Kansas Reflector Podcast

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.

Cindy Lane, the new director of the Kansas Blueprint for Literacy, and Blake Flanders, president and CEO of the Kansas Board of Regents, speak about the imperative that Kansas better equip current and future educators to teaching reading instruction to students.

Braided Haven board member Darin Stephens and executive director Kathleen Marker discuss the need for an LGBTQ+-specific shelter and the inspiration for the project. After years of work, the organization is planning to open both a drop-in center and a shelter.

Advocates of clemency for Sarah Gonzales-McLinn are taking the next step in their efforts. Gonzales-McLinn is serving at least 25 years in prison for murder, but her advocates want the public to understand that she was the victim of sex trafficking to learn more. Journalist Dave Ranney and advocate Michelle McCormick talk about the case.

Kansas businesses have more jobs than workers, and state universities are exporting 57% of graduates. A workforce pathway system could serve both students and businesses, says Torree Pederson, president and CEO of the Kansas City-based nonprofit Aligned.

National Park Service rangers Lawson Nwakudo and Jeff Tully discuss celebrations May 17 and May 18 of the 70th anniversary of the U.S. Supreme Court's decision that "separate but equal" public schools were a violation of the 14th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution.

Kansas Reflector opinion editor Clay Wirestone talks with editor in chief Sherman Smith about an overstuffed veto session yielding drama aplenty — not that any of the drama was required — and the prospects of Gov. Laura Kelly calling lawmakers back for a special session to address tax cuts.

Jack Curtis, founding chairman of the United Kansas Party, says many right- and left-leaning independent voters in Kansas feel the Republican and Democratic parties don’t represent their interest. The United Kansas Party would seek to initiate a process of cross-party nominations.

The Community Voice editor and publisher Bonita Gooch and Wichita State University professor Michael Birzer discuss discrimination in traffic policing

LaTonya Boyd, along with Courtland Davis, director of operations at the YWCA Northeast Kansas, and LaRonna Lassiter Saunders, a civil rights advocate and attorney, discussed the nuances of Kansas gun violence. In an average year, 456 people die and 655 are wounded by guns in Kansas, according to Everytown statistics.  Approximately 135 people in the state die by gun homicides and 271 are wounded b...

YWCA Northeast Kansas CEO Kathleen Marker and Fatima Perez-Luthi, the founder and CEO of The Grind Coaching and Consulting and manager of a local financial literacy program, talk about financial empowerment for women, looking at workplace trends and gender-based discrimination.

Sharla Smith, the founder of the Kansas Birth Equity Network, Sapphire Garcia-Lies, the founder and executive director of Kansas Birth Justice Society, and Abriona Markham, executive director of Topeka Doula Project, discuss the need to improve health outcomes for mothers of color, along with their view on maternity bills under debate in the Legislature.

Phil Journey, a two-term national board member of the National Rifle Association, offers an insider perspective of financial misconduct threatening the future of the prominent gun-rights lobbying and educational organization.

A task force appointed by Gov. Laura Kelly last year recommended consolidating services for early childhood development into a single office, and there's a new piece of legislation that would do just that. Children's advocates Monica Murnan and David Jordan explain the proposal and how it could help.

The Kansas Legislature has renewed its attack on transgender rights with a bill that would ban gender-affirming care for those who are younger than 18. A committee led by Rep. Brenda Landwher, a Wichita Republican, has advanced the bill — after debate on the issue was compromised by preferential treatment of out-of-state interests, transparency concerns, and misinformation from a pair of Republica...

Sierra Club lobbyist Zack Pistora condemns legislation that would ban plastic bag bans, and gives an overview of other environmental measures up for debate under the dome.

Sean Miller, a Statehouse lobbyist working with the diverse Kansans for Conservation, says the coalition proposes the state — without raising taxes — dedicate about $50 million annually to voluntary conservation programs to protect and upgrade water and land resources.

Kansas Reflector opinion editor Clay Wirestone chats with Emily Bradbury, executive director of the Kansas Press Association, and Max Kautsch, a media lawyer based in Lawrence, about the landscape for journalism and free expression in the Sunflower State.