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Protests at University of Kansas show culture shift on campus sexual violence
LAWRENCE — For two nights this week, hundreds of outraged students showed up at a University of Kansas fraternity house, demanding answers. With signs reading “no mercy for rapists” and “hold frats accountable,” the students crowded the fraternity’s lawn and chanted from its steps, protesting an alleged sexual assault at the Phi Kappa Psi fraternity house […]
Kansas clinics look for creative ways to connect with residents who need COVID-19 vaccine
TOPEKA — As health officials across the country aim for a national 70% adult vaccination rate against COVID-19 by July 4, health centers in Kansas are finding ways to reach the most vulnerable populations in the state. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports that 50.9% of Kansans ages 18 and older have received […]
Poor People’s Campaign calls on Kansas congresswoman to support the needs of the working poor
KANSAS CITY, KANSAS — Many of the protesters outside U.S. Rep. Sharice Davids’ office Monday were advocating for policies like single-payer health care, a higher minimum wage and improved housing conditions for deeply personal reasons. Vicki Destefano was one of 20 protesters from the Poor People’s Campaign, which hosted the rally. Distefano’s brother Michael died […]
Nestlé sues Leavenworth company, alleging defective equipment led to massive cookie dough recall
A Leavenworth company is facing a lawsuit from Nestlé after a sifter manufactured by the company allegedly contaminated flour and led to a national recall of more than two million cases of cookie dough. Nestlé USA Inc. filed the suit in the U.S. District Court of Kansas this week. The lawsuit alleges that Great Western […]
Genesis Health Clubs fined $15K for unsolicited telemarketing calls
TOPEKA — Genesis Health Clubs Management Inc. was fined $15,000 for violating the Kansas No-Call Act, the Attorney General’s office announced on Friday. The Wichita-based company operates at least 55 clubs in Kansas, Iowa, Nebraska, Missouri, Colorado and Oklahoma, with 22 facilities in 13 cities in Kansas. The company is owned by Rodney Steven, a well-known […]
End-of-session package installs framework for investigating elder abuse in Kansas
TOPEKA — A package of bills aimed at curbing elder abuse and creating more communication with various agencies that work with seniors was met with support by lawmakers on the final day of the regular session. The three pieces of legislation focus on ways state and local agencies can improve communication with each other to ensure […]
Kansas Legislature passes $20 billion spending blueprint for state, with no money for public schools
TOPEKA — A nearly $20 billion state budget is on its way to Gov. Laura Kelly’s desk after both the House and Senate passed it Friday on the last day of the regular session. While the budget includes funding for human services and public safety, the most notable aspect of the bill is what it doesn’t […]
Kansas Senate bans transgender athletes from women’s sports, sends bill to governor
TOPEKA — Kansas could lose hundreds of millions of tourism dollars should the Fairness in Women’s Sports Act become law. The controversial measure requires school-sponsored sports programs to designate each team based on the biological sex of team members. The bill was at the center of a heated debate Friday morning before it passed the Senate, […]
Senate bill positions Kansas to become nation’s HQ for alternative investment trusts
TOPEKA — Kansas could become a hub of a specialized investment trust that would allow for the state to put money into rural opportunity zones in exchange for a tax credit. That’s the intent behind a bill that recently passed the Senate. The bill would establish an alternative investment trust framework and potentially fund rural […]
University of Kansas researcher says hostile policies impact wellbeing of LGBTQ youths
LAWRENCE — When the Kansas Senate debated and then passed the bill aimed at preventing transgender girls from participating in sports, a focus of the 2.5-hour debate was whether or not this kind of legislation harms transgender and LGBTQ children. Sen. Renee Erickson, a Wichita Republican, was outspoken in opposition to the idea suggested by […]
Prosecutors, advocates seek to remove ‘misogynistic’ mental evaluations in sex crimes
TOPEKA — The Kansas Legislature will decide whether to keep a decades-old law that allows courts to order victims of alleged sex crimes to undergo mental health evaluations. Such a decision hinges on the passage of a bill that would prohibit any Kansas court from requiring psychiatric or psychological examinations of a victim of an […]
Kansas fire marshal asks lawmakers for more oversight of fire-related deaths
TOPEKA — After several fire deaths that state officials say were incorrectly considered accidents, Kansas Legislators are examining whether to give further law enforcement powers to the Office of the State Fire Marshal. Doug Jorgensen, the state fire marshal, is advocating for a bill that would grant additional law enforcement powers to the fire marshal […]