Clay Wirestone

1 week ago | kansasreflector.com | Clay Wirestone

Senior reporters Tim Carpenter and Morgan Chilson help us decode the whirlwind of activity as Kansas legislators wrapped up their business for the year. Despite Democratic Gov. Laura Kelly rejecting a pile of bills, GOP supermajorities overrode her to force a fair number of them into law. Meanwhile, lawmakers finished up an array of other business for the year.

1 week ago | kansasreflector.com | Clay Wirestone

by Clay Wirestone, Kansas Reflector April 14, 2025 When do you call failure success? When you have a supermajority of Republicans in the Kansas Legislature. Whatever else you might have heard about the 2025 session, it was a disastrous bellyflop into a swimming pool full of curdled milk. Lawmakers wrapped up their work on Friday, leaving the state crueler, sicker, poorer and weaker. A bill mugging transgender kids made it into law. So did a bill promising tax cuts but threatening fiscal ruin.

1 week ago | kansasreflector.com | Clay Wirestone

Believe it or not, the Kansas Statehouse is a real place. It might sound like a state of mind or a setting for a basic cable crime drama, but the imposing limestone monolith actually exists. Lawmakers, journalists, advocates and everyday Kansans fill its halls and chambers. They vote, testify, chat and drink coffee. Kansas Reflector editor in chief Sherman Smith takes pictures.

2 weeks ago | alternet.org | Clay Wirestone

Being a Republican in Kansas means never having to say you’re sorry. Not really. Sure, you might have to mumble a half-hearted apology or lose an election here or there. But don’t worry! You won’t face any sanctions with teeth or be out of office for long. Kansas Republicans embrace affirmative action for middle-aged, mediocre white men who believe the right things. Take Rep. Nick Nick Hoheisel, R-Wichita. Back in February, he found himself in a bit of a jam after confronting with Rep.

2 weeks ago | yahoo.com | Clay Wirestone

Tecumseh South Elementary Students wheel the "moon tree" across a field before planting it May 28, 2024. The field is adjacent to the school, which is just east of Topeka in Shawnee County. This photo was part of an entry that won third place for best story/picture combination in the 2025 Kansas Press Association awards. (Sherman Smith/Kansas Reflector)The width and breadth of Kansas Reflector journalism was recognized in the annual Kansas Press Association contest results announced Wednesday.