Kansas Attorney General Wants to Keep Trans People from Intervening in Lawsuit over State IDs
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — The Republican attorney general in Kansas is working to keep transgender people from intervening in his state-court lawsuit against changing the sex listings on their state driver's licenses. His efforts already will block further changes until at least November.
Attorney General Kris Kobach, his legal team and lawyers for the Kansas Department of Revenue were in court Thursday to set a schedule for the lawsuit. The department's motor vehicles division issues driver's licenses and has changed the sex listing for more than 900 people during the past four years.
Kobach argues that changing driver's licenses to reflect transgender people's gender identities violates a state law rolling back transgender rights that took effect July 1. He sued two top Department of Revenue officials earlier this month after Democratic Governor Laura Kelly announced that the changes would continue despite the new state law.
Five transgender Kansas residents represented by the state's American Civil Liberties Union chapter are asking District Judge Teresa Watson to allow them to intervene in the lawsuit. Kobach said Thursday he is opposing their request, and Watson plans to rule on it after an August 16 hearing.
Earlier this month, Watson granted Kobach's request to block driver's license changes while his lawsuit moves forward. Both Kobach's office and the Department of Revenue's attorneys agreed it should stay in place at least until another hearing, now set for November 1.
During Thursday's hearing in Shawnee County, home to the state capital of Topeka, Kobach unsuccessfully pushed Watson to move ahead with a full trial of his lawsuit as early as next month.
“It’s a pretty cut-and-dried case,” Kobach told reporters. “The statute means what it says. They have a different interpretation of the statute.”
Because of Kobach's lawsuit, Kansas is among only a few states not allowing transgender residents to change their driver's licenses, along with Montana, Oklahoma and Tennessee. In a separate federal court case, Kobach also is trying to stop changes in the sex listings on Kansas birth certificates.
The new Kansas law defines male and female based on a person's sex assigned at birth and says those definitions apply to any other state law or regulation, ending legal recognition of transgender people's gender identities. Kobach contends it requires Kansas to undo past changes in its records. The Republican-controlled Legislature enacted the law over Kelly's veto.
ACLU attorneys argue that the new law violates transgender people's rights under the Kansas Constitution, including their rights to privacy and bodily autonomy.
“When we’re trying to make this about something very simple like statutory interpretation, what we’re doing is ignoring the reality that transgender Kansans are going to face every single day in this state,” Sharon Brett, the ACLU of Kansas' legal director, said after the hearing.
In interviews, transgender Kansas residents have said having a driver's license with a sex listing that doesn't match their gender identity complicates getting through airport security, dealing with a traffic stop or even using a credit card. They also have said interactions with others out them publicly as transgender — and potentially jeopardize their safety.
In a court filing, Kathryn Redman, a 62-year-old Kansas City-area resident, said that before she changed her Kansas driver's license in 2021, she was subjected to “invasive pat downs in the genital area of my body” before getting on flights.
“I frequently received rude comments and I was always uncomfortable in public settings where showing my license was required,” she said.
Kobach said after Thursday's hearing that the transgender people's legal claims are premature because Watson hasn't ruled on whether driver's license changes violate the new state law. He said he sees the first task as considering the new law's meaning.
“There will be more than adequate time for constitutional questions to be considered,” he said.
The Department of Revenue's attorneys have argued that the new law conflicts with an older law specifically dealing with driver's licenses and that the agency remains bound to follow the older one. The department supports allowing the transgender people to intervene in the case.
“We’re not in a position as the Department of Revenue to appropriately address those concerns,” Pedro Irigonegaray, one of the attorneys, said after Thursday's hearing.
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Longtime College Administrator Lew Perkins Dies at the Age of 78
LAWRENCE, Kan. (AP) — Longtime college administrator Lew Perkins, who played basketball at Iowa before serving as the athletic director at several universities and taking on an influential role within the NCAA, died Tuesday. He was 78.
Perkins' family announced his death in a statement issued by Kansas, where he served as the athletic director from June 2003 through September 2011, a period that included a men's basketball national championship. No cause was given, though Perkins had been battling the effects of Parkinson's disease.
"Lew made an indelible impact on Kansas Athletics and served his role at KU with passion and vigor on a daily basis," Jayhawks athletic director Travis Goff said. "We will forever be grateful for his dedication to this university and athletic department. We are thinking of Lew's amazing family during this time and sending our deepest thoughts and sympathies."
Perkins was chosen for the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame Board of Trustees in 2005. He also served on the NCAA championships and competition cabinet and the NCAA bowl certification committee. Perkins grew up in Massachusetts before joining the Hawkeyes, where he played from 1965-67 under Hall of Fame basketball coach Ralph Miller. He then embarked on a career in administration at the University of South Carolina-Aiken, where he helped the school grow from a junior college to a four-year school as both athletic director and basketball coach. Perkins returned to USC-Aiken in 2005 to receive an honorary doctorate.
He went on to serve as the associate athletic director at Penn before getting the AD job at Wichita State, which was then serving two years of probation. He made the controversial decision to end the school's football program in a cost-saving move, but Perkins was also praised for the hiring of successful basketball coach Eddie Fogler. Perkins left for Maryland in 1987, where the men's basketball program was reeling from the death of star basketball player Len Bias. During his brief stay, Perkins brought in basketball coach Gary Williams, who later led the Terps to a national title.
Perkins spent the next 13 years as the athletic director at Connecticut, where the women's basketball program won four national titles and the men's basketball and soccer programs also claimed championships. He also was instrumental in the development of the Huskies' football program, which joined the Division I level in 2000 and the Big East a year after his departure.
The often-affable Perkins is perhaps best known for his time at Kansas, though.
While he was the Jayhawks' athletic director, their long-downtrodden football program won the 2008 Orange Bowl under Mark Mangino and, months later, the men's basketball national title under Bill Self. The schools' athletic budget soared and significant upgrades were made to Memorial Stadium, the Booth Family Hall of Athletics and other facilities on campus. Perkins' tenure ended in scandal when, in March 2010, the school announced it was conducting an internal investigation of the athletics ticketing office. A separate investigation led by the FBI and IRS led to federal charges against five employees and one consultant and alleged that they had stolen more than $2 million in tickets to be illegally resold.
Perkins announced months later that he would retire, and he stepped away from the Jayhawks in September 2010.
"Lew did a lot of good things in his time here at KU," Self said. "He was a big contributor in us changing the mindset of the athletic department and also competing for championships on a more consistent level. ... The one thing I will remember most about Lew was he always put the student-athletes first, and the student-athletes that got to know him well, all loved him."
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Kansas Governor Announces Funding for Diabetes Support
TOPEKA, Kan. (WIBW) - Governor Laura Kelly has announced nearly $5 million from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to support Kansans affected by diabetes and those at significant risk of the disease. WIBW TV reports that the Kansas Department of Health and Environment will receive funds from the CDC as part of the state health department’s community clinic project. The annual Kansas Diabetes Report says diabetes costs approximately $2.4 billion in Kansas every year in direct medical expenses and indirect costs. The report also states that people with diabetes are more likely to have other chronic diseases like heart disease, kidney disease, and nerve damage. Kelly announced the funding at the Kansas Statehouse Wednesday.
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State Seeks Contractor for Anti-Abortion Counseling Centers
TOPEKA, Kan. (KNS) — Kansas is looking for a contractor to run a $2 million program distributing money to anti-abortion counseling centers. The goal is to encourage people with unplanned pregnancies to choose childbirth instead of abortion. The new Alternatives to Abortion program will give tax money to groups that discourage women from having abortions and offer resources like free pregnancy tests and diapers. The centers have been criticized for using misleading tactics. Lawmakers overrode a veto by Democratic Governor Laura Kelly to approve $2 million for the program this year. The Kansas Treasurer’s office is looking for a nonprofit to run the program. Bidding will close mid-August. The program comes as Kansas clinics see record numbers of people traveling to the state for abortions.
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Premiums Increase for ACA Insurance Plans
TOPEKA, Kan. (KNS) — The number of Kansans buying health insurance on the Affordable Care Act marketplace is up, and so is the cost of premiums. The average premium for a silver plan for a family of four in Kansas rose more than 8% over last year, an increase nearly double the national average. The state also saw a record number of people enroll in marketplace plans, especially in rural areas. Linda Shepperd at the Kansas Health Institute says that’s partially thanks to bigger pandemic-relief tax credits that made plans affordable for more people. “We had a pretty high number of folks in the rural parts of the state who were not insured," she said. "And so I think that was just an area that was kind of ripe for growth.” But Kansas now lags behind the U.S. when it comes to overall insurance rates. One reason, Sheppard says, is the state’s failure to expand Medicaid.
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Free Application Days Set for Kansas Regents Schools
TOPEKA, Kan. (KNS) — For three days this fall, Kansas universities will waive their application fees to try to get more students to apply to college. The Board of Regents approved the new program. Free application days for Kansas residents will be November 7th through 9th. Daniel Archer is vice president of academic affairs for the Regents. He says colleges need to increase the number of students of color who apply to college. “What are some things that we can do right now to remove barriers and better position ourselves to have a more robust high-school-to-college pipeline?” he said. In 2014, more than half of Black and Hispanic high school seniors in Kansas applied to a state college. In 2021, that number dropped below a third. College application fees range from $25 to $40, depending on the school.
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KCK Police Charge Local Man in Stabbing Incident
KANSAS CITY, Kan. (KCTV) — Kansas City, Kansas, police have charged a man with attacking his father and severely wounding a woman in a stabbing on Tuesday before being shot and seriously wounded by officers. Authorities say 32-year-old John McGriff, of Kansas City, Kansas, has been charged with aggravated battery, mistreatment of an elder person and aggravated assault of a law enforcement officer. KCTV reports that McGriff is expected to face other charges in the stabbing death of his father. Investigators say McGriff stabbed and killed his father, 72-year-old Samuel McGriff, inside an apartment building for senior citizens in the Argentine neighborhood. A few minutes later, police received calls about a woman being stabbed on a street corner near the facility. The 46-year-old woman suffered severe wounds and underwent surgery Tuesday at a local hospital. She was reported in serious condition Wednesday. When officers confronted McGriff they ordered him to drop his knife, but he refused and charged the officers. The officers shot and critically wounded McGriff.
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Judge Rules in Favor of Former KHP Chief in Harassment Suit
TOPEKA,Kan. (KSNT) – A judge has ruled in favor of former Kansas Highway Patrol Superintendent Colonel Herman Jones in a federal lawsuit. KSNT TV reports that the case was brought in 2021 by two former majors who supervised multiple female employees. The troopers alleged that they were victims of retaliation after the female employees accused Jones of sexual harassment and subjecting them to a hostile work environment. The court found the claims to be unfounded. In 2021, Jones was cleared of multiple allegations, including gender discrimination. He retired earlier this year.
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City of Lawrence Passes Ordinance Making Community a Safe Haven for LGBTQ+ Residents
LAWRENCE, Kan. (LJW) — Lawrence city leaders have moved to make the city a safe haven for LGBTQ+ residents. Commissioners voted unanimously to codify protections against anti-LGBTQ+ legislation. The Lawrence Journal-World reports that Ordinance No. 9999 declares Lawrence a “safe haven for all persons from the effects of discriminatory acts, legislation, regulation and other actions.” That particularly applies to transgender, nonbinary and gender-nonconforming people. Commissioners approved the ordinance on first reading at its Tuesday meeting. It’ll come back for final approval at a future meeting. The action was taken in response to the recent passage of state laws affecting transgender residents.
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Suicide Prevention Hotline in Lawrence Busy Since Launch of New 988 Number
LAWRENCE, Kan. (LJW) - It’s been a year since the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline switched to the new, nationwide 988 number. The Lawrence agency that serves as the Lifeline’s crisis center for Kansas has taken thousands of calls in the time since then. The Lawrence Journal-World reports that the Kansas Suicide Prevention Headquarters, based in Lawrence, took an average of 1,230 calls each month from July 2022 to June 2023. A little more than 1% of those calls resulted in an emergency dispatch, involving a response by emergency services for imminent risk of harm.
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Military Flyover Set for Saturday's Dole Institute Celebration
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (KSHB) — A public celebration this weekend will mark the 20th anniversary of the opening of the Dole Institute of Politics on the campus of the University of Kansas in Lawrence. Saturday's event also marks what would have been former Kansas Senator Bob Dole’s 100th birthday. KSHB TV reports that Four T-38 jets from Randolph Air Force Base in Texas are set for a flyover around 11 am Saturday. The flyover is part of the Landmark Celebration that begins at 10 am and continues through the afternoon. Dole served for 30 years in the U.S. Senate and was the Republican presidential candidate in 1996. Dole, who grew up in Russell, served in Italy in World War II and was seriously wounded. He died in December 2021 at the age of 98.
For more information, visit the Dole Institute of Politics.
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Kansas Highway Patrol Nominee Testifies
TOPEKA, Kan. (KNS) - The nominee picked to lead the Kansas Highway Patrol told state lawmakers Wednesday that he would focus on improving morale within the agency. The governor picked Erik Smith to replace outgoing Superintendent Herman Jones, whose tenure was marred by lawsuits and allegations of sexual harassment. Smith told a legislative committee that he would encourage more open communication. He said he would be hard on problems but soft on people. “Everybody in the agency needs to know that problems are going to be dealt with, problems are going to be addressed seriously, but it doesn’t have to be the end of someone’s livelihood," he said. If confirmed by the Kansas Senate, Smith would take over an agency that’s facing a shrinking workforce. Roughly 20% of the positions at the Highway Patrol are vacant.
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Koch Industries Underwriting Alternative School
WICHITA, Kan. (KNS) - Wichita-based Koch Industries is underwriting another alternative school opening this fall in Wichita. The Koch-funded non-profit “Stand Together” announced a membership-based service called Learning Lab to be located in Wichita’s Union Station building. It will house the first Khan Academy Lab School to open anywhere other than California. Director Lydia Hampton says more Kansas families are looking for alternatives to traditional public and private schools. “We’re not finding the results that we are hoping to see by continuing to perpetuate this very siloed experience. It’s not benefiting our learners, it’s not benefiting our educators.” The Learning Lab will partner with area home schools and micro-schools and will feature specialized equipment like 3-D printers and recording studios. The Kochs are active in libertarian politics and opened a private school at Wichita State University in 2018.
The new school is part of a trend that could pull more students from the state’s public schools. Designers envision the new Learning Lab as a sort of maker space for education. It will take up about 16,000 square feet of the Union Station building in downtown Wichita. Hampton says the COVID pandemic prompted many families to seek alternatives to public schools. “Part of the purpose of the lab is to build on the momentum that came out of COVID, with people doing and trying different things," she said.
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Extreme Drought Impacting Farmers Throughout Midwest
UNDATED (HPM) - Drought conditions in the Great Plains began spreading east this year, affecting much of the Midwest and leaving farmers worried about their crops. The region went into this summer with a lack of soil moisture that many have said is the worst they’d ever seen. Nebraska corn farmer Ryan Krenk says his plants are stunted and very dry. "It looked like death. And I said, you know, I don't think it's gonna see tomorrow. And it's still somehow here. Several tomorrows later," he said. Recent rains have been beneficial, but agriculture experts say it will take consistent precipitation over a long period to nourish crops and alleviate the historic drought in the region. (Read more.)
The U.S. Drought Monitor shows portions of Kansas, Missouri and Nebraska still locked in extreme to exceptional drought conditions in mid July.
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Lawrence Chapter of Audubon Society to Change Name
LAWRENCE, Kan. (KNS) - The Lawrence chapter of the National Audubon Society and some other local chapters across the country are ditching their namesake, the 19th century bird painter and slaveholder. Members of the Jayhawk Audubon Society will brainstorm and vote on a new name. Audubon groups are named after bird painter John James Audubon. He owned and sold slaves. He also stole skulls from Native American graves for a collector trying to prove that white people were superior. The National Audubon Society will keep its name. Audubon of Kansas and the Wichita Audubon Society say they will too, for now. Kansas City’s chapter didn’t respond to a media inquiry.
Kelly Barth is president of the soon-to-be-renamed Jayhawk Audubon Society of Lawrence and surrounding areas. “In Lawrence, which was a city founded by abolitionists – and is home to Haskell Indian Nations University – keeping John Audubon’s name as our namesake was just unacceptable," he said. Other chapters around the country are also changing their names, including New York City, Seatlle, and Washington, DC.
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Chiefs Training Camp Underway in St. Joseph
ST. JOSEPH, Mo. (KPR) — Patrick Mahomes has reported to Missouri Western State University in St. Joseph where the Kansas City Chiefs quarterbacks and rookies are starting training camp. The full squad reports later this week. For Mahomes, the biggest difference between training camp a year ago and this year is one additional member of his family. Mahomes says it’s now the toughest part of ending his off-season. "I mean it’s fun here to me, but to have those long stretches where I’m not seeing my daughter and my son, that’s the toughest part about it," he said. Mahomes injured his ankle in the Super Bowl victory over Philadelphia and says he was a little timid running and cutting during the off-season drills. But he says now that he’s got his confidence back, he’ll be at full speed for this season.
(-Related-)
Chiefs' Mahomes Ready to Build Off Second Super Bowl Title Going into Training Camp
ST. JOSEPH, Mo. (AP) — Quarterback Patrick Mahomes arrived at training camp Tuesday with the understanding that he and his Kansas City Chiefs teammates need to be better in 2023 if they want to repeat as Super Bowl champions.
“I think the theme this year is how can we keep building,” said Mahomes, who reported for camp at Missouri Western State University on Tuesday along with the team’s quarterbacks and rookies.
Mahomes earned Most Valuable Player honors last season and captured his second Lombardi Trophy.
“Obviously we won the Super Bowl last year and it was amazing but we still have a lot of young guys. We want to continue to get better and better. You look around AFC everybody’s gotten better.”
If the Chiefs hope to improve, much of the challenge falls on Mahomes. Following the offseason departure of free agent receivers JuJu Smith-Schuster and Mecole Hardman, it’s up to Mahomes to build connections with a group of young receivers including Kadarius Toney, Skyy Moore and this year’s second-round selection Rashee Rice.
The good thing, according to head coach Andy Reid, is how much Mahomes relishes challenges.
“With quarterbacks, the work’s never done,” Reid said. “It’s like being a farmer, and you just keep on cranking. We’re always trying to give him new challenges with things and he loves that, and loves to attack those types of things.”
It’s the ability to challenge his players that Mahomes says makes Reid a great coach.
“I’m sure you ask Travis (Kelce), you ask Chris Jones, you ask all these guys they think the same thing because he doesn’t let you be satisfied with where you’re at.”
Indeed, if the Chiefs hope to repeat as Super Bowl champions, they can’t be satisfied with what they accomplished last season.
The previous time the Chiefs looked to repeat as Super Bowl champions, they finished with a 14-2 record before losing Super Bowl 55 to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers 31-9.
Mahomes feels the need to motivate his teammates further this time around.
“Even though we’re winning football games let’s not be satisfied with just winning, let’s be satisfied with finding ways to get better every single week,” he said.
“I’ve said a lot of the AFC when you look at the AFC, there’s like almost every team you can see a path of them getting to the playoffs,” Mahomes said. “I know you say that every year but I think this year is really real, and so we know week in and week out it’s gonna be a challenge for us. Let’s get better and try to win as many football games as possible and put ourselves in that position."
CHRIS JONES' CONTRACT
With only a few days until the team’s veterans report to training camp, Reid remained unsure if All-Pro defensive tackle Chris Jones will arrive with his fellow teammates.
“I don’t know that,” Reid said. “I’ll have to just see how that goes. There’s communication going on. That’s the important part, then we just have to see.”
Jones is scheduled to earn $19.5 million in base salary this season with a cap hit of more than $29.4 million. The 29-year-old is seeking a contract extension while the club also wants an extension for Jones to free up much-needed cap space.
INJURIES
Reid said defensive tackle Tershawn Wharton, who finished last season on injured reserve with a torn ACL, will start training camp on the physically unable to perform list. Running back Isiah Pacheco, who underwent surgery for shoulder and hand injuries in the offseason will be evaluated when veterans report Friday to determine whether he’s ready to practice with the club.
Mahomes, who sustained a high-ankle sprain during the team’s postseason run, said he felt timid at times running and cutting during the offseason organized team practice activities (OTAs).
He feels he's in a good spot now, however, heading into camp.
“When I got kind of through like closer to the (veteran) minicamp and that later OTA stage, I got that confidence back in my ankle,” Mahomes said. “I’m sure I’m not going be running a lot right now, but we’ll be testing especially in these half gassers, so I’ll make sure that it’s ready to go.”
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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 and updated throughout the day. These ad-free headlines are made possible by KPR members. Become one today. You can also follow KPR News on Twitter.