Free Republic

WICHITA, Kan. (AP)-- A federal grand jury is looking into loans made to Kansas Gov. Sam Brownback’s re-election campaign and has ordered the state’s ethics chief to testify next week as part of its investigation, according to a subpoena obtained by The Associated Press.

Thank you for taking the time to contact me in regard to the election for Speaker of the House. It is an honor to serve the people of Kansas in the United States Congress and I appreciate your input. On January 6th, 2015, the House of Representatives voted to elect the Speaker of the House for the 114th Congress. As you may know, John Boehner was re-elected as Speaker. Speaker Boehner received a majority of the votes with 216 and Rep. Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) received 164. No other candidate received more than 12 votes. As such, this vote was a...

A Kansas City auto repair shop employee made a snap decision Monday when a woman drove off without paying for repairs. He jumped on the roof of her Cadillac Escalade and held on during a high-speed, three-mile ride that ended outside Kansas City police headquarters. Another auto shop employee followed in another vehicle and told police that he tried to stop the Cadillac by firing shots at its tires. One of the bullets hit the driver’s side door. Police said it was a miracle that no one was injured in the incident that began shortly before 3 p.m. Monday at...

Hanging out at the mall instantly became less cool for teenagers on Monday, when Franklin Park Mall officials said that anyone 17 or younger must be accompanied by an adult on mall property after 4 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays. Mall officials said the new policy is not a response to any specific event and is a proactive move taken after conducting research among shoppers, retailers, and the Toledo community. But the change follows a weekend incident where police tried to remove a large group of people from the mall when a fight broke out, leading to several arrests and...

When the annual legislative session opens Jan. 12, Kansas is poised to expand its pro-life laws. At the top of the list is a fetal heartbeat bill. Kansas recently re-elected its pro-life governor, Sam Brownback, as well as many new pro-life legislators. Rep. Steve Brunk (R-Wichita), chairman of the Federal and State Affairs Committee, told the Wichita Eagle that the committee will have at least informational hearings on heartbeat legislation: “As a general topic, heartbeat legislation is on the table.” The Kansas Coalition for Life has been petitioning for a heartbeat bill as well. Abortion supporting groups are opposed as...

~~snip~~ Voting against Boehner (10) Gohmert* Yoho* Rep. Steve King (Iowa) Rep. Jim Bridenstine (Okla.)* Rep. Dave Brat (Va.) (freshman) Rep. Walter Jones (N.C.)* Rep. Gary Palmer (Ala.) (freshman) Rep. Thomas Massie (Ky.)* Rep. Paul Gosar (Ariz.) Rep. Marlin Stutzman (Ind.) Said prior to 2014 election that they would vote against Boehner (2) Rep. Jody Hice (Ga.) (freshman) Rep. John Ratfliffe (Tex.) (freshman) Voted against Boehner in 2013/haven't weighed in (2) Rep. Steve Pearce (N.M.) (spokesman says he's "undecided") Rep. Justin Amash (Mich.) Voted against Boehner in 2013/will support him (3) Rep. Mick Mulvaney (S.C.) Rep. Raul Labrador (Idaho) Rep....

Hospitals and medical centers in western Colorado are limiting visitors because of a serious flu outbreak. ... The Veterans Affairs Medical Center's community living center still is not accepting visitors after 11 patients showed signs of having the flu. All of those patients will remain in isolation until two or three days after the last one recovers. The Centers for Disease Control said influenza has reached epidemic proportions. There have been 15 pediatric deaths nationwide

The average price for a gallon of gas has dropped for 99 days in a row, with six states – Indiana, Kansas, Michigan, Ohio, Oklahoma and Missouri – having average prices under $2 for the first time since 2009, according to price surveys Friday. Prices have plummeted about 40 percent since the start of June. Put another way, the Auto Club estimates that Americans are saving $500 million -- per day, each day – compared to the high prices paid last spring, allowing that money to be spent with businesses other than oil companies or just kept in the savings...

A federal appeals court has refused to reconsider a decision allowing residents of Kansas and Arizona to register to vote using a federal form without providing proof of their U.S. citizenship.

Ohio Gov. John Kasich will roll out “responsible” tax plans that protect against revenue gaps. Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker and Arizona’s new Republican governor are delaying big dreams of nixing the income tax as they face budget shortfalls. And Missouri Republicans, once jealous of their neighbor Kansas’ massive cuts, are thankful they trimmed less. Call it the Brownback effect. Story Continued Below . . Republicans once idolized Kansas Gov. Sam Brownback as a tax cutting superstar — now he’s a lesson in what not to do. “It’s a cautionary tale on a national scale … Many of us felt that...

The discovery of a new virus implicated in the death of a Kansas farmer this past June raises many questions about its host, prevalence, spectrum of disease, and ultimately its treatment and prevention, according to an infectious disease expert who treated the patient. Yesterday, the Kansas Department of Health and Environment announced the first known case of the so-called Bourbon virus, named after the Kansas county where the unidentified patient had lived. His symptoms — fever, low red and white blood cell counts, elevated liver enzymes, and loss of appetite — suggested a tick-borne illness such as ehrlichiosis or the...

A couple is still shaken up after they were robbed at gunpoint in a Lenexa neighborhood when trying to check out a car they found on Craigslist. The Petersons went to the Lenexa home on Hauser Street and knocked on the door, but nobody answered. They said it looked as though nobody lived in the house. Then, a little black car pulled up and three people robbed them.

On the surface, there does not seem to be much in common between Sen. Pat Roberts (R-KS) and Congressman Dave Brat (R-VA), other than the fact that both of them reside in Virginia. snip Immediately following the election, Obama put that promise to a test by brazenly violating our immigration laws and remaking American through executive action. Roberts was unequivocal in his response: But on that fateful Saturday night last week, Roberts suddenly realized that the election was over. The residual intellectual honesty and conservative energy that remained from his election-cycle foxhole conversion dissipated just in time for the first...

McDonald’s and its franchisees illegally retaliated against employees for participating in union-related activities, the National Labor Relations Board’s top lawyer alleged Friday in a case with sweeping industry implications. NLRB general counsel Richard Griffin announced Friday he will issue 13 complaints involving 78 charges against franchises and McDonald’s USA, LLC. Though many of these alleged labor violations were committed by independent franchise owners, Griffin ruled earlier this year that McDonald’s can be held liable for those actions as a so-called joint employer, leaving the corporatrion — and potentially other franchisors — exposed to such claims. McDonald’s said the decision will...

School Takes Away Blind Boy's Cane as Punishment for Acting Up Dec 18, 2014 By SYDNEY LUPKIN PHOTO: 8-year-old Dakota Nafzinger, who was born without eyes, had his cane taken away and replaced with a pool noodle by the North Kansas City School District on Dec. 15, 2014. A school took away an 8-year-old blind boy's cane as punishment for acting up and replaced it with a pool noodle, his father told ABC News today. Dakota Nafzinger, who was born with no eyes, was listening to his music on the school bus when the driver took it away from him,...

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Two North Kansas City parents are outraged after they say their blind son’s cane was taken away from him at school by a bus driver. Eight-year-old Dakota Nafzinger attends Gracemor Elementary School. Rachel Nafzinger said school staff took away her son’s cane as punishment for bad behavior on the bus and then gave him a swimming pool noodle to use as a substitute. The school wouldn’t go on camera, but North Kansas City School District Spokeswoman Michelle Cronk confirmed taking away Dakota’s cane, calling it school property that was given to him when he enrolled. They...

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Two North Kansas City parents are outraged after they say their blind son’s cane was taken away from him at school by a bus driver. Eight-year-old Dakota Nafzinger attends Gracemor Elementary School. Rachel Nafzinger said school staff took away her son’s cane as punishment for bad behavior on the bus and then gave him a swimming pool noodle to use as a substitute. The school wouldn’t go on camera, but North Kansas City School District Spokeswoman Michelle Cronk confirmed taking away Dakota’s cane, calling it school property that was given to him when he enrolled. They...

Seven more states signed on to a lawsuit challenging President Obama's executive action halting the deportation of as many as 5 million undocumented immigrants, bringing the total to 24 states, Texas Atty. Gen. Greg Abbott announced Wednesday. The new states to join the coalition were Arizona, Florida, Arkansas, Michigan, North Dakota, Ohio and Oklahoma. The original 17 states, including Alabama, Kansas and Texas, filed suit in U.S. District Court last week, arguing that Obama overstepped his powers in enacting such changes on his own. "The president's proposed executive decree violates the U.S. Constitution and federal law, circumvents the will of...

It’s a question that will prove crucial next year when Mitch McConnell takes the reins of a new Senate: Just how big is the Ted Cruz caucus? Three votes on the “cromnibus” late Saturday night suggest it could be as large as 22 senators — a dangerously high number for McConnell — or as few as a handful. Let’s break down the three votes — on filibustering the $1.1 trillion package, on Cruz’s point of order aimed at targeting the president’s immigration action, and final passage. The high-water mark for the Texas Republican came on his point of order vote,...

Did you know that there’s been a massive uptick in white thugs setting black folks on fire, yet the media has been virtually silent on this horrendous subject? Sure, we all have heard of Darren Wilson's shooting Michael Brown, but there has been no coverage of the aforementioned. Like in zero… nada… nothing… zilch. What kind of racist “news outlets” would be so heinous to cover up such gross and unspeakable evil? Why haven’t the most powerful people in our government and the entertainment industry spoken out and condemned this obvious xenophobic act of viciousness? How come there has been...