Kansas
Sparks fly when Kansas House budget panel explores detail of university budget requests • Kansas Reflector
TOPEKA — The Kansas House’s budget committee delivered bipartisan condemnation Monday of unusual $3 million payouts to Emporia State University, Fort Hays State University and Pittsburg State University intended to stabilize campus operating budgets during a period of enrollment decline and rising costs.
The funding request, which had been previously rejected by Gov. Laura Kelly, was submitted by the Kansas Board of Regents’ three smaller-sized universities. Those campus leaders were emboldened by the 2023 Legislature’s decision to write ESU an extraordinary $9 million check amid a nearly 20% enrollment drop over five years. ESU had been in the spotlight for using a COVID-19-era emergency policy to jettison tenured faculty, slash core academic programs and impose a new business “model” of higher education.
Rep. Brenda Landwehr, a Wichita Republican, proposed a budget amendment during the House Appropriations Committee meeting to delete the $3 million gratuities to ESU, FHSU and PSU. Landwehr’s motion failed along with a more modest “parachute” amendment from Rep. Henry Helgerson, a Wichita Democrat. He wanted to link $1.5 million payments to the three universities to a demand that administrators outline a plan for what was to be accomplished with the cash.
“We plugged a hole with Emporia State last year,” said Landwehr, referring to the $9 million presented to ESU. “Now, we’re back because all the others are like, ‘Hey, if Emporia State can get this, then we should get something too to help right-size us or stabilize us.’ It’s a slippery slope.”
Helgerson’s blunt inquiry: “How long do we subsidize them?”
Rep. Steven Howe, the Salina Republican who chaired the House’s Higher Education Budget Committee, said the state’s six public universities were working to find a balance between academic offerings, student enrollment and workplace demands. He said the state invested heavily over the generations to create quality public universities, but those institutions needed time to hit reorganizational targets.
“I would hate to just pull out the rug, per se, and not give them the fighting chance,” Howe said. “We have good leadership amongst our institutions and I feel like they’re willing to make the difficult decisions ahead.”
The House Appropriations Committee decided to leave in place — for now — another $9 million installment of the subsidy to ESU. The committee also — for now — chose not to derail the $3 million supplemental payments to ESU, FHSU and PSU.
‘Somewhat hypocritical’
The budget committee postponed until end of the 2024 legislative session a recommendation to devote $15 million for renovation of a FHSU building to accommodate more nursing students. Questions were raised about whether student demand for Kansas nursing degrees warranted the project.
The budget blueprint for higher education, which will continue to take shape Tuesday in the appropriations committee, included $75 million in state support for the University of Kansas Medical Center’s plan to build a cancer research and treatment building. The half-billion-dollar project on the KUMC campus in Kansas City, Kansas, previously received a $100 million private donation and $43 million in federal funding.
In addition, the committee voted to delete ESU’s request for $4.6 million to pay off an “internal” university loan made in 2015 for residence hall construction. In 2018, ESU issued bonds for more housing projects. The steep decline in student enrollment and shrinking demand for on-campus housing meant the loan obligation couldn’t be repaid unless housing rates were increased to unreasonable levels.
Rep. Troy Waymaster, a Bunker Hill Republican and chairman of the House Appropriations Committee, said it didn’t make sense ESU expected state taxpayers to pay a price for the university’s mistakes in the student housing market at the same time ESU asked the Legislature to approve $10.2 million in new bonds for energy efficiency projects in campus buildings.
His ire was directed at ESU’s assumption the Legislature would let the university dump bad debt on taxpayers.
“I found it somewhat hypocritical,” Waymaster said. “If this is an internal loan, why are we paying it off with state general fund? It’s a valid question. Why are we paying it off with state general fund dollars?”
The ESU bubble
In September 2022, the Kansas Board of Regents approved ESU’s “model” for restructuring the university and delivering stability to the university’s budget. The authority was relied upon by President Ken Hush when dismissing 30 tenured or tenure-track faculty. The university gutted English, journalism, history and debate programs, but expanded from four academic schools to seven schools and invested in programs in nursing, computer science, art, music and cybersecurity.
The policy used by ESU to initiate the transformation didn’t speak to the necessity of multimillion-dollar bailouts by the Republican-controlled Legislature and the state’s Democratic governor. At conclusion of the 2023 session, however, House Speaker Dan Hawkins, R-Wichita, lauded the Legislature’s decision to earmark $9 million for ESU. He said management changes at ESU were “the way forward for all higher education institutions in our state.”
Rep. Stephen Owens, a Hesston Republican, challenged the $3 million handouts to ESU, PSU and FHSU.
“I just don’t know that it’s our responsibility to stabilize these universities,” he said. “We like to have conversations around here, but sometimes we don’t like to have the really hard conversations that exist. Nobody wants to make the hard decisions to say, ‘Well, we have X amount of universities and maybe we need one less because of declining population.’”
He said there was no motivation for government-funded entities to find the sweet spot in terms of budgeting, because the system allowed each to simply demand more from taxpayers.
Landwehr, who unsuccessfully sought deletion of the $3 million tips, said she was perplexed that the $9 million earmark last year for ESU didn’t appear to have made a difference. Originally, ESU said it would need $9 million infusions of cash in three consecutive years.
“You can’t keep cherry picking different universities on what we’re going to come in and do special things for,” Landwehrs said. “They’re not adjusting to what the market.”
Crayons, and the amused
The supplemental earmarks of $3 million, or at least half that amount, had defenders on both sides of the aisle during the House committee debate on higher education spending.
Rep. Ken Rahjas, a Republican from Agra, said regional universities had plans for working through budget challenges even if the full scope of those strategies weren’t presented to the House Higher Education Budget Committee chaired by Howe.
“Did they write it in Crayon? Did they print it out for us? There was a plan.” Rahjes said. “I trust the system. I trust the process. I trust my chairman.”
Democratic Rep. Barbara Ballard of Lawrence said larger universities, such as Kansas State University or University of Kansas, had substantial budgets and more wiggle room to reimagine themselves when money got tight. Ballard, currently the longest-serving House member, said she recalled a time when the Legislature provided nearly half of state university budgets, but that measure had fallen to about one-fourth.
“I don’t know what the answer is, but whenever we don’t like something or we can’t understand it, we just pull the funding,” Ballard said.
Rep. Bill Sutton, R-Gardner, said he found it somewhat amusing House legislators were castigating universities for not preparing for difficulties consistent with the anticipated decline in the college-age population.
He asked peers on the House committee whether the Legislature prepared for disruption of COVID-19, which he referred to as a flu, by setting aside significant cash reserves.
“We did not and we gladly accepted … $34 billion from the federal government to bail us out because we didn’t have a rainy-day fund,” Sutton said.
HUTCHINSON — Throughout their formative years, they grew up playing side-by-side, on rival teams or simply admired each other’s success from afar.
Now that their high school football careers are over, Salina Central’s Cooper Reves and Jesus Delgado, Salina South’s Jaxon Myers and Brody Chambers from Southeast of Saline, share the honor of playing for the West team in this weekend’s Kansas Shrine Bowl.
Perhaps just as important in their minds, they get to represent Salina for either the first or the last time wearing identical uniforms.
Jesus Delgado
“Us Salina guys are kind of sticking together, I like to say,” Delgado, an all-state linebacker on Central’s 2025 Class 5A state championship team, said Tuesday during the West training camp Tuesday at Hutchinson Community.
On Thursday, the East and West teams convened in Emporia, site of the 53rd annual Shrine Bowl, set for 7 p.m. Saturday at Emporia State’s Welch Stadium. But not before four days of intense practice at their respective camps in Hutch and Ottawa.
For the Salina contingent, the free time between workouts and meetings was an opportunity to connect, reconnect and reminisce.
Jaxon Myers
“We’re all from near each other, so we kind of know each other, or we’ve heard of each other,” said Myers, a standout wide receiver at South. “We’ve got some pretty good dudes in Salina.
“It’s not just us, but there’s a lot more that could have been here.”
While Reves, an all-state running back, and Delgado helped lead Central to a 12-1 record and its first state title since 2005, Myers was part of a struggling South team that suddenly caught fire in the playoffs after a 1-7 regular season. Road victories in the first two rounds led to the Cougars’ first postseason showdown with their crosstown rivals since 2004.
“That was one of the craziest football games I’ve been a part of in my entire life, just from the fan bases to everything building up to it,” Delgado said of Central’s 49-24 victory after trailing 17-14 at halftime. “But as of right now, it’s really just trying to soak everything in, going to college, and we’re all going on to different opportunities.”
“Some people are playing ball, some people are doing other things, but we’re really all just trying to get to know each other, build some connections and embrace it.”
While Myers’ memories of the playoff game aren’t as fond as those of his rivals, he said it spoke to the mutual respect the teams shared amid all the hoopla.
“It was fun, but not fun at the same time,” said Myers, who did catch a touchdown pass in the game. “You want to win those types of games and you want to keep the Cinderella story going, but they’re a tough team and they won state, so it’s not much you can do about that.”
“You’ve got to eat it from time to time, but this is a part of the game, and it’s all respect. We all respect each other.”
Myers, a Class 5A all-state selection by KSHSAA Covered, caught 45 passes for 871 yards and 10 touchdowns in just nine games for South as a senior. He will play at Garden City Community College this fall.
“Jaxon’s been killing it,” Reves said of Myers’ early West camp practices.
Cooper Reves
Reves, a KSHSAA Covered Top 11 selection and first team 5A pick, knows a little about killing it. As a senior, he rushed for 2,814 yards and 32 touchdowns, including 243 with four scores in the Mustangs’ 51-34 state championship victory over Basehor-Linwood.
Reves also caught 28 passes for 256 yards and another touchdown to finish with 3,070 total yards for the season.
Reves is not the only KSHSAA Covered Top 11 pick representing Salina. Chambers, a 6-foot-1, 285-pound lineman, helped Southeast of Saline to a Class 2A runner-up finish, one game shy of a second straight state championship. While also starting on the offensive line, he had 85 tackles, including 17 for loss, for the 12-1 Trojans.
And then there’s Delgado, the heart of Central’s defense, a first team 5A all-state selection, who had 145 tackles, 21.5 for loss, a sack and an interception in the Mustangs’ championship run.
Among the Salina players, there are several unique connections.
Cooper Reves and Jesus Delgado: One last game together
Delgado, who has signed with Butler Community College in El Dorado, will play his final game alongside Reves, who is headed to Northern Iowa on a wrestling scholarship after winning two state titles at Central.
“Having that state championship, there’s not really much like it,” Reves said. “I feel like me and Jesus were leaders, and we kind of felt like we’d take that role on this year.”
“Just having someone like that next to you the whole way and being able to bring each other up and be there for each other has been great.”
Good memories, indeed, Delgado agreed.
“Early on, when we got (to camp), we were kind of chatting about what it’s going to be like in a different environment,” he said. “We’ve been looking back on old memories, videos and things like that with the guys.
Jesus Delgado and Jaxon Myers: Teammates for just one game
For Delgado and Myers, their history as rivals also represents the future. After teaming up in the Shrine Bowl, they are headed back to rival camps in the Jayhawk Conference.
“He’s like, ‘Some things just never change.’ But right now, for one week, we’ll just let it slide,” Delgado said with a smile. “What some of the guys are doing is putting some of the other team’s decals on their helmets. It might be the only time I agree to put some of the other guys’ decals on.”
Myers, for his part, isn’t too worried about future rivalries.
“It’s fun not having to go against them just because of how good they are and seeing how hard they work,” he said. “It’s a lot different, but it’s fun watching them play.”
Appreciating success at different levels
While South and Central were doing their thing, including the historic playoff clash, they were not too busy to appreciate what Chambers, all-state running back Grady Gebhardt and Southeast of Saline were accomplishing just 15 miles away near Gypsum.
“They’ve been successful, and I think Brody’s been a big part of that,” Reves said. “He’s a good dude and amazing athlete.”
Chambers has something else in common with Reves as a two-time state wrestling champion, and he played both football and baseball with Delgado growing up.
Like his South and Central counterparts, Chambers kept an eye on their postseason successes.
Brody Chambers
“It was definitely fun to watch Central’s run to the state championship and winning it,” said Chambers, who will continue his football career at Grand View University, a high-level NAIA school. “We kind of came up short, unfortunately, but it was really cool that we had two Salina teams I the state championship.”
“We didn’t watch any of the games because we were still focused on us, but I did see a whole bunch of Facebook stuff about (the South-Central playoff game), and we were excited for them. We root for each other since we’re not in the same division.”
Proud to represent Salina in Shrine Bowl
When the final whistle blows at the Shrine Bowl on Saturday, Delgado, Reves, Myers and Chambers all will go their separate ways.
But not before proudly representing their hometown.
“It’s awesome to say that we have four guys from Salina be on this team when there’s only 40 guys from around the state,” Reves said. “So, that’s 10% of the team just from Salina.
“It says we have the right people doing the right things, and I think that’s pretty special.”
WICHITA, Kan. (KSNW) — Colorado-based chicken restaurant Birdcall is expanding into Kansas.
The company announced Friday its plans to expand into Kansas and five other Midwestern states over the next five years. Birdcall plans to add six to eight fast-casual restaurants in Wichita and Topeka.
“The Midwest represents a tremendous opportunity for Birdcall,” CEO Mark Lohmann said. “From our award-winning chicken sandwiches and other handcrafted menu offerings to our commitment to innovation and community, we believe Birdcall offers an experience that resonates with today’s guests and is a natural fit for the region.”
Other locations announced are:
- Indiana – 10 to 15 restaurants across Indianapolis, Bloomington, Evansville and Fort Wayne
- Missouri – Up to 18 restaurants across St. Louis, Columbia, and Kansas City
- Nebraska – Seven to 10 restaurants across Omaha and Lincoln
- Ohio – Up to 20 restaurants across Cleveland, Cincinnati, Columbus and Toledo
- Wisconsin – 10 to 15 restaurants across Milwaukee, Madison and Appleton
Birdcall’s menu features a variety of chicken sandwiches, chicken fingers and nuggets, salads, tater tots, fries, and more. The restaurant also makes its own in-house sauces and serves up draft beer and house-made margaritas, with happy hour specials.
The company said each restaurant will use self-service kiosks and occupy about 2,300 square feet, with indoor and outdoor seating that can serve up to 150 people.
Birdcall currently operates 17 restaurants across Colorado, Arizona and Texas.
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KSHB 41 reporter Ryan Gamboa covers Miami County in Kansas and Cass County in Missouri. He also covers agricultural topics. Share your story idea with Ryan.
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A video shared by a viewer, shows a resident speaking at the Osawatomie, Kansas City Council meeting being escorted out by police on Thursday evening.
The video shows a man holding a “Hell No Alcove” sign, while commenting about a blighted property, which according to public records is owned by Pacific Apartments, LLC, operating out of the same address as Alcove Development in Lawrence, Kansas.
KSHB 41
Alcove Development is behind the effort to build a $1 billion, 283-acre data center development in Osawatomie’s northland property.
The video, shared by a viewer, goes on the show two law enforcement officers approaching the individual, who is Lee Brewer, at the podium, after he begins to yell, while the crowd joins in behind him. Lee Brewer reached out to KSHB 41 late Thursday night, identifying himself as the person who was escorted out.
Osawatomie, Kansas Police Chief Dave Stutteville is seen in the video also approaching the man.
Fabian Rosales/KSHB
KSHB 41 Miami County Reporter Ryan Gamboa reached out to the Police Chief, City Manager, and Mayor Nick Hampson for comment late on Thursday night and is waiting on a response.
Residents in contact with Gamboa attending the meeting shared the meeting was still in session after 9:30 p.m.
Thursday night’s meeting was the city and Alcove Development’s attempt at sharing potential benefits of a data center for the community.
Gamboa has long covered the data center project in Osawatomie, Kansas — and neighbors to the project have voiced their opposition to the proposed development.
Brian Luton/KSHB
This is the first time Alcove Development has approached the public, but not the first time it has worked with the city of Osawatomie.
In late 2025, Alcove Development approached the city with the project and weeks later, a pre-development agreement was signed giving Alcove exclusive rights to the development for three years.
But city council meeting records from 2023 show, the city of Osawatomie entered into a pre-development agreement with Alcove Development to redevelop a property known as Old Swenson School.
Alcove Development had six months to asses the condition of the property and determine a course of action for redevelopment, and the overall agreement would last 18 months, according to public records.
Will Shaw/KSHB
The pre-development agreements states, Alcove would consider asking for tax breaks on the project, including utilizing the Low-Income Housing Tax Credit.
At the time, the property had sat in disrepair since 2016, according to the records, and was frequently found in violation of city code.
If the re-development were to fall through, the city would be on the hook to purchase the property from the developer for $25,000, with unclear total costs for infrastructure improvements.
KSHB 41
KSHB 41 will follow up on the status on this project at a later date.
Earlier this week, Miami County Reporter Ryan Gamboa, sat down with Donna Ingram who doesn’t live far from the data center site.
Ingram expressed her concerns about the amount of infrastructure that would be built to operate a data center, and how it might overtake the land around her home.
Ryan Gamboa/KSHB
She expressed concerns because the City of Osawtomie changed the public comment guidelines of a promise town hall with the developer.
“Watching this process play out is disheartening,” Ingram said in an interview on Monday. “A town hall was promised that didn’t come to fruition… I don’t believe it’s the definition. This is a city council meeting. We’re the ones that are gonna live next to it. We’re the ones that live in the path of the infrastructure.”
The city told KSHB 41 on Monday in a statement, they changed the format to prioritize the voices of city taxpayers, as county taxpayers have dominated the public comment periods over the past couple of months.
Brian Luton/KSHB
Mayor Nick Hampson also told Gamboa in an earlier interview he was hoping to have a productive “town hall” — instead, the first meeting with the public and the developer of the project was during a formal and regularly scheduled city council meeting.
The city also required residents to submit questions ahead of time, and the city would filter questions to the developer, while limiting public comment to three minutes.
“We have been and will continue to hear from the residents that are in the county and closest to this project,” Hampson told KSHB 41 in an email on Monday.
Miami County, Kansas
Residents shared a record to KSHB 41, submitted to the city for a formal investigation into 1009 Pacific Avenue in Osawatomie, which is owned by a company operating out of Alcove Development’s address.
The dilapidated property is the a former school house, that sits with broken windows, and other parts of the building breaking down.
The Miami County Republic reporting on Thursday, the city launched an investigation into the building.
Ryan Gamboa/KSHB
Residents cite the buildings deteriorating condition and potential danger to the public, and lack of property maintenance.
Lee Brewer issued a comment regarding the incident at Thursday night’s meeting, stating he was escorted out after the Mayor closed public comment, and he was not on the list.
Brewer told KSHB 41, he has a time -stamped email of pre-submitted questions ahead of the meeting. KSHB 41 asked Brewer to review the email, and is waiting for an answer.
I am severely disappointed in our Mayor and the city council. They told us we were required to send in an email with our questions and our address to prove we were citizens of the town by Wednesday the 24th at noon. I have my email which is timestamped at 10:26 a.m. Wednesday the 24th. They shut me down and first told me I didn’t put the email in and then once I was kicked out of there I was told by people coming out that they were told I turned in my email too late. I’m not a math teacher but last time I looked at my clock 10:26 a.m. falls just over an hour and a half before noon. I mean correct me if I’m wrong. I thought because the mayor and I were having decent conversations on Facebook Messenger, whereas I would ask him questions and he would answer to the best of his ability. And I would thank him I thought we were pretty cordial. So to basically call me a liar in front of the entire town on video recording, take away my freedom of speech My first amendment right, and have me removed from a public building was completely wrong I am very disappointed in our city council and mayor. When I approached the podium all I was trying to do was point out that resolution number 1169 in Osawatomie Kansas refers to Alcove development LLC being the owner of the old Swenson School at 1009 Pacific. As I pointed out in these earlier messages to you Alcove has left this building dilapidated in ruins and a danger to our community. Our great city council and mayor seem to have other plans for me being able to speak though.
Lee Brew, via Facebook to KSHB 41 News
KSHB 41 reached out to Alcove Development late on Thursday night, and is waiting on a response.
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