Another "No Kings" Protest Set for Saturday
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (KCTV) - Another "No Kings" protest is planned across the country this weekend. According to KCTV, at least a dozen such protests will take place Saturday in the metro area alone. The underlying premise of the demonstrations is that Democracy belongs to the people, not any one person or political party. The rallies are widely seen as a protest against President Trump and his policies. Saturday's rallies are on track to surpass the "No Kings" rallies held on June 14th, when an estimated five million people protested across all 50 states. Protests will take place in Lawrence, Topeka, Ottawa, Wichita and in several Kansas City suburbs.
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Kansas Senator Wants U.S. to Send Tomahawk Missiles to Ukraine
WASHINGTON, D.C. (KPR) - Kansas Republican Senator Jerry Moran wants the U.S. to apply more pressure to Russian President Vladimir Putin and send more advanced weapons to Ukraine. "One recent and important development in this effort is the potential transfer of U.S. Tomahawk missiles to Ukraine." he said. "This weaponry will strengthen Ukraine's ability to defend its territory, deter further Russian agression and help level the battlefield as negotiations, hopfully, move forward." Moran spoke Thursday on the floor of the U.S. Senate. "By provising advanced precision strike systems, America demonstrates that our commitment to Ukraine's sovereignty is backed - not only by words - but by legitimate support that can alter the course of the war."
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Kansas City Facing $100 Million Budget Shortfall
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (KCTV) - Officials in Kansas City are implementing spending cuts and hiring restrictions to address a projected $100 million budget shortfall for fiscal year 2027. KCTV reports that the city’s five-year financial forecast shows revenues remaining steady while costs for personnel, contracts and essential services are rising faster than expected. Mayor Quinton Lucas said the city plans to eliminate some currently vacant positions, which represent about 10% of the city workforce. City Manager Mario Vasquez says the city faces headwinds but emphasized the situation is manageable. “It is a hiring freeze, but it’s not like a hard freeze, it’s like a slushy,” Vasquez said.
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Another Kansas Democrat Candidate Running for U.S. Senate
JOHNSON COUNTY, Kan. (KNS) - Another Democratic candidate is hoping to unseat Kansas Republican Senator Roger Marshall. Sandy Spidel Neumann, of Johnson County, joins three other Democratic candidates hoping to take on Marshall. Her background is in business and economics. She spent decades as a financial services executive. Spidel Neumann said in a campaign commercial that Marshall’s support for tariffs and health care cuts are hurting Kansans. "Meanwhile, families choose between gas and groceries, hospitals disappear, farmers struggle to survive," she said. The other Democratic candidates are Christy Davis, a former official in the U.S. Department of Agriculture; Anne Parelkar, a former immigration attorney; and Michael Soetaert, who also ran in 2022.
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September 2025 Kansas Labor Report Put on Hold by Federal Shutdown
TOPEKA, Kan. (KPR) — Official Kansas labor market data for the month of September has been delayed. The Kansas Department of Labor issued a statement Friday explaining that Bureau of Labor Statistics data collection, analysis and distribution activities were suspended as of the first of October due to the federal shutdown and the lapse in federal funding. That means official September monthly jobs data has not yet been released, and has been postponed until further notice.
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Study: Many Kansas Voters Oppose Cuts to Federal Funding for Weather and Climate Research
LIBERAL, Kan. (KNS) — A new study shows most Kansas voters oppose federal funding cuts for weather and climate research, despite support from Republicans in Congress.
The Kansas News Service reports that in Republican-led Kansas, almost 80% of voters oppose staffing and funding cuts to programs like the National Weather Service and National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Those programs are important for monitoring drought and severe weather like wildfires and tornadoes. Pamitha Weerasinghe is with Knowledge for a Competitive America, a group that conducted the study and advocates for funding scientific research. He says the survey was conducted in states with key industries like agriculture. “It provided a great measuring stick for understanding the level of importance for Americans across the political spectrum on funding for scientific research," he explained. Weerasinghe says the group hopes the data will lead policymakers to restore funding for science.
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Kansas City Airport Terminal Named After President Truman
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (KMBC) - The city council in Kansas City has officially named the terminal at Kansas City International Airport after President Harry S Truman. KMBC TV reports the idea comes from Mayor Quinton Lucas and a city council member. The facility at KCI will now be known as the Harry S Truman Terminal.
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Shutdown Adds to Midwestern Farming Woes
UNDATED (HPM) — The government shutdown is adding to Midwestern farmers' problems. Harvest Public Media reports that the U.S. Department of Agriculture's closure is also stalling a promised bailout. Crop farmers are losing money, it’s the middle of harvest and the USDA is shut down. University of Missouri economist Pat Westhoff says farmers are in a tight spot, and closing the USDA makes it worse. It definitely has slowed down both the flow of dollars and the flow of information. Farmers aren’t getting the weekly USDA harvest and market reports they would ordinarily use to decide when to sell their crops. They’re also shut out of USDA payments and loans they might otherwise use to tide them over until crops are profitable again. And Westhoff says a government bailout promised by President Trump can’t happen until the government reopens.
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Startup Proposes Underground Nuclear Reactor in Kansas
UNDATED (KNS) — A startup wants to put a nuclear reactor one mile underground in Kansas. The Kansas News Service reports that Deep Fission’s idea is to drill a 30-inch borehole one mile deep and put a small nuclear reactor into it. It says this design could fuel energy-hungry AI data centers with what the company calls discreet and bespoke nuclear installations. It has signed a letter of intent with a partner for a site in Kansas. The company isn’t disclosing the partner and site at this time. This is the second nuclear company to reveal plans related to Kansas in the past month. The other, TerraPower, wants to build a utility-scale nuclear plant in Evergy’s service area. (Read more.)
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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.) Must apply online.
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Kansas Chief Justice Recovering from Apparent Stroke
TOPEKA, Kan. (KSNT) — The chief justice of the Kansas Supreme Court is recovering from a stroke. In a news release issued by the court Wednesday night, Marla Luckert said she was on her way home from work last week when she had a minor car accident. No one was injured and no other vehicles were involved, but Luckert says doctors believe she had a stroke, which caused the accident. She was hospitalized but Luckert says it does not appear that she will need speech or physical therapy. The state's highest court convenes later this month. While Luckert is recovering, justice Eric Rosen will take over the duties of the chief justice.
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Judge Orders Trial for Ex-Police Chief Who Raided Newspaper
MARION, Kan. (Kansas Reflector) — A former Kansas police chief will stand trial next year for his actions connected to a controversial raid on a small town newspaper. A Kansas district judge has found probable cause that former Marion Police Chief Gideon Cody committed the crime of interfering with the judicial process. The Kansas Reflector reports that Cody is not being tried for the raids themselves. But his case is connected to raids on the Marion County newspaper - the Record - as well as raids on the publisher's home and on the home of a city councilwoman in August 2023. Cody is accused of telling a witness to delete text messages the two exchanged before, during and after the raids.
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Lawrence Group Helps in Resettling Refugees
LAWRENCE, Kan. (KPR) — Resettling refugees is hard work. But an organization in Lawrence is doing just that - helping to re-settle refugees and other new arrivals. Asistance for Immigrants and Refugees, or AIR, launched in the summer of 2023 to aid immigrants and other newcomers. AIR president Chuck Olcese says the organization is passionate about helping. "Our goal is that when the family arrives, food is there, the pantry is full and all they have to do is really just settle, and learn how to be here," he said. AIR has already helped resettle two families from Afghanistan and one from Venezuela. AIR is the nonprofit organization featured in this month's KPR Community Spotlight.
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Kansas Governor Responds to Young Republicans Chat Messages Scandal
UNDATED (KNS) — Democratic Kansas Governor Laura Kelly has responded after Politico exposed racist chat messages from leaders of the state Young Republicans group. The Kansas News Service reports that Kelly says she appreciates the party’s condemnation of the Kansas Young Republicans organization. But she volleyed fresh criticism at posts the state Republican party made on Facebook earlier this month. One post shows an edited photo of Kelly with a sombrero and moustache. The caption accuses Kelly of giving federal food assistance to immigrants who lack full legal status in the U.S. A spokesperson for the Kansas GOP responded by pointing to offensive comments that a Democratic candidate made in another state in 2022. (Read more.)
(– Earlier Reporting –)
Offensive Leaked Chat Messages Include Comments from Kansas Young Republicans Leaders
UNDATED (KNS) — Group chat messages leaked to Politico show leaders of the Kansas Young Republicans making racist and anti-semitic comments. The Kansas News Service reports that the group chat included leaders of Young Republicans groups in several states, including Alex Dwyer and William Hendrix from Kansas. Politico says Hendrix repeatedly used slurs for gay and Black people. Dwyer repeated a white supremacist slogan. A spokesperson for Kansas Attorney General Kris Kobach told the Kansas News Service that Hendrix has been terminated as a communications assistant for the office, and called his comments “inexcusable.” Dwyer and Hendrix did not respond to requests for comment. Kansas GOP Chair Danedri Herbert says the Kansas Young Republicans organization is inactive as of Tuesday. (Read more.)
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Lawrence City Officials Seeking Applications for Garage Mural Project
LAWRENCE, Kan. (KCTV) - Lawrence city officials have given permission for a new mural to be placed on a city garage, and are taking applications from artists to complete the project. KCTV reports that the artist or artist team selected will create a large-scale mural on the ground level of the west-facing wall of the Vermont Street Parking Garage, next to the Lawrence Public Library. The budget for the mural project is $5,500. Lawrence-based artists, individuals or teams are eligible to enter and must be 18 years old or older. City officials said up to three finalists will be chosen by a review committee and will receive a $300 stipend to develop a conceptual proposal. The application form can be found in the Public Art section of the city website. The deadline for application is Sunday, November 16.
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Chiefs Face Raiders Sunday at High Noon
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (KPR) - The Kansas City Chiefs are back in action this weekend. They'll take on the Raiders at noon Sunday at Arrowhead Stadium. The Chiefs are 3-3 on the season - and in 3rd place in the AFC West.
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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).