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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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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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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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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