KDHE Announces End of Kansas Measles Outbreak
TOPEKA, Kan. (KPR/KDHE) — The Kansas Department of Health and Environment announced Thursday that the measles outbreak affecting southwest Kansas has officially ended. Two full incubation periods, for a total of 42 days, have passed since the last confirmed case was reported.
As of August 21, 2025, 87 cases of measles were confirmed in the outbreak, which began in January 2025. More than 80 percent of the cases were in children, and over 90 percent of the patients were not vaccinated against measles. Eight people were hospitalized over the course of the outbreak.
The end of the recent outbreak does not mean the threat of measles is over. KDHE and local health departments will continue to monitor for new cases and are urging health care providers to remain vigilant and test for measles if their patients have suspicious symptoms.
With the end of the active outbreak in southwest Kansas, KDHE is no longer recommending the early measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) vaccination dose for infants 6-11 months old. Health care providers should now refer to the standard childhood schedule for MMR administration. As the new school year begins, officials are urging people to ensure they and their families are up to date on vaccinations, including the MMR vaccine.
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Passenger Van Rollover on I-70 Kills One, Injures Seven
McFARLAND, Kan. (WIBW-TV) — A passenger van carrying 13 people crashed on I-70 in Wabaunsee County Wednesday morning. One person was killed and seven people were injured. Police say it appears one of the vehicle’s tires blew out, causing it to roll over near the McFarland exit, about 25 miles west of Topeka. WIBW-TV reports the van was carrying employees of a security company from Colorado to Ohio. The seven injured are all hospitalized in serious condition. Interstate traffic was diverted through a nearby weigh station.
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Implementation Methods for Legislatively-Mandated Fetal Development Video in Schools Still Unclear
UNDATED (KNS) — A new law requires Kansas schools to show a three-minute video on fetal development in certain classes. But it’s unclear how schools will do it. The Kansas News Service reports that the law drew support from groups that oppose abortion and criticism from reproductive rights advocates. The law leaves it up to local school districts to decide what materials students will see and at what ages.
Randy Watson, the Kansas education commissioner, said at a Kansas State Board of Education meeting in June that local school districts might struggle with the lack of specifics in the law. “You have now truly left 286 school districts to have to come up with 286 policies, procedures, curriculum, video…” he explained. In many cases, parents will be able to opt their children in or out of watching the video.
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Republican Gubernatorial Candidate Loses Running Mate
UNDATED (KNS) — The Kansas Secretary of State’s office is dealing with something it has never seen before: a Republican candidate for governor has lost his running mate. The Kansas News Service reports that conservative podcaster Doug Billings no longer has a lieutenant governor candidate with him. April McCoy quit the campaign and accused him of pocketing a campaign donation for personal use. The Kansas Secretary of State is consulting with the state attorney general’s office to decide whether Billings needs to re-file for election. On his podcast this month, Billings denied the allegation and said running with McCoy was a mistake. “We have got someone out there with whom I could never have won...and so I think what happened is that person got angry and they began to slander and defame. That's my hunch,” he added.
McCoy has posted videos on Facebook urging people not to vote for Billings in 2026.
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Heat-Related Symptoms Hit Wamego High School Football Players
WAMEGO, Kan. (WIBW-TV) — An ambulance was called last week when three Wamego High School football players showed symptoms of heat-related illnesses. School superintendent Josh Meyer told WIBW-TV all three students are “fine” now. Meyer says the practice complied with state regulations allowing voluntary practices before the season. Still, he says, the practice should have been cancelled due to the heat.
The incident follows one earlier this month in which a Dodge City Community College cross-country runner collapsed during a practice, apparently from heat stroke. At last report, that student was still hospitalized.
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KU, K-State Football Fans Gear Up for Big Weekend
UNDATED (KPR/KSNT) — The University of Kansas has announced that its first football game of the season is a sellout in the rebranded David Booth Memorial Stadium. It will be KU’s first home game in Lawrence since the demolition of the west and northside seating areas in 2023. A new scoreboard has also been built on the south end zone. Besides the new amenities, KU athletics director Travis Goff says the players will have a better entrance to the field before kickoff. “We had to deal with pedestrian traffic flow and then we had a fake tunnel for the guys to walk out of” before the renovation, said Goff. “I think, unfortunately, that was a depiction of where we were for all too long.” Kickoff is set for 5:30 PM Saturday for the season opener against Fresno State.
Meanwhile, Kansas State fans are gearing up for their team’s opening game on Saturday as well. K-State will open the season against Iowa State in Dublin, Ireland. The Aer Lingus College Football Classic will be played at Aviva Stadium, which usually hosts Ireland's national rugby and soccer teams. KSNT reports some K-State fans are already in Ireland for the game. Kickoff will be at 11 AM Central Time
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KU Hires Assistant Basketball Coach Who Was Convicted of Felony
LAWRENCE, Kan. (KPR/ESPN) — The University of Kansas has hired Tony Bland as an assistant basketball coach. Bland has extensive experience in college basketball. He is also a convicted felon. In 2019, Bland pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit bribery. Bland admitted accepting a 41-hundred-dollar bribe to steer players to certain financial advisers when he was an assistant coach at the University of Southern California. Bland was sentenced to two years of probation and 100 hours of community service. ESPN reports KU school officials conducted “as extensive of a background check as they’ve ever done” before hiring Bland.
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Kansas Governor Laura Kelly Urges Other Governors Not to Send State National Guard Troops to DC
UNDATED (KMUW) — Kansas Governor Laura Kelly is asking other governors not to send members of their National Guard to Washington, D.C. Republican governors from several states have sent Guard members to the nation's capital in response to President Donald Trump's deployment of federal law enforcement there. KMUW reports that Kelly issued a statement in her role as chair of the Democratic Governors Association. The group represents the country's 23 Democratic governors. Kelly says the Guard deployment in Washington is politically motivated. She says the move wastes resources that could be needed for real emergencies in the future.
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Three of Four Kansas Catholic Bishops: Treat Migrants Humanely
UNDATED (Catholic Standard) — Amid ongoing immigration raids across the country, three of the four Catholic bishops in Kansas are urging public officials to “treat undocumented migrants humanely.” In a joint pastoral letter on immigration, the bishops say, “Unnecessary raids, mass detentions, and family separations betray the values of our nation and the Gospel.” The letter was reported in the Catholic Standard newspaper. Addressed to “the people of God in Kansas and to all people of good will,” the pastoral was signed by Archbishop Shawn McKnight of Kansas City, as well as the bishops of Wichita and Salina. The state’s fourth Catholic bishop, John Brungardt of Dodge City, did not sign the letter.
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Kansas Psychiatric Hospitals Work to Cope with Nursing Shortage
WICHITA, Kan. (KNS) — Psychiatric hospitals in Kansas are dealing with a critical shortage of nurses, despite the state raising salaries and offering bonuses to attract staff. The Kansas News Service reports that Kansas is spending more than $60 million a year to hire contract nurses to fill vacancies at state hospitals in Larned and Osawatomie. Republican Rep. Will Carpenter chairs the Legislature’s interim health committee. He suggested moving some patients into private health care facilities to cut costs. “We’re not going to build this staff to take care of the number of people that are out there right now. We have got to shrink that population down to what we can handle,” he said. Officials say state hospitals are some of the only facilities designed to serve patients with serious mental illness, including sexually violent offenders. The state will open a new 104-bed psychiatric hospital in Wichita in 2027.
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Wichita to Change Watering and Irrigation Guidelines
WICHITA, Kan. (KMUW) — After a year of drought-related restrictions, Wichita will change its watering guidelines again next month. Gary Janzen is Wichita's director of public works and utilities. He says even though the drought plan that limited watering to one day a week worked,“...this was not normal even by normal standards. We’re fortunate we did what we did, but it’s been tough. And I get it. I hear from a lot of people who had nice yards that are burnt up.” KMUW reports that June rains refilled Cheney Reservoir. Janzen thinks new permanent water restrictions adopted this week could give Wichita an edge. Starting September 15, all outdoor irrigation will be limited to every other day, from before 10 a.m. and after 6 p.m. No watering is allowed on Mondays. The city estimates it could save a billion gallons of water each year.
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Several Democrats Seek to Challenge Incumbent Roger Marshall in 2026 U.S. Senate Race
UNDATED (KNS) — Kansas Democrats are lining up to challenge Republican Roger Marshall for his seat in the U.S. Senate in 2026. The Kansas News Service reports that most recent to file was Cottonwood Falls resident Christy Davis, a former official in the U.S. Department of Agriculture. She joined Anne Parelkar, a former immigration attorney; and Michael Soetaert, a 2022 U.S. Senate candidate, in the pool of Democrats seeking to replace Marshall. While in office, Marshall has closely aligned himself with President Donald Trump, who won Kansas easily in 2024. Records show his campaign has $2.7 million in the bank, though information for the other candidates is not available yet.
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Frontenac Police Find Stolen Safe in Middle of the Road
FRONTENAC, Kan. (KSNT) — Police in Frontenac, Kansas, were surprised late Monday night when a caller reported a large object in the middle of the road. KSNT reports the object turned out to be a one-ton safe stolen from a business in Pittsburg, Kansas. A criminal investigation is underway. The safe will be returned to its owner.
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