Kansas State Employee Fired Over Remarks About Charlie Kirk
TOPEKA, Kan. (Manhattan Mercury) — The Kansas Department of Education has fired an employee, apparently over her comments about the death of conservative activist Charlie Kirk. Katie Allen was a research analyst for the department. Commenting on a Facebook post last Wednesday, Allen reportedly said Kirk’s death was, quote, “well deserved.” She deleted the post and apologized the next day. But on Friday, Republican Kansas Senate President Ty Masterson called for Allen to be fired.
And she was.
Education department officials confirmed to the Manhattan Mercury that Allen is no longer employed there, but would make no further comment.
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Kansas Home Daycare Provider Faces Felony Child Abuse Charges
McPHERSON, Kan. (KAKE) — A McPherson daycare owner is facing allegations of child abuse. KAKE reports 50-year-old Kimberly Horn was charged in McPherson County Court last Friday with one count of child abuse, a felony. Court documents allege Horn inflicted “cruel and inhumane corporal punishment” upon a child under the age of six years old. Horn’s daycare, Kimberly Kay Horn Day Care Home, has been stripped of its license. If convicted, Horn faces up to 20 years in prison.
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Judge Rules Against Nurse in Fight With Kansas Nursing Board
TOPEKA, Kan. (KSNT) — An administrative law judge has ruled against a Kansas nurse who says she was unfairly disciplined by the state nursing board. The board has accused Amy Siple of practicing without a license. Siple says she had not realized her license had expired when she gave talks on her specialty, dementia, at conferences and senior centers. The nursing board says those talks amount to practicing nursing. Siple and her attorney have argued it’s protected speech. KSNT reports the administrative judge ruled the nursing board was acting within its rights when it suspended Siple’s license. Siple is expected to appeal the ruling to a district court.
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Man Arrested After Damaging Cars in Lawrence With a Ukulele
LAWRENCE, Kan. (LJW) — A Lawrence man was arrested Saturday after he allegedly damaged several cars with a ukulele. Police say the man appeared to be intoxicated. Witnesses said he hit several cars with the instrument, breaking the windshield on one. The incident occurred around 2 p.m. on the 1200 block of Kentucky Street. The Lawrence Journal-World reports the ukulele-wielder faces charges of felony criminal damage to property.
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Topeka Metro’s plans to reduce services come after a City Council decision
TOPKA, Kan. (WIBW-TV) — Topeka’s Metro bus service will be making cuts after the city council reduced its funding. WIBW-TV reports the budget cut amounts to $300,000. Topeka Metro says the cut will force it to reduce services. It’s taking comments from the public on which services should be reduced or discontinued.
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Kansas Ban on Using SNAP Benefits for Candy and Soda Hits Roadblock
TOPEKA, Kan. (KNS) — Earlier this year, the Republican-dominated Kansas Legislature pushed to make certain sugary items ineligible for purchase through the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP. A dozen other states have gotten similar policies approved. But the Kansas News Service reports the state agency that runs SNAP in Kansas says it has yet to hash out all the details with federal officials. Republican state Senator Renee Erickson said it can be complicated to decide what counts as junk food. “It sounds simple when we say ‘pop’ and ‘candy,’” she said, “but we know that those details, those definitions matter.” Supporters say the ban is intended to decrease obesity rates for low-income Kansans, while Democratic Governor Laura Kelly has said the policy is confusing and counterproductive.
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Kansas Project Showcases Hemp-Based Building Materials
OGDEN, Kan. (KNS) — The first permit in Kansas has been issued—and construction is underway—for a house that is being built with hemp materials. Architecture faculty and students at Kansas State University teamed up with Habitat for Humanity of the Northern Flint Hills. They’re building an 860-square-foot home in Ogden with hemp-based alternatives to concrete and to foam insulation. That will make for a well-insulated home with a much smaller carbon footprint. K-State professor Michael Gibson says the house will also have solar panels. “so it’s generating more electricity than it’s going to use in a year.” And that means that, in eight years, the home will have produced enough electricity not just for its residents but to offset the carbon footprint of having been built.
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Kansas Sorghum Farmers Navigate New Trade Landscape
UNDATED (KNS) — Kansas is the king of sorghum, producing more bushels of the drought-resistant grain than any other state. But there aren’t many buyers right now. China accounted for 90% of sorghum exports from the United States. But, in response to U.S. tariffs, China has turned to Brazil and Australia for its sorghum.
“We've been building those relationships with China for over fifteen years,” Amy France, Scott City farmer and chair of the National Sorghum Producers, told the Kansas News Service. “When we hear that [China has turned away from U.S. imports], our ears perk and we hone in on that.” In 2022, the price of sorghum was over six dollars per bushel. Today it’s under three dollars.
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Kansas Education Officials Release Tools for Analyzing Test Results
UNDATED (KNS) — Kansas education officials have released new charts that will allow districts to roughly compare this year’s state test scores to those from last year. Officials had previously warned that year-over-year comparisons would not be possible because of redesigned tests and all new cut scores. But Matt Copeland with the University of Kansas testing center says new concordance tables will help districts continue to measure progress.
“We haven’t shifted from apples to oranges,” he told the Kansas News Service. “If I had to give a better metaphor, we’ve gone from a Red Delicious apple to a Honeycrisp apple.” The sixteen tables show linked scores for each grade level and subject. Test officials say they should not be used to compare individual student scores from one grade to the next.
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Kansas Uninsured Rate Among Children Hits Highest Level in a Decade
TOPEKA, Kan. (KPR) — The rate of Kansas children without health insurance has climbed to its highest level in more than a decade. That's according to new data released by the U.S. Census Bureau. Historically, the uninsured rates for Kansas children have been close to the national average. But that gap widened in 2024. The share of uninsured children in Kansas rose to 7% in 2024. That's the highest rate in 11 years. For the fourth consecutive year, the overall uninsured rate in Kansas was higher than the national average.
This means children in Kansas are more likely to be uninsured than children in other parts of the country. All low-income children are affected, but Hispanic, Black and Native American children are more likely to be uninsured than white children.
The President and CEO of the Kansas Health Institute, Kari Bruffett, says the new data release confirms that the uninsured rate for children increased significantly in 2024.
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