Vicki Schmidt Enters Republican Primary Race for Governor
UNDATED (KNS) – Kansas Insurance Commissioner Vicki Schmidt has entered the crowded Republican primary race for governor. The Kansas News Service reports that Schmidt joins a growing pool of 2026 GOP candidates that includes former Governor Jeff Colyer and Secretary of State Scott Schwab. A pharmacist by training, Schmidt spent 14 years as a Kansas Senator and has served as insurance commissioner since 2019. In her announcement video, Schmidt points to her experience in health policy as a provider, politician and patient. “The biggest challenge of my life: beating breast cancer. It was scary and humbling,” she said. During her time as a lawmaker, Schmidt says she helped improve insurance coverage for children with autism.
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Kansas Supreme Court: Obscured License Plate Not Sufficient Grounds for Stop
TOPEKA (Kansas Reflector) — The Kansas Supreme Court has overturned a drug case, saying a partially obscured license plate was not sufficient grounds to warrant a traffic stop. The Kansas Reflector reports the case stems from a March 2021 traffic stop in Geary County. A Geary County sheriff’s deputy pulled over a motorist on Interstate 70 near Junction City because part of the word “Illinois” on the car’s license plate was obscured by the license plate frame.
The deputy testified the motorist appeared “extremely nervous,” was breathing deeply, and said he was lost. The deputy decided that was enough to call in a drug-sniffing dog. A subsequent search uncovered more than two pounds of methamphetamine. The Supreme Court’s ruling vacates the motorist’s convictions and sends the case back to a lower court to determine whether the deputy had “constitutionally valid grounds for making the stop and seizure.”
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Kansas Schools Get Some Federal Funds, Lose Some Federal Funds
TOPEKA, Kan. (KSNT/WIBW) – Good news and bad news for Kansas schools this week: The state Department of Education announced Tuesday it has regained access to millions of dollars in COVID recovery funding that the federal government had pulled back earlier this year. But at the same time, the federal government is withholding millions in funds meant to educate the children of migrant workers and those who are learning English.
KSNT reports the COVID money was earmarked for addressing learning problems caused by the pandemic. Meanwhile, WIBW-TV reports the federal Department of Education says it’s pausing the money for migrant education while it “reviews” the program. Kansas education officials say that decision will hit rural schools especially hard.
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Measles Cases Continue to Increase in Kansas
UNDATED (KNS) – Measles cases are on the rise in Kansas. In the last week, the state health department recorded four additional cases, bringing the total to 87. Most of the cases are in southwest Kansas, but some are in the Wichita and Hutchinson areas. Measles is highly contagious. State health officials are warning the public of a potential exposure at Wesley Medical Center in Wichita in the hospital’s fifth-floor pediatric unit. People who were in that unit July 1st to July 3rd could have been exposed. The state is asking people who might have been exposed to watch for symptoms for three weeks.
Stephen Lauer is a pediatrician for the University of Kansas Medical System. In a video shared by KU, Lauer said it’s important to know whether there are measles cases in your area. That’s because the virus has a long incubation period. “By the time you hear about a case, it’s been in the population, that local population, for at least a week. Maybe two,” Lauer explained. He said the best way to protect against measles is to get vaccinated.
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Heat Burst Reported in Western Kansas
SUBLETTE, Kan. (KSNW) — It's hot all across the state. But the National Weather Service in Dodge City says one western Kansas community experienced a heat burst early Wednesday morning. KSNW TV reports that the heat burst happened around 3 a.m. in Sublette, in Haskell County. That's where the temperature suddenly jumped nearly 20 degrees from 67° to 86°. It happened as a thunderstorm was moving south through the area. Forecasters say heat bursts are relatively rare. These nighttime events create gusty winds, a sharp increase in temperature, and a rapid drop in dew point. They are caused by dissipating thunderstorms.
While uncommon, other cases of a heat burst in Kansas have been documented in Wichita, in 2011, and in Emporia, in 2008.
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Judge Won’t Lift Block on Leavenworth Immigrant Detention Center
LEAVENWORTH, Kan. (Kansas Reflector) — A judge is keeping in place—for now—the restraining order that stops the private-prison company CoreCivic from housing immigration detainees at its vacant facility in Leavenworth. Leavenworth County district judge John Bryant said Monday he would take CoreCivic’s motion to reconsider the temporary restraining order “under advisement.” The Kansas Reflector reports the judge also ordered the city of Leavenworth and CoreCivic to finalize the wording for the restraining order.
The city says CoreCivic must go through the local development process to reopen the prison. The company disagrees and has asked the judge to reconsider the temporary restraining order. It has a contract with ICE that would pay $4.2 million per month to house immigrants in its vacant Leavenworth facility.
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After Texas Tragedy, Kansas Camps Review Safety Plans
UNDATED (KWCH-TV) — Summer camps across Kansas are reviewing their safety response plans after recent flooding killed more than two dozen campers and counselors at an all-girls camp in Texas. KWCH-TV reports officials at Camp Quaker Haven near Arkansas City are re-evaluating safety procedures. Though the camp is located well above the water, officials at the camp say staff constantly monitor the 160-acre campground, especially during severe weather.
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Legislator Says Chiefs, Royals Seriously Considering Move to Kansas
UNDATED (KCUR) — A Kansas legislator says the Kansas City Chiefs and Royals are seriously considering moving their stadiums across the state line. KCUR reports that lawmakers decided Monday to give both teams six more months to reach deals with the state. They approved a plan last year to cover up to 70 percent of stadium costs through tax incentives. House Minority Leader Brandon Woodard says the proposal wouldn’t take money from schools or roads. Instead, sales tax revenue would help pay the costs. "We're letting the people that are going to the games, that are buying a hot dog, that are buying a drink, that are shopping at the, you know, store across the street, they are the ones paying for it," Woodard explained.
Missouri lawmakers approved an incentive package in June to cover half of the teams’ construction costs.
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KCC Allows Evergy to Recoup More than $1 Billion Spent on New Facilities
TOPEKA, Kan. (KCTV) — The Kansas Corporation Commission has approved settlement agreements involving the utility company Evergy. The KCC will allow the company to recover the cost of building three new facilities: a solar facility in Douglas County, a natural gas plant in Reno County and another gas plant in Sumner County. The Douglas County solar facility, called Kansas Sky, is expected to cost nearly $230 million to build.
KCTV reports that the new natural gas plant in Reno County will cost more than $800 million. The gas plant in Sumner County is expected to cost almost as much. Under the plan, Evergy will be allowed to recoup from customers the hundreds of millions of dollars spent on the new facilities. But the KCC also warned the company to pace itself when requesting rate hikes. The settlements will not immediately affect rates. No costs will be added until Evergy files a subsequent rate case. The KCC says the three projects are in the public's interest and it expects the agreement to result in just and reasonable rates.
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Kansas Wheat Harvest Nearing Completion
UNDATED (KPR) — The Kansas wheat harvest is nearing completion. In its weekly report, the USDA’s National Agricultural Statistics Service says the harvest is 82% complete. That’s behind the 90% completion rate at the same time last year, but still ahead of the 77% average. The report says Kansas wheat farmers have been facing a challenging wheat harvest due to persistent rains on mature wheat. Still, the 2025 crop has shown stronger yields than the past three drought-stricken years.
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Kansas Man Sentenced to 25 Years in Prison for Child Pornography, Enticement of a Minor
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (KPR) — A Leavenworth man has been sentenced to 25 years in prison for child sex crimes. Federal prosecutors say 27-year-old Antoine Askari Richardson pled guilty in February to producing child pornography and enticing a 15-year-old to engage in illegal sexual activity. He was sentenced Tuesday. A news release from the Justice Department says Richardson met the victim through social media and later traveled to Grain Valley, Missouri, multiple times to engage in sex acts with the minor. He recorded the videos with a phone and later sent them to the victim.
Richardson also admitted to communicating with a second minor on a social media application and engaging in sexually explicit conversations with the second minor. Richardson admitted to travelling across state lines in attempt to meet the second minor but was unsuccessful in contacting the victim. When released from prison, Richardson will be required to register as a sex offender for the rest of his life.
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Southeast Kansas Man Arrested, Accused of Child Sex Crimes
EDNA, Kan. (KSNW) — A Kansas man has been arrested by the Kansas Bureau of Investigation and accused of committing child sex crimes. KBI agents and the Labette County Sheriff’s Department took a 35-year-old Edna man into custody Monday afternoon. KSNW TV reports that the arrest stems from an investigation that began in March. Acting on a cyber tip, authorities executed a search warrant on the man’s home (in the 200 block of Marks Ave) in Edna. The suspect was then booked into the Labette County Jail without bond.
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KCMO Planned Parenthood Clinic Resumes Abortion Services
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (KCUR) — A Planned Parenthood clinic in Kansas City can provide abortion services again. KCUR reports that the change comes after a judge’s ruling last week. Patients in Kansas City can receive surgical abortion services at the Planned Parenthood clinic near Cleaver Boulevard and Troost. Doctor Lydia Prevost says the ruling gives people in Missouri better access to reproductive care. “With most other health care services, it is just really, really nice to be able to offer care in people's communities.,” Prevost explained. The clinic is the only place in Kansas City, Missouri providing abortions, but staff say services will soon resume in Columbia. The court ruling, meanwhile, is likely to be appealed. Abortions continue to be provided at Planned Parenthood clinics in Kansas, where the procedure is legal until 22 weeks of pregnancy. (Read more.)
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Kansas Scores Poorly on Maternal Mental Health
UNDATED (KNS) — A new report says Kansas has work to do to improve the mental health of pregnant and postpartum moms. The Kansas News Service reports that Kansas scored a D rating in a 2025 report by the Policy Center for Maternal Mental Health, a national, non-profit think-tank. That’s a little lower than the national average, which is C-. Neighboring Missouri and Colorado scored D+ and B-. Caitlin Murphy, who collaborated on the report, says maternal mental health disorders can have a lasting impact on moms and their families. But Kansas does not require insurance companies to share maternal mental health screening data, “...so Kansas stakeholders could make an effort to require their insurers to report out these screening rates to be able to track them over time,” Murphy explained. Murphy says the state could also improve by creating a state-level maternal mental health task force.
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Highway Patrol Gives Big Ticket After Driver Clocked at 107 MPH on Kansas Turnpike
TOPEKA, Kan. (KSNT) - Another driver in Kansas has been given an expensive speeding ticket for travelling more than 100 miles-per-hour. A state trooper recently pulled over the driver on the Kansas Turnpike in Shawnee County. KSNT reports that the motorist was allegedly driving 107 MPH in a 75 MPH zone. In addition to the speeding ticket, the driver was also cited for making an unsafe lane change. The total fine and court costs: more than $400. (Slow down, people!)
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