Kansas House Democrat Chosen to Fill Vacant State Senate Seat
WICHITA, Kan. (Kansas Reflector) — A state representative from Wichita is moving to the legislature’s upper chamber. Rep. Silas Miller was selected by Sedgwick County Democratic Party officials to fill a vacancy created by the resignation of State Senator Mary Ware last month. Miller is a two-term member of the House. Precinct committee members chose him over gay-rights advocate Tom Witt by a vote of 16-5 on Thursday. The Kansas Reflector reports Miller has served on the House education, election and insurance committees. In 2024, he proposed removing marijuana from a list of illegal drugs in Kansas, but the measure failed.
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Artificial Intelligence Answers Calls for Kansas County
EMPORIA, Kan. (KSN) — A Kansas county is using artificial intelligence to answer non-emergency phone calls. Lyons County will use an AI assistant named Betty to answer calls for a four-month trial period. KSN reports Betty will handle calls about things like animal complaints and parking issues. Betty speaks three languages: Spanish, French, and English. If a caller speaks another language, the call will be forwarded to a human. Lyon County’s 911 director says Betty will allow dispatchers to focus on more important emergency calls.
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Gov. Kelly Orders Flags Lowered in Remembrance of Pearl Harbor
TOPEKA, Kan. (KPR) — Flags across Kansas will fly at half-staff on Sunday. Governor Laura Kelly has ordered the flags to be lowered from sunup to sundown in honor of Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day. Sunday will mark the 84th anniversary of the Japanese attack on the U.S. naval base in Hawaii in 1941. It led to America’s entry into the Second World War. A total of 2,403 service members and civilians were killed in the attack. In a statement, Kelly said the anniversary is a time to “reflect on this solemn day, pay tribute to those who made the ultimate sacrifice, and honor the brave men and women who have fought to defend our country and continue to do so now.”
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Another Small Earthquake Reported in Northern Kansas
UNDATED (KSN) — Another small earthquake has been recorded in northern Kansas. It was centered south of Wilson Lake, on the border of Russell and Lincoln counties. The U.S. Geological Survey says the quake measured just 2.8 in magnitude, too small to be felt by most people. Minor earthquakes are not unusual in northern Kansas. KSN reports the region has experienced several small quakes recently, recording six in a two-week span.
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Company Plans to Build Nuclear Reactor One Mile Deep in Kansas
PARSONS, Kan. (KNS) — An industrial park in Parsons, Kansas will be the site of a one-mile-deep nuclear reactor. Deep Fission, the company building the reactor, says it will be the first of its kind in the world. CEO Liz Muller tells the Kansas News Service the company hopes to have the reactor up and running by July to demonstrate it for federal regulators. “We won't be generating electricity at that time,” she said. “That's just showing that the reactor does what we say it's going to do and that it can be operated safely.” Muller says putting a reactor at the bottom of a deep borehole adds to its safety and will make nuclear power significantly less expensive. Deep Fission is targeting data centers and other industries as end users for its nuclear energy.
You can read more on this story from a more local angle at the Montgomery County Chronicle.
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Democrats Line Up to Challenge Marshall for U.S. Senate Seat
UNDATED (KNS) — The race to challenge Kansas Republican Senator Roger Marshall is heating up as five Democrats seek to run against him in 2026. The Kansas News Service reports that the candidates include a Kansas City, Kansas, commercial real estate developer, an Overland Park immigration lawyer and a retired business executive in Merriam. Plus, Democratic Representative Sharice Davids has hinted that she might run as well, though she has not made any official announcement. A win for any of these candidates would be historic. No Kansas Democrat has won election to the U.S. Senate in nearly a century. Marshall won the 2020 election by double digits over Democratic candidate Barbara Bollier.
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KCK Elementary School Teacher Receives Milken Educator Award
UNDATED (KCUR) — An elementary school teacher in the Turner School District in Kansas City, Kansas, received a national award known as the “Oscar of Teaching” Thursday. Lexcee Oddo, who teaches English language learners, was surprised at a school assembly with the Milken Educator Award and a 25,000 dollar cash prize. Oddo began teaching English language learners this year, but she’s been an educator for seven years. She says Kansas and other states across the country need more teachers.
"To reward those you know who collaborate with their teams and their districts is just really valuable to the continuation of education," Oddo said.
She is the only educator in Kansas to receive a Milken Award this school year. The award was given by the Milken Family Foundation, a private foundation that supports education.
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Damaged Pottawatomie County Water Tower Could Cost $100K to Repair
OLSBURG, Kan. (WIBW-TV) — Police are investigating after a water tower in Pottawatomie County was damaged by gunfire. The tower is in Olsburg. The damage was reported Wednesday but police say it may have occurred between August and November. The Pottawatomie County Rural Water Department No. 2 says it may cost as much as $100,000 to repair the damage. WIBW-TV reports the damage does not appear to be impacting water service in the district.
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Family of Murdered Kansas Inmate Sues State
UNDATED (TCJ) — The family of a Kansas state prison inmate who was allegedly killed by his cellmate last year is suing the state. The victim, Brooks Vonthaer, was dead for two days before his cellmate, Matthew McDaniel, alerted corrections officers at the prison at the El Dorado Correctional Facility. Vonthaer was stabbed multiple times. McDaniel has been charged with murder. The Topeka Capital-Journal reports Vonthaer’s relatives allege the Kansas Department of Corrections failed to adequately protect him.
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State of Kansas Wins Behavioral Health Care Grant
UNDATED (KNS) — More Kansans will have access to comprehensive behavioral health care for mental health or substance use issues. The Kansas News Service reports that the state won a grant from the National Council for Mental Wellbeing. Kansas will split more than $72 million with Illinois and Michigan over the next 3 years. The money will support Kansas’s 26 Certified Community Behavioral Health Clinics, which serve children, families, adults and veterans. According to a release from the Kansas Department for Aging and Disability Services, the clinics offer services like outpatient treatment for substance use disorder and mental health issues, crisis services and resources for psychiatric rehabilitation.
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Former K-State QB Hired to Replace Kleiman as Head Coach
MANHATTAN, Kan. (KPR) — From Klieman to Klein: Kansas State University has a new head football coach. Collin Klein was hired to replace the retiring Chris Kleiman on Thursday. Klein is a former K-State quarterback and was a 2012 Heisman Trophy finalist. He served as Texas A&M’s offensive coordinator this year, helping the team to an 11-1 record. Klein is 36. According to multiple media reports, he is receiving a five-year contract worth an annual average of $4.3 million.
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