State Giving Kansas Families Cash to Help Pandemic Learning Recovery
TOPEKA, Kan. (KNS) - Kansas is giving out $1,000 grants to families as a way to help make up for student learning delays caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. The money can be used for tutoring, buying school supplies or anything else that helps a student’s learning. Families meeting the guidelines are eligible for $1,000 per child. Parents must apply for this money after February 22 and their income must be just under double the federal poverty line. That is around $40,000 dollars for a household of three. Governor Laura Kelly says this money is aimed at reversing years of lost learning due to COVID. National reports show both reading and math scores are well below the pre-pandemic averages.
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Kansas Considers Raising Minimum Marriage Age
TOPEKA, Kan. (KNS) - Kansas lawmakers are considering raising the minimum age for marriage to 18. A bill introduced by Representative Stephanie Clayton would eliminate an exception in state law that allows 16 and 17-year-olds to get married with a parent’s consent. Current law also allows 15-year-olds to marry with a judge’s permission. Clayton, an Overland Park Democrat, says people under the age of 18 are not allowed to make other legally binding decisions. "It really is the only adult thing that children can do, and I think it’s due to a lot of outdated notions and just, you know, ideas about marriage," she said. Clayton proposed a similar bill two years ago, but it failed to advance. Seven states have banned marriage for people under 18. Research shows that most underage marriages involve teen girls who marry adult men.
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Kansas Considers Stiffer Penalties for Juvenile Offenders
TOPEKA, Kan. (KNS) - About six years ago, Kansas reduced penalties for juvenile offenders. The move was part of a juvenile justice overhaul. But now, lawmakers may be ready to bring back harsher penalties. Some lawmakers say that reducing penalties for minors brought unintended consequences. Kansas foster care agencies say when penalties were reduced it meant kids who are likely to commit crimes are going into foster care. They say foster care staff and families are not prepared for that. Kansas lawmakers are considering a bill that would bring back stiffer penalties for kids who break the law. But that bill means more kids would go to juvenile detention centers. Jen Christie told lawmakers that is a bad idea. “Study after study after study after study shows that the earlier someone is involved in the criminal justice system, the more likely they are to continue as time goes on," she said. The bill would also require the foster care and prison systems to work closer together, which combines both agencies' resources.
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Kansas House Committee Considers Changes to Mail Ballot Deadline
TOPEKA, Kan. (KNS) - The Kansas House Committee on Elections has advanced a bill that eliminates the three-day grace period to count ballots returned by mail. That sends the plan to the full House for consideration. The bill would only allow mail ballots to be counted if they arrive by 7 pm on Election Day. Currently, ballots returned through the mail are counted if they are postmarked by Election Day and received within three days after polls close. Republican Rep. Leah Howell says she supports the bill because it makes sure all votes are held to the same deadline. “We must treat all voters equally, whether they turn in their ballot by mail, or whether they vote in person," she said. Opponents contend the change makes it harder to vote by mail.
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Kansas Bill Would Limit Number of Ballot Drop Boxes
TOPEKA, Kan. (KNS) - A new bill in Kansas would limit the number of mail ballot drop-off boxes county officials may use during elections. The bill allows counties to set up one ballot drop box for each 30,000 registered voters. Counties with fewer than 30,000 voters could only have a single box. The ballot boxes would also need to be continuously monitored by election officials. Voting rights groups and Republican Secretary of State Scott Schwab’s office oppose the bill. Clay Barker, with Schwab’s office, says the bill amounts to government overreach. “We don’t like when Washington D.C. tells our state how to run its elections. And yes there has to be some common doctrine. But within that parameter, let the counties decide what to do," he said. Opponents say the bill would also make voting in Kansas harder. Supporters contend the bill would improve security and transparency in Kansas elections.
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Kansas Bill Would Classify Drag Shows as Obscenity and Criminalize Performances for Kids
TOPEKA, Kan. (TCJ) - Legislation introduced in the Kansas Senate would classify drag shows as obscenity, potentially criminalizing any performances for minors at libraries or other venues in the state. The bill, introduced by Senator Mike Thompson, R-Shawnee, comes as conservative lawmakers in a host of states have pursued similar measures. According to the Topeka Capital-Journal, similar bills have been introduced in 10 states. In Arkansas, a proposal to classify venues hosting drag performances as tantamount to strip clubs advanced earlier this month, while Florida Governor Ron DeSantis said last year he would consider investigating parents who take their children to such events. The issue is not a new one in Kansas, either. Republican gubernatorial candidate Derek Schmidt seized on allegations that the Kansas Department of Commerce was funneling grant monies to drag shows, even though the funds did not directly support the events.
Thompson said his bill would classify drag shows as obscenity, which would mean any performances for children would fall under the crime of "promoting obscenity" under state law. A first offense is a Class A misdemeanor, while each subsequent offense would be a level nine person felony. Thompson said drag shows were overly sexualized and they were "creating confusion over their gender" for kids who "should be studying math and science and English."
"Have you seen these things? Have you seen these kids exposed to this stuff?" he said. "We are exposing children, young children, to things that they should not be exposed to. I'm sorry. It's just at some point you've got to say enough is enough. You know, there's a proper place for everything. And unfortunately, we've gone too far."
Rep. Brandon Woodard, D-Lenexa, said the bill amounted to an attack on the LGBT community and that proponents were attempting to legislate their own definition of morality.
Libraries in Manhattan, Wichita and Lawrence have joined a national trend of hosting "drag queen story hours," where performers in drag read to children and families.
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Kansas Transgender Inmate Transferred to All-Female Prison
TOPEKA, Kan. (WIBW) - A transgender inmate has been transferred from a Kansas men’s prison to the state’s women’s prison in Topeka. WIBW TV reports that the El Dorado Correctional Facility inmate, previously known as Thomas Lamb, was moved to Topeka Correctional Facility, the state’s all-female institution. Court records indicate he legally changed his name to Michelle Lamb in 2007. Lamb was convicted of kidnapping and killing a young woman in 1969 and kidnapping a second young woman in 1970.
In 2017, a U.S. District Court ruled against Lamb in a lawsuit asking the state to transfer her to an all-female facility, and allow her to pursue gender re-assignment surgery. An Appeals Court upheld the ruling in 2018, stating that, although it was not the treatment Lamb might want, evidence showed she was being provided treatment for gender dysphoria, and the state was not showing “deliberate indifference” to her situation. However, Kansas Department of Corrections records show she was transferred January 27 to Topeka Correctional Facility.
It is not known if Lamb will now be allowed to go forward with gender reassignment surgery or whether the state would pay for such surgery.
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Could Kansans Soon Hop a Train to Texas? Maybe.
TOPEKA, Kan. (TCJ/KPR) - Billions in federal funding could bring additional passenger rail service to Kansas. The Topeka Capital-Journal reports that advocates and transportation officials told a Kansas legislative group this week that federal funds could be used to establish passenger rail service between Kansas and Texas.
Currently, the only passenger train that runs through Kansas is Amtrak’s Southwest Chief. The long-distance train runs between Chicago and Los Angeles, making stops both ways in Lawrence, Topeka, Newton, Hutchinson, Dodge City and Garden City.
A short-distance Amtrak line, the Heartland Flyer, currently serves passengers between Fort Worth, Texas, and Oklahoma City. One plan is to push that passenger line up to Wichita and Newton. And soon, federal money may be available to pursue that goal.
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Kansas City to Open New $1.5 Billion Airport February 28
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — The new $1.5 billion Kansas City International Airport will officially open February 28, with a Southwest flight to Chicago Midway International Airport at 5 am as the first flight out, city and airport officials said. At more than 1 million square feet, the single-terminal airport is the largest single infrastructure project in the city's history. It replaces a three-terminal airport that opened in 1972. The grand opening comes nearly four years after the city broke ground on the project, which faced a contentious fight before receiving approval. During a news conference Monday, Mayor Quinton Lucas said the terminal is being completed on time and on budget. The new airport has 40 gates, with expansion possible to 50 gates. It will provide up to 50 places to eat and shop. Concession operators are tying to fill at least 800 retail, food and beverage jobs by the time the new terminal opens.
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UPDATE: Olathe Police Investigate Woman's Death in Hotel Room as Homicide
OLATHE, Kan. (KSHB) - Police in Olathe are now investigating a homicide after a woman's body was discovered inside a hotel room Sunday morning. KSHB TV reports that officers responded to the hotel (located on West 151st Street near Interstate 35) after employees reported the woman failed to check out of her room. Police have now identified the victim as 53-year-old Rhoda Morgan, of Gardner. Detectives were still working to figure out the cause of Morgan's death. Police have also identified a person of interest in the case.
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Midwest Hospitals Sued for Refusing to Perform Abortion
WICHITA, Kan. (KNS) - A federal civil rights complaint alleges hospitals in Kansas, Missouri and Illinois illegally discriminated against a Missouri woman by denying her an emergency abortion last year. The National Women’s Law Center filed the complaint Monday with the Department of Health and Human Services. It claims multiple hospitals violated a section of the Affordable Care Act prohibiting sex discrimination when they denied Mylissa Farmer an abortion after she experienced life-threatening complications at 18 weeks of pregnancy. The group has said doctors with at least two hospitals recommended terminating the pregnancy, but their legal departments prevented them from doing that.
Farmer eventually obtained an abortion at a clinic in Illinois, some 300 miles from her home. While the hospitals were not named, previous filings about the incident identified the University of Kansas Medical Center in Kansas City, Kansas, and Freeman Hospital West in Joplin, Missouri. Representatives for both hospitals and HHS could not immediately be reached for comment.
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OSHA Fines Kansas City Company After Worker's Death
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP/KPR) — A federal agency is proposing nearly $200,000 in fines against a Kansas City-based company after a technician died last year. The worker was electrocuted at a construction site in Missouri. The company, U.S. Engineering Services, was fined in 2021 after another technician was electrocuted while working at a site in Wichita. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) says it has cited U.S. Engineering Services for three serious and two repeat violations. The most recent technician to die was electrocuted while working at University Academy in Kansas City. The agency cited similar violations after the 2021 fatality in Wichita.
An OSHA investigation found the company did not follow required procedures that could have prevented the death. The company has 15 business days to respond to OSHA'S recommendations. A spokesperson for U.S. Enterprises did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
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As Kansas Oil Cleanup Continues, Key Questions Remain Unanswered
WASHINGTON COUNTY, Kan. (TCJ/KPR) - Cleanup of the December oil spill in north-central Kansas is progressing but the cause of the spill and other key questions remain unanswered. More than 14,000 barrels of crude oil flowed from the Keystone pipeline into Mill Creek on December 7. The Topeka Capital-Journal reports that the spill represents the largest onshore oil spill since 2014. Operator TC Energy reopened the affected portion of the pipeline in late December after approval from the federal government.
A month-and-a-half after the spill, legislators haven't held any hearings to examine the incident or any potential state policy response. Leaders of the relevant committees say they will do so eventually. Lawmakers appear split on whether they are satisfied with the information they are receiving from TC Energy. Interstate pipelines are largely regulated at a federal level, but there have been no hearings in Washington, D.C. either. All the while, key details about the spill haven't been made public, most notably what caused the incident.
One source told Kansas Public Radio that the oil spill and remediation efforts to clean it up will likely cost $1 billion.
In a statement Monday, TC Energy said they have recovered "nearly 90 percent of the estimated release volume" from the spill using skimmers, vacuum trucks and "mechanical removal, as needed." The company has also temporarily diverted Mill Creek in a bid to help with cleanup efforts. In early January, TC Energy and the Environmental Protection Agency entered into an agreement governing the cleanup efforts, with the agency saying the spill violated the Clean Water Act. "The discharge has caused an imminent and substantial threat to the public health or welfare of the United States, including fish, shellfish, wildlife, public and private property, shorelines, habitat, and/or other living and nonliving natural resources under the jurisdiction or control of the United States," the consent order said.
Per the terms of the deal, TC Energy must regularly assess Mill Creek to determine the impact on the waterway, conduct air monitoring and submit to the EPA cleanup and health and safety plans, which must be approved by the agency. Key details are unknown. A TC Energy spokesperson said in an email that the company's investigation into the cause of the spill remains ongoing, as does testing of an affected portion of the pipeline.
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Kansas AG Files Lawsuit over Lesser Prairie Chicken's Federal Status
TOPEKA, Kan. (KNS) - Kansas Attorney General Kris Kobach says he'll sue the federal government over the endangered species status of the Lesser Prairie Chicken. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service recently listed the bird as a threatened species. Kobach says he plans to file a lawsuit to have the lesser prairie chicken’s threatened designation withdrawn. The listing means Kansas farmers and ranchers need to follow federal guidelines to help protect the bird’s habitat. Kobach contends it requires ranchers to get the government’s permission to move cattle. The bird was previously listed as threatened in 2014. But the listing was overturned in court.
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Kansas City Area Animal Shelters Plead for Help Due to Overcrowding
KANSAS CITY, Kan. (WDAF) - Four animal shelters in the Kansas City area are saying they are at crisis capacity. WDAF TV reports that Great Plains SPCA, KCK Animal Services, Melissa’s Second Chances and the Humane Society of Greater Kansas City are all at maximum capacity with large dogs. The organizations also say that fewer people are adopting, leading to an influx of animals staying in shelter longer. The shelters say that a total of 170 dogs larger than 30 pounds are currently in their care and they’ve had 430 requests from the public to surrender large dogs over the past two weeks. This has led to the rescue organizations having to halt voluntary admissions of large dogs.
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10 States, Including Kansas, Mull Cross-Border Rules to Tackle Teacher Shortage
DENVER (AP) — Every Colorado school district, like many across the country, began 2023 understaffed. That's caused classes to be crammed together, school bus routes to shrink, Spanish language courses to get cut from curriculums, and field trips to be nixed.
This has prompted lawmakers in Colorado and other states to suggest legislation that would get rid of relicensing requirements for teachers when they move across state lines — an oftentimes cumbersome and costly process of waiting periods, licensing fees, and expensive exams.
The idea for an Interstate Teacher Mobility Compact was first proposed by the U.S. Department of Defense and is designed, in part, to support military spouses. It would effectively allow teaching licenses to be viable across members of the compact, cutting through the current 50-state patchwork of disparate requirements.
Colorado’s House education committee voted nine to two on Wednesday to send the legislation forward in a hearing.
Nine other statehouses are considering joining the compact, including Hawaii, Washington, Kansas, Georgia and Mississippi. For the compact to take effect, 10 states must approve it.
The national teacher shortage, exacerbated by deep losses during the pandemic, has left states scrambling to hire and retain educators. It's pushed school districts across the South to accept candidates without teaching certificates or formal training to staunch the losses.
“The idea of this bill is that it removes a barrier for moving into the state,” said Colorado Democratic Rep. Meghan Lukens, one of the bill’s sponsors. “By participating in this compact we will allow the seamless transfer of teachers to our state while maintaining the integrity of our teacher licensing.”
Some worry the change won't make significant difference as long as teachers are underpaid in a state with sky-high housing costs.
In 2020, Colorado paid teachers an estimated average of just over $60,000 annually, below the national average of about $65,000, according the National Center for Education Statistics, even though it's one of the most expensive states to live in. On those salaries, only about 20% of available homes in Colorado are affordable to teachers, according to a study by the Keystone Policy Center.
“I think this is another example of a solution that isn’t meeting the problem,” said Philip Qualman, superintendent at Eagle County School District, which includes the ski town of Vail west of Denver.
Qualman said the district is struggling with about 90 vacant positions — the most they’ve ever had — including custodians, teachers and bus drivers. Applicants who receive a job offer often end up turning it down when they can’t find housing within their budget, he said.
“I think it’s great to reduce the barriers to licensure for those who want to come here. But in reality, who’s going to want to come here when our compensation is so horrible?” Qualman said.
Adam Diersing, a policy analyst for the Council of State Governments which is working with the Department of Defense in developing and spreading the compact, said “in past compacts we have not seen evidence that accessibility of a license is an impetus for somebody to move to a new state.”
Still, Diersing added that teachers move for a plethora of reasons, including caring for aging relatives or joining their military spouse, and that state licensing barriers can push them to leave the field altogether.
“This can be an effective tool to keep folks in the profession when they want to,” said Diersing.
Amie Baca-Oehlert, president of the Colorado Education Association, pointed to underfunding as principle cause of teacher shortages. Baca-Oehlert did testify in support of the bill at Wednesday’s hearing, arguing that “it certainly opens the door to addressing the bigger issue.”
“We need something that attracts them to our state,” Baca-Oehlert said in an interview after the hearing, adding that Colorado must also focus on retaining teachers.
Agreeing that underfunding is a key problem, Democratic Rep. Mary Young said “We have to continue to recognize that this is a destination state, we’ve seen the number of people moving here and we want to make their experiences positive.”
Colorado’s Democratic Governor Jared Polis declined to say whether he supports the measure or not.
The legislation is receiving tentative bipartisan support in Colorado, along with other states where the bill is pending. But Diersing, the policy analyst, was unsure whether enough legislatures will sign on to the compact in 2023 to launch it.
He did point to the Nurse Licensing Compact, which passed in 2000 and now has 39 members states as of last year. As for the proposed teacher compact: “It’s tough to say.”
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Unheralded Group of Chiefs Players Get Redemption in Super Bowl Hunt
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — The Kansas City Chiefs are playing in the Super Bowl largely because they refused to give up on anyone, including players that few but their most-passionate fans know about. That includes Skyy Moore, their fumble-prone rookie punt returner, whose return last Sunday night set up the winning field goal in the AFC title game. It includes the young Chiefs defensive backs, who picked off Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow twice in the game. And it most certainly includes Harrison Butker, who shrugged off the most inaccurate season of his career to drill the eventual winning field goal against Cincinnati.
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Preparations Underway for Chiefs' Super Bowl Appearance
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (KNS) - The Kansas City Chiefs players have some time off after winning the AFC Championship Sunday night, but preparations for Super Bowl 57 will be well underway by the time they report to work at the Truman Sports Complex on Thursday. Having been to three Super Bowls…one with Philadelphia and two with Kansas City…Chiefs head coach Andy Reid has become accustomed to all the weeklong activities at the Super Bowl site. He says the game plan for the Super Bowl 57 will be passed along this week: "I think it’s important. Before you get down to Arizona with the distractions and the different events that go on, you like to have at least the base part in." The Eagles are making their first trip to the Super Bowl since winning it in the 2017 season. This is the Chiefs third Super Bowl appearance in four years. In the 2020 season, they lost to Tampa Bay.
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No. 8 Kansas Avenges Earlier Loss to No. 7 K-State, 90-78
LAWRENCE, Kan. (AP) — Jalen Wilson had 20 points, Kevin McCullar Jr. added 16 points and 13 rebounds, and No. 8 Kansas avenged a loss to Kansas State just a couple of weeks ago with a 90-78 victory over the seventh-ranked Wildcats. Dajuan Harris Jr. scored 18 for the Jayhawks, who built a 12-point halftime lead before coasting to their 17th straight home win over Kansas State in the 10th matchup of top-10 teams in series history. Markquis Nowell scored 23 points and Keyontae Johnson had 22 to lead the Wildcats, who were trying for their first regular-season sweep of their biggest rival in four decades. The KU victory tightened the Big 12 standings at the midway point of conference play.
For the first time in more than 15 years, more Kansas students redeemed tickets than there was space available inside Allen Fieldhouse. The overflow had to watch the game on screens in the adjacent Horejsi Family Athletics Center, where the Jayhawks play volleyball games. Those students also got refunds and concessions vouchers.
Kansas State's three losses in league play have been to ranked teams on the road: TCU, Iowa State and Kansas. And with a more forgiving second half to the Big 12 schedule, the Wildcats remain firmly in the conference title hunt. Kansas got its mojo back with its win at Kentucky last weekend. This victory over another bunch of Wildcats was crucial because the road doesn't get any easier for the Jayhawks, who are in the midst of three straight games against ranked teams.
UP NEXT:
- Kansas State returns home for another top-10 showdown Saturday against No. 10 Texas.
- Kansas hits the road for the third time in four games against No. 13 Iowa State on Saturday.
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This summary of area news is curated by KPR news staffers, including J. Schafer, Laura Lorson, Tom Parkinson and Kaye McIntyre. Our headlines are generally posted by 10 am weekdays. These ad-free headlines are made possible by KPR members. Become one today. And follow KPR News on Twitter.