Month: November 2016

Donations raise questions about Brownback’s role in Supreme Court retention battle

by Jim McLean, KHI News Service

New campaign finance reports are calling into question Republican Gov. Sam Brownback’s insistence that he’s not involved in an effort to oust several Kansas Supreme Court justices.

Reports filed this week show that Brownback’s Road Map PAC contributed $65,000 to Kansans for Life in September and October, bringing the total since the first of the year to $110,300.

The contributions from the governor’s political action committee are by far the largest given to the nonprofit anti-abortion organization helping to spearhead an effort to defeat four of the five Kansas Supreme Court justices up for retention in next week’s election.

Brownback said the donations are not evidence that he has gone back on his pledge to stay out of the retention fight.

“I’ve helped and given some funds to Kansans for Life over multiple campaign cycles,” he said.

Questioned by reporters at an event Tuesday in Topeka, Brownback said he intended his contributions to be used for “pro-life causes,” not the retention battle.

But others say the donations and PAC money spent on consultant salaries show that the governor and others close to him are deeply involved in the anti-retention campaign.

“What’s important is not to listen to his words but to look at his actions,” said Ryan Wright, the executive director of Kansans for Fair Courts, a nonprofit advocacy organization working to retain the justices.

The Kansans for Life donations and payments to former members of his campaign now working on the ouster effort demonstrate Brownback’s commitment to its objectives, Wright said.

“We know this governor has been raising money for anti-retention efforts,” Wright said. “If you look at the actions, that tells you everything you need to know.”

As a 501 (c)(4) organization, Kansans for Life isn’t obligated to disclose how it is spending the money contributed by Brownback’s PAC. But Mary Kay Culp, the organization’s executive director, told the Wichita Eagle that the funds would be used for the anti-retention campaign, which is being waged by a subsidiary organization called Better Judges for Kansas.

Anti-abortion advocates oppose the retention of Chief Justice Lawton Nuss, Justice Marla Luckert, Justice Dan Biles and Justice Carol Beier because they fear they will vote to uphold a lower court decision to block implementation of a law banning “dismemberment” abortions.

Voter guides being distributed by Kansans for Life and several other organizations in churches across the state instruct parishioners to vote “no” on the four justices and “yes” on Justice Caleb Stegall, who was appointed by Brownback in 2014.

Another advocacy group, Kansans for Justice, is calling for the ouster of the same four justices but for different reasons. It represents the families of murder victims upset by the court’s decisions to overturn death sentences. It had spent nearly $280,000 on television ads as of last week, according to the Center for Public Integrity.

Kansans for Fair Courts, Wright’s group, had spent almost $223,000.


The nonprofit KHI News Service is an editorially independent initiative of the Kansas Health Institute and a partner in the Heartland Health Monitor reporting collaboration. All stories and photos may be republished at no cost with proper attribution and a link back to KHI.org when a story is reposted online.

– See more at http://www.khi.org/news/article/donations-raise-questions-about-brownbacks-role-in-supreme-court-retention

Thunderstorms possible today

Thunderstorms will develop and become more numerous during the afternoon hours today, persisting into the early evening, according to the National Weather Service.

A few storms between 1 p.m. and 6 p.m. have the potential to be strong, with gusty winds and hail up to nickel size, the weather service said.

Moderate to locally heavy rainfall will be possible as well in the strongest activity, according to the weather service.

Look for clearing overnight with above normal temperatures to continue into next week, the weather service said.

Showers and thunderstorms are likely today, mainly after 4 p,m,, according to the weather service.

Today’s high will be near 73, according to the weather service. A south southwest wind will be 7 to 10 mph. A 60 percent chance of rain is possible.

Tonight, there is a 60 percent chance of precipitation before 1 a.m., then areas of drizzle after 2 a.m., the weather service said. The low will be around 53. Light and variable wind will become north 5 to 8 mph in the evening.

Thursday’s forecast is partly sunny, then gradually becoming sunny, with a high near 70, according to the weather service. There will be a north wind around 8 mph.

Thursday night, it will be clear, with a low of 46, and a light north northeast wind, the weather service said.

Friday’s forecast is sunny, with a high near 69, and a light and variable wind, according to the weather service.

Friday night, expect mostly clear skies with a low of 49, the weather service said.

Saturday, it will be mostly sunny with a high of 68, according to the weather service.

Kansas unveils resources to support adoptive parents

Group aims to help parents deal with difficult behaviors

by Meg Wingerter, KHI News Service

Love and good intentions aren’t always enough when it comes to adopting kids who have a history of trauma, according to a nonprofit that is partnering with the state to help parents after they adopt.

Gail Cozadd, east region program director for the Kansas Children’s Service League, said adoptive parents face significant stress and have higher divorce rates than other couples.

“All children will challenge you, but an adoptive child who has been through a lot of trauma will take that to the Nth degree,” she said.

KCSL and the Kansas Department for Children and Families unveiled a plan Tuesday to offer more resources to adoptive parents. DCF is paying for one staff person at KCSL to oversee the resources.

DCF will send KCSL the contact information for each new adoptive family so KCSL can send them a packet of information about resources and tell them how to connect with a support group in their area, Cozadd said. In rural areas, it may have to be an online group, she said.

They also will offer weekend retreats for adoptive parents to work on their marriages and learn about coping with children’s challenging behaviors, Cozadd said. The idea is that parents who know they have support will be less likely dissolve their adoption by sending the child back to foster care, to divorce or to abuse or neglect a child due to their frustration, she said.

“Anything you can do to prevent that is what you want to do,” she said.

Deneen Dryden, DCF director of prevention and protection services, said about 350 children currently are available for adoption in Kansas. The department is particularly focused on finding families interested in the 160 available teenagers, who tend to be harder to match, she said. DCF reported 755 children were adopted from foster care in the 2016 fiscal year.

Gov. Sam Brownback, who spoke briefly at the announcement, said he would like to see enough interest that families will be waiting to adopt children. He said he, his wife and their biological children had benefited from the decision to adopt two more children.

“The key is to open your heart and see the love, not the problems,” he said. “I hope that Kansas families that listen to this will open up their hearts and not harden them.”

The nonprofit KHI News Service is an editorially independent initiative of the Kansas Health Institute and a partner in the Heartland Health Monitor reporting collaboration. All stories and photos may be republished at no cost with proper attribution and a link back to KHI.org when a story is reposted online.

To see more, visit http://www.khi.org/news/article/kansas-unveils-resources-to-support-adoptive-parents.