Kelly Silent on Whether She Will Sign Tax Cut Bill
TOPEKA, Kan. (KNS) – Major tax cuts are headed to Democratic Governor Laura Kelly’s desk, although she's not saying whether she will sign the bill. The Kansas News Service reports that the three-year, $1.6 billion tax cutting package passed with bipartisan support after the House and Senate struggled for weeks to reach a deal. It would condense the state’s three income tax brackets into just two. Those making up to $23,000 would be taxed at 5.15%. Income beyond that would be taxed at 5.55%. Republican Kansas Senate President Ty Masterson urged his colleagues to support the bill, saying “...this plan is a compromise. It’s fair, and it’s time.” Kelly supports some parts of the bill, like state property tax relief. But it’s unclear if she will accept the income tax changes. She has up to 30 days to sign or veto the bill.
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Kansas Legislature Passes Income Tax Overhaul
TOPEKA, Kan. (KCStar) - The Kansas Legislature passed an overhaul of the state’s income tax early Saturday, condensing the three current tax brackets into two, but it’s unclear whether Gov. Laura Kelly will sign the measure. The Kansas City Star reports that the proposal would tax income at rates of 5.55% in the top bracket and 5.15% in the bottom bracket. For individuals, $23,000 a year in taxable income marks the dividing line between the two rates; $46,000 for married couples filing jointly.
The Senate passed the bill 24-9 just before 1 a.m. Saturday morning. The House followed, sending the legislation to Kelly in a 119-0 vote at about 2:30 a.m.. The measure was the last bill the Legislature approved before beginning its spring break. Lawmakers will return to Topeka on April 25.
The bill’s passage came a day after a tax compromise supported by the Senate ran into opposition in the House. The compromise, which maintained the three-bracket tax system, had Kelly’s approval. But Kelly may be hesitant to sign the new deal. The Democratic governor didn’t immediately comment on the legislation, but her chief of staff, Will Lawrence, shared with reporters concerns about the size of the package.
The measure is expected to cost roughly $635 million in revenue in the first year, and roughly $460 million each year after. During tax negotiations, Kelly has generally wanted to limit annual costs to about $425 million.
The proposal also eliminates taxes on Social Security income, lowers the statewide mill levy for schools from 20 mills to 19.5 mills and accelerates the elimination of the state sales tax on food to July 1, six months ahead of current law.
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Lawmakers Criticize a Big Pay Raise for Themselves Before Passing a Big Spending Bill
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Kansas legislators approved on Friday another year's worth of funding for most state agencies and services after a few lawmakers staged a last-minute public protest over a 93% pay increase for themselves coming next year.
The Republican-controlled Senate approved, 26-12, a bill with about $19 billion in spending for the state's 2025 budget year, which begins July 1. It covers most of the spending outside of aid to the state's public schools, which is in a separate measure that has stalled.
The Senate's action came hours after the GOP-controlled House approved the bill, 78-44, so the measure goes next to Democratic Gov. Laura Kelly. She's likely to sign the bill, but the state constitution allows her to veto individual spending items, which she has done regularly in the past.
The bill would provide a 5% pay increase for all state government workers, plus larger increases for public safety workers and workers whose pay has lagged behind their counterparts in the private sector. But those increases are far short of the pay raise for lawmakers taking effect at the start of 2025 under a law enacted last year that didn't require them to vote on the increase.
Critics of the pay raise managed to get the Senate to include in its version of the next state budget a provision delaying the pay raise at least another year. House and Senate negotiators didn't include it in the final version of Friday's spending bill, prompting opponents to complain about the gap between the 93% raise for lawmakers and the 5% raise for most state workers.
“People don't trust politicians,” said Sen. Rob Olson, a Kansas City-area Republican. “This is why.”
Kansas is flush with tax revenues and under the spending approved Friday is on track to have more than $3.7 billion in excess funds at the end of June 2025.
Kelly and top Republicans brokered a deal earlier this week income, sales and property tax cuts, but the House scuttled it Thursday. Lawmakers planned to adjourn Friday for a three-week spring break, postponing another push on tax cuts until after they return April 29 for the last few days in session this year.
Legislators also haven't approved a bill with $6 billion in spending for the K-12 public school system. The state's 286 districts will see an increase in aid between $240 million and $320 million, or between 4.9% and 6.5%. However, disagreements over special education policies led the Senate to reject one bill Thursday 12-26, forcing lawmakers to draft a new version.
The bill funding other parts of the budget included provisions from GOP senators aimed at forcing Kelly to provide help to Texas in its border security fight with the Biden administration and restrict diversity programs on college campuses.
House and Senate negotiators decided not to delay the legislative pay raise.
A bipartisan commission of mostly former legislators concluded last year that lawmakers are underpaid and that low pay keeps younger and less wealthy people and people of color out of the Legislature. The law creating the commission allowed the raise to take effect unless both chambers rejected it by early February, which they didn't.
The increase will be nearly $28,000 a year for rank-and-file legislators, boosting their total compensation from $30,000 to nearly $58,000, including daily expense reimbursements in session. Legislative leaders get additional payments because of their duties, and the House speaker and Senate president will make more than $85,000 a year, up from $44,000.
During the House's debate, Republican Rep. Chuck Smith, of southeastern Kansas, backed the pay raise by praising the work of the chairs of the House budget committee and a committee on K-12 spending.
“We ought to be thanking these people for what they do,” Smith said. “It's unbelievable, the quality of people we have in here.”
The tone was far different in the Senate. Facing a barrage of questions from Olson and Sen. Dennis Pyle, a northeastern Kansas Republican, Billinger acknowledged that he doesn't think the big pay raise is appropriate.
“Something's very, very wrong,” Pyle said. “It's a sad day for Kansas.”
Pay for lawmakers varies widely by state, according to National Conference of State Legislatures data. New Hampshire’s salary is $100 a year — the same as in 1889 — while New Mexico pays $202 to cover lawmakers’ expenses in session but no salary.
Alaska lawmakers’ salaries rose by 67% from $50,400 to $84,000 at the start of their annual session this year, and New Jersey legislators will see their pay increase in 2026, also by 67%, from $49,000 to $82,000. New York lawmakers received a 29% raise at the start of 2023, making their pay the highest in the nation at $142,000 a year.
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GOP Leaders Want Money to Send Kansas National Guard Troops to Aid Texas in Border Dispute
TOPEKA, Kan. (KNS) – Republican leaders in Kansas want to use state tax dollars to help enforce immigration laws at the U.S.-Mexico border in Texas. The Kansas News Service reports that lawmakers approved a budget that includes nearly $16 million to send Kansas National Guard troops to Texas amid its border dispute with the federal government. The dispute centers around a Texas law permitting officers to arrest migrants suspected of entering the U.S. illegally. Republican supporters say it’s necessary to combat drug and human trafficking. But Democrats, like Representative Henry Helgerson, say enforcing immigration law is up to the feds. “The federal government has plenty of money – can make more money if it needs it. And so does Texas. We have our own problems,” he added. Democratic Governor Laura Kelly is unlikely to support the measure. She has the power to veto specific items within the budget.
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Kansas Legislators Pass Measure to Change How School Districts Count Students for State Funding Allocation
UNDATED (KNS) – Kansas lawmakers have voted to change the way school districts count students for state funding. The Kansas News Service reports that state senators overwhelmingly approved the plan. It lets districts count students based on the current year’s enrollment or an average from the past two years. Growing districts pushed for current-year enrollment so they could get state funding for new students. Districts with declining enrollment could use a two-year-average for only the coming school year. Republican Sen. Molly Baumgardner says the compromise makes sense because funding should follow the students. “So when you have a loss of enrollment, you will have a reduction in funding, because the students aren’t in the seats,” she explained. If the new plan is approved by the state House and the governor, it would cost the state an extra $4.6 million next year in funding to declining districts.
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Proposal in Kansas Legislature Seeks Transparency in Civil Asset Forfeiture
TOPEKA (KSNT) - A bill calling for greater transparency in civil asset forfeiture has received unanimous support in both chambers of the Kansas Legislature. KSNT TV reportsthat Senate Bill 458 would remove certain offenses that sometimes end in forfeiture, direct the court to determine whether forfeiture is unconstitutionally excessive, and amend several other parts of the Kansas Asset Seizure and Forfeiture Act. Last year the Americans for Prosperity Foundation-Kansas released a report on civil asset forfeiture. The report found Kansas law enforcement seized more than $25 million in money and property but the group alleges that the Kansas Bureau of Investigation (KBI) grossly underrepresented the total amount of cash and property forfeited in its annual reports. In 2022, the KBI reported a total of $3,447,219 in forfeited property.
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NAIA Announces Ban on Transgender Athletes in Women's Sports Competitions
UNDATED (KPR) – The NAIA released a revised policy statement Monday that bans transgender athletes from competing in women’s sports. The policy kicks in with next season’s athletic calendar that starts on August 1st. Jim Carr is the executive director of the NAIA office based in Kansas City. He explained why the membership has voted to ban transgender athletes from competing in women’s sports, telling reporters that "...we determined that essentially there’s a reason that there’s a male category and a female category in all those and it’s because there’s a male advantage in speed, strength or endurance. Or in many cases all of those. This does apply to all of our sports." The only exception would be dance and cheer competition, which is already coed. The NAIA membership is made up of 250 schools and about 83,000 student athletes.
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Wichita High School Students Stage Walkout to Protest Anti-Transgender Legislation
WICHITA, Kan. (KNS) – About 200 Wichita high school students walked out of class Tuesday to protest anti-transgender legislation in Kansas. A bill headed to Kansas Governor Laura Kelly’s desk would ban gender-affirming medical care for anyone under 21. The Kansas News Service reports that students at Wichita East High School gathered on the front lawn of the school to wave flags and voice their opposition to the ban. Seventeen-year-old Miles Wilson, a transgender boy, says he was suicidal as a preteen. But the possibility of surgery and hormone therapy gave him hope. “I hope I can someday experience the comfort in my body that so many take for granted. I hope that someday existing won’t feel as painful as it does now,” he said. Supporters of the bill say surgeries are permanent, and they worry children could regret their decision.
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Wichita Approves "Gang List" Lawsuit Settlement
WICHITA, Kan. (KNS) – The Wichita City Council approved a settlement Tuesday for a federal lawsuit involving the use of its gang list. The Kansas News Service reports that according to the suit, people were put on the list without notice or without criminal charges being filed. It says the list also targeted people of color. People on the list are subject to heightened surveillance and face higher bail bond costs. They also received stricter probation and parole terms. Kunyu Ching with the ACLU of Kansas says that more than half of the names on the list could be removed as a result of the settlement. “I think this settlement and changes that it's going to bring to the policy...is a step toward restoring that community trust,” Ching added. The department will create an appeals process for people who think they were wrongfully placed on the list. The federal court is expected to approve the settlement in the coming months.
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Woman Dies Following Officer-Involved Shooting in Harper County
ATTICA, Kan. (KAKE) - The Kansas Bureau of Investigation says a woman has died following an officer-involved shooting in Harper County in southern central Kansas. KAKE-TV reports that agents responded Tuesday morning to a shooting involving the Attica Police Department that happened along U.S. 160 just west of the town, according to the KBI. The KBI also said no law enforcement officers were hurt in the incident. The Kansas Department of Transportation said at around 9 a.m. that U.S. 160 had been closed around the west side of Attica. The Harper County Sheriff's Office requested the KBI's assistance at around 7:15 a.m. The KBI said it would release more information when it becomes available.
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Topeka Plans Launch of Designated Outdoor Drinking Areas
TOPEKA, Kan. (WIBW) - The City of Topeka is set to launch two common consumption areas where people will be allowed to drink outside bars and restaurants. WIBW TV reports that these regulated “social drinking zones” will have established boundaries where patrons can drink outside a licensed bar or restaurant. In December, the city approved two designated Common Consumption areas. One in downtown Topeka and another the NOTO Arts and Entertainment District. People are not allowed to bring their own alcoholic beverages into the designated areas but they will be allowed to purchase and consume alcoholic beverages from licensed, participating establishments within the boundaries of the so-called CCAs. The boundaries will be marked with signs and pavement markings. The designated CCAs will go into effect on April 15.
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Weekend Wildfires in Northeast Kansas Nearly Contained
TOPEKA, Kan. (WIBW) – Several counties in northeast Kansas saw fast moving wildfires over the weekend. WIBW TV reports that Pottawatomie, Riley, and Marshall Counties all experienced fires. State officials now say that a controlled burn that went out of control on Saturday and ripped quickly through dry brush in both Pottawatomie and Riley Counties. Officials say no burn bans were in effect Saturday when the fire went out of control. It destroyed one home near Axelton Hill Road in Riley County. Firefighters on scene this morning say about 80% of the blaze is now contained and say they believe they will have it completely contained by Tuesday evening.
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KU Team Places 2nd in National Debate Tournament
LAWRENCE, Kan. (KPR) — A University of Kansas debate team took second place in the nation at the 78th National Debate Tournament, held from April 4 to 9 at Emory University in Atlanta. Team members Graham Revare, a junior from Shawnee, and William Soper, a senior from Bucyrus, advanced to the championship debate. The University of Michigan took first place honors.
The KU team of John Marshall, a sophomore from Lawrence, and Jiyoon Park, a sophomore from Topeka, took fifth place at the tournament as they reached the Elite Eight, but the two KU teams met each other in the quarterfinals.
It was the 20th Final Four appearance for KU Debate and the eighth time KU has advanced to the championship debate. KU has won the National Debate Tournament six times. KU has advanced to the Final Four in six of the last eight seasons.
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Mountain Goat Stuck Under Kansas City Bridge Survives Rocky Rescue
UNDATED (AP) – An escaped mountain goat that somehow got stuck under a Kansas City bridge has survived a rocky rescue effort and now may be reunited with the owners who suspect he was stolen from their farm two months ago.
“It’s the story that captured the hearts of Kansas City,” said Tori Fugate, of the KC Pet Project, a nonprofit that handles animal control for the city and operates shelters. “Forget a solar eclipse. We were on goat watch.”
After Monday's eclipse, people spotted the animal, believed to be a missing goat named Chug, hopping around on the pillars that support the bridge, high above the ground below.
Hoping to guide it to safety, a driver managed to get a rope around the goat's neck, but that only added to the danger, said Fugate. When firefighters tried to rappel over the side of the bridge to capture the goat, he spooked and tried to jump to the next platform. But his hooves slipped and the rope caught, causing the goat to hang from his neck, not moving.
Firefighters managed to undo a snag in the rope, creating slack in the line. The goat then fell as much as 15 feet to the ground, landing in a spot where crews had added padding in an attempt to soften the impact, Fugate said.
A waiting veterinarian sedated the goat and crews carried him in a sling to the top of a rocky hill, where firefighters gave him oxygen. Then he perked up and was taken for X-rays, Fugate said.
“He miraculously has no broken bones,” Fugate said. The goat had been clambering along bridge supports that are as much as 80 feet above the ground, a fall he wouldn't have survived, she said.
She said this was just the latest part of the goat's adventure. He entered the shelter as a stray on March 13, was dubbed Jeffrey and was adopted later that month. But he immediately jumped the fence at his new home, she said.
“Thanks to his media fame, yesterday (editorial note: Monday) we had somebody reach out and they said that he is very similar to their goat that went missing back in February,” she said.
The family lives two hours away and plans to came to come to the shelter Wednesday to confirm he is their stolen goat, named Chug. If he is, they plan to bring him home with them, and the goat's adoptive owners say that is OK with them.
“He seems to be very particular about his living situation,” Fugate said.
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Research Shows Trees in Great Plains Exacerbate Climate Change
TOPEKA, Kan. (KNS) — New research shows trees growing on the Great Plains can actually make climate change worse. Climate scientists say trees cool the atmosphere by sequestering carbon from the atmosphere, but in many parts of the Great Plains, trees actually warm the planet. Susan Cook-Patton, a senior forest scientist at the Nature Conservancy, says trees make the earth’s surface darker, so it absorbs more sunlight instead of reflecting it back into space. This adds more heat than the trees are worth. “Trees are great – in the right place,” Cook-Patton said. “But they’re not uniformly awesome across the globe.” Nature Conservancy scientists say this is a reason to protect native grasslands. Great Plains grasslands are under threat from the spread of trees.
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Report: Kansas Has Nearly Doubled Renewable Energy Resources
TOPEKA, Kan. (KNS) — Rural Kansans could be on the cutting edge of renewable energy as new data shows the state remains one of the top in the nation for wind energy. Wind energy now makes up nearly half of the electricity generated in the state. A report from the non-profit group Climate Central found 47% of the state’s electricity generation now is coming from wind energy, surpassing coal. Climate Central found Kansas has increased its renewable energy resources by more than double in the last decade. The capacity is 9,000 megawatts of renewable power generation, which is fourth in the country. But despite this growth Kansas still ranks nearly last for energy efficiency in homes and other buildings. Zack Pistora, environmental lobbyist for the Sierra Club, says this is a huge opportunity for Kansas. “The cheapest and the greenest form of energy out there that we didn't talk about is the energy we don't use, the energy we save.” Kansas still has the second largest renewable energy potential only behind Texas, being one of the windiest and sunniest states.
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Kansas Turnpike Authority Says Its Cashless Tolling System Will Have Lowest Rates in the Nation
WICHITA, Kan. (KNS) – The Kansas Turnpike Authority’s new cashless tolling system will have the lowest rates in the country. The Kansas News Service reports that Turnpike Authority CEO Steve Hewitt says the new system can save drivers money people, and that people who have a K-TAG will pay 50 percent less per mile to use the turnpike. The new system will go into effect on July 1st. The toll plazas at each exit will be replaced with transponder sensors and cameras. Motorists will be charged each time they drive underneath one of the more than 20 overhead toll gates. Officials say the change will ease congestion caused by lines at toll plazas. Free K-Tags are available at ksturnpike.com.
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LMH Health Announces New Chief Financial Officer
LAWRENCE, Kan. (KPR) – LMH Health has announced the appointment of Rob Chestnut as its new chief financial officer. He will join the organization on May 20th. Chestnut, who is a Certified Management Accountant and holds a Master's degree in Business Administration, has served on the LMH Health Board of Trustees and chaired the board's finance committee in the past. LMH Health fired its previous CFO, Mike Rogers, in November 2023 after discovering that Rogers - formerly known as Michael Patrick Brunton - had been operating under an assumed name and hid the fact that he had been convicted of financial crimes in 2005 and 2007.
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KU Researchers Launch Study on Lack of Black Sperm Donors
UNDATED (KNS) – There’s a nationwide shortage of Black sperm donors. Researchers at the University of Kansas are trying to figure out why. The Kansas News Service reports that Courtney Marsh is leading the research team for this project, which KU says is one of the first to study attitudes toward sperm donation in the Black community. Marsh, who also is an OB-GYN, says she was inspired by her patients who were having trouble finding a Black sperm donor.
“I had at least three couples who came to me and were delaying their treatment because they could not find sperm. And I, you know, I thought, ‘Well gosh, I can help with this,’” she explained.
Marsh says about 3% of the total sperm population in the nation’s top sperm banks is from Black donors. She and her research team are hosting focus groups in Wichita, Kansas City and Topeka through July. They’ll use what they learn to come up with solutions to the shortage.
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Innovative Soccer Facility Opens at Kansas State School for the Blind
KANSAS CITY, Kan. (KPR) – Officials at the Kansas State School for the Blind cut the ribbon on a new and innovative sports facility in Kansas City, Kansas Friday afternoon. The soccer field was specifically built for the visually impaired. A $32,000 grant from the Victory Project, a Sporting Kansas City philanthropic foundation, made it possible. Molly Quinn,the U.S. Association of Blind Athletes CEO, says the professional men’s and women’s soccer leagues recognize the need for such a facility, saying that "...our purpose for USA Blind Soccer and part of our mission is to be able to figure out how do we make this happen with MLS and NWSL." The Kansas City, Kansas facility is the first of its kind in the Midwest and is expected to host camps and coaching clinics in the future. For more on Blind Soccer, click here for an in-depth examination of the sport and this new facility.
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Kansas City Area Eclipse Watchers Gather for Celestial Show
OVERLAND PARK, Kan. (KCUR) – Nearly 200 eclipse-watchers gathered at the Overland Park Arboretum Monday to catch the moon moving over almost 90 percent of the sun as Kansas City experienced a partial eclipse. KCUR reports that the sky didn’t become truly dark, because the city was not in the path of totality. But the eclipse still brought excited spectators together. Clara Woolschlager met up with some other people right after entering the park, and the group ended up hanging out together most of the day. “We got about 10 -15 feet in…we started talking...we just kind of all met today,” she said.
During the few minutes of the eclipse, people watched the moon slowly pass partially over the sun, as temperatures dropped and skies turned hazy. This is the last time a solar eclipse will be seen in the continental United States until August of 2044.
The Topeka Capital Journal reports that temperatures in the Capital City temporarily dropped by 3.6 degrees during the solar eclipse. The National Weather Service reported that temperatures at Forbes Field in Topeka fell from 64.4 degrees at 1:30 p.m. to 60.8 degrees at 2:10 p.m., then quickly rose again after the solar event. Monday's eclipse left the sun obscured 87.1% by the moon in Topeka when it started at 12:36 p.m. and ended at 3:09 p.m.
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Oklahoma Judge Orders Kansas City Chiefs Superfan 'ChiefsAholic' to Pay $10.8 Million to Bank Teller
TULSA, Okla. (AP) — An Oklahoma judge ordered a Kansas City Chiefs superfan known as “ChiefsAholic” who admitted to a series of bank robberies to pay $10.8 million to a bank teller he threatened and assaulted with a gun.
A judge in Tulsa handed down the order last week against Xaviar Michael Bubudar, 29, who was known for attending Chiefs games dressed as a wolf in the NFL team's gear. Former bank teller Payton Garcia alleged Bubudar used a gun to assault her during a robbery of a Bixby, Oklahoma, credit union in December 2022, court records show.
The judge ordered Bubudar to pay Garcia $3.6 million for her injuries and loss of income, and $7.2 million in punitive damages. A message left Tuesday with Bubudar's attorney was not immediately returned.
Garcia's attorney, Frank Frasier, acknowledged that it would be difficult to collect the money for his client, but said the judgment sends an important message.
“I think the judge feels that way,” Frasier told The Associated Press. “She did not come right out and say it during the hearing, but I argued that nobody should be able to profit from this, be it notoriety, clicks, views or likes.”
Frasier said if Bubudar ever sold his story, wrote a book or was somehow able to profit from his story, his client would be able to collect some of the judgment against him.
Bubudar pleaded guilty in February to a string of robberies of banks and credit unions in multiple states. He remains imprisoned until his formal sentencing, which is set for July 10 in Kansas City.
Federal prosecutors said Babudar admitted to the robberies and attempted robberies in 2022 and 2023 and to laundering the stolen money through casinos and online gambling.
As part of the plea agreement, Babudar must pay at least $532,675 in restitution. He also must forfeit property — including an autographed painting of Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes that was recovered by the FBI.
Before his arrest, Babudar was a well-known figure on social media for his rabid support of the Chiefs and attended several games dressed as a wolf in Chiefs’ clothing.
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Prosecutors Drop Rape Case Against Ex-KU Basketball Player Arterio Morris, Citing Insufficient Evidence
LAWRENCE, Kan. (AP) — Prosecutors dropped a felony rape case against former University of Kansas basketball player Arterio Morris on Tuesday, citing insufficient evidence while filing a motion in Douglas County District Court to seek its dismissal without prejudice.
Morris was charged last August and dismissed from the Jayhawks’ program after an incident report came to light detailing an alleged rape that occurred at McCarthy Hall, which houses the men’s basketball team along with other residents. The criminal complaint alleged that a sexual assault involving an 18-year-old victim occurred on Aug. 26.
Morris was not named in the incident report, but he was subsequently suspended from the team and then dismissed.
Morris had transferred to Kansas despite facing a misdemeanor assault charge in Texas, where he spent his freshman season playing for the Longhorns. According to Frisco, Texas police, Morris was arrested after officers were called to his ex-girlfriend’s house, where she told police that he had grabbed her arm, pulled her off a bed and hurt her neck.
Morris entered a no-contest plea to a Class C charge in that case and was ordered to pay a $362 fine.
Morris was a top-20 recruit out of Kimball High School in Dallas. He signed with the Longhorns and appeared in 38 games, helping Texas beat Kansas in the Big 12 title game and advance to the Elite Eight of the NCAA Tournament two years ago.
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