A University of Kansas researcher says that gay marriage bans may have generated empathy for same-sex couples and their families.
Political science professor Don Haider-Markel has researched gay and lesbian political movements in the United States. He also wrote “Out and Running: Gay and Lesbian Candidates, Elections and Policy Representation.”
Haider-Markel says that without states pushing to ban same-sex marriage in the 1990s, people might not have been exposed to stories about the difficulties gay couples experience without marriage. Haider-Markel called that opinion-changing coverage “an ironic outcome.”
Today, six states and the District of Columbia have made same-sex marriage legal, and 12 more recognize civil unions or have domestic partner laws. Recently, three more state legislatures voted to permit gay marriage, although the New Jersey legislation was vetoed.
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Gov. Sam Brownback has declared a disaster emergency in 19 counties hit this week by violent weather, including the storm that spawned a deadly tornado in the eastern Kansas town of Harveyville.
The governor’s disaster declaration Thursday brings the state into the response to the storms.
Brownback had already declared of a state of emergency Tuesday night in Wabaunsee County after the tornado hit Harveyville. But other areas also had damaging winds, hail and tornadoes.
In addition to Wabaunsee County, the new declaration covers the following counties: Butler, Chautauqua, Coffey, Cowley, Crawford, Douglas, Franklin, Harper, Kingman, Labette, Leavenworth, Marion, Montgomery, McPherson, Reno, Republic, Sumner and Wilson counties.
Kansas Congressman Mike Pompeo has joined a Republican push in Washington to end all energy tax credits.
Pompeo, who represents the Wichita area, is sponsoring House legislation ending the production tax credit for electricity produced from renewable resources such as wind, biomass and hydropower.
He was joined at a Washington news conference Thursday by Republican Sens. Jim DeMint of South Carolina, Mike Lee of Utah and Ron Johnson of Wisconsin.
The legislation would also end tax credits for plug-in electric and fuel cell vehicles, alternative fuel mixtures, clean coal investment and oil and gas production from marginal wells.
Pompeo says he wants to create a level playing field for energy companies. Some other lawmakers from states like Kansas that are trying to develop wind energy support the wind energy tax credits.
After Thursday night’s girls semifinal games, at the class 2A girls sub-state, Saturday’s championship game will feature two Northwest Kansas League teams.
In the first game of the evening the Rawlins County Buffaloes would prove to be too much for the Trego Golden Eagles. Rawlins County scored the first five points of the game and led 10-4 early behind four from Hillary Chavatal and three from Summer Castens. Trego trailed 12-8 after the first quarter.
The Golden Eagles opened the scoring in the second quarter and tied the game at 12. Trego’s Haley Dietz scored four of her 12 points in the second quarter but Rawlins Country used a 7-0 run to take a 19-12 lead and the led by seven, 21-14, at half.
It was much of the same coming out of the halftime break. Rawlins Country built their largest lead of the game at 32-20 in the third quarter but Trego put together a strong 7-0 run led by Hannah Dietz who scored eight of her team-high 20 and Rawlins County led 39-27 after three. Trego cut the deficit to 41-39 to begin the fourth quarter but they would get no closer and Rawlins Country advanced to the sub-state Championship game with a 52-46 win.
Rawlins County’s Hilary Chavatal and Trego’s Hannah Dietz tied for a game-high 20 points. Keshia Green, who had not scored all season for Rawlins County added 10 and Summer Castens had nine. Trego’s Haley Dietz added 12 points. Rawlins County improved to 16-6 on the season and will play Oakley in the Sub-state Championship game while Trego’s season ended at 14-8.
The second game of the night was just as close with the Oakley lady Plainsmen earning the victory over the Hill City Ringnecks. Oakley quickly jumped out to an 8-3 lead to begin the game behind Carrie Pilkington who had four first quarter points. Hill City answered right back with a 6-0 run spurred on by eight first quarter points from Kelsey Keith as Hill City took an 11-8 lead. Oakley led 12-11 after one.
In the second quarter Hill City kept firing on all cylinders and built a 21-17 lead. Keith added six more points, Haley Dinkel scored four points and Shelby Stewart knocked in a three all in the second quarter to give Trego a 28-19 lead at halftime. Oakley though would jump out of the gate in the third quarter and own the second half.
Kenzie Weiser hit a three to start the third quarter and cut the lead to 28-22. Brooke Hemmert and Carrie Pilkington added four more points to tie the game at 34 and then as the quarter came to an end Laura Dennis drained a three at the top of the key to give Oakley a 37-34 lead. The fourth quarter would belong to Oakley, outscoring Hill City 13-3 in the final period to earn the 51-40 win.
Oakley’s Brooke Hemmert lead all scorers with 15 points, Carrie Pilkington added 12 and Laura Dennis finished with 11. Kelsey Keith scored all 14 of her points in the first half and led Hill City in scoring. Haley Dinkel was the only other Ringneck in double figures with 12.
Oakley improves to 17-5 and will take on Rawlins County in the finals on Saturday evening at 6pm while Hill City ends their season 13-9.
The Monarch boys’ basketball team saw their season come to a close Thursday night after losing to Hoisington 63-48 in the Lyons Class 3A Sub-State Semifinals.
Hoisington (18-4) picked up the 3-0 sweep over Thomas More Prep – Marian this year defeating the Monarchs twice in the regular season on their way to getting the conference championship. TMP, who finished their season at 12-10, has yet to beat Hoisington since joining the Mid-Central Activities Association going 0-5 against the Cardinals in the last two years.
TMP had an electric start to the ballgame as Hoisington’s main two players, Cody Stetler and Derrick Kaiser, got in foul trouble in the first half. The Monarchs led by as many as eight in the second quarter and held a 29-24 lead at halftime.
TMP scored the first bucket of the second half to take a seven-point lead but then back-to-back 3-pointers by Kaiser made it a 31-30 contest just like that.
The Cardinals, the #1 seed in the Lyons Sub-State, would eventually tie the game up at 35 apiece midway through the third quarter and then go on a 12-1 run to take control of the game.
TMP was led in scoring by Jacob Fouts who ended with 11 points. The Herd did a good job defensively on the 6’8″ Stetler holding him to only six points while battling foul trouble, but the Cardinals had others step up to help their cause. Kaiser finished with 16 points while Trent Schremmer added 15.
TMP completed the year with one extra win than they had last season and also earned their first postseason victory since 2009. The Monarchs will lose eight seniors for next year.
With the lack of precipitation, Hays officials are keeping an eye on the Smoky Hill Well Field. City Manager Toby Dougherty says the water level didn’t bounce back in the fall as it usually does, but it is still rated fair.
Dougherty says if we don’t receive adequate precipitation through the spring and into the summer causing the level to drop, the city can request a release from Cedar Bluff Reservoir. The wells reached that level in 2006, but the city didn’t call for a release.
The Hays High Lady Indians advanced to the Sub-State championship game with a 51-31 win over Liberal on Thursday night. The Indians led by ten after the first quarter then used a 11-0 run in the second and were never threatened again. The Indians held Liberal to just 24% shooting and held a 40-26 edge in rebounding. Paige Lunsford scored 20 to the lead the Indians on a night were nine different players scored. Hays High improves to 17-4 and has their most wins since the 02-03 season.
Hays High will play Newton in the championship game in Newton on Saturday at 7:45. The Railers beat Great Bend 44-29. Hays High lost 36-30 the first time the two teams met up at the Hays City Shoot-Out.
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Text messages between a 38-year-old Kansas man and a 14-year-old girl he’s accused of killing will be allowed as evidence in his murder trial later this month.
Lawyers for Adam Longoria wanted to exclude dozens of text messages he exchanged with Alicia DeBolt after they met at a party in Great Bend. DeBolt’s burned body was found in August 2010 at a Barton County asphalt plant where Longoria worked.
Barton County District Judge Hannelore Kitts on Thursday denied the defense motion.
Prosecutors say Longoria was obsessed with DeBolt, and the text messages over the course of more than a month indicate that. Defense attorneys say prosecutors are blatantly trying to prejudice jurors by presenting the text messages.
KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Shaquanda Wiggins recorded a double-double, scoring 22 points and pulling down 11 rebounds, as No. 4 seed Central Missouri pulled away to defeat No. 5 Fort Hays State, 73-61, in the first round of the MIAA Centennial Women’s Basketball Championship Thursday afternoon at Municipal Auditorium.
In a game that featured three ties and eight lead changes, neither team led by more than four points until Fort Hays State went on an 8-0 run to take a 23-18 advantage with 7:54 to play in the first half.
The Tigers extended their lead to 28-21, their largest lead of the game, before Central Missouri battled back to make the score 33-29 in favor of Fort Hays State at halftime.
Central Missouri (20-7) came out strong with an 11-1 run to start the second half, kick started by a three-pointer by Taylor Hanson 14 seconds into the half, to give the Jennies a 40-34 advantage with 17:17 to play in the game.
Central Missouri would not give up the lead the rest of the game, but Fort Hays State kept it close throughout the majority of the second half.
The Tigers cut the Jennies’ lead to two at 44-42 on two Kimber Weiser free throws with 13:50 to play, but a 7-0 UCM run put the Jennies back up by nine (51-42) at the 11:46 mark of the second half.
Fort Hays State fought back once again with a 10-4 run of its own to trim the Central Missouri lead to 55-52 with 6:44 to play, but another run by the Jennies (14-4 over the next four minutes of play) put the game out of reach for the Tigers at 69-56 with just 2:06 left in the game.
Fort Hays State was led on the afternoon by Wesier with 13 points and four rebounds, as well as Traci Keyser with 13 points of her own to go along with three rebounds.
Nicole Caddell chipped in 14 points and nine rebounds for Central Missouri, while Alyssa Rhodes scored 14 points as well to go along with five rebounds.
Central Missouri moves on to face No. 1 seed Washburn in the semifinals Saturday at noon. Fort Hays State closes out its season with a 20-9 record overall.
A man injured in a tornado that hit the small eastern Kansas of Harveyville has died.
Sharon Watson, a spokeswoman for the state adjutant general, said 53-year-old Richard D. Slade died Wednesday evening at Stormont-Vail Hospital in Topeka.
She says Slade was injured when his home collapsed on him during the tornado Tuesday in the Wabaunsee County town. He was airlifted to the hospital and the decision was made to take him off life support Wednesday afternoon.
Five other people treated at hospitals after the tornado have been released. Eight others were treated in Harveyville after the storm.
A University of Kansas researcher says that gay marriage bans may have generated empathy for same-sex couples and their families.
