USDA Suspends Imports of Live Animals from Mexico over Parasite Fears
UNDATED (HPM) – The U.S. Department of Agriculture has suspended Mexican imports of live animals, like cattle, in an effort to keep a destructive livestock parasite from returning to the United States. Harvest Public Media reports that New World Screwworms are actually flies – their larvae burrow into the skin of mammals, causing infection, disease and death. It’s been decades since they’ve been a problem for American ranchers, but they are advancing from Panama toward the United States. Wayne Cockrell is a cattle rancher from Texas who’s lobbied the USDA to fight screwworms more aggressively. He says an infestation could impact agriculture more broadly. "This affects the grain farmer in Kansas or Nebraska just as much because with a reduction in cattle numbers, that’s a reduction in demand for grain," he explained. The USDA will reevaluate its import ban on Mexican cattle monthly. (Read more.)
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Earthquake Rumbles Across Central Kansas
DICKINSON COUNTY, Kan. (KPR) - A small earthquake rumbled across parts of central Kansas Thursday. The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) reports that a 3.6-magnitude quake was detected around 4:30 pm Thursday north-northwest of Herington in Dickinson County. According to the Kansas Geological Survey, the quake measured 3.9. KGS says the state does experience earthquakes occasionally, with some being attributed to the Humboldt fault zone.
The Humboldt Fault Zone is a series of faults that extends from Nebraska southwesterly through most of Kansas. Kansas is not particularly earthquake prone, but the north-central part of the state, particularly Riley and Pottawatomie counties, has historically been the most prone to earthquakes.
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State Representative Patrick Penn to Resign in June
WICHITA, Kan. (KMUW) – Kansas state Representative Patrick Penn of Wichita is resigning from his position next month. Penn is a Republican who has represented parts of northeast Wichita, Bel Aire and Kechi since 2021. He was reelected in November. Penn is a conservative who has advocated for gun rights and religious freedom. KMUW reports that he did not give a reason for his resignation. A Republican committee in District 85 will select Penn’s successor later this month. A year and a half remains in his term.
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Legislators Hope New Law Cuts Down on Uninsured Vehicles
TOPEKA, Kan. (KPR) – An estimated 8% of registered vehicles in Kansas are not insured. State legislators say they hope a new law will help bring that rate down. The law creates a statewide insurance verification system. Police will be able to run a driver’s information and instantly tell if they are insured. The law had near-unanimous support in the Kansas Legislature. It will take effect by next July. Republican House Speaker Dan Hawkins says too many drivers have to pay more for insurance after an accident with an uninsured driver. “An uninsured motorist really causes a huge effect on the insurance industry,” Hawkins said. The law was proposed by Republican Insurance Commissioner Vicki Schmidt, who has not said whether she will run again. Hawkins recently announced his bid for the office.
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Hawkins Says State Should Assist Schools in Paying for Damages Not Covered by Insurance
TOPEKA, Kan. (KPR) – In his Republican bid for state insurance commissioner, Kansas House Speaker Dan Hawkins says the state should consider helping schools pay for certain insurance claims. Hawkins says Kansas school districts and junior colleges sometimes can’t get full coverage for certain claims, like hail damage to roofs. “You may have a $30 million building that it could cost $5 million to replace the roof,” he explained.
To help in those situations, Hawkins says the Legislature should create a sort of rainy day fund. The state would use some of those funds to help with expenses that insurance companies won’t fully cover. Hawkins works in the insurance industry. He has been in the Legislature for 12 years, serving as House speaker since 2023. Republican Insurance Commissioner Vicki Schmidt has not yet announced whether she will run again.
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Kansas Woman Files Lawsuit Against Online Pornographic Sites, Citing Age Verification Law
UNDATED (KNS) – A Kansas mom is suing several porn sites under a state age verification law. The Kansas News Service reports that a mother in Olathe says her 14-year-old son accessed harmful content hundreds of times in a two-month span. That’s despite a 2024 state law requiring adult websites to verify the ages of their users. Critics say young people can easily find work-arounds. Benjamin Bull is with the National Center on Sexual Exploitation, which has joined the lawsuit. He says age verification laws are the most effective way to keep young people from watching porn. “This isn't going to guarantee that children aren't going to be exposed to pornography. But it's the best we can do right now,” he added. The U.S. Supreme Court is expected to rule on a similar law in Texas soon, which could impact laws in Kansas and dozens of other states. (Read more.)
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Officials Say Streak Mosaic Virus Affecting Kansas Wheat Crop
LIBERAL, Kan. (KNS) – Officials say a disease has swept across Kansas wheat fields this year just before harvest. The Kansas News Service reports that this could potentially cost Kansas farmers millions of dollars. Kansas is known for wheat, but this year it’s in danger. A disease called Streak Mosaic Virus, along with some similar diseases, is popping up all over central Kansas wheat crops. The disease is carried by microscopic mites that land on wheat. Kelsey Andersen Onofre, who studies wheat diseases for Kansas State University, explained that “...this is like a community disease so you could do absolutely everything right on your farm, and if somebody else in the five mile vicinity does something different, then you could have these consequences.” Unfortunately for Kansas wheat farmers, Onofre says environmental practices to improve soil or reduce erosion like cover crops helped the disease spread this year. The last time this was a significant problem was 2017, which led to more than $76 million in crop failures.
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Area School District Leaders Oppose Federal School Voucher Program
UNDATED (KCUR) – Leaders of the Blue Valley, Shawnee Mission and Olathe school districts are speaking out against a proposal to launch a federal school voucher program. The Educational Choice for Children Act would give up to five billion dollars in tax credits a year to donors who fund scholarships for private and homeschooling costs. Congressional Republicans have tried to include it in budget bills this spring. David Smith, a Shawnee Mission spokesperson, told KCUR that public schools need federal funding because they have to serve all students… unlike private schools. "We serve students who are facing emotional and mental health challenges or who need to catch up with school. We do all those things, and when we divert resources from public schools, we have less resources available to us," Smith said, Voucher proposals have failed in Kansas, but an open enrollment law allows students to enroll in different school districts that have open seats.
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Overland Park Doctor Gets 25 Years in Prison in Child Porn Case
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (KSHB) - A federal judge has sentenced a former Overland Park pediatrician to 25 years in federal prison without parole after the doctor's guilty pleas in a child pornography case that involved thousands of images and videos. Prosecutors say 51-year-old Brian Aalbers worked as a pediatric neurologist at Overland Park Regional Medical Center. KSHB TV reports that if Dr. Aalbers ever gets out of prison, he will be under supervised release for life.
There were concerns that children who were patients of Dr. Aalbers may have been among his victims, but no evidence surfaced that any current or former patients were victims. His child pornography crimes were uncovered when Kansas City police officers investigated a report about concealed video cameras discovered at his office in October 2023.
Aalbers sent suicidal messages before Lenexa police officers took him to get voluntary mental health treatment. While at the hospital, two laptop computers, two tablets and a cell phone were found inside a backpack the doctor brought with him.
Search warrants of those devices and several others, including hidden video cameras, revealed more than 50,000 video files from the hidden video cameras. There were more than 1,000 videos that had pornographic images of 13 child victims, the news release states. Investigators also found thousands of images and videos while searching his iCloud account.
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Kansas Deputy Accused of Inappropriate Relationship with Minor
UNDATED (WJAR) - A sheriff's deputy in southeast Kansas is accused of engaging in an inappropriate relationship with a minor in Massachusetts. WJAR TV reports that police in Fall River, Massachusetts, contacted the Cherokee County Sheriff's Office in late April to say they were working on a case that involved an inappropriate relationship between one of Cherokee County's deputies and a juvenile victim in Massachusetts. That deputy, 24-year-old Garrett Gayoso, was immediately placed on administrative leave. He has since resigned. According to his lawyer, Gayoso planned to surrender to law enforcement authorities in Massachusetts.
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Kansas Forest Service Worries About Loss of Funding, Layoffs Under Proposed Federal Cuts
TOPEKA, Kan. (KSNT) – Kansas forestry officials are sounding the alarm this week as looming federal cuts threaten to affect their ability to fight wildfires and help support the state’s green spaces. KSNT reports that the Kansas Forest Service (KFS) issued a press release Wednesday calling on the state’s residents to support the agency. The Forest Service says the Trump Administration’s budget proposal would eliminate all Forest Service State, Private and Tribal Forestry (SPTF) programs. These programs help the agency with wildfire prevention, support local fire departments, assist private landowners with management of forests or windbreaks, community tree planting and care, along with habitat restoration. Trump has made major pushes to reduce government spending since he retook the White House.
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Burger Joint Sues Salina over Free Speech Violations
SALINA, Kan. (KC Star) - There's an ongoing legal battle in Salina between a burger joint and the city over an unfinished mural. The Kansas City Star reports that lawyers for The Cozy Inn accuse the city of Salina of violating free speech rights. Steve Howard, owner of The Cozy Inn, filed a lawsuit last year after the city told him he had to stop painting a mural on the side of his restaurant building because it violated city codes for signage. The Cozy Inn is a local landmark, serving up its famous sliders for more than 100 years. Howard hired an artist to paint a mural depicting burger-like flying saucers piloted by aliens shooting ketchup and mustard. The city said the mural is considered a regulated sign, which comes with rules. According to the Salina Post, the city has already paid more than a half-million dollars in legal fees in the case. For now, the mural’s aliens remain half-painted.
Lawyers expect ruling soon. All motions have been submitted in the case and are being reviewed by a federal judge. The case is being heard in U.S. District Court of Kansas, and could go to trial later this year if not resolved in a summary judgment ruling.
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Dr. Jeff Colyer Formally Launches Gubernatorial Campaign
WICHITA, Kan. (KMUW) – Dr. Jeff Colyer officially announced today Thursday that he's a candidate for Kansas governor, and is closely aligning himself with President Donald Trump. KMUW reports that Colyer entered the 2026 race for governor at a Wichita rally, where he compared his political experiences to those of Trump. “President Trump was president number 45 and 47. He is proving the point that when you successfully have done the job and then leave office and reflect on it for a couple of years, when you can come when you come back, you can do more than anyone else in a very short period of time,” he told the crowd.
Colyer served as Kansas's governor for a year after the resignation of Sam Brownback in 2018. A year later, he narrowly lost the Republican primary to Kris Kobach. Colyer's campaign platform includes cutting taxes, bolstering small businesses and deporting undocumented immigrants. He's also taken aim at diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives in schools and colleges.
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AmeriCorps Cuts to Affect Regional Conservation and Environment Programs
UNDATED (HPM) – The Department of Government Efficiency, or DOGE, has ordered deep cuts to AmeriCorps - a federal workforce development and service agency. Harvest Public Media reports that the reductions are affecting environment and conservation programs in the Midwest and Great Plains. At Indian Creek Nature Preserve in Cedar Rapids Iowa, Executive Director John Myers says AmeriCorps members were invaluable. A short-term, annual program had them doing difficult ecosystem restoration jobs like managing prescribed burns in prairies. But DOGE canceled the program nationwide. Myers says now they will have to rely on staff and volunteers to try to complete the work. "But nothing can compare to 10 full time team members on the ground doing the work on a daily basis," he added. Across the nation, similar natural spaces and outdoor education programs also rely on AmeriCorps members. Many of those positions are now empty. (Read more.)
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Survey Shows Drop in Students' Use of Controlled Substances in Southeast Kansas
PITTSBURG, Kan. (KRPS) – Substance use in southeast Kansas students is the lowest in 30 years. Radio station KRPS reports that the Kansas Communities That Care Survey assesses the attitudes, and behaviors of junior high and high school students when it comes to substance use. This year’s survey found 76% of students reported they’ve never drunk alcohol, compared to 36% in 1995. Program evaluator Jeremy Johnson says this data reflects a long-term effort by educators. "It's generally a building and finding ways to build on or change or adapt the culture within a school building within a school district within a community. That will shape those outcomes that change what students experience and feel and think," he added. Johnson recommends more education about the connection between substance use and mental health.
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