Kansas Lawmakers Look for Ways to Reduce Fraud in SNAP
TOPEKA, Kan. (KNS) - Kansas lawmakers are looking into ways to reduce fraud and inefficiency in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP. Nearly 100,000 Kansas households use SNAP to help put food on the table. State officials told lawmakers that over 2,200 complaints of SNAP fraud were filed in 2024. But just 270 of those, or 12%, were legitimate. Democratic Representative Barbara Ballard says she’s concerned about the false reports. “They could be ruining somebody's reputation or doing a combination of things but it's not legitimate," she said. SNAP data seemed to show that administrative mistakes posed a greater challenge than aid recipients trying to cheat the system.
Still, lawmakers studying government efficiency are raising concerns about errors in food aid programs. Officials say in recent years, the state has mistakenly overpaid SNAP recipients around 10-12% of the time. That’s a higher rate than in neighboring states like Nebraska and Colorado. Those figures shocked Republican Representative Francis Awerkamp. “I know government’s different than business. But you know, typically, a payment error is pretty critical," he said. Agency officials say they aim to bring the rate down to 3% in the near future.
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Kansas Governor Signs Bill to Consolidate Childcare Programs
TOPEKA, Kan. (KSNT) - Kansas Governor Laura Kelly has signed a bill into law that consolidates nearly 20 state programs for young children into a new office. The legislation merges existing programs into the Office of Early Childhood, which will open in mid-2026. KSNT reports that the office will work with childcare licensing, childcare subsidies, home visitation programs and the Kansas Children's Cabinet and Trust Fund. The governor says this legislation means the early childhood system will no longer be bogged down by inefficiencies and bureaucratic red tape.
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Johnson County Residents Gather to Voice Support for Preserving Medicaid
JOHNSON COUNTY, Kan. (KNS) - An event in Johnson County Thursday night brought together dozens of concerned Kansans to talk about potential federal cuts to Medicaid. Medicaid covers nearly 430,000 Kansans, and several of the attendees held photos of loved ones who depend on the federal health care program. Amelia Zang-Carta said that, as an adult with autism, Medicaid is her lifeline. “It’s the reason I’m able to live in my own home, make my own choices and contribute to the community," she said. Zang-Carta says that Medicaid pays for expenses that private insurance would not. She asked for federal lawmakers to listen to people with disabilities, and vote against the Trump administration’s proposed funding cuts.
Michael Kennedy is a retired rural family doctor who used to work in Burlington, Kansas. Kennedy says rural hospitals rely on Medicaid reimbursements to stay open, because they mainly serve low-income patients. “The hospitals in rural Kansas are gonna start closing, even if we keep things where they are. Medicaid funding is inadequate as it is," he said. Kennedy says Medicaid needs to be expanded in Kansas, not reduced.
The meeting in Johnson County was hosted by the Alliance for a Healthy Kansas, which plans to send testimonies from the event to the state’s congressional delegation.
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Nearly 50 Kansas Airports Will Get Upgrades
TOPEKA, Kan. (KPR) - Nearly 50 local airports across the state will be getting upgrades. Governor Laura Kelly has announced $14.5 million in grants for 47 aviation-related projects through the Kansas Airport Improvement Program. The money will be used for planning, construction and rehabilitation of public aviation projects. Some of the airports getting upgrades include Lawrence, Olathe, Emporia, Junction City, Iola, Paola, Garnett, Parsons, Independence and Chanute.
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Survey: Antisemitic Incidents Hit 45-Year High in 2024
UNDATED (KCUR) – Antisemitic incidents hit a 45 year high last year, according to the Anti-Defamation League. KCUR reports that the organization counted more than 9,000 acts of harassment, vandalism and assault against Jewish people in 2024. That's up 5% from the year before, and the highest figure recorded in the history of the survey. Anti-Jewish attacks increased in Kansas but eased slightly in Missouri. Jordan Kadosh with the Heartland Anti-Defamation League office says the intensity of those incidents rose in both states. "I think one of the most notable ones was a Jewish business that was vandalized with messages related to Gaza. But also, you know, by appropriating Nazism," he added. Kadosh says antisemitic attacks jumped at the start of the war in Gaza a year and a half ago and rose slightly last year, spiking 84% on college campuses. For the first time in the history of the survey, most of the incidents related to Israel or Zionism.
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Study Shows Decline in Kansas Air Quality
WICHITA, Kan. (KNS) - A new study shows many Kansans are breathing unhealthy levels of ozone smog and particle pollution. Experts say this has been fueled by rising temperatures and wildfires. The American Lung Association report looks at national data from 2021 to 2023. It shows days with high ozone pollution increased in the Wichita, Kansas City and Topeka metro areas. Wichita and Kansas City also had average year-round particle pollution levels that exceeded what officials consider to be safe, while Topeka did not collect complete data. Sarah Prem, a lobbyist with the American Lung Association, says the state’s air quality is particularly harmful for certain groups. “People with asthma, people with COPD, cardiovascular disease, women who are pregnant," she said. The report says people of color are more than twice as likely as white people to live in communities that fail federal pollution guidelines.
Prem says poor air quality can lead to serious health consequences: "Premature death and other serious health effects such as asthma attacks, heart attacks, strokes, premature births and impaired cognitive functioning later in life and then, of course, particle pollution can also cause lung cancer," she said.
Days with high ozone pollution increased in the Kansas City, Wichita and Topeka metro areas compared with last year’s report.
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Nelson Atkins to Undergo Upgrade; Design Winner Selected
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (KCUR) - The Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art in Kansas City, Missouri, unveiled the winner of a global design competition Thursday. Director and CEO Julián Zugazagoitia announced the Weiss-Manfredi architecture firm will transform the museum’s Midtown campus into what he called, “a museum for all.” Zugazagoitia says the new wing just west of the museum will rebalance the campus. "The recentering back of our 1930s building brings an addition also that somehow will merge with a city in a beautiful way," he said. The design team will now spend a year working to finalize plans with the museum, which estimates a budget of $160 million for the project. The New York City firm is known for integrating architecture, art, infrastructure and landscape. Notable projects include Olympic Sculpture Park in Seattle and the Women’s Memorial at Arlington Cemetery. (Read more.)
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Chiefs Take a Lineman in first Round of NFL Draft
UNDATED (KPR) - The NFL Draft got underway Thursday night. The Kansas City Chiefs ended up with the last pick of the first round of the draft and chose an offensive lineman. The Chiefs took Josh Simmons a projected left tackle from Ohio State, but his season was shortened last year by a knee injury. Chiefs coach Andy Reid says Simmons underwent close medical exams when the Chiefs staff met with him and Reid came away convinced that Simmons will be ready this season. "He’s done well," Reid said. "Those are normally six months or so injuries. He’s right about that time out from being injured." As the Super Bowl runner-up, the Kansas City Chiefs were scheduled to have the 31st pick in the draft. But the Philadelphia Eagles swapped picks and, as a result, the Chiefs added a fifth-round pick in this draft.
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