News

Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius has announced $150 million in new grant money for federally-funded community health centers around the country.

The grants--at least $55,000 each--are through the Affordable Care Act and only available to safety net clinics that are already federally funded. More than $1.7 million has been set aside for 16 community health centers in Kansas.

Sebelius says they'll use the money to help uninsured patients determine their eligibility and compare coverage options.

On Thursday, The House Appropriations Committee approved an amended version of Governor Brownback's proposal to issue more bonds for a federal lab.

Earlier, they'd delayed a decision on whether to approve an extra $200 million for the National Bio- and Agro-Defense Facility to be built in Manhattan, KS.

Some state lawmakers like Mark Hutton of Wichita, believe the deal between the federal and state government wasn't clearly defined.

A new report from the Kansas Geological Survey shows oil production in Kansas last year was up over 2011, but natural gas production was down.

Officials with the survey report the nearly 44 million barrels of oil produced last year were the most since 1995. The oil had a value of $3.7 billion.

May has been proclaimed Bicycle Month. The city of Wichita is celebrating by highlighting recent bike path improvements and by looking forward to what's next. There are also many bicycle-related events planned throughout the city.

Highlighted Events

May 17 is Bike to Work Day, which will include breakfast stations around Wichita from 7:00 to 9:00 and free lunch at Old Town Square from 11:30 to 1:30.

Breakfast station locations:

With apologies to Voltaire, let me just say: If sports did not exist, man would have to invent them.

Gov. Sam Brownback's chief of staff says the latest cost estimates for a new, national biosecurity lab and commitments from federal officials about its funding are "pretty solid."

Fairy tales are a part of our shared cultural knowledge – if you refer to Jack and the Beanstalk, the Three Little Pigs, or Goldilocks, almost everyone knows what you are talking about.

The Senate Ways and Means Committee approved a bill Wednesday that authorizes an additional $202 million in bonds for a national bio-defense lab, but only after adding limits designed to address concerns by conservative Republicans.

Kansas has authorized $105 million in bonds for the National Bio- and Agro-Defense Facility at Kansas State University. Gov. Brownback and his aides have noted that in 2009,l  Kansas agreed  to pick up part of the cost as it and multiple states competed for the project.

According to a new report from the American Federation of Labor and Congress of Industrial Organizations, Kansas is a dangerous place to work when compared with most other states.

The report, "Death on the Job: The Toll of Neglect," ranks Kansas 40th out of the 50 states based on the rate of workplace fatalities in 2011.

Kansas lawmakers just returned to the Statehouse on Wednesday, but already it looks like a disagreement on taxes could push the session past lawmakers' 80-day deadline.

House and Senate Republicans disagree on whether to extend a temporary sales tax increase. It's set to expire on July 1, and House leaders want to let it end as planned. Republican leaders in both chambers want to lower income tax rates, and Senators say keeping the sales tax elevated allows the state to lower income tax rates more quickly.