Report: Foster Care System Still Failing Kansas Kids
TOPEKA, Kan. (KNS) - A new report shows Kansas is still failing to meet several of its legal obligations to improve its foster care system. State lawmakers are calling for more urgency to address shortfalls as required by a federal court settlement. The report shows the state is behind on several of its commitments - including ending the practice of foster children sleeping in offices. The settlement required the state to eliminate that practice by the end of 2021. But the report shows little progress has been made.
Republican Senator Renee Erickson says the state is falling behind. “We continue to lose ground and sink a little more every year at the expense of these children and their families," she said. "It just seems like we just kind of go 'oh well we're working on it, that's the way government rolls, we're slow.' These kids are suffering."
Foster care officials say the state plans to establish intensive care teams to provide more support and will launch a review process to identify problems.
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Kansas Kindergartener Okay After He Was Left on School Bus for Hours
HOXIE, Kan. (KWCH) - A kindergarten student in northwest Kansas fell asleep on a school bus and was inadvertently left there for hours. School officials in Hoxie say a bus driver unknowingly left the kindergartener on the bus the morning of October 28. The child boarded the bus and fell asleep during the ride. The driver, unaware that the child did not get off the bus, drove home after completing the route. The young boy woke up six hours later in the bus driver’s driveway. KWCH TV reports that the bus driver is no longer employed by the Hoxie school district.
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Slow Start for Kansas Open School Enrollment
TOPEKA, Kan. (KNS) - Kansas education leaders say controversial open enrollment policy is off to a slow start. Under a 2022 law, this is the first year Kansas schools have been required to accept students from outside their districts if they have extra room. But only about 1500 students took advantage of the new rule. When Deputy Commissioner Frank Harwood presented the data to the State Board of Education, he said schools are likely giving low estimates of how many seats they have available. “The open enrollment policies made districts more cautious about how open they were going to be," he said, adding that schools with room for elementary students worry about having enough space for them when they reach high school. Out-of-district students have a right to stay in their new school till graduation as long as they're in good standing.
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Judge Delays Trial for Kansas J6 Defendant
TOPEKA, Kan. (KNS) - A federal judge has granted a Kansas man's request to delay a trial for his involvement in the January 6th attack on the U.S. Capitol. Will Pope of Topeka is one of the first defendants to successfully push back court proceedings after former President Donald Trump won reelection. U.S. District Judge Rudolph Contreras approved the request. He agreed with Pope's argument that holding the trial would be a waste of court resources because Trump has said he wants to pardon January 6th defendants. Pope's trial was originally scheduled for early December, but the parties haven't set a new trial date yet.
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Kansas Minimum Wage Now Lags Behind 3 Neighboring States
TOPEKA, Kan. (KPR) - Kansas is now surrounded on three sides by states with higher minimum wages. This month, voters in Missouri passed a measure to increase the minimum wage to $15 an hour. That's twice as much as the minimum wage in the Sunflower State. In Kansas, the minimum hourly pay for workers is $7.25. That's lower than the minimum hourly rate in Nebraska, Colorado and Missouri, which have all passed measures increasing their minimum wages to around $15 an hour. A bill in the Kansas Senate would have increased minimum pay in Kansas to $16 an hour by the year 2027, but that legislation died in committee during this year's session.
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Smith County Man Gets Seven Life Terms in Prison for Child Sex Crimes
SMITH COUNTY, Kan. (KPR) – The Kansas Bureau of Investigation says a Kansas man has been sentenced to seven life sentences for committing sex crimes - for years - against a young child. In a news release issued by the KBI Wednesday, prosecutors say Colter J. Ducote was convicted by a Smith County jury on numerous charges. The victim in the case was 11-years-old when she first reported the abuse, telling authorities Ducote started abusing her when she was six-years-old.
A Special Agent assigned to the KBI West Child Victims Unit led the investigation into the case. The jury returned the guilty verdict in August. Ducote was sentenced on October 31. He was given a mandatory minimum sentence of 25 years-to-life on each of the seven counts against him.
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Advocates: Law Enforcement Can't Solve the Problem of Homelessness in Kansas
LAWRENCE, Kan. (KNS) - Some Kansas lawmakers say police are not doing enough to address crime stemming from homelessness, including violations like trespassing, vandalism and even jaywalking. Advocates serving homeless populations say that puts law enforcement in a difficult position. The Kansas News Service reports that arresting homeless people probably won’t address the underlying issues. Douglas County Sheriff Jay Armbrister said, " We can't arrest our way out of homelessness." (Read more.)
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Kansas Woman's Lawsuit over "Sugaring" to Continue
TOPEKA, Kan. (KNS) - A Shawnee County judge has denied the state cosmetology board’s request to dismiss a lawsuit over licensing requirements for a hair removal process called "sugaring." Bryn Green, of Hays, is suing the board over a requirement that she go to cosmetology school before opening a sugaring business. Sugaring is a hair removal technique that involves using sugar, lemon juice and water. And the technique is not typically taught in cosmetology school. Sam MacRoberts with the Kansas Justice Institute is representing Green. "In our view, the Kansas Constitution prohibits unreasonable occupational licensing requirements, and in our view, that's exactly what these sugaring requirements are," he said. The state cosmetology board did not respond to a request for comment. State lawmakers attempted to deregulate sugaring last spring but Governor Laura Kelly vetoed the bill. She and other Democrats raised questions about safety and background checks.
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KU Researcher's Project Advances to Final Round of NASA Consideration
LAWRENCE, Kan. (KPR) - In October, NASA announced that a space probe project proposed by a University of Kansas astronomer had advanced to the final round of consideration for a billion-dollar mission planned for the 2030s. Dr. Elisabeth Mills, an assistant professor of astronomy at KU, recently spoke to KPR's Laura Lorson about the project, and her area of expertise. (Check it out here.)
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KU Women's Soccer Team Takes on St. Louis in NCAA Tourney
ST. LOUIS, Mo. (KPR) - The first round of the NCAA women’s soccer tournament begins Friday at 7 pm for the Kansas Jayhawks as they face eighth-seeded St. Louis University on the Billikens’ home field. Between the Big 12 championship match last Saturday night and the opening NCAA match, it’s been a short week for the KU soccer team. While brushing up on the Billikens’ this week, Jayhawk defender Olivia Page, a sophomore from Shawnee, says it’s been good to get a little breather. "Saturday’s game was a lot." she said. "Very taxing on my body personally, so just getting to rest and regroup." The Jayhawks last met the Billikens three years ago in a match at Rock Chalk Park where KU was victorious. This is KU’s first match in the NCAA soccer tournament since 2019.
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Chiefs Take on Bills Sunday in AFC Showdown
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (KCUR) - The Kansas City Chiefs are gearing up to play the Buffalo Bills Sunday in Buffalo. The undefeated Chiefs will face a Bills team that's hot on their tail, with 8 wins and two losses. Buffalo has beat Kansas City the last three times they played in the regular season… but the Chiefs came back to defeat them in the AFC divisional game in January. Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes says he’s prepared for a close game against quarterback Josh Allen. “You’re playing the best - I mean, the best of the best," he said. "That’s what you want in this league. I’ve been able to go up against Josh a multitude of times and every single game it feels like it comes down to the very end.” Kickoff Sunday is at 3:25. The game will air on CBS.
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