Severe Storms Likely Across Eastern Kansas
LAWRENCE, Kan. (KPR) - A stormy day is expected. Forecasters say the risk for severe storms - including tornadoes - is the highest its been since the spring. The Storm Prediction Center has issued a Level 3 out of 5 threat for eastern Kansas and the Kansas City area. Severe storms are possible Wednesday afternoon and through the evening. Large hail, damaging winds and tornadoes are all possible.
Get the latest weather from the National Weather Service in Topeka. And make sure you have more than one way to get severe weather updates. (Having a battery-operated weather radio is a good idea!)
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Wicked Winds Whip Up Wildfires Across Kansas
WICHITA, Kan. (KWCH) - Wicked Kansas winds kicked up wildfires across the state Tuesday. Wind gusts of up to 50 miles-per-hour fueled fires that damaged trees and some homes. KWCH TV reports that the roof of an apartment building in Winfield was heavily damaged by flames Tuesday. Crews were working to make repairs before anticipated rain and storms.
High winds and windswept wildfires also kept crews busy in other parts of the state. Some homes east of Douglass, in Butler County, were temporarily evacuated due to approaching wildfires. And a portion of I-70 near Wilson in Ellsworth County was temporarily closed due to high winds and blowing dust.
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Kansas Game Wardens Rescue Hunters Trapped by Wildfires
OSAGE COUNTY, Kan. (KSNT) – Game wardens helped rescue some Kansas hunters after they became trapped by wildfires in Osage County. KSNT reports that five hunters became trapped by two large wildfires on Sunday at the Melvern Wildlife Area. The Osage County game warden and his K9 partner were able to locate the hunters and a dog and evacuate them from the area amid smoke and ash. No one was injured. The cause of the fires is under investigation.
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U.S. Supreme Court Sides with Kansas A-G; Virginia Must Remove Non-Citizens from Voter Rolls
TOPEKA, Kan. - The Commonwealth of Virginia can remove self-identified non-citizens from its voter registration rolls, after the U.S. Supreme Court issued a 6-3 decision Wednesday. Kansas Attorney General Kris Kobach led a 27-state coalition in an amicus brief urging the Supreme Court to take the case. “This is a big win for election integrity and the rule of law," Kobach said.
Kobach said Virginia’s law provides mechanisms to protect election integrity, while ensuring only U.S. citizens remain on voter rolls. “It has always been against the law for non-citizens to vote," he said. "Every vote cast by a non-citizen effectively cancels out the vote of a U.S. citizen. It is unconscionable that Democrats and activist judges are fighting to keep them on the voter rolls,” Kobach said.
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Election Officials Stress Rules Against Electioneering
UNDATED (KCUR) – Kansas election officials say they’ve seen voters confused about the rules around promoting candidates at polling places - also known as electioneering. KCUR reports that Kansas laws prohibit voters from wearing or distributing anything displaying a candidate’s name within 250 feet of a polling location entrance. Johnson County election commissioner Fred Sherman says that he interprets that rule literally. "They cannot wear a hat or an item or button in there if it has the candidates name on them. Where it gets a little murky and kind of confusing is where there may be a slogan or symbols, whether it's a cat shirt or a MAGA hat," he explained. Missouri law also bans electioneering - and is even stricter about what clothing you can wear to the polls. In both states, electioneering is a crime punishable by a fine or jail time.
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Research Shows Childhood Food Insecurity Increased in Kansas
TOPEKA, Kan. (KNS) – Advocates are calling for change after new research revealed that food insecurity rose among children in every county in Kansas between 2021 and 2022. Food insecurity is basically defined as not knowing where your next meal might come from. The Kansas News Service reports that nonprofit Kansas Action for Children says 1 in 5 Kansas children experienced that in 2022. That year, the state also saw the highest spike in child food insecurity rates in 10 years. The report largely attributes that to the end of pandemic-era relief programs. But KAC spokesperson Jessica Herrera Russell says state laws also create barriers to aid, “... which is making it harder on families to get the support they need to make sure that they and their children are fed.” Russell says state lawmakers should remove those barriers and consider other cost-saving measures for families.
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Wichita State Considers Establishing State's First Dental School
WICHITA, Kan. (KNS) – Wichita State University leaders say Wichita could be a perfect site for the first school of dentistry in Kansas. WSU officials plan to ask Kansas lawmakers for a $5 million feasibility study to explore how a dental school would fit into Wichita State. University chief of staff Zach Gearhart said during a town hall meeting Tuesday that WSU has an established program in dental hygiene and a post-doctoral program for dentists. He says a dental school would be a boon for the state. “Over 70 counties of 105 counties in Kansas are under-served in dental health care. So this is something where Wichita State can leverage its existing capabilities with new investment from the Legislature,” he explained. Gearhart says building and operating a school of dentistry would cost about $100 million dollars.
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Report: Dual High School/College Enrollment May Not Increase Degree Completion
WICHITA, Kan. (KNS) – A growing number of Kansas students are earning college credit while in high school. But a new report raises questions about whether most of them go on to earn a college degree. The Kansas News Service reports that the Community College Research Center tracked more than 8,000 Kansas high school seniors who were enrolled in a dual-credit course in 2015. Four years later, about 60% had not earned any type of post-secondary degree. Still, Kansas Education Commissioner Randy Watson says the more college credit high school students earn, the better their chances are of completing a degree or certificate, adding that “...if a student can successfully complete around 15 credit hours, they’re more likely to go on to some kind of post-secondary education.” About a fourth of Kansas high-schoolers taking college classes are students of color.
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GOP Committee Members Want More Information Before Giving Green Light to Medical Marijuana
TOPEKA, Kan. (KNS) – Kansas Republicans on a committee on medical marijuana say there are too many unknowns to recommend legalizing it right now. The Kansas News Service reports that the committee held two hearings this month. Afterwards, Democrats wanted to recommend the Legislature pass a bill to legalize medical marijuana next session. But Republicans on the committee, who make up the committee's majority, say they still have questions that need answered. Representative Nick Hoheisel, a Republican from Wichita, said “...I can’t support something like this while saying, ‘I don’t have all the facts and information and I need to analyze all the data.’” The committee will meet again in January. Some Republicans say they’d be more open to recommending a bill at that time. Recent polls indicate more than 70% of Kansans support legalizing medical marijuana.
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'Kansas Speaks' Survey Shows Significant Support for Medicaid Expansion in Kansas
WICHITA, Kan. (KNS) – A survey released Monday by the Docking Institute at Fort Hays State University finds that support for Medicaid expansion remains high in Kansas. The Kansas News Service reports that the annual Kansas Speaks survey found 72% of Kansans support expanding Medicaid and 76% think doing so would help rural hospitals remain in business. That support is up slightly from last year. Democratic Governor Laura Kelly has tried for years to expand Medicaid but the Republican supermajority in the Kansas Legislature has blocked the policy. Alexandra Middlewood, a political science professor at Wichita State University, says the response highlights how voters’ beliefs on key policy issues don’t always align with their voting behavior. “We can see that a huge portion of Kansans say that it is important to some degree, but there are so many other issues, too, that they’re being forced to consider when making decisions about who to vote for,” she explained. The survey also found that significant majorities of Kansans support legalizing medical and recreational marijuana.
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Study Suggests Kansas Lawmakers' Actions Not Always Reflecting Views of Voters
WICHITA, Kan. (KNS) – A survey by the Docking Institute at Fort Hays State University finds that more than 6 in 10 Kansans say women are better positioned than politicians to decide whether to get an abortion. The Kansas News Service reports that suggests state lawmakers’ actions don’t always reflect the views of voters. Earlier this year, the Republican-controlled Kansas Legislature passed laws directing more money to anti-abortion organizations and requiring doctors to report patients’ reasons for getting an abortion to state officials. More than half of respondents to the Kansas Speaks survey said they oppose those laws. A quarter said they support them and another quarter said they’re neutral or don’t know. Brett Zollinger, director of the Docking Institute, said, “...one takeaway is that Kansans continue to favor women making this decision.” There was a large difference in how men and women responded to certain questions. 55% of women said they strongly agreed that women are better positioned to make choices about getting an abortion, while 36% of men said so.
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Survey Shows Kansans Concerned About Water Conservation
WICHITA, Kan. (KMUW) – About one-third of Kansans think state and local governments aren't doing enough to conserve water. KMUW reports that for the first time, the statewide survey by the Docking Institute of Public Affairs at Fort Hays State University asked Kansans what they thought about water conservation. Parts of western and central Kansas have battled severe drought in the last several years. Wichita is currently enforcing outdoor watering restrictions as a result. Alexandra Middlewood, a political science professor at Wichita State University who worked on the survey, explained that "...if you, you know, read the comments on news articles, there are a lot of people who are upset about those restrictions. But what it looks like statewide is that that's actually not a larger trend, that that is a small minority." About 40% of respondents thought their local governments were doing the "right amount" of water conservation, while just 2% thought local government was doing too much.
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