Police: Lawrence Teen Distributed Nude Photo of Special Needs Student
LAWRENCE, Kan. (LJW) — A teenage boy who took a nude photo of a special needs classmate and shared it with friends at Free State High School in Lawrence has been charged with a felony. The teen is accused of taking the photo in a boy’s restroom last May. The Lawrence Journal-World reports he faces one count of aggravated unlawful transmission of a visual depiction of a child. Lawrence police, meanwhile, have acknowledged that the case was mishandled. The high school’s so-called resource officer initially discouraged the victim’s family from pursuing the case.
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Kansas AG: Make Naloxone Available in Unused Newspaper Boxes
TOPEKA, Kan. (Kansas Reflector) — Kansas Attorney General Kris Kobach wants to turn old, unused newspaper racks into distribution boxes for naloxone. Naloxone is also known by the brand name Narcan. It’s an overdose-reversal medication that can restore someone’s breathing within minutes. Naloxone has saved the lives of many people who’ve overdosed on opioids. Kobach says he wants to make Naloxone more accessible to Kansans. The Kansas Reflector reports the attorney general’s office recently received a $177,000 grant to transform unused news racks into naloxone distribution boxes. The plan is to place the repurposed boxes on college and university campuses throughout the state.
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Missouri Supreme Court Refuses to Address Request to Reinstate Abortion Restrictions
UNDATED (KCUR) — The Missouri Supreme Court has refused to take up a request that could have reinstated restrictions on abortion in the state. KCUR reports that state Attorney General Andrew Bailey wanted Missouri’s highest court to block a temporary injunction that was issued last month, which allows surgical abortions to resume in the state. And he skipped the state court of appeals process to try and make it happen. But judges ruled unanimously that Bailey took the wrong route, and they ordered him to take his request back through the court of appeals. In allowing abortions to begin again last month, a Jackson County judge pointed to an amendment approved by voters last year, which added the right to the state constitution.
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It’s Move-in Week at KU
LAWRENCE, Kan. (LJW) — Lawrence residents beware: This week is move-in week at the University of Kansas. Dormitory move-ins are scheduled for Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday. The Lawrence Journal-World reports the annual ritual involves thousands of students, parents, and volunteers. It also means traffic headaches, especially this year, with some of the city’s main streets under construction.
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Kansas Board of Education Votes to Approve New Score Thresholds for State Assessments
UNDATED (KNS) — The Kansas State Board of Education voted today Tuesday to approve new score thresholds for state assessments that will separate students into different achievement levels. The scores are for tests that were administered this past spring in English language arts, math and science. Opponents say altering the grading scale could prompt an increase in test scores that would be misleading. But state board member Beryl New voted for the change, saying that the updated thresholds better reflect what students know.
“Kansas is not lowering our standards or our expectations for our students. And in fact, we are making sure they can be successful based on what they have been taught,” she added.
Earlier this year, the state board approved new descriptors for the test levels that highlight proficiency compared with grade-level standards. Officials warn that this year’s test results will not be comparable to past years.
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Some Kansas Parents Seek More Limits on In-School Tech
WICHITA, Kan. (KNS) — Some Kansas parents are pushing for more limits on screen time in schools, and not just with cell phones. State education leaders say they have heard from families and teachers who want schools to shift away from computer screens and back to traditional textbooks and pencil-and-paper learning. Kim Whitman, who has two teenagers in Shawnee Mission schools, urged the Kansas State Board of Education to reduce schools’ dependency on technology when it comes to classroom instruction. “Let us return to research-based, traditional teaching methods that foster growth — not just intellectually, but socially, emotionally and physically,” she said. The Kansas News Service reports that state education leaders are compiling data on how much Kansas school districts spend on technology and how it is used. School board members will get that report this fall.
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Prosecutors: Kansas Accountant Pleads Guilty After Using Client Money to Build New Home
COLBY, Kan. (Wichita Eagle / KPR) — Federal prosecutors say an accountant in western Kansas has pleaded guilty to stealing money from clients and using part of the money to build his home. The Wichita Eagle reports that 45-year-old Quintin Flanagin, of Colby, used his position to write checks from the couple he worked for and then sent money to a business he concocted called "Middle Finger Ranch," which was linked to his bank account.
Flanagin was originally charged with 18 counts, including wire fraud, bank fraud and money laundering. Under a plea agreement, he will forfeit nearly $370,000 in assets and surrender his certified public accountant’s license. He's scheduled to be sentenced October 30.
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Sedgwick County Commissioners May Consider New Sales Tax
WICHITA, Kan. (KNS) — Some Sedgwick County commissioners say the county should consider a new, quarter-cent sales tax in an effort to reduce property taxes. The Kansas News Service reports that the sales tax would fund arts, recreation and cultural services. Republican Commissioner Jim Howell says that means the county could reserve property tax dollars for essential services like EMS. “People are losing their homes over property taxes. It better be really important – when I take someone’s money and they’re losing their home over it, it better be very important,” Howell added. A sales tax would generally have a wider tax base than property taxes, as visitors from outside the county would also contribute. But some groups that get county funding say revenue from a sales tax could fluctuate more than from property taxes. Three other commissioners say they’re open to the idea. Howell says he hopes they’ll put the proposal on the November 2026 ballot.
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ADL Says Kansas, Missouri Making Headway in Fighting Antisemitism
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (KCUR) — Both Kansas and Missouri are making progress in fighting antisemitism, according to the Anti-Defamation League. KCUR reports that the Jewish Policy Index rates all 50 states on things like having an overall state strategy to combat antisemitism and whether they require Holocaust education in schools. Kansas and Missouri are both rated as making progress. Both, for example, have hate crime laws and prohibit contracting with and investing in companies that boycott Israel. But, the ADL says, Kansas should establish an antisemitism task force and Missouri should more swiftly investigate antisemitism in colleges and K-12. The ADL says reported incidents in Missouri tripled between 2022 and 2024 and says there was a slight increase in Kansas in that same time period.
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KU Study Shows Social Infrastructure Could Affect Health
UNDATED (KNS) — Communities with more art museums and social groups tend to have better health, according to a University of Kansas study. The Kansas News Service reports that the study highlights the benefits of social infrastructure. The KU study analyzed the health of U.S. counties compared to social infrastructure. That’s a measure of education levels, art institutions and civic groups, like social advocacy organizations. The communities that invested in those areas had lower rates or people reporting poor health. KU Researcher Dorothy Daley says the study suggests that communities should consider social infrastructure when crafting public health policies. “It's an argument for a more robust, long-term vision of what we invest in to help people thrive,” she explained. Daley says that communities can help attain that vision by investing in more art programs and hobby-based groups, like a bowling league.
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Kansas Grants to Save Buildings in Historic Downtowns
UNDATED (KPR) — The Kansas Department of Commerce has awarded $362,000 to save buildings in five historic Kansas downtowns. Lieutenant governor and state commerce secretary David Toland says the restored buildings will be occupied by businesses that will drive economic growth. The buildings are in Burlington, Howard, LeRoy, Meriden, and Stockton. The funding comes from the Emergency Historic Asset Lifeline, a program that helps pay for urgent repairs to rural buildings damaged by fire, storms, or other disasters.
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Man Arrested After Allegedly Breaking into a Lawrence Home and Exposing Himself to Kids
LAWRENCE, Kan. (LJW) — A man was arrested over the weekend after he broke into a home and exposed himself to two young girls. Lawrence police were called to a home (near West 21st and Louisiana Street) around 2 am Sunday after taking a report of an unknown man entering a home and taking off his clothes. The Lawrence Journal-World reports that two girls had been asleep on the couch when they woke up to find a naked man in the room. As they yelled, an adult inside the home confronted the intruder and forced him outside. Police later arrested him nearby. Investigators say the man appeared to be under the influence of drugs. He was later taken to the Douglas County jail, where he was booked on several charges.
Jail records indicate that 19-year-old Jacob Dennis Gilbert was arrested in the 2100 block of Louisiana Street Sunday morning on suspicion of aggravated burglary, assault and aggravated indecent liberties with a child.
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Kansas Town Hits Triple Digit Temperatures After Dark
LIBERAL, Kan. (KAKE) — Residents of southwest Kansas recently got an unusual surprise when temperatures soared back into the triple digits — after dark. KAKE TV reports that people in Liberal saw the temperature hit 100 degrees late Friday night.
Earlier in the evening, thunderstorms developed across the Oklahoma panhandle and into southwest Kansas. As the storms weakened, rain began falling through very dry air aloft. Instead of reaching the ground, most of the rain evaporated, cooling the air rapidly as it fell. That cooler, heavier air accelerated toward the ground, compressing and heating up as it descended. By the time it reached the surface in Liberal, the air was not only dry but extremely hot, causing temperatures to skyrocket in minutes. This kind of weather phenomena is known as a heat burst.
Heat bursts are rare, but when they do occur, three things happen:
- A thunderstorm collapses or dissipates.
- Precipitation falls through a very dry layer of air, evaporating before hitting the ground.
- The cooled air plunges toward the surface, where compression heats it dramatically.
Wind gusts often accompany a heat burst, and humidity usually drops sharply, making the air feel even hotter.
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