Opinion

OPINION – Why the approved Chiefs deal is bad economics

GUEST COLUMN, Vance Ginn, Kansas Policy Institute

In December 2025, the deal to bring the Kansas City Chiefs across the state line was agreed upon. Supporters called it a historic win. In reality, it locked Kansas into a multi-decade financial commitment that violates one of the most basic principles of good economics: government should not pick winners and losers.

This deal is now, for all practical purposes, done, but that makes it even more important to be honest about what it means for taxpayers.

The approved agreement commits up to $4 billion to a new domed stadium in Wyandotte County, an adjacent entertainment district, and a team headquarters and training facility in Johnson County.

Under the terms posted by the Kansas Department of Commerce, the project is structured as a 60–40 public-private partnership, with taxpayers covering about 60 percent of the cost through diverted tax revenues rather than a direct tax increase. The other 40 percent is covered by the Kansas City Chiefs.

That distinction may matter politically, but not economically.

OPINION – The left’s performative outrage on full display to start ’26

GUEST COLUMN, Laura Hollis, Townhall.com

What a news cycle we’re having. In just the past week, we’ve had exposure of massive fraud in the state of Minnesota, the U.S. military’s removal of Venezuelan dictator Nicolas Maduro, widespread protests across Iran calling for the end of the Islamic regime, and the swearing in of New York City’s new socialist mayor, Zohran Mamdani.

These seemingly unrelated items have one important thing in common, and that is that they reveal even more about the American Left, its disdain for liberty and the rule of law, and its love affair with authoritarian collectivism.

YouTuber Nick Shirley and his research partner, David Hoch, exposed more than $100 million in fraud being perpetrated by Somalis in Minneapolis, charging the state for empty child care centers, fake adult care facilities, and health care transportation services that provide no health care transportation.

OPINION – The magi and Herod: responses to the newborn King

MY PERSPECTIVE, Gary Damron

On Jan. 6, Christians around the world observed Epiphany, a day that commemorates the magi’s visit to the infant Jesus. Often called “manifestation” or “revelation” - the introduction of Christ to the Gentiles - Epiphany marks the moment when the light of understanding dawns. Jesus is not merely king of the Jews, but the universal Savior whose arrival demands a response from every heart.

In the story found in Matthew 2:1-12, we find two stark reactions to the news of Jesus’ birth. The magi responded with hope, wonder, and devotion. But Herod, the ruler in Israel at that time, reacted to the lordship of Jesus with fear, calculation, and murderous resistance.

OPINION – Little lamb preparations

GUEST COLUMN, Kim Baldwin, Kansas Farm Bureau

It seems as if we just wrapped up our fall harvest and now we have started a whole new year.

While we have officially entered the winter season on the farm where things slow down for us just a bit, there’s still plenty to do.

There are a few fields in our area that still need to be harvested, but the majority of the farms in our area have the grain out of the fields and cattle have been moved in to graze the remaining stalks for a few months this winter.

OPINION – Policymakers shouldn’t reverse America’s progress against HIV

GUEST COLUMN, Joey Mattingly, University of Utah College of Pharmacy

The federal government is poised to undo years of hard-won progress in the fight against HIV -- a deadly and highly infectious disease that seems to have lost its urgency due to our successes in prevention and treatment.

Firings at the CDC by DOGE and the Trump administration’s 2026 budget request marked the start of this surprising and dangerous retreat. The administration proposed to eliminate all $800 million in funding for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Division of HIV Prevention -- the backbone of the nation’s HIV response that funds testing, outbreak tracking, and access to PrEP, which are drugs that prevent HIV.