ESU President Ken Hush Announces Retirement
EMPORIA, Kan. (Emporia Gazette) — The president of Emporia State University has announced his retirement. Ken Hush says his last day on campus will be December 17. He was named the 18th president of ESU in 2022. The Emporia Gazette reports that Hush transformed the university, gaining praise from some and complaints from others. Numerous tenured professors were released from their positions, programs were cut, and new programs were added during his time at the helm. “It has been an honor to serve my alma mater, my hometown and my native state of Kansas,” Hush said.
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Trump Nominates Kansas Lawyer for U.S. Attorney
WASHINGTON, D.C. (TCJ/KPR) — President Trump has nominated a prominent conservative lawyer to be the next United States attorney for Kansas. If confirmed by the Senate, Ryan Kriegshauser would become the chief federal law enforcement officer in Kansas. He would lead a team of prosecutors working criminal and civil cases in federal courts in Topeka, Kansas City, and Wichita. Before entering private practice, Kriegshauser worked in the Office of the Kansas Securities Commissioner and the Secretary of State's Office. The Topeka Capital-Journal reports Kriegshauser was also a prosecutor in Jefferson County.
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Kansas Commerce Department at Odds with Legislature over COVID-19 Funding Audits
UNDATED (KNS) — Frustration is mounting between the Kansas commerce secretary and state lawmakers over the rollout of COVID-19 relief funding. Democrat David Toland is both the lieutenant governor and commerce secretary for Kansas. He was in charge of distributing $150 million in federal COVID-19 funding for economic development projects. The Kansas News Service reports that after a third review accused the agency of mishandling the money, Toland wrote a letter to the state auditor questioning if they were needed. He said the audits themselves were costly, and contained no recommendations to improve operations. On the Legislative Post Audit Committee, Republican Representative Kristey Williams says the committee is just doing its job. “When we get a letter that says that this is a waste of taxpayer money I would say that's not a good excuse,” Williams said. She also says the commerce department has been uncooperative with past audits.
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Federal Court Rules Kansas Advance Ballot Restriction Law is Unconstitutional
UNDATED (KCUR) — Kansas lawmakers tried to suppress free speech with a law that blocked groups from sending advance ballot applications to voters, a federal court ruled this week. KCUR reports that the case revolves around organizations that sent pre-filled applications for mail ballots directly to voters leading up to the 2020 election. Republican lawmakers in Kansas passed a bill during the next legislative session to ban any non-Kansas resident or business from distributing advance mail ballot applications to voters – and prohibit any applications from containing personalized voter information. Voting rights groups challenged the law. Around 112,000 Kansas voters mailed in one of those pre-addressed envelopes during the election, and about 15,000 sent duplicate applications. It fed the flames of debunked theories that the 2020 election was stolen, in part by using mail-in ballots. The federal ruling follows a state court’s 2022 finding that the law was unconstitutional.
Another voting law that eliminated the three-day grace period for mail-in ballots is still working its way through the courts.
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KCC Approves Natural Gas Rate Increases for Black Hills Energy Customers
LIBERAL, Kan. (KNS) — Some Kansans will pay more for gas service as the Kansas Corporation Commission has approved rate increases for natural gas. The Kansas News Service reports that natural gas joins electricity and water in rate hikes. Black Hills Energy provides natural gas for most southern Kansans. The Kansas Corporation Commission unanimously approved a rate increase for their customers. Under the terms of the settlement customers in Kansas will pay on average almost six dollars more per month, totaling more than $70 per year. The company told the KCC the rate increase is to pay for system upgrades and to offset inflation. The new rates will take effect on August 1, of this year.
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State of Kansas Seeks More Inspection of Certain Group Foster Care Facilities
UNDATED (KC Beacon) — Kansas officials want more inspections of congregate care facilities that house foster children. The Beacon reports that Kerrie Lonard leads the state’s foster care oversight agency. She says she keeps getting complaints about alleged neglect and abuse in group foster care settings. There’s drug use, children fighting, poor supervision of youth and staff members using excessive force on children. Right now, these facilities are inspected annually and that inspection is announced ahead of time. Lonard wants more inspections and unannounced visits. “I don't think it's the end all be all solution that's going to fix the concerns that we're all very aware of, right? I think it's one step,” Lonard explained. Key state lawmakers support additional inspections of these facilities.
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Immigration Concerns Emerge for Upcoming School Year in Southwest Kansas
LIBERAL, Kan. (KNS) – Parents and immigrant rights advocates in southwest Kansas are worried about the upcoming school year after federal immigration enforcement increased its presence in the region. Earlier this year, the Trump administration gave permission to Immigration and Customs Enforcement to enter sensitive areas like schools. The school district in Liberal has almost 5,000 students and over half are learning English as a second language. Activist Kathleen Alonso says parents fear ICE officers near schools causing anxiety in their children. “I think our community is on edge, and has been on edge. What is the policy should ICE come to schools? What is the policy should they be outside of the schools?” Alonso asked. Liberal’s school district told the group it would take their concerns under consideration but did not respond to requests for comment.
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OBBB Increases Commodities Farm Safety Nets, but Could Hurt Specialty Growers
UNDATED (HPM) – The One Big, Beautiful Bill Act increases safety nets for farmers who grow commodities, like corn or wheat. But deep cuts to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program could hurt specialty growers who benefit from programs like Double Up Food Bucks. Harvest Public Media reports that the Double Up Food Bucks program is available in more than 25 states. It provides a one-to-one match for SNAP participants to buy more fruits and vegetables at farmers markets or grocery stores. The new law slashes nearly $186 billion from SNAP and adds more work requirements for participating. Iowa State University Extension economist Chad Hart says that will impact farmers who sell produce locally, explaining that “...with food assistance basically under the chopping block here, that means less support for them in the long run.” Hart says specialty farmers often rely more on government support for market access, whereas commodity farmers tend to rely more on direct payments when times get tough.
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Salina Log Jam Draws Tourists—and Concern
SALINA, Kan. (KSNW) — A massive log jam on the Smoky Hill River in Salina is still drawing visitors, as well as concern from local officials who warn that it is not safe. KSN reports visitors are climbing over barriers to get a closer look at the log jam and even climbing on top of it. Officials say the jam is not stable and even seemingly safe observation areas could be in peril if it breaks. KSNW TV reports the plan for now is to wait until later in the summer when the water behind the jam will recede and heavy machinery can be used to remove it.
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Two Different Horse Diseases Reported in Kansas
MANHATTAN, Kan. (KPR) — The Kansas Department of Agriculture says one horse in the state has died and another is recovering from separate cases of infectious diseases. A horse in Sedgwick County tested positive for Equine Infectious Anemia in July and later died of the disease. The second horse tested positive for West Nile Virus in Harper County. That animal is recovering.
Equine Infectious Anemia is an untreatable disease that does not affect people but can spread to other horses, as well as mules and donkeys. West Nile Virus is transmitted by mosquitoes. Both horses and humans can be infected, but it is not directly contagious from horse to horse or from horse to human. The Agriculture Department says it has responded to both incidents according to the state’s disease response plan.
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Host of Hunting Show Banned from Hunting in Kansas
UNDATED (Wichita Eagle) — The host of a YouTube hunting program has been banned from hunting again in Kansas. The host, Matt Jennings, has pleaded guilty to two federal counts of illegal hunting in the state. Jennings is from Georgia.
He illegally killed two antlered deer in Kansas in November 2022 and posted videos of the kills on his YouTube channel. Jennings fraudulently registered the first kill in Oklahoma. The second was illegal because Kansas law allows hunters to kill only one antlered deer per season.
The Wichita Eagle reports Jennings has been ordered to pay $15,000 in restitution to the Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks and a $10,000 fine. He must also surrender the antlers from the deer and is permanently banned from hunting in Kansas again. Jennings is currently on a five-year probation that prohibits him from hunting in eight other states.
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Kansas A.G. Says Johnson County Tax Referendum Is Illegal
OLATHE, Kan. (KPR) — Kansas Attorney General Kris Kobach has told the Johnson County Commission a November tax referendum is illegal and should be removed from the ballot. The referendum asks voters if they want to extend the county’s public-safety sales tax. The quarter-cent tax was initially approved by Johnson County voters in 2016 and is set to expire in 2027. But in a letter to the commission, Kobach argues the referendum would actually be imposing a new tax, which, he says, is “something that can be done only under tightly limited situations and as specifically allowed by Kansas law.” In a statement, county commissioners said they are “reviewing and considering” Kobach’s letter.
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KU Coach Bill Self Hospitalized for Heart Procedure
LAWRENCE, Kan. (KPR) — University of Kansas head men’s basketball coach Bill Self is recovering after undergoing a heart procedure at Lawrence Memorial Hospital on Thursday. Self was admitted to the hospital after experiencing what the university describes as "concerning symptoms." He was treated for two blocked arteries and had two stents inserted. KU says the procedure "went very well, and he is expected to make a full recovery." Self is 62. He is entering his 23rd season as KU’s head coach and has won two national championships.
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Lawrence Municipal Court Accepting School Supplies in Lieu of Fines
LAWRENCE, Kan. (KPR) — Lawrence Municipal Court is allowing parking and traffic fines to be paid in school supplies instead of cash for the next month. The policy will allow $50 in fines to be paid with $15 worth of school supplies. The annual program began Wednesday and runs through August 23. In a press release, city officials say the program is “designed to help individuals with outstanding fines while supporting local school children and families.”
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