Kansas Senators Vote in Favor of Trump’s “Big, Beautiful” Bill
WASHINGTON, DC (KPR) — As expected, both of Kansas’s U.S. senators voted with their fellow Republicans to pass President Trump’s self-proclaimed “big, beautiful” budget bill Tuesday. Their votes were crucial: the bill passed by just a margin of 51-50, with Vice President Vance casting the deciding ballot in his role as president of the senate.
Senator Roger Marshall said the bill will “deliver a win for every single American and we are entering America’s golden era.”
Senator Jerry Moran said he voted for the bill because it would extend federal income tax cuts Trump signed into law in 2017 and invest billions in immigration enforcement and the military.
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Rep. Sharice Davids Says Proposed Fund Not Large Enough to Save Rural Hospitals
UNDATED (KNS) – Representatives from Kansas and Missouri are in Washington, D.C., this week to consider a bill that would cut taxes and restrict Medicaid and food assistance. The U.S. Senate has passed the budget bill. The Kansas News Service reports that Republican Senators Josh Hawley of Missouri and Jerry Moran of Kansas supported creating a $50 billion emergency fund for rural hospitals. But Democratic Representative Sharice Davids of Kansas told reporters the fund will not be enough to protect rural hospitals, which often rely on federally subsidized health care programs. “That’s a bandaid for a problem that’s being created by the consistent attempts to undercut Medicaid,” she said. Supporters of the budget say it eliminates wasteful spending on social welfare programs.
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Judge Upholds Kansas Ban on Foreign Money in Constitutional Amendment Campaigns
KANSAS CITY, Kan. (Kansas Reflector) — A federal judge has upheld a Kansas ban on foreign contributions to state constitutional amendment campaigns. The law bans “foreign nationals” from contributing financially to campaigns for or against constitutional amendments. The Kansas Reflector reports the group Kansans for Constitutional Freedom sued to stop the law from taking effect Tuesday as scheduled.
U.S. District Judge Daniel Crabtree denied the group’s request, saying it was “unlikely to succeed on the merits of its claim.” Kansans for Constitutional Freedom has accepted foreign money in the past. The group describes itself as “a bipartisan coalition of reproductive rights advocates and allied organizations committed to protecting the constitutional rights of Kansans and keeping abortion safe and legal.”
The group plans to campaign against a proposed constitutional amendment that will ask voters next year if they want to change the way Kansas Supreme Court justices are selected.
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Fatal Fire Claims Life of Teenager in Solomon
SOLOMON, Kan. (KPR) — A fatality fire in central Kansas will be investigated by the Kansas State Fire Marshal. Authorities in Solomon requested assistance from the state fire marshal in connection with a residential structure fire that resulted in the death of a teenager. The Dickinson County Sheriff's Office was notified of the fire just before 5 am Tuesday. The entire residence was engulfed in fire when firefighters and deputies arrived on the scene. Two adults and a juvenile were able to make it out of the building. They told firefighters and deputies that another person was still trapped, and deputies tried to enter through a doorway and a window. The state Fire Marshal's office said in a press release that the deputies were turned back by intense heat and smoke. The body of 17-year-old Elizabeth Lillian Ohl was located inside the structure after the fire was brought under control.
The incident is currently classified as being of an undetermined nature, with multiple potential causes that cannot yet be ruled out.
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The Merc Co+op Closing KCK Location
KANSAS CITY, Kan. (KMBC) — The Merc Co+op is closing its store in Kansas City, Kansas, the company announced Tuesday. The store will close on December 30. The company cites long-term sustainability and financial performance for the closure. The Merc’s Lawrence store remains open and is unaffected by the decision. KMBC reports twelve workers will be affected by the closure of the Kansas City store. The Merc says it hopes to shift workers to its Lawrence location or assist them with job placement elsewhere.
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Report Addresses Veterinarian Shortage in Kansas
TOPEKA, Kan. (KPR) — The shortage of veterinarians in rural Kansas is addressed in a new report prepared for the Kansas Department of Agriculture. The report prepared by the Farm Journal Foundation looks at the root causes of the shortage. It analyzes veterinary licensing and practices, veterinary workforce and education, available federal assistance programs, and Kansas farm and livestock data. Kansas Agriculture Secretary Mike Beam says the report will help state officials take the next steps toward bolstering the state’s veterinary workforce. Kansas is one of three states taking part in this program to assess veterinary readiness, along with Oklahoma and Indiana.
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Who's Buying Imported Fireworks This Year? People in Missouri and Kansas
WICHITA, Kan. (KNS) – A new report shows that Missouri and Kansas rank first and second in the nation in per-capita spending to import fireworks. The Kansas News Service reports that the study shows Missouri imported more than $85 million worth of fireworks last year. That’s nearly $14 per resident. Kansas was second in the nation, importing about $9 per resident. Nebraska was third. Divya Sangameshwar is an insurance expert with ValuePenguin by Lending Tree, which published the report. She says top sales don’t necessarily mean that more people set off fireworks here or that there are more fireworks-related injuries. “A huge part of it could also be just folks coming from other states with stricter fireworks laws, and buying fireworks in Kansas and Missouri,” she added. The report says fireworks prices could be higher this year because of the ongoing tariff war with China, which produces most of the nation's fireworks.
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New State Child Care Regulations Take Effect in Kansas
UNDATED (KNS) — New child care regulations in Kansas went into effect Tuesday, including an increase to the number of children an unlicensed provider can care for. The Kansas News Service reports that the new law now allows those providers to serve up to four children for 35 hours a week each. The cut off was previously 20 hours a week total, and for just two children. Supporters of the new law argue it will make it easier for parents to find child care. But Emily Barnes of the advocacy group Kansas Action for Children says it could also decrease safety. “We want to ensure that we're reducing preventable risk and increasing the likelihood that the experiences are positive for everyone,” she added. The new law also loosened vaccine requirements at day cares.
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Topeka Food Bank to Distribute Tons of Free Food
TOPEKA, Kan. (KSNT) — A Topeka food bank plans to distribute 15 tons of food at no cost to needy families this week. KSNT reports Harvesters Community Food Network is teaming up with a local church to distribute the food on Thursday at the Kansas Neurological Institute in Topeka. The food will be distributed on a first-come, first-served basis beginning at 9:30 am.
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Pittsburg State's College of Education Earns National Accreditation
PITTSBURG, Kan. (KRPS) – Pittsburg State University’s College of Education is now one of 34 higher education institutions to earn national accreditation. Pitt State students scored well above the state average on education licensing exams, with a pass rate of 94 percent. Jean Dockers, director of teacher education, told KRPS Radio the high performance and accreditation make it easier for students to transition to full-time teaching, adding that "... part of the program is to ensure that our product, our students, our graduates, are eligible to get their licenses." During the past seven years, more than 2,500 students completed the teacher preparation program.
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Tornadoes in 2025 Hitting Frequently and Farther East
UNDATED (HPM) — The U.S. has seen the second-highest number of tornadoes for this time of year in the last fifteen years. As Harvest Public Media reports, scientists say tornadoes have been becoming more common out of what we traditionally think of as tornado alley, around Texas, Oklahoma, Kansas, and Nebraska. “That is, we think, tied to climate change related processes, particularly with the hydrological cycle,” Ohio State University associate geography professor Jana Houser told Harvest Public Media. “So the central U.S. has been having some drier years, some hot, dry years, that have decreased the tornado counts.” This year so far, Arkansas, Missouri, Illinois, Kentucky and nearby states have seen hundreds of tornadoes. Scientists say tornadoes are also increasingly happening in cooler months. (Read more.)
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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 Areas Beyond TSA 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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