-
Public Voices on the Johnson County Revenue Neutral Meeting – Budget Series Part 2
Free State News is committed to amplifying the voices of our community. At the August 20th Revenue Neutral Meeting, citizens from across the county weighed in. Some in support, others in opposition. The first hour of public comment offered a balanced mix of perspectives, and we’ve transcribed highlights as accurately as possible. The full video… Read more
-
Understanding the Johnson County Budget Presentation for Revenue Neutral August 20, 2025 – Budget Series Part 1
Integrity Intercept This article presents the Budget Director’s 15-minute overview as delivered to the public. Our goal is to make the County’s presentation more accessible and understandable for residents seeking clarity over Johnson County’s financial priorities.We call this Part 1 of our budget series. Part 2 will feature community-submitted statements and additional reflections on budget… Read more
-
Kansas Water Shortage Concerns Grow as De Soto’s New Data Center Will Use Water From the Kansas River
August 22, 2025 As Kansans continue to be affected by the APEX economic development “corporate welfare” tax handout for Panasonic in De Soto, approved by the Kansas legislature and Governor Laura Kelly, (with a lot of backroom discussions and nondisclosure agreements,) sadly it’s only the beginning. Sunflower Redevelopment, LLC purchased/owns the 9,000 acre Sunflower Ammunitions… Read more
-
Lenexa’s Lawless Lapse: City Council Approves Human Trafficking
August 19, 2025 Lenexa’s response to the recent federal search warrant demonstrates how far city leaders are willing to go to play politics instead of protecting people. Lenexa City Council members praised their police department for refusing to assist Homeland Security Investigations (HSI)—the very agency tasked with dismantling trafficking networks, exposing labor abuse, and prosecuting… Read more
-
Public Forums and the First Amendment
August 16, 2025 The Spring Hill Recreation Commission recently voted to put into place a Social Media Engagement Policy effective August 13th, 2025. While it’s isn’t bad to have a few rules on “your own” website, making those rules apply on a social media and social networking service such as Facebook is a whole other… Read more
-
Kansas Education Testing Cut Scores Change, Part 5 of a Series on Education
August 15, 2025 What Are Kansas School Assessments Telling Us over the Years? The Kansas State Board of Education voted on August 12, 2025 to change the cut scores for student achievement state testing in math, science, and ELA. The vote was 7 to 3 with members Michelle Dombrowsky, Connie O’Brian, and Debbie Potter voting… Read more
