Kansas GOP Legislative Candidates Shift Messaging on Reproductive Rights Issues
UNDATED (KNS) – In Kansas, Republican messaging on abortion is shifting as state lawmakers defend competitive seats in Johnson County. The Kansas News Service reports that several GOP candidates have new sections on their websites with titles like “Just the facts” and “Setting the record straight.” The near-identical language on each says the candidates oppose a total abortion ban and support access to IVF treatment. Last session, State Senator Mike Thompson voted against debating a bill to protect IVF. But his site says he supports the right, and he views the issue as an empty talking point for Democrats. “The IVF thing is one of those straw man arguments that are trying to distract the public from actual policy discussions,” he added. Thompson says his constituents in Shawnee care more about lowering income and property taxes.
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Death of El Dorado Prison Inmate Ruled a Homicide; Suspect is Cellmate
EL DORADO, Kan. (KPR) - Authorities believe that an inmate at the state prison in El Dorado was killed this week by his cellmate. The Kansas Department of Corrections and the KBI say 40-year-old Brooks Vonthaer was found in his cell Tuesday evening with multiple fatal injuries. Investigators say the suspect in the homicide is Vonthaer's 34-year-old cellmate.
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KU Cybersecurity Expert Warns Proposed Consolidated State IT System Faces Risks
UNDATED (KNS) – The Kansas Legislature’s plan to consolidate the state’s information technology systems comes with some caveats. The Kansas News Service reports that a cybersecurity expert says moving to a centralized system could expose the whole network during a hack. A new state law calls for consolidating the state's cybersecurity systems into a centralized structure over the next several years. Lawmakers want to beef up security partly because of a hack of the state’s court system last year. Alex Bardas is a computer scientist for the University of Kansas. He says a lot of hacks occur when attackers are able to slip into a system after a user with high-level access makes an error. “That user had a lot more privileges that they needed and the attackers just take advantage of that,” he explained. Bardas says sensitive information and services need to be in modules within the centralized system so they can be closed off from one another when hacks occur.
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Low Water Levels Reveal Hidden Hazards in Kansas Lakes
TOPEKA, Kan. (KSNT) – Federal and state officials are monitoring a drop in water levels at many Kansas lakes and reservoirs this fall. In some cases, the drop in water levels has revealed hidden dangers beneath the surface. The Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks recently warned boaters about the potential hazards. In places like Cheney Reservoir, lake levels have fallen nearly nine feet. Tuttle Creek, near Manhattan, has dropped around five feet over the past two months. Low water levels have exposed logs, sandbars, mud flats, and other hazards.
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers reports that there has been a noticeable drop in the amount of water in the reservoirs monitored by the Corps. KSNT reports that all but one reservoir are below their desired level for this time of year. A combination of dry conditions, drought and little - if any - rain have all contributed to the problem.
According to the National Integrated Drought Information System (NIDIS), more than 60% of Kansas is experiencing abnormally dry or drought conditions.
(-Related-)
Federal Funds Coming to Kansas to Mitigate Effects of Drought
TOPEKA, Kan. (KPR) - Kansas is getting $9 million in federal funding aimed at mitigating the effects of drought. Governor Laura Kelly announced Wednesday that funding from the federal Inflation Reduction Act has been designated for two projects in Kansas.
One of the projects is the Kansas Equus Beds Aquifer Recharge, Storage and Recovery Project near Wichita, which is getting $7 million. Another Kansas project, which will receive $2 million, aims to conserve approximately 10,000 acre feet of water in south-central Kansas in part, by retiring water rights.
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State of Missouri Limits Release of Federal Grant Funding for Some Farmers
UNDATED (HPM) – A federally-funded grant program is providing millions to help small farmers across the U.S. get their products to market. But Harvest Public Media reports that the state of Missouri limited that funding in its state budget for this year. Missouri received nearly $7 million in federal funding for the Resilient Food Systems Infrastructure grant program. The money is meant to help farmers with projects like buying equipment or constructing farm buildings. But state lawmakers included only about $2 million of that funding this fiscal year, leaving some projects without money for the time being. Emily Wright is a producer in mid-Missouri who is waiting on the grant funding. “Fourteen projects like ours are in what I'm calling bureaucratic purgatory, right? We just, we can't start. There's no contract,” she said. Missouri Representative Greg Sharpe says the limited amount is likely a result of lawmakers rushing to finish the budget. He expects the funding will be released early next year.
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National Survey Sheds Light on Transgender Students' Experiences
WICHITA, Kan. (KNS) – The first national survey of transgender teens shows that trans students experience higher rates of bullying and suicidal thoughts. The Kansas News Service reports that the 2023 survey by the Centers for Disease Control is the first to ask students whether they identify as transgender. About 3% of U.S. high school students say they identify as trans, and another 2% question their gender identity. Seventeen-year-old Miles Wilson, a trans student at East High School in Wichita, says higher rates of depression among trans teens are the result of a culture war over gender identity, adding that “...these mental health issues are not caused by the fact that we’re trans. It’s by the fact that so many people around us aren’t accepting.” Nearly three-fourths of transgender students report persistent feelings of sadness or hopelessness, and one in four attempted suicide.
(Read more.)
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New Data Shows Decline in Kansas Abortions over the Summer
WICHITA, Kan. (KNS) – The number of abortions nationwide has increased since Roe v. Wade was overturned. But new data from the Guttmacher Institute shows that the abortion numbers declined in Kansas during the summer. The Kansas News Service reports that reflects a temporary clinic closure in Wichita. Kansas clinics have scaled up their capacity to meet surging demand from people living in states with abortion bans. But the new data shows a drop in abortions from more than 2,000 per month in the spring to around 1,400 in July. Trust Women in Wichita is one of the state’s largest clinics, and it closed from May to August amid leadership turmoil. Isaac Maddow-Zimet is a data scientist at the Guttmacher Institute, a research group that supports abortion rights. “There always is a little bit of month-to-month variation that you can’t always attribute to one particular thing, but I think it is true that there aren’t really other states that saw declines like we saw in Kansas,” he explained.
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Spirit AeroSystems Still Expects to Be Acquired by Boeing Despite Lackluster Earnings Report
WICHITA, Kan. (KMUW) – Spirit AeroSystems says it still expects to be acquired by Boeing, despite dismal earnings reports this week from both companies. Spirit is reporting a net operating loss of $350 million dollars for the third quarter. KMUW reports that brings losses for the year to more than a billion dollars. Boeing reported losses of $6 billion dollars for the quarter as it deals with an ongoing labor strike. The work stoppage has caused both companies to lay off or furlough workers. About 700 employee furloughs begin Monday at Spirit. Despite the difficult financial news, Spirit says it expects to become a wholly owned subsidiary of Boeing by the middle of next year. Spirit is Wichita’s largest employer.
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Task Force: Kansas Schools Should Ban Cellphones for All Students
WICHITA, Kan. (KMUW/KNS) — An advisory group created by Kansas education leaders is recommending that schools ban cellphones for students at every grade level. Members of the State Board of Education say they want to offer guidelines to local districts but don’t plan to impose statewide restrictions. Cellphone policies, like budget or curriculum decisions, are ultimately up to local school boards. A majority of the 36-member Blue Ribbon Task Force on Student Screen Time voted to recommend that districts prohibit students from using cellphones for the entire school day, including during lunch and passing periods. (Read more.)
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KU Researchers Recommend More Aid to Kansans on Disability Support Wait Lists
UNDATED (KNS) – University of Kansas researchers are recommending that state officials offer more help to Kansans waiting years for disability support services. The Kansas News Service reports that’s based on new research they presented to lawmakers Tuesday. Some Kansans with intellectual and developmental disabilities wait 10 years to get state support for daily activities. Tens of millions of dollars in new funding has reduced the number of people on the waiting lists by 800 since the spring. But there are still thousands of Kansans waiting for services. Evan Dean with the Kansas University Center on Disabilities urged officials to develop a system to connect those on the waitlist with interim services, adding that “...we're seeing people get sicker and and their health risk increase while they're on the waiting list. So being sure that there's some minimal amount of support for people to maintain their health, I think, is something to be considered.” State officials contracted with KU to produce the study.
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Open House Thursday Night at Allen Fieldhouse
LAWRENCE, Kan. (KPR) - The University of Kansas is hosting an open house this (THUR) evening at the newly renovated Allen Fieldhouse in Lawrence. Jayhawk basketball fans are invited to tour the historic building from 6 to 8:30 pm to see the changes. The open house will provide fans the opportunity for a self-guided tour. Fans can also see the original rules of basketball, as created by the inventor of the game, Dr. James Naismith, KU's first basketball coach. Fans can also enter to win a piece of the Allen Fieldhouse court that was just replaced during the renovation project.
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