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Newly installed Kansas Capitol monument honors families of fallen soldiers
TOPEKA — Soldiers, legislators and military families gathered Friday at the Kansas Capitol for an unveiling of a memorial honoring families of soldiers who died while serving in the armed forces. Gov. Laura Kelly and Sen. Pat Roberts spoke at the unveiling ceremony about losses suffered by military families. Kelly, who grew up in a […]
Kansas attorney general candidates split on voter fraud, abortion rights, immigration
TOPEKA — Republican and Democratic candidates for Kansas attorney general clashed on immigration issues, women’s rights and voting laws during their first debate Thursday, held at the Wichita Crime Commission Forum. Both candidates said the federal government failed to do enough about immigration. GOP candidate Kris Kobach said he viewed the role of Kansas attorney […]
Hutchinson microbrewery hopes to avoid losing liquor license with plea to buy food
A Hutchinson microbrewery sold more than $16,000 worth of hot dogs and other food Tuesday night in defiance of antiquated Kansas liquor laws. With another $13,000 worth of food sales by the end of the month, the business can stay open. Sandhills Brewing, a microbrewery with two taprooms, is in danger of losing its liquor license […]
Thousands of Kansans eligible for student debt forgiveness, White House officials say
Kansans who have struggled to repay student debt may receive relief, with hundreds of thousands in the state eligible for some form of debt forgiveness, the Biden-Harris administration announced Tuesday. In Kansas, about 360,900 student loan recipients qualify for some form of loan forgiveness, with 225,500 Kansan Pell Grant recipients eligible. In the neighboring state […]
Kansas uninsured rate now higher than national average
Nationally, more and more Americans have been enrolled in health insurance since the Affordable Care Act was implemented. But no longer in Kansas, which now has a higher uninsurance rate than the national average rate for the first time in years, according to the U.S. Census Bureau estimates. Nearly 264,000 Kansans went without insurance in […]
Community divided over Kansas school district book ban push
The Gardner Edgerton School District has made news recently with a transgender student policy that the Kansas American Civil Liberties Union condemned as potentially unlawful. With the policy still under discussion and a vote delayed, it seemed as though things were finally settling down for the district. But the newest issue to come up is […]
Child sex abuse reports sent by abortion providers misleading, DCF secretary says
Department for Children and Families secretary Laura Howard said “we dropped the ball” in presenting child sexual abuse allegations reported by Kansas abortion providers at a Monday committee meeting. The data, which run from 2011 to 2022, weren’t available to the public until the Topeka Capital-Journal filed public record requests earlier this year, despite a […]
Kansas lawmakers dig into pandemic relief spending report
TOPEKA — Pastries, plastic tube people and festivals. Kansas lawmakers questioned whether federal COVID-19 relief funding was spent appropriately during a Wednesday review of expenditures. The Kansas Legislative Division of Post Audit’s report focused on the 2020 Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act, the $2.2 trillion stimulus bill passed by Congress. The act included $339.8 billion […]
‘A traumatic and fatal conclusion’: Kansas school district debates potential transgender policy
TOPEKA — Debate over a potential policy covering transgender students exposed a school district’s ideological rifts on Monday night, complete with two legal letters and details from anonymous teachers. Parents, students and board members in the Gardner Edgerton School District have wrangled over the policy since July, with many concerned it would hurt transgender students. […]
Kansas family struggles to adopt foster daughter, says system is broken
TOPEKA — Nicole DeHaven broke down in tears while giving testimony about her foster care experience during a meeting Monday with state lawmakers. DeHaven and her husband, John, have raised their foster daughter since she was three days old. But when the Gardner couple tried to adopt the 2-year-old, they were told they also would […]
Former U.S. representative denies sending false text messages before Kansas abortion vote
HUTCHINSON — Weeks after he was accused of sending false text messages in an attempt to trick people into voting for an anti-abortion amendment, former U.S. Rep. Tim Huelskamp claimed there was no proof of misconduct. “There’s no evidence of that,” said Huelskamp after the Kansas State Fair debate between Gov. Laura Kelly and Attorney […]
Kansas school district’s planned transgender policy could violate law, ACLU says
TOPEKA — The American Civil Liberties Union of Kansas condemned a school district’s discussed transgender policy as potentially illegal and harmful, in anticipation of a deciding vote on the matter. Parents, students and board members in the Gardner Edgerton School District discussed the contentious policy during July and August board meetings. The policy would require […]