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A reasoned look at wind power
Read more: A reasoned look at wind powerThe Texas Public Policy Foundation has released a report titled Texas Wind Energy: Past, Present, and Future. It doesn’t have a catchy title, but the report is full of useful information about wind energy.
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Attitudes towards global warming are changing
Read more: Attitudes towards global warming are changingGlobal warming alarmists — in this article Christopher Booker refers to them simply as “warmists” — have become “even shriller and more frantic” in light of evidence that climate change may not be proceeding they way they’ve been predicting.
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Wichita school bond finance report omits a big contribution
Read more: Wichita school bond finance report omits a big contributionYesterday, Citizens Alliance for Responsible Education (CARE) filed their campaign finance report. This group was in favor of the bond issue to benefit USD 259, the Wichita public school district. There are some interesting details in this report, but there’s one glaring omission: there’s no mention of the campaign contribution made by the taxpayers of…
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Why don’t we have these in Wichita?
Read more: Why don’t we have these in Wichita?Just 12 years later, economically disadvantaged students — defined as those eligible for free or reduced-price school lunches — in secondary charter schools are twice as likely to score at advanced or proficient levels on math and reading tests as their peers in traditional public schools, based on federally mandated national tests. Wow. That sounds…
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Global warming rope-a-dope
Read more: Global warming rope-a-dopeWalter Williams reports that the science behind global warming is not as solid as alarmists and zealots present it to be.
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In public schools, incentives matter
Read more: In public schools, incentives matterLast week (Wichita Public School District’s Path: Not Fruitful) I wrote about an article by Malcolm Gladwell. This article describes a method for evaluating and paying teachers. It’s not based on what public schools do now, which is to reward teachers solely on the basis of longevity and education credentials earned. That’s because we’ve found…
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Still Oklahoma’s most wanted
Read more: Still Oklahoma’s most wantedA Wall Street Journal editorial explains the recent development in the case of Paul Jacob and two others in Oklahoma. This case is of interest for a few reasons. First, I know and like Paul Jacob. He’s been at the forefront of the fight for term limits. The Oklahoma case stems from his advocacy of…
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Wichita city hall: more evidence of lax procedures
Read more: Wichita city hall: more evidence of lax proceduresWichita Eagle reporting from yesterday (Past client: Developer admitted embezzling) provides more evidence of the need for improved procedures and greater accountability at Wichita city hall. In this story, investigative journalist Dion Lefler reports that Grant Gaudreau admitted stealing money from a business partner. This comes to light just after the City of Wichita nearly…
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Wichita’s naysayers shortchanged again
Read more: Wichita’s naysayers shortchanged againAt the December 2, 2008 meeting of the Wichita city council, three citizens spoke to the council on the same issue. The treatment these people received in the official minutes of the proceedings varied quite a bit.
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AFP Defending the American Dream Summit to be Held in Wichita
Read more: AFP Defending the American Dream Summit to be Held in WichitaAmericans For Prosperity — Kansas announces Kansas? second statewide Defending the American Dream Summit. This event will be on Saturday, January 10 from 9 a.m. To 2 p.m. at the Beech Activity Center in Wichita. The featured speaker is Jonah Goldberg of National Review Online. He’s also author of the recent best-seller Liberal Fascism: The…
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Tax increment financing (TIF Districts) in Wichita, explained
Read more: Tax increment financing (TIF Districts) in Wichita, explainedLast week I spoke to the Wichita Pachyderm Club about tax increment financing, or TIF districts, in Wichita. John Todd spoke about the same topic, too. Surprisingly, my remarks contained some different material from the talk given to the same group by Allen Bell, Wichita’s director of urban development.
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Kansas law requires Wichita to hold another public hearing
Read more: Kansas law requires Wichita to hold another public hearingRecently, the Wichita city council passed a resolution announcing a public hearing on a TIF district and its project plan. The city then, on the day before the hearing, substantially changed the plan. This change means that the city must hold another public hearing.