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No Child Left Behind and Race to the Top are just two of the recent attempts to "fix" our nation's schools. This week on KPR Presents, education historian Diane Ravitch talks about the REAL danger to America's education system...our attempts to reform it. Ravitch spoke at the University of Kansas as part of the Hall Center for the Humanities Lecture Series.

Six Southwestern Kansas Counties including Finney and Stanton have banned the discharge of fireworks this year. The drought gripping the region has dried out wheat and other vegetation that can easily be ignited. Ulysses town adminstrator Daron Hall says recent experience convinced officials to ban any substance that can be burned. A grass fire that burned in Stanton County incinerated 60 square miles in March. Despite the fireworks ban in 6 counties, a few others including Greeley and Scott Counties are going ahead with July 4th fireworks displays.

From Emilia Pérez and its 13(!) nominations to the profoundly gross The Substance getting a Best Picture nod, the 2025 Oscar nominees addressed big social and political issues, all to varying degrees.

KC comes from behind in the final innings to send the series back to Kansas City for Game Five.

The lackluster revenue report is largely due to disappointing sales tax collections.

Members of the Kansas House approved a budget bill last (THUR) night. The Senate already has approved its own budget legislation. Negotiators for the two chambers are working to draft a final version are continuing talks this (FRI) morning. Setting the budget is the major job left on the agenda before lawmakers can adjourn their annual session.

Recycling old bottles into new bottles is surprisingly complex. We visited a recycling plant and a bottle factory to see the whole process.

Here's the weekend's Kansas and regional news headlines by the Associated Press.

Pressure has been growing from Democrats and activists to charge more people, including those in high positions of power

(photo of Kansas Statehouse via Flickr user SgtPepperedJane)TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Kansas legislative negotiators have agreed on a proposal for cutting income taxes further and setting the state sales tax at 6 percent. The deal emerged Friday from talks among three senators and three House members to reconcile differences between the two chambers. House Republicans drafted the plan, and GOP senators accepted it to see whether other lawmakers would support it. The House would vote on it first, possibly Tuesday. Republican Governor Sam Brownback wants to follow up on massive income tax cuts enacted last year without creating budget shortfalls. He proposed canceling a sales tax decrease scheduled by law for July. The 6.3 percent tax is set to drop to 5.7 percent. GOP senators wanted to keep the tax at its current rate, but House Republicans resisted.