Kansas Deputy Killed in the Line of Duty
PHILLIPSBURG, Kan. (KWCH) — Police are still investigating a shooting in north-central Kansas on Friday that left a Phillips County sheriff’s deputy and a man he was arresting both dead. Thirty-year-old deputy Brandon Gaede responded to a report of illegal fireworks in Phillipsburg Friday night. He was placing 27-year-old Kolton Griffith under arrest when Griffith pulled out a concealed weapon and shot the deputy, who returned fire. Griffith was pronounced dead at the scene. Deputy Gaede died later Friday at a local hospital. KWCH reports the Kansas Bureau of Investigation has asked the Sedgwick County Sheriff’s to take the lead in investigating the incident. A fundraising drive has been started to support the slain deputy’s family.
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Haskell Faculty Warn Cuts Would “Devastate” the School
LAWRENCE, Kan. (LJW) — Faculty at Haskell Indian Nations University are warning that the Trump administration’s proposed budget cuts would “devastate” the school. The Lawrence Journal World reports the administration’s proposed budget for 2026 would reduce federal funding to Haskell and other postsecondary tribal institutions by 90%. In a statement the Haskell Faculty Senate says the proposal would defund Tribal Colleges “beyond any hope of functionality.” The proposal is included in the budget request from the Department of the Interior to Congress. Haskell is the largest and oldest intertribal university in the nation, with 153 federally recognized tribes represented on campus.
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State University Presidents in Kansas Get Raises
TOPEKA, Kan. (KNS) — The Kansas Board of Regents has unanimously approved pay raises for the presidents of all six state universities. The Regents voted during a special meeting Friday to raise CEO salaries by 4% to 12%. KU chancellor Doug Girod received the biggest raise. His salary will go from $695,000 to $800,000 a year. Kansas State University president Richard Linton got a $37,000 raise. Wichita State president Rick Muma’s salary will increase by 4%, to $625,000 a year.
Regents chairman Carl Ice says raises are necessary to attract and retain talent. “I view this as very important work and something that will help chart a path for our current leaders for years and future leaders as well,” Ice said. The raises come as Kansas universities have slashed budgets and raised tuition to address projected enrollment declines and reductions in funding.
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New Kansas Tax Law Takes Effect Tuesday
TOPEKA, Kan. (KPR) — Most of the 129 new laws passed during this year’s session of the Kansas Legislature are set to take effect Tuesday. One of them is a new flat income tax, which has long been a priority for Republican lawmakers. In previous years, they were unable to override the veto of Republican governor Laura Kelly. But after increasing their number in the last election, Republicans finally had the votes to override. The new law will gradually reduce the state’s two income tax rates from more than 5% to a flat 4%. Responding to Kelly’s objections, GOP leaders say built-in safeguards will protect the state budget during economic downturns.
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Proposed Budget Bill Would End Funding for Some Programs Aiding Those with Developmental Disabilities
UNDATED (KCUR) – Kansans with developmental disabilities could have a harder time finding and keeping a job under President Donald Trump’s proposed federal budget. The president’s proposed budget would end funding for a nationwide network of universities that help people with developmental disabilities find housing, employment and health care. One center at the University of Kansas works to find jobs and build careers for people with developmental disabilities. But Director Karrie Shogren told KCUR they can’t do that work without this funding, saying that “...we consistently hear stories from the work we’re doing all across Kansas of how meaningful it is to have us come in and set up planning teams to increase employment rates.” Shogren says pulling funding will also impact state developmental disability councils, which advocate for disability policies and programs.
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KU Researchers Seek Revision of Seafood Consumption Guidelines for Pregnancy
UNDATED (KNS) – Since the early 2000s, doctors have recommended pregnant women eat less seafood. But the Kansas News Service reports that now, researchers at the University of Kansas are part of a group that wants doctors to update the advisory. Fish can contain environmental toxins, like mercury, which is why doctors recommend pregnant people limit eating seafood. But John Colombo, a researcher at KU, says the recommendation generally leads pregnant women to give up seafood altogether. He says that’s not good because fish is one of the easiest ways to get nutrients like omega-3 fatty acids, which are vital for brain and eye development. “These are particularly important because for the most part we have to get them from our diet,” he explained. Colombo is one of dozens of scientists calling for changes to federal advisories against fish consumption during pregnancy.
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AAA Predicts Heavy Fourth of July Traffic
UNDATED (WIBW-TV) — AAA is predicting plenty of traffic for the upcoming Independence Day holiday. Since the Fourth of July falls on a Friday this year, more traffic than usual is expected. According to WIBW-TV, AAA says nearly 700,000 Kansans are expected to take trips of 50 miles or more from their homes for the Independence Day holiday travel period, an increase of 2% from last year. Of those traveling, AAA says 84.5% will drive to their holiday destination, a 1.2% increase from last year.
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KCI to Offer Guest Passes for Passenger Areas Beyond Security Checkpoints
UNDATED (KCUR) – There’s a big change in KCI security planned this week. KCUR reports that people without tickets will be allowed past checkpoints. It’s called a guest pass and allows people to accompany loved ones to the gates or just shop or eat in the terminal. Here’s how it works, according to the KCI website: first, you have to apply online up to seven days in advance. TSA does its regular security check and then you’ll get a digital guest pass. You have to present the pass along with your ID at airport security. A dozen airports, including Orlando, Philadelphia and New Orleans already have guest passes. The first guest passes will be issued Thursday, ahead of what TSA expects to be a busy long July Fourth holiday weekend.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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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Topeka Zoo Welcomes Two Newborn Golden Lion Tamarins
TOPEKA, Kan. (WIBW-TV) — The Topeka Zoo is celebrating the birth of two endangered golden lion tamarins. The two babies were born to parents Esperta and Kris. They have an older brother named Zico at the zoo. WIBW-TV reports the gender of the babies is still unknown. Visitors will be able to see them in the tamarin family’s habitat attached to the Tropical Rainforest dome. The babies will be easier to locate in a few weeks as they grow and begin to explore on their own. Golden lion tamarins are a small primate that is known for its golden-orange fur and lion-like mane.
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