- Kansas Lawmakers Return To Topeka
- Fracking’s New Angle in Kansas
- Yearly Prostate Cancer Screening May Be Unneeded
Kansas Lawmakers Return To Topeka
Kansas lawmakers convene the 2012 session this week with a full agenda of initiatives, ranging from tax cuts to reforming Medicaid, school finance and state pensions. In contrast from recent years, legislators return to the Statehouse on Monday without a looming budget crisis. Brownback is preparing to outline his plan for reforming the Kansas tax code when he delivers his State of the State address on Wednesday. He has said in recent months that he wants to make changes to improve the business climate and get more Kansans into the work force. The governor will present his budget to legislators on Thursday. Read more here.
Fracking’s New Angle in Kansas
After finding success and controversy in other states, horizontal fracking is bringing a new angle to the oil and gas business in Kansas, along with environmental concerns. Horizontal fracking cracks open layers of rock across the horizon with a mix of water, sand and chemicals, releasing trapped oil and natural gas. Statistics from the Kansas Geological Survey show 66 horizontal well permits have been issued in 2011, more than the last three years combined. Find out more from Harvest Public Mediahere.
Yearly Prostate Cancer Screening May Be Unneeded
There's more evidence that most men don’t need an annual prostate cancer screening. Washington University chief urologist Dr. Gerald Andriole has been leading a clinical trial involving more than 75,000 men over the age of 55. The study has tracked the men for over a decade, to see whether getting an annual prostate-specific antigen, or PSA test, makes someone less likely to die from prostate cancer. Andriole says that for most men, it doesn’t – but says some men should still get tested. Read more here.