High School Students in Lawrence Protest ICE
LAWRENCE, Kan. (LJW) — Hundreds of Lawrence and Free State High School students walked out of class on Tuesday to protest the Trump administration’s immigration policy. The walkout follows the killing of two American citizens in Minneapolis this month by Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents. The Lawrence Journal-World reports many of the students congregated at the corner of 19th and Louisiana streets. The Lawrence Education Association issued a statement supporting the students who protested. District administrators said they recognized the right of students to participate in peaceful protests. Classes continued for students who chose to stay in school.
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Some Members of Kansas Congressional Delegation Express Concern over ICE
WASHINGTON, D.C. (Kansas Reflector) — Two Republicans and a Democrat in the Kansas congressional delegation have expressed concern about ICE tactics in Minnesota. The three other members of the delegation — all Republicans — declined to issue statements on the matter. The Kansas Reflector asked the delegation for comment. Republican senator Jerry Moran, Republican representative Derek Schmidt, and Democratic representative Sharice Davids all expressed varying degrees of concern. Republican senator Roger Marshall and Republican representatives Tracey Mann and Ron Estes did not respond to the Reflector’s request for comment.
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Fire Destroys Big Brothers Big Sisters HQ in Manhattan
MANHATTAN, Kan. (KSNT) — The Big Brothers Big Sisters organization in Manhattan, Kansas, is looking for help after a fire destroyed its offices. The fire was reported around 8:30 Tuesday morning. KSNT reports it took firefighters an hour to extinguish the blaze. Kansas Big Brothers Big Sisters CEO Mary Shannon told KSNT that no one was injured but the fire likely resulted in a “total loss” of the building and its contents. The organization is asking for donations to help it find a temporary home.
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Toddler Found Dead after Dickinson County Fire
HOPE, Kan. (KWCH) — Police are investigating after a two-year-old boy was found dead after a house fire in Dickinson County. The fire was reported around six p.m. on Monday in Hope, about ten miles southeast of Abilene. When crews arrived the house was engulfed in flames. A man and a child escaped. But after the fire was put out, the body of the two-year-old was found inside. An autopsy is scheduled. KWCH reports the case remains under investigation. The Kansas State Fire Marshal Investigation Division is assisting.
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Bathroom Amendment Added to Kansas Drivers License Bill
TOPEKA, Kan. (KSN) — Republican state lawmakers have added a so-called “bathroom amendment” to a bill that would require Kansans to list their biological sex at birth on their drivers licenses. The amendment proposed by Republican representative Bob Lewis would prohibit anyone from using a public restroom that did not match their sex at birth. KSN reports it was added without public notice during a committee hearing on the drivers license bill. One critic said the amendment will turn everyday Kansans into the “gender police.” The bill would allow male janitors to enter women’s bathrooms to clean them.
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Kansas May Temporarily Allow Alcohol Sales Around the Clock (Almost)
TOPEKA, Kan. (KMBC) — Good news for Kansans who like to buy alcohol in the middle of the night: A bill introduced in the state Senate would allow beer, wine, and liquor to be sold virtually around the clock—but only during the World Cup. The bill would allow bars, restaurants, and liquor stores to sell alcohol 23 hours a day from June 11 through July 19. KMBC reports sales would still be prohibited between 5 a.m. and 6 a.m. However, the bill would allow local communities to opt-out of the extended hours.
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NTSB Presents Findings on Fatal Wichita-to-Washington DC Flight
WICHITA, Kan. (KNS) — The National Transportation Safety Board presented its findings Tuesday on what led to the deadly crash of an American Airlines flight from Wichita to Washington, D.C., last year. The Kansas News Service reports that Flight 5342 was approaching the runway at Reagan National Airport last January when it collided with an Army helicopter. Sixty-seven people died. In its report, the NTSB said a local air traffic controller was communicating with six planes and five helicopters at the same time. Board member Mike Graham, a Wichita native, says evidence points to systemwide issues, adding that "I want to make it crystal clear: Any individual shortcomings were set up for failure by the systems around them." Some family members of victims are in D.C. to hear the investigators' findings. The NTSB is expected to publish its final report and recommendations in coming weeks.
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Kansas Lawmakers Consider Bill to Change Underage Offender Sentencing Options
UNDATED (KNS) — Kansas lawmakers are considering a bill that would allow courts to sentence underage offenders to correctional group homes. The Kansas News Service reports that the bill aims to reduce the number of children entering foster care because of behavioral problems. Supporters of the bill say it would provide earlier intervention for young offenders before they are removed from their homes and placed in foster care. But critics argue the bill would roll back recent reforms meant to reduce incarceration of young people. Megan Milner of the Kansas Department of Corrections says the bill would allow courts to place any young offender in secured group homes or detention, even for minor crimes. She says that could disrupt their lives and increase their chances of repeat offenses. “Any detention should be reserved for youth who are the biggest public safety risk,” Milner explained. The bill would also require courts to sentence underage offenders to juvenile detention if they are in possession of a firearm during a crime.
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Kansas Supreme Court Hears Arguments in Death Row Appeal for Justin Thurber
WICHITA, Kan. (KWCH) — The Kansas Supreme Court has been hearing arguments from a death row inmate who is appealing his sentence. Justin Thurber was convicted of capital murder and aggravated kidnapping in the 2007 death of Jodi Sanderholm in Cowley County. KWCH TV reports that Thurber's attorneys are arguing that Thurber is intellectually disabled and should not be executed. His attorneys are appealing a 2023 ruling that found Thurber did not meet the burden of proof to prove he’s disabled. The court has not indicated when justices will issue a ruling.
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Child Sexual Abuse Survivors Group Seeks Kansas Passage of "Erin's Law"
WICHITA, Kan. (KNS) — A group of survivors of child sexual abuse is advocating for Kansas to pass what’s known as Erin’s Law. The Kansas News Service reports that the bill would require K-12 public schools to teach students once per year about preventing sexual abuse. It calls for age-appropriate lessons to help students identify and report behavior that amounts to grooming or abuse.
Kim Bergman is with the group Protecting Kansas Children From Sexual Predators. She is also a survivor of childhood sexual abuse, and says that “when kids are educated, they are more likely to speak up themselves and/or be able to help their friends.”
The national group behind Erin’s Law offers free course materials, but local school boards would ultimately decide which curriculum to use. Parents could also opt their students out of the classes.
At least 38 other states have adopted Erin’s Law.
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Kansas Cattle Ranchers Prepare for Coping with Cold Temperatures
PITTSBURG, Kan. (KRPS) — Parts of Kansas that are recovering from a major snowstorm are bracing for another round of below-freezing temperatures this weekend. KRPS reports that the cold weather could have an impact on one of the state's largest industries. Nearly six million cattle are in Kansas ranches and cattle yards. Kansas State University researchers say the animal is largely adaptable to temperature and weather changes. Wendie Powell with the Wildcat Extension District says ranchers should be most concerned with newborn calves during winter weather, saying that they "...have to make for sure that they have windbreaks and that we are ready to go to help that calf stay warm. So making for sure our calving kit is ready to go, calf warmers, things like that." Powell recommends farmers and ranchers make sure cattle have enough nutrient-dense hay, and urges them to closely watch the weather for any severe changes.
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Court-Martial: Kansas Airman Charged with Child Sex Crimes
WICHITA, Kan. (Hays Post) — A General Court-Martial is underway at McConnell Air Force Base in Wichita, where an airman is accused of child sex crimes. The Hays Post reports that Senior Airman Randall Moore (22nd Maintenance Squadron) is charged with the sexual abuse of a child, producing child pornography and obstructing justice. If convicted of all charges, Moore faces multiple years in prison, loss of rank and a dishonorable discharge.
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Time Running Out for KC Royals to Find a New Home
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (KCUR) — It’s increasingly likely that the Kansas City Royals will stay in Kansas City, Missouri. On Wednesday, the Clay County (Missouri) Commission officially pulled out of talks with the team about a Northland ballpark. KCUR reports that the options for the Royals to build a baseball stadium have dropped off, one by one, leaving a ballpark in downtown Kansas City as the last widely-discussed option. The Royals weighed building a new stadium on sparsely used industrial tracts in North Kansas City. But the team missed Clay County’s deadline to commit to a formal proposal, and the county has suspended talks. ON Monday, the Royals officially scratched a much-discussed site in Overland Park, on the old Sprint Campus grounds, near 119th Street and Nall Avenue. That leaves Washington Square Park as the last broadly publicized possibility. Crown Center surrounds two sides of the site, which is served by the streetcar, and is an easy walk from Union Station or the Crossroads Arts District.
(–Related–)
Royals No Longer Considering Johnson County's Former Sprint Campus as New Stadium Site
JOHNSON COUNTY, Kan. (JoCo Post) — The Kansas City Royals have taken one potential new stadium site in Johnson County off the table. According to the Johnson County Post,
a team spokesperson confirmed that the Royals are no longer considering the Aspiria campus in Overland Park as a location for a new stadium. The team says the site at 119th and Nall, the one-time home of Sprint World Headquarters, does not “meet our criteria for a stadium”.
People began to take seriously the prospect of the Royals moving to Overland Park last year when a team affiliate purchased the mortgage at Aspiria. But the idea faced pushback from nearby residents and businesses, including T-Mobile, which said it would move its corporate offices if a new stadium went there. The Royals also missed a key deadline at the end of 2025 to negotiate a deal with Kansas lawmakers.
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