Kansas Reflector Podcast Reflector Podcast

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.