Abortion Clinic Sues Kansas to Help Meet Demand
WICHITA, Kan. (TCJ) — A Wichita abortion clinic is suing the state of Kansas to overturn a law that prohibits some health-care providers from prescribing abortion pills. The law bans advanced practice registered nurses, or APRNs, from prescribing the pills. APRNs are registered nurses who have completed advanced education, typically at the master's or doctoral level. The clinic, Aria Medical, says demand for abortion care is so high that it “struggles to find enough doctors to cover appointments." The Topeka Capital-Journal reports the defendants in the suit, including the Kansas State Board of Nursing and Sedgwick County District Attorney Marc Bennett, have moved to have the case dismissed.
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U.S. Dept. of Education Launches Investigation of Four Kansas School Districts
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (KSHB) — The U.S. Department of Education has opened an investigation of four Kansas school districts after receiving a complaint from the Defense of Freedom Institute. KSHB reports that the federal Department of Education's Office for Civil Rights and its Student Privacy Policy Office announced Thursday that it had begun investigations of the Topeka, Shawnee Mission, Olathe, and Kansas City, Kansas Public School Districts. The announcement is seen as an escalation of a dispute between the school districts and state attorney general Kris Kobach. Kobach has alleged that the districts "conceal from parents the 'social transitioning' of their children," and that the districts use gender identity to determine access to sports teams and locker rooms. Secretary of Education Linda McMahon said in a press release that the districts' "alleged behavior of allowing gender ideology to run amok in their schools is an affront not only to the law, but to the sound judgment we expect from our educational leaders." Representatives of the school districts had not yet issued responses to the investigation.
(–Additional reporting–)
Federal Department of Education Investigating Four Kansas School Districts for Title IX Violations
UNDATED (KMUW) – The U.S. Department of Education is investigating four school districts in northeast Kansas for allegedly letting transgender students participate in girls’ sports. KMUW reports that the investigation includes the school districts in Kansas City, Kansas, Shawnee Mission, Olathe, and Topeka. Kansas Attorney General Kris Kobach asked federal officials to investigate the districts for what he calls violations of Title IX and parental education rights. Kobach alleges the schools allow students to participate in sports and use locker rooms based on their gender identity rather than biological sex. Critics argue trans athletes have an unfair advantage in girls’ sports. But LGBTQ+ advocates say banning trans athletes from girls sports is discriminatory and can increase the risk of depression or suicide.
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Kansas Lawmakers Meet to Consider Changes to State Special Ed Funding Allocation
UNDATED (KNS) — Kansas lawmakers met Thursday to consider changing how the state allocates funding for special education. The Kansas News Service reports that a task force is debating how to divvy up state money to support students with special needs. The Legislature raised special education spending last session, but it’s still far below the level required by state law. Frank Harwood, deputy commissioner for the Kansas State Department of Education, says lawmakers should keep the financial struggles of school districts in mind when choosing a funding model. “What I’m hearing is, build the system as though money is not an object. But just remember, money is an object,” he observed. Some districts say a lack of funding has forced them to divert millions of dollars from other programs to special education.
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Amazon to Start Drone Deliveries in KC Metro Area
KANSAS CITY, Kan. (KCTV) — Amazon says it will soon begin delivering some packages in the Kansas City area by drone. Company officials demonstrated the service, dubbed Amazon Prime Air, on Wednesday. The drone weighs 80 pounds and can travel up to 70 miles an hour. Amazon says the new service can deliver items to customers in 60 minutes or less. KCTV reports the drones will operate out of two fulfillment centers, one in Kansas City, Missouri, the other in Kansas City, Kansas. The new delivery service will initially be available only to customers living within seven-and-a-half miles of one of the fulfillment centers.
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Mega-Wealthy Donor Gives KU Athletics $300 Million
LAWRENCE, Kan. (KPR) — The University of Kansas announced Wednesday that an alum is giving the school’s athletic department $300 million, one of the largest donations in the history of college athletics. The donor, David G. Booth, is a 78-year-old Lawrence native who founded Dimensional Fund Advisors, a global investment firm that manages more than $800 billion in assets. His $300 million gift will help pay for the next phase of renovations on the school’s football stadium, which is already named after him. KU says the rest of the money will “generate a stream of income that will strengthen Kansas Athletics across generations.” The announcement comes as the KU football team prepares for its season opener on August 23.
(-Related-)
Lawrence City Commission OKs Tax Incentives for KU's Gateway District
LAWRENCE, Kan. (LT) — Lawrence city commissioners voted on Tuesday to approve tax incentives of more than $94 million for the University of Kansas to develop the Gateway District. The Gateway Project’s first phase included partial renovation of the KU football stadium and construction of a conference center. The Lawrence Times reports the next phase will finish the stadium renovation and develop a large “mixed-use district” around the stadium. That district will include an outdoor plaza, hotel, student housing, parking, and retail stores. STAR bonds will make up the majority of the incentive package.
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Washburn U. Approves $10 Million Plan for Athletics
TOPEKA, Kan. (KSNT) — Washburn University’s Board of Regents has approved a new $10 million plan to refurbish the school’s athletic facilities. KSNT reports the money will pay for improvements to the football locker room, tennis complex, a new tailgate plaza, and enhanced pedestrian pathways. The school hopes the improvements will attract more recruits. The plan will be funded privately.
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Federal Policy Change to Exclude Many Immigrants from Some Health Services
UNDATED (KNS) — Many immigrants in Kansas will be excluded from certain health services under a new federal policy change. The Kansas News Service reports that the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services is adding 13 programs to a list of federal public benefits restricted to certain immigrants, like those who are in the country illegally and some who are here lawfully. The now-banned services include community health centers and mental and behavioral health programs. Monica Bennett is the legal director for the ACLU of Kansas. She says the change is meant to create worse living conditions for immigrants in the country. “This is just another way of making it more difficult for immigrants to exist in our society. It’s a way of pressuring people,” she explained. A 2023 national survey showed 30% of immigrant adults use community health centers for health care.
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Dozen People Arrested in Connection with Human Trafficking in KC Metro, Northland
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (WDAF) — A dozen people have been arrested in the Kansas City area in connection with an alleged human trafficking operation. Last week, a coalition of law enforcement agencies in Missouri worked together to curb human trafficking in communities north and east of Kansas City. In a social media post, the Ray County Sheriff’s Office said the operation was designed to combat sex trafficking and support potential victims, especially children who have been enslaved by the commercial sex industry.
WDAF TV reports that seven suspects were arrested for trying to buy sex with a child. Three other suspects were arrested for attempting to buy sex with an adult. Two people were arrested for promoting prostitution. A victim-survivor was recovered and placed into aftercare. Eight potential sex trafficking survivors met with local advocates. Many of them are now receiving advocacy and aftercare support.
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UPDATE: KBI Continues Investigation into Dodge City Community College Student Athlete's Heat Stroke
UNDATED (KCUR) — The family of a college cross country runner has set up a Go Fund Me page as the woman remains in critical condition in the hospital after a practice last week. KCUR reports that the Kansas Bureau of Investigation’s inquiry is ongoing. The Go Fund Me page identifies her as Delia Montes, a freshman runner at Dodge City Community College. The page says she suffered from heat stroke last Thursday. She was found in a field, according to the KBI. In a statement, the college said the practice was monitored according to the heat policy of the Kansas Jayhawk Community College Conference. The school has not provided specific weather data.
The Ford County sheriff asked the KBI to investigate. The Go Fund Me says Montes’s uncle is staying in Wichita and the money raised will help with those expenses. (Read more.)
(–Earlier reporting–)
KBI Opens Investigation into Cross-Country Runner's Heat-Related Injury
UNDATED (KCUR/KWCH) — For the first time it appears authorities have opened a criminal investigation into a heat-related injury of a Kansas college athlete. The Kansas Bureau of Investigation says it was called to investigate what appears to be a heat-related injury of a Dodge City Community College cross-country runner. KCUR reports that the KBI says the unidentified woman was discovered in a field last Thursday after practice. She was taken to a local hospital and then flown to Wichita where, the statement says, she is in critical condition. The Ford County Sheriff's Office called the KBI in. KWCH in Wichita reports a second student also suffered a heat related medical incident the same day, but he was treated and released. Dodge City Community College has provided little information.
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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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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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