Adam Hamilton says Church of the Resurrection ‘wanted to get it right’ after abuse was reported at church camp in 2005 By Anna Kaminski, Sherman Smith and Tim Carpenter LEAWOOD — Former employees of megachurch pastor and U.S. Senate candidate Adam Hamilton say he was a caring but demanding boss, and some scrutinize his response to the first report of child sex abuse at a church camp 21 years ago. But even his critics describe him as a “brilliant” theological mind, “smart” and “charismatic.” And they would rather vote for him than Republican U.S. Sen. Roger Marshall. “Not voting is…
Author: Kansas Reflector
State also approves settlement in firing of National Guard employee on deployment By Morgan Chilson TOPEKA — A Kansas man wrongfully convicted of murdering his infant nephew will receive $614,205 from the state of Kansas after spending more than nine years in prison. Christopher Dale Lyman was convicted of first-degree murder and child abuse in the 2013 death of the baby, deputy attorney general Robert Hutchison told the State Finance Council on Tuesday. Lyman was accused of shaking the baby, causing his death, and in February, a Kansas court overturned the conviction. The council, composed of Gov. Laura Kelly and…
By Baya Burgess TOPEKA — While a Democratic State Board of Education candidate believes all Kansas families should choose public school, her Republican opponent for the south-central district homeschools her three children. And both candidates have different approaches to improving literacy, public school funding and cellphone use in the classroom. The Republican running to represent the board’s 7th District, Alana McWilliams of Abilene, said public schools failed to meet her children’s reading needs and that she wants to reform how schools teach literacy. Student literacy is declining in Kansas and the nation, according to the National Assessment of Educational Progress.…
By Morgan Chilson TOPEKA — Kansas counties issued $18.3 billion in industrial revenue bonds to new and existing businesses between 2010 and 2024, leaving about $1.1 billion in potential property taxes on the table, legislators learned Wednesday. The Legislative Post Audit Committee reviewed an audit of industrial revenue bonds with the goal of answering three questions: fiscal impact of the bonds on state and local governments; what estimates cities and counties report to the Board of Tax Appeals about property tax exemptions; and how many foreign companies received industrial revenue bonds. Industrial revenue bonds are issued by cities, counties and the…
Federal candidates must submit fundraising reports to FEC on July 15 By Tim Carpenter TOPEKA — U.S. Senate candidate Adam Hamilton, who is part of an 11-candidate field seeking the Democratic Party’s nomination, reported raising $3.66 million from 16,000 people since launching his campaign in April. In a 62-day period, Hamilton’s campaign raised more than half of what U.S. Sen. Roger Marshall, the Republican seeking reelection, raised during his 2020 campaign. “Adam Hamilton raised more than any Kansas Senate candidate launch in history thanks to a grassroots movement of Kansans who are sick and tired of Washington politicians like Roger…
By Amelia Twyman WASHINGTON — Members of a U.S. House Education and Workforce subcommittee found rare common ground scrutinizing private equity’s stake in youth sports at a Tuesday hearing. Lawmakers from both parties on the House Subcommittee on Early Childhood, Elementary, and Secondary Education stressed the importance of making sports accessible to all kids and discussed ways to prevent large companies from buying up facilities and raising costs on families. Financing from private companies can have benefits for youth sports, but can also make participation more expensive, they said. “Our concern today is with particular practices that reduce competition, drive up costs…
By Tim Carpenter TOPEKA — Republican gubernatorial candidate Charlotte O’Hara wants nothing to do with employees at the Kansas State Department of Education or the hundreds of millions of dollars in federal funding flowing each year into the state for education of K-12 students. O’Hara, participating in a GOP candidate forum Thursday in Wichita, said one of her priorities after being sworn into office in January would be to terminate all Department of Education staff. “They are nothing but paper shufflers,” she said. “We have a constitutional duty to have a state Board of Education, but not a state Department…
By Morgan Chilson TOPEKA — Panasonic’s Kansas electric vehicle battery plant will convert part of its operations to build batteries for data centers, company officials announced. Panasonic leaders announced the company’s shift to focus on developing devices and infrastructure equipment for artificial intelligence uses and data centers at a June 8 investors day presentation. Yuki Kusumi, CEO of Panasonic Holdings, said the company will invest about $3 billion between fiscal years 2027 and 2029 to advance its work on devices and systems that support AI, including enhancing production capacity. Panasonic opened its 4.7 million-square foot plant in De Soto in July,…
By Grace Hills MERRIAM — The U.S. Department of Education is escalating its threat to pull federal funding from four Kansas school districts for their gender-inclusive policies. At least two of the districts are geared up for a legal battle. In April, the department found four public school districts — Olathe, Shawnee Mission, Topeka and Kansas City, Kansas — were in violation of federal Title IX civil rights protections. Grievances included allowing students to change their name or pronouns used at school without clear communication to parents and allowing transgender students to use the restroom, locker room and changing room that aligns with their…
By Morgan Chilson TOPEKA — A company building an underground nuclear reactor in Parsons is planning an initial public offering of 2.5 million shares, planning to raise more than $40 million. Deep Fission Inc. initially announced in May that it would issue about 6 million shares, with a target price of $24 to $26. However, in registration information filed Wednesday with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, the company dropped the number of shares it is offering and the expected price range to $16 to $18 per share. California-based Deep Fission, which partnered with the U.S. Department of Energy to…