Subject: Kansas

• Missouri's Own Coal Battle

  November 15, 2007

• Not in Kansas Anymore

  February 27, 2008

• Weekend Shows/MP3s: The Cops, American Princes, Moreland Arbuckle

  May 2, 2008

• Supreme Court turns down Kris Kobach

  July 1, 2008

• The Onion Says President Bush to View Kansas Devastation

  July 18, 2008

• Kansas School Board: Still arguing about evolution!

  October 27, 2008

• Lawrence is kryptonite for Heroes

  Ever since NBC's sci-fi show Heroes came back on the air this year, it's been an interminable mess, causing critics and fans to wonder how the show could've fallen from a shining first season to the pandering crap of today. It might all be Kansas's fault.

  November 25, 2008

• Kansas in the Rose Parade: Same ol' Wizard of Oz crap

  Kansans looking for home state props during tomorrow's Tournament of Roses parade can thank Bayer CropScience, a massive ag science company, for once again reminding millions of viewers worldwide that Kansas will never, ever be rid of The Wizard of Oz. Bayer CropScience, which is part of the Bayer global health, science and technology conglomerate, has a Manufacturing, Research and Development plant on Hawthorne Road in Kansas City, Missouri, and a Research and Development facility in Stilwell,

  December 31, 2008

• Kansas Liberty still only source widely circulating school funding claim

  Mary Pilcher-Cook's "fair and factual" news source, Kansas Liberty, continues to be the only source in Kansas pushing the idea that the state's budget woes were caused by an increase in school funding."The hike in education funding is widely cited as a growing problem as Kansas seeks to weather an unprecedented financial crisis," Kansas Liberty's Holly Smith wrote. Once again, I turn to school funding expert Bruce Baker: "Or could it just be the economy ... stupid. States are facing large budget

  January 6, 2009

• Study to prove minors are boozing via the Web

  Being a child of the Internet, one thing I learned early on was to never be surprised by what you can buy on the Internet. From exotic animals to prescription drugs to "escorts," everything is basically at your fingertips.Except booze. Kansas is one of 21 states that doesn't allow you to purchase alcohol over the Internet and, much to wineries' chagrin, it doesn't allow Kansas wineries to ship to other states either. In states like Missouri where it is legal, there are still many hoops to jump t

  January 16, 2009

• Kansas and 3.2 percent beer: a slightly buzzed history

  Currently, five states have 3.2 beer: Minnesota, Oklahoma, Colorado, Utah and Kansas. While Utah loves its weak brine, Colorado is close to eliminating the stuff and Kansas may soon follow. The house will vote on a bill to raise the definition of a cereal malt beverage from a weak-ass 3.2 percent to a manly four percent as defined by this bill. (Warning! PDF and boring legalese.)  If the bill doesn't pass it will have nothing to do with temperance or the evils of alcohol but with money, bec

  January 27, 2009

• Family-planning concession may cost Kansas

  In an effort to blunt Republican objections to the federal stimulus bill, President Obama has asked Democrats to pull the provision that would help provide contraceptives to poor women.The decision may impact Kansas more than most places. Historically, the Sunflower State ranks near the bottom in public funding for contraceptive services. According to a 2005 analysis by the Guttmacher Institute, public expenditures for contraceptive services fell by 32 percent in Kansas from 1994 to 2001.The Gut

  January 28, 2009

• Kansas Liberty ain't free. It costs two bucks ... a week

  You are such a tease, Kansas state Sen. Mary Pilcher-Cook. You get us hooked on Kansas Liberty, the only "fair and factual" news source in Kansas, and then you cut us off. Make us pay for it. You are such a dirty tease. At midnight, you'll finally turn into a pumpkin -- and start charging $2 a week. So goodbye, Mary. Yours in Kansas Liberty, Justin.

  February 3, 2009

• Economic collapse good for lung cancer, bad for Texas hold 'em

  Photo by Jay SoldnerOn the Missouri side, Kansas City bar owners have blamed the smoking ban for hurting local businesses alongside the relative novelty of the Power & Light District and everyone losing their jobs. Thanks to the bad economy, KCK residents will probably get to keep their lung candy a bit longer, but it'll be harder to play nickel slots while they puff.

  February 4, 2009

• Man Impersonates Kansas Guitarist, Dies

  Not MA guy.Many thanks to Rockville for directing me to this Topeka Capital-Journal story on the death of a Massachusettes dude who for years told people he was eye-patched classic rock guitarist Rich Williams (who is still alive) of the Kansas band Kansas. In addition to telling people he was Williams, according to the article, the late Eric "Rick" de Boer also incorrectly attributed the writing of "Carry On, Wayward Son" to his not-self. The song was actually written by Kansas guitarist and c

  February 4, 2009

• The snowpocalypse is coming

  If you believe Gary Amble, you'll need one of these to get to Planet Comicon tomorrow. This was actually shot in Goodland, Kansas. And there's more.

  March 27, 2009

• Regarding the minimum wage in Kansas

  Minimum wage, which the federal government has set at $6.55, is not the real minimum wage. In many cases workers with disabilities or full-time students are allowed to be paid under minimum wage. Same with people under 20, whose minimum wage is $4.25 for their first 90 days of work. Then there's the tip-based worker, who, according to the government, is anyone who "regularly receives more than $30 a month in tips." They have to be payed $2.13 and hour. If the person doesn't make enough tips to c

  February 16, 2009

• Utah makes Kansas look like a party pooper

  Flickr: OtzbergNo state is more anti-drinking than Utah. The idiosyncrasies of the Beehive State's liquor laws are enough to fill a book, like this one. You can't sell beer or spirits on an election day. There's no such things as bars, just private clubs with membership fees. One person can't order a pitcher of beer due to the "slammin' law," which prevents people from having more than one drink in front of them. To order a pitcher, three people have to go up to the bar together.And like Kansas,

  March 4, 2009

• Missouri and Kansas: Losing our religion

  A new study shows that, even in the Midwest where "God Hates Fags," conservative officials want to teach kids creationism and educators want to fight teen pregnancy with abstinence, America might be losing faith. Yesterday, Trinity College in Connecticut released the American Religious Identification Survey, which questioned nearly 55,000 citizens about their church allegiances. The verdict: The number of US residents sleeping in on Sunday is on the rise. According to Trinity, we're still a

  March 10, 2009

• Kansas snubs out another smoking bill

  Flickr: Star5112I don't mean for this to be "let's harp on Kansas" day but sometimes it's too easy. Yesterday, a committee in the Kansas House killed a statewide smoking ban. The Associated Press is reporting that the "House Health and Human Services Committee took less than five minutes Wednesday to vote to table the issue until it receives more information." There's zero chance the bill will get reconsidered this session. This is the third fourth statewide smoking ban bill to not pass in Kansa

  March 19, 2009

• Wanted: the most iconic restaurants in Kansas

  Flickr: Jimmy Wayne 22The Kansas Sampler Foundation is an organization that encourages tourism and promotes growth in rural areas of Kansas. Now searching for the "8 Wonders" of Kansas Cuisine, the foundation wants your nomination for the most iconic/best/friendliest restaurants or foods in the wheat state by March 31. (There have been similar contests for Kansas art, architecture and commerce.) The contest is open to restaurants anywhere in the state. The only requirements are that they have be

  March 20, 2009

• After 20 years, Kansas finally passes minimum wage raise

  Back in February I wrote about Kansas' paltry minimum wage of $2.65 per hour and how it hadn't been raised in 20 years. A minimum-wage bill was making its way through the Kansas Senate, and experts weren't giving it much chance of passing.Well, School-House Rock style, the bill managed to get out of committee, get passed in the Kansas Senate and then overwhelmingly passed in the Kansas House. Now, after tweaks, it will wind up on Governor Sebelius' desk.

  March 26, 2009

• Letters from the week of April 16

  April 16, 2009

• Monday Drink Deals

  January 15, 2009

• Kansas’ foray into casino gambling makes a joker of everyone

  December 4, 2008

• On the Hoof

  September 11, 2008

• Park Place Flower Market

  September 4, 2008

• LGBT Stampede

  June 26, 2008

• Eat Weird Stuff

  May 8, 2008

• Bye Bye, Buffalo

  Slap these plates on the back of your ride.

  November 15, 2007

• Reporter's Notebook: Checking campaign contributions in 4 easy steps

  I started working on this week's cover story, "The Cure from Kansas," after discovering how much Big Healthcare money was pouring into the campaign fund of Kansas Rep. Brenda Landwehr, a Wichita Republican who heads the House Health and Human Services Committee. Landwehr's committee had proposed a particularly inhumane piece of legislation that made me wonder WTF they were thinking. Landwehr's campaign contributions told me everything I needed to know. What I found out was disturbing enough that

  April 8, 2009

• Kansas says bring on the booze

  Kansas Gov. Kathleen Sebelius has been busy lately. She signed 12 new bills into law yesterday. Hidden in the middle of the press release her office sent out was Senate Bill 212, "an act concerning alcoholic beverages" and more specifically, "concerning shipment of wines."Let's take a closer look at the eight-page bill (PDF), which significantly changes the wine-law landscape in Kansas.

  April 21, 2009

• Sol Azteca

  April 30, 2009

• Wind development could be a multibillion-dollar export industry for Kansas

  A new report concludes that calling Kansas the Saudi Arabia of wind power is actually an understatement of its blustery wealth. Last October, Kansas Lt. Gov. (and wind czar) Mark Parkinson asked the American Council on Renewable Energy, a non-profit group based in Washington, D.C., to put hard numbers on the state's renewable energy potential. The study released yesterday says the Sunflower State could produce so much juice from sustainable sources that electricity could become a multibillion-

  April 28, 2009

• Parkinson backs coal-fired power plant

  That didn't take long. Not even a week after the U.S. Senate confirmed Kathleen Sebelius as secretary of Health and Human Services, and Mark Parkinsonnewly minted Kansas Gov. Mark Parkinson has agreed to a deal that will allow Sunflower Electric to build a new coal-fired power plant in Holcomb. I checked in with The Pitch's Carolyn Szczepanski, who pays way more attention to power plants and coal than I do. She had a couple of quick, admittedly knee-jerk reactions:1) [Parkinson] was talking last

  May 5, 2009

• This week's "Best of Fat City"

  We're thinking these were the top stories posted on Fat City this week:   Absinthe doesn't necessarily make the heart grow fonder The best food holder of all The best chocolate chip cookie? Chefs salaries revealed A taste of Kansas and Missouri      

  May 8, 2009

• Thanks for noticing, CNN

  You just never know what CNN's batty home page is gonna have for you. This morning, alongside "Space station crew tastes recycled urine" and "Old wars, new wars, devastation is the same" (which is a little bit Marcus Aurelius and a little bit Harry Chapin), the big story is headlined "Whites become minority in Kansas county."The lead:Hundreds of U.S. communities are changing complexion. Though not new in California, Arizona, Texas or Florida, the change of demographics is more surprising in sout

  May 22, 2009

• A very real Midwest terror: Ug99

  There's a reason why Kansas is called the bread basket of America. It's the top-wheat producing state -- nearly double the total of runner-up North Dakota -- in the top-producing wheat country in the world. The Kansas Wheat Commission estimates that the annual wheat crop "pumps some $2.5 billion into the Kansas economy."But scientists fear that if the fungus called Ug99 ever reaches the Midwest, it would wipe out 80 percent -- or all of -- the crop, ending not only Kansas agriculture as we know

  June 15, 2009

• Adult businesses allowed to continue informing truckers where they can masturbate

  Kansas' adult stores and strip clubs were ready to take down their roadside signs this week, but thanks to a federal judge's intervention, they can keep their ads up for a little while longer, at least. Scheduled to take effect Wednesday, a 2006 Kansas law put restrictions on signs within one mile of a highway if they advertised adult businesses. The law limited signs to 40 square feet at their largest, and said the signs could only show the business name, hours and phone number. This seems

  June 30, 2009

• Missouri and Kansas keep eating

  The non-profit health policy organization Trust For America's Health released its annual F as in Fat survey yesterday. The results are not especially encouraging for Kansas or Missouri. While neither are among the 10 fattest states, they are perilously close. Missouri ranks as the 13th fattest, with just over 28 percent of adults qualifying as obese. Kansas increased its adult obesity rate this year to 27.2 percent, tying Alaska for 18th place. Mississippi is the number 1 state, at 32.5 percent.

  July 2, 2009

• Nebraska Furniture Mart is 'the single biggest tourist attraction' in Kansas

  Nebraska Furniture Mart vice president Bob Batt came to Kansas to personally dispute claims made by Wyandotte County's Unified Government that the big box electronics dealer owes millions of dollars in unpaid property taxes. Then at the Tuesday news conference, Batt reportedly reminded us how important Nebraska Furniture Mart is to Kansas:"We're not the bad guys here. We're the golden apple of Wyandotte County. We're the single biggest tourist attraction in the state of Kansas."This is sad and t

  July 15, 2009

• 14 local post offices on the chopping block

  ​Your grandma isn't going to be happy. The Postal Service has marked 14 local post offices (among 677 nationwide) for consolidation or closure. KMBC Channel 9 says they are:Fairfax, 3210 Fiberglass Rd., in KCKIndian Springs, 4953 State Ave., in KCKPacker, 628 Kansas Ave., in KCKBoardwalk, 6304 N.W. Barry Rd. in KCMOCenter Square, 1100 Main St., in KCMOCentropolis, 5824 E. Truman, in KCMOCivic Center, 601 E. 12th St., in KCMOMetro Mall, 400 N.W. Barry Rd., in KCMONortheast, 105 N. Hardesty Ave.

  August 4, 2009

• Inmates not as rich as we all thought

  www.consumerwarningnetwork.com ​AOL's Daily Finance has an interesting story about a crappy national trend. Supposedly it's now cheaper to stay in a motel than it is to kick back in jail. Now we know how soft prison life is, what with the solid gold toilet in the center of the cell you share with eight other dudes, and the free cabernet made in said toilet. But it turns out being an inmate is actually not the get-rich-quick scheme it's made out to be on television. It's even harder now

  August 6, 2009

• Weary Kansas drivers will know where to buy Naughty Neighbors

  ​The sex industry is facing hard times due to Internet freebies (just like newspapers!), but count a win for sex shops in Kansas where Attorney General Steve Six won't appeal a district court ruling that blocked the enforcement of a law outlawing adult entertainment businesses from advertising on the Sunflower State's highways. "Given the state's budget challenges, it would be fiscally irresponsible to continue litigation that has very little chance of success," Six said in a statement. "This

  August 12, 2009

• KCK man brutally beaten

  A Kansas City, Kansas, man was beaten within an inch of his life early this morning. KCK police found a man in his 20s with life-threatening injuries in the 8300 block of Leavenworth Road around 4 a.m. View Larger Map If you saw the victim's vehicle -- a champagne-colored 2006 Chevy Malibu with Kansas tag PRTIBOI -- after 7 p.m. Tuesday, then detectives want to talk to you. Call 913-573-6020 or the TIPS Hotline at 816-474-8477.

  August 12, 2009

• Sorry, Kansans. Chad Franklin can't sell you a car

  ​Chad Franklin Suzuki -- the Kansas car dealer that offered way too good to be true deals -- settled its lawsuit with the state of Kansas, KSHB Channel 41 is reporting. And the loser in the suit is leaving Kansas. KSHB's Call For Action's investigative reports broke the story and now they're reporting that Chad Franklin Suzuki is paying the state $350,000 plus Chad Franklin Suzuki, CFS Enterprises and Legends Suzuki are all banned from selling vehicles in Kansas. This all really blew up starti

  August 14, 2009

• Astronaut, firefighter ... farmer?

  ​Out on Interstate 70, a weathered wooden billboard proudly announces that "One Kansas farmer feeds 129 people, plus you!" Ever thought about becoming that One Kansas farmer? No? Well, then you're not one of the cool kids. According to The Huffington Post, "farming has totally blown up" thanks to a call to return to working the land and college graduates increasingly opting to spend a post-graduate year on a farm. In attempting to discover whether this is an economy-driven trend or just a fad

  August 18, 2009

• Moonshine still here

  ​Moonshine is like pickling -- odds are you know somebody who engages in the practice -- and whatever you've sampled out of a mason jar has either been fantastic or mouth-numbingly bad. The main difference is that moonshine is illegal, while pickles are kosher with the law. Salon decided to look into whether our current do-it-yourself culture will expand into distilling spirits, despite that fact that it's currently illegal to brew your own liquor without a licensed and registered still. The m

  September 10, 2009

• Mark Cowardin Art Opening

  November 5, 2009

• Breaking! Kansans celebrate evolution!

  Josh Rosenau​We're getting reports of planned alcohol and snack consumption this weekend in honor of two anniversaries: the 150th of  Charles Darwin's On the Origin of the Species and the 10th for Kansas Citizens for Science. Among the celebrities expected to show up: Josh Rosenau, the science blogger who distinguished himself as one of the nation's best (even more impressive: He was our  Best Blogger) while writing Thoughts from Kansas during the 2005 "debate" about evolution. He's

  November 6, 2009