Morgan Chilson

It's not spreading the cost of what electricity they use. They pay for that but they pull so much from the grid that adding generation is where the expense comes in.

Great questions and interesting conversations.

New Kansas rules set guidelines for data centers, big power users to protect smaller customers • Kansas Reflector New Kansas businesses with demanding electricity requirements will be subject to a large-load tariff after the KCC approved it Thursday

Kansas utility regulators today passed a large-load tariff that is expected to. help spread out costs of meeting data center and other big power user needs so that the costs don't hit residential and small businesses. kansasreflector.com/2025/11/06/n...

Inside TurboTax’s 20-Year Fight to Stop Americans From Filing Their Taxes for Free Using lobbying, the revolving door and “dark pattern” customer tricks, Intuit fended off the government’s attempts to make tax filing free and easy, and created its multi-billion-dollar franchise.

The IRS is reportedly not offering its Direct File program next year. Here’s a look back at how TurboTax owner Intuit spent two decades fighting to prevent Americans from filing their taxes online for free:

(Published 2019)

Retired U.S. Sen. Pat Roberts yearns for days when bipartisanship wasn't a nasty word • Kansas Reflector Former U.S. Sen. Pat Roberts, a Kansas Republican, speaks with the Kansas Oral History Project about people and policy defining his political career.

Former U.S. Sen. Pat Roberts said the get-the-work-done approach he admired, which brought a stalwart Republican like himself together with dedicated Democrats, should serve as a salve for partisan wounds inflicted by political champions of division.

Rising health insurance costs hit Kansans amid Congressional battle over subsidies • Kansas Reflector Kansans purchasing health insurance on the Affordable Care Act marketplace are likely to see their premiums increase in 2026

Kansans and others can find out starting Saturday what the costs will be on their health insurance plans through the Affordable Care Act marketplace. Some Kansans are already seeing health insurance go up $700 a month -- unsustainable for many people. kansasreflector.com/2025/10/31/r...

‘Hope for the best’: Government shutdown strains Kansas food resources, local businesses • Kansas Reflector Kansans are scrambling to pay bills and feed their families as they miss federal government paychecks and food assistance payments.

Kansans are feeling the fear and anxiety around the federal government shutdown, whether they are missing SNAP payments or paychecks as furloughed federal employees. Businesses, too, are being impacted. kansasreflector.com/2025/10/29/h...

Kansas navigates post-Dobbs world with state abortion restrictions in limbo • Kansas Reflector The Kansas abortion trial with wide-reaching implications for state lawmakers and health care providers wrapped Friday with arguments over the two sides’ differing definitions of pain, humanity and co...

The Kansas abortion trial with wide-reaching implications for state lawmakers and health care providers wrapped Friday with arguments over the two sides’ differing definitions of pain, humanity and consciousness.

kansasreflector.com/2025/10/23/k...

Kansas region expects, plans for near doubling of energy usage through next decade • Kansas Reflector Southwest Power Pool experts project energy usage to grow by 96% during the next decade in its 14-state region.

@journalist-sherman.bsky.social jokingly called this my "opus" but talking with Southwest Power Pool expert was really fascinating - our energy use in the area will double in the next 10 years! kansasreflector.com/2025/10/21/k...

Personal attacks derail interim Kansas legislative committee hearing on election reform • Kansas Reflector Kansas Legislature's committee on election transparency engages in lights-out argument about partisanship in crafting the list of invited speakers.

Kansas Legislature's committee hearing prompts heated debate on biased testimony on election reform. kansasreflector.com/2025/10/16/p... @kansascarpenter.bsky.social

Kansas reports rise in vaccine exemptions for public school kindergarteners • Kansas Reflector More Kansas families with kindergarteners last year claimed state vaccine exemptions than in previous years.

More Kansas parents of kindergarteners used vaccine exemptions for their children last school year, a trend that a leading Kansas doctor expects to see continue if we continue the "unfortunate melding" of science and politics. kansasreflector.com/2025/10/15/k...

Q&A: How new technology would fuel a different kind of nuclear power plant in Kansas • Kansas Reflector A TerraPower leader talks about the next generation of nuclear power plants and how they differ in design from Kansas' Wolf Creek.

Next-gen nuclear energy is emission-free, but it costs a lot of $$$. TerraPower, founded by Bill Gates, is building its new Natrium plant in Wyoming and exploring the idea of one in Kansas. I talked with one of their leaders about what new nuclear is. kansasreflector.com/2025/10/06/q...

Kansas disability service providers say conflict of interest rule could cause 'massive' problems • Kansas Reflector Complying with a federal policy designed to avoid conflicts of interest could cause “massive system disruption” for Kansans who have IDD.

Kansas is out of compliance with a federal rule ensuring there's no conflict of interest among providers supporting Kansans with intellectual & developmental disabilities. But changes could disrupt care for vulnerable people, advocates told legislators. kansasreflector.com/2025/10/01/k...

Kansas cancer survivor fears for health care as Congress weighs premium tax credit extension • Kansas Reflector Dawn Wheeler, a small business owner in Edwardsville, receives treatment for her metastatic breast cancer almost weekly.

Kansas cancer survivor fears for health care as Congress weighs premium tax credit extension kansasreflector.com/2025/09/30/k...

Kansas judge dismisses Kobach's lawsuit over governor's refusal to give food program data to feds • Kansas Reflector A Kansas district court judge dismissed a case filed by AG Kris Kobach that challenged the right of Kansas to withhold personal SNAP data.

A Kansas judge dismissed a lawsuit filed by AG Kobach trying to force the state to turn over food program personal data to the federal government. Kansas leaders have been concerned they might violate privacy regs and have held off. kansasreflector.com/2025/09/30/k...

Kansas governor says health care cuts will have 'disastrous effects' if Congress can't reach deal • Kansas Reflector Gov. Laura Kelly warned Wednesday that the loss of Affordable Care Act Marketplace tax credits will have "disastrous effects" on health care unless they are restored by Congress before enrollment begi...

Allowing ACA Marketplace credits to expire, as currently proposed, will make ACA health plans unaffordable for a lot of Kansans (and millions nationwide). Kansas Gov. Laura Kelly and others urge Dems and Republicans to work together. kansasreflector.com/2025/09/24/k...

Ha! My editor @journalist-sherman.bsky.social asked about it. Also into vinyl!

Federal government accuses Kansas town of ‘aggressive and unlawful’ interference with CoreCivic • Kansas Reflector The U.S. DOJ joined CoreCivic in its legal fight with Leavenworth, accusing the city of “aggressive and unlawful” interference.

The federal government has entered the fight between the city of Leavenworth and private prison CoreCivic, accusing Leavenworth of interfering with federal immigration work and violating the supremacy clause. kansasreflector.com/2025/09/23/f...

Kansas law professor calls for cultural shifts to address environmental crises • Kansas Reflector People must reconsider their connection to other species and KU professor and international law expert John Head

Greatly enjoyed this conversation with KU Prof John Head about environmental & ag crises, how we shift our culture to be more interconnected with the world -- all from a perspective of his international law background. There's a podcast and an article. kansasreflector.com/2025/09/22/k...

‘Sad political stunt’: Lawsuit between Kobach, Kansas governor heats up  • Kansas Reflector A lawsuit filed by AG Kris Kobach to force Kansas leaders to turn over SNAP data to the feds heated up this week with sharply worded filings.

Once more, SNAP data requests from the federal government are in the news. Kansas AG Kris Kobach sued the governor and head of DCF to demand the release of data. Their court filings got heated and a judge will decide soon if the case should be dismissed. kansasreflector.com/2025/09/19/s...

A USDA trade report no longer explains its data. Now economists are raising transparency concerns The quarterly Outlook for U.S. Agricultural Trade used to include data tables of imports and exports, plus a written analysis. But the last two reports have only included the data, leaving readers to ...

Concerning if we can't rely on data.

www.kcur.org/environment-...

Fired CDC chief Susan Monarez warns senators that RFK Jr. is endangering public health The U.S. public health system is headed to a “very dangerous place,” warned the ousted chief of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Fired CDC chief Susan Monarez warns senators that RFK Jr. is endangering public health

Kansas activists arrested in Washington say they want political concerns heard • Kansas Reflector Christie Peterson was one of nine Kansans arrested in Washington, D.C., last week in what they called an act of civil disobedience.

Christie Peterson had never been arrested before, but she went to Washington, D.C., to share concerns about the political environment.

Former ag secretary Glickman worries about ‘sledgehammer’ trade policies affecting Kansas farmers • Kansas Reflector Former U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Dan Glickman pushed for deepening relationships growth opportunities for Kansas farmers.

Enjoyed the opportunity to talk with a real statesman - former US ag sec Dan Glickman. He discussed tariffs, the Farm Bill and how he wishes everyone would just work together.

Statehouse panel takes stock of winners, losers under Trump’s new spending plan • Kansas Reflector Agriculture is a potential winner of new federal dollars when Kansas officials considered the state’s gains and losses from the “one big, beautiful bill“ act

It's tough for KS officials to grasp all the effects of Trump's spending & tax cut plan because there's not a lot of definitive information. Kansas legislators heard a report on possible budget impacts yesterday. Note that this was only budget issues -- because it doesn't detail lost jobs, etc.

Kansas official defends refusal to turn over private food program data in face of political attacks • Kansas Reflector Kansas officials refused demands from the federal government to access residents’ personal data solely based on their legal responsibilities.

Been writing a lot about the collection of Kansans' personal data from a food nutrition program lately. Now a Kansas leader shares the details of the program and why sharing the data won't help fight fraud and abuse, as political attacks contend it will.

Trump order on homelessness will undo decades of progress, Kansas service providers warn • Kansas Reflector Service providers say President Donald Trump’s executive order could jeopardize their efforts to help those who are experiencing homelessness.

Excellent story by @anna-writes.bsky.social on how Trump's homeless policies moves "things back 35-40 years or longer," one expert says -- threatening to increase homelessness and failing to listen to evidence-based practices on home people who are unhoused.
kansasreflector.com/2025/08/20/t...

Really interesting to see the changes that happened in the Junction City hospital -- from near failure to squeaking by with a profit.

I should have made that mo
re clear! But she still lost the $21,000 because he apparently owed her that in wages. So even though the actual exchange of money at that level didn't happen, it was significant.

Kansas legislators alarmed nurses suffer 'draconian' penalty for license renewal errors • Kansas Reflector House lawmakers launch aggressive inquiry into the Kansas State Board of Nursing's handling of licensure cases.

Check out this story from @timcarpenter.bsky.social about nurses being penalized for paperwork errors when they renew their license. kansasreflector.com/2025/08/07/k...