From Washington, D.C., to Kansas, culture war issues are topping the conservative agenda. Many conservatives are advocating restricting speech in schools to ban something called “critical race theory” (CRT). 

Who among us, at some point during our adolescence, didn’t approach our parents with something we desperately wanted to do and then, as if it would seal the deal, added, “All my friends are doing it”?

When asked four years ago if we could conceive of Donald Trump being elected president, we dismissed the idea of Americans falling for this huckster.

Since the 2000 electoral mess, Republicans have advocated increased restrictions on voting. No official has been more vocal about this than former Kansas Secretary of State Kris Kobach. This year, led by President Trump, Republicans are sounding the alarm about possible fraud, given the larg…

Change in education goals used to come slowly. Since the 1960s, it’s generally come from federal law and Supreme Court rulings. But today, political polarization and social media clashes have devolved decision-making to debate. 

In this holiday season, gifts take center stage, for better or worse. We often give and receive gifts that are curious, strange, or useless, as well as those we genuinely desire. Sometimes, however, we get a gift that we never anticipated, one that we appreciate in part because its very surprise.

Try to imagine Walter Cronkite telling his viewers that he wouldn’t want to live in a world where television journalists could only report what was determined to be 100% true.

Last week, thousands of people gathered in Houston to mourn the death of Harris County (Texas) Sheriff’s Deputy Sandeep Dhaliwal. Dhaliwal, who was shot dead during a routine traffic stop in a non-hate crime-related ambush, not only served and protected his community as a law enforcement off…

Sleepless in Kansas? Maybe not, if you are a student at Emporia State University.

Like many children, I once dreamed of becoming president of the United States. A big, old White House and a high-power job were awe-inspiring.

October can be such a pleasant month with its cooler temperatures and beautiful fall foliage. It can also be a life-changing month for thousands of dogs throughout the country. October is “Adopt a Shelter Dog Month.” When you think about it, it’s a perfect month to add to your family. School…

By Katharine Kosin, Kirsti Kenneth and Pierce McManus

“When an ir-re-sistible force, meets an old im-mov-able object like this, you can bet just as sure as you live, something’s got to give.” Johnny Mercer wrote it. Frank Sinatra sang it, and we all fell in love with its optimistic take on inevitability. 

When children return to school over the next few weeks, should they find religion on the syllabus? It may surprise some, but a significant majority of Americans — including public school teachers — say yes.

Kansas Can, launched by the Kansas State Board of Education is a visionary project to create more effective preK-12 learning. Begun in 2017 with seven schools, today Kansas Can has grown to include 66 of the 286 districts in Kansas. 

While religious freedom can mean many different things to you personally, within the U.S. Constitution it means only two things: the government can’t promote one religion over another (or promote religion over the lack of religion, or vice versa) and you have the right to worship, or not, as…

As policymakers manage the daily reality of Kansas’s prison crisis, let’s understand the core issue and its implications. Kansas has a growing prison population but lags other states on criminal justice reforms that could curb that growth, ease managing prisons and reduce budget strain from …

Former Speaker of the U.S. House Tip O’Neill famously said, “All politics is local.” He was referring specifically to congressional races, where responding to local issues from a national perspective – farm subsidy payments, social security checks, small business loans, etc. – was crucial to…

The First Amendment protects all kinds of speech we don’t like, but nothing in those 45 words prevents us from critically evaluating what we believe — or choose to retweet.

Kansas’s share of federal dollars has been dropping precipitously in recent years.

The beginning of a new fall semester is near. Labette Community College faculty will be back on campus, preparing for the semester with in-service and work days. It’s a time to remind ourselves about the central mission of the college: Creating quality learning opportunities in a supportive …

It’s one thing to be a loyal political subject, as Congressman Roger Marshall has proven to be for the Trump monarchy.

 Happy Groundhog Day, everyone! While we do not have any groundhogs at Proud Animal Lovers Shelter, we do have 23 dogs and 11 cats who would love to have their own forever families.

With a Democrat as the next governor of Kansas and a Republican-controlled Legislature, this would seem to be an opportunity for bipartisan cooperation in the Kansas Statehouse ... right after Kris Kobach tears up his NRA membership card.

“Take me back, take me way, way, way back…

By Patti Findley

It’s become common to refer to the current political climate as the “new normal.”

Kris Kobach will not be the next governor of Kansas.

Shock and awe! Kansas voters nailed the coffin shut this week on the discredited Brownback era. They chose a bipartisan path forward by electing Democratic state Sen. Laura Kelly as governor and soundly rejected her opponent, Secretary of State Kris Kobach.

The 2nd District seat in U.S. Congress is one of the most important choices to affect Kansas and the nation. Today, Congress (the U.S. House of Representative and the U.S. Senate) is held in the majority by the GOP. Many people are frustrated with the gridlock that exists in dialogue, some f…

President Donald Trump campaigns in Kansas today. This should provoke Democrats into action.

Politics is a funny business. It’s not meant to be because politicians, by their nature, aren’t intentionally funny.

If you’re part of an endangered species in Kansas known as moderate Republicans, it’s OK to walk the walk, just don’t talk the talk.

Will the “Trump effect” carry Kris Kobach and Republican congressional candidates to victory this November?

Actions have always spoken louder than words.

Despite the great success of female candidates across the country this year, 2018 may become even more the political year of youth. This rosy possibility confronts the hard historical reality of low interest, low voting turnout and general cynicism toward politics among the young.

In communities across Kansas, farmers’ markets continue to offer homegrown and homemade products. Everything from freshly picked fruits and vegetables to mouthwatering baked goods, fresh eggs, beef, lamb, pork, colorful flower arrangements and assorted bedding plants.

Nearly 45,000 Americans die by suicide each year —an increase of nearly 25 percent since 1999.  No wonder the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention calls it a public health crisis. The problem is even worse in Kansas:  Up 45 percent in the same time frame. The issue is in today’s headli…

If you’re reading this column in your local newspaper, congratulations! Just by skimming your eyeballs over this page, whether it’s in print or online, you’re doing a vital service for your hometown, and for democracy as a whole. (Go ahead and take the rest of the day off.)

 This is it. The end. I’m not going to be around anymore to nag you about low birth rates, shrinking populations out west and the inevitability of change and its costs and responsibilities. No more scoffing at ridiculous claims about the sanctity of free enterprise without government interfe…

Rightly or wrongly, certain First Amendment issues tend to dominate the national conversation more than others. Bring up President Trump’s tweets criticizing the news media, college campus protests of controversial speakers, or the possibility of the government regulating Facebook and you’re…

The next time you take a few minutes out of the sun, dust off one of those old family albums. You know the ones that date back to the ‘30s, ‘40s and even the late ‘50s.

Before I share some of the May news from PALS, I’d like to mention a concern that comes up this time of year.  It seems like every year we hear of more deaths of children and pets from being left in cars.  I haven’t heard of any local children being left in hot cars, but I’ve sure seen way t…

As state legislators grappled with a new Kansas school-funding plan this spring, in West Virginia, Kentucky, Oklahoma, Arizona, Colorado and recently North Carolina, strikes, walkouts and statewide teacher rallies closed schools.