In Kansas News
With two and a half months left in the federal fiscal year, the Trump administration has yet to release money that states use for forestry and firefighting. Celia Llopis-Jepsen of the Kansas News Service reports
"State forestry officials are worried the money will not show up.Kansas state forester Jason Hartman says losing it will hurt the state’s capacity to fight wildfires.
“That is one of the main things we do with this funding – is provide training, response resources, response assistance.”
The estimated $2.4 million for Kansas allows the state to help rural fire departments with trucks, protective gear and training for 1,500 firefighters each year.
Wildfires are getting more intense on the Great Plains. Large blazes can take days or weeks to fully extinguish.
For the Kansas News Service, I’m Celia Llopis-Jepsen."
Kansas Senate President Ty Masterson announced his run for governor Sunday evening.
The Republican from Andover has been in the Kansas Senate since 2009 and previously served in the Kansas House of Representatives.
Masterson also served as national chair of the American Legislative Exchange Council, or ALEC (pronounced like the name). The group pushes conservative policies in state legislatures, like voter ID laws and efforts to privatize education.Masterson is branding himself as an ally to President Donald Trump and his federal agenda. He also says cutting property taxes is a top priority.
“We really need to get a hold of the whole system and be able to cap the outrageous growth in property taxes.”
He faces seven other candidates in the GOP primary, including Secretary of State Scott Schwab and former Governor Jeff Colyer
And in Missouri News
Starting this week, the Missouri Public Service Commission is hosting public hearings for Liberty Electric Utility’s rate increase. The company has requested a monthly revenue increase, changing customers' charges from $13 to $16 per month. The public hearings will be held in Joplin, Nixa, Bolivar, Branson, and Aurora. Southwest Missouri is Liberty’s largest service area in the state.