Kansas Judge Dismisses Lawsuit Challenging Election Laws
TOPEKA, Kan. (KPR) - A state judge has dismissed a lawsuit challenging signature verification and ballot harvesting restrictions enacted by the Kansas Legislature. Lawmakers approved House Bill 2183 and 2332 during the 2021 session, overriding the vetoes of Governor Laura Kelly. The measures established new requirements for signature verification on advanced ballots, as well as limits on the collections of advance ballots. Shawnee County District Court Judge Teresa Watson on Monday dismissed a lawsuit brought by the League of Women Voters of Kansas and other parties challenging the constitutionality of those provisions of the election laws. Attorney General Derek Schmidt welcomed the news. "We have successfully defended these important election-integrity provisions in district court,” Schmidt said. "We will continue to provide them a vigorous defense as long as necessary to help ensure that Kansas elections are safe and secure."
A third provision, concerning the false representation of an election official, was upheld in September 2021 by the district court and that decision is on appeal with the Kansas Court of Appeals. A fourth provision, which banned any person from mailing an advance voting application or causing an application to be mailed, unless the sender is a resident of Kansas or resides in Kansas, was struck down in November 2021 by a federal court. A fifth provision, which prohibits the mailing of any advance mail ballot application that has been personalized with a voter’s information, remains in litigation in federal court.
The case is League of Women Voters of Kansas, et al. v. Scott Schwab, et al., Case No. 2021-CV-299, in the District Court of Shawnee County, Kansas. A copy of the ruling is available here.
(–AP Version–)
Kansas Judge Dismisses Parts of Lawsuit Against Election Law
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — A Shawnee County District judge has dismissed a legal challenge to two parts of a Kansas election law passed last year. Voting rights groups had argued that parts of the law would make it more difficult for some groups, including the disabled, minorities and senior citizens, to vote. Shawnee County District Judge Teresa Watson on Monday dismissed challenges to a provision that restricts people from dropping off ballots for other voters, and another requiring election officials to match the signature on an advanced ballot to the one on record. Watson said any restrictions on voting access are outweighed by the state’s interest in preventing voter fraud.
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Governor Kelly Vetoes Local Bans on Plastic Bags, Straws
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Democratic Governor Laura Kelly has vetoed a bill that would prevent cities and counties from banning, limiting or even taxing plastic bags, straws and food containers. Kelly rejected the measure Monday after previously telling reports that she was a “major local-control advocate.” The Senate approved the measure first in February, but its initial version did not explicitly cover plastic straws. The House made sure it did before passing the measure. The measure was backed by groups representing small business owners, restaurant operators and plastic bag manufacturers. Environmentalists see plastic trash as a serious problem worldwide and argued for allowing cities and counties to set their own policies.
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Governor Laura Kelly Signs Bill into Law to Ban "Sanctuary Cities"
TOPEKA, Kan. (KNS) - Kansas Governor Laura Kelly has signed a controversial bill into law that bans so-called “sanctuary cities.” The Republican-backed law passed by the Kansas Legislature will overturn local ordinances, like Wyandotte County’s Safe and Welcoming Act, that limit law enforcement from working with federal immigration officials. The move comes after Kansas immigration advocates called on Kelly to veto the bill. Opponents say the law will harm relations between local communities and police and keep undocumented residents from reporting crime. In a statement, Kelly said "The responsibility to address our broken immigration system rests with Congress and cannot be resolved at the municipal level." She called for Kansas lawmakers to persuade the state’s congressional delegation to pass federal legislation to address immigration issues.
(AP version)
Kansas Governor Signs Bill to Ban Local 'Sanctuaries' for Immigrants
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) _ Kansas Governor Laura Kelly has signed a bill pushed by state Republicans that would ban local municipalities from enacting policies that could help immigrants stay in the state illegally. In announcing Monday that she signed the bill, Kelly said immigration is a federal responsibility and Congress should provide a national solution for a broken immigration system. The bill was filed after three Kansas communities passed ordinances to provide local identification cards for immigrants and other residents and to prevent counties from helping the federal government enforce immigration laws, unless public safety is threatened. Attorney General Derek Schmidt had urged lawmakers to intervene against the "sanctuary city'' ordinances.==========
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First Commercial Case of Bird Flu Found in McPherson County
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — State and federal agriculture officials say they have identified the first case of bird flu in a commercial flock in Kansas. The state agriculture department announced Monday that avian influenza, commonly called bird flu, was identified in a commercial flock in McPherson County. Previously, bird flu was found in four backyard flocks in Kansas. The McPherson firm is under quarantine and its birds will be culled to prevent spreading the disease. Other farms and properties with poultry that are within in about 12 miles of the McPherson firm will not be allowed to move birds or poultry products on or off their property without permission state agriculture officials.
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Attorneys for Kansas Voters Say Redistricting Law Is Gerrymandering
KANSAS CITY, Kan. (AP) — Attorneys representing voters argued Monday that a newly redrawn congressional map is partisan gerrymandering designed to cost the state’s only Democrat in Congress some of her territory and drown out the voices of minority voters. The state, however, defended the law in closing arguments, arguing that a Kansas City area district now held by U.S. Representative Sharice Davids would remain competitive. Wyandotte County District Court Judge Bill Klapper said he would rule by April 25 at the latest. Regardless of what he decides, Klapper acknowledges that the case is destined for the Kansas Supreme Court.
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Why Scientists Want to Get Rid of Bradford Pear Trees - and Say You Should Too
JOHNSON COUNTY, Kan. (KNS) - Invasive plants, like Bradford pear trees, are spreading like weeds across Kansas and Missouri - and wiping out food supplies for birds, butterflies and other wildlife. Aborists say now is the perfect time to get rid of them. As beautiful as they are, scientists say these ornamental pear trees crowd out native species and harm the local ecosystem. ( Read more.)
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Topeka Woman Dies After Being Shot on Interstate 70
ABILENE, Kan. (AP) — A 27-year-old Topeka woman died after she was shot while driving on Interstate 70. The Dickinson County Sheriff's office said in a Facebook post that Samantha Baum was shot Sunday night near Solomon. She made it to a Dollar Store in Solomon and was taken to a Salina hospital, where she later died. The sheriff's department said 48-year-old Eric S. Wymore, of Beulah, Colorado, was booked into the Dickinson County jail on possible charges of involuntary manslaughter. The department did not indicate a motive for the shooting, and said no further information would be released at this time.
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Efforts to Make Protective Medical Gear in U.S. Falling Flat
UNIVERSITY CITY, Mo. (AP) — The push to make personal protective equipment in the U.S. is running out steam after an initial surge at the start of the coronavirus pandemic. The Associated Press identified more than $125 million of governments grants to over 300 businesses in 10 states to spur production of masks, gowns, sanitizer and other pandemic supplies. But the AP found that many producers ran into troubles getting equipment, materials and reliable buyers. Many have scaled back, shut down or given up. Industry officials say they need more help from the federal government to ensure there is enough American-made protective gear for future pandemics or emergencies.
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Kansas City Man Walks Out of Prison After Conviction Set Aside
LICKING, Mo. (AP) — A Missouri man whose murder conviction was overturned was released from prison after 18 serving years. KSHB-TV reports that 52-year-old Keith Carnes left South Central Correctional Facility in Licking on Monday. His release comes after Jackson County prosecutors announced Friday that they would not retry Carnes in the shooting death of 24-year-old Larry White. That decision came after the Missouri Supreme Court set aside the conviction, saying the state did not disclose some evidence in the case. Carnes has maintained that he did not kill White. KSHB-TV reports that after his release, Carnes thanked God and his supporters and said he remained optimistic while incarcerated because he knew he was innocent.
(Earlier reporting...)
Prosecutors Won't Retry Kansas City Man for 2003 Killing
Prosecutors say they won’t seek to retry a Kansas City man after the Missouri Supreme Court overturned his conviction because the case is “tainted from all directions.” The Jackson County prosecutor’s office said in a statement Friday that there is insufficient evidence to prove that Keith Carnes fatally shot a rival drug dealer, 24-year-old Larry White, in 2003 in a Kansas City parking garage. The announcement came just three days after the Missouri Supreme Court set aside Carnes’ first-degree murder and armed criminal action convictions, ordering him to be released from prison within 30 days unless prosecutors move to retry him.
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Missouri Trio Gets Jail for Roles in Capitol Riot
ST. LOUIS (AP) — A federal judge in Washington, D.C., has sentenced two men and a woman from Missouri to several weeks in jail for their roles in the January 6, 2021 riot at the U.S. Capitol. The St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports that U.S. District Judge James E. Boasberg sentenced Emily Hernandez, of Sullivan, on Monday to 30 days in jail. He also sentenced her uncle, William Merry, and another suburban St. Louis man, Paul Scott Westover, to 45 days in jail each. All three also were ordered to pay $500. A government sentencing memo says Merry goaded Hernandez into picking up a broken piece of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s sign and that Hernandez shot a video of herself stealing two other signs.
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Governor Signs Bill Requiring Prompt Testing of Kansas Sexual Assault Evidence Kits
TOPEKA, Kan. (KNS) _ Governor Laura Kelly has signed a bill into law that requires sexual assault kits in Kansas to be tested within 30 business days. Kelly says delays in testing are unacceptable. Before the bill was signed, there was no guarantee a sexual assault kit in Kansas would be sent to a lab for testing. Supporters of the change say tests would sometimes sit on shelves for arbitrary reasons, for example if the victim was drunk. In some cases, police said they feared they might not get a conviction so they did not bother to send the kit for testing. Kansas also struggled with a backlog for testing rape kits several years ago, but the backlog has been eliminated and supporters say the new requirement for more timely testing will not cause delays.
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Kansas Board of Healing Arts: Physician-Legislator's COVID Directive Has No Weight
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — The Kansas board that licenses health care providers is raising concerns about a letter that a physician-legislator sent to doctors suggesting that they prescribe ivermectin and other medications that aren’t yet approved to treat the virus. The Kansas Board of Healing Arts said that the “unprecedented” letter from Kansas state Senator Mark Steffen carried no legal or regulatory weight but has caused “confusion and concern” in the Kansas medical community. The Kansas City Star reports that Steffen, who is an anesthesiologist, said that health care providers will be shielded from the board’s “interference” in the letter that he sent last week on official Senate stationery. The Hutchinson Republican said previously that the state medical board is investigating him for promoting the drug ivermectin. Medical experts say the medication, often used to treat livestock, is not effective against COVID-19 and may be dangerous to humans.
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Man Whose Murder Conviction Was Reversed Gets New Sentence
WICHITA, Kan. (AP) — A 65-year-old Wichita man whose first-degree murder conviction was reversed last year has been resentenced after he pleaded guilty to a lesser crime. Casimoro Nunez was sentenced to life in prison when he was convicted in 2019 for the killing of Antonio Guzman in 2016. Nunez claimed he shot Guzman in self defense. The Kansas Supreme Court tossed out that conviction last year and sent it back to Sedgwick County. Nunez pleaded guilty in January to second-degree reckless murder. He was resentenced last month to a total of 13 years for that crime and for possession of methamphetamine with the intent to distribute.
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Parole Revoked for Iowa Man Convicted of Lottery Rigging in Kansas, Other States
DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — A man serving a 25-year prison sentence for rigging computers to win lottery jackpots has had his parole revoked after he got into trouble in prison just before his scheduled release. The Iowa Board of Parole approved Eddie Tipton for release in January for good behavior, after he had served nearly five years of his 25-year sentence. The board reversed its decision and rescinded his parole in March after a major disciplinary incident occurred and prison officials recommended revocation of his parole. Tipton pleaded guilty in 2017 to ongoing criminal conduct and was ordered to repay $2.2 million in ill-gotten winnings from lotteries in Kansas, Colorado, Wisconsin and Oklahoma.
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Chinese Man Sentenced for Stealing Monsanto Trade Secret
ST. LOUIS (AP) — A Chinese national who pleaded guilty earlier this year to stealing a trade secret from Monsanto while he worked in Missouri has been sentenced to more than two years in prison. Haitao Xiang, formerly of Chesterfield, Missouri, was sentenced last week in federal court in St. Louis to 29 months in prison and fined $150,000. Xiang also will undergo three years of supervision upon his release from prison. In January, Xiang pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit economic espionage. Federal prosecutors say Xiang transferred a trade secret to a memory card for the benefit of the Chinese government while he was an imaging scientist for Monsanto and its subsidiary, The Climate Corporation, from 2008 to 2017.
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Former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo Has Book Out this Fall
NEW YORK (AP) — Former U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has a book coming out this fall that covers his years in the Trump administration and, according to his publisher, offers "unvarnished appraisals of the deals made and characters encountered along the way." Broadside Books, a conservative imprint at HarperCollins Publishers, announced last week that Pompeo's book was scheduled for November and is currently untitled. Financial terms were not disclosed. Pompeo is a 58-year-old Republican from Kansas whom President Donald Trump appointed director of the Central Intelligence Agency in 2017. A year later, Trump appointed him secretary of state. Political insiders have speculated that Pompeo might launch a presidential run for the 2024 election cycle.
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Lawrence Celebrates KU Basketball Team with Parade
LAWRENCE, Kan. (KPR) - KU basketball fans congratulated the team for its national title win with a parade in downtown Lawrence. Thousands of Jayhawks fans cheered the NCAA champions during a parade on Massachusetts Street through Lawrence on Sunday afternoon. The celebration will continue as some of the Jayhawks begin a statewide tour. Members of the team will visit Wichita later this month. Other sites will be added and found at www. barnstormingtour.com.
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These area headlines are curated by KPR news staffers, including J. Schafer, Laura Lorson, Kaye McIntyre, and Tom Parkinson. Our headlines are generally posted by 10 am weekdays, 11 am weekends. This news summary is made possible by KPR listener-members. Become one today!