Kansas Governor Delivers Her 2025 State of the State Address
TOPEKA, Kan. (KPR) - Kansas Governor Laura Kelly delivers her annual State of the State Address Wednesday night. Kansas Public Radio will provide live coverage beginning at 6:30 pm on KPR-1. The coverage will include the Republican party's response, delivered by Kansas Senate President Ty Masterson, of Andover.
KPR News Director J. Schafer will co-anchor the broadcast, along with Jim McLean, KPR's special correspondent and senior political reporter.
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State of the Judiciary Address Highlights Shortage of Legal Services in Rural Kansas
UNDATED (KNS) – The chief justice of the Kansas Supreme Court says the state needs to fix a growing justice gap across the state’s rural counties. The Kansas News Service reports that in the State of the Judiciary address, Marla Luckert said Kansans in rural counties are facing a critical shortage of legal services. That’s because of difficulty training, and retaining, lawyers in Kansas. “There are more active attorneys with a Kansas law license in Kansas City, Missouri, than in all of our Kansas rural communities combined,” she warned. Luckert proposed several solutions, like establishing rural attorney training programs and tuition reimbursement incentives for Kansas law graduates who practice in rural counties.
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Aviation Company Investing Up to $9.5 Million to Expand Operations in Wellington
TOPEKA, Kan. (KPR) - An aviation company says it will invest up to $9.5 million to expand its operations in south-central Kansas. Lieutenant Governor and Secretary of Commerce David Toland announced Wednesday that the aiviation services company AAR CORP. plans to expand operations at its facility in Wellington. The company is a leading supplier of aviation services such as maintenance, repair and equipment for commercial and governmental aviation companies,
Once completed, AAR will expand its workforce with up to 100 new job opportunities. The company will add 100,000 square feet to its facility in Sumner County. The existing facility has been operating for nearly 60 years, providing services to military and commercial aircraft operators around the globe.
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Report: Services for Douglas County Homeless Cost Millions
LAWRENCE, Kan. (LJW) - The homeless population in Douglas County is costing taxpayers millions of dollars. That's according to a report the county compiled for the Kansas Housing Advocacy Network. The Lawrence Journal-World reports that shelter stays, jail beds, ambulance rides and visits to the emergency room by homeless people totaled more than $5 million in 2023, making the average per-person cost about $7,000.
City officials say it's difficult to measure the financial impact of homelessness on a community, so there's some imprecision in those cost estimates. According to the county's report, released in October, the range of costs for all emergency services used by homeless residents in Douglas County in 2023 was between $5 million and $6 million.
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Republican Group of Lawmakers Introduces Bills to Ban Abortion in Kansas
WICHITA, Kan. (KNS) – A group of Republican lawmakers in Kansas has introduced two bills that would ban abortion in the state. One bill would prohibit abortion except when necessary to save the life of the pregnant person. It would also allow private citizens to sue people who help women obtain abortions. The other bill would make it a crime to provide abortions and to destroy fertilized embryos, potentially threatening access to in vitro fertilization. Neither is likely to progress due to the state's constitutional protection of abortion rights. Republican Representative Brett Fairchild introduced the bills, saying that he “...ran on a platform that I would introduce strong pro-life legislation that would basically ban abortion or come close to it. And so I’m just trying to fulfill that campaign promise.” Fairchild says he hopes the Legislature holds a hearing on the bills.
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New Kansas Board of Education Member Questions Benefit of Full-Time Preschool
TOPEKA, Kan. (KNS) - A new member of the Kansas State Board of Education says public preschool may be bad for children. Republican Debby Potter, of Garden Plain, was elected in November as part of a new conservative majority on the state board. During her first meeting, she referenced a Tennessee study that found negative long-term outcomes for students in a state-run pre-K program. Potter, who homeschooled her children, urged educators to reconsider full-time preschool programs. “Maybe one day a week or two days a week wouldn’t be so damaging. But when you’re having pre-K as their primary weekly experience, I could see personally how that would be damaging," she said.
Potter says public preschool may not be the best setting for young children. “Our licensed teachers can’t say, ‘Ohh, you’re having a bad day. Come sit on my lap, let me give you some cuddles, and you’ll be OK.’ That’s not necessarily appropriate for licensed teachers. But 3 and 4-year-olds need that," she said. Kansas does not fund preschool for every child. Some research shows that pre-K improves children’s academic and social development.
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Some Derby Teachers Protesting District's Rejection of Social Studies Curriculum
WICHITA, Kan. (KNS) – Some teachers at Derby High School near Wichita are protesting a district decision to reject a social studies textbook over concerns about anti-Trump bias. The Kansas News Service reports that the school board’s conservative majority voted down a proposed contract last month with Boston-based publisher HMH. Members said the company’s textbook did not fairly reflect Republican Donald Trump’s first presidency. Several teachers say that decision insulted educators who spent months testing programs and offering a recommendation. James Hanford has children at Derby High and urged board members to reconsider. “There’s always time to remedy a mistake. There’s always time to send a message that you do trust the teachers, that you do care about the students,” Hanford said. Board member Mark Boline supported the proposed contract and urged a re-vote. He withdrew the request when it was clear the board majority would not change their votes.
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Kansas Proposal Would Release Bond Funding to Greeley County Schools
TOPEKA, Kan. (KNS) – A bill in Kansas would release bond funds to one of the smallest school districts in the state after the money was blocked by the attorney general. The Kansas News Service reports that in May, voters in the Greeley County school district approved a $4.6 million bond for upgrades and renovations. But Republican Attorney General Kris Kobach blocked the funds, citing a law that requires counties to publicize bond proposals on their website. Greeley County doesn’t have a website. But it shares information online through other channels, like social media. Republican Senator Bill Clifford says the law should reflect changing technology. “I mean, you would have to have been under a rock to not know about this, so they certainly met the spirit of the law,” he argued. Kobach supports the bill. He says his ruling was about the letter of the law, not the merits of the bond project.
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New Rules Sideline Journalists Trying to Cover the Kansas Legislature
UNDATED (KNS) – New rules in the Kansas House of Representatives will put journalists farther away from the legislative process. Reporters usually have a spot on the chamber floor to see and hear lawmakers in action. But the Kansas News Service reports that this year, Republican House Speaker Dan Hawkins issued rules that limit reporters to an upstairs gallery. A spokesperson for Hawkins says the change is intended to make the floor less crowded for lawmakers and staffers. But Emily Bradbury, executive director of the Kansas Press Association, says press access should be a priority. “I feel that there's really no better use of space than on the very people who are reporting on the public's work that is being done in the public's house,” Bradbury added. Reporters can still take photos from the chamber floor.
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Kansas Attorney General Files Lawsuit Against Adult Website Operator
UNDATED (KNS) – Kansas Attorney General Kris Kobach is suing an adult website operator under a new state law. The Kansas News Service reports that the law, which took effect July 1st, requires age verification on sites where 25% or more of the pages contain content deemed harmful to minors. Kobach’s is the first such lawsuit in Kansas since the rule took effect. Kobach’s office accuses SARJ, LLC of operating 13 porn sites that users in Kansas can access without having to verify their age. The lawsuit, filed on Tuesday, comes a day before the U.S. Supreme Court is set to hear arguments on a similar law in Texas.
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Farmers to Receive Billions in Federal Economic & Disaster Relief Funding
UNDATED (HPM) – Farmers will get $31 billion in economic and disaster relief from the US government. Harvest Public Media reports that the payments could offer short term support as many farmers face challenges like less income… and extreme weather. Lawmakers passed the funding in December alongside another extension of the 2018 Farm Bill, which funds programs like crop insurance and food benefits. Ryan Whitehouse with the Illinois Farm Bureau, says the payments will help farmers get through the next year, but they need an updated farm bill in the long term. “A modernized farm bill with higher reference prices, with a stronger safety net might have alleviated the need to pass in the economic assistance payment may have, might not have, but there's clearly other policies within the farm bill that need to be modernized,” Whitehouse explained. The one-time payments can help farmers to pay down loans… or invest in new equipment. The government must distribute the economic relief funding by the end of March. (Read more.)
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Ex-KCK Police Officer Target of Federal Lawsuit
KANSAS CITY, Kan. (KCUR) – A former Kansas City, Kansas, police officer who shot two people before resigning from the department has been sued in federal court. KCUR reports that the lawsuit alleges Collin Ward acted, quote "maliciously and wantonly" when he killed 50-year-old John Anderton in 2023. The lawsuit was filed by Anderton’s brother. It says he left a house where two people overdosed. Ward tracked him down and tried to arrest him for an old misdemeanor trespassing warrant. Anderton fled. The officer fired 12 times, hitting Anderton five times in the back and head. A gun was found near Anderton’s body, but body cam footage showed he never pointed it at Ward. Ward was cleared of criminal charges by Wyandotte County D-A Mark Dupree and resigned from the KCK police department two weeks later, and shortly thereafter became a Clay County deputy. Ward also shot and wounded a man in 2020 according to another federal lawsuit.
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U.S. Department of Labor Files Suit Against Wichita Strip Club
WICHITA, Kan. (KNS) - The U.S. Department of Labor has filed suit against an adult entertainment club located just outside Wichita's city limits for allegedly failing to pay full wages to its dancers. According to the complaint, the department conducted an investigation into whether Pleasures Adult Entertainment Club was in compliance with the Fair Labor Standards Act. Labor officials claim that the business misclassified dancers as independent contractors, which deprived them of overtime pay and other benefits. It also claims that the club made illegal deductions from dancers' tips. The complaint seeks back wages and damages for 80 dancers. The club's attorney says the entertainers have been fairly and legally compensated, and says it will prove so in court.
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Lyon County Sheriff’s Office Finds Abandoned Dogs on Turnpike
EMPORIA, Kan. (KSNT) – Law enforcement officials in Lyon County are looking for permanent homes for four dogs that were found at a service center on the Kansas Turnpike. The Lyon County Sheriff’s Office received a call on Monday reporting that the dogs were found at the service center. KSNT TV reports that two dogs were left in a cage by the dumpsters and two others were running loose. A driver who stopped at the service center tried to take the dogs to an animal shelter, but was told the shelter did not have room. The four dogs are being cared for by staff at the county jail, and exercising with the jail’s emotional support dog. People interested in fostering or adopting the dogs are advised to call the Lyon County Sheriff’s Office at (620) 341-3205.
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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 stream bed,” Howe explained. The Conservancy hopes this approach could ultimately help other dammed up rivers, as well.
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Patrick and Brittany Mahomes Announce Birth of Third Child
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (KSHB) - Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes and his wife Brittany announced the birth of their third child on social media Monday. KSHB TV reports that the couple welcomed their new daughter Golden Raye Mahomes on Sunday. In their post, Patrick said he promised Brittany he'd clinch the No. 1 seed with a victory over the Pittsburgh Steelers so they could focus on their child's birth. Golden Raye's older sister, Sterling Skye Mahomes, was born in February 2021. Her older brother, Patrick "Bronze" Lavon Mahomes III, was born in November 2022.
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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).