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Fallen sports hall -- The Kansas Sports Hall of Fame has fallen on hard times once again. After the museum failed to make a $97,000 lease payment to the city, the Wichita City Council voted to evict the hall and put the building on the market.

In an effort to save the hall when it was in Abilene, supporters worked with state legislators on a bill that would have added a $1 surcharge on tickets to one football game, one men's basketball game and one women's basketball game each season at each of the state's universities, community colleges and Washburn University. The bill failed, at least in part, because it also included a 50-cent per-ticket charge on state high school championship games in football, volleyball and basketball. But with the amount of money being spent on college athletics, especially at Kansas University and Kansas State University, it seems there might be at least a little money to spare for the state hall of fame.

Maybe Kansas doesn't need a sports hall of fame. Given the repeated failures to sustain the hall, it's apparent that organizers need to rethink the museum's scope and mission, as well as the financing. A ticket surcharge or some other support from state universities and community colleges is a possibility that seems worthy of consideration.-- Lawrence Journal-World

Hey, Kansas State Sports Hall of Fame. It's us, Hutchinson. "Come Share Our Space." We have some buildings here in Hutchinson that have some room, and we're sure that the Hutchinson/Reno County Chamber of Commerce or the Convention/Visitors Bureau would be happy to show you around and help you find just the right spot. And we like museums here, and if we can brag a little, they do pretty well. We like sports, too, which means you'd fit right in here. Plus, there's the Kansas State Fair, which draws thousands of visitors to Hutchinson every year and hosts many non-fair events throughout the calendar.-- Hutchinson News

Campaign cloud -- Memo to Kansas lawmakers: Deceptive campaign ads financed by anonymous donors are not most people's idea of free speech.

"I didn't think anything about western Kansas was pink. Maybe red."

-- Sen. Sam Brownback, R-Kan., joking in Oakley about a map painting most of Kansas pink (reflecting wind speeds ideal for wind farming)

"I never worked so hard in my life as I did when I was a teacher."

-- Sen. Pat Roberts, R-Kan., at a new teacher breakfast in El Dorado

"I hate for a car dealer to know that."

John McCain recently tried to underscore his seriousness about pushing through a new energy policy, with a strong focus on more drilling for oil, by telling a motorcycle rally that Congress needed to come back from vacation immediately and do something about America's energy crisis. "Tell them to come back and get to work!" McCain bellowed.

Sorry, but I can't let that one go by. McCain knows why.

It was only five days earlier, July 30, that the Senate was voting for the eighth time in the past year on a broad, vitally important bill -- S. 3335 -- that would have extended the investment tax credits for installing solar energy and the production tax credits for building wind turbines and other energy-efficiency systems.

Both the wind and solar industries depend on these credits -- which expire in December -- to scale their businesses and become competitive with coal, oil and natural gas. Unlike offshore drilling, these credits could have an immediate impact on America's energy profile.

McCain did not show up for the crucial vote July 30, and the renewable energy bill was defeated for the eighth time. In fact, McCain has a perfect record on this renewable energy legislation. He has missed all eight votes over the past year -- which effectively counts as a "no" vote each time. Once, he was even in the Senate and wouldn't leave his office to vote.

The following statement was issued by Wichita Mayor Carl Brewer, Vice Mayor Sue Schlapp and council members Sharon Fearey, Jeff Longwell, Jim Skelton and Lavonta Williams:

Sedgwick County Manager Bill Buchanan's letter sent on behalf of the Sedgwick County Commission questioned the use of tax increment financing to support economic development. The city of Wichita wants to strengthen its partnership with Sedgwick County and welcomes discussions on the merits of TIF districts. The timing of the letter is unfortunate and ironic, coming while community leaders were studying public project collaborations in other cities.

The letter contradicts the joint city-county construction coordination agreement, which identifies the roles and responsibilities for infrastructure improvements for the Intrust Bank Arena.

Without additional TIF funding, the city would be unable to pay for the required arena infrastructure improvements and still meet its existing commitments to other neighborhoods around the city.

Several points need to be addressed: