Kansas Reflector Podcast

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.

A university and two colleges in central and western Kansas teamed up to confront the area's workforce challenges head on through career development and accessible education initiatives.

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.

Wayne Walker, owner of Common Ground Capital and CEO of LPC Conservation, and Mike Smith, who works with LPC Conservation projects in five states, talk about the vulnerability of the lesser prairie chicken.

Michael Smith and Ed Flentje, two of the four authors of "Reform and Reaction: The Arc of Kansas Politics," talk about their book, which identifies Gov. Sam Brownback as an outlier among more policy-driven governors who served the state since 1975.

Gov. Laura Kelly predicts voters in the Nov. 5 election will enable Democrats to claim at least two more seats in the Kansas House and three more seats in the Kansas Senate to eliminate the two-thirds supermajority held by Republicans at the Statehouse.

Reporter Anna Kaminski examines a recent state audit and legislators' questions about the effectiveness of tax increment financing districts — also known as TIF districts — in the state's largest cities.

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...

Robert Rowland, a University of Kansas professor of communication studies, says the vice presidential debate between Republican J.D. Vance and Democrat Tim Walz carries elevated importance given the extremely close presidential campaign between Donald Trump and Kamala Harris.

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.

For years, the Kansas Legislature has grappled with the best way to help Kansans in need, including children in foster care. Lawmakers in two interim committees recently met to hear about progress, or the lack of it, in these areas. Opinion editor Clay Wirestone talks with reporter Anna Kaminski about the state's efforts to improve the child welfare system.

Wichita police for decades discriminated against Black and Latino residents by placing them on a "gang list" for dubious reasons, subjecting them to enhanced scrutiny and harassment. But earlier this year, the city agreed to settle a federal lawsuit brought by the American Civil Liberties Union of Kansas and Kansas Appleseed, on behalf of the youth advocacy group Progeny, to alter the way police w...

Iian Ellis, a University of Kansas lecturer who grew up near London during formative years of punk music, says in a new book the attitude, symbols and sounds of punk rockers changed his life by encouraging him to question authority.

Kansas is being left behind by neighboring states in terms of recreational and medicinal sales of marijuana, which is illegal in Kansas. Inga Selders, a Prairie Village City Council member and founder of the Cannabis Justice Coalition, dives into this issue with Barry Grissom, a former U.S. attorney for Kansas who serves on the coalition's board.

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.

Sherman Smith, Kansas Reflector editor in chief, and Marisa Kabas, founder of The Handbasket, talk about changes in Marion one year after police raided the newspaper office, and how the raid impacts journalism.

Matt Kleinmann grew up in Overland Park and played basketball at the University of Kansas. He faces former U.S. Rep. Nancy Boyda in the Aug. 6 Democratic primary in the 2nd District.

Researchers and authors Mary Banwart and Teri Finneman talk about recent attacks on Vice President Kamala Harris for her gender after she replaced Joe Biden as the Democratic Party's presumptive presidential nominee for president.

Former U.S. Rep. Nancy Boyda, a Democratic candidate who seeks to reclaim the 2nd District seat in Congress, sees herself as “a strong, independent, moderate woman” appealing to Kansas voters who want difficult challenges resolved in Washington, D.C.

Bob Beatty, a political science professor at Washburn University, says former Attorney General Derek Schmidt had taken control of the Republican primary in the 2nd congressional district and that large numbers of potential voters remain disappointed with the presidential options of Republican Donald Trump and Democrat Joe Biden.

One-fourth of Kansas long-term nursing homes rank at the lowest level in terms of resident care, with for-profit facilities faring worse, in federal ratings. Dan Goodman, executive director of Kansas Advocates for Better Care, and Libby Hastings, the organization's communications coordinator, say federal lawmakers should intervene.

Michael Ogle, a Kansas National Guard veteran from Topeka, attempts to persuade Republican primary voters to support his campaign for the U.S. House.

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.

Kansas Action for Children vice president Adrienne Olejnik and data and policy analyst Ryan Reza talk about the 2024 Kids Count report from the Annie E. Casey Foundation, which shows Kansas slipping in the overall ranking.