Kansas Internet Age Verification Law May Be Strengthened by U.S. Supreme Court Decision
UNDATED (KNS) – A Kansas law requiring age verification on adult websites may be harder to challenge after a decision Friday by the U.S. Supreme Court. The Kansas News Service reports that dozens of states have enacted age verification policies, which force adult website operators to verify each user’s age to make sure kids cannot access porn. An adult industry trade group challenged a similar law in Texas. They argued such laws infringe on adults’ rights to access adult content. But the conservative majority on the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that the Texas law does not violate the first amendment. The ruling will make age verification laws in Kansas and elsewhere safer from legal challenges.
==========
Senator Roger Marshall Disputes CBO Claims on Medicare Costs of Proposed Reconciliation Bill; Supports Cuts to Public Broadcasting
UNDATED (KNS) – Republican U.S. Senator Roger Marshall of Kansas said at an event on Friday that he supports President Donald Trump’s reconciliation bill that could drastically cut federal spending. The Kansas News Service reports Marshall disputes that the bill would cut health care funding for older Americans.
The nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office says the bill would increase the national deficit by trillions of dollars, triggering mandatory cuts to Medicare, which provides health insurance to older citizens. The office says that trigger would cut Medicare by $500 billion over the next 10 years unless lawmakers take further action. But Marshall says that he does not buy that. “I think that's all voodoo accounting, we very specifically have not touched Medicare with this bill. I don't know how the CBO comes up with that number. It never made sense to me,” Marshall said. He also says that President Trump has made it very clear they are not touching Medicare.
Marshall also voiced his support for 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. Marshall said it’s time to cut federal funding to public broadcasting programs, adding that “...my kids grew up watching Sesame Street, but it just feels like they went in a different direction. Many Americans don't want their federal dollars going to their programs, and I agree with those Kansans.”
Opponents say the federal funds help radio and television programs reach rural areas. They also say cuts would harm rural communities and leave them without reliable emergency alerts.
==========
Kansas Supreme Court Overturns JoCo Man's Murder Conviction
UNDATED (KCUR/KC Star) – The Kansas Supreme Court on Friday overturned a Johnson County man’s conviction for the 2018 killing of his pregnant girlfriend. Devonte Wash was sentenced to life in prison after a three-week trial in 2022. KCUR reports that the Kansas Supreme Court has reversed Wash’s conviction and sent the case back to Johnson County. The Kansas City Star reports that the court found that Wash did not receive a fair trial because the Johnson County prosecutor repeatedly referred to evidence excluded from the trial in front of the jury. The court also took issue with the prosecutor’s argument that a bullet casing from the crime scene and a casing found in Wash’s backyard came from the same gun as a way to connect Wash to the killing.
==========
Kansas Mulls Chiefs’ Request to Extend Stadium Proposal Deadline
UNDATED (KC Star/KPR) — A committee of Kansas lawmakers will meet next month to consider retroactively extending the June 30 deadline for the state’s offer to help pay for new stadiums for the Kansas City Chiefs and Royals. Chiefs officials formally requested an extension on Thursday. A legislative committee will meet on July 7 to discuss the request. Kansas and Missouri have offered the two teams competing packages for new or renovated stadiums. Missouri’s offer was recently finalized in a special legislative session. The Kansas City Star reports that several Missouri lawmakers expressed shock and frustration over the Chiefs’ request to extend the Kansas deadline.
==========
Kansas Prison Locked Down Multiple Times for Drug Smuggling
HUTCHINSON, Kan. (KWCH) — The state prison in Hutchinson has been put on lockdown multiple times over the past two months for alleged drug use by inmates. Republican state representative Bob Lewis, who chairs the House Corrections and Juvenile Justice Committee, told KWCH the Kansas Department of Corrections and the Kansas Bureau of Investigation are looking into the drug problem and the prison. Lewis said investigators have found that drug suppliers use drones to drop drugs into the prison yard. Several inmates at Hutchinson have overdosed and were hospitalized. In March, an inmate died from an overdose.
==========
SCOTUS Ruling Could Impact Health Care in Kansas
WICHITA, Kan. (KNS) — Health care providers in Kansas say Thursday's U.S. Supreme Court decision allowing states to ban Planned Parenthood from accepting Medicaid could impact health care access. Medicaid only covers abortion in life-threatening circumstances or in cases of rape. But Kansans on Medicaid can also go to Planned Parenthood clinics for services like birth control, vasectomies and cancer screenings. The court decision now allows state lawmakers to restrict that.
==========
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.
==========
Western Kansas Towns Investing in Walking Trails
LIBERAL, Kan. (KNS) – Small towns in western Kansas are building outdoor walking trails to encourage better health and attract new residents. Ninety-eight percent of Kansas land is privately owned. And in rural Kansas, there’s a lack of gyms and parks. The Sunflower Foundation is a state health organization. The group is helping small towns build trails to give residents access to exercise and nature at no cost. Elizabeth Burger with the foundation says the group has funded 200 trails across 82 Kansas counties.
“There's that tangible symbol that we as a community care about where we live, and we have created this trail that everyone can use,” she said. Burger adds that the group is helping launch a monthly webinar with Kansas Trails Inc. in July to teach rural communities how to build trails and encourage outdoor activity.
editor's note: The Sunflower Foundation provides support to some KPR programs and initiatives.
==========
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.
==========
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.
==========
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.
==========
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.
==========
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.
==========
It’s OK to Help the Turtle Cross the Road—but Be Gentle
UNDATED (KSNT) — State wildlife officials are reminding Kansans to be aware of turtles crossing the road this summer as the animals look for mates or places to lay their eggs. If you see a turtle slowly making its way across a road, wildlife experts say it’s OK to help it along by gently picking it up, just be sure when you put it down to point it in the direction it was moving. Then wash your hands. State wildlife officials told KSNT Kansas is home to fourteen different turtle species. They also discourage people from adopting wild turtles as pets. Many require special care and some can live decades.
==========
This summary of area news is curated by KPR news staffers. Our headlines are generally published by 10 am weekdays and are updated through 7 pm. This ad-free news summary is made possible by KPR members. Become one today. And follow KPR News on X (formerly Twitter).