Kansas Presidential Preference Primary Election Held Tuesday
TOPEKA, Kan. (TCJ) - Tuesday is Presidential Preference Primary Day in Kansas. Polls will open at 7 a.m. It will be the first time Kansans vote for their preferred presidential candidate in decades after primarily using a caucus system to select candidates. Voters started casting ballots through early voting methods since February 28. Tuesday marks the last chance people have to cast a ballot. President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump have already gotten enough delegates to secure their respective party nominations, but the Topeka Capital-Journal reports several other candidates will appear alongside them on the ballot. For Democrats, those candidates include Jason Palmer, Dean Phillips and Marianne Williamson. Appearing opposite Trump is Ryan Binkley, Ron DeSantis and Nikki Haley. The race is limited to just the presidential race. Primaries for local races will be held August 6 before the general election on November 5. For both of those races, early voting will be available for more than two weeks prior to the election date.
Visit voteks.gov to find your polling place.
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Kansas Legislature Revisits Republican Flat Tax Rate Proposal
TOPEKA, Kan. (KNS) - Kansas Republicans are trying to pass a new flat tax bill after failing to override the governor’s veto of a similar plan. The new bill would establish a single income tax rate of 5.7%, which would drop to 5.45% over five years. Kansas currently has three income tax brackets. Democratic Governor Laura Kelly says she won’t sign a flat tax bill because she believes it would mostly benefit the wealthy. But Republicans say the new bill includes measures that benefit all Kansans, like state property tax relief. Republican Senator Caryn Tyson says provisions in the bill, like an increase to the standard deduction, address the governor's concern. “No one can say that we were helping the rich in this legislation. This is helping the low and medium income families," she said. The bill seems to have a veto-proof majority in the Senate. The Kansas House will now consider the flat tax proposal.
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Kansas Budget Proposal Includes Funds for Border Security
TOPEKA, Kan. (KPR) - A state budget proposal advancing through the Kansas Legislature would spend nearly $16 million on security at the Texas-Mexico border. The $25 billion budget plan advanced by Kansas senators includes a measure to send Kansas National Guard troops to the Texas border with Mexico. This is the second time Kansas Republicans have suggested sending troops to Texas. They say the massive influx of migrants at the U.S.-Mexico border has created a humanitarian and national security crisis. Democrats, however, say border security is up to the federal government, not the state. Governor Laura Kelly seems unlikely to support the effort. The proposed spending plan also includes state employee pay raises and funds for World Cup events in Kansas City.
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Bill to Ban Foreign Powers from Buying Kansas Land Advances
TOPEKA (KSNT) - The Kansas Land and Military Installation Protection Act has advanced to the house floor for debate. The bill seeks to prevent ‘countries of concern’ - China, Russia, Iran, North Korea, Cuba and Venezuela - from buying Kansas land within 150 miles of military bases. KSNT reports that supporters believe the bill is an important step in addressing threats posed by adversarial nations. Opponents say they support the desire to protect the country, but believe the measure, as written now, will have unintended consequences for immigrants.
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KU Study: Removing Barriers to Medicaid Coverage After Imprisonment May Not Prevent Recidivism
UNDATED (KNS) – A study from the University of Kansas shows removing barriers to Medicaid coverage for formerly incarcerated people might not be enough to stop them from re-offending. The Kansas News Service reports that David Slusky, KU professor and co-author of the study, says they examined a program in South Carolina that paused Medicaid services for incarcerated people instead of terminating them, making it easier to re-enroll after release. Slusky says the study found the program did not prevent people from re-offending, but that’s not always the case: “The broad research shows that these Medicaid suspend programs do reduce recidivism because they get people back onto Medicaid faster.” Slusky says expanding Medicaid, something Kansas and South Carolina have not done, might have a bigger effect. In Kansas, Medicaid is terminated when people are incarcerated, which Slusky says can cause a lapse in health care.
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KCK Police Investigate After Body Found Near Kansas River
KANSAS CITY, Kan. (WDAF) - Kansas City, Kansas police detectives are investigating after a body was was discovered near the Kansas River over the weekend. WDAF TV reports that late Saturday morning, someone fishing near the 12th Street Bridge over the Kansas River called 911 to report the discovery. KCK officers responded and confirmed the body of a deceased man. No further details have been released.
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Kansas Finalizes Bradford Pear Tree Restrictions; Missouri May Do Same
TOPEKA, Kan. (KNS) - Kansas has finalized restrictions on ornamental pear trees. And Missouri lawmakers are considering a similar ban on such trees and other invasive species. Starting in 2027, Kansas tree farms and nurseries won’t be able to distribute and sell invasive Callery pears - also known as Bradford pears. More than 300 people wrote to the Kansas Department of Agriculture on the topic, with more than 90% in favor of restrictions. Last week, the Missouri Senate held a hearing on banning Callery pears and four other invasive plants. This would include Japanese honeysuckle, which is taking over woodlands and sericea lespedeza, a brush that Kansas already restricts and that costs ranchers money by invading pastures.
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Medicaid Expansion in Kansas Is About to Get Its First Public Hearings in Four Years
TOPEKA, Kan. (TCJ) - The Kansas Legislature is gearing up for the first public committee hearings on Medicaid expansion in four years. Wednesday is the day when both the House and Senate will have hearings. They will be the first since 2020, when the Legislature scuttled a bipartisan plan by Democratic Governor Laura Kelly and Republican Jim Denning, who at the time was the Senate majority leader.
The Topeka Capital-Journal reports that Medicaid expansion is Democratic Governor Laura Kelly's top legislative priority. "I'm urging the Legislature to get the proposal to the floor for debate on the bill as soon as possible so that we don't waste any more time," Kelly said. "Because when it comes to Medicaid expansion, time is money, literally."
The Senate Public Health and Welfare Committee is scheduled to have a joint meeting with the Senate Ways and Means Committee at 10:30 am Wednesday for an information hearing on Medicaid expansion. The House Health and Human Services Committee is scheduled to have a hearing on House Bill 2556 at 1 pm Wednesday.
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Positive Signs Reported in 2023 Ogallala Aquifer Survey
LIBERAL, Kan. (KNS) – After a wetter than normal year in western Kansas, geologists find the Ogallala aquifer declined significantly less in 2023 than in previous years. The Kansas News Service reports that results from the study of 1,400 wells across western Kansas indicate a step in the right direction for the aquifer that provides drinking water for people and crops alike. After years of substantial decline– almost two feet in 2022 and one foot in 2021– the aquifer averaged only two inches of decline last year. But Brownie Wilson of the Kansas Geological Survey says relying on heavy precipitation alone hasn’t been enough to stop the decline. “People are cutting back their usage intentionally to save that water and to try to mediate those declines a little bit,” he explained. Areas in northwest Kansas that have established water management plans actually saw an increase in water levels compared with districts without similar plans.
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Kansas Supreme Court Overturns Part of Wichita "Noisy Conduct" Ordinance
WICHITA, Kan. (KNS) – The Kansas Supreme Court has ruled that Wichita’s noisy conduct ordinance is unconstitutional. The Kansas News Service reports that the case stems from a 2020 protest led by Gabrielle Griffie over the death of George Floyd. Griffie was arrested after police watched social media videos from the protest. The city cited its ordinance that criminalizes noisy behavior that can reasonably arouse alarm, anger or resentment towards others. The court ruled that the ordinance was overbroad because it could prohibit some activities protected by the First Amendment. The city says it will review its ordinance to comply with the court's opinion.
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Stolen 'Wizard of Oz' Ruby Slippers Will Go on an International Tour, Then Hit Auction Block
UNDATED (AP) – A pair of the famous "ruby slippers" worn by Judy Garland in “The Wizard of Oz” were returned to their owner, nearly 20 years after the iconic shoes were stolen from a museum in the late actor’s hometown. But “No place like home?” Not exactly.
The memorabilia collector who owns the iconic footwear immediately turned them over to an auction company, which plans to take them on an international tour before offering them at auction in December, an official with Dallas-based Heritage Auctions said Monday.
The ruby slippers were at the heart of the beloved 1939 musical. Garland's character, Dorothy, danced down the Yellow Brick Road in her shiny shoes, joined by the Scarecrow, the Tin Man and the Cowardly Lion. To return home to Kansas, she had to click the heels three times and repeat, “There's no place like home.”
In reality, Garland wore several pairs during filming. Only four remain.
Memorabilia collector Michael Shaw's ruby slippers were believed to be the highest quality of all of them — they were the ones used in close-ups of Dorothy clicking her heels. Shaw loaned them in 2005 to the Judy Garland Museum in Grand Rapids, Minnesota.
That summer, someone smashed through a display case and stole the sequins-and-beads-bedazzled slippers. Their whereabouts remained a mystery until the FBI recovered them in 2018.
The slippers were returned to Shaw in a ceremony in February, but details weren't disclosed until Monday.
“It’s like welcoming back an old friend I haven’t seen in years,” Shaw said in a news release.
The Dallas-based auction company said the tour of the slippers will include stops in Los Angeles, New York, London and Tokyo. Dates were not announced.
“You cannot overstate the importance of Dorothy’s ruby slippers: They are the most important prop in Hollywood history,” Heritage Auctions Executive Vice President Joe Maddalena said in the news release.
The man who stole the slippers, Terry Jon Martin, 76, pleaded guilty in October to theft of a major artwork, admitting to using a hammer to smash the glass of the museum’s door and display case in what his attorney said was an attempt to pull off “one last score” after turning away from a life of crime. He was sentenced in January to time served because of his poor health.
An indictment made public Sunday showed that a second man, 76-year-old Jerry Hal Saliterman, has been charged with theft of a major artwork and witness tampering. He did not enter a plea when he made his first appearance Friday in U.S. District Court in St. Paul, while in a wheelchair and on supplemental oxygen.
The indictment says that from August 2005 to July 2018 Saliterman “received, concealed, and disposed of an object of cultural heritage" — specifically, "an authentic pair of ‘ruby slippers’ worn by Judy Garland in the 1939 movie ‘The Wizard of Oz.’" The indictment says Saliterman knew they were stolen. It also says that, starting sometime last year, he threatened to release a sex tape of a woman and “take her down with him” if she didn’t stay quiet about the crime.
Saliterman's attorney, John Brink, on Friday declined to discuss the case in depth but said his client is not guilty.
“He hasn’t done anything wrong,” Brink said.
Court documents do not indicate how Martin and Saliterman may have been connected.
Martin said at an October hearing that he had hoped to take what he thought were real rubies from the shoes and sell them. But a person who deals in stolen goods informed him the rubies weren’t real, Martin said. So he got rid of the slippers.
Defense attorney Dane DeKrey wrote in a court document that Martin had no idea about the cultural significance of the ruby slippers and had never seen “The Wizard of Oz.”
The FBI said a man approached the insurer in 2017 and claimed he could help recover them but demanded more than the $200,000 reward being offered. The slippers were recovered during an FBI sting in Minneapolis the next year. Federal prosecutors have put the slippers’ market value at about $3.5 million.
The other pairs of slippers are held by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, the Smithsonian Museum of American History and a private collector.
Garland was born Frances Gumm in 1922. She lived in Grand Rapids until she was 4, when her family moved to Los Angeles. She died in 1969. The Judy Garland Museum, which includes the house where she lived, says it has the world’s largest collection of Garland and “Wizard of Oz” memorabilia.
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KU Draws #4 Seed in NCAA Tourney, Set to Play Samford Thursday
UNDATED (KPR/AP) - The Kansas Jayhawks will head to Salt Lake City for the first round of the NCAA men’s basketball tournament. After losing their first game in last week’s Big 12 tournament, the Jayhawks are a No. 4 seed in the NCAA tournament and will open against Samford of Birmingham, Alabama, Thursday night at 8:55. Despite recent struggles, KU coach Bill Self is confident about the Jayhawks chances. "I think we can make a run. I think we can still play great basketball," he said. This will be the first time KU has ever played Samford. The Jayhawks are one of eight teams from the Big 12 in the tournament. This marks KU's 51st all-time appearance in the NCAA tournament. The Jayhawks enter the tournament with a 22-10 overall record, including a 10-8 record in the Big 12.
The Kansas State men were left out of the NCAA tournament. Instead, the Wildcats will play in the NIT, or National Invitation Tournament. K-State opens in Iowa City Tuesday night against Iowa. In the regular season, the Wildcats picked up wins over Iowa State, KU, Baylor, BYU and Villanova, but the NCAA selection committee did not select K-State for the tourney. Last year, the Wildcats made it to the NCAA's Elite 8.
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K-State Women Selected as #4 Seed in Women's NCAA Tournament; KU Is a #8 Seed
UNDATED (KPR) - Both women's teams from the Big 12, the University of Kansas and Kansas State University, are among the 68 teams in the NCAA women’s basketball tournament. The K-State Wildcats, as a No. 4 seed, are hosting the first and second rounds on campus in Manhattan. They’ll open against the University of Portland. NCAA Selection Committee chair Lisa Peterson says K-State, despite losing against Texas in the Big 12 tournament, got the committee’s attention. "They probably challenged Texas the most in that Big 12 tournament and Texas obviously has been playing great as of late," she said. The KU women, with a 19-12 record, will travel to Los Angeles as a No. 8 seed and will open against the University of Michigan Saturday afternoon (1 pm).
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From Ailing Jayhawks to Injured Eagles, Health Could Help Decide 2024 NCAA Tournament
LAWRENCE, Kan. (AP) — Bill Self was downright curious to see what Kansas would look like in the Big 12 Tournament when injuries to Hunter Dickinson and fellow All-American candidate Kevin McCullar Jr. ruled them out for the games in Kansas City.
Turned out to be game — singular — because the undersized, depth-challenged Jayhawks were blown out by 20 by Cincinnati before they could even unpack their bags. And as curious as Self might have been last week, the game underscored just how little he wants to put a team on the floor without Dickinson and McCullar for the NCAA Tournament this week.
“Gosh dang it, if we can get whole we can play with anybody. We’ve proven that,” said Self, whose team is seeded fourth in the Midwest Region and stuck with a tough opening game against No. 13 seed Samford on Thursday in Salt Lake City.
Problem is the Jayhawks have not been healthy in a while. While the shoulder injury that sidelined Dickinson occurred just over a week ago in a 30-point loss to Houston, the knee injury that benched McCullar has been lingering for weeks.
The 7-foot Dickinson did some non-contact work over the weekend, and Self expected to put in a full practice Monday and be ready for the NCAA tourney. He also was optimistic — though far from certain — that McCullar would be able to play.
“The entire game plan on (McCullar) was hopefully on Monday he can be good to go and if he’s not good to go, then he won’t be, and then we’ll hope on Tuesday. But I don’t know as much about Kevin as I do Hunt,” Self said. “When we get Hunter back, I think he automatically gives you confidence. He’s different that way, and he’ll give us more this time of year than ever.”
The Jayhawks aren't the only team fretting their health, though. Whether it's top-seeded teams such as Purdue and Houston or bubble teams such as Colorado and Northwestern, many of their NCAA tourney hopes could rest with the training room.
NO. 1 SEED SITUATIONS
Houston lost Terrance Arceneaux to a torn Achilles tendon in December, Ramon Walker Jr. to a torn meniscus in February and Joseph Tugler to a broken bone in his foot a week later. So, the Cougars' front line already was thin even before J'Wan Roberts hurt his right leg in their Big 12 semifinal win over Texas Tech. Roberts started the title game against Iowa State but did not play in the second half, when the Cougars were clobbered 69-41 on Saturday night.
Purdue, which like Houston earned a No. 1 seed, will be closely monitoring the calf of All-Big Ten guard Braden Smith. He hurt it in a conference quarterfinal win over Michigan State but did not appear too bothered by it in a semifinal loss to Wisconsin.
“He’s a tough guy,” said Zach Edey, the Boilermakers' all-everything center. “I’ve never questioned if he’s going to play, if he’s going to be fine. In high school, he played like, half a season with a broken foot. He can go through pain. I have trust in him."
MARQUETTE'S MISERY
Tyler Kolek has missed six straight games for Marquette, seeded second in the South Region, since the All-American guard hurt his oblique against Providence on Feb. 28. That includes all three games the Golden Eagles played in the Big East tourney.“The plan is for him to play,” said Marquette coach Shaka Smart, whose team faces No. 15 seed Western Kentucky on Friday in Indianapolis, “but he’s got to go through a progression this week.” The Golden Eagles also will be monitoring the status of big man Oso Ighodaro, who did not play down the stretch against UConn in the Big East title game after banging his left knee, and guard Stevie Mitchell, who has played through a shoulder injury.
BIG 12 BUMMING
Texas Tech, seeded sixth in the South, has been without 7-foot center Warren Washington for a month because of a foot injury, while Darrion Williams hurt his ankle in the quarterfinals of the Big 12 tourney against BYU. Williams tried warming before the semifinals but did not play in the lopsided loss to Houston. Meanwhile, BYU forward Aly Khalifa hurt his ankle in the second half of its loss to the Red Raiders. The Cougars, seeded sixth in the East, already had been without Mark Adams Jr. and Dawson Baker for most of the season because of injuries.
OTHER INJURY OUTLOOKS
Colorado will play Boise State in a First Four game Tuesday night unsure of the status of guard Julian Hammond III (knee) and forward Cody Williams (ankle). The winner of that game will play No. 7 seed Florida, which lost Micah Handlogten to a broken leg in the opening minutes of the Gators' SEC final loss to Auburn on Sunday. Ninth-seeded Northwestern, missing guard Ty Berry after a season-ending meniscus tear, hopes Matthew Nicholson is available against No. 8 seed FAU on Friday in New York. The center has been dealing with a foot injury the past two weeks. Nevada was waylaid by the flu bug ahead of the Mountain West Tournament last week — Wolf Pack coach Steve Alford guessed five or six players had it. They are all healthy, though guard Hunter McIntosh remains iffy with a knee injury.
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AL Central Preview: Tigers, Royals Try to End Years of Losing After Offseason Moves
UNDATED (AP) – The AL Central doesn't appear to be a great place to find baseball's best teams.
Instead, it might be home to some of the most improved.
The division had a tough 2023, with the Twins running away with the title despite an 87-win season that wouldn't have been good enough to win any other division in MLB. One year later, it's still hard to look at the rosters and find an obvious 90-win squad in the bunch.
Minnesota once again appears to be the class of the division despite losing a pair of front-line starting pitchers in Sonny Gray and Kenta Maeda.
But the real interest lies with teams like the Tigers and Royals, who are hoping for a big step forward. The Tigers haven't had a winning season since 2016 and the pressure is on fourth-year manager A.J. Hinch to end that stretch.
The Royals won the World Series in 2015 and haven't had a winning season since, but they made moves in the offseason to try and end that streak.
HOW THEY PROJECT
1. Minnesota Twins. After stopping their 18-game postseason losing streak that was the longest in the history of the major North American professional sports and winning a series for the first time in 21 years, the Twins have largely the same look in their quest to defend their division title. The notable exception is in the rotation, where losing Gray and Maeda could represent a setback. Pablo López remains the ace after an excellent debut season with the Twins and Joe Ryan has the potential to be a dominant sidekick. The wild card is Chris Paddack, who missed the 2023 regular season recovering from Tommy John surgery and chipped in from the bullpen for the playoffs. Health will likely be the pivotal factor for success at the plate this year, too, after shortstop Carlos Correa played through plantar fasciitis in his left foot and had the worst offensive season of his career and Byron Buxton’s right knee trouble limited him to designated hitter duty. Buxton has returned to center field and been thriving in spring training, as promising of a sign the Twins could hope for in camp.
2. Cleveland Guardians. Two years after a controversial name change, another new era begins in Cleveland as Stephen Vogt takes over for Terry Francona, the winningest manager in franchise history. A journeyman catcher, Vogt has never managed at any level and will break in with a Guardians team that has enough good pieces to contend for a division title. Shane Bieber looks to be recovered from arm issues that limited him in 2023 and he’ll be expected to anchor a rotation featuring Tanner Bibee and Gavin Williams, who both showed major promise as rookies. Although Cleveland’s lineup lacks power, José Ramírez and Josh Naylor are each capable of hitting 30 homers and don’t be surprised if slugging prospect Kyle Manzardo arrives early to provide some needed pop. Closer Emmanuel Clase has to be more consistent after leading the majors with 12 blown saves.
3. Detroit Tigers. The franchise is more hopeful than recent years, feeling optimistic about what appears to be a plus pitching staff and some promising players, and could make the playoffs for the first time in a decade. Left-hander Tarik Skubal won four straight games and gave up just three runs over his last five starts to end last season and will be followed by newly acquired right-handers Kenta Maeda and Jack Flaherty. The bullpen is led by righties Jason Foley and Alex Lange along with lefty Andrew Chafin. First baseman Spencer Torkelson, the top pick in 2022, has a chance to become a 40-homer hitter. Multi-talented outfielder Parker Meadows generates excitement at the plate and base paths. The franchise gave second baseman Colt Keith a guaranteed deal worth at least $28 million before he faced his first pitch in the majors, clearly excited about his upside, and plan to give him opportunities to prove he was worth the investment.
4.) Kansas City Royals: The Royals are hoping to go worst-to-first this season after losing 106 games a year ago, and there is reason to believe they could do it. For one thing, the AL Central is wide open. But the Royals also spent more than $100 million in free agency to fix their biggest problems, which began and ended with pitching. Seth Lugo and Michael Wacha were signed to join breakout star Cole Ragans, Brady Singer and Jordan Lyles in the rotation, and almost the entire bullpen is new with Will Smith taking over the closer job. The Royals also added slugger Hunter Renfroe and versatile Adam Frazier to the lineup and get power-hitting first baseman Vinnie Pasquantino back from shoulder surgery that wiped out almost his entire 2023 season. With the Royals eyeing a new downtown ballpark as the centerpiece of a $2 billion development funded in part by the extension of an existing sales tax, it would behoove them to show a weary fanbase that they are serious enough about winning to warrant the new digs.
5.) Chicago White Sox: It was a tough 2023 for the White Sox, who lost 101 games. It's unclear if 2024 will be much better. Chicago was second-to-last in the majors in runs scored and gave up more runs than all but four teams. The team also ranked among the worst on defense. The White Sox hope that pitchers Chris Flexen and Erick Fedde can solidify the back end of the rotation while the offense has a handful of proven offensive players in outfielder Luis Robert Jr., first baseman Andrew Vaughn, outfielder/designated hitter Eloy Jiménez and third baseman Yoán Moncada. It appears that new general manager Chris Getz, starting his first full season, has plenty of work to do.
CEASE GONE
The White Sox signaled they'll be continuing to rebuild when they dealt right-hander Dylan Cease to the San Diego Padres on Wednesday for a package of players, including reliever Steven Wilson. Cease, who turned 28 in December, was second in AL Cy Young Award voting in 2022 after going 14-8 with a 2.20 ERA. He went 7-9 with a 4.58 ERA last year for a White Sox team that went 61-101.
WITT GETS PAID
The Royals signed young star Bobby Witt Jr. to an 11-year deal worth more than $288.7 million guaranteed in February, easily the longest and richest contract in club history. It includes a three-year, $89 million team option that would drive the value to more than $377 million and keep Witt with the Royals through the 2037 season. The contract was a seismic shift for a notoriously frugal, small-market ballclub. It also shows that Kansas City's ownership is serious about being more competitive in the division after several lean years.
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