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KBI director on Marion County newspaper raid: Media is not ‘above the law’
TOPEKA — The top law enforcement officer in Kansas appeared to justify a Marion County search warrant that led to an unprecedented raid on a local newspaper and potentially contributed to the death of the paper’s co-owner. Kansas Bureau of Investigation Director Tony Mattivi released a statement Sunday following widespread outrage of Friday’s raid, in […]
Police stage ‘chilling’ raid on Marion County newspaper, seizing computers, records and cellphones
MARION — In an unprecedented raid Friday, local law enforcement seized computers, cellphones and reporting materials from the Marion County Record office, the newspaper’s reporters, and the publisher’s home. Eric Meyer, owner and publisher of the newspaper, said police were motivated by a confidential source who leaked sensitive documents to the newspaper, and the message […]
Federal budget cuts could damage poorest Kansans’ access to legal representation
TOPEKA — With the federal legal support system potentially millions of dollars short due to budget cuts, Kansas’ federal public defender pleaded with U.S. Sen. Jerry Moran to intervene before vulnerable Kansans needing representation begin to suffer. The U.S. federal public defender system provides legal representation for criminal defendants who cannot afford legal fees. That […]
Kansas lawmakers ask for increase in newsletter funding
TOPEKA — Legislators are asking to more than double state funding for their newsletters, in an attempt to keep voters aware of their Statehouse actions without tapping into campaign funds. During a Wednesday meeting, the Republican-controlled Legislative Coordinating Council advocated raising allotments for postage and printing costs, following increases in post office prices. The U.S. […]
Johnson County judge hears objections to Kansas abortion restrictions
OLATHE — The state has put a “thumb on the scale against abortion,” attorney Alice Wang said Tuesday in arguments for a temporary injunction to block long-standing abortion restrictions in Kansas. Over the span of an hour and a half hearing in Johnson County District Court, Wang, an attorney from the Center for Reproductive Rights, […]
Faced with overwhelming need, disability services providers urge more funding from Kansas lawmakers
TOPEKA — When her son’s father died earlier this year, Rachel Neumann had to choose between taking time off to comfort her son or using her PTO to support her mother in law, who was diagnosed the same week with terminal cancer. As the chief operating officer of COF Training Services, a company that serves […]
Hospitalizations in Kansas and nationwide signal ‘summer surge’ of COVID-19
TOPEKA — A national summer uptick in COVID-19 cases has arrived, but Kansas physicians are still waiting to see if cases in the state follow national trends. Across the U.S., hospitalizations have been on the rise since the beginning of July, the first increase seen this year, according to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention […]
Calls for better health care grow louder as Kansas population ages
TOPEKA — Health care providers urged lawmakers to look at solutions before dementia becomes a crisis for the state’s aging population during a Medicaid meeting Wednesday. Rep. Brenda Landwehr, R-Wichita, punted the challenge back to providers, saying she wanted medical providers to come up with fixes to the state’s health care problems, such as the […]
Kansas birth rate hits all-time low as women contemplate health and finances
TOPEKA — Kansas documented the state’s lowest-ever recorded birth rate for the 2022 year, according to a preliminary report. The Kansas Department of Health and Environment’s annual report shows the number of births in the state dropped slightly from 2021. Last year’s report documented 34,697 births in 2021, with a birth rate of 11.8 per […]
Rural Kansas school district spared in lopsided vote
TOPEKA — Residents of a rural central Kansas school district overwhelmingly voted to keep their district intact, defeating an attempt to dissolve the district in anger over a school closure. Unofficial election results from the Aug. 1 primary show 587 people voted in favor of disorganization and 1,179 voters in Central Plains Unified School District […]
‘A seat at the table’: Topeka business leaders ask for more input on unsheltered crisis
TOPEKA — As Topeka city officials float solutions to the growing homelessness crisis, local community leaders want a voice in the conversation. Kerrice Mapes, owner and founder of the Topeka-based 785 Magazine, says Topeka business owners and community leaders should be given more input. During an interview for the Kansas Reflector podcast, Mapes discussed how […]
Kansas school district fights ‘indoctrination’ rumors, continues DEI training
OVERLAND PARK — Sitting on the curb outside of the Shawnee Mission North High School in May, surrounded by American flags, Debbie Detmer said she was inspired by the example of a district teacher to fight against the evils of DEI training. “Diversity — it’s all about division,” Detmer said. “They divide, they hate, they […]