Richie Farmer's employees get raises

The Herald-Leader has the story:

Eleven Department of Agriculture employees have received merit-based pay raises this fiscal year, a time when most of the state’s nearly 34,000 employees will receive no cost-of-living pay increase and must take six unpaid days off from work.

A review of state personnel records by the Herald-Leader showed that no other agency in state government has given merit-based pay raises in fiscal year 2011, which began July 1. In the previous fiscal year, only nine employees from across state government received such awards.