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The city of Basehor now has a splash pad.

Gov. Laura Kelly signed a bipartisan tax bill Thursday in Leavenworth that she says “saves hardworking Kansans money while ensuring our state remains fiscally healthy over the years to come.”Kelly signed Senate Bill 1, passed during the special session, at the Leavenworth County Council on Aging after she and Sen. Jeff Pittman, D-Leavenworth, provided details about the legislation.The bill provides more than $2 billion in property, income and Social Security taxes over five years. Prior to this bill, Kelly said, Kansas was one of only 11 states across the country to tax Social Security income, “costing retirees millions of dollars every year.” Now, she said, “we have made state income tax on Social Security a thing of the past, saving retirees $152 million the first year alone.”The governor praised Pittman for working across the aisle to deliver the bill, which included residential tax relief, an issue Pittman said his constituents have mentioned most to him. The bill exempts the first $75,000 of a home’s value from property taxes, which Kelly said would save property owners more than $236 million over five years.It also reduces income taxes, increases the standard deduction and provides a child care tax credit. Kelly said she would have preferred more property tax relief “but the leadership insisted on income tax rather than property taxes. But overall, I think we can be proud of this bill,” which she admits wasn’t easy to get done.“It got scrappy. Leadership made lofty attempts at unsustainable tax cuts that would eventually send us back to the four-day school weeks, crumbling roads and bridges and crippling debt. I wasn’t going to let that happen,” she said, calling the previous administration’s actions a “catastrophe.”Pittman said Kelly required “that we have five years of solvency in our state budget. When I came into the Legislature we were in a very tough situation. This bill allows us to keep above zero even though we cut taxes,” which he said he was proud of. “This is a fantastic big step to give property tax and income tax relief.”“With the help of Pittman and his colleagues, overcoming political differences and leading from the middle, we could deliver tax cuts that Kansans need and deserve and the states can afford. Inflation is affecting everyone, including here in Kansas; prices are going up, but this bill does something about it by putting money back in people’s pockets,” the governor said.At the end of the ceremony, Council of Aging Director Connie Harmon presented Kelly with a COA challenge coin.In an interview after the bill signing, Kelly said she was “delighted” that the Middle of the Road Political Action Committee she set up was successful in helping the four candidates it endorsed win Tuesday’s primary. One incumbent ousted as a result was Mark Robinson from Kansas City, Kansas, a Democrat who had worked against most legislation she supported. She endorsed Wanda Paige, also of KCK, who won.The other three endorsed were Patrick Schmidt, a Democrat who won his primary against House Minority Leader Vic Miller. The PAC also endorsed veteran senators Marci Francisco and David Haley.Kelly said she set up the PAC “to ensure next year there will be people willing to work with me, to work across the table to get good things done for Kansas.”Also this week, Kelly became chairman of the Democratic Governors Association after Tim Walz stepped down to become Kamala Harris’ Democratic vice president pick. She said she’s happy about that because the association is composed of “fantastic folks much like Tim Walz.” In the Minnesota governor, she said, “What you see is what you get. He’s about as authentic as they come.” She said she definitely doesn’t consider that he’s too radical, one criticism leveled at him. “I consider feeding kids and providing health care not exactly radical,” Kelly said.

Incoming Basehor-Linwood High School senior Lane Lamping has been named national president of the Technology Student Association at its annual conference. TSA is a national nonprofit career and technical student organization consisting of over 300,000 middle and high school students who are engaged in science, technology, engineering and math. Each year, students from across the country gather for the conference to battle in STEM competitions, attend general sessions, workshops and network with other students and professionals. In addition, elections are held for the next national TSA officer team.Lane’s studies are focused on engineering/robotics and business. At BLHS, he also participates in theater, runs on the cross country team and competes in the robotics program. He is also a full-time student at Johnson County Community College where he is pursuing an associates of science in general science as well as a certificate of data analytics. Lane is on track to graduate in spring 2025.Originally joining TSA in sixth grade as a member of the Basehor-Linwood Middle School chapter due to his interest in technology, he aspires to become an engineer. Lane decided to run for national president because he wanted to give back to the organization for all it has given to him.“TSA has influenced my academic journey and personal development in such a way that I can confidently say I would not be the person I am today without this organization and the people it has connected me to. I’m immensely thankful for the opportunities I’ve been granted,” said Lane.At BLHS, Lane has found success on the state level in events ranging from technology problem solving and audio podcasting to extemporaneous speech and debating technological issues. His favorite event is data science and analytics. He and his partner Talin Turner took sixth place at the 2021 national conference and in 2023, he and his partner Erick Jones won second place.This year marked Lane’s fifth year attending the national conference and he said it is always the highlight of his year. He appreciates the opportunity to compete against, learn from and connect with friends and fellow technology students from across the globe.He feels that an organization like TSA is important because how rapidly the world is evolving with technology playing an increasingly significant role in professional as well as everyday life. Lane also recognizes that the organization provides an opportunity for students to gain exposure to STEM beyond the classroom and allows students to develop a deeper understanding of STEM concepts and their practical application.“On the state and national levels, TSA allows students to connect with like-minded peers who share a passion for technology and engineering. From competing and learning, to pin trading and networking, there are countless opportunities for members to develop their technical skills and gain leadership exposure,” he said.Lane’s pursuit to become the national president began in early spring, although he admits that his ultimate decision has been in the works since he first walked into his middle school adviser’s classroom at the beginning of his sixth-grade year.In middle school, Lane gained leadership skills through TSA competitions and served as a chapter officer. When he was a freshman, he was encouraged to seek out a position as a Kansas TSA state officer and has since served as the Kansas TSA state reporter as well as the Kansas TSA state vice president. He was able to put his leadership skills to great use by advocating for career and technical education throughout Kansas.As a member o the national TSA officer team, Lane will preside over meetings, make committee appointments, advocate for TSA and career and technical education and assist in planning in next year’s national Conference, where he will chair the annual business meeting. One of the goals he personally has is to strengthen and grow the TSA alumni network.The campaign process which led to his ultimate election consisted of a two-minute speech at the opening session to around 9,000 attendees; a 30-second response to a randomly drawn question during the general session; a meet and greet opportunity open to all members, and an online social media campaign. Lane was elected over two other candidates who ran for the top position.Amanda Hodges is the national TSA adviser and works directly with officers who felt that Lane was a great choice for that top office.“Lane is a very intelligent, charismatic and kind young man. He is a strong leader who truly cares about TSA and its members and is passionate about leading and serving others. We know Lane will do a fantastic job leading the 2024-25 national TSA officer team and representing the 300,000 members of TSA this year,” Hodges said.

Consultants working on the city of Leavenworth’s First City Vision Zero Action Plan held an open house this week to provide information about the project and gather additional input.