Kansas is a state in the Midwestern United States. Its capital is Topeka,and its largest city is Wichita. Kansas is a landlocked state bordered by Nebraska to the north;Missouri to the east;Oklahoma to the south;and Colorado to the west. Kansas is named after the Kansas River,which in turn was named after the Kansa Native Americans who lived along its banks. The tribe's name is often said to mean "people of the (south) wind" although this was probably not the term's original meaning. For thousands of years,what is now Kansas was home to numerous and diverse Native American tribes. Tribes in the eastern part of the state generally lived in villages along the river valleys. Tribes in the western part of the state were semi-nomadic and hunted large herds of bison.
Greensburg is a city in,and the county seat of,Kiowa County,Kansas,United States. As of the 2020 United States census,the population of the city was 740. It is home to the world's largest hand-dug well. On the evening of May 4,2007,Greensburg was devastated by an EF5 tornado that leveled at least 95 percent of the city and killing eleven people between the ages of 46 and 84. Today,Greensburg stands as a model "green town",often described as the greenest in America. The hospital,city hall,and school have all been built to the highest certification level issued by Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED).
Samuel Dale Brownback is an American attorney,politician,diplomat,and member of the Republican Party was the United States Ambassador at Large for International Religious Freedom from 2018 to 2021. Brownback previously served as the Secretary of Agriculture of Kansas (1986–1993),as the U.S. representative for Kansas's 2nd congressional district (1995–1996),as a United States senator from Kansas (1996–2011) and the 46th governor of Kansas (2011–2018). He also ran for the Republican nomination for President in 2008.
Kathleen Sebelius is an American businesswoman and politician who served as the 21st United States secretary of Health and Human Services from 2009 until 2014. As Secretary of Health and Human Services,Sebelius was instrumental in overseeing the implementation of the Affordable Care Act. Before becoming secretary,she served as the 44th governor of Kansas from 2003 to 2009,the second woman to hold that office. She is a member of the Democratic Party. Sebelius was the Democratic respondent to the 2008 State of the Union address and is chair-emerita of the Democratic Governors Association. She is CEO of Sebelius Resources LLC.
Mark Vincent Parkinson is an American businessman and former politician serving as head of the American Health Care Association (AHCA) and National Center for Assisted Living (NCAL). He served as the 47th lieutenant governor of Kansas from 2007 to 2009 and the 45th governor of Kansas from 2009 until 2011. He was also a state legislator.
John Michael Hayden is a retired American politician and veteran who served as the 41st governor of Kansas,from 1987 to 1991. He subsequently served as the Secretary of the Kansas Wildlife and Parks Department under Kansas governors Kathleen Sebelius and Mark Parkinson.
James A. Barnett is an American Republican politician from Kansas. Barnett ran for governor in 2018,ultimately coming in third place in the primary.
Susan Wagle is an American politician who served as a Republican member of the Kansas Senate,representing the 30th district from 2001 to 2021. She was elected Kansas Senate President in 2013 and was reelected in 2017. She is the first woman to hold this position.
The 2008 State of the Union Address was given by the 43rd president of the United States,George W. Bush,on January 28,2008,at 9:00 p.m. EST,in the chamber of the United States House of Representatives to the 110th United States Congress. It was Bush's seventh and final State of the Union Address and his eighth and final speech to a joint session of the United States Congress. Presiding over this joint session was the House speaker,Nancy Pelosi,accompanied by Dick Cheney,the vice president,in his capacity as the president of the Senate.
Paul T. Davis is an American politician and lawyer. A Democrat,he represented the 46th district in the Kansas House of Representatives from 2003 to 2015,serving as minority leader from 2009 to 2015. Davis was the unsuccessful Democratic Party nominee in Kansas's 2014 gubernatorial election and also ran a close campaign for Congress in Kansas's 2nd congressional district in 2018.
Kansas,like many other states,is facing a $186 million gap for fiscal year 2009 and according to early estimates approximately $1 billion deficit for fiscal year 2010. However,more recent estimates place FY 2010's shortfall at $654 million.
Governor Kathleen Sebelius recommended $600 million in budget cuts for FY 2010 which includes eliminating programs,closing facilities,freezing new hires,and reducing spending. However,in light of the federal economic stimulus package Sebelius amended her recommended budget to "prevent harm" to the state. "Budget cuts deeper than what I have already recommended are not necessary,and would in fact do great harm to our state’s economy and employment levels," said Sebelius. However,state officials said their target for reductions in fiscal 2010 is greater than the Governor's recommendations - $625 million. According to the Governor's recommended budget,the proposed cuts could reduce the projected FY2010 shortfall $103 million,however that estimate depends on $57 million in revenue from state-owned casinos that haven’t yet been built.
Philip Brian Scott is an American politician,businessman,and stock car racer who has served as the 82nd governor of Vermont since 2017. A member of the Republican Party,he was elected governor in the 2016 general election with 53% of the vote. He was reelected in 2018 with 55.2% of the vote;in 2020 with 68.5%;and in 2022 with 69.2% of the vote and a margin of 46%,the largest of any Vermont gubernatorial election since 1996,and the largest for a Republican since 1950. Scott was the 81st lieutenant governor of Vermont from 2011 to 2017 and a state senator representing the Washington County district from 2001 to 2011.
Chris Biggs is an American lawyer and politician who was the 30th Secretary of State of Kansas. He was appointed on March 16,2010 by Governor Mark Parkinson to replace Ron Thornburgh who resigned on February 15,2010. On Nov. 2nd,2010,he was defeated for election to a full term by a wide margin.
In the U.S. State of Kansas,wind power is the largest source of electricity,generating over 41% of the state's electricity in 2019. Kansas has a high potential capacity for wind power,second behind Texas. The most recent estimates (2012) are that Kansas has a potential for 952 GW of wind power capacity yet had only about 5.6 GW installed by year end 2018. Kansas could generate 3,102 TW·h of electricity each year,which represents over 75% of all the electricity generated in the United States in 2011. This electricity could be worth $290 billion per year.
Solar power in Massachusetts has been increasing rapidly,due to Section 1603 grants for installations that began before December 31,2011,and the sale of SRECs for $0.30/kWh,which allows payback for the system within 5 or 6 years,and generates income for the life of the system. For systems installed after December 31,2011,and before December 31,2016,the 30% tax grant becomes a 30% tax credit. There has been an appeal to the Congress to extend the 1603 program,the grant program,for an additional year.
Jeremy Ryan Claeys is a member of the Kansas Senate and a former member of the Kansas House of Representatives.
The 2018 Kansas gubernatorial election took place on November 6,2018,to elect the next governor of Kansas. Democratic nominee Laura Kelly won the election,defeating Republican nominee Kris Kobach and independent candidate Greg Orman.
The Kansas Department for Children and Families is a state agency in Kansas,responsible for the delivery of social services to those in need of them.
J. Russell "Russ" Jennings was an American politician who served as a member of the Kansas House of Representatives from the 122nd district. Elected in 2012,he assumed office in 2013 and remained in post until his death in 2021.
