Kansas A.G. Asks Court to Remove Governor from Federal Lawsuit
TOPEKA, Kan. (Kansas Reflector) — Kansas Attorney General Kris Kobach on Thursday asked a federal court to remove Governor Laura Kelly from a multi-state lawsuit challenging the Trump administration’s refusal to release grant money to states. The Democratic governor joined 22 states and the District of Columbia in the lawsuit last month.
Kobach, the Republican attorney general, claims Kelly doesn’t have the authority under Kansas law to represent the state in federal litigation. The states sued the federal government after President Trump’s Department of Government Efficiency, known as DOGE, decided to terminate billions of dollars in federal funding already promised to the states. The Kansas Reflector reports a spokesperson for Kelly says the governor is acting in the best interests of the state and pointed out that the Kansas Constitution vests “supreme executive power” in the governor.
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Kansas GOP Officials Say "Apparent Incendiary Device" Set Off at Party Headquarters
UNDATED (KNS) — Kansas Republican officials are calling a fire ignited at the party headquarters in Johnson County an attempted arson. The Kansas News Service reports that nobody at the Overland Park office was harmed in the incident, which took place early Friday morning. A local party official says an apparent incendiary device destroyed a welcome mat and left scorch marks on the ground. Police have not yet confirmed a suspect or motive. Danedri Herbert, chair of the state GOP, says she believes it was a targeted political attack because the office is in a secluded business park. “You don’t stumble upon this place. So I don't think that it was just somebody throwing a cigarette out of their window or something,” she explained. Herbert says the party has received threatening letters in the past.
(–Additional Reporting–)
Investigators: Possible Arson Outside Johnson County GOP Headquarters
OVERLAND PARK, Kan. (KCTV) — An investigation is underway after someone tried to start a fire near the Johnson County Republican Party Headquarters in Overland Park. Firefighters responded to the fire at the building (near W. 105th and Mastin Street) around 12:45 Friday morning. Authorities say the fire was started on the doorstep of the building. Investigators suspect arson. KCTV reports that there was no significant damage and no one was injured.
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Federal Judge Rules "Threatened Species" Designation for Lesser Prairie-Chicken Unlawful
WICHITA, Kan. (KMUW) — A federal judge says a decision to list the lesser prairie-chicken as a threatened or endangered species is unlawful. The listing was made by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service during the Biden Administration. KMUW reports that Kansas joined Oklahoma and Texas in filing a lawsuit that opposed the move. The states say listing the bird hurts the agriculture and energy industries. They say current conservation efforts are helping lesser prairie-chicken populations rebound. The lesser prairie-chicken has lost much of its habitat in the last decade, including in southwest Kansas.
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Report: Nearly One in Five Kansans Has Substance Use Disorder
LAWRENCE, Kan. (KPR) — A new report says nearly one in five Kansans meets the clinical criteria for a substance use disorder. The report comes from KU's Center for Public Partnerships and Research. The report found higher than expected rates of substance abuse disorder across all age groups. It was most prevalent in young adults, with nearly 29 percent meeting the clinical definition. The report was commissioned in response to the state's opioid epidemic. One troubling finding: 95% of those meeting the definition said they do not feel they need treatment or support.
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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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GCCC to Collaborate with NASA for Course Using Satellite Data in Agriculture
LIBERAL, Kan. (KNS) — Garden City Community College is collaborating with NASA to offer a new course on using satellites in agriculture. The Kansas News Service reports that it’s the first Kansas community college to join the program. With this collaboration, NASA technology can meet agriculture students where they are in rural Kansas. The course will bring satellite technology to the classroom and the field. That will give students hands-on experience with the tech and more career opportunities in agriculture, like agriscience. Elisa Mai, the assistant professor of crop technology, says she is excited to see her students' reactions to the new tools. She says the class will focus on real-world applications. “We'll be using like heat signals, so you can kind of see the health of the crop, if it's stressed. We also can look at how much water those crops are losing,” she explained. Mai says these resources can be taken back to the family farm and maybe encourage more water conservation and efficiency in the places that need it most.
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Feds Investigating Four Kansas School Districts' Transgender Policies
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 Consider Changes to State Special Ed Funding
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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What's Going on with HeadQuarters? KPR Checks in on the 988 Lifeline System in Lawrence
LAWRENCE, Kan. (KPR) — Since 1969, HeadQuarters Kansas has provided counseling and suicide prevention services. The nonprofit agency operates the 988 lifeline system for most of the state. But last year, HeadQuarters ran into trouble. Most of the staff members demanded the resignation of the entire board and the interim executive director over concerns about the potential misuse of grant funds. Not long after, the board and leadership resigned. In July 2024, a judge appointed Lawrence attorney Dan Watkins to run the outfit. KPR's J. Schafer recently spoke to Watkins to find out how things are going one year later.
HeadQuarters is hosting a free community breakfast event next month to bring the Lawrence community up to speed on what's been happening with the organization. The Breakfast of Hope will be held on September 8th at 8 am. (The date and time is a nod to the "9-8-8" system. It's being held in the 9th month, on the 8th day at 8 in the morning.)
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Saving Kansas History Museum's Civil War Flags Is Costly
TOPEKA, Kan. (KPR) — Dozens of rare and historic Civil War battle flags stored at the Kansas Museum of History in Topeka are falling apart and in desperate need of restoration. But as KPR’s Matthew Algeo reports, repairing just a single flag can cost tens of thousands of dollars.
(The Kansas Museum of History is accepting donations to help pay for preserving the flags. To donate, click here.)
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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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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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Family of Stricken Kansas Cross-Country Runner Starts GoFundMe Campaign
UNDATED (KCUR) — The family of a college cross country runner who collapsed during a practice last week has set up a Go Fund Me page to help pay for expenses. The runner, Delia Montes, is a freshman runner at Dodge City Community College. She was found unconscious in a field, apparently having suffered heat stroke. She is hospitalized in Wichita in critical condition. The Kansas Bureau of Investigation is looking into the incident. In a statement, the college said the practice was monitored according to the heat policy of the Kansas Jayhawk Community College Conference. The GoFundMe page says the young woman’s uncle is staying in Wichita and the money raised will help with those expenses
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