Lately I’ve begun to walk with somewhat of a swagger. Not that I’ve earned it. But a new pair of winter boots have me bending at the knee more than usual. Kind of like how…

Last week’s debate among the eight Republican contenders for their party’s presidential nomination proved that human performance usually improves with practice.The topic was foreign affairs. It featured a prolonged discussion of immigration policy and gave…

With the 2012 Session of the Kansas Legislature little more than a month away, it’s time for the state’s budget writers to take a pledge: “We will not take a dime away from the Kansas…

The supercommittee turned out to be a dud. Charged with devising a plan to reduce the deficit by $1.2 trillion by Thanksgiving, the 12 members came up with — zero.Democrats said the problem was that…

It’s always good to hear flattering words spoken about your town, your church, your organization — particularly when those words are backed up with facts solid enough to give them sincerity. Because of this, the…

More than 300 people from over southeast Kansas crowded into the parish hall of St. John’s Catholic church Thursday morning for the “Together We Succeed” economic summit.In opening remarks, Gov. Sam Brownback said it was…

The average value of farmland jumped 25 percent over last year just in the third quarter of this year. This report from the Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City came from a survey of 243…

TransCanada, the company that wants to lay a pipeline from its oil sands across the United States to oil refineries in Texas, agreed this week to reroute the line across Nebraska to avoid the Sandhills…

Sen. Tom Coburn is a conservative Republican who is at the forefront of the deficit reduction crusade. He served on the president’s bipartisan fiscal commission and has been a member of the “Gang of Six”…

A clearer view of 2011 can be gained by looking back at 1982. In October 1982, the national unemployment rate was 10.4 percent. Businesses across the country, including a bunch in Iola, were taking bankruptcy.…