KS Conservatives, Brownback open to keeping sales tax as it is; A disease common in the southwest is popping up in Kansas horses; Kansas Aviation Museum offering F-4 simulator flights.
Kansas Conservatives Open To Keeping Sales Tax As Is
The Kansas Chamber of Commerce and some conservative Republican legislators are open to canceling a scheduled decrease in the state sales tax.
They say they'll only support the idea if lawmakers also follow up this year's aggressive income tax cuts with another round of reductions. The sales tax is set to drop to 5.7 percent in July because of a promise from legislators when they boosted the tax in 2010 to bolster the budget.
State Republican conservatives now want to phase out state income taxes altogether. The first round of income tax cuts left the state with a projected budget shortfall of $295 million. The shortfall has lead to speculation that Governor Brownback will want to keep the state's current 6.3 percent sales tax in place.
Brownback says he hasn't ruled out the idea.
Drought Blamed For Kansas Horse Disease
A bacterial disease more commonly seen in the dry Southwest is infecting a large number of horses in Kansas.
Kansas Aviation Museum Offering F-4 Simulator Flights
The Kansas Aviation Museum is offering a rare opportunity to experience a flight in an F-4 simulator. The "F4 experience" will be available Wednesday through Sunday for visitors to the aviation museum.
Museum volunteer Justin Messenger created the F-4 simulator. Messenger will take museum-goers through various tours, from a quick flight to one the museum says is challenging even for experienced pilots.
The museum is charging $20 for a basic, 30-minute flight that includes a simulated launch from an aircraft carrier. For $60, visitors can experience an immersive, 90-minute flight that includes suiting up in a flight suit and strapping to the ejection seat.
Prairie Village To Defend Ban On Open Carry Of Firearms
Officials in Prairie Village have pledged to fight a legal challenge to a local ban on the open carry of firearms. The Libertarian Party of Kansas went to court last week seeking to prevent the enforcement of open-carry bans by Prairie Village, Leawood, the Unified Government of Wyandotte County and Kansas City, Kansas.
Prairie Village officials say that their northeastern community will "vigorously defend" its authority to enact gun control measures. Officials for nearby Leawood and the Unified Government have not yet commented on the ban.
The Libertarian Party's suit contends that Prairie Village's code conflicts with state law and the Kansas Constitution. The filing also alleges that Kansas communities that ban the open carrying of firearms violate the constitutional rights of citizens.