Democrat Mel Pinick of Olathe is running again for the 121st House District seat held by Republican incumbent John Resman. Pinick hopes the fact that the district supported Democratic Gov. Laura Kelly and opposed a constitutional amendment on abortion will play in her favor this time. "I'm not just ready for a rematch; I'm ready to win," Pinick said in announcing her candidacy this week. "The people of District 121 deserve a representative who listens, understands and fights for them. I'm here to be that champion," Pinick said. Resman defeated Pinick with about 55% of the vote . . . SSJ This c ..read more

Congressional candidate Prasanth Reddy is positioned to get support from national Republicans as he seeks the party's nomination in the Kansas 3rd Congressional District. Reddy's campaign is listed on the joint fundraising agreement that newly elected House Speaker Mike Johnson announced forming on Nov. 20. The start of the Grow the Majority committee will allow Johnson and his political operation to raise six-figure donations from big donors and distribute those funds to more than six dozen political committees that make up . . . SSJ This content is restricted to subscribers. Click here to su ..read more

Gov. Laura Kelly's chief of staff on Tuesday quickly used the public uproar over a new license plate design to make a case for why the Legislature should consider expanding Medicaid. In a letter to Republican state Rep. Nick Hoheisel of Wichita, Will Lawrence used the lawmaker's own words to demonstrate why Medicaid should be expanded. Hoheisel wrote a letter to Kelly last week . . . SSJ This content is restricted to subscribers. Click here to subscribe. Already a subscriber? Click here to login ..read more

Gov. Laura Kelly on Tuesday today announced that her administration will pause production of a license plate design that created a storm of controversy over the Thanksgiving holiday. She promised process to receive public input before selecting a final design. “I promised to be a bipartisan governor, and I think we can all admit – I succeeded at bringing Kansans across the political aisle together in disliking this new license plate,” Kelly said in statement. “I’ve heard you loud and clear. Elected officials should be responsive to their constituents, which is why we are adjusting the process ..read more

The Kansas Department for Aging and Disability Services on Monday announced two new staff changes, one promoting its behavioral health services commissioner and the other promoting the assistant commissioner. Laura Howard, the agency's secretary, named Behavioral Health Services Commissioner Andy Brown as deputy secretary for programs. Drew Adkins, the assistant Behavioral Health Services commissioner, will assume Brown's role on an interim basis. In his new job, Brown will be responsible for overall program services for three of the agency's commissions: Long-term Services and Supports, Behav ..read more

Johnson County Republican Party Chair Maria Holiday is planning to make a run for the state GOP's national committeewoman post, setting up a showdown with two other party rivals. Holiday said in an interview that she plans to run for the position now held by Kim Borchers, who plans to leave next year after one four-year term. Holiday will face Kansas Republican Party 3rd District Chair Wendy Bingesser andSSJ ..read more

Good morning: Hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving holiday. Our holiday is about to start here at SSJ. Mrs. SSJ and I are headed out of town for the upcoming week for a brief vacation. There may be time for a couple of stories but not many. There also will be no Sunday Reader next week. As a reminder, the Sunday Reader takes its traditional holiday break at the end of December on Christmas and New Year's Day weekends and resumes after the first of the year. Let's be honest. You don't want news on those weekends . . . SSJ This content is restricted to subscribers. Click here to subscribe. Alr ..read more

It's not abortion. It's not voting rights. It's not taxes. But yet the announcement of a new Kansas license plate design the day before Thanksgiving has engendered a controversy in which everyone seems to have an opinion. "Who would have thought a license plate would bring us all together for Thanksgiving?" asked former state Rep. Fred Patton on Facebook. "No debates about politics, no discussions about religion, just agreement that the new license plate needs to go back to the drawing board," the former Topeka lawmaker wrote. In a statement on Wednesday, the governor said the new . . . SSJ Th ..read more

Senate President Ty Masterson early Wednesday night named new chairs of the chamber's utilities and agriculture committees. Masterson named Republican state Sen. Michael Fagg of El Dorado as chair of the utilities committee. He named Republican state Sen. Virgil Peck of Havana as chair of the agriculture committee. Fagg replaces state Sen. Rob Olson of Olathe as chair of the committee. Masterson removed Olson as chair of the committee earlier this year after he had a change of heart . . . SSJ This content is restricted to subscribers. Click here to subscribe. Already a subscriber? Click here&n ..read more

(Updated to include a new statement from spokesperson) Former Kansas Gov. Jeff Colyer is endorsing Donald Trump for president, saying he "could be transformative for the health and wellbeing of every American." In a column published by Newsweek, Colyer said he met with Trump at Mar-a-Lago in Florida where they talked about health challenges facing the country. "Most people don't realize how much President Trump did for health care in his first term, but he has a remarkable record," Colyer . . . SSJ This content is restricted to subscribers. Click here to subscribe. Already a subscriber? Click ..read more