Governor Kelly Once Again Pushes for Medicaid Expansion
TOPEKA, Kan. (KNS) – Kansas Governor Laura Kelly, a Democrat, has again introduced legislation that would expand Medicaid to an additional 150,000 Kansans. The Kansas News Service reports that the measure is unlikely to advance due to Republican opposition. It’s Kelly’s sixth year in a row pushing for Medicaid expansion as Governor, and it follows her vigorous but failed effort to pass the legislation last year. Expansion would give health coverage to tens of thousands of low-income Kansans who are not covered under current rules because they’re not children, elderly, pregnant or disabled. Republican legislative leaders have repeatedly blocked the proposal, saying it’s too expensive. Kansas is one of 10 states that has not expanded Medicaid. A recent survey from Fort Hays State University found more than 70% of Kansans support the proposal.
==========
Bill Would Require Local Law Enforcement Agencies to Assist in Federal Immigration Crackdowns
TOPEKA, Kan. (KNS) – Your local sheriff or police department in Kansas could lose state funding if it doesn't assist federal immigration crackdowns. Some local authorities already share information and conduct operations with U.S. Immigrations and Customs Enforcement, or ICE. The Kansas News service reports that this bill would deny state funding from law enforcement agencies who don’t assist deportation efforts. Micah Kubic, executive director of the American Civil Liberties Union of Kansas, says the bill would pull local law enforcement agencies from their core responsibilities. “They're not stopping traffic deaths. They’re not investigating burglaries and shoplifting...instead, they have their time, energy, effort and resource diverted into creating an environment of fear,” he warned. Republican state Senator Mike Thompson, who introduced the bill, could not be reached for comment.
==========
Ex-USAID Worker from Kansas Says Closing It Will Hurt the U.S. Abroad
WICHITA, Kan. (KMUW) – President Donald Trump is closing the U.S. Agency for International Development. A Kansas man who spent parts of five decades with the organization tells KMUW that a shutdown of the agency will hurt the U.S. abroad. Mark Wentling grew up in Udall but spent most of his life in Africa. He worked for USAID to provide food, health care and education in several countries there. Wentling says the work helps support the U.S. policy objectives around the world. “You know, foreign assistance, Foreign aid and foreign policy is all intertwined. And you know, the foreign assistance supports our foreign policy. If we're taking out the foreign aid, what kind of foreign policy do we have?” he asks. Wentling graduated from Wichita State University in 1970. He was inducted this week into the school’s Fairmount College of Liberal Arts and Sciences Hall of Fame.
==========
School Lunch Subsidy Advances in Kansas Legislature
WICHITA, Kan. (KNS) – Kansas lawmakers have advanced a measure that could help more low-income families pay for school meals. Democratic Governor Laura Kelly wants the state to subsidize the family co-pay on reduced-price meals at school. A House committee voted to add $2 million to the education budget to finance the measure. That’s less than the $5 million the governor had recommended. Republican Rep. Scott Hill opposed the budget item. He says he struggled to pay lunch bills for his children, but it’s a parent’s responsibility. “And there’s no way I was not going to provide food for my kids, and allow the state to feed my kids,” he said. About 36,000 Kansas children are eligible for reduced-price meals. The cost to the family is about $400 per child each year.
Supporters say appropriation should pay for the first year of the program. Democratic Representative Valdenia Winn says the proposal is similar to the state buying fuel for school buses. “Gasoline takes the kid to school," she said. "Food provides the nourishment for this child to think and to learn.”
Conservative Republicans who voted against the measure say the co-pay amount families pay for school meals is already reasonable. They also say parents - not the government - should be responsible for feeding children.
==========
Protesters Rally at Kansas Statehouse to Oppose Trump Policy Decisions
TOPEKA, Kan. (KNS) – Protesters gathered outside the Kansas Statehouse Wednesday to criticize policy decisions by Republican President Donald Trump. Protesters rallied in cold, foggy weather to march around the statehouse, hold political signs, and lead chants against Trump. They protested his relationship with billionaire Elon Musk and his plans to deport immigrants who came to the U.S. illegally.
They also protested many of his executive orders, including one that Trump said would keep biological men from competing in female sports - a measure his opponents call anti-trans. Darcy Snyder is with a grassroots women’s rights group in Topeka. The group helped organize the Statehouse rally. “Women fight for everyone’s rights, and that’s what we have to do – we have to fight for everyone. We have to fight for those that can’t fight, those that can’t speak, or those that are afraid to speak,” Snyder said. The rally was part of a loosely coordinated, online effort to host protests at state capitol buildings across the United States. A similar demonstration was held Wednesday in North Lawrence that drew a dozen protesters. (Read more in the Lawrence Journal-World.)
==========
This Super Bowl Could Be the Last Drawing Missouri Bettors to Kansas
UNDATED (KNS) – Missouri residents betting on the Kansas City Chiefs soon won’t need to travel to Kansas to place their wagers. The Kansas News Service reports that this weekend may be the last time Kansas brings in Missouri bettors for the Super Bowl. Missouri is establishing its own sports betting operation that is expected to launch in the summer. That could mean the Missouri residents who cross state lines to place bets in Kansas will no longer need to. And that may cost Kansas money. But Cory Thone of the Kansas Lottery says the state does not expect a large drop in revenue. He says more bets are placed in Kansas each year. “Sales have been solid. We've had a couple months that have been higher than previous months. We're trending well,” he explained. The state saw a 27% increase in sports betting revenue in 2024.
==========
Kansas Highway Patrol: Man Dies After Train Hits Pickup Truck
DELIA, Kan. (KAKE) - A northeast Kansas man is dead after a train crashed into his truck. The Highway Patrol says 51-year-old Adam Foster, of Rossville, was killed Wednesday night when a train collided with his Toyota pickup in Jackson County. KAKE TV reports that the pickup was stopped on the railroad tracks when it was struck. Two people aboard the train were not hurt. No further information has been released.
==========
Child Rescued, Man Shot During Hostage Standoff in Salina
SALINA, Kan. (KPR) - A toddler has been rescued after a man barricaded inside a home was shot and wounded by police during a standoff in Salina. The Kansas Bureau of Investigation says police responded to a home late Tuesday morning where a man -- 29-year-old Manuel Johnson-Ponce -- had barricaded himself inside a home with a three-year-old hostage. Police say the man was threatening the child and would not let the child leave. Two hours later, police shot and wounded the man and rescued the child. Johnson-Ponce was treated at the scene and then transferred to a local hospital with non-life-threatening injuries. No officers were injured.
==========
Adoptive Kansas Parents Arrested After Child's Body Found in Backyard
ROSE HILL, Kan. (TCJ) - Police in south-central Kansas have arrested the adoptive parents of a girl whose body was found buried in a backyard five months ago. According to the Topeka Capital-Journal, child welfare officials have yet to release a summary of the state's involvement in the case.
On Monday, the Rose Hill Police Department arrested the adoptive parents of the girl, whose birth name was Natalie Garcia. The child's adoptive name was Kennedy Schroer. Her adoptive parents are 50-year-old Crystina Elizabeth Schroer and 53-year-old Joseph Shane Schroer. Rose Hill police say their case has been built through the development of timelines spanning more than four years. The adoptive mother was arrested on suspicion of murder, kidnapping, child abuse and other charges. The adoptive father was arrested on charges of child abuse, felony theft, Medicaid fraud and other charges.
Under a new state law, once criminal charges are filed in connection with a child's death, the Kansas Department for Children and Families is required to release a summary of limited information. A spokesperson for DCF told the Capital-Journal that the agency is still processing a request for the summary. The agency previously said the little girl was adopted from foster care through Saint Francis Ministries.
Detectives say the girl was born in 2014 and adopted in 2018. It's believed she died in late 2020, which would have made her 6-years-old.
==========
Johnson County Sheriff Voter Fraud Investigation Sent Only One Case to Prosecutors
JOHNSON COUNTY, Kan. (KCUR) – Former Johnson County Sheriff Calvin Hayden spent almost $140,000 on a three-year voter fraud investigation that resulted in just one case being sent to prosecutors. KCUR reports that a summary of the investigation was released this week by new Sheriff Byron Roberson. The one-page summary says Hayden’s deputies spent 880 hours on the investigation. Leading up to the July 2021 primary, several detectives spent three weeks surveilling ballot boxes 24 hours a day. $88,000 was spent on salaries and another $50,000 was spent on software to aid in the investigation. The summary also says Hayden was personally in charge. Roberson also wrote that the sheriff’s office received 100 election fraud complaints, all from just three people. In the end, only one case was sent to prosecutors, who declined to charge.
==========
Kansas Lawmakers Hold Hearing on Vaccine Refusal Bill
UNDATED (KNS) – Kansas lawmakers are considering legislation that would make it easier for people to refuse vaccines. The measure reflects growing backlash against public health directives. Senate Bill 19 would protect people from discrimination at school, work and other public places if they refuse to get vaccinated due to conscientious objection.
Many schools and employers already grant exemptions for religious reasons. But supporters of the proposal have argued that, even so, vaccine requirements infringe on individual liberties. The bill would also revoke the authority of state health officials to order people to isolate or quarantine. Public health advocates say it could undo decades of progress that has largely eliminated infectious diseases like polio and measles. They say it would also hamper health officials’ ability to stop dangerous disease outbreaks.
"It’s the first step to unravel the work that has been done that has nearly eradicated diseases like polio, measles, whooping cough, hepatitis, mumps, rubella," said Carrie Riordan, interim executive director of the Immunize Kansas Coalition. "It would just really turn back the clock by several decades.” Riordan says employer vaccine requirements are especially important for health care providers who care for immunocompromised patients.
==========
Bill to Change Deadline Date for Mail-In Ballots Advances in Kansas Senate
TOPEKA, Kan. (KNS) – Kansas voters would have to return mail-in ballots by the end of Election Day under a bill advanced Tuesday by Republicans in the state Senate. Kansas law gives mail-in ballots three days to arrive and be counted, as long as they’re postmarked by Election Day. Some Republicans say they want to end that practice so it doesn’t look like results are changing after the day of an election. Senator Mike Thompson, a Republican from Johnson County, said “...certainly want everyone to be able to vote, but we also want a uniform end date.”
Critics argue the change could lead to ballots being thrown out. They say results aren’t finalized on Election Day anyway. Democratic Senator Oletha Faust-Goudeau says the change could make it harder for people with disabilities to cast a ballot. “They need help getting where they go. They need a little grace," she said.
Democratic Governor Laura Kelly vetoed similar legislation in 2023. The bill awaits a final vote in the Senate before going to the House.
==========
UPDATE: Rare Bird Seen in Southwest Kansas Found Dead
SOUTHWEST KANSAS (TCJ) - A rare bird generally found only in Siberia, Greenland, Canada and northern Alaska has died in southwest Kansas. The Topeka Capital-Journal reports that the Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks confirmed the death of the Ross's gull, which was recovered Wednesday evening.
(Earlier reporting...)
Biologists believe the bird may have died from disease, starvation or exposure to the weather. Bird populations across the U.S. have seen outbreaks of avian influenza, according to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Bird Watchers Travel to Southwest Kansas to See Rare Bird
SOUTHWEST KANSAS (TCJ) - Bird watchers are flocking to southwest Kansas to see a rare bird. The Ross's gull is a rare species generally found only in Siberia, Greenland, Canada and northern Alaska. According to the Topeka Capital-Journal, at least 100 people recently traveled to Ford County to see the lone Ross's gull, which was first spotted last Friday in a rural area about 20 miles south of Dodge City.
Carol Morgan, president of the Topeka Audubon Society, says bird watchers from Oklahoma, New Mexico, Colorado, Nebraska, Missouri, Wisconsin and South Carolina have also traveled to Ford County to see the Ross's gull. Bird experts say this is one of 11 reported sightings of the bird ever in lower 48 states. The global population of the Ross's gull has been estimated at less than 10,000. The bird is named after British explorer James Clark Ross.
==========
Early Morning Lawrence Apartment Fire Displaces Residents of Six Units
LAWRENCE, Kan. (KPR) - An early morning fire on Wednesday displaced residents of a Lawrence apartment complex. Just before 3 am, firefighters responded to a porch fire on West 26th street (1821 West 26th Street) where they found flames extending from the first floor to the third floor apartments. Residents from six apartment units were displaced. Other residents who had been evacuated were allowed to return to their homes. No one was injured. Investigators are looking into the cause.
==========
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).