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Lisa Phillips, who says she was sex trafficked by Jeffrey Epstein, tells NPR that releasing files about the late convicted sex offender is about human rights, not politics.

President Biden awarded the Medal of Honor to two Union soldiers who stole a locomotive in Confederate territory and drove it north while destroying railroad tracks and telegraph lines.

The KPERS building in downtown Topeka. (Photo by Stephen Koranda)Opposition has been mounting against a proposal to change the state pension plan. The Kansas Public Employees Retirement System, or KPERS (KAY-pers), covers more than 250,000 working and retired Kansans. But the fund faces an $8 billion shortfall over the coming decades. Statehouse reporter Stephen Koranda has more on the controversy.00000184-7fa7-d6f8-a1cf-7fa7a8540000

The Kansas House has given first-round approval to a bill that would overhaul the Kansas Public Employees Retirement System, or KPERS (KAY-pers). The goal is to pay down an $8 billion deficit in KPERS and reduce financial risks to the state. The plan currently offers a traditional pension, with retirement benefits based on salary and years of service. But as KPR’s Stephen Koranda tells us, the bill would mean big changes to KPERS.00000184-7fa7-d6f8-a1cf-7fa7aa470000

The Kansas Public Employees Retirement System, or KPERS (KAY-pers), faces a huge challenge in the coming years. The system is projected to go 7.7 billion dollars into the red over the next 30 years. That means there won’t be enough money to pay state retirees the benefits they've been promised. As KPR’s Stephen Koranda reports, lawmakers have been working on legislation to solve that problem.00000184-7fa7-d6f8-a1cf-7fa793d10000

A legislative commission is studying how to overhaul KPERS (KAY-pers), the Kansas Public Employees Retirement System. Members are searching for ways to fix a huge deficit in the state pension plan. This week, the group looked at how other states are dealing with their own pension problems. Republican Representative Mitch Holmes, of St. John, co-chairs the commission.00000184-7fa7-d6f8-a1cf-7fa7a07a0000While current retiree benefits are safe, KPERS is facing a long-term deficit of more than $8 billion. The commission will make recommendations to the Legislature on how the state can fix the shortfall.

The Lawrence Humane Society is currently waiving adoption fees for cats and kittens as the shelter's population of these animals has surged. Kayse (KAY-see) Aschenbrenner (ASH-en-brenn-ur) with Lawrence Humane says that summer traditionally heralds a significant uptick in the number of animals that the shelter takes in. There will still be a charge for spaying or neutering. The no-adoption-fee promotion will run until the shelter's cat population has stabilized. More information is available online at lawrencehumane.org.

The Lawrence Humane Society finds itself with a surplus of cats. That's why the group is waiving cat and kitten adoption fees in an effort to find homes for more of these animals. Kayse (KAY-see) Aschenbrenner (ASH-en-brenn-ur) with Lawrence Humane says that the group almost always houses more animals as the weather grows warmer. There will still be a charge for spaying or neutering of adopted animals. The no-adoption-fee promotion will run until the shelter's cat population has stabilized. More information is available online at lawrencehumane.org.

When it was published in 1960, Harper Lee's modest novel helped Americans think differently about race. Now, 50 years later, To Kill a Mockingbird still resonates in a much-changed America. NPR's Lynn Neary examines the lasting impact of Scout Finch and her father, Atticus — a lawyer who defends a black man unjustly accused of rape.

On this edition of Conversations, David Alexander talks with host Dan Skinner about "Pictures of Time." Alexander examines the similarities in all living things.