KU Students Sue School, Say It Violated Their Constitutional Rights
LAWRENCE, Kan. (LT) — Two University of Kansas students and the campus group Students for Justice in Palestine are suing the university, saying they were unfairly punished for participating in pro-Palestine protests. The Lawrence Times reports the suit was filed in Douglas County District Court on Wednesday. In it, the students claim KU administrators violated their constitutional rights by imposing unlawful restrictions on their protests in May 2024, and punishing them when they violated those restrictions.
The two students were charged with violating university policies on disruption, camping, and unregistered protest activity. Last month, KU administrators placed the students on warning and labeled them “not in good standing.”
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KSDE Advising Districts on Adapting to Possible Federal Funding Losses
UNDATED (KNS) — Kansas school districts are grappling with a sudden freeze on $45 million in federal funding. The Kansas News Service reports that schools do not know if they’ll receive the money, including $16 million for professional development and $8 million for after-school programs. Kansas Education Commissioner Randy Watson says his department is holding meetings with districts to help them decide which programs to keep to meet state requirements. “It's the uncertainty coupled with the loss of money...that I think is causing a lot of consternation,” Watson explained. President Donald Trump’s administration says it’s reviewing the grants to make sure schools will not use them to promote left-wing ideas.
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Food Programs Worry as States Take on More SNAP Costs
UNDATED (HPM) — States will soon have to pay millions of dollars more for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program under the massive federal spending legislation that passed last week. Harvest Public Media reports that food advocates worry it could lower the number of people receiving the food benefit. The new law will make states responsible for a larger portion of SNAP administrative costs next year, and will add additional costs if their program’s error rate reaches 6%. Error rates are over- or under- payments to recipients, not fraud. Luke Elzinga, with the Des Moines Area Religious Council’s Food Pantry Network, says states will have to do more with fewer resources. “I think that's a real concern of what are the unintended consequences of states putting so much focus on this payment error rate, you know, because they could be on the hook for tens if not hundreds of millions of dollars,” Elzinga cautioned. Some lawmakers say the measure cuts waste and fraud, but food advocates say the changes will harm those who rely on SNAP benefits.
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Governor Laura Kelly Updates Drought Declarations for Some Kansas Counties
TOPEKA, Kan. (KPR) – Kansas Governor Laura Kelly has signed a proclamation approving updated drought declarations for many Kansas counties. Recent scattered heavy rainfall events, especially in south central and southeastern areas of the state, have led to some localized improvements in the ongoing drought and dryness issues. Overall, drought conditions in Kansas are showing signs of modest relief, particularly in the southern region, but lingering dry spells persist across much of northern Kansas.
The drought declaration removed 42 counties from a drought status and placed 16 counties into warning status, and 47 counties into watch status. This action was recommended by Connie Owen, Director of the Kansas Water Office and Chair of the Governor’s Drought Response Team.
The declaration authorizes all agencies under the governor's jurisdiction to implement the drought response actions assigned in the Operations Plan of the Governor’s Drought Response Team for each type of drought classification.
Counties now covered by a drought warning are: Atchison, Brown, Clay, Cloud, Decatur, Doniphan, Jackson, Jefferson, Leavenworth, Marshall, Nemaha, Norton, Phillips, Rawlins, Republic, and Washington.
Counties now covered by a drought watch are: Barton, Cheyenne, Dickinson, Douglas, Ellis, Ellsworth, Finney, Ford, Geary, Gove, Graham, Grant, Gray, Greeley, Hamilton, Haskell, Hodgeman, Jewell, Johnson, Kearny, Lane, Lincoln, Logan, Mitchell, Morris, Ness, Osborne, Ottawa, Pawnee, Pottawatomie, Riley, Rooks, Rush, Russell, Saline, Scott, Shawnee, Sheridan, Sherman, Smith, Stanton, Thomas, Trego, Wabaunsee, Wallace, Wichita, and Wyandotte.
No counties were placed into a drought emergency declaration. For more detailed information about current conditions, visit the Climate and Drought webpage on the Kansas Water Office website at kwo.ks.gov.
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Report: State of Kansas Has a Livestock Veterinarian Shortage
LIBERAL, Kan. (KNS) – Kansas does not have enough veterinarians to keep up with its massive livestock industry. The Kansas News Service reports that a new assessment is examining the reasons for the shortage. People in rural Kansas are not the only ones lacking access to health care. Cattle are in the same boat. There are twice as many cattle in Kansas as people, but the state still does not have the veterinarians to service all the feedlots, dairies and ranches. Kelsey Olson with the Kansas Department of Agriculture says the report from the Farm Journal Foundation reveals the shortage is critical. “Without veterinarians it would be devastational, because animals, just like people, get sick regularly, and so it's important that we have the appropriate medical care to provide them,” she said. But Olson admitted it’s hard retaining vets in rural places because of low pay and isolation. The state is looking for ways to let vet students experience rural Kansas during school.
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USDA Funding Cuts Hit Small Farmers, Ranchers, and Diversity Efforts Hard
UNDATED (HPM) – In recent months, the U.S. Department of Agriculture terminated or paused millions of dollars worth of funding opportunities. Harvest Public Media reports that many were meant to support small farmers and ranchers, as well as diversity efforts. The Kansas Black Farmers Association had been awarded 8.5 million dollars through a USDA land access grant. It was part of a collective effort between farms and nonprofits in Kansas, Oklahoma, Texas, and Missouri. But the grant has been put on hold for review. JohnElla Holmes—head of the Kansas farmers group—says she worries the Black farmers she represents won’t find other opportunities. “There's been no new grants for us to write. And by this time, in a regular administration, we would have had an RFP so that we could have been writing, to continue these programs. It's just going to make me cry. I'm sorry,” she told a reporter. Holmes says many of their current grants will expire at the end of the fiscal year on September 30th. Mike Lavender is policy director at the National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition, which represents more than 160 organizations across the country, including underserved communities and veterans in the agriculture community. He said that “...the turbulence of some of these cancellations and terminations, and even pauses, continues to be felt. It is a turbulent time to be a farmer.” Lavender says he hopes some of the grants will be renewed in the next fiscal year.
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Kansas City Stadium Battle Could Hinge on Attendance Numbers
UNDATED (The Beacon) — The Kansas City Royals routinely sell more than twice as many regular season tickets as the Chiefs, who play far fewer games. The Beacon reports that there are questions about whether that difference in attendance should be a major factor as Kansas and Missouri bid for new stadium projects. Attendance is important because Kansas and Missouri are bidding for the Chiefs and Royals, and proposed funding plans depend on economic activity at the stadium. But economist J.C. Bradbury with Kennesaw State University says new stadiums don’t generate enough economic growth — they just shift money that would otherwise be spent elsewhere. “I can’t say this emphatically enough...people keep making this mistake and I’m almost tired of talking about it, but there isn’t any extra economic benefit from baseball because more people are going to baseball games,” Bradbury explained. Although the Royals draw more fans than the Chiefs, boosters say a football stadium could hold major concerts, Super Bowls or Final Four basketball games. But Bradbury says that still doesn’t do enough because those events just aren’t that frequent.
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Kansas Tax Revenues Exceed June Expectations
UNDATED (KNS) — The state of Kansas collected just over $1 billion dollars in tax revenue last month, which is more than 7 percent above estimates. The Kansas News Service reports that collections in June were about 3 percent higher than the same time last year. That mostly stems from individual income tax collections being higher than estimated. Tax collections have outpaced predictions each month since April. The state also brought in about a quarter-billion dollars more than expected this past fiscal year. But Democratic Governor Laura Kelly says the Legislature’s budget could still leave the state nearly $400 million in the red by 2029. Republicans say they’ll cut more spending to maintain the state’s finances.
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Kansas Volunteer Fire Departments Face Funding Crunch
UNDATED (KWCH) — Volunteer fire departments in Kansas are facing a big drop in funding now that President Trump’s budget bill has been signed into law. As KWCH reports, volunteer departments rely on federal grants to pay for equipment including hoses and protective gear and sometimes even new trucks. But those grant programs have now been put on hold. And the Kansas Forest Service says it’s not clear when or even if they will resume.
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Kansas Board of Education Votes to Raise Its Pay
TOPEKA, Kan. (Kansas Reflector) — Members of the state board of education have voted to give themselves a raise, putting their salaries on par with state lawmakers. The current average annual lawmaker salary is $43,000, with a 4.4% increase budgeted for next year. The Kansas Reflector reports that board members’ salaries have historically been tied to lawmakers’ salaries. But when lawmakers doubled their pay this year, they left the board of education behind. In a 9-1 vote on Tuesday, the board approved $126,000 in spending to make their salaries commensurate with lawmakers beginning next year.
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Lawrence Parks Department to Offer Proposal for Use Fees
LAWRENCE, Kan. (LJW) – The Lawrence Parks, Recreation and Culture department is planning to present a proposal to city leaders to add fees and membership options for access to city recreation centers. The Lawrence Journal-World reports that costs for residents would range up to $25 a month for adults and up to $5 for day passes. On Monday evening, PRC will present its advisory board with a budget update for 2026, and will include an outline of a department fee and membership plan. The department has been exploring adding entry fees to the city’s four recreation centers since January.
The proposal would include possible flexible membership options, including day passes, household passes, and monthly or annual memberships. There could also be “lower-cost neighborhood rec center access,” with tiered pricing for youth, adults and seniors. The city also plans to address concerns about youth access by providing free entry after school for youth ages 5 to 17, with free for use by that age group from 3 to 5 p.m. every weekday except Wednesday, when they would be open from 1 to 5 p.m. because of the school district’s early release schedule. Adding fees to Lawrence recreation centers had been discussed in both 2019 and 2023, but public opposition led to both proposals stalling.
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Kansas Museum of History Announces Reopening Date
TOPEKA, Kan. (TCJ) – The Kansas Museum of History in Topeka will reopen November 22 after being closed approximately three years for renovations. The Topeka Capital-Journal reports that the museum made the announcement on its Facebook page. The museum, located at 6425 SW 6th Avenue, has been closed for renovations since September 4, 2022. The museum's research room and nature trail have remained open during the renovations. Some new features will include new exhibits, removal of some artifacts, a remodeled lobby, repairs to the exterior plaza, and updating records.
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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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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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