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Kansas researchers tackle crop production as national assessment warns changing climate can damage agriculture
TOPEKA — Kansas State University researchers have been given millions in funding to study ways to increase crop yields as national reports warn of worsening agricultural conditions in the Midwest. Kansas State University researchers will collaborate with other U.S. Corn Belt universities on research meant to bolster understanding of how agricultural practice impacts local environmental […]
‘Jesus, how I love thee’: Kansas public school district warned about Bible lessons, worship songs
TOPEKA — A south-central Kansas public school choir teacher taught middle school students Christian worship songs centering around loving Jesus, such as “Praise His Holy Name,” and made students listen to Bible lessons, according to a national watchdog group’s report. The Freedom from Religion Foundation, a national nonprofit geared toward the separation of state and […]
ACLU launches effort to inform Kansans with felony records of their voting rights
TOPEKA — A leading Kansas civil rights organization says an estimated 30,000 people living in the state should be informed they have the right to vote. The American Civil Liberties Union of Kansas launched a campaign to reach out to Kansans with felony records and encourage them to register to vote and to participate in […]
New COVID-19 variant spreads as Kansans travel for the holidays
TOPEKA — Health officials warn travelers to watch out for a highly contagious new COVID-19 variant when making plans this month. During a Tuesday update on COVID-19 cases, the University of Kansas Health System reported treating 24 COVID-19 patients this week. Dana Hawkinson, director of infection prevention and control at the system, said the slight […]
State funding set aside for Kansas River trash removal, high-risk dam repairs
TOPEKA — The Kansas Department of Agriculture gives a dam. The department has been allocated $10 million in funding for several state water projects, including dam rehabilitation and repair and irrigation technology improvements. About $7 million of the funding will go toward projects in eastern Stafford County, where the Rattlesnake Creek and Quivira National Wildlife […]
Central Kansas electric bills will increase following approval of Evergy rate hike
TOPEKA — State regulators approved a utility rate change that will decrease electric rates for Kansas City customers and push up prices for other customers in the state after a long tug of war between proposed corporation price hikes and commission staff estimates over fair prices. During a Tuesday meeting, the three-member Kansas Corporation Commission […]
KBI revises Kansas crime report for 2022, adding more than 4K new offenses
TOPEKA — The Kansas Bureau of Investigation released amended crime statistics after discovering its original report wasn’t accurate. The agency said a system error caused thousands of offenses to go uncounted. “When we recognized how many offenses weren’t represented in the annual crime report, we knew we had a responsibility to let the public, the […]
After Kansas school district forces Native American boy to cut his hair, ACLU sends warning
TOPEKA — Officials at R.V. Haderlein Elementary in Girard forced an 8-year-old Native American boy to cut his hair, despite objections that he grew it out to connect with his cultural heritage. The American Civil Liberties Union of Kansas warned the district in a letter Friday that the school policy is both a violation of […]
‘I’m not real proud’: St. Marys public library gets new lease by removing LGBTQ books for kids
ST. MARYS — The public library in St. Marys has managed to hang onto its lease for one more year by removing all of the youth-oriented LGBTQ books from library shelves. Library director Judith Cremer said the decision was the result of her efforts to work with the city commission, which has been threatening the […]
‘Suspicious letter’ prompted evacuation of Kansas Secretary of State’s Office
TOPEKA — A “suspicious letter” was delivered to the state’s top election official’s office Tuesday, and the building was evacuated as a precaution. Kansas Secretary of State Scott Schwab’s office was shut down for the rest of the day. “With recent events, we take such things as a suspicious substance very serious,” Schwab said. “Our […]
With Kansas on track for billions in surplus, Republicans promise to deliver tax cuts
TOPEKA — New revenue estimates show the state is projected to have more than $2 billion by the end of the current fiscal year. Top Republicans in the Legislature are using the estimates to revitalize their push for wide-ranging tax cuts. Speaker of the House Dan Hawkins and Senate President Ty Masterson released a joint […]
‘Why would I trust the government?’: Kansas conservatives speak against death penalty
TOPEKA — No one has been executed in Kansas since 1965. Citing anti-abortion beliefs and love for Jesus Christ, several Kansas conservatives affirmed Saturday their commitment to making sure that status continues. During the Kansas Coalition to Abolish the Death Penalty’s annual meeting Saturday in Wichita, discussion veered between Lee Harvey Oswald, public schools, religion […]