Area Health Care Providers React to SCOTUS Decision on Medicaid Funding for Planned Parenthood
WICHITA, Kan. (KNS) – Kansas and Missouri health care providers say Thursday's U.S. Supreme Court decision banning Planned Parenthood from accepting Medicaid could impact health care access locally. The Kansas News Service reports that Medicaid only covers abortion in life-threatening circumstances or cases of rape. But Kansans on Medicaid can go to Planned Parenthood clinics for services like birth control, vasectomies and cancer screenings. The court decision allows state lawmakers to restrict that. Emily Wales with Planned Parenthood Great Plains says that could mean less access to care. “We need every single player in the safety net system for Kansans to be working. And right now, it's really hard to know where to send folks, because we just don't have enough resources in the state,” she explained. Planned Parenthood is currently fighting Missouri’s ban on accepting Medicaid.
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Proposed Ottawa County Hog Farm Would Hold 45,000 Pigs
OTTAWA COUNTY, Kan. (TCJ) — A Minnesota company is asking Kansas regulators for permission to open a hog farm with a capacity of more than 45,000 pigs. The Topeka Capital Journal reports the proposed facility would be in rural Ottawa County about 30 miles north of Salina. The company, Schwartz Wilke Farms, has applied to the Kansas Department of Health and Environment for a water pollution control permit. A hearing on the application will be held next month. Schwartz Wilke has operations in Nebraska, Iowa and South Dakota.
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Kansas Governor: Fed Cuts Could Stop Food Aid for 27,000 Residents
UNDATED (KNS) — Thousands of low-income Kansans could lose access to food assistance under proposed cuts to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, also known as “SNAP.” It’s part of the Trump administration's budget reconciliation bill. The Kansas News Service reports that Kansas Democratic Governor Laura Kelly says Republican lawmakers in the U.S. Senate want to shift some SNAP costs to states. She says the proposed federal cuts would cost Kansas $15.5 million annually, adding that “...the idea that states will respond to massive cuts of federally appropriated dollars by backfilling with state resources is total bunk. We don’t have the money.” The bill also proposes more work requirements for SNAP recipients. Kelly says that could lead to 27,000 Kansans losing the food assistance.
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Reports of Measles Cases Continue to Rise in Kansas
WICHITA, Kan. (KNS) — Measles cases continue to rise in Kansas. The Kansas News Service reports that most of the infections are connected to an outbreak in the southwestern part of the state. Kansas officials reported one new measles infection this week, bringing the state’s yearly total to 80 cases across 11 counties. Gray and Haskell Counties have the largest number of cases, and most of those infected have been children. Measles is a highly contagious respiratory virus that has led to three deaths in the U.S. so far this year. No deaths have been reported in Kansas, but three people have been hospitalized. Public health officials are urging all Kansans to ensure they and their families are vaccinated. Babies can get their first dose at 6 months.
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Missouri Lawmaker Wants to Cut Funding for Public Broadcasting
UNDATED (KNS) — A federal lawmaker from Missouri testified Wednesday in favor of cutting federal funding for public broadcasting. President Trump is asking Congress to claw back over a billion dollars from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting because he says public radio and television programming has a liberal bias. Republican U.S. Senator Eric Schmitt told the Senate Appropriations Committee that many stations receiving money have other funding mechanisms. “Most are largely funded and sustained by hundreds of millions of private dollars through donors, corporate sponsors, foundations, and state and local governments,” he argued.
Opponents say the cuts would harm rural broadcasters and cut communities off from emergency alerts. Kansas Republican Senator Jerry Moran sits on the committee.
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Black Leaders Met with Wichita School Superintendent to Discuss Possible Graduation Rate Inflation
WICHITA, Kan. (KNS) – Some Black leaders in Wichita raised concerns last fall that local high schools could be inflating their graduation rates. The Kansas News Service reports that members of the Greater Wichita Ministerial League and NAACP met with Wichita Superintendent Kelly Bielefeld in October. The leaders expressed concerns about graduation rates going up while scores on state tests remain low. More than two-thirds of Wichita 10th graders scored in the bottom level of the state test in math. Superintendent Bielefeld says state tests are not an accurate reflection of student performance. "Not trying to discredit it, I just think it's not really enough to show the whole picture. And that was part of the conversation we had then, and we continue to have in the community," he said. The Black leaders say schools could be using credit recovery programs to award diplomas without ensuring that students have the skills they need.
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UPDATE: Chiefs Ask Kansas to Extend Deadline for Stadium Deal
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (KSHB) — Kansas Senate President Ty Masterson called for a meeting Thursday to extend a key incentives deadline for sports stadium projects. KSHB TV reports that Masterson cited a June 26 letter from the Kansas City Chiefs in support of extending the deadline. It’s the first detailed example of ongoing negotiations between the club and Kansas officials.
(–Additional reporting–)
Kansas Legislators to Consider Extension of Deadline for Kansas City Chiefs Stadium Negotiation
UNDATED (KNS) – Top Kansas lawmakers will consider giving the Kansas City Chiefs more time to make a deal on building a new stadium across the state line. Last July, Kansas approved tax incentives that would help fund the construction of a domed, Super Bowl-ready Chiefs stadium in the Sunflower State. The Kansas News Service reports that offer is set to expire on June 30. But Kansas Senate President Ty Masterson, a Republican, says the team has requested a deadline extension. In a letter, Chiefs President Mark Donovan said the organization has made progress with stakeholders in Kansas, but still needs to iron out more details of the multi-billion dollar deal. A legislative leadership committee will meet on July 7 to discuss the request.
(–Earlier reporting–)
How the Chiefs or Royals Could End Up in Kansas Even if Offer Deadline Passes
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (KC Star) — It remains unclear whether the Kansas City Chiefs and Royals will stay in Missouri or move to Kansas, but the teams are facing a deadline, of sorts. When Kansas passed a massive incentives program to lure the professional teams into the state, lawmakers included a June 30, 2025, deadline to strike a deal with the teams. But the Kansas City Star reports that the deadline is largely artificial. The Kansas law allows top lawmakers to extend the state’s offer for one year.
It also gives them another, lesser-known escape hatch, allowing lawmakers to retroactively approve an extension after June 30. In theory, they could wait weeks or months before authorizing an extension. That would create a path for the state to remain in the hunt for the teams even after the June 30th deadline.
The Kansas Legislative Coordinating Council (LCC) will decide whether to extend the state’s offer, which features supercharged Sales Tax and Revenue, or STAR, bonds. Top lawmakers of both parties make up the council, with Republicans holding a majority.
The LCC typically handles internal administrative matters for the Legislature, which meets for its annual session in the winter and spring. During the off-season, it’s not uncommon for the LCC to go weeks or even months without meeting.
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Kansas Losing Federal Money for Fighting Unemployment Insurance Fraud
UNDATED (KNS) – The Kansas Department of Labor is losing federal money dedicated to fighting unemployment insurance fraud. The Kansas News Service reports that Kansas will lose more than half of its $1.7 million grant to make accessing unemployment benefits easier for rightful applicants — and harder for thieves. During the COVID-19 pandemic, the state processed nearly half of a billion dollars’ worth of fraudulent unemployment payments. The Kansas labor secretary, appointed by Democratic Governor Laura Kelly, is Amber Shultz. She says, without resources for modernization, recent history could repeat itself. “I fully anticipate an uptick and bad actors trying to get through our systems again,” she cautioned. A spokesperson for the U.S. Department of Labor said that states were wasting the money on efforts to make their systems more equitable.
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More Than $5 Million Awarded for KDOT Projects
TOPEKA, Kan. (KPR) — Governor Laura Kelly has announced $5.3 million in grants for transportation projects in Kansas. The projects include street, sidewalk, and bridge improvements in eleven cities and counties, including Junction City and Eudora. These projects are part of the Kansas Department of Transportation’s Cost Share Program. The state investment will also include nearly $3 million in community matching funds, amounting to more than $8 million for the improvements.
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Lack of Inspectors Endangers Kansas Nursing Home Residents
UNDATED (KNS) — Understaffing at the Kansas agency that regulates adult care homes is putting elderly and disabled residents at risk of abuse and neglect. Data obtained by the Kansas News Service indicates a critical shortage of nursing home investigators. In May and June, more than half of surveyor positions for nursing facilities and state-licensed adult care homes were vacant. The result, advocates say, is that some patients have died before officials could investigate complaints filed by family members. Click here for an in-depth look at this story.
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A.G. Kobach Asks Feds to Investigate Kansas School Districts
WICHITA, Kan. (KNS) — Kansas Attorney General Kris Kobach asked the U.S. Department of Education Tuesday to investigate four Kansas school districts over concerns about transgender students. The Kansas News Service reports that last year, Kobach sent letters to six Kansas school districts challenging policies that allow employees to hide from parents the fact that a student may be using a different name or pronoun at school. Now the attorney general is asking federal officials to investigate four districts he says are “socially transitioning” students without parents’ consent. The districts are Kansas City, Kansas, Olathe, Shawnee Mission, and Topeka. In a letter to Education Secretary Linda McMahon, Kobach says the policies violate the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act. Officials with the districts have said their practices protect students and parents and comply with current laws.
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Court: Sedgwick County Juvenile Detention Officers Must Face Trial
WICHITA, Kan. (KMUW) — The case against five Sedgwick County juvenile detention officers involved in the 2021 death of Cedric “CJ” Lofton will move forward after a recent federal court ruling. The officers hoped a federal appeals court would agree they were protected by qualified immunity for their part in the death of 17-year old CJ Lofton. They asked the court to dismiss the case against them. KMUW reports that the appeals panel denied their immunity claims and agreed with the federal district court that a jury should decide whether or not the officers' actions were constitutional. Lofton died of a cardiac arrest in 2021 after he was restrained on the ground for more than 40 minutes. His brother brought a civil lawsuit against the officers in 2022. A jury trial was scheduled for late 2024 before the officers appealed. No new trial date has been set since the appeals ruling.
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Kansas State Treasurer Announces Re-Election Campaign
TOPEKA, Kan. (KPR) — Kansas State Treasurer Steven Johnson says he’s running for re-election. Johnson made the announcement on Wednesday at the annual Bob Dole Dinner hosted by the Kansas Republican Party. He was elected the state’s 42nd state treasurer in 2022. The state treasurer is responsible for overseeing the state’s $50 billion in assets.
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Log Jam Causing Concern in Salina
SALINA, Kan. (KSNW) — Officials in Salina are warning people to stay away from a large log jam on the Smoky Hill River in Bill Burke Park. KSNW reports people have been seen walking atop the unstable pile of logs and even swimming just downstream. Local emergency officials say such actions are “incredibly dangerous” and potentially “life-threatening.” They warn that a safe and swift rescue would be unlikely if someone were to fall into the log jam. The City of Salina is currently evaluating options to address the problem.
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Royals in No Hurry to Make Deals as Trade Deadline Approaches
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (KPR) — So far this month of June, the Kansas City Royals are winless at home. But with the July 31 trading deadline approaching, their general manager says they’re in no hurry to make a deal. The Royals’ main problem is a lack of scoring. To open this week’s series against Tampa Bay, the Royals were held to just four hits in their 5-1 loss on Tuesday night, and they didn’t get their first hit until the sixth inning. Royals general manager J.J. Piccollo, however, is holding out out hope that the offense will come alive. "All it takes is one good week of baseball, two good weeks of baseball, and you’re clearly in the middle of things. Probably thinking, 'What can we add for ’25?'", he said. The Royals homestand will continue with the Rays at 6:40 pm Wednesday and at 1:10 Thursday afternoon. The world champion Los Angeles Dodgers come to Kansas City for the weekend.
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