Opinion

OPINION – Luke 2:40-52 – normal, yet uniquely divine child

MY PERSPECTIVE, Gary Damron

For the first twelve years of Jesus’ life, the Gospels give us only glimpses. Angels announce the birth, shepherds worship, wise men bring gifts, and Herod threatens His life. But near the end of Luke chapter 2, the narrative shifts: we move from what others say about Jesus to what He actually did. For the first time, it's possible to observe Jesus in action - growing, learning, questioning, and revealing a quiet but unmistakable sense of divine purpose.

After Joseph and Mary's flight to Egypt and their return to Nazareth, Luke offers two statements that frame our passage for this week. Both highlight the balance of Jesus' development:

- "The child grew and became strong, filled with wisdom; and the favor of God was upon him” (Luke 2:40). And,

- “Jesus increased in wisdom and in stature, and in favor with God and with people” (Luke 2:52).

OPINION – Massive tax hike soon to be gone thanks to new commission

L&T OPINION

Tuesday night the Seward County Commission took a bold step forward by rescinding the outrageous 17-mill tax increase and voluntarily returning to the Revenue Neutral Rate.

This will save taxpayers about $4.8 million and will begin the process of regaining fiscal control over county finances.

While this move satisfies Seward taxpayers, questions will now remain unresolved at the State level. For one, can counties send out notices and completely abandon their own stated limitations, and two, can a county refer to the wrong date on its resolution and still be able to tax the wrong year?

OPINION – Session just getting started in Topeka

RYCKMAN RECAP, Ron Ryckman, 38th District Senator

Welcome to the 2026 session of the Kansas Legislature — and thank you for the honor and privilege of representing you at our Capital. As I start my 12th year in elective office and sixth as your 38th District Senator, I will be sharing leadership of the Committee on Local Government, Transparency and Ethics as its Vice-Chair, along with membership on three other committees — Agriculture and Natural Resources, Commerce, and Judiciary. I am here to help you interact with your state government on any issue, however, so please stop by my Capitol Office in Room 236-E right off the Rotunda; send me an email at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.; or give me a call at 785-296-7359 if I can be of assistance in any way. I will look forward to hearing from you, or — if you come in person and are from Jetmore or Hanston — showing you my prominently-displayed 2026 “KANSAS” calendar with a famous Hodgeman County winter sunset as the first-month featured pictorial.

OPINION – State of the State calls for education reform, civility

GUEST COLUMN, Shannon Francis, 125th District Representative

Thank you for trusting me to serve as your representative to our state government. There is no greater honor than being chosen to represent my hometown in the Kansas House of Representatives. On Jan. 12, the House convened for our 2026 Session. This Session I will again serve as Chairman of the House Transportation Committee, and as a member of the Kansas Turnpike Authority Board, Appropriations, Tax, Legislative Post Audit, House Oversight, and Rules Committees and the Build Kansas advisory committee.

President Bennett and Vice President of Academic Affairs, Luke Dowell of SCCC were in Topeka for meetings last week. We talked about the challenges of our community colleges and about their work to solve the teacher shortage in our area.

OPINION – Do we really want to improve student achievement?

L&T Publisher Earl Watt

If cell phones were around when I went to school, chances are I would not have the opportunities I have had thanks to receiving a quality education.

Mrs. Sprague confiscated my Frogger watch in seventh grade English, and that was advanced for the day. We had distractive devices. They just weren’t allowed.

There was a reason.

I wasn’t attending school to develop relationships with educators or for hugs and butterflies.

I was there to work.

As were generations before me.