K-State union wants to keep cozy with lawmakers

By   /  May 13, 2013  /  Kansas, News, public sector, State Government  /  1 Comment

AP file photo

OSAWATOMIE — The Kansas State Employees Association wants to bite the hand that pays them, says labor union president Bill Glover.

In a move that has surprised some, the public-employee union at Kansas State University has come out against shifting control of classified employees to the local level. Instead, the union has aligned with the notably anti-union state Legislature.

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Audit takes aim at Kansas facilities for veterans

By   /  May 7, 2013  /  Featured, Kansas, Kansas Government, News  /  No Comments

ATTENTION: State auditors unearthed a number of troubling financial issues at two Kansas facilities designed to serve local veterans.

Lax financial controls, poor accountability and the potential for fraud landed two Kansas veterans facilities in state auditors’ crosshairs Tuesday morning.

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Warning shot: Holder declares KS gun law unconstitutional

By   /  May 2, 2013  /  Kansas WatchBlog, WatchBlog  /  29 Comments

STANDOFF: U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder fired a shot across the bow last week after sending a letter to Gov. Sam Brownback declaring Kansas' Second Amendment Protection Act unconstitutional.

By Travis Perry │ Kansas Watchdog
OSAWATOMIE — U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder didn’t mince words in a recent letter to Gov. Sam Brownback regarding the state’s latest move to protect Kansans’ Second Amendment rights.
State law, Holder wrote, will in no way stop federal law enforcement agents from enforcing all federal firearms laws and regulations, declaring [...]

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Complaints lodged against fired Larned hospital nursing director, union says

By   /  May 1, 2013  /  Kansas WatchBlog, WatchBlog  /  3 Comments

HELP WANTED: State employee union officials charge supervisors like former nursing director Zena Jacobs with fostering a poor working environment at Larned State Hospital, which in turn contributes to low staff retention and high overtime.

 
By Travis Perry │ Kansas Watchdog
OSAWATOMIE — State officials are keeping quiet about the recent firing of the director of nursing from Kansas’ largest mental health facility.
Angela de Rocha, communications director for the Kansas Department for Aging and Disability Services, said she couldn’t comment as to why Zena Jacobs was dismissed from her position at [...]

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Kansas school ends costly student drug testing

By   /  April 30, 2013  /  Kansas WatchBlog, WatchBlog  /  2 Comments

FLUSHED: After spending more than $31,000 over five years, only four Maize students tested positive for drugs.

By Travis Perry │ Kansas Watchdog
OSAWATOMIE — A Wichita-area school district has opted to stop randomly drug testing students who take part in school-sponsored activities.
The Wichita Eagle reports that earlier this month the Maize USD 266 Board of Education voted to cease the practice, which has been in place for the last six years, following [...]

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