GOP Group Offers to Help Pay for Kansas Recount
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (KCStar) - A Republican group has offered to help pay for a recount of Kansas' constitutional amendment on abortion. The Kansas City Star reports that a credit card belonging to the Kansas Republican Assembly was provided to the Kansas Secretary of State's office to help cover the cost of a recount. On Friday afternoon, Melissa Leavitt of Colby requested a statewide hand recount of the amendment and posted a $220,000 bond. Individuals who request a recount are refunded if the outcome of the election changes. A recount is not expected to change the results of the August 2nd constitutional amendment, which passed 59 percent to 41 percent. A spokesperson for the Kansas Secretary of State's office says this would be the first recount of votes on a statewide ballot question in Kansas in at least 30 years.
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No Charges against Wichita Officer in 2020 Fatal Shooting
WICHITA, Kan. (AP) - Sedgwick County District Attorney Marc Bennett says a Wichita police officer will not be charged in a 2020 fatal shooting. Bennett said the officer, who has not been named, shot 37-year-old Jason Williams after William shot his estranged wife and killed his mother-in-law, 52-year-old Michelle Barr. Williams' wife had filed for divorce a month before the shooting. Bennett's reports says Williams shot the two women while two young children were inside the home and he had threatened to kill himself. The children were released and were not physically injured.
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Kansas School District Rejects DEI Plan
DERBY, Kan. (AP) - The board of a Kansas school district rejected a proposed strategic plan after some members criticized its emphasis on diversity and students' mental health. The plans for the Derby school district was rejected this week after months of work from parents, students, employees, and community members. The Kansas New Service reports four of the seven board members voted against adopting the five-year plan, a normally routine document that outlines the district's priorities and goals.