Kansas Sues Biden over Health Care Access for DACA Recipients
TOPEKA, Kan. (Kansas Reflector) - Kansas and 14 other states are trying to stop the Biden Administration from giving-away subsidized health care to DACA recipients. On Thursday, Kansas Attorney General Kris Kobach filed a lawsuit on behalf of 15 states in an attempt to stop the Department of Health and Human Services from providing taxpayer funded health care to the children of immigrants who illegally entered the country. The Kansas Reflector reports that the Biden Administration wants to make DACA recipients, often called "Dreamers," eligible for the Affordable Care Act.
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Kansas Public School Enrollment Expected to Decline
WICHITA, Kan. (KNS/KMUW) - New projections show that the number of students attending Kansas public schools will continue to fall over the next decade. When the COVID pandemic hit, public school enrollment in Kansas took an immediate dive. The National Center for Education Statistics projected a short-term bounceback, but that didn’t happen. Now, the center projects much lower enrollments for the rest of the decade. Kansas could lose more than 32,000 students - or nearly 7% - by 2031. The decline is due to several factors, including lower birth rates and a shift to private schools and homeschooling. Urban districts like Kansas City and Wichita have closed schools, and so have some rural areas across the state. School leaders aren’t sure how a new open enrollment law will affect trends. The official count date will happen next month.
Long-term student losses will mean less state funding for many Kansas school districts. Wichita Superintendent Kelly Bielefeld says his district plans to keep extra counselors and social workers hired with COVID relief funds. But declining student enrollment means he’ll have to cut about $7 million elsewhere. “We’re going to continue to look at becoming more efficient and leaner, especially at non-school sites," he said. Federal financial aid helped Kansas school districts cover budget shortfalls durng the past several years.
(–Related–)
Wichita Schools Launch Microschool Project
WICHITA, Kan. (KNS) – The Wichita school district is launching an experimental micro-school in hopes of luring back families who have left public schools. The Kansas News Service reports that the Creative Minds program will feature a one-room schoolhouse set-up, with about 20 students from kindergarten to sixth grade. It will be housed at the for-profit Learning Lab space inside Wichita's Union Station downtown. Rob Dickson with Wichita schools says the pilot project will start next week. It’s designed to appeal to private or homeschool families who want something different for their kids. “We targeted those families to find out, like, ‘All right, what was it? What was the reason you exited Wichita public schools? Could we...entice you to come back, and what would that look like?’”, Dickson explained. The Wichita district will pay Learning Lab $6,000 a year to rent the space. It will not provide transportation or meals for students. Leaders plan to collect feedback from parents and could expand the program if it’s successful. (Read more.)
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Hostess to Close Its Johnson County Headquarters
JOHNSON COUNTY, Kan. (Johnson County Post) – Hostess Brands is closing its Johnson County headquarters and laying off dozens of employees. The Johnson County Post reports that the iconic maker of snack cakes like Twinkies and Ho Hos has made its corporate home in Lenexa since 2019, when it jumped across the state line from Kansas City. A year ago, Hostess was acquired by J.M. Smucker, and the move to shutter its corporate office appears to be related to that. A spokesperson called it an “update to the (company’s) organizational structure.” It means 79 employees at the Lenexa office will be laid off in multiple phases starting next month. It’s not clear how the move will impact a Hostess distribution center in Edgerton, Kansas, or a bakery in Emporia.
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Kansas Educator Arrested for Alleged Sexual Relationship with Student
DE SOTO, Kan. (KCTV) - An educator at a Johnson County middle school is accused of having sex with a student. Court documents reveal that a paraprofessional at Lexington Trails Middle School in De Soto has been charged with having sex with a male high school student. KCTV reports that 27-year-old Kassidy Alexander has been charged with three counts of unlawful sexual relations. The De Soto woman was booked into the Johnson County Jail Wednesday. The crimes allegedly took place between July of 2023 and March of this year with a victim who was 16-years-old or older.
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Kansas Democratic Rep. Marvin Robinson II Loses Wyandotte County Seat
TOPEKA, Kan. (KNS) - At least a few incumbents won't be returning to Topeka for the next legislative session. One of them is Marvin Robinson II, of Wyandotte County. Democrat Wanda Brownlee Paige will replace him in his Wyandotte County House seat. Robinson, a Democrat, earned a reputation for breaking with his party. He joined Republicans in blocking a Medicaid expansion bill and barring transgender athletes from playing girls’ and womens’ sports. Paige beat Robinson by 30 points in the primary and no Republican is running against her. When she’s in office, the former school board member says she’ll focus on economic revitalization. “We’ve got to do something about our district to bring businesses to the area," she said. "They build up Western Wyandotte County. But what about the inner city?” While in office, Robinson tried to secure funding for a public park in his district. But Democratic Governor Laura Kelly vetoed that project.
With no Republicans running, Paige will automatically win her November contest. She says she'll support increasing access to health care for low-income Kansans. “I want to work on Medicaid expansion," she said. "I think that’s critical. Because too many people are uninsured.” Top Republicans in the Kansas Statehouse have argued that expanding Medicaid would be too expensive.
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Lawrence Police Seize 33 Pounds of Meth, 1 Pound of Cocaine
LAWRENCE, Kan. (KPR) - With the help of a dog named "Shadow," Lawrence police seized more than 30 pounds of meth and cocaine Wednesday evening. Authorities say a police officer and his K9 were conducting a routine security sweep at a local transportation facility when Shadow detected the presence of illegal drugs in a piece of luggage. Inside, police uncovered 33 pounds of meth and 1.26 pounds of cocaine. Investigators will forward the suspected drugs to the KBI for laboratory testing and to determine whether fentanyl is contained within the drugs. So far, no arrests have been made... and no one has stepped forward to claim the luggage.
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Yikes! Douglas County Has the Most Timber Rattlesnake Sightings
WICHITA, Kan. (KSNW) — The timber rattlesnake is just one of 42 different species of snakes that live in Kansas. Most of them are harmless. There are six venomous snake varieties in Kansas, and one of those is the timber rattlesnake. According to experts at Fort Hays State University, the timber rattlesnake has been observed the most in Douglas County, with 105 confirmed sightings.
There have been 71 confirmed sightings in Franklin County, 49 in Chautauqua County and 45 sightings reported in Johnson and Miami counties. Still, these numbers don’t compare to those of other venomous snakes in Kansas, like the eastern copperhead, which has been spotted more than 1,300 times in Kansas. And there have been nearly 1,100 sightings of the prairie rattlesnake.
KSNW TV reports that the large number of sightings of the timber rattlesnake in northeast Kansas makes sense because of the region’s larger population and the increased housing and business development in that part of the state. More people means more encounters are possible, especially in once-rural areas.
What's the good news?
Of the nearly 4,000 known species of snakes, only around 200 are dangerous to humans.
Experts say people should not fear snakes because they avoid humans as much as possible. Snake encounters in the wild are extremely rare, and even more so with venomous snakes. According to the University of Florida, you’re more likely to be bitten by a spider, a dog, or stung by a bee, wasp, or hornet than you are to be bitten by a venomous snake. In fact, people are nine times more likely to be struck by lightning.
Even so, if you encounter a snake, leave it alone. If it needs to be removed from your home or business, contact your local animal control department.
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Kansas Governor Tapped to Lead DGA
TOPEKA, Kan. (KPR) - Kansas Governor Laura Kelly will become the face of a national group aimed at electing more Democrats as state governors. Kelly has been promoted to chair the Democratic Governors Association (DGA). She's taking over for Minnesota Governor Tim Walz, who was selected as the running mate for Democrat Kamala Harris’s presidential campaign. Kelly will help lead funding and campaign efforts for Democratic governor candidates. The DGA's Sam Newton says they can learn from Kelly’s success in deeply Republican Kansas. “Helping us raise the funds, spread our message and also providing advice, guidance and strategy to candidates," he said. Kelly said in an announcement that the DGA helped her win election in both 2018 and 2022.
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Farming Can Affect Local Weather Due to Evaporation Issues
UNDATED (KNS) – The way Kansans farm could not only impact long-term climate change, but also affect local weather right now. The Kansas News Service reports that climatologists at Kansas State University measure how much water is lost from the average crop due to evaporation. This loss is higher in western Kansas compared to the rest of the state due to heat and high wind speeds. Matthew Sittel, climatologist for K-State, says it’s an invisible process, so it’s hard for farmers to know if their irrigation is effective. “You may lose all that moisture you added in if you are in a weather pattern that's got high winds and low relative humidities and high temperatures, he explained. All of that moisture and higher added humidity can make it feel hotter than it is for these communities surrounded by agriculture.
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Sedgwick County Considers New Regulations for Solar Power
WICHITA, Kan. (KMUW) The Sedgwick County commission has been considering a stringent new set of regulations for utility-scale solar power. The county has engaged in an exhaustive process to create new regulations since last September, when the commission put a temporary ban on commercial solar projects. A local planning committee recommended rules to the commission in March, but commissioners asked for revisions to answer unaddressed concerns. The new set of proposed rules is stricter, limiting the size of solar projects and banning large ones from cities’ predicted growth areas. Mitch Lucas is with Invenergy, a company proposing a solar farm in west Sedgwick County. He says the new rules threaten the project. "It would wipe away a $200 million+ investment, without even the chance for the details of that project to be publicized." The commission voted to defer a vote on the new regulations until next Wednesday.
Andrew Nave is with the Greater Wichita Partnership, an economic development agency. The partnership didn't take an official stance on the regulations. But Nave told commissioners to prioritize making land around cities available for housing and commercial development. "Our cities need the ability to have growth and to be able to add tax base," he said.
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