Federal Government Shuts Down
UNDATED (KPR) - The federal government is shut down. Senate Republicans and Democrats could not agree on a continuing resolution to keep the government running, so at midnight Wednesday morning, the federal government shutdown began. The shutdown could jeopardize some critical safety net services in Kansas. The first to feel an impact might be Kansas families who rely on federal assistance to put food on the table. Since the shutdown coincides with the start of the fiscal year, the food program supporting women and children would run out of funds if the shutdown lasts more than a week. Others who could feel immediate impact are federal workers and active duty military service members, who would not be paid during a shutdown. Staff at National Parks, like Brown v. Board of Education Historic Park in Topeka, may also go unpaid. During the last shutdown, parks were accessible to the public, but many employees had to stay home. (Read more.)
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Judge Dismisses Kobach Lawsuit over SNAP Recipient Private Data
UNDATED (KNS) — A Kansas judge has dismissed Republican Attorney General Kris Kobach’s lawsuit that aimed to force the state to hand over private data to federal officials. The Kansas News Service reports that Kobach filed the lawsuit against Democratic Governor Laura Kelly’s administration for withholding personal information about Kansans who receive food assistance. He argued the Department for Children and Families was violating state and federal law. But state officials said turning over the information would violate recipient privacy. Judge Teresa Watson ruled that Kansas law does not require the state to grant the data request.
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Kansas GOP Takes First Steps Toward Congressional Redistricting
UNDATED (KNS) — Kansas Republicans have taken the first steps to redistrict the state’s congressional map ahead of the 2026 elections. Republican lawmakers say a petition is circulating to call a special legislative session this fall. The goal would be unseating Democratic Representative Sharice Davids in the Kansas City area. But Republican leaders need near-unanimous support to make that happen. Republican representative Mark Schreiber says he will not support a GOP gerrymander, adding “...to me that's not the purpose of redistricting. It's not used as a political tool to increase your majority, it's to adjust for population changes.” If leaders collect enough signatures, the special session could start in November. (Read more.)
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Jackson County Unseats Executive Frank White Jr. in Historic Election
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (KCUR) — In Jackson County, Missouri, residents have voted to recall County Executive Frank White Jr. and remove him from office - effective immediately. KCUR Radio reports that this the first time in the county’s history that voters have recalled an executive. The decision to recall White held 85% of the vote. The election itself had a low turnout. Fewer than 11% of registered voters in Kansas City and 20% in Eastern Jackson County went to their polling places either in absentee voting or on the September 30th recall date. The recall was placed on the ballot after a petition received tens of thousands of signatures from county voters. In a statement after the election, White said serving as county executive was one of the "greatest honors" of his life and thanked his supporters, staff, family and wife.
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University of Kansas Reports Record Enrollment Numbers
LAWRENCE, Kan. (KPR) — Enrollment numbers have increased at the University of Kansas. For the second straight year, KU has achieved its highest overall enrollment in history. That's according to annual data released by the Kansas Board of Regents. KU’s enrollment has grown 1.3% to 31,169 students, eclipsing the previous all-time mark of 30,770 set last year. This year’s record-setting enrollment includes the third-largest freshman class in KU history. (Read KU's full announcement to learn more.) KU officials have invited future and prospective students to its annual Crimson & Blue Day on October 17.
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Enrollment Surges to Historic High at Wichita State with More than 25,000 Students
WICHITA, Kan. (KPR) — Wichita State University and WSU Tech are celebrating record-breaking enrollment this fall. Over the past 10 years, WSU has grown 27.3% and WSU Tech 101.5%. That momentum is reflected in this fall’s historic headcount of 25,147 students — the highest in university history. (Read the entire report from WSU.)
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Kansas City Woman Gets 11 Years in Prison for Covid-19 Fraud and Identity Theft
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (KPR) — A Kansas City area woman has been sentenced to 11 years in prison for fraud and identity theft. Federal prosecutors say 29-year-old Briauna Adams, of Raymore, had a leadership role in two cases that resulted in more than $500,000 in fraudulent Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loans being issued under the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act. They also say she had more than $3 million in stolen U.S. Treasury checks.
Adams was sentenced Tuesday after pleading guilty to wire fraud, money laundering and theft of government funds related to a counterfeit check scheme and stolen U.S. Treasury checks. The defendant also pleaded guilty to other charges. (Read more.)
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Report Examines Why the Health of Kansans Appears to be Getting Worse
UNDATED (KPR) — What happened to health in Kansas? That’s the question a new report from the Kansas Health Institute tries to answer. Kansas has experienced one of the steepest long-term declines in health ranking in the nation. In 1991, the state was ranked eighth in America’s Health Rankings. By 2024, it had fallen to 28th. The report attributes the decline to numerous factors, including the closure of rural hospitals and health care services, the failure to expand Medicaid, and the limited availability of mental health services. The report was based on surveys of more than 100 health leaders and experts.
Editor's note: The Kansas Health Institute is funded by the Kansas Health Foundation, which also provides funding for KPR's reporting partners at the Kansas News Service.
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Kansas Senator Declines to Weigh in on Federal Lawsuit over Wichita-Based Plane Crash
UNDATED (KMUW) — Kansas Senator Jerry Moran says that the Senate subcommittee he chairs will continue to investigate the crash of a Wichita-based American Airlines flight, but he won't weigh in on a new federal lawsuit. KMUW reports that Moran said “...we're planning another hearing...to get to an additional set of facts and try to resolve more as to what is the fault? Where's the fault lie?...but I'd leave it to the family members to make decisions in consultation with their attorneys about what the appropriate legal response is."
67 people died in January when American Airlines flight 5342 collided with an Army helicopter near Washington D.C. The family of a Connecticut man killed in the crash filed the first wrongful death suit in federal court last week. Attorneys representing the family say they think as many as 35 other people plan to sue American Airlines, its regional carrier PSA Airlines, and the federal government for negligence.
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Comanche County School Superintendent Resigns
LIBERAL, Kan. (KNS) — A rural Kansas superintendent has resigned after public backlash over allegations that he sexually harassed and touched a student. The Kansas News Service reports that the resignation follows pressure mounting on Comanche County school officials to take action against Superintendent Ty Theurer. The Kansas Reflector reports that one hundred people gathered at the rural school district’s meeting earlier this month to criticize the school board’s handling of the allegations. Students spoke out in the spring about the inappropriate contact. But Theurer was only placed on administrative leave in September after public outcry. Last week, 10 bullets were shot at a school board member’s empty car.
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Sedgwick County Teacher Charged With Child Endangerment
DERBY, Kan. (KWCH) — A Derby High School English teacher has been arrested for crimes involving children. The Sedgwick County school says the first-year teacher, Caleb Thornton, faces charges including contributing to child misconduct, child endangerment, and possession of marijuana. KWCH reports Thornton was arrested Monday. The Derby High principal says the teacher is on immediate suspension and the district “is working closely with the Derby Police Department regarding this matter.”
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Evergy Lineman Electrocuted, Critically Injured
WICHITA, Kan. KWCH — Evergy is investigating an incident in which a lineman was electrocuted and nearly died last week while working to repair an outage near Kingman. Evergy told KWCH the lineman, Brandon Kaufmann, remains in critical condition in a Wichita hospital. Evergy declined to provide further details about the incident. A GoFundMe campaign created to help support the lineman, his wife, and their three children has so far raised more than $130,000.
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Sierra Club Report Card Gives Evergy an ‘F’
UNDATED (Lawrence Times) — The Sierra Club has given the power company Evergy an “F” for its failure to meet minimum climate targets. In a report, the Sierra Club cited the company’s “multi-year backslide” from renewable investments for the failing grade. The report grades 75 utilities nationwide on plans to retire coal plants, stop building new gas plants, and transition to clean energy. Evergy has delayed the closure of a coal-burning plant and recently announced plans to build two new gas-burning plants. An Evergy spokesperson told the Lawrence Times the utility is delaying its expectations of a 70% reduction in greenhouse gases by 2030.
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Kansas Doctors Express Concern over Mental Health Effects of AI Tech Use
UNDATED (KNS) — Some Kansas doctors are wary about how artificial intelligence technology might further harm youth mental health. Major concerns include the possible loss of social skills and AI replacing human interactions. Dr. Mitchell Douglas of the University of Kansas Health System says he is especially concerned about young people using AI chat bots during a mental health crisis. “It’s going to be telling you that you’re good, that everything’s fine and provide general, vague support, as opposed to making some challenging statements. Like wow, you need help. You need to go talk to a parent right now,” he explained. Douglas encourages parents to talk with their kids at an early age about what AI is, and the possible risks.
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KPR Seeks New Kansas Statehouse Bureau Chief
TOPEKA, Kan. (KPR) — Kansas Public Radio is seeking a new Statehouse Bureau Chief. This position works primarily at the Kansas Statehouse in Topeka and is primarily responsible for reporting on state government. This includes, but is not limited to, covering the Kansas Legislature, the governor, attorney general, supreme court, the state's congressional delegation and statewide elections. (Click here for more details.)
Best radio and multimedia news job in Kansas? Maybe. Must apply online.
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Olympian Visits Lenexa to Promote STEAM Education
UNDATED (KCUR) — Olympic swimmer Katie Ledecky ditched her swimming cap for a lab coat Tuesday to teach Kansas students about science and technology careers. KCUR reports that the most decorated American woman in Olympic history visited Cedar Trails Exploration Center in Lenexa as part of her collaboration with Panasonic to promote education in science, technology, engineering, art, and math, or STEAM. Ledecky, who has nine Olympic gold medals, says she developed a love of math during her swimming career. "I'm a distance swimmer, so I was always calculating pace times and running all the numbers in my head. And I also had some really great science teachers growing up," she said. Panasonic opened a 4-billion-dollar plant in De Soto in July. Officials there say they look forward to working more with the school district to increase STEAM education.
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Royals Front Office Plans on Salvador Perez Playing for KC in 2026
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (KPR) — The Kansas City Royals expect to have Salvador Perez back for the final year of his current contract in 2026. Salvador Perez reached two major milestones this year when he hit his 300th career homer and drove in his 1,000th career run. The team’s general manager, J.J. Picollo, says the Royals expect Perez to play out the last year of his current contract in Kansas City. "I think it’s safe to say that, one way or another, Salvy will be in a Royals uniform in ’26. What we do beyond that is still to be determined. There are still some things we need to work through and talk about," he said at a press conference on Tuesday. Perez, who will turn 35 next season, finished this year with 30 homers and 100 runs batted in, second on the team to first baseman and designated hitter Vinnie Pasquantino.
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