Kansas Reflector Podcast

Abortion access in Kansas remains at the forefront of state politics, with the 2024 election a little more than a month away. Kansas Women Attorneys for Freedom are at the forefront of this issue. Two members of the group, Adina Morse and Nicole Revenaugh join the Kansas Reflector podcast to talk about their priorities.

For years, the Kansas Legislature has grappled with the best way to help Kansans in need, including children in foster care. Lawmakers in two interim committees recently met to hear about progress, or the lack of it, in these areas. Opinion editor Clay Wirestone talks with reporter Anna Kaminski about the state's efforts to improve the child welfare system.

Wichita police for decades discriminated against Black and Latino residents by placing them on a "gang list" for dubious reasons, subjecting them to enhanced scrutiny and harassment.

But earlier this year, the city agreed to settle a federal lawsuit brought by the American Civil Liberties Union of Kansas and Kansas Appleseed, on behalf of the youth advocacy group Progeny, to alter the way police weaponize the "gang list" against minority community members.

Two attorneys who worked on the case — Kunyu Ching with the ACLU and Teresa Woody with Kansas Appleseed — talk about the settlement agreement and the long-term impact of the gang list.

Iian Ellis, a University of Kansas lecturer who grew up near London during formative years of punk music, says in a new book the attitude, symbols and sounds of punk rockers changed his life by encouraging him to question authority.

Kansas is being left behind by neighboring states in terms of recreational and medicinal sales of marijuana, which is illegal in Kansas.

Inga Selders, a Prairie Village City Council member and founder of the Cannabis Justice Coalition, dives into this issue with Barry Grissom, a former U.S. attorney for Kansas who serves on the coalition's board.

Kansas Reflector opinion editor Clay Wirestone hosts a conversation with editor in chief Sherman Smith, senior reporter Tim Carpenter and intern Grace Hills on the multitude of stories that emerged from the primary election — from the 2nd District congressional races to incumbents losing Statehouse races and implications for November.

Sherman Smith, Kansas Reflector editor in chief, and Marisa Kabas, founder of The Handbasket, talk about changes in Marion one year after police raided the newspaper office, and how the raid impacts journalism.

Matt Kleinmann grew up in Overland Park and played basketball at the University of Kansas. He faces former U.S. Rep. Nancy Boyda in the Aug. 6 Democratic primary in the 2nd District.

Researchers and authors Mary Banwart and Teri Finneman talk about recent attacks on Vice President Kamala Harris for her gender after she replaced Joe Biden as the Democratic Party's presumptive presidential nominee for president.

Former U.S. Rep. Nancy Boyda, a Democratic candidate who seeks to reclaim the 2nd District seat in Congress, sees herself as “a strong, independent, moderate woman” appealing to Kansas voters who want difficult challenges resolved in Washington, D.C.