Should Kansas Get Rid of Daylight Saving Time? One State Senator Says Yes!
OVERLAND PARK, Kan. (KNS) — A Kansas lawmaker wants to ditch clock changes twice a year. The Kansas News Service reports that a bill in the Legislature would eliminate Daylight Saving Time and keep standard time year-round. The bill would place Kansas in the Central time zone in the winter and Mountain time zone in the summer. That means the sun would rise and set earlier in the summer than it does now. Republican Senator Kenny Titus, who proposed the measure, says Kansans are sick of the time changes. He says an earlier sunrise and sunset also provides health benefits. “It helps our sleep rhythm and then all the fatigue and the mental health things that sort of branch out from that,” he explained. Titus says the bill also gives Kansans a voice on a matter being discussed at the federal level. A U.S. Senate bill is proposing to make Daylight Saving Time permanent.
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GOP Wants a Constitutional Amendment to Address Rising Property Taxes
TOPEKA, Kan. (KNS) — Top Kansas Republicans say they want to amend the state constitution in an attempt to rein in rising taxes for homeowners. The Kansas News Service reports that Kansas Senate President Ty Masterson says the amendment would put a cap on appraised values used to determine property taxes. Any amendment would ultimately have to be approved by voters. “People see these rapid appraisal increases, which turn into rapid tax increases. That’s really what the state could do,” Masterson says. He also says that Kansas should eliminate a small portion of property taxes that funds state building construction and maintenance. The rest goes to local governments. Meanwhile, Democratic Governor Laura Kelly says she wants to wait at least a year before passing more tax cuts. Some lawmakers in her party are more open to the idea, though. Top Kansas Democrats say they’re open to passing tax cuts in the upcoming legislative session if they’re sustainable and benefit lower-income people in the state. Senate Minority Leader Dinah Sykes says the Legislature should also pass relief for people who don’t own homes.
Republican lawmakers say property tax cuts are a top priority for 2025. They will return to Topeka on Monday with an even stronger majority, giving them a better chance of overriding potential vetoes by the governor.
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Kansas Governor Delivers Her Annual State of the State Speech Wednesday
TOPEKA, Kan. (KPR) — Kansas Governor Laura Kelly delivers her State of the State Address next week. The Democratic governor will deliver her budget message to a joint session of the Legislature and the people of Kansas at Wednesday at 6:30 pm. KPR-1 will provide live coverage of her remarks as well as the Republican response.
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Governor Kelly Signs Executive Order Addressing Federal Benefits for Kids in Foster Care
TOPEKA, Kan. (KNS) – Kansas Governor Laura Kelly signed an executive order Friday, aimed at ensuring foster kids have access to federal benefits. The Kansas News Service reports that the U.S. government gives the state money to provide eligible foster kids with federal benefits like social security and disability. But Kansas uses millions of those dollars each year to cover its own foster care services. Kelly’s executive order stops that practice. Money from federal benefits will now be sent directly to foster children’s bank accounts. Advocates say the change will improve the lives of foster kids, especially those with disabilities. Lawmakers will now have to find a way to cover the gap in state foster care funding.
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Complaints Surface About Inhumane, Unsanitary Conditions at Leavenworth Prison
LEAVENWORTH, Kan. (KMBC) — Inmates and their wives are complaining about inhumane and unsanitary conditions at Leavenworth federal prison. KMBC TV spoke to the wives of two inmates who said they would speak on a condition of anonymity for fear of retribution. Their complaints involve freezing cold temperatures, rodent droppings near food and sewage backups. One wife said some prison cells have flooded because of frozen pipes backing up. Last year, KMBC reported about lockdowns at the federal penitentiary that lasted for weeks after federal officials say a gun was discovered inside the facility. Another allegation: prisoners have reportedly been forced to defecate in bags. KMBC says it's still seeking answers from the Federal Bureau of Prisons about the complaints.
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Bird Flu Still Affecting Poultry and Dairy Cattle in Kansas
LIBERAL, Kan. (KNS) – It’s been three years and bird flu is still affecting poultry and dairy cattle in Kansas and across the country. Officials say that’s longer than outbreaks normally last. While risk to the public remains low, people are starting to see the economic effects through rising egg prices. Jim Keen is a veterinary epidemiologist for the Center for a Humane Economy, a non-profit animal welfare organization. He told the Kansas News Service that most human cases have come from dairy cattle, which are very prevalent in southwest Kansas. This outbreak could potentially disrupt that industry. “The risk is not zero in terms of their economic livelihood, either from the point of view of the workers or the farmers,” Keen said. The Department of Agriculture is currently collecting milk samples to better monitor the spread of the virus. The USDA has also said it will give dairies financial support for any fall in milk production.
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Experts Warn That Livestock Need Special Care in Winter Weather
UNDATED (HPM) – Many portions of the Midwest and south central U.S. are experiencing varying levels of snow, ice and rain. Harvest Public Media reports that livestock also need special attention during winter weather conditions. When temperatures drop to around 20 degrees, cattle and especially young calves, become susceptible to frostbite, specifically on vulnerable areas like their ears, tails and udders. Elizabeth Picking, a Livestock Field Specialist for the University of Missouri Extension, says cows in winter weather states are often physically more prepared to withstand cold conditions. “Those animals are also going to grow a decent hair coat and so that helps the more northern farmers out. But I would expect to see, you know, more issues for the folks that are hit with this further south,” Picking added. Heavy snow and ice have recently had an impact on livestock-producing states including Kansas. Texas, Oklahoma, Missouri and Arkansas.
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Former Burlington Wrestling Coach Sentenced for Having Sex with Students
COFFEY COUNTY, Kan. (KPR) — A former Burlington High School teacher and wrestling coach has been sentenced to three years in prison for having sex with two minor children. The Kansas Bureau of Investigation says 32-year-old Michael Vander Linden, of Burlington, was sentenced Thursday in Coffey County District Court. He'll also be required to register as a sex offender for the rest of his life.
Last October, Vander Linden pleaded no contest to three counts of aggravated indecent liberties with a child. The remaining charges were dismissed. In February of 2024, KBI agents obtained an arrest warrant and took Vander Linden into custody after two former students reported he had engaged in sexual intercourse with them between 2012 and 2013, when both were 15-years-old.
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Rose Hill School District Announces Data Breach in Student Information System
ROSE HILL, Kan. (KAKE) — Public school officials in Rose Hill say they have contained a data breach in PowerSchool. That's the district’s student information system provider. KAKE TV reports that the data accessed in the breach may have included names, addresses and phone numbers, as well as student health and grade information. The district says that no passwords, Social Security numbers, financial information or photographs were included in the breach.
In a letter sent to parents Friday, school officials said that a PowerSchool employee’s credentials were compromised, allowing unauthorized access to data stored in their global Student Information System. This breach impacted school districts nationwide and internationally, including many in Kansas. PowerSchool became aware of the breach in late December 2024.
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Project Works to Emulate Natural River Flow on Dammed Rivers
UNDATED (KNS) – Engineers have released water at two dams in Kansas and Missouri to mimic summer storms and help river wildlife. The Kansas News Service reports that while dams help prevent flooding, disrupting natural river flow takes a toll on habitat and wildlife. So last year the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers released a summer pulse of water from Tuttle Creek and Pomme de Terre lakes meant to help. They worked with The Nature Conservancy to do it. Jim Howe, with the Conservancy, says the goal is to help native fish spawning, and to move silt in the Kansas and Osage river systems. “We want to use a pulse flow to flush that out. So that mussels can better attach to the streambed,” Howe explained. The Conservancy hopes this approach could ultimately help other dammed up rivers, as well.
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Monarch Butterflies Could Receive Federal Endangered Species Protection
UNDATED (HPM) — The monarch butterfly could soon get federal protections under the Endangered Species Act. Harvest Public Media reports that the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is taking public comments on its proposal until March. Monarchs, like many other pollinators, have seen a drastic drop in numbers because of climate change, habitat loss and pesticide use. The proposal would add protected habitat in California for the butterfly’s western population. Will Meeks, Midwest regional director for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, says the comments the agency receives will help to shape the proposal. “Specifically, when it comes to some of the best management practices with pesticide and herbicide use to conserve the species. We know we have to have voluntary, incentive based conservation practices that involve private landowners,” he added. The proposal is the result of a 2014 petition to list the species as threatened. (Read more.)
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Milken National Educator Prize Awarded to Southeast Kansas Teacher
WICHITA, Kan. (KNS) — A teacher in southeast Kansas has received one of the nation’s top prizes for educators. Meredith Reid is a vocal music teacher at Girard Middle and High School near Pittsburg. She was named a Milken National Educator in a surprise ceremony at the school Wednesday. When Reid was a student in Girard, there was no choral music program at the school. She returned to her alma mater as a teacher and restarted the program, which now produces an award-winning choir. She says music education should be available in every district, adding that she feels strongly that students in a rural area should miss out on opportunities to be in a high-caliber musical ensemble just because they're not a big city. The award is an initiative of the Milken Family Foundation and comes with a $25,000 prize.
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A Place for Dogs to Sniff: Rental Options Becoming Available Across Kansas
NEWTOWN, Kan. (KNS) — More than 40% of Kansas households have a dog, but not everyone has a place where their pets can run free, explore and burn off energy. A website called Sniffspot.com lets people rent their backyards or other spaces by the hour as puppy playgrounds. The Kansas News Service reports that Sniffspot is matching landowners with dog owners to create a network of private dog parks. (Read more.)
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