Memorial Service Held for Murdered Lawrence Woman
LAWRENCE, Kan. (LJW) — Friends of a woman killed in Lawrence Friday night gathered to remember her on Sunday. Thirty-five-year-old Jina Reyes was stabbed to death. A 63-year-old man has been arrested and charged with her murder. The Lawrence Journal World reports Reyes was a member of the Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe. Her friends held a ceremony in her honor at Haskell Indian Nations University. Reyes was remembered as a free spirit, a fighter, and a good friend.
==========
Octogenarian Charged in Fatal Wichita Crash
WICHITA, Kan. (KWCH) — An 80-year-old woman has been charged with two counts of second-degree murder after a fatal crash in Wichita left two people dead Saturday night. The woman was driving a truck that crashed into two other vehicles at the intersection of Central and Webb. Two women in one of the cars that was hit were killed. KWCH reports the two women were a mother and her adult daughter. Police say speed and alcohol are believed to be factors in the crash.
==========
Kansas A.G. Says Republican Gubernatorial Candidate Must Refile
UNDATED (KNS) — In a statement Friday, Kansas Attorney General Kris Kobach said a Republican running for governor must re-file his candidacy after his running mate withdrew from the race. The Kansas News Service reports that conservative podcaster Doug Billings became the center of a new legal conundrum in Kansas when his would-be lieutenant governor, April McCoy, left the campaign.
McCoy accused Billings of pocketing a campaign donation for personal use, which the candidate denies.
If Billings wants to rejoin the governor’s race, Kobach says he must enter with a new running mate and pay the filing fees a second time.
==========
Kansas Republicans Consider Early Congressional Redistricting Attempt
UNDATED (KNS) — Kansas Republicans are considering an attempt to redraw the state’s congressional map several years early. The Kansas News Service reports that the districts already mostly favor Republicans. Ty Masterson, the Republican state Senate president, says Kansas might join other states in trying to redraw congressional districts before the 2026 midterm elections. The Kansas Legislature already drew the map to favor Republicans after the 2020 census. But Democrat Sharice Davids in the 3rd District still kept her seat. Bob Beatty, a political science professor at Washburn University, says drawing an even more partisan map could be more trouble than it’s worth. “Is it worth Kansas Republicans to... break Kansas tradition, break Kansas norms, for that one seat?” he asked. A redistricting effort would likely come up in the next Legislative session in 2026.
==========
Republican-Led States Hit Hard by Cancellation of Federal Health Grants
UNDATED (KNS) — Red states like Kansas have lost more of their federal health grants related to the COVID-19 pandemic than blue states have. The Kansas News Service reports that the Trump administration says the grants aren’t needed anymore because the pandemic is over. It axed about 700 Centers for Disease Control and Prevention grants - billions of dollars for vaccination programs, community health workers and more. Kansas lost about $12.5 million. A new analysis from KFF News finds the cuts are hitting red states like Kansas harder than blue ones. That’s because the red states didn’t sue, whereas two dozen blue states saw much of their funding restored after a court injunction.
==========
Federal Crackdown on Ticket Scalping Linked to Law Sponsored by U.S. Senator Jerry Moran
UNDATED (KNS) — Federal regulators are cracking down on ticket scalping to big time events like Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour, thanks to a law from a Kansas senator. The Federal Trade Commission recently filed a lawsuit against a ticket broker accused of illegally buying and reselling tickets at an inflated price. Republican U.S. Senator Jerry Moran sponsored the 2016 law. It prohibits people from circumventing purchasing rules, like limits on how many tickets someone can buy. Moran says he’s happy to see the FTC tackling the issue. “They found some culprits. And I hope we return to the days when the price on a ticket is the price you pay,” he said. The broker allegedly bought hundreds of thousands of tickets to resell for millions of dollars in profits.
==========
De Soto Greenlights Multi-Billion-Dollar Data Center Project
UNDATED (KNS) — The City Council of De Soto, Kansas, has approved a $3.1 billion data center project, just weeks after a massive Panasonic vehicle battery plant opened down the street. The Kansas News Service reports that the city council approved private bonds and tax incentives for a million-square-foot data center, to be completed in 2035. The name of the company has not been publicly disclosed. The Panasonic plant already brought new roads, utilities and fire facilities to the city. But the data center will require building even more infrastructure. De Soto Mayor Rick Walker says those new energy and water costs will fall on the developer, not rate payers. “Can't promise any rate reductions, but I can certainly tell you I would not expect any kind of upward pressure on our water rates,” Walker added. Construction on the data center could begin as soon as next year.
==========
Paperwork Stymies Some Foster Kids' School Enrollment
UNDATED (KC Beacon) — Some Kansas foster kids are missing out on school because of paperwork issues. The Beacon reports that when foster children move to new homes, they might move far enough that they need to attend a new school. Sometimes children move so much that they have no address to give the school. Other times special needs students might go to a school that doesn’t offer the same services. That can prevent a child from enrolling in a new district, so the kid sits at home. Kristalle Hedrick with the Children’s Alliance says this happens to higher needs children that require more intensive care. “This kid might be going to several different placements, trying to find one that's a good fit,” Hedrick explained. Kansas lawmakers are working on a possible solution that could be approved in 2026.
==========
Weed Control Field Day Highlights Non-Chemical Methods for Weed Management
UNDATED (HPM) — Farmers spend a lot of time trying to control weeds, and many of those who don’t use chemicals - or are trying to use less - see potential with new tools. Harvest Public Media reports that the Midwest Mechanical Weed Control Field Day is an event designed to raise awareness about some of these new approaches to the problem of weed control. Sam Oschwald Tilton is the founder and lead organizer of the annual event, which was in-person in Iowa for the first time. He estimates half of the nearly 200 attendees use organic methods, whether they are certified or not. “But there's plenty of farmers that have issues with herbicide resistance. And so one thing I love about this event, it brings together all type of farmers, different scales, different crops and different growing philosophies,” he explained. Throughout the event, farmers gathered in demonstration fields to see different types of equipment in action, including simple tools on two wheels, a propane-powdered flame weeder, and multi-row tractor attachments. The Midwest Mechanical Weed Control Field Day rotates to a new state each year. (Read more.)
==========
Restored Constitution Hall in Topeka to Reopen
TOPEKA, Kan. (KPR) — Topeka’s historic Constitution Hall will reopen next month after years of restoration. The Shawnee County Historical Society says the official re-opening will take place on September 27 with a program about the underground railroad. Constitution Hall is one of the state’s most historically significant buildings. The simple, two-story structure was built in 1855. It’s where the Topeka Constitutional Convention was held and later served as the temporary state capitol. A $3.7 million grant in 2022 helped pay for the restoration.
==========
Kansas Senator: Rural Hospitals Can Survive Despite Loss of Some Medicaid Funding
LIBERAL, Kan. (KNS) — Republican U.S. Senator Jerry Moran says rural hospitals in Kansas can still survive despite losing some Medicaid funding. The Kansas News Service reports that Moran toured some facilities this week to see the challenges they face. Rural Kansans on average travel twice as far for medical care than their urban counterparts, and the hospitals they go to are perpetually understaffed and unable to provide special services. Critics say the steep cuts to Medicaid that Moran voted for will hurt those hospitals even more because they rely on the federal funds to stay open. But Moran says he tried to counteract the financial losses with an emergency fund for hospitals at risk of closure. “Does this solve all the problems? No, but does it give us a fighting chance for hospital doors to remain open? In my view, yes,” he explained. Moran says financial support from the local level can also keep rural hospitals open.
==========
Study: Kansas Homeowners Pay More for Home Insurance
UNDATED (KCUR) — Kansas homeowners spend almost twice as much of their income on homeowner’s insurance than the average American, according to a new study. KCUR reports that insuring a home in Missouri costs a lot less. A lot of factors influence insurance rates: personal finances, natural disaster risk, and wide swings in how the insurance industry is regulated from state to state. A survey put together by Bankrate shows Kansas homeowners pay, on average, almost $4500 a year, more than 6% of their incomes, to cover their homes. That’s more than Texas, with its hurricane-prone Gulf Coast. Across the state line in Missouri, the cost drops to $2400 a year on average, and about 3.5% of income. The upside for homeowning Kansans is that they don’t get dinged as hard for filing insurance claims. Collect on a fire in Missouri and your premium is likely to jump by about $350. In Kansas, the increase is just $66.
==========
Annual Pooch Plunge Event Scheduled for Tuesday
LAWRENCE, Kan. (Lawrence Times) — On Tuesday, the City of Lawrence will hold its annual dogs-only pool party at the city's Outdoor Aquatic Center. The Pooch Plunge is set for 4 to 7 p.m. Tuesday, September 2 at the Outdoor Aquatic Center (727 Kentucky Street). The pool closes to humans after Monday, September 1. The Lawrence Times reports that the water will be treated to make it safe for dogs to swim. Entry is $5.00 per dog. Proof of rabies and Bordetella vaccinations is required. For more information, visit the Pooch Plunge Facebook page.
==========
Goats Clearing Vegetation at Lawrence Elementary School
LAWRENCE, Kan. (LJW) — If you see some goats grazing outside Langston Hughes Elementary School in Lawrence, don’t disturb them, they’re working. The herd will be visiting the school over the next month to clear overgrown vegetation. The Lawrence Journal World reports the goats arrived Thursday from a farm in Paola, Kansas. The farm is part of an organization called Goats on the Go, which provides goat grazing services. Throughout September, the district will have 34 goats inside an enclosure on the school’s property. The enclosure will be moved throughout the month, allowing the goats to clear six acres of the property in all.
==========
This summary of area news is curated by KPR news staffers. Our headlines are generally published by 10 am weekdays and are updated through 7 pm. This ad-free news summary is made possible by KPR members. Become one today. And follow KPR News on X (formerly Twitter).