Opinion

by Rob Okun “The press is the people’s window to the truth, and we need that window to be clear and unobstructed.” —Ronald Reagan, White… Login to continue reading Login…

I love a good road trip, especially one around Kansas. That is why I am so excited about the listening tour Kansas Farm Bureau (KFB) President Joe Newland and I will be embarking on July 21-23 and 30-31. Tour stops are listed at www.kfb.org, and you can register there also. Joe and I along with district directors will be at every stop.

During a recent conversation with folks from across Kansas, someone shared a story about a child speaking disrespectfully to a parent in public.

Recent debates have arisen in the education media over whether printed textbooks are any longer of value. A June 9 Edutopia article asks “Should Textbooks Still Play a Role in Schools?” Many teachers, more likely younger rookies than veterans, are spending up to 20 hours per week cruising the internet for curriculum and teaching materials to download, with online exercises developed by a growing industry (Teachers Pay Teachers, Etsy, Teacher Lingo, Educents). And some digital worksheets, group projects, and class assessments---sometimes aligned to state assessments---may be downloaded for free. This saves the school district the cost of buying textbooks, but does not recognize the additional time consumed by their teachers developing their own textbook “replacement.” Nor does it factor in the exorbitant cost of providing Chromebooks to each student, a technology that requires turnover replacement each three years and which well exceeds the costs of printed textbooks. And while textbooks are taken home for study and homework, school laptops are often restricted to school

In Kansas, we pride ourselves on hard work, strong communities, and self-reliance.

“What was the Smoot Talley Tariff Law?” I asked this week.

As I write this, the known death toll of floods in Texas stands at 104, including dozens of children from summer camps dotting the affected area. That number will likely increase.

If there’s one constant in the world, it’s every living thing is looking for food while avoiding becoming a meal. Farmers fight weeds, bacteria and fungus from the moment seeds go into the ground until the crop is harvested. Ranchers are on constant alert for predators waiting for the right opportunity to secure an easy meal.

Five Sedgwick County Juvenile Intake and Assessment Center officers held a 135-pound, 17-year-old Cedric “C.J.” Lofton face down, pressure on his back, until he died in 2021. The Sedgwick County coroner ruled the death a homicide. No one was even arrested, let alone prosecuted.

(July 3, 2025) – Kansas hospitals appreciated a recent invitation from Senator Jerry Moran (R-KS) to join a virtual town hall to discuss the Budget Reconciliation Bill. The U.S. Senate and the House of Representatives passed the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, which is now headed to President Trump for his signature.