Sam Brownback

Kansas Gov. Sam Brownback was among those attending a ground breaking of a new clinic in Wichita's Planeview neighborhood. The 2,850 square-foot primary care clinic is at 2760 S. Roosevelt. The Planeview Transformation Coalition hopes this is the first of several projects in the area. The group says the community is one of the most "underserved" in the city with 50% of residents living in poverty. Hunter Health Clinic expects to serve 2,000 to 2,500 people in its first full year of operation.

Gov. Sam Brownback says his education funding plan will end lawsuits over how Kansas finances its public schools, but some educators and legislators doubt it.      Skeptics question how the plan would promise modest increases in state aid to dozens of rural districts with fewer than 500 students while providing no additional dollars to the state's largest districts. They think it locks in inadequate funding.      The Republican governor expressed confidence during a recent interview with The Associated Press that if the Legislature approves his proposal, the state will prevail in lawsuits, including one pending in Shawnee County District Court.

TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) - Conservative state Sen. Jeff Colyer is the running mate for Kansas Republican gubernatorial candidate Sam Brownback. Brownback announced his choice of Colyer for lieutenant governor on his Twitter site Tuesday morning. Colyer, a surgeon from Overland Park, has become a leading spokesman in the Legislature for conservative Republicans on health care issues. Brownback was kicking off a two-day, eight-city tour of the state Tuesday to introduce Colyer to potential voters.

Communities across Kansas will have special events this weekend to commemorate the 10th anniversary of the Sept. 11 attacks.       One of the centerpiece events will be Saturday in Anthony, home of the state's official 9/11 memorial. A memorial in the town about 60 miles south of Wichita contains a stone from the Pentagon, steel from the World Trade Center and soil from Pennsylvania where an aircraft hijacked by terrorists was forced down by passengers.       Other events include activities at Topeka's Forbes Field to honor first responders and emergency personnel for their service.

Top officials from Kansas aviation firms gathered in Wichita for an economic summit on the industry. Gov. Sam Brownback asked the firms on Monday to decide what the state needs to do to keep and expand Wichita's role as the aviation capital of the world. Several executives on the manufacturing and service sides of the industry spoke said the state needs to continue funding work force training such as the National Center for Aviation Training. The officials also discussed how they are constantly being courted by other states offering economic development incentives.

Kansas lawmakers are calling for tougher penalties for people convicted of child sex crimes. Gov. Sam Brownback and Derek Schmidt, Kansas Attorney General, are asking senators to approve a bill that would increase fines and penalties for sexual exploitation of children and human trafficking activity. The measure also establishes a fund for victims that would offer protection and counseling. Marc Bennett, Sedgwick County District Attorney, said those who exploit children should be punished to the fullest extent of the law. "Right now there's very little in the way of treatment that's specific to this population," Bennett said.

Paul Ryan may be from Wisconsin, but he has a connection to Kansas. From 1995 to 1997 Ryan was a top aide to then-Senator Sam Brownback.  Ryan was Brownback's protege, serving as his legislative director before running for Congress himself in 1998. Wichita State political science professor Melvin Kahn says that relationship could pay off for Kansas if Romney and Ryan win, given the federal budget deficit and the fact that Brownback is now governor. "They're going to be cutting back on a lot of goodies to the states," Kahn says.  "The emphasis is going to be on deficit reduction, and what little there is I think will go to people they have personally admired and respected.

Kansas outlawed texting while driving last year, but officials are going an extra mile to make sure everyone knows the law. A proclamation signed by Gov. Sam Brownback designated Wednesday as "No Text on Board Pledge Day. " The Kansas Department of Transportation planned to flash messages on electronic billboards along state roads reminding drivers not to text behind the wheel. Brownback's office says a recent study that found people who text while driving are 23 times more likely to crash.

Tuesday night was a big night for Republicans, especially in the Kansas Legislature. The Statehouse will now see 92 Republicans occupy seats in the House. The GOP already had a majority in Topeka going into election day. Twenty-eight of its House members were re-elected, and 64 freshmen are heading to the Capitol. Democrats, however, lost several seats. Only 33 Democrats are going to Topeka this term. With Sam Brownback, a conservative Republican, taking over as Governor, and a stronger Republican presence in the House, lawmakers will talk about the usual topics but things could be steered further to the right now. "People are going to have to be very patient," said Wichita State Representative Brenda Landwehr (R)

Kansas Attorney General Derek Schmidt and Gov. Sam Brownback are asking the state Supreme Court to stay a lower court's ruling on school finance and send the case to mediation.     The documents were filed Thursday in Topeka in response to a Jan. 11 ruling from a three-judge panel in Shawnee County District Court that the state's system for funding K-12 schools was unconstitutional.     Brownback said in a statement that it is the Legislature's duty to set funding for schools but lawmakers owe it to taxpayers, parents, teachers and students to discuss a way to solve the dispute.