Digest for Dec 6, 2009

Kansas Clips from last week

Until I am more efficient, I will be experimenting with a biweekly digest for now, published with dates of late Sunday and late Wednesday.

Construction at the Capitol last week

Joint Committee on Children’s Issues (Nov 30, Dec 1 in Topeka)

• Kansas Watchdog
  • Parents, grandparents ask why children removed from homes
  • Compelling stories from parents and grandparents about problems with placement and removal of children
  • Legislators reflect on two days of hearings about children’s issues
  • State Sen. Julia Lynn grills SRS Secretary about contracting irregularities: “It just smells bad”
• WIBW:  State Joint Committee on Children’s Issues Discusses Foster Care System
• KHI News:  Fines proposed for foster care contractors

Watchdogs

• Kansas:
  • Sebelius and HHS Would Get Unprecedented Power
  • Food Stamp Use Increasing in Kansas and Across the Country
  • Sun Now Shines on Expenditures by Members of Congress
  • The Budget That Might Have Been
• Oklahoma:  Oklahoma Wind Energy Conference offers ‘revolution’
• New Hampshire:  A Closed Door Meeting on Open Government
• Mackinanc Center:  Ethanol Subsidies Create Problems
• Old Dominion (VA):  Citizens can check Congressional office costs
• West Virginia:  Unions, Lobbyists, and Lawyers Spend Most in W.Va. Elections
• National:  Threat of Eminent Domain Hangs in the Air Over Minnesota Wind Power Project

Blogs

• Wichita Liberty:  Wichita Convention and Visitors Bureau should follow Kansas Open Records Act
• Nice Deb:  Network News Not Reporting On Climategate
• AFP Kansas: AFP-Kansas educates Kansans on K-12 spending

• KFL:
  • Abortion redefined as ‘preventive care’ for fed funding, clinic shares space with public library to get customers
  • Aiden birthed in love thru Wichita “perinatal” hospice
  • Carhart: scary record, clinic and website
  • Grampa may be denied life-saving treatment and lose ability to buy protective coverage
  • Vast new powers for Sebelius in Senate health reform bill

  Wichita NAACP:  NAACP confronts Kansas Representative Bill Otto over his “redneck rap” and the issue of dog whistle politics

• Sunlight Foundation:  Sunlight Creates Database of Members’ Expenditures

• 

  Inside construction at Capitol last week

  WE Blog:  Wichita Convention and Visitors Bureau should follow Kansas Open Records Act

• Wichiotopekington:
  • Watkins stepping down from the Legislature
  • Dodge City casino set to open in mid-December
• Prime Buzz:   Musil out of GOP Third District House race

• Kansas Free Press:  Svatys of Ellsworth County Eager for Public Service
• Forward Kansas:  A Very Political Weekend
• KansasPrairie:  What’s the matter with Kansas Democrats?
• Climate + Energy Project:  Do LEDs really save energy?

News

• 

  Out house at Kansas Dept. of Ed in Topeka?

  De Soto:  Latest cuts to cost USD 232 nearly $2 million

• Dodge City:  National Beef in Dodge City may unionize
• El Dorado:  Countywide sales tax approved
• Hutchinson:
  • 2010 will be tough year for cattlemen
  • A harvest of challenges
  • Cultivating a workforce
  • USD 457 to decide on funding lawsuit
  • Son of senator lobbies for PSU
  • Courthouse incident raises security queries
  • Great Bend wins grant for sewer work
  • Inmate released by mistake
• JoCo (Sun):
  • Schools scramble after budgets cut
  • State Sen. Wysong retires from Legislature
• KC (Biz):  Kansas City-area unemployment improves in October
• KC (KCK):
  • KCK’s Gilyeat to make things official Monday
  • Brownback meets with BPU, tours plant
• KC (Star):
  • Check your bank’s latest report card
  • Kansas suspends hotel safety and sanitation inspections
  • School cuts will be off the table, legislator says
• 

  Boxes with new furniture on ground floor in Capitol (See LJW "Renovation article")

  Lawrence (J-W):

  • Kansas in education competition for up to $175 million in federal funding [Meadowlark:  Stimulus money -- future debut for the kids -- to help with education funding?  Does this make sense?]
  • Statehouse renovation questioned as cuts continue
• Shawnee (Kansas Liberty, $):  Deeper K-12 cuts possible — governor and fed. government must approve
• Topeka (C-J):  Mistakenly released inmate caught
• Wichita (Biz):  Wichita among 361 metros losing jobs
• Wichita (Eagle):  Candidate still in governor’s race after past lawsuit detailed

Technology

• The Top 7 mistakes new Twitter users make

Tags: Kansas Capitol Construction