Sen. Pearson dies
GLOUCESTER, Mass. — James. B. Pearson, a progressive Republican who represented Kansas in the U.S. Senate for nearly 17 years, has died.
Pearson died Tuesday at his home in Gloucester at the age of 88, according to the Greely Funeral Home.
A representative with the funeral home in Gloucester said she didn’t immediately have the cause of death available. But Pearson had been on kidney dialysis for several years, said Dave Seaton, a former press secretary for Pearson.
Housing pinch
SALINA — Social services officials say the shortage of affordable housing in Kansas is a problem that’s likely to get worse.
Topeka-based Kansas Statewide Homeless Coalition says on any given night, there are 18,000 homeless people in Kansas. The national homeless count fell 11 percent last year, but advocates say the mortgage crisis is causing a turnaround.
Shara Gonzales, head of New Beginnings in Hutchinson, says the problem is attacking two groups -- those who have settled into the system and can’t climb out, and the growing number who have lost their jobs, homes or both.
Tax credits are one way to help jump-start housing projects for families with shrinking incomes, but such programs work best in urban areas where incomes are higher. In some cases, landlords reduce rents below their return expectations in order to attract renters.