Suspect Arrested in Lawrence Hit-and-Run that Killed KU Student
LAWRENCE, Kan. (KSHB) — Police have arrested a man in connection with a hit-and-run that left a University of Kansas student dead. Elsa McGrain was struck and killed while out for a run Thursday evening. She was 20. On Sunday, the Douglas County Sheriff's Office arrested a 36-year-old man for involuntary manslaughter in connection with the hit-and-run. KSHB reports the suspect is being held without bond.
==========
Both Kansas Senators Oppose Ending Filibuster
Washington, D.C. (KSNT) — During the government shutdown, President Trump has repeatedly called on Republican senators to end the filibuster rule, which requires 60 votes to pass most legislation. But many Republicans oppose ending the filibuster, including Kansas’s two U.S. senators. KSNT reports both Jerry Moran and Roger Marshall have released statements saying they would not support any effort to end the filibuster. Moran says it stops bad policies. Marshall says he believed the filibuster should be enshrined in the Constitution.
==========
Kansas Republican Leadership Punishes GOP Lawmakers who Opposed Special Session
TOPEKA, Kan. (Kansas Reflector) — Republican members of the Kansas House who refused to support a special session on redistricting are being punished by party leaders. Republican leaders in the legislature wanted to call the session to gerrymander the State’s lone Democratic representative out of her seat. But the effort failed after ten House Republicans refused to sign on. Now Kansas House Speaker Dan Hawkins has stripped five of the holdouts of their positions as committee chairs or vice chairs. The Kansas Reflector reports Clarke Sanders of Salina lost his position as vice chair of the House Higher Education Budget Committee. Sanders told the Reflector he just didn’t think a special session was the right thing to do.
==========
Kansas SNAP Recipients in Limbo as Back-and-Forth Continues
UNDATED (KPR) — People who get federal food assistance in Kansas are still in limbo, even after the state says it processed November payments on Friday. Over the weekend, the Trump administration said the payments were “unauthorized,” and it demanded states “undo” them. But late last night a federal appeals court ordered the administration to fully fund SNAP. The administration is expected to appeal that ruling to the U.S. Supreme Court. About 6% of all Kansans receive SNAP benefits.
==========
Turkey Prices Projected to Exceed Last Year's Levels
UNDATED (HPM) — With Thanksgiving approaching, wholesale turkey prices are projected to be higher than last year. The retail price of wholesale turkeys this year could be around $2 dollars a pound, according to a new Purdue University study. Caitlinn Hubbell was one of the paper's authors. She told Harvest Public Media it's typical for prices to rise around the holiday season. "But also,” she added, “right now, we're seeing higher feed costs, right? So grain prices are low, and feed for all animals, not just poultry, is higher." Hubbell says those high prices are partly due to tariffs the Trump Administration imposed on vitamins, minerals and other animal feed ingredients. Bigger turkey populations could mitigate price increases. However, bird flu has already killed over three million commercial fowl this year.
==========
Kansas Regulators Approve Higher Rates for Businesses with High Power Demands
TOPEKA, Kan. (Kansas Reflector) — Kansas regulators have approved new, higher electric rates for businesses with high power demands, including data centers. The Kansas Corporation Commission approved the “large-load tariff” on Thursday. The Kansas Reflector reports it allows power companies to charge higher rates to new businesses that use more than 75 megawatts of peak load energy per month. Regulators hope that will mitigate the effect data centers and other businesses that use a lot of electricity will have on residential customers’ bills.
==========
Kansas Rural Health Innovation Alliance to Seek Federal Money for Rural Health Care
LIBERAL, Kan. (KNS) — Kansas could receive up to $1 billion in federal funds over the next five years to support rural health care. The Kansas News Service reports that the 2025 budget reconciliation law will cut Medicaid funding by almost $4 billion in Kansas. Kansas Senator Jerry Moran advocated for $50 billion for rural hospitals to help mitigate that. Half of that must be applied for. Kansas Governor Laura Kelly put together the Rural Health Innovation Alliance to seek the money. One of those groups is the Kansas Hospital Association. Cindy Samuelson with the group says their plan is to focus on rural health outcomes, “like increasing access to preventative screenings, behavioral health services, (and) nutritional counseling.” The money cannot be used to support general operations at hospitals, only for trying new programs and initiatives.
==========
Kansas City Air Traffic Controllers Working Mandatory Overtime Without Pay
UNDATED (KCUR) — Kansas City air traffic controllers are working mandatory overtime without pay during the government shutdown – and they are feeling the pinch. KCUR reports that most air traffic controllers in the Kansas City area were already working 60-hour weeks before the shutdown. Now, the money stress from another zero-dollar paycheck is adding to an already strained system. Aaron Merrick is a union leader for air traffic controllers in town. He says it’s safe to fly – but Kansas City workers are stressed trying to find ways to make ends meet. “Six-day work weeks, 10-hour days. That doesn't leave a lot of time to try to find a way to make extra money,” Merrick said. Kansas City controllers are not calling out sick or skipping work, but a national staffing shortage has caused a few delays and cancellations in Kansas City.
==========
Lawrence City Manager to Step Down in 2026
LAWRENCE, Kan. (LJW) — Lawrence City Manager Craig Owens will leave his position with the city in May of 2026. The Lawrence Journal-World reports that the city announced Owens's upcoming departure in a news release Friday morning. He was hired in 2019 following the retirement of the prior City Manager, Tom Markus. The news release did not provide any details about the hiring process for Owens's replacement. Owens plans to remain in Lawrence with his family, the release said, and he plans to focus on doing “strategic advising and legacy-building work” after leaving his position managing City of Lawrence operations.
==========
Investment Firm CEO Linked to State of Kansas Indicted on Fraud Charges
TOPEKA, Kan. (Kansas Reflector) — The former CEO of an investment firm granted a bank charter in Kansas has been arrested and jailed. Brad Heppner, a native of Hesston, Kansas, is the founder and former CEO of the Beneficient investment firm. He was taken into custody Tuesday by the Irving Police Department in Texas, and indicted in federal court in New York on multiple counts of securities fraud, wire fraud, conspiracy to commit fraud, and falsification of records. The Kansas Reflector reports that his firm was granted a unique bank charter by the Kansas Legislature for one of Beneficient's subsidiaries. Kansas Senate President Ty Masterson championed the legislation granting the unique charter, which allowed the company to anchor its asset-swap business in Kansas. The legislation granting the charter was opposed by the Kansas state banking commissioner, but it was signed into law by Democratic Governor Laura Kelly in 2022. The charter was designed to allow Beneficient to work with investors to cash out their illiquid assets or to trade them for stock. Beneficient agreed to put money into a foundation to support economic development in rural communities, including the town of Hesston.
Heppner is accused of misappropriating at least $150 million from a Beneficient subsidiary and what prosecutors characterize as a shell company being operated for Heppner's benefit. He had resigned from Beneficient rather than cooperate with an audit examining financial irregularities. A spokesperson for Beneficient issued a statement saying that company no longer employs Heppner, and that it is pursuing its own claims against him on behalf of its shareholders.
==========
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).