More than 100,000 Kansans Could Lose Medicaid Coverage
TOPEKA, Kan. (Kansas Reflector) - After months of glitches, the state of Kansas is getting closer to determining who will remain eligible for Medicaid coverage. The Kansas Reflector reports that thousands of Kansans who were covered by Medicaid during the pandemic will soon be removed from the system. Some estimates suggest more than 100,000 Kansans will lose coverage. Advocates warn that qualified applicants will be kicked off Medicaid because of processing problems with the state system that determines eligibility.
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Chiefs Arrive in Vegas, Mahomes' Father Arrested for DUI
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (KCTV) - The Kansas City Chiefs have arrived in Las Vegas for Super Bowl LVIII, which will be held Sunday. Meanwhile, in Tyler, Texas, the father of Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes has been arrested for DUI. KCTV reports that this is at least the third time Patrick Mahomes Sr. has been charged with driving while intoxicated. He posted $10,000 bond and was released from jail on Sunday.
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Kansas Legislature to Consider Issuing Kansas City Chiefs License Plate
TOPEKA, Kan. (KNS) – Kansas City Chiefs fans in Kansas may be able to show support for the team with a special license plate starting next year. The Kansas News Service reports that Kansas lawmakers are considering adding a Kansas City Chiefs-themed license plate to the state’s list of more than 50 special plates. Drivers would pay a $40 application fee, and the plate itself would cost between $25 and $100. The final amount has yet to be determined by the Chiefs. Proceeds from the plate would support the Hunt Family Foundation, a nonprofit run by the owner of the Chiefs. It supports programs involving education, football and children’s health and wellness. If the bill passes, the Chiefs would create the plate’s design.
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Kansas Lawmakers Consider Bill Further Nixing Ranked Choice Voting
TOPEKA, Kan. (KPR) - Kansas lawmakers are considering a bill that would more explicitly prohibit the use of ranked choice voting in elections. Ranked choice voting lets voters select multiple candidates in order of preference. Proponents of ranked choice say it gives voters options and prevents third-party and independent candidates from spoiling elections. Critics say the system can confuse voters who are accustomed to how elections have always worked in Kansas. Proponents of ranked choice voting say it gives voters options and prevents third-party and independent candidates from spoiling elections. Critics say the system can confuse voters who are accustomed to how elections have always worked in Kansas. Jason Snead works for the Honest Elections Project. “Ranked choice voting makes every stage of the voting process more complicated, so much so that enormous effort must be put into re-educating the public," he said. The system is already prohibited under Kansas law, but the bill seems to be aimed at reinforcing the ban at the local level. Maine, Alaska and about 50 cities in the U.S. use ranked choice voting.
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Advocacy Group Says Kansas Lawmakers Could Do More to Improve Mental Health Care Insurance Coverage
WICHITA, Kan. (KNS) A new report by an advocacy group called Inseparable says Kansas lawmakers could do more to improve insurance coverage of mental health care. The Kansas News Service reports that Kansas already requires insurers to cover telehealth mental health services, and the state is trying to attract more mental health professionals. But Inseparable Vice President Kathleen Daughety says state lawmakers should consider other policies. “One example is waiving co-pays for annual mental health wellness exams, prevention is really important here. Another is requiring insurance plans to cover all medically necessary treatment when it's recommended by a patient's doctor.” She says over 70% of Kansans with both a mental health diagnosis and commercial insurance don’t get their treatment covered. Daughety is the daughter of Democratic Governor Laura Kelly.
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KCK Reports Decline in Violent Crime Under Chief Karl Oakman
KANSAS CITY, Kan. (KCUR) – Kansas City, Kansas, saw a significant reduction in violent crime during Police Chief Karl Oakman’s first two years, according to police department statistics. KCUR reports that KCK Police logged 24 homicides last year – that’s the lowest since 2012. Oakman says he’s used four strategies, including more officers in neighborhoods, a host of anti-crime initiatives, community engagement and responding to every single fentanyl overdose. “You have to constantly look at what’s causing violence, what’s driving violence, and what you can do as a police department,” he explained. LaDora Lattimore, who leads the Law Enforcement Advisory Board and has been critical of KCK police, says the chief understands that he needs the community’s support.
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Wichita State University Warns of Graduate School Enrollment Decline
WICHITA, Kan. (KNS) – Wichita State University is warning employees of a possible $2 million dollar shortfall in its current fiscal year budget due to declining graduate school enrollment. The Kansas News Service reports that in an email to WSU staff, the university says both domestic and international graduate school enrollment is falling behind budgeted projections. Wichita State waived its GRE test requirements to get into graduate school at the university and has taken other measures in an effort to boost enrollment. The school is also warning of “further interventions,” including budget cuts, if academic programs don’t meet or exceed their enrollment goals by this fall. The email signs off by encouraging WSU staff to be ambassadors for the university in order to help recruit prospective students.
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Southeast Kansas Refinery to Pay Fines for Pollution Violations
COFFEYVILLE, Kan. (KNS) - A southeast Kansas oil refinery will pay fines for the second time for allegedly breaking pollution laws. In 2012, Coffeyville Resources Refining & Marketing was accused of releasing too many air pollutants that harm people’s lungs. It had to spend $11 million on state and federal fines and on changes to reduce emissions. But the oil refinery allegedly continued to break laws and the 2012 court order. It denies the allegations, but has agreed to spend another $23 million on new state and federal fines, facility improvements and to help the environment. The company didn’t respond to a request for comment.
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Kansas Jet Fuel Plant Could Send Emissions to Carbon Capture Site
UNDATED (KNS) - A proposed jet fuel plant in southeast Kansas could see its emissions piped to a carbon capture site. renewable jet fuel burns cleaner than traditional fuel. But a Canadian company thinks it can reduce the carbon footprint further. It is exploring whether a partner company in Texas could pipe emissions from its proposed factory in Kansas to some place where the carbon dioxide could be injected deep underground. At least two multi-state carbon dioxide pipelines elsewhere in the Midwest met with community opposition that slowed or stopped the plans. CapturePoint Solutions is the Texas company working on the Kansas project. It didn’t respond to a request for comment.
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"Brain Drain" Still Plagues Midwest, Great Plains
UNDATED (HPM) - “Brain drain,” the migration of people with a higher education degree, remains a problem for most of the Midwest and Great Plains. Harvest Public Media reports that many states are losing some of their most educated residents. Job opportunities play an important role in Midwesterners leaving their home states, according to research from the University of Nebraska. Josie Schafer, director of the university’s Center for Public Affairs Research, has been tracking brain drain using census data since 2010. She says there are jobs available but many people are looking for what she calls job density: “So, I think folks are really looking for those places where it's not just one good job, it's the potential over a lifetime for lots of good jobs," she said. Despite the trend, Schafer says many college-educated residents remain in their home states, though sometimes moving to more urban areas.
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Kansas Senator Moran Supports Bipartisan Border & Foreign Funding Agreement
UNDATED (KCUR/KPR) – Kansas Republican Senator Jerry Moran has voiced support for a bi-partisan agreement in Congress designed to secure the U.S. southern border and provide money to Ukraine and Israel. KCUR Radio reports that Republican senators in Washington are split on a compromise with Democrats that would tighten border security and provide billions to war-torn allies Ukraine and Israel. If passed, the agreement could be seen as a win for President Joe Biden. Former President Donald Trump doesn't like the bill but Moran says he’s for the agreement, as long as it actually stems the torrent of illegal immigration. "I'm very much interested in supporting a package that protects our country at the same time as securing our border," he said. The bill faces stiff opposition from GOP members of congress, including Kansas Republican Senator Roger Marshall. Marshall says President Biden has all the power he needs to stop the massive flow of illegal immigration and should reverse his open borders policy.
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Honeywell Aerospace Expanding Factory in Olathe
JOHNSON COUNTY, Kan. (KCUR) – Honeywell Aerospace is expanding its aviation electronics factory in Olathe. The company is installing $84 million worth of high-tech manufacturing machinery, to churn out and test high-tech circuit boards — work that was previously done in Asia. It plans to hire more than 150 technicians to run the equipment. Kansas Lieutenant Governor David Toland says the state is providing about $16 million in incentives, adding that "Honeywell can invest anywhere. Everybody wants a brand like Honeywell, but we got 'em." Toland credits the county’s skilled work force and healthy cooperation between Republican Senator Jerry Moran, and Kansas Democratic Congresswoman Sharice Davids,.
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Kansas Legislature Considers Bill to Address Misleading Use of A.I. in Political Ads
TOPEKA, Kan. (KNS) – A bill in the Kansas Statehouse would bar using artificial intelligence to create false political attack ads. The Kansas News Service reports that the bill prohibits using images, audio or video manipulated by AI to create a realistic but false depiction of a Kansas candidate or public official. A bipartisan group of lawmakers introduced the plan out of fear that someone could use false, AI-generated media to influence the results of an election. The bill would not bar basic photo editing already used in campaign ads, like modifying images to make a person appear in a different setting. Any AI use must be disclosed within the ad. (Read more.)
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Kansas Tax Collections Fall Short of Expectation for Fourth Consecutive Month
TOPEKA, Kan. (KNS) – Kansas tax collections came in under estimates in January, marking the fourth month in a row that the state missed the target. The Kansas News Service reports that Kansas brought in $928 million in tax revenue last month. That’s about 6.5% lower than estimates. Sales and income taxes missing the forecast were the biggest drivers. The state has a revenue surplus built up in recent years but has fallen short of monthly estimates since October. Lawmakers want to pass tax cuts this session to return some of the surplus to taxpayers. But with Kansas recently on a downward trend, Democratic Governor Laura Kelly says she will only approve tax cuts that are "fiscally responsible."
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Transgender Woman Sues State of Kansas Department of Corrections
OVERLAND PARK, Kan. (KNS) – A transgender woman who worked for the Kansas Department of Corrections says the state agency would not acknowledge her transition or stop coworkers and inmates from harassing her. The Kansas News Service reports that the woman has now filed a lawsuit. Shelly Lamb is a former counselor and supervisor for the Kansas Department of Corrections prison facility in Hutchinson. She says in addition to harassment, the state agency also retaliated by taking away her workload and moving her office. Madeline Johnson of Missouri Kansas Queer Law is Lamb’s attorney. Johnson says the agency would not let Lamb publicly transition in the workplace and that violates federal law. “Prohibiting her from wearing even professional women’s clothing or wearing any makeup or hair pieces to present female.” Kansas Department of Corrections officials declined to comment on the lawsuit. Lamb says she resigned from her position because of the hostile workplace. She wants the department to pay her for lost wages and benefits. (Read more.)
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Sunflower Foundation, KU Launch Substance Abuse Assessment
WICHITA, Kan. (KMUW) – Kansans will soon be able to provide input on a new statewide needs assessment about substance use disorders. KMUW Radio reports that the Sunflower Foundation and the University of Kansas Center for Public Partnerships and Research are preparing to launch their year-long assessment. Feedback will help guide the board that distributes the state’s opioid settlement funds. Alyssa Nava, with the Sunflower Foundation, says the groups will host in-person events and several webinars to gather feedback. “If right now we can start looking at the system differently. And maybe if investments are made in certain areas, 10 years from now, how different could it be in a positive way?" Nava explained. The state board has already distributed about $10 million dollars in opioid settlement funds. Providers can go to unitedtotransform.com to learn more about the survey.
Editorial note: The Sunflower Foundation and the University of Kansas are both financial supporters of Kansas Public Radio.
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Kansas City to Host Six Games for 2026 FIFA World Cup
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (KCUR) – Kansas City will host six games during the FIFA World Cup in 2026. KCUR reports that despite the good news, the city has to make some significant changes first. Kansas City is the smallest of the 16 host cities. And Katherine Holland, executive director of K-C 2026, admitted that it also has less robust public transportation. Speaking to KCUR’s Up To Date, Holland said organizers hope to build out a temporary transit system, but did not provide details. Holland says the city will do its best to mitigate disruptions during the 35-day event. “We’re acutely aware that again, we cannot shutdown our city for that amount of time. People need to be able to get to their jobs and this should just sort of be an enhancement supporting the event on top of that. “ Organizers plan to spread activities out across the region -- including potential “base camps” in Lawrence and Manhattan, Kansas.
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KU Climbs to No.4 in AP Top 25 Men's College Basketball Poll
UNDATED (AP) – Reigning national champion Connecticut, Purdue and North Carolina remained atop The Associated Press Top 25 men's college basketball poll for the third consecutive week, while South Carolina cracked the rankings for the first time in nearly seven years. The Huskies earned 45 of 61 first-place votes to remain at No. 1 for the fourth straight week in Monday's poll, while the Boilermakers topped the ballots of 16 other voters. The top of the poll remained set after a big week that included four top-10 matchups over the weekend, with Purdue winning at Wisconsin and UNC beating rival Duke. The week also included Kansas beating Houston, which vaulted the Jayhawks up four spots to No. 4 and dropped the Cougars one spot to No. 5. Tennessee fell one spot to No. 6 after losing at home to the now-No. 15 Gamecocks but followed that with a win at Kentucky in the weekend's other top-10 tussle. The Wildcats tumbled seven spots to No. 17 after losses to the Vols and Florida. Marquette, Arizona, Duke and Illinois rounded out the top 10, with the Wildcats and Fighting Illini returning after stints earlier this season.
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AP Sources: Witt and Royals Agree on 11-Year Deal Worth over $288.7 Million Guaranteed
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — The Kansas City Royals agreed with shortstop Bobby Witt Jr. on an 11-year deal worth more than $288.7 million guaranteed, two people familiar with the contract told The Associated Press on Monday, locking up one of baseball's young stars as the club tries to turn around its fortunes and persuade a weary fanbase to invest in a new stadium.
The deal includes a three-year, $89 million team option that would drive the value to more than $377 million and keep Witt in Kansas City through the 2037 season, according to the people, who spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity because the financial terms were not disclosed. Witt's guaranteed salary makes it the 16th-largest current deal in Major League Baseball and second-biggest pre-arbitration agreement behind the 14-year, $340 million contract the Padres gave Fernando Tatis Jr. last April.
The Royals planned a Tuesday news conference to discuss the longest and richest deal in club history.
It includes a signing bonus riffing off Witt's lucky jersey No. 7 of $7,777,777, payable in seven installments, with the first due within 60 days of the contract's approval by the commissioner's officeBaseball. Witt will receive $2 million this year, then in the three years he would have been eligible for arbitration: $7 million in 2025, $13 million in 2026 and $19 million in 2027.
Witt will earn $30 million in 2028, the first year after he would have been eligible for free agency, and $35 million each in 2029 and ’30. He has four player options at $35 million annually from 2031-34, then the Royals have their three-year team option that would pay $33 million in 2035 and $28 million each in 2036 and ’37.
If all the options are included, Witt would be 37 by the time the contract expires.
“From the moment I was drafted in 2019, the entire Royals organization and fans have treated me and my family like their own,” Witt said in a statement issued by the club. “This city and this team have felt like home since Day 1."
The Royals selected Witt second overall in the 2019 amateur draft, and he rocketed through the minors while winning just about every accolade possible. He made his big league debut in 2022, hitting 20 homers and stealing 30 bases, then had a breakthrough sophomore season in which he became the only Royals player in the 30-30 club.
The 23-year-old Witt finished with 30 homers and 49 steals, making him the only player in major league history with 50 homers and 79 steals through their first two seasons. Alex Rodriguez in 1998 is the only other American League shortstop with a 30-30 season by their age, putting the son of longtime big leaguer Bobby Witt in some select company.
“From the day we drafted him we felt confident Bobby would become one of our game’s brightest stars and biggest talents,” Royals general manager J.J. Picollo said. “These last two seasons have been confirmation of that talent, and proof that he’s an even better teammate. We know he wants to win here for our fans as much as we do.”
The Royals spent more than $100 million in free agency this offseason, hoping to turn around a beleaguered club coming off a 106-loss season. That investment, coupled with Witt's massive contract, also comes as the Royals are trying to convince fans in Jackson County, Missouri, to extend a sales tax that would help to pay for a new downtown ballpark.
The Royals are expected to announce their preferred stadium location in the next couple of weeks. After a contentious political battle, the sales tax measure — which also would help to fund renovations to Arrowhead Stadium, the home of the Super Bowl-bound Kansas City Chiefs — was recently approved for the April ballot.
“We are extraordinarily proud to announce a historic deal with a very special player,’” said Royals owner John Sherman, who purchased the club not long after Witt was drafted. “I’m thrilled that this ensures Bobby will compete in a Royals uniform for many years to come. Bobby makes us better, and I’m grateful for his commitment to our fans, our city and our team.”
The Royals' previous record contract was a four-year, $82 million deal given to All-Star catcher Salvador Perez.
“El Mejor,” Perez tweeted after Witt's deal was announced, which translates to “The Best." The deal also was approved by Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes, a minority owner of the Royals, who tweeted, “Congrats my man!!!”
“He’s a role model for me," Witt said of Mahomes not long ago, "just how he goes about it on and off the field. He texts me, ‘Hey, see you working out. How are things going?’ And I’m going, ‘Wow.’ I show my fiance, ‘Look who just texted me!’”
Indeed, these are fast becoming halcyon days in Kansas City. After the Chiefs beat the Ravens for their fourth AFC title in the past five years, they arrived in Las Vegas this past weekend to finish their Super Bowl preparations.
They face the San Francisco 49ers in a rematch of the title game they won in 2020 on Sunday at Allegiant Stadium.
While the Chiefs are led by Mahomes, the two-time NFL and Super Bowl MVP, the Royals can now point toward Witt as the cornerstone of their franchise. He led the club in games played, hits, triples, homers, RBI, stolen bases and just about every other advanced metric last season, and he was second in the AL in hits, third in stolen bases and ninth in batting average.
He was only the sixth AL player in the last 75 years with 30 homers and 10 triples in a season. The others reads like a who's who of baseball stardom: Joe DiMaggio, Mickey Mantle, Jim Rice, Nomar Garciaparra and Curtis Granderson.
“I am incredibly grateful to the Sherman family and the Royals front office for believing in me,” Witt said, "and I promise to do everything in my power to help bring championship baseball back to Kansas City.”
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