Kansas Senators Toe Republican Partly Line on Funding Vote
WASHINGTON, D.C. (WIBW-TV) — Both of Kansas’s Republican U.S. senators voted with the majority last night to fund the federal government. They were critical votes: eight members of the Democratic caucus joined 52 Republicans to meet the minimum number of 60 votes required to move forward. WIBW-TV reports Sen. Jerry Moran called the shutdown “useless and unnecessary.” Sen. Roger Marshall blamed Democrats for “holding the government hostage.” The U.S. House must now pass the measure before the government can re-open.
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Kansas Announces Drivers License Reciprocity with South Korea
TOPEKA, Kan. (KPR) — South Korean citizens residing in Kansas can now get a Kansas drivers license without having to take a test. Officials from South Korea and Kansas announced the deal on Monday. It will also allow Kansans living in South Korea to get a license without testing. Kansas joins 20 other states that have reached similar agreements with South Korea. In a statement, Kansas governor Laura Kelly said the agreement is a testament to the state’s “mutually beneficial partnership” with South Korea. Kelly says South Korea ranks among the state’s most important global partners, with ties in trade, investment, and education.
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Topeka Expands Access to Water Assistance Program
TOPEKA, Kan. (KPR) — The City of Topeka is expanding a program to help needy residents pay their water bills. Effective immediately, the city is increasing the annual credit for its Water Assistance Program from $200 to $300 . The program assists low-income residents. The City also has a WaterShare Program that allows customers to make a donation on their bill that will be used to help others pay their bills.
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Fundraising Lags for Topeka Law Enforcement Memorial
TOPEKA, Kan. (KSNT) — Officials in Topeka are struggling to raise enough money to build a new memorial dedicated to law enforcement officers killed in the line of duty. The fundraising campaign was launched in June. The goal is $1 million. The city had hoped to raise that money by the end of October, but a city spokesperson confirms the campaign is ongoing. KSNT reports the new memorial would replace one that was damaged in 2022. Officials hope to have the memorial completed in time for Law Enforcement Memorial Week next May.
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Salina Voters to Weigh in on Lifting Pit Bull Ban
SALINA, Kan. (KWCH) — A group that wants to end the ban on pit bulls in Salina has collected enough petition signatures to put the question before voters. KWCH reports the petition was presented to the city commission Monday night. The commission could either vote to lift the ban or call for a special election on the matter. Commissioners chose the latter. No date has been set for the vote, but state law says it must be held “forthright.”
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Lawsuit Could Delay Proposed Data Center in Wyandotte County
WYANDOTTE COUNTY, Kan. (Kansas Reflector) — A lawsuit could stall a potential data center in western Wyandotte County. Red Wolf DCD Properties wants to develop 1.8 million square feet into data center buildings, the Kansas Reflector reports. But the project concerns some residents and one of them sued in state court, arguing Red Wolf’s applications didn’t follow city code, and the city planning commission hasn’t done its due diligence on the potential impacts of the data centers. The Unified Government of Wyandotte County and Kansas City, Kansas, asked the court to dismiss the case but the Reflector reports that the judge has denied the request.
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Bill Would Give Some Kansas Inmates Chance to Shorten Prison Terms
TOPEKA, Kan. (KNS) — A bill in the Kansas Legislature would give some inmates in prison a chance to shorten their sentences. The inmates must have been in prison for at least 10 years and meet other criteria like finishing rehabilitation programs. They could then petition the court for a resentencing hearing. Danita Long has a son who was sentenced to more than 30 years in prison for crimes he committed when he was 23. She told lawmakers that her son has matured while in prison and the bill would allow a court to consider that and reduce his sentence. “That's not leniency, it's fairness,” Long said. “That's accountability with compassion. That's what justice should look like.” However, the Kansas News Service reports some Republican lawmakers are skeptical of the bill for bypassing the state’s established sentencing guidelines. State officials estimate thousands of current inmates would be eligible to file a petition.
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Governor Kelly Says Kansas Won't Try to Rescind Food Assistance Payments
UNDATED (KNS) Kansas Governor Laura Kelly’s administration said Monday that it would not attempt to undo food assistance payments sent out Friday. The Kansas News Service reports that the Trump Administration had ordered states to undo the payments or face penalties. On Friday, Kansas recipients of the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP, received full payments that had been stalled by the government shutdown. The total was almost $32 million. But the national legal fight is dragging on. A spokesperson for the governor said Kansas is under no legal obligation to take any action on November payments. Haley Kottler with advocacy group Kansas Appleseed says the back-and-forth is causing a lot of confusion. “It’s kind of a merry-go-round right now and we don’t know where … things are going to land. And it’s really putting folks in a bind,” Kottler added. Partial payments could go out in Missouri this week.
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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.
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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.
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KU Women’s Soccer Team Learns Tournament Opponent
LAWRENCE, Kan. (KPR) — The University of Kansas women’s soccer team is headed back to the NCAA tournament for the second straight year. The Jayhawks finished the season with a record of 14-5-3, earning a No. 3 seed in the tournament. KU will play California Baptist University in the opening round Friday at Rock Chalk Park. The national semifinals and final will be held at CPKC Stadium in Kansas City.
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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).