Students Sue Lawrence Schools over AI Software
LAWRENCE, Kan. (LJW) — A group of current and former students is suing the Lawrence school district in federal court. The students allege the software the district uses to monitor usage of district-issued computers is illegally searching and seizing students’ digital files. The lawsuit was reported by the Lawrence Journal-World.
The software, called Gaggle, is powered by artificial intelligence. The district started using it in 2023, saying it would protect students against “self-harm, bullying, and threats of violence.” But the nine students suing the district say the software is being misused. They say the district is seizing students’ digital files “without any suspicion that [the] students are violating the law or school rules.”
District officials declined to comment on the suit.
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Valley Falls Police Chief Abruptly Terminated
VALLEY FALLS, Kan. (WIBW-TV) — The city of Valley Falls abruptly fired its police chief this week. The City Council voted 3-1 on Wednesday to terminate police chief Carrie Clark. WIBW-TV reports the vote followed an hour-long closed-door session, and no reason was given to the public. Clark did not comment on why she was fired, but in a message on social media she said she was “grateful for the opportunity to rebuild trust and demonstrate that law enforcement officers can genuinely care about those we serve.”
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Kansas Moves Closer to Getting First Dental School
WICHITA, Kan. (KSN) — Kansas has moved a step closer to getting its first dental school. KSN reports Wichita State University and Fort Hays State University are teaming up to study the feasibility of opening a dental school in Wichita, with a presence in rural Kansas through Fort Hays State. The schools say more than 80% of the state’s 105 counties are experiencing a serious shortage of dentists.
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Battery Manufacturer EaglePicher to Build 2nd Factory in Pittsburg
PITTSBURG, Kan. (KRPS) — EaglePicher is building a second factory in Pittsburg, Kansas, to meet the demand for weapons batteries. KRPS reports that the new facility will supply parts for long-lasting batteries used in applications including missiles. The company says the new factory is in response to a greater demand for weapons. Daron Hall, the Pittsburg city manager, explained that "...they're willing to double down, if you will, in Pittsburg, and hopefully this will be the continuation of a very productive relationship that we've already had into the future." The project will create more than 50 jobs. Construction is set to end by April 2026.
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Governor Picks Leawood Attorney to Fill Kansas Supreme Court Vacancy
TOPEKA, Kan. (KPR / Kansas Reflector) — Kansas Governor Laura Kelly has appointed an attorney in private practice to fill a vacancy on the state supreme court. Leawood attorney Larkin Walsh was selected from a list of three finalists nominated by a commission. She will replace Justice Evelyn Wilson, a Kelly appointee, who resigned July 4.
The Kansas Reflector reports that Walsh has practiced law for 20 years. She's also argued cases at the state and federal appellate court level and before the U.S. Supreme Court. She earned her law degree from the University of Kansas. Her selection was the Democratic governor’s fourth appointment to the seven-justice Kansas Supreme Court.
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President of Bishop Miege High School Removed
ROELAND PARK, Kan. (KSHB) — The president of a Catholic high school in the Kansas City area has been removed from his post. KSHB TV reports that Wednesday was the last day on the job for Bishop Miege president Phil Baniewicz. He has been under scrutiny for complaints about inappropriate behavior toward students. Baniewicz, who was hired as president of the school in 2023, has never been charged with a crime. But a civil lawsuit was filed against him in 2005 in which he was accused of sexually abusing a teenager at a Catholic church in Mesa, Arizona, in the 1980s. Prosecutors never charged Baniewicz in that case and the diocese settled the lawsuit.
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Lenexa Council Member Forced to Prove Citizenship
LENEXA, Kan. (WDAF) — A Lenexa city council member says local police forced her to prove her citizenship after they received a false claim that she was not legally allowed to hold office. Council member Melanie Arroyo is a naturalized American citizen and legally eligible for the office she holds. The tip was made anonymously to the Kansas Bureau of Investigation and was investigated by the Lenexa Police Department. Arroyo says the investigation was a politically motivated attack on her and the immigrant community at large. In a statement to WDAF, Lenexa police said they merely carried out their duty to investigate the false tip.
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KU Implements Hiring Freeze to Save $32 Million
LAWRENCE, Kan. (LJW) — The University of Kansas has implemented a hiring freeze as it scrambles to find $32 million in savings. The Lawrence Journal-World reports university officials have also indicated employees should not expect the 2.5% pay increase that most other state employees are receiving. KU is asking department heads to come up with budgets that would save $32 million in total through June 2027. In a message on Wednesday, administrators said KU was facing “an uncertain fiscal environment because of external factors, such as disruptions to federal funding.”
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Team Roc Social Justice Group Supporting KCK Women's Lawsuit
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (KCUR) — A famous rapper’s social justice group is championing a lawsuit filed by five Black women who say they were victimized by former Kansas City, Kansas Police detective Roger Golubski. KCUR reports that Jay-Z’s Team Roc filed a “friend of the court” brief, supporting the federal civil rights lawsuit filed by women who say they were threatened, raped and stalked by Golubski for years. The women say officials knew about Golubski’s behavior and ran what they say is a “government sanctioned protection racket” for him. A federal judge earlier dismissed the suit, saying the statute of limitations ran out. But the women have appealed, saying the statute of limitations clock should start running the day Golubski killed himself last December. (Read more.)
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KGS Helping Educators Include Water Issues in Student Lessons
LIBERAL, Kan. (KNS) — The Kansas Geological Survey is helping teachers connect their material to the water problems the state faces today. The Kansas News Service reports that the Kansas Geological Survey is offering lesson plans, hands-on project ideas and materials. The resources focus on the state’s challenges like water tables dwindling and agriculture methods polluting streams. Blair Schneider, a geologist with the Survey, says the next generation of Kansans can be part of water solutions across the state. “We teach them not only can you test your water, you can treat it right like, there are things we can do, so you found nitrates in your water, you're going to put this kind of a system in there,” she said. Schneider also says the group hopes to attract young volunteers to gather more data on water in Kansas.
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Small Food Businesses Await Grants from Discontinued USDA Program
UNDATED (HPM) — Some small food businesses are in limbo as they wait for grants from a U.S. Department of Agriculture program the Trump administration abruptly ended. Harvest Public Media reports that the Regional Food Business Centers program was designed to provide training and grants and other assistance to smaller food businesses, like farms, co-ops and butchers. But the USDA cancelled the program in mid-July. Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins said that it was financially unsustainable. Some businesses that won grants are still waiting for funding. Karen Bottary of BPM Farms outside Kansas City grows basil. She was approved for a 40-thousand dollar grant to hire an employee but still hasn’t got the money. If it doesn’t come through, she won’t be able to stay in business. "What I hope will happen is the grant will fund. If it doesn’t fund, everything I have here for my business is for sale," she said. Rollins said that USDA does plan to honor the grant commitments, but it’s unclear when that will happen. (Read more.)
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Smithsonian Staff Visit Kansas City in Search of Items, Stories and More for New Museum
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (KCUR) — Leaders of a yet-to-be-built museum in Washington D.C. will visit Union Station in Kansas City, Missouri, this weekend. They’re on the hunt for stories, artifacts and ideas for future exhibits. KCUR reports that staff from the Smithsonian’s National Museum of the American Latino will host community conversations Saturday afternoon and evening Sessions on preserving family heirlooms, printmaking and more will also be offered. Museum director Jorge Zamanillo says it’s all about getting the fullest view possible of how Latinos shaped the country. “Some people have Indigenous roots that go back hundreds of years, other people have roots that go back a week in the United States, as a Latino,” he joked. Kansas City and Los Angeles were pilot cities for the Smithsonian’s “Making History” tour this year. Three more cities are scheduled for next year.
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Topeka Police Department Buys Robot Dog
TOPEKA, Kan. (KSNT) — The Topeka Police Department has purchased a new robotic dog. They’ve named it Pepe. KSNT reports the robot can be used in situations too dangerous for officers, such as standoffs. It has cameras, a microphone, and sensors to map out the room in front of it. Officers can use the robot to talk to people from a safe distance. Pepe cost the city $5,360.
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Chiefs Begin 2025 Preseason in Arizona
UNDATED (KPR) — The Kansas City Chiefs’ preseason begins Saturday night in Tempe, when they take on the Arizona Cardinals. The Chiefs have spent the past three weeks practicing in St. Joseph, Missouri. Tight end Travis Kelce says training camp is where it all begins - where players eat, sleep and breathe football - getting ready for the ultimate goal of every NFL season. "Trying to win Super Bowls, man. It’s the only way you get there," Kelce said. "It starts in the offseason. When you get out here to St. Jo and get to training camp, man, it really signifies the coming-together, the chemistry, the culture that you need." Kelce, now in his 13th season, will turn 36 in October. Kickoff is at 7 pm Saturday. It's the first of three preseason games.
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This summary of area news is curated by KPR news staffers. Our headlines are generally published by 10 am weekdays and are updated through 7 pm. This ad-free news summary is made possible by KPR members. Become one today. And follow KPR News on X (formerly Twitter).