Israeli Ambassador Visits Family of Slain Kansan
OVERLAND PARK, Kan. (KMBC) — Israel’s ambassador to the United States met Sunday night with the family of the Kansas woman killed in an apparent antisemitic attack in Washington last week. Overland Park native Sarah Milgrim was shot and killed along with her boyfriend outside the Capital Jewish Museum. She worked at the Israeli embassy. Ambassador Yechiel “Michael” Leiter met with Milgrim’s family and expressed sorrow over the loss and the emotional toll it has taken on his staff. KMBC reports Leiter spent two hours with the Milgrim family and said he planned to visit with them again before returning to Washington.
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Haskell Indian Nations University in Search of New President
LAWRENCE, Kan. (LJW) — Haskell Indian Nations University is in search of a new president. Haskell's current president, Frank Arpan, is resigning. He made the announcement in an email to the Haskell campus late Friday afternoon. The Lawrence Journal-World reports that the email said Arpan would be leaving the school June 18 to "pursue other opportunities.” He did not elaborate. Arpan was hired as the school’s president in May 2023. Haskell has cycled through numerous presidents in recent years, and Arpan was the latest in a string of more than half a dozen temporary or long-term leaders.
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No Arrests Made After White Nationalist Group Holds March in Kansas City
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (KMBC) — About 100 members of a white supremacist and neo-fascist hate group rallied in Kansas City over the weekend. The group, called "Patriot Front," marched on the sidewalk near the Liberty Memorial for about an hour Saturday afternoon. Police believe the people involved are not from the Kansas City area. KMBC TV reports that no arrests were made.
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USDA to Require Access to State SNAP Records
UNDATED (HPM) – The U.S. Department of Agriculture is requiring states to hand over all records associated with the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP. Harvest Public Media reports that this comes as the department has a focus on preventing people in the country without legal permission from accessing the program. SNAP is a massive federal food aid program that serves more than 42 million people each month. There are specific rules on who is eligible, and even more regulations for which lawfully present noncitizens have access. But federally, SNAP has never been available to undocumented noncitizens. Valerie Lacarte, senior policy analyst at the Migration Policy Institute, says recent calls for states to look more closely at citizenship would only hurt eligible people. “There's this misconception that people who are ineligible are participating. It's not the case. So, if participation rates go down, it's amongst people who are eligible for SNAP,” she explained. Lacarte says the law for noncitizen SNAP access has been clear and remains unchanged.
The Kansas Reflector reports that the state of Kansas has declined the USDA's request.
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Pregnant Woman Killed but Baby Still Delivered in Wichita
WICHITA, Kan. (KWCH) — Wichita police say a young pregnant woman was shot and killed Sunday morning, but her baby was still delivered and is recovering at a local hospital. KWCH TV reports that officers were called to a home (in the 700 block of S. Laura Street) early Sunday morning for a reported shooting. Investigators say 20-year-old Naomi Oglesby was shot and died shortly after 5 am. Doctors were still able to deliver Oglesby’s baby, who is currently receiving care in the Neonatal Intensive Care unit at a local hospital. Police arrested a 19-year-old man at the scene who is believed to know Oglesby. He faces a charge of first-degree murder.
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Four People Killed in Dickinson County Crash
DICKINSON COUNTY, Kan. (KPR/KSAL) — It's been a deadly holiday weekend on Kansas roads. The Highway Patrol says four people died in a two-vehicle accident Saturday afternoon in Dickinson County. Four others were injured in the accident about 16 miles south/southwest of Abilene.
Investigators say 30-year-old Dawn Rae Peel, of Herington, was eastbound on Kansas Highway 4 when her vehicle crossed the center line and struck a westbound vehicle head-on. The westbound vehicle was driven by 23-year-old Adam Gerhart Henely, of Salina. Peel, and 2 passengers in the car including 71-year-old Peggy Ann Sutton of Bartlesville, Oklahoma, and an 8-year-old boy from Herington, were pronounced dead at the scene. A passenger in the second vehicle, 57-year-old Denise Renee Henely, of Herington, also died at the scene. An 8-year-old boy and a 14-year-old boy in the second vehicle, both of Herington, were transported to a hospital in Wichita. KSAL Radio reports that all eight people involved in the crash were wearing seat belts.
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Kansas Health Officials Detect Measles in Another Kansas County
TOPEKA, Kan. (KPR) — Kansas health officials have detected a positive case of measles in another Kansas county. The latest case is in Pawnee County, in central Kansas. It is unknown if this case is associated with the ongoing outbreak in Southwest and south-central Kansas. Measles is a highly contagious respiratory virus. It spreads easily when an infected person talks, sneezes or coughs. The best defense against measles is vaccination. So far this year, officials have identified 58 cases of measles, mostly in unvaccinated children.
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Topeka Tourism Down
TOPEKA, Kan. (KSNT) — Topeka tourism officials say tourism is down in the state’s capital city. The Topeka Lodging Association says the drop is due largely to the closure of Heartland Park Racetrack and issues with Hotel Topeka, which the city purchased two years ago. KSNT reports Topeka’s tourism taxes are 15 percent lower than expected so far this year. Tourism officials say severe weather is also to blame for the drop in visitors this year.
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Kansas Town Remembers 1955 Tornado
UDALL, Kan. (KSN) — Residents of the south-central Kansas town of Udall held events over the weekend to commemorate the 70th anniversary of a tornado that devastated the town. The tornado on May 25, 1955, killed more than 80 people. KSNW TV reports that a new addition to the town’s museum is a room dedicated to memorializing the event and those who died. The tornado stands as one of the deadliest in U.S. history.
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Leaked Proposal Indicates Funding Cut to Disability Services
TOPEKA, Kan. (KPR) – A leaked proposal to cut federal funding for disability services could affect groups that support around 46,000 Kansans. The leaked budget proposal would eliminate funding for the Developmental Disabilities Network. Those funds go to disability rights groups in all 50 states. The cuts would affect three hubs in Kansas that advocate for people with disabilities at the state and local level. Rocky Nichols leads the Disability Rights Center of Kansas. “There’s been an expansion of programs to protect the rights of people with disabilities. And you know, this would undo a lot of that, unfortunately,” Nichols said. The network began more than 60 years ago with a history of bipartisan support. Secretary of Health and Human Services Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. recently indicated he wants to continue supporting the network.
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Three City Council Members Resign, Three Appointed to Fill Seats in Southeast Kansas Town
CANEY, Kan. (Montgomery County Chronicle) — There's been a shake-up to city government in a southeast Kansas town. Three city council members in Caney abruptly resigned last week over the course of two days. The Montgomery County Chronicle reports that three new members were sworn in to fill those vacant seats. On several recent occasions, the Caney City Council has failed to hold regular meetings due to lack of a quorum. A quorum of five council members are needed for a meeting to be conducted. The council currently has eight members plus a mayor.
A plan is being considered to reduce the number of councilors from eight to four, plus a mayor. If enacted, the reduction would take place in January 2026.
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Kansas Railroad Named Among America’s Most Scenic Routes
ABILENE, Kan. (KPR/USA Today) — A small railroad line in Kansas has been named one of the nation's most scenic. The Abilene and Smoky Valley Railroad was named one of America’s top scenic train rides by USA Today. The newspaper highlighted the railroad's picturesque journey through Kansas farmland and the Smoky Hill River Valley.
Voters selected the Kansas railroad during a month-long nationwide poll. The results, revealed last week, placed it fifth among 10 of the most scenic excursion trains in the United States. The train in Abilene winds through river valleys rich with wildflowers, wildlife, and rural charm. Classic heritage railways in Colorado and New Mexico also made the list.
Most other scenic railroads featured in the ranking travel through mountains or desert terrain. In contrast, the Abilene and Smoky Valley Railroad offers travelers a serene, slow-paced ride through agricultural heartland and across scenic creeks. As the only rural railroad on the list, the A&SV stands apart for its landscape and historical significance. Its route to Enterprise includes views of prairies and farmland rarely experienced by train travelers.
(Read more in the railway transport news portal Railway Supply.)
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Unexpected Hitchhiker: Snake Pops Out from Hood of Kansas Woman’s Car
WICHITA, Kan. (KWCH) — A driver in Kansas picked up an unexpected hitchhiker over the weekend. KWCH TV reports that a woman was driving from Nickerson to Hutchinson when a snake poked its head out from underneath the hood of her car and slithered up the front wind shield. The woman doesn't know what kind of snake it was, but she snapped a photo of it. She then drove to a family member’s house for the relative to remove the snake. Experts say snakes are drawn to the warmth of the engine, especially after a drive.
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Art Project Launched to Support Medicaid Funding and Expansion
LIBERAL, Kan. (KNS) – A Kansas advocacy group is traveling across the state using an art project to push for preserving Medicaid. With cuts to the health care program Medicaid potentially looming at the federal level, advocacy groups are getting creative with their outreach. The Kansas News Service reports that the Alliance for a Healthy Kansas wants to protect and expand Medicaid in the state. Executive Director April Holman says the group is using textile art as a way to educate communities and draw attention to the issue. “It's hard to get people excited to come to a meeting where we're talking about the same thing. It's going to give us an opportunity to meet with people in a variety of communities across the state,” she explained. Holman says the goal is to display art pieces around Kansas to tell the stories of people living in the health care coverage gap.
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Kansas Communities Move Water Fight to Federal Court as Drought Threatens Their Future
TOPEKA, Kan. (Kansas Reflector) — A legal battle over water rights continues in west-central Kansas. Drought-stricken communities have escalated their fight for water rights from state to federal court. The Kansas Reflector reports that this case could affect how other cities across the state handle future water disputes.
The cities of Hays and Russell, located in neighboring counties just off of Interstate 70, sued nearby Edwards County in 2024 for blocking their plan to transfer water from Edwards County to their cities. The cities do not have enough water to supply future residents.
The cities hatched a plan in 1995 to purchase a 7,000-acre ranch in Edwards County. The ranch contains 32 water rights that the cities want to use for their public water supply. Edwards County has been trying to block the project, expressing concerns over a large amount of water being transferred out of a prominent agricultural community.
After years of fighting in state court, attorneys for Edwards County moved the case to federal court. Hays and Russell want the case moved back to district court but Edwards County wants the case thrown out entirely.
As jurisdictions across Kansas and the western U.S. confront dwindling water supplies, lawyers and water officials view this case as having the potential to set the stage for future cases.
Drought outlooks in the three western Kansas counties involved in the dispute range from moderate to abnormally dry.
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Federal Government Issues Disaster Declaration for Kansas Following Severe Storms
TOPEKA, Kan. (KPR) – The federal government has issued a major disaster declaration for Kansas after much of the state was hit by severe weather in March. Kansas now has access to federal disaster assistance to help with recovery efforts in areas affected by severe weather earlier this spring. That includes a winter storm, straight-line winds, flooding and wildfires. The funding is also available for local and tribal governments, along with some nonprofit organizations. It will be used to help repair and replace damaged facilities. More than two dozen Kansas counties in central, southeast and western Kansas are eligible for the assistance. They are Barton, Chautauqua, Edwards, Elk, Ellis, Gove, Graham, Gray, Greeley, Hodgeman, Jewell, Lincoln, Logan, Ness, Norton, Osborne, Pawnee, Phillips, Rice, Rooks, Rush, Russell, Sheridan, Sherman, Smith, Stafford, Wallace and Woodson counties.
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Transgender Student Formerly Employed by KU Files Lawsuit, Alleging Wrongful Termination
LAWRENCE, Kan. (KNS) – A transgender student and former employee at the University of Kansas is suing the school, alleging he was wrongfully terminated for speaking to the media about policy changes affecting LGBTQ students. The Kansas News Service reports that Anthony Alvarez says he was wrongfully terminated from his position as a residential assistant because he spoke to the Kansas News Service at a protest about housing policy changes that remove gender neutral spaces. The university put him on probation and then fired him the following day. The lawsuit alleges KU violated Alvarez’s First Amendment rights and did not give him time to appeal his probation before he was fired. KU did not respond to requests for comment. (Read more.)
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Quindaro Townsite Named as National Historic Landmark
KANSAS CITY, Kan. (KCUR) – A Kansas City, Kansas, landmark with ties to slavery was recognized as a National Historic Landmark on Thursday. KCUR reports that the Quindaro Townsite in Kansas City, Kansas, was once a safe haven for people escaping slavery along the Underground Railroad. Its new national historic landmark status means access to more federal preservation funds. Johnny Szlauderbach of the Freedom's Frontier National Heritage Area says Quindaro is a significant part of American history. “It's a truly hidden treasure that really deserves to be recognized for its mammoth importance in the American story,” he said. The designation still needs approval from the Secretary of the Interior.
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