Kansas Republican Lawmakers Override Governor's Veto of Income Tax Cut Bill
TOPEKA, Kan. (KNS) – Kansas could see future income tax cuts based on the state’s financial health. The Kansas News Service reports that Republican lawmakers voted to override a veto by Democratic Governor Laura Kelly. Most Kansans pay above 5% on their state income taxes. The new law could eventually reduce all income tax brackets in Kansas to the same rate of 4%. The cuts would trigger based on the balance in the state’s rainy day fund. The law also would provide potential cuts for banks and corporations.
Republican Senator Caryn Tyson believes the law will limit the size of the state government and return money to taxpayers. “I can’t understand why anybody would veto this or not support this effort and stop our government growth,” she said. Democrats say the income tax cuts are too costly. They argue the cuts disproportionately benefit wealthy people.
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Kansas House Puts Some Spending Back into State Budget Following Gubernatorial Vetoes
TOPEKA, Kan. (KNS) – Kansas House members on Friday re-added spending into the state budget after Democratic Governor Laura Kelly tried to veto certain items. One of the more controversial items is $3 million for anti-abortion crisis pregnancy centers. The Kansas News Service reports that Republican leaders bundled several vetoes together rather than letting lawmakers vote on each one individually. Democratic Governor Laura Kelly says the Republican-led budget will leave the state hundreds of millions of dollars in the hole in future years. Democratic Representative Henry Helgerson echoed that sentiment. “No business in this state would be successful if they keep spending money the way we are, with the receipts that we have. And we’re going to have a downturn in the economy," Helgerson said. Republicans created their own budget this year instead of building it based on the governor’s recommendations. The Senate had already voted to override the vetoes.
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New Kansas Law Restricts Local Health Officials' Power During Disease Outbreaks
TOPEKA, Kan. (KNS) – Under a new Kansas law, local health officials will no longer be able to limit the size of public gatherings during a disease outbreak. The Kansas News Service reports that local health boards in Kansas will still be able to suggest crowd limits but not enforce them. State health officials say the law will make it harder to control the spread of an infectious disease. It’s in response to early COVID-19 guidelines, which Republicans argue violated the right to assemble. Republican State Senator Beverly Gossage says the law will give people who are wrongfully quarantined a civil hearing within three days of filing a lawsuit. "If someone is wrongfully put into isolation or quarantine, they would want to have prompt action in case that was not done properly," Gossage added. Democratic Governor Laura Kelly tried to reject the measure, but Republican lawmakers voted to override her veto.
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Research Shows Reluctance Among Kansas Farmers to Discuss Climate Change
LAWRENCE, Kan. (KNS) – Climate change has become such a divisive topic that some Kansas farmers say they fear a backlash if they talk about it. University of Kansas graduate students were interviewing Kansans about climate change when they found farmers were reluctant. So, researchers started an academic study that let people stay anonymous.
Farmers said they feared a steep price for sharing their views, regardless of where they stood on climate science. KU journalism professor Hong Tien Vu says it’s a problem. “But, because of the polarization, the politicization, of climate change, it has made it impossible to bring up a conversation about climate change.”
Farmers told the researchers that they fear being ostracized, whether they accept climate science or reject it. They worry about losing business or hurting their bonds with neighbors because of their views.
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Kansas Education Leaders Say They Have Not Acted on Federal DEI Directive
TOPEKA, Kan. (KNS) – The U.S. Department of Education sent a letter to states and school districts earlier this month. It gave them 10 days to certify in writing that they comply with federal laws that prohibit race-based discrimination. The agency cited a 2023 Supreme Court ruling striking down the use of race-conscious college admissions as the basis for its move to more broadly weed out DEI in schools. Kansas Department of Education officials say the state submits that certification regularly as part of its application for special education funds. State school board member Beryl New says the directive is confusing because it does not define D-E-I. “Diversity, equity, inclusion, that’s a part of every human’s everyday life. So whenever people bring it up, typically I ask them, ‘What does it mean to you?’” Since taking office, President Trump has battled what he calls “woke” ideology in schools.
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Kansas Fighting Nearly Three Dozen Cases of Measles; Update Set for Wednesday
UNDATED (KPR) - State health officials will provide an update Wednesday on the number of new measles cases in Kansas, if any. At last check, nearly three dozen cases had been confirmed in southwest and south-central Kansas. Measles is more than just a rash. It can lead to serious health problems, including brain inflammation, pneumonia, and other infections. Even healthy children can become seriously ill. So far, the disease has been identified in eight Kansas counties. Of the 32 confirmed cases, one person has already been hospitalized. Measles is an airborne disease, spreading through the air when an infected person breathes, coughs, sneezes, or even talks. The virus can stay alive in the air - and on surfaces - for up to two hours. But two doses of the MMR vaccine can almost always prevent measles. Young children, pregnant women and people with weakened immune systems are at greatest risk for severe cases.
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Kansas Measles Outbreak Expands
UNDATED (KNS) – A measles outbreak in southwest and south central Kansas has grown significantly in the last week. State health officials recorded 8 more cases this week, bringing the total number this year to 32. Eight counties have recorded cases. Data from the Kansas Department of Health and Environment shows the majority of cases are among unvaccinated children, some of whom are too young to get vaccinated. One patient has been hospitalized. Measles is highly contagious and in serious cases, can lead to hospitalization or death. Other states, like Texas and New Mexico, have much larger outbreaks.
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LIHEAP Funding in Doubt Following Program Layoffs
UNDATED (HPM) – This month, the Trump administration fired the staff of a federal program that helps struggling customers pay utility bills. In Kansas, over 40,000 households received financial assistance to pay for heating and cooling in fiscal year 2024. Harvest Public Media reports it's still unclear how remaining funds will be released. The Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program, or LIHEAP, disburses billions of dollars each year to U.S. states, territories, and tribes. Most of that money has already been distributed this heating season, but Mark Wolfe of the National Energy Assistance Directors Association says he worries the remaining funds won't be disbursed, which could put many in the Midwest and Great Plains at risk. “Low-income families will have more problems paying their energy bills without federal assistance. We've done surveys. We know what happens. People go without. They don't buy medicine. They cut back on food. They cut back on clothing and other essentials in order to pay that bill,” he explained. A Senate committee called on Health and Human Services Secretary, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., to testify this week about the mass layoffs at LIHEAP and elsewhere. That testimony has since been delayed. (Read more.)
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Report: Landlord Retaliation Complaint Ordinance Underused in Wichita
WICHITA, Kan. (KMUW) – Wichita passed an ordinance in 2024 to crack down on landlord retaliation. But as KMUW reports, few complaints have been filed so far. The policy allows the city to fine landlords who retaliate against tenants. Retaliation can include an eviction or rent increase within six months of a tenant's complaint to the city's inspections department. But between January 2024 and January 2025, the city received just nine complaints from tenants alleging retaliation. The city hasn’t escalated any of the complaints to court – and thus no fines had been handed out – as of January 2025. Council member Brandon Johnson says many tenants who complain are in the throes of an eviction. "I'm happy we have the ordinance. The challenge is individuals having the wherewithal to reach out to us in a time of crisis and get the process started," he added. The city’s complaint process doesn’t stop the actual eviction process from occurring.
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Olathe Man Falsely Accused in Chiefs Rally Shooting Found Dead
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (KCTV) - A Kansas City man who was wrongly identified as a shooter at the 2024 Chiefs Super Bowl rally has died. An attorney for Denton Loudermill confirmed his client’s body was found Friday morning. The attorney did not release details of Loudermill’s death. Loudermill previously said he suddenly found himself the target of hate following the deadly Chiefs rally on February 14, 2024.
KCTV reports that three Missouri senators were among those who circulated a picture of Loudermill on social media sitting on the ground at the rally with his hands behind him as police stand nearby. The post on X (formerly Twitter) garnered thousands of views and engagement. Kansas City police confirmed he was not a suspect in the days following the shooting.
Loudermill sued Sen. Rick Brattin of Harrisonville, Sen. Denny Hoskins of Warrensburg and Sen. Nick Schroer of St. Charles County. The lawsuits claim the three lawmakers falsely said he was in the country illegally at the time of the rally shooting and linked him to the violence. Loudermill said he received death threats and he claimed the fallout caused him mental distress and anxiety.
A federal judge dismissed a lawsuit filed against the three lawmakers who wrongly identified Loudermill for lack of jurisdiction because it had been filed in Kansas. Arthur Benson, Loudermill’s attorney, said he will continue to fight to clear his client’s name, even after his death.
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Grant Funding Uncertain for Lawrence’s Watkins History Museum
LAWRENCE, Kan. A $250,000 grant for the Watkins Museum to expand exhibits on local Indigenous history is in limbo and a Lawrence event honoring veterans will be canceled amid federal cuts to humanities programs. The Lawrence Times reports that humanities councils in all 50 states received a letter on April 1 from the Department of Government Efficiency terminating their share of $75 million previously allocated by Congress to these councils by the National Endowment for the Humanities.
The NEH grants were terminated due to DOGE “repurposing its funding allocations in a new direction in furtherance of President Trump’s agenda.”
The Watkins Museum has a project to explore indigenous heritage in Douglas County and the history of Haskell Indian Nations University that is directly affected by the suspension of the NEH. The museum submitted a $250,000 grant application to fund the project in January.
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NWS Ends Translation Services for Weather Alerts and Research
LIBERAL, Kan. (KNS) – The National Weather Service is no longer providing foreign language translations as severe weather season approaches in Kansas. The Kansas News Service reports that the National Weather Service said it has paused the translations because its contract with the translation provider has ended. This comes as the Trump administration is seeking to slash spending in federal agencies. The weather service hired the company in 2023 to use artificial intelligence to provide translations. In some southwest Kansas counties, nearly half of the households speak languages other than English at home. The translations offered critical weather information in languages often spoken in parts of Kansas like Spanish and Vietnamese.
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Advocates Work to Aid Families of People Detained by ICE Agents
LIBERAL, Kan. (KNS) – In the wake of arrests made by federal immigration agents in southwest Kansas this week, advocates are trying to offer services to affected families. President Donald Trump promised deportations of people in the country without legal status. The Kansas News Service reports that voting and immigrant rights advocacy group, New Frontiers, has launched a hotline to confirm federal agent sightings and cut down on misinformation spreading. Kathleen Alonso, an advocate for New Frontiers, says the group is helping families with issues like who has legal responsibility for their kids. She urged people at risk of deportation to determine “...who has the legal authority to make decisions over your children if you are detained, making sure folks have a plan and can go out with dignity and grace.” Alonso says one family had both parents detained this week. The issue is complicated by mixed status families, where some members are U.S. citizens while others are not.
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Safe Haven Baby Boxes May Be Coming to Kansas City
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (KCTV) - Kansas City, Missouri is considering a life-saving addition to its fire stations: Safe Haven Baby Boxes. These secure, anonymous drop-off sites allow parents in crisis to surrender their newborn babies safely and without fear of judgment. Missouri law currently permits infants under 45 days old to be surrendered at hospitals, police stations, or firehouses. KCTV reports that 10 newer fire stations in Kansas City could be candidates for the baby boxes. The proposed boxes would allow a parent to place their infant in a climate-controlled, secure compartment, triggering an alert to first responders who can then begin a medical evaluation. The city council will discuss the baby boxes on Thursday. Missouri currently has six Safe Haven Baby Box locations, mostly near St. Louis and Joplin. The closest one to Kansas City is in Savannah, north of St. Joseph.
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Overland Park Man Sentenced for Abusing Incentive Rewards Program
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (WDAF) - An Overland Park man has been sentenced to more than a year in prison for causing a $1.2 million loss to a company by submitting false invoices in connection to a performance incentive rewards program. WDAF TV reports that 52-year-old Barry Cummings was sentenced to 15 months in prison after pleading guilty to one count of mail fraud.
Federal prosecutors say an energy management company offered a performance-based rewards program as an incentive to sell its products. Participants submitted information regarding sales to earn points they could then redeem for various items. In 2017, a business in Lenexa hired Cummings who enrolled in the company’s rewards program.
In his plea agreement, Cummings admitted to orchestrating a years-long scheme to defraud the company by logging into the rewards site and submitting fraudulent sales claims, which falsely represented that he had sold the company’s products. Cummings admitted that he never sold a single one of the company’s products despite the thousands of sales claims he submitted representing that he did.
After his termination from the Lenexa business in 2018, Cummings continually logged into the rewards website to submit fraudulent invoices and redeem points, using the email he previously had at the Lenexa business. The FBI investigated the case.
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Kansas Senate Passes Law To Allow Fireworks Sales Year-Round
TOPEKA (KSNT) – The Kansas Senate has passed a law allowing fireworks to be sold year-round in the state and retailers are deciding if it’s worth it or not to sell their wares year-round. KSNT TV reports that some retailers may choose to opt out. Some of the fireworks retailers say that shipments are now more expensive because of tariffs, and that some of their suppliers have stopped their shipments all together. While some retailers are not planning to sell year-round, others say they are planning to extend sales for three weeks around the Fourth of July.
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Chocolate Prices on the Rise Due to Cocoa Cost Increases
UNDATED (HPM) – Shoppers can expect to pay more for chocolate Easter eggs and bunnies this year. Harvest Public Media reports that it's linked to cocoa prices skyrocketing over the past few years. Most cocoa is produced in West Africa and climate change has brought excessive heat to the area, limiting the crop’s production. David Ortega, a Michigan State University food economist and professor, says this has contributed to higher input costs for chocolate producers, and higher prices for consumers. “We haven't seen this level of price increase in the sort of the global price of cocoa going back to even the early 1990s. We're sort of an uncharted territory here,” Ortega added. He says people still tend to buy chocolate during tough economic times because it’s an affordable luxury, but recent tariffs could make chocolate products even more expensive.
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Texas Man Accused of Kidnapping Kansas City Woman, Stealing Guns and a Car
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (KCTV) - Charges have been filed against a Texas man after he allegedly kidnapped a Kansas City woman and stole her firearms and her car. KCTV reports that 26-year-old Brandon V. Turk, of Tomball, Texas, has been charged in the case. Tomball had already been accused of committing domestic violence. Turk has now been charged with robbery, assault, tampering with a motor vehicle and kidnapping. As of Friday, Turk remained behind bars in the Clay County, Missouri, Jail. The female victim told police she met Turk at a local dog park. The pair struck-up a conversation, which continued in her apartment. As he advised he would soon be moving into the complex the following Monday, she allowed him to spend the weekend with her.
The victim said Turk later pulled the woman's own gun on her and pressed it to her head, threatening to kill her and claimed he had already murdered several people in Texas. Investigators say Turk allegedly tied up the victim with a dog leash. He then ordered her to stay on the floor as he pistol-whipped her in the back of the head. Ultimately, he forced her into a closet as he stole several firearms, cash and shoes from her, as well as her car. Turk was later found in the stolen vehicle by the Minneapolis, Minnesota, Police Department.
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Man Charged After Being Found in 9-Year-Old's Bedroom in Lee's Summit
LEE'S SUMMIT, Mo. (KMBC) — Authorities in the Kansas City area are investigating after a stranger was found inside the bedroom of a 9-year-old girl. Police in Lee's Summit say they responded to a home (in the 1100 block of SE 11th Street) around 11 pm Wednesday on reports of a burglary. KMBC TV reports that a man who lived in the home told police he and his wife heard a noise down the hall and went to check it out. The father found an unknown man in his daughter's bedroom and proceeded to strike him several times. The father physically detained the man until officers arrived. That man, later identified as 42-year-old Robert M. McDowell, told police he broke in through a back door. He also told officers that he tried to break into several homes that night and that he had taken methamphetamine three days earlier. A search of McDowell's phone revealed images of apparent child sexual abuse. He's now been charged with first-degree burglary and two counts of possessing child pornography.
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