Kelly Sues Kobach Over Court Representation
TOPEKA, Kan. (KPR) - Democratic Kansas Governor Laura Kelly is suing Republican state Attorney General Kris Kobach over her ability to represent the state of Kansas in court. Recently, Kelly joined a federal lawsuit in Massachusetts against the Trump administration over the impending loss of food assistance under the government’s Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program. Kobach posted a message on social media saying only he has the power to sue the federal government on behalf of the state. Kelly’s lawsuit asks the Kansas Supreme Court to allow the governor to take steps in defense of Kansans without interference from the attorney general’s office. Last month, Kobach sued Kelly over her decision to not comply with federal demands for information on people who applied for or used SNAP in Kansas.
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National Guard Member Accused of Spying for Russia in Kansas
MANHATTAN, Kan. (KPR) — A member of the National Guard is accused of agreeing to work with the Russian government to spy on Fort Riley in Manhattan. The U.S. Justice Department announced on Thursday that 28-year-old Canyon Anthony Amarys of Alamogordo, New Mexico, has been arrested and charged with violating the Export Control Reform Act. According to the indictment, in February 2025 Amarys met with someone he believed was a Russian agent and agreed to take photographs of Fort Riley. He also allegedly agreed to provide the Russians with a helicopter radio. If convicted, he faces up to 20 years in prison.
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National Weather Service Faces Staffing Challenges in Kansas
TOPEKA, Kan. (KNS) - National Weather Service forecasting stations in Kansas are struggling to recover from federal staffing cuts by the Trump administration earlier this year. Goodland in northwest Kansas has one of the most understaffed offices in the country and the staffing shortage there is affecting other Weather Service stations around the state because they have to help cover the open positions in Goodland. The Goodland office has struggled to stay fully staffed, but this year, the problem is worse with a 61% staff vacancy rate for meteorologists. The weather service says it takes 13 meteorologists to properly run a NWS station 24 hours a day and the Goodland station only has five. Officials at the National Weather Service say the current staffing problems are the result of the Voluntary Early Retirement employee buyouts offered to reduce the federal workforce.
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Soybean Growers Look For Alternatives to Chinese Market
LINCOLN, Neb. (HPM) - China has reversed course and committed to buy 12 million tons of U-S soybeans this year, but that’s only about half of what China purchased from US farmers in 2024. Some farmers are now exploring alternatives. One of those possibilities is sending the soybeans to be processed domestically at crushing facilities that turn beans into oil and meal. There are nearly 70 soybean processors in the US and that number is growing but the domestic processors can’t compensate for the loss of f sales to China. Economist Tanner Ehmke works for the agricultural lender CoBank “China buys, traditionally, about half the soybeans we export, and we can't replace that amount with domestic usage. It's impossible. Ehmke says many soybean growers in the Midwest are opting to store their crop until the markets improve.
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Topeka Police Investigate Rash of Burglaries
TOPEKA, Kan. (WIBW-TV) — Topeka police are investigating a string of burglaries in the city early Thursday morning. Police say at least three businesses near the Washburn University campus were broken into. WIBW-TV reports the thieves gained access to one of the businesses by using a sledge hammer to break through a cinder block wall. No arrests have been made.
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KCMO Roller Coaster Temporarily Shut Down by State Inspectors
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (KSNT) — An amusement park in Kansas City, Missouri, was forced to shut down its roller coaster Thursday morning after it failed a state inspection. The Mamba roller coaster at Worlds of Fun was inspected after it was reported a child’s lap belt failed to properly lock on the ride. The child was not injured. KSNT reports state inspectors found more than 20 lap belts on the ride were not functioning properly. The amusement park says the coaster has been repaired and is expected to be running Friday.
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Game Wardens Locate Lost Osage County Hunter
MELVERN, Kan. (KPR) — A missing hunter was recently located after an intensive search in Osage County. In a social media post this week, the Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks says the hunter went missing in the Melvern Wildlife Area on October 12. The hunter’s family contacted law enforcement when he did not return as scheduled. Search parties spent hours using K9 units and a drone to locate the missing hunter. He was located before nightfall on a large log jam in the Marias des Cygnes River. The hunter had reportedly become disoriented.
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K-State Program Addresses Shortage of Special Education Teachers
MANHATTAN, Kan. (KSNT) — Kansas State University is starting a new online program to help the state meet the need for more special education teachers. The new Special Education Master of Arts and Teaching program can be completed online in sixteen months. KSNT reports graduates will earn a master’s degree, as well as a Kansas teaching license for both elementary and special education. The program begins in January and is open to anyone with a bachelor’s degree. Program director Lotta Larson says it’s a great option for Kansans looking for a career change.
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Shawnee County Court Officials Warn of Jury Duty Scam
TOPEKA, Kan. (KSNT) — The Shawnee County District Court is warning residents of a scam that fools people into believing there’s a warrant out for their arrest for missing jury duty. The caller pretends to be a sheriff’s deputy and says a fee must be paid to settle the warrant. People who receive the call are told they will be arrested if they hang up. The Shawnee County District Court told KSNT it will never call people to announce a warrant or ask for payments. People who receive such a call are asked to report it to the Shawnee County Sheriff’s Office.
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ACLU Challenges Kansas Law Concerning Probation Sentencing
UNDATED (KNS) — The American Civil Liberties Union of Kansas is challenging a state law that allows judges to extend probation sentences for people who can’t pay fines. The Kansas News Service reports that the organization says it unfairly punishes low-income offenders. In a federal lawsuit, four plaintiffs say Johnson County District Court judges extended their probation sentences because they could not afford to pay restitution in their cases. That’s a court-ordered fine that must be paid to the victims of a crime. People on probation must report their movements to the court and are barred from voting. ACLU of Kansas Legal Director Monica Bennett says the practice punishes poor offenders for many years after the initial probation period. “They don’t have the means to pay off restitution. They are treated differently than a person who does have the means to pay off restitution,” Bennett said. The lawsuit argues extending probation for unpaid restitution violates constitutional equal protection rights.
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New Civil Rights Lawsuit Filed Against KCK and Former Police Detective
UNDATED (KCUR) — Two Kansas City, Kansas, men who were wrongfully imprisoned for nearly 16 years filed a federal civil rights lawsuit Thursday, saying former Police Detective Roger Golubski framed them. KCUR reports that Cedric Warren and Domonique Moore were released last year after their murder convictions were tossed because of prosecutorial misconduct. Their federal civil rights lawsuit named Golubski, the Unified Government, and five KCK police officers. Warren and Moore say they were railroaded by Golubski because the mother of one of them refused his sexual advances. That’s much like the case of Lamonte McIntyre, a KCK man who eventually won more than $12 million for his wrongful conviction involving Golubski. (Read more.)
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Pittsburg State University Studying Endangered Kansas Bat
PITTSBURG, Kan. (KRPS) — Pittsburg State University is studying a bat found only in one part of Kansas. KRPS reports that the federally endangered gray bat is inhabiting local storm tunnels in southeast Kansas. This is unusual, and creates a risk for bats because they’re not protected from people by cave gates. Bat researcher Braidy Hunt says their normal habitats are in trees and caves. "We're just lucky enough that a colony has just kind of scooted over a little bit somewhere along their timeline and just decided to take up residence in Kansas," Hunt explained. Kansas law prohibits moving an endangered species from its habitat.
Hunt is presenting her research about the gray bat Thursday night at the Sperry-Galligar Audubon research center at 7 p.m. The event is open to the public.
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Chiefs Meet Buffalo Bills in Rematch of AFC Championship
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (KPR) - In a rematch of last season’s AFC Championship game, the Kansas City Chiefs and Buffalo Bills will face off again Sunday in Buffalo. It’s a matchup that could have implications for the playoffs in January. Since starting the season 0-2, the Chiefs have won five out of their last six games. Sunday’s outcome against the Bills could determine a tiebreaker for the postseason bracket, as Chiefs defensive tackle Chris Jones attests. “This is one of those matchups where this game could be a huge deciding factor of seeding” Jones said. The Chiefs were the No. 1 seeded team in the AFC last season and served as the host team when they met the Bills with a berth to the Super Bowl on the line. The Chiefs won last season’s AFC Championship, 32-29.
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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).