Kansas Sen. Dinah Sykes and Rep. Stephanie Clayton served notice Wednesday of a decision to politically re-brand themselves by leaving the Republican Party to represent Johnson County districts as Democrats.

Tom Bell, the president and CEO of the Kansas Hospital Association, and Chad Austin, who lobbies for the KHA in the Statehouse, discuss their optimism for the upcoming legislative session during a conversation for Capitol Insider, the podcast of The Topeka Capital-Journal that explores people and policy in state government.

Ellis County District Court Judge Blake A. Bittel has been chosen to hear the contested election case between 111th District Rep. Eber Phelps and Ellis County Commissioner Barb Wasinger.Bittel was chosen Tuesday at a 2 p.m. hearing at the Kansas Supreme Court in Topeka.

Convenience plays as important a role in voter participation as political passion or apathy, according to an analysis of recent state elections published this past week by the ACLU of Kansas.

Auditors working for the Kansas Legislature reported last week a majority of problems with regulation of pet animal facilities outlined in a 2002 report had yet to be addressed and indicated the Kansas Department of Agriculture failed to conduct timely inspection of businesses and to consistently sanction repeat offenders.

Assistant Secretary of State Eric Rucker prevailed in a two-person contest this past week to win appointment to the Senate seat to be vacated upon departure of Topeka Republican Sen. Vicki Schmidt to take office in January as the state’s insurance commissioner.

The Kansas Supreme Court has appointed District Judge E. Leigh Hood as chief judge for the 16th Judicial District. Hood will succeed Chief Judge Van Hampton, who is retiring.