Report: KDHE Finds Evidence of Child Abuse at KU Hilltop Child Development Center
LAWRENCE, Kan. (LJW) — State health officials have found evidence of child abuse at the Hilltop Child Development Center at the University of Kansas. The Lawrence Journal-World reports that investigations are ongoing. Records on the state child care licensing website indicate that investigators with the Kansas Department of Health and Environment (KDHE) found several violations. The report says a teacher at the center's main campus location would "humiliate children by spraying them with a squirt bottle to have them stop talking." Investigators also found evidence that a staff member at the newest Hilltop location on KU's West Campus forcefully grabbed children in some instances.
Parents of children who attend Hilltop received a letter Wednesday from Hilltop leaders and KU, informing them that state officials had substantiated reports of child abuse at the centers. The letter did not include details of the abuse. There are at least nine investigations by KDHE that are currently active between Hilltop’s two facilities.
Hilltop Child Development Center serves children from infants to grade-school age. Staffing at the center is now in flux. Wednesday's letter told parents that a program director has suddenly left the employment of the Hilltop West facility.
There had been previous signs of operational problems at Hilltop. The Journal-World reported in April that a 5-year old child was inadvertently left unsupervised in a Hilltop van that had transported students to a field trip. That incident, and others, were determined by KDHE to be violations of the state’s child care licensing regulations. According to the KDHE documents, Hilltop has had at least seven substantiated violations in 2025.
Hilltop Executive Director Cori Berg took over leadership of the center in June. The Journal-World reports that Berg said at a staff meeting earlier in July that the incidents at Hilltop have attracted attention and concern from top KU administrators. While Hilltop has its own board of directors, it is a controlled affiliate of KU, and the university has legal responsibilities for Hilltop.
University officials say they are taking the issues seriously. Spokeswoman Erinn Barcomb-Peterson confirmed that multiple personnel changes have occurred at Hilltop in recent months. Barcomb-Peterson also said that KU remained committed to keeping the center open.
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Chris Mann to Run (Again) for State Attorney General
UNDATED (KNS) — Democrat Chris Mann says he will run for Kansas attorney general again. Mann entered the race Wednesday. He lost the 2022 election to Republican Kris Kobach by less than 2 percentage points. The Kansas News Service reports that Mann is a former prosecutor in the Wyandotte County District Attorney’s Office. He also served as an attorney for the Kansas Securities Commission before opening a private law practice in Kansas City. Kobach is expected to run for a second term in 2026.
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Homicide Suspect Dead After Topeka Standoff
TOPEKA, Kan. (TCJ/WIBW) — Police in Topeka say a man wanted in connection with a homicide in Oklahoma City apparently died by suicide after barricading himself inside Topeka’s Mott House. The colorfully-painted Mott House, also known as the Transgender House, is owned by the nonprofit group Planting Peace.
The suspect, 51-year-old Carlos Slaughter, barricaded himself inside the house late Tuesday and was found dead inside early Wednesday. The Topeka Capital-Journal reports Slaughter is suspected of intentionally starting a house fire in Oklahoma City last week that killed his wife, 45-year-old Kellie Slaughter. WIBW reports the Mott House sustained heavy damage during the standoff.
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Champion Moving Manhattan Operations to Lenexa
MANHATTAN, Kan. (KSNT) — The sportswear company Champion is closing its operations in Manhattan and laying off 72 workers. A Champion spokesperson confirmed to KSNT the company has made the “difficult decision” to close the Manhattan facility and move production to its Lenexa campus. The clothing company is owned by Hanes.
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Kansas Officials Refuse to Turn Over SNAP Recipient Data to USDA
TOPEKA, Kan. (Kansas Reflector) — The Kansas Department for Children and Families said Wednesday through a press release that it will not release personal data of Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program recipients to the federal government. The government had set a deadline of July 30 for compliance. The Kansas Reflector reports that Kansas DCF said releasing the data could open the department to liability, depending on the outcome of a lawsuit that has been filed by multiple states. Kansas is not a party in the lawsuit, which is asking courts to stop the U.S. Department of Agriculture from forcing states to turn over the data, including Social Security numbers, dates of birth, addresses, and data documenting SNAP usage. It's the second time Kansas has refused to run over data requested by the USDA. Kansas DCF Secretary Laura Howard said in a letter to the USDA that the Agriculture Department's plan to share the data with other agencies to investigate and prosecute violations of the law was one component of the decision to not release the data until the lawsuit is resolved.
(–Additional Reporting–)
Kansas Resists Federal Order to Share Personal Data on SNAP Recipients
UNDATED (KNS) — Kansas is pushing back on a federal order to share data about people who have applied for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP. The Kansas News Service reports that in the past five years, over 730,000 Kansans applied for SNAP, or food stamps. The U.S. Department of Agriculture wants their addresses, social security numbers and more. Federal officials say they want to make sure states are running SNAP effectively. But Kansas is defying the request, and 21 states have sued to block the order. Laura Howard leads the agency that runs SNAP in Kansas. She says protecting the privacy of welfare applicants is her top priority. “Should courts find in favor of the lawsuits and if we had released people's personal identification, I think the state then is at great liability,” she explained. Federal officials have threatened penalties for states that do not comply.
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U.S. Senators Not Convinced on Proposed USDA Reorganization Moves
UNDATED (KCUR) — The Trump Administration wants to break up U.S. Department of Agriculture offices in Washington and move most of the staff to five regional offices, including Kansas City, Missouri. KCUR reports that the plan drew bi-partisan pushback on Capitol Hill Wednesday. Members of the Senate Agriculture Committee weren’t consulted before the administration released a plan to reorganize the USDA and disperse thousands of employees. Farm groups weren’t notified either. Senators on both sides of the aisle are miffed about that. Ranking Democrat Amy Klobuchar compared the proposal to a much smaller effort in the last Trump administration, which tried to move USDA’s research arms to Kansas City. KCUR reports that the previous relocation of the Economic Research Service and the National Institute of Food and Agriculture was nothing short of a disaster. As a result of that move, the agencies lost most of their seasoned employees. Reports started coming out late, and agricultural research grants slowed.
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7 People Arrested During Law Enforcement Sweep of Kansas Lake
JUNCTION CITY, Kan. (KAKE) — Seven people were arrested and dozens of citations were issued at Milford Reservoir earlier this month. The Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks said game wardens partnered with park rangers, the Geary County Sheriff's Office and other law officers to conduct the operation. KAKE TV reports that 74 vessels were stopped on the water, resulting in 28 charges, two warnings and seven arrests.
Many of the citations were for boats that lacked safety equipment, like fire extinguishers, navigation lights or that didn't have enough life jackets onboard. Other citations were for boating under the influence, missing vessel registration or having too many people onboard a boat.
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Detention Raids Target Workers in Kansas City Area
KANSAS CITY, Kan. (KCUR) — Federal officers detained up to 12 workers at two Mexican restaurants in the Kansas City area Wednesday. KCUR reports that advocates are calling the action coordinated immigration raids. Immigration advocates say agents with Homeland Security Investigations conducted raids mid-day at El Toro Loco Mexican Bar and Grill locations in Kansas City, Kansas, and Lenexa. Kansas City group Advocates for Immigration Rights and Reconciliation said in a statement that seven workers were detained in KCK, and up to five workers were taken into custody in Lenexa. The group says agents placed “closed” signs on the front doors before the raid, which they say created “an atmosphere of intimidation” for workers. HSI is a part of Immigration and Customs Enforcement. The agency did not immediately return a request for comment.
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Kansas Chamber of Commerce Announces New President
WICHITA, Kan. (KNS) — The Kansas Chamber of Commerce is under new leadership. The Kansas News Service reports that the group has been a powerful force in state politics. Alan Cobb served as president of the Chamber for eight years before resigning last week. The Chamber’s political action committee has been key in electing Republicans to the Kansas Legislature and helping expand the GOP’s supermajority in the Statehouse. The organization announced that Coleen Jennison of Wichita will serve as interim president and CEO. Jennison says the group’s mission will not change, adding that “...we will continue to advocate for pro-business policies that make Kansas the best place to do business in, and then thereby, live in.” Jennison most recently served as vice president for Cox Communications in Kansas.
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"Morning-After" Pill Now Available at Some Kansas 7-Elevens
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (KCUR) — Kansas and Missouri residents can now buy the morning-after pill from some convenience stores. KCUR reports that it's part of efforts to increase accessibility to emergency contraception. A California company called Cadence OTC is now selling their over-the-counter contraceptives at eight 7-Eleven locations in Missouri and five in Kansas. Their morning-after pill costs $25 in-store and needs to be taken within 3 days after sex to work. Emergency contraception has been available over-the-counter for years, but many regions have few, if any, retailers that sell it. The Cadence company says selling at stores like 7-Eleven is just one step toward making contraception more accessible and affordable.
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Wichita Man Gets 30 Years in Prison for Producing Child Pornography
WICHITA, Kan. (KPR) — A Kansas man has been sentenced to 30 years in prison for producing child sexual abuse materials. According to court documents, 78-year-old Clell Lacy, of Wichita, pleaded guilty to producing child pornography. In May 2024, Lacy used closed-circuit recording devices to surreptitiously record two minor teenagers engaging in sexual acts.
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Missouri Nurse Indicted in KCK for Deceptively Obtaining Percocet and Oxycodone
KANSAS CITY, Kan. (KPR) — A federal grand jury in Kansas City, Kansas, has returned an indictment charging a Missouri woman with illegally obtaining prescription narcotics. Prosecutors say 40-year-old Brooke Haller, of Kansas City, Missouri, is charged with four counts of possessing a controlled substance by deception and subterfuge. Haller, a nurse, allegedly obtained Percocet and Oxycodone through misrepresentation and fraud. An indictment is merely an allegation, and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty.
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State of Kansas Reaches Settlement in Prison Death Lawsuit
WICHITA, Kan. (KNS) — The State of Kansas will pay out $275,000 in a settlement after a prisoner was allegedly killed by his cellmate. The Kansas News Service reports that Gary Raburn died in 2023 at Lansing Correctional Facility after his cellmate allegedly attacked him. In a lawsuit, Raburn’s family says the state knew the cellmate had an extensive history of violence. They say the state failed to protect Raburn while he was in custody. The suit also says Raburn was physically infirm and about 37 years older than his cellmate. The cellmate was later charged with capital murder. State lawmakers opted to settle the case outside of court, at the request of the Kansas Attorney General’s Office.
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Kansas Can Claim (Part of) the Largest Lightning Bolt Ever Recorded
UNDATED (KPR) — An enormous bolt of lightning that raced across the sky from Texas to Kansas has officially been declared the longest ever recorded. The bolt measured an astounding 515 miles and stretched from East Texas to the Kansas City suburbs. It occurred during a major thunderstorm in October 2017, but has just now been certified as the world's longest by the World Meteorological Organization’s Committee on Weather and Climate Extremes. The committee used radar and satellite data to measure the big bolt, which broke the old record by 38 miles. The phenomenon is known to meteorologists as megaflash lightning. (Read more.)
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Lowrider Car, Bike, and Culture Show Scheduled in Bonner Springs
KANSAS CITY, Kan. (KCUR) — A celebration of Mexican American car culture hits the streets for the first time on Sunday in Bonner Springs, Kansas. Around 80 drivers from local lowrider car and bike clubs will parade through Wyandotte Park during The Chicano Heritage Car and Culture Festival. Many feature eye-popping paint jobs and tricked out hydraulics. Historian Gene Chavez says the cars emerged as a form of cultural expression in the 1940s. “A Chicano-style lowrider car reflects Mexican culture as well as aspects of American culture," he explained. The parade of cars will also include arts and crafts, folkloric dancers and live music. It all starts at 11:30 Sunday morning.
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Sunflower Summer Program Extended to August 8
TOPEKA, Kan. (KPR) — The Sunflower Summer program has been extended for five days. It now runs through Friday, August 8. The popular program allows Kansas children to visit more than 230 attractions across the state for free, including zoos, art galleries, museums, nature centers, and historical sites. Kansas students who are enrolled in Pre-K through 12th grade can participate. One adult accompanying the child is also admitted free. (Click here for more information.) This year’s Sunflower Summer program was shorter than in past years, due to budget cuts.
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GOP State Legislators Sue Missouri Governor and A-G over Stadium Funding Bill
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (KCUR) — Two conservative Republican legislators in Missouri are suing the governor and attorney general over a stadium funding bill aimed at keeping the Chiefs and Royals from moving to Kansas. KCUR reports that the lawsuit filed in Cole County suggests the 500-million dollars in potential subsidies for stadium construction are "a direct gift or bribe to the team owners." The lawsuit claims the Chiefs could receive $33 million a year in subsidies over 30 years. It also says Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes makes $45 million a year, meaning taxpayers would pick up 73% of his salary. The teams are weighing incentives from both states, including a billion dollars in sales tax bonds from Kansas.
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Royals Trade Catcher Freddy Fermin to Padres for Two Pitchers
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (KPR) — The Kansas City Royals announced Thursday that they have acquired right-handed pitchers Ryan Bergert and Stephen Kolek from the San Diego Padres for catcher Freddy Fermin. Bergert made his Major League debut this season and has a 2.78 ERA in 11 appearances with San Diego. Kolek holds a 4.18 ERA with 14 starts. Fermin had played in parts of four seasons with the Royals, making the Opening Day roster in each of the last two seasons. He's hit .255 in 67 games this season.
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