Heather Cessna talks about why she is resigning as executive director of the Kansas State Board of Indigents' Defense Services, and the constitutional crisis created by decades of underfunding public defense work.

Kansas neglect of public defenders creates constitutional crisis

Kansas Reflector opinion editor Clay Wirestone leads a discussion with editor Sherman Smith and senior reporter Morgan Chilson on federal immigration enforcement efforts and CoreCivic's lucrative, secret, no-bid contract to house detainees in Leavenworth.

Kansas Reflector staff dissect CoreCivic contract and immigration enforcement

Ellis County artist Amy Warfield talks about her artwork, her motivation for submitting a suggestion to the Kansas Senate Committee on Government Efficiency, or COGE, and a disconnect between the Legislature's priorities and what people need.

Portrait of a west Kansas artist with political concerns

Kansas Insurance Commissioner Vicki Schmidt, a Topeka Republican who worked for 40 years as a pharmacist, says she is seeking the GOP nomination for governor to fully represent the interests of Kansans following the second term of Democratic Gov. Laura Kelly.

Vicki Schmidt on seeking the GOP nomination for Kansas governor

An Overland Park immigration attorney says she wants to use her professional expertise to fix what's broken on the federal level and adequately represent Kansans' interests.

Anne Parelkar latest Democrat running for Kansas' U.S. Senate seat

Kansas state Sen. Ethan Corson, a Fairway Democrat seeking the party's nomination for governor in 2026, says the state benefits from centrist, moderate leadership in the governor's office.

Democrat Ethan Corson on his campaign for Kansas governor

Mike Perry at PerryUndem and David Jordan at United Methodist Health Ministry Fund talk about new research that suggests how residents in Kansas and across the U.S. feel about the current economic situation and what they think should be done about it.

Raising Kansas kids amid economic uncertainty

Republican leaders of the Kansas Legislature are working to cobble together the necessary two-thirds majority of the House and Senate to call a special session in November.

The original purpose was to redraw the four Kansas congressional districts to make it easy to defeat U.S. Rep. Sharice Davids, a Democrat. But there are maybe a dozen or so House GOP members not thrilled about redistricting in 2025 when it wasn't scheduled to be done again until 2032.

Republican leaders want to appeal to dissenters by trying to pass a bill during the special session to prevent individuals from changing their gender marker on Kansas driver's licenses.

With this proposed special session about three weeks away, Kansas Reflector senior reporter Tim Carpenter and editor Sherman Smith take stock of the drama.

Kansas Republicans work toward special session on gerrymandering, gender markers

The Kansas Museum of History has been closed for three years while getting a dramatic makeover, but it's about to reopen with a day of fun and activities planned for Nov. 22. Museum director Sarah Bell talks about the reimagined gallery space at the museum.

Kansas Museum of History prepares to reopen after renovation

Gary LaGrange, CEO of Valor Honey, and Brian McCornack, Kansas State University entomologist and head of the newly formed American Honey Institute, talk about challenges in the honey industry.  Imported honey may contain cheap sweeteners, for instance, and the institute will focus on advocating for proper labeling and growing the industry.

American Honey Institute will advocate, set standards for industry

The Kansas Reflector Podcast, hosted by senior reporter Tim Carpenter, presents voices from the people and politics of Kansas.

New tracks tagged #STATEHOUSE