage likely. If Archer did give birth, her baby could only be treated with surgeries and lifelong help – pain that Archer was unwilling to put a newborn through. Without those surgeries, which the infant might not survive, Archer's baby would die shortly after birth.But due to Tennessee's near-total abortion ban, Archer could not terminate her pregnancy in her home state and, instead, had to wait more than three weeks for an appointment at an out-of-state abortion clinic.“I don't want to confide in a stranger that I'm having to get an abortion because my baby can't survive outside of my womb and I can't get the care that I need as soon as I need it,” Archer recalled thinking. “Those three weeks were really bizarre, challenging, painful – beyond what it needed to be.”Investigation Into Marion Co. Raid That Killed Former Publisher in Kansas Is Winding Uphttps://kansasreflector.com/2024/04/02/colorado-authorities-wrapping-up-investigation-into-marion-police-who-raided-kansas-newspaper/The Colorado Bureau of Investigation is nearly finished with its inquiry into potential criminal activity surrounding the raid on the Marion County Record last year and will turn over findings to special prosecutors later this month, state authorities said Tuesday.The announcement comes a day after the Marion County Record filed a lawsuit in federal court seeking damages for alleged violations of civil rights.Melissa Underwood, a spokeswoman for the Kansas Bureau of Investigation, said Riley County Attorney Barry Wilkerson and Sedgwick County District Attorney Marc Bennett would determine whether to file criminal charges against journalists, law enforcement officers or anyone else.  @TheHeartlandPOD on Twitter and ThreadsCo-HostsAdam Sommer @Adam_Sommer85 (Twitter) @adam_sommer85 (Post)Rachel Parker @msraitchetp (Threads) Sean Diller (no social)The Heartland Collective - Sign Up Today!JOIN PATREON FOR MORE - AND JOIN OUR SOCIAL NETWORK!“Change The Conversation”Outro Song: “The World Is On Fire” by American Aquarium http://www.americanaquarium.com/

Flyover Friday, March 1, 2024A flyover from this weeks top heartland stories including:Texas Is On Fire | Colorado Oil Wells Are Not So Well | Missouri Meat Packing Ponds Stink | Kansas legislators behave like bullies | Texas AG Making Lists Of Undesirables SOURCES: The heartland collective, Missouri independent, Kansas Reflector, Colorado Sun, Associated Press, Advocate and journalist - Erin Reed's blog, Erin In the MorningEvery thing is bigger in Texas, Including The States Largest Ever WildFirehttps://apnews.com/article/texas-panhandle-fire-evacuations-cbbb6a279bef1bd020722ed48927114aSTINNETT, Texas (AP) — A dusting of snow covered a desolate landscape of scorched prairie, dead cattle and burned out homes in the Texas Panhandle on Thursday, giving firefighters brief relief in their desperate efforts to corral a blaze that has grown into the largest in state history.The Smokehouse Creek fire grew to nearly 1,700 square miles (4,400 square kilometers). It merged with another fire and is just 3% contained, according to the Texas A&M Forest Service.Gray skies loomed over huge scars of blackened earth in a rural area dotted with scrub brush, ranchland, rocky canyons and oil rigs. In Stinnett, a town of about 1,600, someone propped up an American flag outside of a destroyed home.Colorado Oil Well Eye Sores Subject of new law suithttps://coloradosun.com/2024/02/24/colorado-orphaned-oil-wells-cleanup-lawsuit/It is just one orphan well among an estimated 1,800 in Colorado, but a lawsuit filed in Adams County District Court contends it is part of a large, fraudulent scheme to dump old, played-out wells onto the state.Adams County leads the state in orphan wells with 318. “It is a serious concern for the county and a growing concern as the number keeps increasing incrementally,” said Gregory Dean, the county's oil and gas administrator.The lawsuit, in which McCormick and her husband, Ronald, are among the plaintiffs, focuses on Denver-based HRM Resources LLC, which was the recipient of hundreds of low-producing oil and gas wells from some of the state's largest operators.For Adams County, orphan wells have been a big problem. Since July 2021 there have been 75 leaks and spills from orphan wells and 92% of the orphan well sites checked by county oil and gas inspectors were out of compliance.The lawsuit is seeking monetary damages. HRM currently has no active wells, according to the Colorado Energy and Carbon Management database, and in the last four years produced the equivalent of 550 barrels of oil.The company has been financed by Los Angeles-based Kayne Anderson Capital Advisors, which according to its website manages $34 billion in investments, many in niche areas including oil and gas fields. The company is mentioned but not named as a defendant.https://www.coloradoan.com/story/news/2017/05/02/cut-abandoned-gas-line-caused-firestone-home-explosion/309230001/In April 2017, in nearby FIRESTONE CO — A home explosion that killed two people was caused by unrefined natural gas that was leaking from a small abandoned pipeline from a nearby well, fire officials saidThe April 17 explosion in Firestone about 30 miles (48 kilometers) north of Denver happened when the odorless gas in the old line leaked into the soil and made its way into the home's basement, Ted Poszywak, chief of the Frederick-Firestone fire department, said Tuesday.Investigators do not know how or when the small pipe was cut. The house was within 200 feet (60 meters) of the well, and the pipeline was buried about 7 feet (2.1 meters) underground.Missouri Meatpacking Plant Lagoon Wretched Stenchhttps://missouriindependent.com/2024/02/29/missouri-house-bill-takes-aim-at-cesspool-of-meatpacking-sludge/Between Vallerie Steele, her seven siblings and their children, there's always a birthday or anniversary to celebrate on the family's southwest Missouri farm. The summer months are typically a parade of pool parties and barbecues.Until last year. The stench coming from the lagoon across the road from Steele's home has become unbearable. It holds waste Denali Water Solutions collects from meatpacking plants before spreading it as free fertilizer on farmers' properties. The smell from the “cesspool of rotting flesh” has forced the family inside, she said. “Nobody wants to eat a burger or a hot dog if it smells like rotten crap in the air,” Steele said in an interview with The Independent. “It's just disgusting.”She tried to stain her porch three times last summer but couldn't stand to be outside because of the smell. One of her sons was bullied at school because the stench of the lagoon clung to his clothes. Children at her younger son's combined elementary and middle school beg their teachers to stay inside during recess.“It literally burns your lungs, your chest,” she said. “I'm an ICU nurse — like, I know this isn't normal.”Steele leads a coalition of southwest Missouri residents fighting for more regulation of Denali's — and similar — lagoons. She implored state lawmakers last month to pass legislation meant to protect rural neighbors and impose more regulations on wastewater sludge haulers.And on Thursday, the Missouri House voted 151-2 to pass legislation that would require companies like Denali to have water pollution permits and follow certain design requirements for its facilities. Facilities like Denali's would have to be at least 1,000, 2,000 or 4,000 feet from the nearest public building or home depending on the size of the lagoon. And the state would have to establish sampling rules for the basins and require groundwater monitoring in hydrologically sensitive areas.Sponsored by state Reps. Ed Lewis, a Moberly Republican, and Dirk Deaton, a Noel Republican, the legislation now moves to the Missouri Senate for consideration. The House attached an emergency clause, meaning if it clears the Senate and is signed by the governor the new regulations would go into effect immediately. Kansas Lawmakers School Yard Bully Routine with LGBTQ+ personshttps://kansasreflector.com/2024/02/29/legislative-bullies-target-kansas-lgbtq-kids-for-harassment-with-anti-trans-bills/When Kansas GOP leaders consider three bills Thursday targeting transgender kids in the state, they might as well file into a local high school and line the hallways. From their posts, leaning arrogantly against lockers, they could yell slurs and throw elbows at beleaguered LGBTQ+ kids trying to make their way through the day.They're bullying our fellow Kansans.If lawmakers actually behaved like that at high school, they would face discipline and possibly suspension. In the Kansas Legislature, however, they will revel in news media coverage and behave as though they're protecting someone from something nefarious. You know, the same way a high school bully “protects” a target in P.E. class by shoving them to the floor.These lawmakers will profess to be concerned about gender-affirming care for those younger than 18. Here's the truth: They don't give a rip about gender-affirming care guidelines. If they did, they would listen to the bevy of medical experts, families and trans folks who explain the lifesaving necessity of this treatment.As American Academy of Pediatrics CEO Mark Del Monte put it, his group wants to “ensure young people get the reproductive and gender-affirming care they need and are seen, heard and valued as they are.”Forget expert opinion. These lawmakers want to harass and exclude kids who look and behave differently.They're bullies, no matter their age.Not To Be Outdone In Texas They Are Making Listshttps://www.erininthemorning.com/p/retaliation-texas-ag-paxton-demands?publication_id=994764&utm_campaign=email-post-title&r=1n4up&utm_medium=emailIn a legal filing Thursday, PFLAG (National sought to block a new demand from Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton that would require the organization to identify its Texas transgender members, doctors who work with them, and contingency plans for anti-transgender legislation in the state. The civil investigative demand, issued on Feb. 5, calls for extensive identifying information and records from the LGBTQ+ rights organization. PFLAG, in its filing to block the demands, describes them as "retaliation" for its opposition to anti-transgender laws in the state and alleges that they violate the freedom of speech and association protections afforded by the United States and Texas constitutions.Founded in 1973, PFLAG is the first and largest organization dedicated to supporting, educating, and advocating for LGBTQ+ people and their families.The demands are extensive. The letter to PFLAG National demands "unredacted" information around claims made by Brian Bond, PFLAG's Chief Executive Officer, in a legal fight against the ban on gender-affirming care in the state. Bond's claims highlighted that PFLAG represents 1,500 members in Texas, many of whom are seeking contingency plans if SB14, the ban on gender-affirming care, takes effect.Per the lawsuit, PFLAG National states that it would be required to disclose Texas trans youth members, including "complete names, Social Security numbers, dates of birth, jobs, home addresses, telephone numbers, [and] email addresses." It also states they would need to hand over documents and communications related to their medical care, hospitals outside the state, and "contingency plans" discussed among members for navigating the new laws on gender-affirming care in Texas.Learn more and support PFLAG at PFLAG.ORG @TheHeartlandPOD on Twitter and ThreadsCo-HostsAdam Sommer @Adam_Sommer85 (Twitter) @adam_sommer85 (Post)Rachel Parker @msraitchetp (Post) Sean Diller (no social)The Heartland Collective - Sign Up Today!JOIN PATREON FOR MORE - AND JOIN OUR SOCIAL NETWORK!“Change The Conversation”Outro Song: “The World Is On Fire” by American Aquarium http://www.americanaquarium.com/

Flyover Friday, March 1, 2024A flyover from this weeks top heartland stories including:Texas Is On Fire | Colorado Oil Wells Are Not So Well | Missouri Meat Packing Ponds Stink | Kansas legislators behave like bullies | Texas AG Making Lists Of Undesirables SOURCES: The heartland collective, Missouri independent, Kansas Reflector, Colorado Sun, Associated Press, Advocate and journalist - Erin Reed's blog, Erin In the MorningEvery thing is bigger in Texas, Including The States Largest Ever WildFirehttps://apnews.com/article/texas-panhandle-fire-evacuations-cbbb6a279bef1bd020722ed48927114aSTINNETT, Texas (AP) — A dusting of snow covered a desolate landscape of scorched prairie, dead cattle and burned out homes in the Texas Panhandle on Thursday, giving firefighters brief relief in their desperate efforts to corral a blaze that has grown into the largest in state history.The Smokehouse Creek fire grew to nearly 1,700 square miles (4,400 square kilometers). It merged with another fire and is just 3% contained, according to the Texas A&M Forest Service.Gray skies loomed over huge scars of blackened earth in a rural area dotted with scrub brush, ranchland, rocky canyons and oil rigs. In Stinnett, a town of about 1,600, someone propped up an American flag outside of a destroyed home.Colorado Oil Well Eye Sores Subject of new law suithttps://coloradosun.com/2024/02/24/colorado-orphaned-oil-wells-cleanup-lawsuit/It is just one orphan well among an estimated 1,800 in Colorado, but a lawsuit filed in Adams County District Court contends it is part of a large, fraudulent scheme to dump old, played-out wells onto the state.Adams County leads the state in orphan wells with 318. “It is a serious concern for the county and a growing concern as the number keeps increasing incrementally,” said Gregory Dean, the county's oil and gas administrator.The lawsuit, in which McCormick and her husband, Ronald, are among the plaintiffs, focuses on Denver-based HRM Resources LLC, which was the recipient of hundreds of low-producing oil and gas wells from some of the state's largest operators.For Adams County, orphan wells have been a big problem. Since July 2021 there have been 75 leaks and spills from orphan wells and 92% of the orphan well sites checked by county oil and gas inspectors were out of compliance.The lawsuit is seeking monetary damages. HRM currently has no active wells, according to the Colorado Energy and Carbon Management database, and in the last four years produced the equivalent of 550 barrels of oil.The company has been financed by Los Angeles-based Kayne Anderson Capital Advisors, which according to its website manages $34 billion in investments, many in niche areas including oil and gas fields. The company is mentioned but not named as a defendant.https://www.coloradoan.com/story/news/2017/05/02/cut-abandoned-gas-line-caused-firestone-home-explosion/309230001/In April 2017, in nearby FIRESTONE CO — A home explosion that killed two people was caused by unrefined natural gas that was leaking from a small abandoned pipeline from a nearby well, fire officials saidThe April 17 explosion in Firestone about 30 miles (48 kilometers) north of Denver happened when the odorless gas in the old line leaked into the soil and made its way into the home's basement, Ted Poszywak, chief of the Frederick-Firestone fire department, said Tuesday.Investigators do not know how or when the small pipe was cut. The house was within 200 feet (60 meters) of the well, and the pipeline was buried about 7 feet (2.1 meters) underground.Missouri Meatpacking Plant Lagoon Wretched Stenchhttps://missouriindependent.com/2024/02/29/missouri-house-bill-takes-aim-at-cesspool-of-meatpacking-sludge/Between Vallerie Steele, her seven siblings and their children, there's always a birthday or anniversary to celebrate on the family's southwest Missouri farm. The summer months are typically a parade of pool parties and barbecues.Until last year. The stench coming from the lagoon across the road from Steele's home has become unbearable. It holds waste Denali Water Solutions collects from meatpacking plants before spreading it as free fertilizer on farmers' properties. The smell from the “cesspool of rotting flesh” has forced the family inside, she said. “Nobody wants to eat a burger or a hot dog if it smells like rotten crap in the air,” Steele said in an interview with The Independent. “It's just disgusting.”She tried to stain her porch three times last summer but couldn't stand to be outside because of the smell. One of her sons was bullied at school because the stench of the lagoon clung to his clothes. Children at her younger son's combined elementary and middle school beg their teachers to stay inside during recess.“It literally burns your lungs, your chest,” she said. “I'm an ICU nurse — like, I know this isn't normal.”Steele leads a coalition of southwest Missouri residents fighting for more regulation of Denali's — and similar — lagoons. She implored state lawmakers last month to pass legislation meant to protect rural neighbors and impose more regulations on wastewater sludge haulers.And on Thursday, the Missouri House voted 151-2 to pass legislation that would require companies like Denali to have water pollution permits and follow certain design requirements for its facilities. Facilities like Denali's would have to be at least 1,000, 2,000 or 4,000 feet from the nearest public building or home depending on the size of the lagoon. And the state would have to establish sampling rules for the basins and require groundwater monitoring in hydrologically sensitive areas.Sponsored by state Reps. Ed Lewis, a Moberly Republican, and Dirk Deaton, a Noel Republican, the legislation now moves to the Missouri Senate for consideration. The House attached an emergency clause, meaning if it clears the Senate and is signed by the governor the new regulations would go into effect immediately. Kansas Lawmakers School Yard Bully Routine with LGBTQ+ personshttps://kansasreflector.com/2024/02/29/legislative-bullies-target-kansas-lgbtq-kids-for-harassment-with-anti-trans-bills/When Kansas GOP leaders consider three bills Thursday targeting transgender kids in the state, they might as well file into a local high school and line the hallways. From their posts, leaning arrogantly against lockers, they could yell slurs and throw elbows at beleaguered LGBTQ+ kids trying to make their way through the day.They're bullying our fellow Kansans.If lawmakers actually behaved like that at high school, they would face discipline and possibly suspension. In the Kansas Legislature, however, they will revel in news media coverage and behave as though they're protecting someone from something nefarious. You know, the same way a high school bully “protects” a target in P.E. class by shoving them to the floor.These lawmakers will profess to be concerned about gender-affirming care for those younger than 18. Here's the truth: They don't give a rip about gender-affirming care guidelines. If they did, they would listen to the bevy of medical experts, families and trans folks who explain the lifesaving necessity of this treatment.As American Academy of Pediatrics CEO Mark Del Monte put it, his group wants to “ensure young people get the reproductive and gender-affirming care they need and are seen, heard and valued as they are.”Forget expert opinion. These lawmakers want to harass and exclude kids who look and behave differently.They're bullies, no matter their age.Not To Be Outdone In Texas They Are Making Listshttps://www.erininthemorning.com/p/retaliation-texas-ag-paxton-demands?publication_id=994764&utm_campaign=email-post-title&r=1n4up&utm_medium=emailIn a legal filing Thursday, PFLAG (National sought to block a new demand from Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton that would require the organization to identify its Texas transgender members, doctors who work with them, and contingency plans for anti-transgender legislation in the state. The civil investigative demand, issued on Feb. 5, calls for extensive identifying information and records from the LGBTQ+ rights organization. PFLAG, in its filing to block the demands, describes them as "retaliation" for its opposition to anti-transgender laws in the state and alleges that they violate the freedom of speech and association protections afforded by the United States and Texas constitutions.Founded in 1973, PFLAG is the first and largest organization dedicated to supporting, educating, and advocating for LGBTQ+ people and their families.The demands are extensive. The letter to PFLAG National demands "unredacted" information around claims made by Brian Bond, PFLAG's Chief Executive Officer, in a legal fight against the ban on gender-affirming care in the state. Bond's claims highlighted that PFLAG represents 1,500 members in Texas, many of whom are seeking contingency plans if SB14, the ban on gender-affirming care, takes effect.Per the lawsuit, PFLAG National states that it would be required to disclose Texas trans youth members, including "complete names, Social Security numbers, dates of birth, jobs, home addresses, telephone numbers, [and] email addresses." It also states they would need to hand over documents and communications related to their medical care, hospitals outside the state, and "contingency plans" discussed among members for navigating the new laws on gender-affirming care in Texas.Learn more and support PFLAG at PFLAG.ORG @TheHeartlandPOD on Twitter and ThreadsCo-HostsAdam Sommer @Adam_Sommer85 (Twitter) @adam_sommer85 (Post)Rachel Parker @msraitchetp (Post) Sean Diller (no social)The Heartland Collective - Sign Up Today!JOIN PATREON FOR MORE - AND JOIN OUR SOCIAL NETWORK!“Change The Conversation”Outro Song: “The World Is On Fire” by American Aquarium http://www.americanaquarium.com/

The Top Hat crew sits down with editor-in-chief of the Kansas Reflector, Sherman Smith, to break down the still developing story of what happened in Marion County last week where Police staged a "Gestapo-style" raid on The Marion County Record, seizing computers, records, cellphones, and contributing to the death of the newspaper's 98-year-old co-owner.