Search results for

An overhaul of the state’s income tax is now on the desk of Governor Laura Kelly after the Kansas Legislature passed the bill early Saturday... state lawmakers approved another year's worth of funding for most state agencies and services, including a 93% pay increase for themselves... and, a conservative political advocacy group is backing a bill to reform the practice of civil asset forfeiture by Kansas law enforcement agencies. Those stories and more inside.

Sen. Jeff Sessions has been offered the post of attorney general, while Rep. Mike Pompeo and Michael Flynn have been offered the respective positions of CIA chief and national security adviser.

Shuggie's Trash Pie chef David Murphy shares three easy recipes for transforming unloved leftover ingredients into delicious eats.

Shawnee County Election Commissioner Elizabeth Ensley Deiter shows voter receipts from the polling place where a ballot mix-up prompted a re-vote. (Photo by Stephen Koranda)The Shawnee County Board of Canvassers has ordered a limited re-vote in Topeka after a mix-up at a polling place. The supervisor at one Topeka polling place made a mistake that meant dozens of voters received the wrong ballots. One of the races affected is for the 52nd Kansas House District, in which the top two candidates were separated by just 41 votes. Board member Mary Thomas said it seemed fairest for voters whose ballots were affected by the mistake to have a chance to vote again.00000184-7fa7-d6f8-a1cf-7fa7b2a60000Shawnee County election officials will notify the 430 eligible voters about the special re-vote. It will take place on August 28th, but voters can cast ballots early at the Shawnee County Election Office.

(Photo by Stephen Koranda)It’s not clear how lawmakers will comply with a Kansas Supreme Court ruling that says the state has created inequalities between schools districts. The ruling says lawmakers violated the Kansas Constitution by cutting funds that help equalize school district budgets. The group that filed that lawsuit, and some lawmakers, say they believe the solution is to restore more than $100 million in education funds. Paul Davis, from Lawrence, is the top Democrat in the Kansas House and a candidate for governor.00000184-7fa7-d6f8-a1cf-7fa7cb4d0000But Republican Governor Sam Brownback, and Republican legislators, say they are happy with the outcome because it gives lawmakers options for solving the disparity. They say the state could rewrite the equity laws or pursue another solution. Brownback hailed the decision because it doesn't directly order legislators to spend more on education.00000184-7fa7-d6f8-a1cf-7fa7cb4d0001The Supreme Court did not rule on the larger issue of whether Kansas is adequately funding education. Justices say a lower court used the wrong test to determine adequacy, so the lower court will have to consider it again.

Photo by Stephen KorandaSome Republicans are calling on the Democratic candidate for governor to remove his appointee from a commission studying school efficiency. KPR Statehouse reporter Stephen Koranda reports.00000184-7fa7-d6f8-a1cf-7fa7d0810000(SCRIPT)Republican Kansas Governor Sam Brownback has criticized his Democratic challenger Paul Davis over the appointment. Davis, the top Democrat in the Kansas House, selected former Republican state Senator John Vratil to sit on the education study group.Brownback pointed to a quote from Vratil from 2011 when he said consolidation could be inevitable for rural school districts. Brownback says the choice shows Davis doesn’t support rural schools.Around a dozen Republican Kansas state senators have also called for Vratil to be removed, saying consolidation hurts small towns.Davis says that he stands behind rural districts and he is opposed to forced consolidation.A spokesperson for Davis, Chris Pumpelly, calls this political posturing and says the governor’s school funding policies have hurt rural districts.

Federal investigators have interviewed top aides to Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton. They're asking whether her email practices as secretary of state compromised government secrets.

Here's a look at area news headlines from the Associated Press, as compiled by KPR news staffers.

100,000 or more Kansans could soon lose Medicaid coverage... the Kansas City Chiefs arrive in Las Vegas while the father of quarterback Patrick Mahomes faces DUI charges... some state lawmakers want to ban ranked choice voting... an oil refinery in southeast Kansas agrees to pay $23 million in fines... and Midwestern states still suffer from "brain drain." Details inside.

Top Republicans say the state can’t afford to meet the school funding target set by the Kansas Supreme Court. An additional $360 million over four years.