By DAVE RANNEY

Gov. Sam Brownback’s administration has awarded a one-year, $314,000 grant to a Washington, D.C.-based organization, the Center for Neighborhood Enterprise, to help low-income communities find ways to combat poverty, violence, substance abuse and absent fathers. “I’m excited to see this nationally recognized, successful initiative come to Kansas,” Brownback said in a recent Kansas Department for Children and Families news release of the national organization led by Robert L. Woodson Sr.

“Government doesn’t have the answers, our citizens know the problems plaguing their communities,” Brownback said, “and I look forward to working with Mr. Woodson to help our towns and neighborhoods grow at a grassroots level.” The Center for Neighborhood Enterprise is known for helping often-unrecognized leaders find ways to improve their communities without being overly dependent on government programs.

According to the grant, DCF and Center for Neighborhood Enterprise officials will recruit, train and assist 240 leaders from 17 cities: Dodge City, Fort Scott, Great Bend, Garden City, Hays, Hutchinson, Independence, Kansas City, Lawrence, Leavenworth, Liberal, Manhattan, Olathe, Pittsburg, Salina, Topeka and Wichita. Leaders in each community will be encouraged to “draft ideas” for addressing local needs.

Afterward, their proposals may be eligible for additional funding through public or private grant programs. The groups are expected to include people involved in law enforcement, child welfare, health care, mental health, social services, city government, credit counseling and the local faith community.

The initial meetings are expected to start in March. Theresa Freed, a DCF spokesperson, said the grant is underwritten with State General Fund monies in the department’s budget for the current fiscal year. The grant, awarded in November, was not subject to legislative approval.

The Center for Neighborhood Enterprise was founded in 1981 by Woodson, a former National Urban League administrator. According to the Center for Neighborhood Enterprise website, Woodson, now 77, “is the only person ever to have received both the liberal and conservative world’s most prestigious awards — the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur ‘Genius’ Fellowship and the Lynde and Harry Bradley Foundation Prize, as well as the Presidential Citizens Medal.”

Woodson has agreed to spend up to 208 hours on the Kansas project. A Wall Street Journal article last year described Woodson as a “no-nonsense black conservative” who’s known for taking a market-driven — rather than government-dependent — approach to fighting poverty. In an interview Wednesday with KHI News Service, Woodson said most anti-poverty programs go into troubled communities “looking for deficiencies — families with kids who’ve dropped out of school, are in jail or on drugs.” The Center for Neighborhood Enterprise, he said, takes a different approach.

“When we go in, we look at the 30 percent of the homes without those deficiencies,” he said. “We identify their strengths, and then we look for what can be done to build on those strengths.” Oftentimes, he said, the strengths can be developed by using resources within the private sector rather than relying on government-funded support.

“The reason the word ‘enterprise’ is in our name is because we believe the principles that apply in a market economy also should apply in a social economy,” Woodson said. Barry Feaker, executive director at the Topeka Rescue Mission, said he’s not familiar with the Center for Neighborhood Enterprise. “What they’re wanting to do sounds like what we’re doing with Hi-Crest here in Topeka,”

Feaker said, referring to one of the most poverty-stricken neighborhoods in the nation. “It’s all about empowering people within their own neighborhoods.” Feaker said he’s been “more than encouraged” by the rescue mission’s successes in reaching out to Hi-Crest residents. “Crime is down,” he said.

“There’s a renewed interest in the community; residents have latched on to some hope in what they can do. City government is more involved, the private sector is more involved. There’s housing rehabilitation going on that wasn’t going on before. There’s a lot more interaction between the mental health and substance abuse programs. There’s been an explosion in interest from church groups. There’s significant momentum going forward.”

Feaker said he would welcome the Center for Neighborhood Enterprise effort in Topeka. “We don’t have all the answers,” he said. “If they can come in and generate some substantive ideas on where to go from here, I’m all for that. Time will tell, I guess.”

Dave Ranney is a reporter for Heartland Health Monitor, a news collaboration focusing on health issues and their impact in Missouri and Kansas.

TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — The Kansas Senate has approved a bill to allow people to carry concealed guns without requiring them to get a state permit or take training classes.
The vote Thursday was 31-7 and sends the measure to the House.

The bill is sponsored by 26 of the chamber’s 40 members, led by Majority Leader Terry Bruce.

A state concealed carry permit costs $132.50, and a person must undergo eight hours of training to get one.
Gun-rights groups note Kansas has long allowed the open carrying of weapons without a state permit. The bill’s critics say training should be mandated for people carrying concealed weapons.
The National Rifle Association says Alaska, Arizona, Vermont and Wyoming don’t require permits to carry concealed anywhere in the state.

TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — The Kansas House is considering reducing sentences for the first two marijuana possession offenses.

The full chamber will consider the bill Thursday. It would make it unlikely that an offender would face prison time until their third marijuana conviction.

Supporters have said that the bill would divert more marijuana offenders to treatment and would save money and space in the state’s prisons. Kansas prisons are already overcrowded and are expected to stretch to 107 percent capacity by 2024.

Republican Rep. Steve Brunk of Wichita said in a party caucus meeting Thursday that he opposed the bill because it would move the state closer to marijuana decriminalization.

He said the move would be inconsistent with parallel measures to stiffen prison time for some offenses.

TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — The Kansas House has approved a collective bargaining compromise between teachers and school boards.

The House passed the compromise bill 109-14 Thursday.

School boards and teachers unions can currently bring dozens of issues to the negotiating table, which critics say leads to deadlock.

The compromise bill would allow each side of the negotiations to bring five issues that would have to be addressed in addition to pay.

The bill’s language came as the result of an extensive amendment proposed by Republican Rep. Sue Boldra of Hays Wednesday that gutted its original provisions.

The original bill would have allowed non-union teachers to negotiate individually for pay and benefits and school boards would not have been required to extend to them deals reached with the union.

MANHATTAN- Police in Manhattan are investigating a report of possible criminal threat at Marlatt Elementary School.

The Riley County Police Department reported they received a call of a ‘Criminal Threat’ just after 5:30 p.m. on Wednesday at the school.

Officer Matthew Droge of the Riley County Police Department said, “Vaguely worded comments were received by USD 383 school officials in the 2700 block of Hobbs Drive.

There were no specific threats made to the school or staff.”

SALINA – Police in Salina have arrested a man for an alleged sexual assault on another man.

Scott D. Widler, 47, Abilene, was arrested Wednesday on requested charges of sexual battery and aggravated criminal sodomy.

Police began their investigation on February 13th when the victim, in his 30s, was being treated at the hospital for injuries received during the incident.

Police say Widler and the victim are acquaintances.