State of Kansas Agrees to Stop Enforcing Contested Voter Registration Group Restrictions
TOPEKA, Kan. (KNS) – The state of Kansas will no longer enforce a law that voting groups said made it difficult to register voters. The Kansas News Service reports that Kansas lawmakers banned impersonating an election official in 2021. But voter registration groups said the law was too vague and could criminalize the work they do. In July, the Kansas Supreme Court temporarily blocked the law from being enforced, saying it was likely unconstitutional. The state has now agreed to permanently stop enforcing the law. A separate lawsuit will continue over a law concerning mail-in ballot signatures.
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Avian Influenza Found in Game Birds in 2 Kansas Counties
UNDATED (KNS) – Kansas officials say they’ve found new cases of avian influenza in commercial game bird operations in two counties. Other than a few cases recorded in backyard poultry flocks and wild birds this fall, the bird flu hadn’t hit commercial flocks in Kansas since early spring. But the Kansas News Service reports that the Kansas Department of Agriculture now says it identified the bird flu in two commercial game bird operations in Doniphan and Rooks counties. The news comes as human cases of the bird flu tick up. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says more than 60 human cases have been recorded this year, including the country’s first severe case announced this week in Louisiana. Health officials say the risk to the public remains low.
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Governor Laura Kelly Says She Hopes to Focus on Water Resource Issues in Final Years of Term
UNDATED (KNS) – In her last two years as Kansas governor, Democrat Laura Kelly says she wants to focus on water sustainability. Usually, politicians on their way out of office hold less sway over what gets done. But Kelly told the Kansas News Service that not running for reelection has its perks. For example, she says she can focus on projects that are less attention-grabbing, but still important. That's the case with the issues of preserving the Ogallala aquifer in western Kansas. It’s a huge underground reservoir that props up the state’s agriculture and economy — and without a solid conservation plan, it could dry up in a matter of decades. “I mean, we've had lots of water plans before that were great but they were never funded and never prioritized and it's gotten us into a world of hurt,” Kelly said. She added that it’s up to lawmakers and industry leaders to help set up a long-term investment.
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Biden Commutes Sentence of Kansas Man Jailed After 2000 Bust at Missile Silo LSD Lab
UNDATED (TCJ) - President Joe Biden has commuted the sentence of one of the men involved in the operation of an LSD laboratory at a decommissioned nuclear missile silo near Wamego, Kansas 24 years ago. The Topeka Capital Journal reports that 69-year-old Clyde Apperson will be released Sunday from a federal prison in Seattle, Washington.
Apperson was part of a drug arrest in November, 2000 that was described by authorities as the single largest seizure of an LSD lab in the history of the Drug Enforcement Administration. DEA agents testified that the defendants were responsible for the manufacture of the majority of the LSD sold in the country. Apperson was found guilty of conspiracy to manufacture and distribute LSD and sentenced to 30 years behind bars. He was one of 1,499 people whose sentences were commuted by President Biden last week in what was the largest act of clemency in a single day in presidential history.
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Douglas County Commission Approves Measures for Proposed Solar Project
LAWRENCE, Kan. (LJW) - Douglas County commissioners approved two significant plans for an 8 million-square-foot solar project Wednesday night after hearing more than two hours of comments from members of the public. The Lawrence Journal World reports that the commissioners unanimously voted to approve the two plans, a stormwater management plan and an agrivoltaics plan, for the solar farm project. The Kansas Sky Energy Center is proposed for an area north of Lawrence.
These are some of the last items left for county commissioners to approve before the project can proceed. Many of the people at the meeting voiced concerns about how the implementation of the plans might impact farmland and stormwater infrastructure and some said they were concerned that there hadn’t been enough time for the public to review the plans. Some supporters of the project also spoke at the meeting and said the solar facility would reduce carbon emissions and enhance pollinator habitats.
On Tuesday, a Douglas County District Court judge ordered that construction on the project not be allowed to move forward until after a status conference scheduled for January 10.
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Audit Shows Gaps in Kansas Commerce Department Economic Development Database
TOPEKA, Kan. (Kansas Reflector) – The Kansas Legislature's auditing agency says the Kansas Department of Commerce has not been fully maintaining a public database tracking economic development incentives. The Kansas Reflector reports that a state statute authorizes the department to manage an accessible, searchable, and printable database of economic incentive awards of more than $50,000 per year. The audit indicated that the database did not include all required economic development programs. It also found shortcomings in the data due to missing information and unreported details on some incentive recipients. Commerce Department staffers told auditors that the STAR bond program in particular was difficult to standardize into the required format for the database. Senator Mike Thompson of Johnson County said legislators should put together a bill making the requirements of the database explicit. Senator Caryn Tyson, chair of the Legislature's audit committee, said it would be necessary for lawmakers to acquire some of the missing information, such as the estimated return-on-investment of individual projects.
The director of legislative affairs for the Commerce Department, Rachel Willis, responded by saying that the statute on transparency is extremely broad, and difficult to customize to a wide variety of economic incentive programs. She also said the audit didn't show the scope of efforts to comply with the current transparency law, and that the Legislature provided only partial funding of a budget request for the database.
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Former County Attorney Facing 6 Felony Charges of Perjury and Witness Intimidation
TOPEKA, Kan. (Kansas Reflector) – Former Neosho County Attorney Linus Thuston is now facing six felony charges. This comes after Thuston was jailed earlier this year for misdemeanor convictions on charges of misusing a county credit card and falsifying the purchase price of a vehicle in order to avoid paying sales tax. The Kansas Reflector reports that the current charges were filed Monday by a special prosecutor, and accuse Thuston of lying during testimony in July while appearing as a witness in an opioid drug case. The special prosecutor's case is separate from investigations conducted by the Kansas Attorney General's Office that led to the misdemeanor convictions. The attorney general's office agreed not to pursue more serious charges for other crimes it had investigated in the course of its inquiry into the misdemeanors, in exchange for Thuston stepping down from his position and pleading guilty.
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Economists Warn of Possible Retaliation Against Tariffs
UNDATED (HPM) – President-elect Donald Trump has pledged new tariffs on imports from some of America’s biggest trading partners. While the scope and scale of his plan are in flux, Harvest Public Media reports that U.S. agriculture is often vulnerable to retaliatory tariffs. U.S. agricultural exports last year exceeded 170 billion dollars. Glynn Tonsor, an ag economist at Kansas State University, says products go where they’re most valuable. A lot of bacon stays in the U.S. while a lot of ham goes to Mexico. But during a trade war, retaliatory tariffs on U.S. products can dampen demand abroad. Tonsor says livestock producers at the start of the supply chain – "The person with the sows, and the person with the mama cow" – have a harder time quickly adjusting to market changes. “Once I have a sow like in the system, ready to give me piglets for three years, or a cow to give me calves for 10 years, those are very long term decisions,” he explained. The American Farm Bureau is urging Trump to be cautious with tariffs. (Read more.)
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Derby School District Rejects Social Studies Curriculum Due to Accusations of Bias Against Donald Trump
WICHITA, Kan. (KNS) – A Kansas school district has rejected a social studies curriculum because some board members say it’s biased against President-elect Donald Trump. The Kansas News Service reports that leaders of the Derby school district near Wichita voted down a proposed contract with Boston-based Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. Derby teachers had tested and recommended the company’s high school social studies curriculum. But board member Cathy Boote says some materials do not accurately reflect Trump’s actions during his first presidency, including a 2017 order suspending travel from seven predominantly Muslim countries. “Safety was the top priority. But they leave it sit there, with no explanation, to make you think he was xenophobic,” she said. Other board members say they oppose the publisher’s stance on diversity issues and a Black Lives Matter message posted on the company website.
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State Geological Survey to Measure Western Kansas Groundwater Levels in January
WICHITA, Kan. (KNS) – Crews from the Kansas Geological Survey will work across western Kansas in January 2025 to measure the state’s groundwater resources. The Kansas News Service reports that water levels are measured each winter at about 1,400 wells that tap into the High Plains aquifer. This massive network of underground rocks is the main source of water in western Kansas. Brownie Wilson, water-data manager for the Kansas Geological Survey, says dry conditions last summer likely meant more irrigation and a decline in water levels. “That, then, will probably dictate that we had a little more stress on the aquifer. We’ll probably see declines are a little bit more, a little more greater than we’ve seen in maybe the last couple of years.” Kansas groundwater levels have been declining for the past 50 years. Annual measurements for each well are available on the Kansas Geological Survey website.
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Ruling Issued in Legal Battle over Thomas Hart Benton Works
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (KCUR) – A five-year legal battle between the heirs of Missouri painter Thomas Hart Benton and the Kansas City bank that handled his trust has ended. KCUR reports that Jackson County Circuit Court Judge Mark Styles Jr. concluded after a five-month trial that UMB Bank did not breach its duty to the Thomas Hart Benton trust. The artist’s heirs first sued the bank in 2019, seeking $85 million. They claimed it lost more than 100 pieces of Benton’s art, engaged in self-dealing and sold pieces for less than their market value. The judge ruled there were only five works UMB could not account for, and awarded the heirs $35,000. The family’s lawyers are considering an appeal.
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Experts Urge Caution When Using Electric Blankets
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (KCUR) – Electric blankets can be a fire risk. KCUR reports that the Electrical Safety Foundation says heating pads and electric blankets have contributed to some 500 house fires each year. Evergy spokesperson Courtney Lewis said it's fine to warm a bed with an electric blanket, but to unplug it before going to sleep. “If you have an electric blanket you really shouldn’t be laying on it because that can cause a fire so you really want to make sure the heating is the place you need to be and then you unplug it and take it away,” Lewis said. She also urged electric blanket users to check blankets for charred spots, which could be a sign of wiring problems.
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Midwife-Led Birth Center in Topeka Could Be Closed over Alleged Health Violations
UNDATED (KNS) – A midwife-led birth center in Topeka could be forced to close because it allegedly did not comply with state health regulations. The Kansas health department says Immanuel Birth Company failed to resuscitate a baby, didn’t report a stillbirth in time and admitted two patients who were high risk. The Kansas News Service reports that birth center staff have appealed and are working to keep their license. Women in Topeka recently protested the potential closure. Protester Stephanie Horacek says after a traumatic hospital birth with her first child, she had a quote “wonderful” experience at Immanuel. “Not only did I feel safe there but it actually healed a huge, like, injury to my heart,” she explained. Horacek says women would lose options of where to give birth if Immanuel closes. (Read more.)
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Electricity Transmission Line Proposal Canceled
LIBERAL, Kan. (KNS) – The proposal for an electricity transmission line that would have run across Kansas has been canceled. The concerns of Kansans prompted lawmakers to halt the project. The Kansas News Service reports that the electric transmission line would have started in southwest Kansas and ended in Illinois. The idea was to strengthen energy infrastructure and connect regions that have unreliable power grids. But some Kansans were worried that this project would allow the federal government to infringe on their private property rights. Kansas U.S. Senator Roger Marshall and U.S. House Representative Ron Estes, who both actively worked to block this project, released statements saying they were pleased with the cancellation.
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Auditors Say Kansas Department of Commerce Should Add Background Checks to Hiring Process
TOPEKA, Kan. (KNS) – Auditors say the Kansas commerce department should add criminal background checks to its hiring process after a former employee was accused of mismanaging grant funds. The Kansas News Service reports that Jonathan Clayton went missing this summer after his time at the commerce department came under scrutiny. He was later found dead in a one-car crash. Before leaving in 2023, he reportedly awarded more than $400,000 to an organization he helped manage. Clayton previously pleaded guilty to theft and forgery in Pennsylvania, but commerce officials say they didn’t know at the time. They say an executive order bars them from doing background checks. Lawmakers like Republican Senator Caryn Tyson disagree. “You hired a felon to manage millions of dollars in grant money. And you’re looking for a scapegoat,” Tyson said. The order says state agencies can’t ask about criminal history early in the hiring process, but can perform background checks.
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Kansas Reporting Rise in Flu and COVID-19 Cases
WICHITA, Kan. (KNS) – Holiday travel has brought a rise in flu and COVID-19 cases to Kansas. The Kansas News Service reports that experts say people should get vaccinated and take other precautions. Emergency department visits related to flu and COVID-19 are rising in Kansas. Topeka family physician Dr. Courtney Huhn says one of the best ways to protect yourself and others is to get vaccinated. “The other things that people can do to prevent transmission is the things you always hear us health professionals talking about. Washing your hands, wearing masks if you feel sick...you know, maybe don't go,” she added. Huhn says masking is especially important if you’re spending time with people who are immunocompromised. More tips are at vaccine.gov and cdc.gov/risklessdomore.
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Stormont Vail Announces Upgrades to NICU
TOPEKA, Kan. (WIBW) –Stormont Vail Hospital has announced new upgrades to its Neonatal Intensive Care Unit. WIBW TV reports that the enhancements will include new “state-of-the-art” infant isolettes, also known as care-stations, a training simulator for the medical teams and new amenities for mothers and families. Hospital administrators say the upgrades to the NICU are being paid for with the help of a large gift from Advisors Excel, a Topeka-based financial consulting company. Stormont Vail officials say the hospital is home to Topeka’s only Level III NICU. It serves about 4-hundred infants every year.
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Emporia City Commission Reconsidering Sales Tax Ballot Question
EMPORIA, Kan. (WIBW) - The City of Emporia is considering removing a new sales tax from the ballot in March. WIBW reports that the Emporia City Commission approved the ballot question last month. It would establish a sales tax to pay off bonds for a new recreation center. Now, the commission is reconsidering the new tax after the recent announcement of the closure of the Tyson Foods meatpacking plant. Tyson announced earlier this month that it would permanently shutter the beef processing plant. The facility is one of the largest employers in the Emporia area and the company says about 800 workers will be laid off when the plant closes in February, 2025. The sales tax was intended to fund the construction and equipping of a new Emporia Recreation Center at Champion’s Landing. The commission will vote Wednesday evening on removing that question as it re-assesses the project. The election is set for March 4th, 2025.
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Wichita City Council Moves Forward on New Homeless Camping Ordinance
WICHITA, Kan. (KMUW) – Wichita is a step closer to altering how it enforces homeless camping around the city. KMUW reports that proposed changes approved by the City Council on Tuesday afternoon would let city employees execute quicker camp clean-ups around the city. It also allows for shorter notices, if any, before clearing encampments. The ordinance additionally lowers the current maximum fine for camping from $500 dollars to $200 dollars. City staff say individuals can perform community service to avoid paying. Mayor Lily Wu says the ordinance is not meant to criminalize homelessness, adding that “...we have to balance both compassion and a way to encourage a way for individuals to go to the emergency winter shelter.” The ordinance will be revisited next month and could be in place by mid-January.
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Planning Commission Approves Rezoning for Topeka Church to Host Homeless
TOPEKA (KSNT) – A church in Topeka may soon open its doors for the homeless again. KSNT TV reports that the Topeka Planning Commission approved a recommendation Monday for rezoning for the Open Arms Outreach Ministries. Under the church’s previous zoning, it was allowed to hold religious services and operate a daycare and a community center with a few live-in caretakers. Under the commission’s new zoning recommendation, the church will be permitted to house as many as eight people on a regular basis. If there’s a need for a warming center during the cold winter months, the church will be allowed to accept an additional 20 people. The planning commission voted to recommend the zoning change but the final decision will come from the Topeka City Council.
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Manhattan Chiropractor Surrenders License After Sexual Assault Conviction
MANHATTAN, Kan. (KCTV) - A Manhattan chiropractor, who is under house arrest following a sexual assault conviction, has surrendered his license to practice in the State of Kansas. KCTV reports that the Kansas Board of Healing Arts Disciplinary Panel ruled that Kenyon Erickson, owner of Erickson Chiropractic, must surrender his license after he was convicted of the sexual assault of a patient. The panel says Erickson’s relationship with the victim began in 2011 when she started to see him as a patient. However, during an appointment in April 2022, he sexually assaulted her. Erickson was found guilty in Riley County District Court of sexual battery in April 2024. He was sentenced to one year under house arrest. Erickson has agreed to surrender his license to practice in Kansas.
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AAA Predicts More Than One Million Kansans Will Travel During the Holidays
TOPEKA, Kan. (WIBW) - More than one million Kansans are expected to travel 50 or more miles from their homes over the holidays. AAA Kansas is projecting at least 1.2 million Kansas residents will travel during the year-end holidays. AAA says the vast majority will be driving to their destination, and the auto club reminds motorists to have their vehicle inspected and serviced to make sure it’s road-ready for their holiday trip. WIBW TV reports that the travel projection, which was released Tuesday morning, fits with AAA’s earlier forecast of record-setting travel volume across the United States during the upcoming year-end holiday period which runs from December 21 through January 1.
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This summary of area news is curated by KPR news staffers. Our headlines are generally published by 10 am weekdays and are updated through 7 pm. This ad-free news summary is made possible by KPR members. Become one today. And follow KPR News on X (formerly Twitter).