I didn’t catch her name. Nor recognize her voice. So when she asked if it was my birthday, I was sure it was a telemarketer.It was only when the word “pen pal” sifted through the…

My latest literary travel has taken me back to my roots. I’ve been reading about noted mathematicians, the likes of Godel, Graham and Erdos, with a helping of physics in Teller and Einstein.While far from…

One casualty of being in a panic to make a point is gross exaggeration.Impossibly big fish, deep snow, long treks to school. So when State Sen. Caryn Tyson, R-Parker,  earlier this week alluded voter fraud…

At Monday night’s political forum Rep. Kent Thompson warned those upset with school finance, or the lack thereof, to sit tight.Better to wait out the two-year block grant funding method enacted last year than to…

One issue that begs revisiting by legislators this year is a measure passed in 2015 that limits how much cities and counties can spend monies garnered from property taxes.The new law, which was to be…

What on earth, asked a friend, is a haint.Genesis of the question was me cautioning him not to rap his knuckles on the wall. Why? came the response. Because my grandmother, born and raised in…

You wouldn’t know Gov. Sam Brownback was addressing Kansans Tuesday night in his annual address.He didn’t mention the budget and its projected $190 million shortfall for fiscal year 2017. Not a whisper of Osawatomie State…

Allen County commissioners annually strive to keep property tax levies in check. They often spend several meetings dissecting the coming year’s budget, looking for fiscal efficiencies and ensuring that money spent is done so wisely.The…

This year, Kansas legislators want nothing more than to lay low.And get re-elected.And they’ve been very smart about how they can make that happen through, since 2013, the implementation of a two-year budget, which, they…

Next week the legislative session begins for Kansas. One of my New Year’s resolutions is to keep better tabs on what goes on in Topeka and to let my representatives know my thoughts on matters.To…