Kansas Lawmakers Hold Hearings on Marijuana
TOPEKA, Kan. (KPR) - Will Kansas ever legalize medical marijuana? Maybe. State lawmakers will host a hearing this Wednesday about medical marijuana. It’s the first of two hearings that a special committee will host on the topic this month. Lawmakers will learn about the history of the drug, its legal status in the United States, and what could happen if Kansas legalizes it for medical use. Kelly Rippel, with the Kansas Cannabis Coalition, says his group has helped people move to other states to get treatment that involves marijuana. “Continuing prohibition as if Kansas was going to be some island of purity has been a failure," he said.
Rippel more than 2,000 Kansans already have a medical marijuana card in Missouri. "We’re contributing to the billion-dollar market that Missouri has, that Colorado has," he added. Kansas is one of 12 states without legal medical marijuana. Republican leaders have largely opposed it, but they allowed the hearings after a recent federal proposal to recategorize the drug. Polls indicate more than 70% of Kansans support legalizing medical marijuana. The legislative committee will host a second hearing on medical marijuana later this month.
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Poll Shows Most Kansans Favor Abortion Access
WICHITA, Kan. (KNS) - Kansas is one of the few states in the region where abortion is legal. A new survey by the Midwest Newsroom and Emerson College Polling finds nearly half of Kansas voters think that’s a good thing. Kansas saw a sharp rise in abortion numbers after Roe v. Wade was overturned two years ago. Nearly 50% of poll respondents said it’s a good thing that the state remains an abortion access point for Kansans and residents of other states. Nearly 40% said it’s a bad thing, and about 12% said they’re unsure. Patrick Miller, a political science professor at Kent State University, says it's not shocking to see the plurality of Kansans coming down on the pro-choice side of the abortion issue. "But there is a significant minority of Kansans who are against abortion rights," he said. Miller says it’s unclear how much the issue will motivate Kansas voters this fall but he says it’s possible abortion could motivate some voters. “It has the potential to be a persuasive issue to get people to possibly cross voter lines, especially from Republican over to Democratic," he said. In 2022, around 6 in 10 Kansans voted to reject a ballot measure that would’ve enabled lawmakers to possibly ban abortion. But voters also elected a Republican legislative supermajority that same year.
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Tuesday Is Voter Registration Deadline in Kansas
TOPEKA, Kan. (KPR) - Kansans have until Tuesday to register to vote or update their voter registration for the November election. Next month, Kansans will weigh in on the presidential race and elect members of Congress to represent the state in the U.S. House. Every seat in the Kansas Legislature is also up for grabs. Voters can register in person at their county election office or online at VoteKansas.gov. Early voting begins by mail on Wednesday. In-person early voting starts as soon as Wednesday but varies from county to county. Mail-in ballots must be postmarked by Election Day and received within three days after the election to be counted. Election Day is November 5.
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Free Speech Group Criticizes University of Kansas over Discipline of Instructor in Viral Video
TOPEKA, Kan. (KNS) – A free speech advocacy group says the University of Kansas was wrong to discipline an instructor who was caught on tape making inflammatory political remarks in class. The Kansas News Service reports that the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression says former KU instructor Phillip Lowcock was only joking when he said men who refuse to vote for a woman could be lined up and shot. The group says Lowcock did not express serious intent to commit violence. They say the First Amendment gives instructors the right to make jokes and use hyperbole. KU initially placed Lowcock on administrative leave but he has since left the university. KU would not say whether he quit or was fired.
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Autopsy Shows Kansas City-Area High School Football Player Died of Heat Stroke
UNDATED (KCUR) – An autopsy shows that a 15-year-old football lineman from Shawnee Mission Northwest High School died from heat stroke after a workout in August. According to KCUR, the autopsy report says Ovet Gomez Regalado was sweating profusely before he collapsed after the workout. The autopsy, first reported by KSHB, said the teen weighed 384 pounds. An open records request revealed the teen ran a series of 120- and 40- yard sprints before he collapsed. Heat stroke expert Scott Anderson says linemen should not be subjected to that kind of workout. “Linemen don’t run 120 yards up and down the field in a game...they don’t even run 40 yards,” Anderson added. The district said in a statement that coaches acted in accordance with state rules and school emergency protocols. (Read more.)
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Number of Drug-Related Deaths in Kansas Children on the Rise
OVERLAND PARK, Kan. (KNS) – The number of children in Kansas dying from drug-related incidents is rising. According to the Kansas News Service, a new report from the State Child Death Review Board shows the trend is related to increasing fentanyl overdoses.
The report analyzes the deaths of Kansas children up to the age of 17 in 2022. It shows that 16 children died of drug-related incidents that year. That’s a significant rise from three drug-related deaths in 2018. Most of the deaths were among teens who were unknowingly using fentanyl-laced drugs. The report recommends raising awareness of the dangers of using opioid drugs.
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Wichita Man Killed Following Stand-Off with Officers
WICHITA, Kan. (KWCH) - A man is dead following a stand-off with sheriff's deputies in Sedgwick County. KWCH TV reports that multiple law enforcement agencies responded after the man called 911 Saturday morning, threatening to shoot someone. After a stand-off that lasted more than an hour, the man drove up and down the street in northwest Wichita, then got out of the vehicle and charged at officers. Officers fired. The 27-year-old man was declared dead at the scene.
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Wichita Teen Dies After Allegedly Being Shot by Mom
WICHITA, Kan. (Wichita Eagle) - A mother in Wichita is now accused of killing her teenage son. The Wichita Eagle reports that 16-year-old Robert Florence was shot Wednesday and died Friday. His mother was initially charged with aggravated battery and aggravated assault after telling 911 operators that she had shot him. The woman is now facing second-degree murder charges.
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Suspect Arrested in Crawford County Homicide
CRAWFORD COUNTY, Kan. (KPR) - A southeast Kansas man is being held in connection with a weekend homicide in Crawford County. Authorities say 19-year-old Michael Simpson is suspected of shooting his neighbor -- 39-year-old Jonathan Brewer -- Friday night. Both men live in Frontenac. Simpson was arrested on suspicion of second-degree murder.
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KU Volleyball Sweeps Cincinnati
LAWRENCE, Kan. (KPR) - The 8th-ranked University of Kansas women's volleyball team was picked in the preseason to win the Big 12 Conference and the Jayhawks are on the path to do it. Over the weekend, KU swept Cincinnati, 3-0, to complete a successful three-match road swing. The Jayhawks are 14-and-1 overall and 5-and-0 in the Big 12. KU's next match is this Thursday at home against in-state rival K-State.
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