Story Weather Rolling Across Eastern Kansas and into the Weekend
TOPEKA, Kan. (KPR) — A series of rain showers and thunderstorms are expected across eastern Kansas for the next couple of days. The National Weather Service says some of the storms could be severe, particularly Friday and Saturday. Kansas residents are asked to stay"weather aware" for the next several daysdue to the potential for severe weather.
Forecasters say widespread severe weather on Saturday could bring very large hail, damaging wind and tornadoes.
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Kansas Governor Vetoes Bipartisan Tax Cuts
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Kansas's Democratic governor on Wednesday vetoed a broad package of tax cuts for the second time in three months, describing it as “too expensive” despite the bipartisan support it enjoyed in the Republican-controlled Legislature.
Governor Laura Kelly and her staff had signaled that she had misgivings about a package of income, sales and property tax cuts worth $1.5 billion over the next three years. Her chief of staff said before it cleared the Legislature this month that it was larger than Kelly thought the state could afford in the long term. The governor also told fellow Democrats that she believes Kansas' current three personal income tax rates ensure that the wealthy pay their fair share. The plan would have moved to two rates.
The governor immediately proposed new tax cuts worth roughly $1.3 billion over the next three years, but the Kansas House's top Republican immediately said the governor “isn't serious” about tax relief. The Legislature was set to reconvene Thursday following a spring break and wrap up its work for the year in just six days. “While I appreciate the bipartisan effort that went into this tax cut package and support many of the provisions included, I cannot sign into law a bill that jeopardizes our state’s future fiscal stability," Kelly wrote in her veto message. “This bill is too expensive."
Top Republican legislators have wanted to move Kansas to a single personal income tax rate, which at least five other GOP-led states have done since July 2021, according to the conservative Tax Foundation. But their dispute with Kelly over that idea has meant that Kansas hasn't enacted big tax cuts, even as surplus funds have filled its coffers.
In January, Kelly vetoed a plan to cut taxes by $1.6 billion over three years that Democrats largely opposed. It would have moved Kansas to a single-rate personal income tax, and Kelly argued it would have benefited the “super wealthy,” which Republicans disputed. “Kansans need and deserve tax relief, and Governor Kelly isn’t serious when she says she wants to provide it," House Speaker Dan Hawkins, a Wichita Republican, said in a statement.
Democrats were split over the bill Kelly vetoed. In the Senate, they largely opposed it for the same reasons Kelly did, while in the House, no members voted against it.
Overriding a veto requires two-thirds majorities in both chambers. The House's top Democrat, state Rep. Vic Miller, of Topeka, said he likes Kelly's new plan but doubts Republicans will embrace it, making the bill Kelly vetoed possibly the best that Democrats can expect. “I’m not sure I want to risk what she’s willing to risk," he said of the governor.
Kelly isn't the only governor at odds with lawmakers over taxes. In neighboring Nebraska, Republican Gov. Jim Pillen said he'll call a special legislative session over rising property taxes. The conservative Legislature there adjourned last week without passing Pillen’s plan to fund property tax relief by raising the state’s sales tax and applying it to more goods and services, including candy, soda and digital advertising.
The bill Kelly vetoed also would eliminate income taxes on Social Security benefits, which kick in when a retiree earns $75,000 a year. It would reduce the state’s property taxes for public schools and eliminate an already-set-to-expire 2% sales tax on groceries six months early, on July 1.
In moving Kansas from three personal income tax rates to two, it would drop the highest top rate from 5.7% to 5.55%.
Kelly's new plan includes the same sales tax and Social Security provisions, as well as a version of the property tax cut. Her plan would keep all three personal income tax rates and lower them. Her highest rate would be 5.65%.
Last week, a new fiscal forecast provided a stable picture for state government through the end of June 2025. A separate projection from legislative researchers said that even with extra spending approved by lawmakers this year and the tax cuts Kelly vetoed, the state would end June 2025 with more than $3.7 billion in surplus. Kelly argues that problems would arrive in future years, though Republicans strongly disagree.
Kelly won the first of her two terms in 2018 by running against the fiscal policies of a Republican predecessor, Governor Sam Brownback. Big budget shortfalls followed large income tax cuts in 2012 and 2013 and continued until most of the cuts were repealed in 2017 over Brownback's veto.
But Republicans argue that warnings from Kelly hearkening back to Brownback's policies have lost credibility as surplus revenues have piled up. “It’s far past time for the governor to put her worn-out Brownback rhetoric on the back burner and finally make our Kansas families the top priority,” House Taxation Committee Chair Adam Smith, a western Kansas Republican, wrote in a column Tuesday in the Kansas City Star.
(–Additional Reporting–)
Kansas Governor Vetoes Bipartisan Tax Reform Bill
TOPEKA, Kan. (KNS) – Democratic Governor Laura Kelly on Wednesday vetoed a bipartisan tax reform bill she says is not sustainable. The Kansas News Service reports that in her veto message, Kelly made a counter-offer that would cost the state about $90 million less per year. It keeps many key provisions from the other bill, like state property tax relief and eliminating the food sales tax, but it differs on income tax. The plan Kelly vetoed would have combined the state’s three income tax brackets into two. Instead, she says she wants to keep the three brackets but lower all their rates. The bill had unanimous support in the House but needs more votes in the Senate if lawmakers hope to override the veto.
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GOP Mulls Next Move After Kansas Governor Vetoes Effort to Help Texas with Border Security
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Kansas Governor Laura Kelly is blocking an attempt by Republican legislators to give the state's National Guard a “border mission" of helping Texas in its partisan fight with the Biden administration over illegal immigration.
Top Republicans in the Kansas House were considering Thursday whether their chamber can muster the two-thirds majority necessary to override Democratic Gov. Laura Kelly's veto of immigration provisions in the next state budget. The Senate's top Republican promised to mount an override effort, but the House would vote first.
Kelly on Wednesday vetoed a budget provision that would have directed her administration to confer with Texas' Republican governor, Greg Abbott, and send Kansas National Guard personnel or equipment to the border. The GOP proposal would have helped Texas enforce a state law allowing its officials to arrest migrants suspected of crossing into the U.S. illegally. She also vetoed a provision setting aside $15.7 million for the effort.
Abbott is in a legal battle with Democratic President Joe Biden's administration, which insists the U.S. Constitution gives the federal government control of border security. In her veto message, Kelly said border security is a federal issue and suggested that the budget provisions improperly encroached on her power as the Kansas National Guard's commander in chief. “It is not the Legislature's role to direct the operations or call out the National Guard,” she wrote. “When a governor deploys soldiers as part of a federal mission, it is done intentionally and in a manner that ensures we are able to protect our communities.”
Kansas legislators reconvened Thursday after a spring break and are scheduled to wrap up their work for the year Tuesday.
Republicans nationwide have expressed support for Texas, and Kansas Senate President Ty Masterson acknowledged Thursday that the $15.7 million in spending by Kansas would represent mostly “moral support” for Texas' much larger effort.
Masterson, a Wichita-area Republican, said the state constitution gives legislators the authority to pass laws to give directions to agencies under Kelly's control. “She’s tied in with the Biden administration, so she’s not motivated to help solve that problem,” he said.
Earlier this year, the Kansas House and Senate approved separate resolutions expressing support for Texas. Democrats said the Texas governor's stance is constitutionally suspect and has created a humanitarian crisis.
Masterson said Republicans would try to override the veto. However, because the provisions were tucked into a budget bill, it's not clear that GOP leaders have the necessary two-thirds majorities in both chambers — though they would if all Republicans were present and voted yes. “We try to give all options available to support our border, support our fellow states and make sure our nation’s safe," said House Majority Leader Chris Croft, a Kansas City-area Republican.
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Kansas Governor Signs Law Tightening Rules on Civil Asset Forfeiture
TOPEKA, Kan. (KNS) – People who have their property taken by Kansas police will soon have a better chance at getting it back. The Kansas News Service reports that Democratic Governor Laura Kelly has signed a new law tightening rules on civil asset forfeiture. The changes include raising the legal standard for forfeitures, speeding up the court process and forcing the return of seized property faster. It also denies forfeiture in cases of lower level crimes like simple possession of drugs. Sam MacRoberts of the Kansas Justice Institute says it was previously too easy for police to take property and cash from people, even if they are not charged with a crime. “We think this is a really good start to cut down on the more abusive forfeiture cases,” he said. The bill received broad bipartisan support in the Legislature. The Kansas Bureau of Investigation had opposed some proposals but supported the final bill that became law. (Read more about this story.)
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KU Faculty and Academic Staff Vote to Join Labor Union
UNDATED (KNS) – More than 1,500 professors, researchers and librarians at the University of Kansas will be represented by a labor union. The Kansas News Service reports that faculty and academic staff voted Thursday to form the union. More than 85% of the vote was in favor of the new organization that will bargain on behalf of the employees. Organizers pointed to wages, job security and academic freedom as driving factors for the union. Berl Oakley, a molecular biologist at KU, says the union gives employees a voice. “This will give us more of a say in what the university does.” The union will next focus on negotiating its first contract. A university spokesperson says administrators look forward to working with the union.
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Kansas Legislature Commits Millions to Aid Public Universities with Deferred Maintenance
WICHITA, Kan. (KNS) – The Kansas Legislature has committed nearly $200 million over the next six years to help public universities address deferred maintenance. The Kansas News Service reports that the bill signed by Governor Laura Kelly allocates $30 million a year to state universities and $2.7 million a year to community and technical colleges to address a backlog of building maintenance, repairs or demolition. Chad Bristow, director of facilities for the Kansas Board of Regents, says the state funds — plus a required dollar-for-dollar match from universities — will help tackle about $1.2 billion worth of projects. “A lot of maintenance and a lot of needs have accrued, but the big idea here is, don’t keep adding to that. Get to a point where you’re not deferring maintenance," he explained. The plan encourages schools to reduce their campus footprint and to focus on mission-critical buildings.
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Kansas GOP Senator Calls for Action on Farm Bill
WICHITA, Kan. (KNS) – U.S. Senator Jerry Moran of Kansas is calling on his Senate colleagues to pass a new Farm Bill. The bill is typically updated every five years. It helps support farmers and food producers, as well as providing funding for crop insurance and conservation initiatives. The Kansas News Service reports Moran said Thursday in Wichita that some members of the agriculture committee are satisfied with extending funding for the bill and are not interested in creating a new one. “We need a new farm bill to take into account the new circumstances that farmers are facing. And those…circumstances are pretty damning in the cost of production, and the reduction in income,” he added. Moran says the new bill needs to address issues such as drought and inflation. Lawmakers passed an extension of the 2018 farm bill last year, which is set to expire in September.
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Kansas Man Sentenced to 10 Years for Crash That Killed Officer, Pedestrian and K-9 Last February
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — A man who sped through a red light in Kansas City and crashed into a patrol car has been sentenced to 10 years in prison for involuntary manslaughter in the deaths of an officer and a bystander. At his sentencing Wednesday, 20-year-old Jerron Lightfoot, of Tonganoxie, said he was “truly sorry and never intended to hurt anyone” before he was sentenced Wednesday. The February 15, 2023, crash killed Officer James Muhlbauer, who was 42, Jesse Eckes, who was 52, and Muhlbauer's police dog, Champ.
Police determined that Lightfoot sped up to nearly 90 mph just two seconds before hitting Muhlbauer’s car on the driver’s side. The impact sent the car crashing into Eckes, who was sitting on a concrete barrier. Lightfoot, who initially blamed his brakes, entered a guilty plea in February in which prosecutors agreed to recommend no more than 10 years in prison.
Eckes's sister, Mandi Dunbar, argued against sentencing Lightfoot to prison, saying her brother was in and out of jail during his life. She said his life might have turned out better if he had been given a chance when he was younger.
But family and friends of Muhlbauer, a celebrated officer and father of three, sought the maximum sentence.
The hearing ended with Lightfoot handcuffed and led out of the courtroom, which was packed with friends and family, along with uniformed officers. “Currently, I don’t think I can forgive him, maybe in time,” Muhlbauer’s widow, Cassie Muhlbauer said outside the courthouse.
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Coalition to Host Spanish-Language Health Conference Sunday
KANSAS CITY, Kan. (KNS) - The Immunize Kansas Coalition will host a conference for Spanish speakers this weekend in Kansas City, Kansas. The conference will focus on women’s health. Called “Entre Mujeres: The Health of Women,” the conference will be held from noon to 4 pm Sunday at Memorial Hall in KCK. Giovannie Gone, executive director of the Immunize Kansas Coalition, says the conference will highlight preventive health care for women and their children and help connect them to resources. “Women are key to the health of their family," she said. The presentations will be translated into English. Free HPV vaccines will also be available. Gone says women are encouraged to bring their teenagers and male partners. People can register online or in person the day of the conference. An optional $10 donation is requested to cover lunch.
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Kansas Accountant Accused of Embezzling Client's Money to Build House
WICHITA, Kan. (KPR) — A certified public accountant in Colby is accused of defrauding his clients, taking their money and using it to build a home. Federal prosecutors say 43-year-old Quintin Flanagin made his first appearance Wednesday in federal court in Wichita.
He's facing various charges, including bank fraud, wire fraud, making false statements and money laundering. The U.S. Attorney's Office says Flanagin created a fake business called "Middle Finger Ranch" and then used that company to allegedly steal more than $400,000 from one of his clients, Diamond M. Farms in Thomas County. Prosecutors say Flanagin used the stolen money to build a house.
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Kansas Hospital Employee Turnover Remains at Record-High Levels
TOPEKA, Kan. (KSNT) – Turnover for hospital employees in Kansas remains at record high levels. That's according to the Kansas Hospital Association (KHA), in its annual Health Care Workforce Report. More than 100 hospitals participated in the survey. KSNT reports that the vacancy rates were the highest for ultrasound technologists, nursing assistants and X-ray techs. The overall employee turnover rate in Kansas averaged 19%.
The KHA says enrollment in public schools, colleges and universities has continued to decline, which has led to fewer students seeking health care credentials, licenses and degrees. That, in turn, has led to fewer healthcare employees working in Kansas.
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Kansas Creates Office of the Child Advocate as Independent State Agency
UNDATED (KNS) – Kansas Governor Laura Kelly has approved a bill codifying the state’s foster care oversight office. The Kansas News Service reports that the Office of the Child Advocate is now an independent state agency. Kelly created the Child Advocate position through an executive order in 2021. But that meant she or the next governor could remove it at any time. Now that it has been written into state law as a formal state agency, the position of Child Advocate will be appointed by the governor and requires Senate confirmation. The individual will serve a five-year term. The position independently reviews complaints about the Kansas child welfare system.
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Prosecutors Charge Fifth Member of Anti-Government Group in Kansas Women's Killings
GUYMON, Okla. (AP) — Oklahoma prosecutors charged a fifth member of an anti-government group on Wednesday with killing and kidnapping two Kansas women. Paul Jeremiah Grice, 31, was charged in Texas County with two counts of first-degree murder, two counts of kidnapping and conspiracy to commit murder. Grice told an Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation agent that he participated in the killing and burial of Veronica Butler, 27, and Jilian Kelley, 39, of Hugoton, Kansas, according to an arrest affidavit filed in the case. Grice is being held without bond at the Texas County Detention Center in Guymon, a jail official said. Court and jail records don't indicate if Grice has an attorney who could speak on his behalf.
Four others have been charged in connection with the deaths and are being held without bail: Tifany Adams, 54, and her boyfriend, Tad Cullum, 43, of Keyes, and Cole, 50, and Cora Twombly, 44, of Texhoma, Oklahoma.
Butler and Kelley disappeared March 30 while driving to pick up Butler’s two children for a birthday party. Adams, who is the children's grandmother, was in a bitter custody dispute with Butler, who was only allowed supervised visits with the children on Saturdays. Kelley was authorized to supervise the visits, according to the affidavits.
A witness who spoke to Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation agents said all five suspects were part of “an anti-government group that had a religious affiliation,” according to the affidavit. Investigators learned the group called themselves “God’s Misfits” and held regular meetings at the home of the Twomblys and another couple.
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Kansas Marine Corps Veteran Pleads Guilty to January 6th Charges
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (KCUR) – A Marine Corps veteran from Kansas pleaded guilty Wednesday to charges stemming from his part in the January 6th riot in Washington, D.C. KCUR reports that online court records say 44-year-old Chad Suenram pleaded guilty to entering a restricted building, a misdemeanor. Suenram originally faced four misdemeanor charges after being arrested in Haysville, just south of Wichita. Charging documents say when Suenram entered the Capitol building, he was wearing an American flag face mask and had an American flag painted on his head. Court records show he’ll be sentenced in August and faces up to six months in jail and a $5,000 fine.
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Wichita Asks Influencers to Label Paid Social Media Content
WICHITA, Kan. (KNS) – The city of Wichita is asking local influencers to label social media and digital content that the city has paid for. The Kansas News Service reports that the move comes after a video from a local influencer about the city’s work to patch potholes went viral on TikTok. The video was paid for by the city, but not labeled as such. Paid content labels are required by the Federal Trade Commission, according to recently issued guidelines. City spokesperson Megan Lovely says the city is learning as it grows its partnership with influencers in an effort to share information with the public. “We all know the fractured state of media, if everyone was getting their news in one place that would make our job a whole lot easier,” she added. In 2023, the city spent nearly $26 thousand dollars working with influencers. It’s likely to match or exceed that expenditure this year.
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Perez Homers as Royals Beat Blue Jays 2-1 in Game Called After 5 Innings, 3 1/2-Hour Rain Delay
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Salvador Perez hit a two-run homer in the first inning, Cole Ragans held Toronto in check long enough for the rain to arrive, and the Kansas City Royals beat the Blue Jays 2-1 on Thursday in a game called after five innings and a long weather delay.
Ragans (1-2) allowed the lone Toronto run on three hits and three walks while striking out four.
José Berrios (4-1) had his streak of 22 1/3 scoreless innings snapped when Perez, following Vinnie Pasquantino's two-out walk, deposited the first pitch he saw into the left-field bullpen to give Kansas City the lead in the first inning.
When the fifth ended, and an early drizzle had turned to steady rain, umpire chief Chris Guccione called for the tarp to cover the infield. Blue Jays manager John Schneider came out to argue, wanting another opportunity to tie or take the lead, and apparently he convinced Guccione to have the grounds crew roll the tarp back and attempt to get the field in shape.
After about 10 minutes, Guccione again summoned the tarp. The field was covered for about 2 hours, and when the rain stopped, the grounds crew spent another hour-plus working on it. At that point, the game was called after a delay of 3 hours, 38 minutes.
Ragans had to work around plenty of trouble early, including a runner-on-the-corners situation in the second, when he got Alejandro Kirk to fly out. In the fourth, the Blue Jays bookended Davis Schneider's walk with hits by Justin Turner and Ernie Clement to cut the Royals' lead in half, but Daulton Varsho and Kirk could not get across the tying run.
The Blue Jays had another try in the fifth, when center fielder Kyle Isbel made a spectacular over-the-shoulder catch of Isiah Kiner-Falefa's drive to the warning track. Isbel also raced down George Springer's blooper. Then, after Vladimir Guerrero Jr. drew a walk, Bo Bichette popped foul to end what turned out to be the Blue Jays' final at-bat.
TRAINER'S ROOM
Royals: RHP Alec Marsh (bruised right elbow) went on the injured list Thursday after taking a 91 mph line drive off his elbow the previous night. RHP Will Klein was recalled from Triple-A Omaha to take his spot on the roster.
Blue Jays: RHP Bowden Francis (right forearm tendinitis) was placed on the IL after pitching two scoreless innings Wednesday night. LHP Brendon Little was recalled from Triple-A Buffalo to take his spot in the bullpen.
UP NEXT
Blue Jays: Start a six-game homestand that includes a visit by Kansas City next week. Up first are the Los Angeles Dodgers with RHP Chris Bassitt (2-3, 3.90 ERA) getting the nod against them in Friday night's series opener.
Royals: Begin a six-day trip against the Tigers on Friday with a rare 12:10 p.m. CDT start so that it any minimizes interference with the NFL draft in Detroit. RHP Seth Lugo (3-1, 2.03) is on the mound for the series opener.
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Royals Put Early Revelation Alec Marsh on IL After Taking a Liner off His Pitching Elbow
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — The Kansas City Royals placed right-hander Alec Marsh on the injured list Thursday after he took a 91 mph liner off his pitching elbow the previous night against the Blue Jays, putting what had been a breakout season for him on hold.
Marsh had not allowed a run when Toronto's Addison Barger drilled a fastball at him with one out in the fifth inning Wednesday night. The ball ricocheted off Marsh's elbow, closer to the forearm, so hard that it left an indentation of the laces.
X-rays taken after the game showed no fractures, but the ball hit near the flexor tendon and the Royals opted for caution. “He's got a good horseshoe there from the seams," Royals manager Matt Quatraro said before the conclusion of their four-game series against the Blue Jays. “He can maybe go out there (for his next start), maybe not, but we just can't take that chance with somebody that is that important to us going forward.”
The 25-year-old Marsh went into spring training fighting for a spot on the roster, but he somewhat surprisingly nailed down the final job in the rotation. He has rewarded the Royals' faith in him by going 3-0 with a 2.70 ERA through his first five starts, and he has not allowed a run since the third inning of his start against the New York Mets on April 13. “All is good,” Marsh said Wednesday night. “Just take it day by day.”
The Royals recalled reliever Will Klein from Triple-A Omaha to fill Marsh's spot on the roster, and Quatraro said the club was still discussing its options for who will make his next scheduled start Monday in Toronto.
Kansas City entered Thursday's game having allowed the fewest runs of any team in the majors. “(Marsh) is not going to throw today. Probably not tomorrow,” Quatraro said. “We need to see how he bounces back. We think he's good, but again, that's why we couldn't take that chance that he's not going to know until he goes out there.”
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Cyclones and Wildcats Will Open 2025 Season in Annual College Football Game in Ireland
UNDATED (AP) – Iowa State and Kansas State will play their 2025 season opener in Ireland at the Aer Lingus College Football Classic. The Cyclones and Wildcats will close the 2024 regular season in Ames, Iowa, on November 24, and meet again on August 23, 2025, at Aviva Stadium in Dublin.
The fourth annual game in Ireland, announced Wednesday, marks the first time ISU and K-State have met in a season opener and third time they've squared off at a neutral site. They played at Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City, Missouri, in 2009 and 2010. “The opportunity for our student-athletes, coaches, staff, alumni and fans to visit one of the world’s top travel destinations and to showcase our football program and brand on a global stage was one we could not pass up,” K-State athletic director Gene Taylor said.
Iowa State will be playing outside the United States for the first time. Kansas State played Nebraska in Tokyo in 1992. “This is a tremendous opportunity for the Big 12 Conference to play one of its classic rivalries on a global stage while showcasing our university and its football program,” ISU coach Matt Campbell said. “We are honored that Aer Lingus selected the Cyclones to participate in this prestigious game, which will afford a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for our student-athletes to experience international travel while also helping to grow the game of college football outside of the United States.”
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