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Voting rights advocates pan Kansas Republican’s ‘invite-only stage for election conspiracies’
TOPEKA — Mary Lou Davis was disappointed and frustrated Thursday by a legislative committee’s promotion of election conspiracy theories. If Davis, the president of the League of Women Voters of Topeka and Shawnee County, had been allowed to testify at the one-sided hearing, this is what she would have told lawmakers: “Voter registration is vital […]
Emporia State University defends changes ahead of declining enrollment report
EMPORIA — Emporia State University president Ken Hush downplayed the significance of the university’s declining enrollment in an open letter Tuesday preempting the official release of fall enrollment figures across state universities. The Kansas Board of Regents plans to release enrollment figures Wednesday, and the numbers will show a decline at ESU. The extent isn’t […]
Kansas counties eager for lawmakers to resurrect property tax relief fund
TOPEKA — The Legislature’s perennial failure to invest in lowering local property taxes left Miami County with a budget dilemma this year. The sheriff’s office, competing with higher wages for law enforcement in the neighboring Kansas City metro area, was about 20 deputies short of a full staff. Faced with the prospect of raising property […]
Kansas judge rejects prosecutor’s attempt to seal affidavit by insulting newspaper
TOPEKA — Douglas County District Judge Stacey Donovan says a prosecutor’s criticism of the Lawrence Journal-World raises First Amendment concerns and is “beneath the dignity” of district attorney’s office. Joshua Seiden, Douglas County deputy district attorney, had tried to persuade the judge to seal an affidavit in the arrest of a homeless man because he […]
‘When is it going to be our time?’ Young Kansas voters jilted by candidates and election barriers
This article is part of U.S. Democracy Day, a nationwide collaborative on Sept. 15, the International Day of Democracy, in which news organizations cover how democracy works and the threats it faces. To learn more, visit usdemocracyday.org. TOPEKA — The way Dustin Morris sees it, his generation was sold a lot of false hope. You […]
Emporia State University forges new identity with $9M earmark from Kansas Legislature
TOPEKA — Emporia State University’s new structure, underwritten by a $9 million earmark in the state budget, comes with a new marketing slogan and a new explanation for last year’s dramatic upheaval. Legislative leaders and university administrators describe the so-called “ESU model,” which involved the firing of tenured faculty members under the guise of a […]
Kansas reporter sues Marion police chief, alleging retaliation in newsroom raid
TOPEKA — Police Chief Gideon Cody arrived at the Marion County Record and handed a copy of a search warrant to Deb Gruver, the veteran reporter who had questioned him about alleged misconduct at his previous job. As Gruver read the search warrant, she told Cody she needed to call her publisher and editor, Eric […]
Sheriff’s office agrees to destroy evidence obtained from raid on Kansas newspaper
TOPEKA — The Marion County Sheriff’s Office agreed Thursday to destroy digital files it copied from computers seized during the raid on the Marion County Record. Bernie Rhodes, an attorney for the newspaper, raised concerns about whether law enforcement had altered a list of evidence from the raid and illegally held onto a previously undisclosed […]
After Kansas newspaper raid, lawmaker proposes taking warrant power away from magistrates
TOPEKA — House Minority Leader Vic Miller said Tuesday he would introduce legislation to take away a magistrate’s power to authorize a search warrant, addressing one problematic aspect of the circumstances surrounding the raid on the Marion County Record. Miller, a Topeka Democrat, said he hopes the proposal will launch a conversation that could expand […]
Kansas Supreme Court plans child welfare summit to forge ‘better paths forward’
TOPEKA — Kansas Supreme Court Justice Melissa Standridge on Tuesday announced plans for a two-day summit next year to brainstorm innovative solutions for problems surrounding child welfare in Kansas. Standridge said the summit would be a collaboration among the three branches of government, the legal community, child welfare partners and experts, and families and children […]
‘Completely unjustified’: Affidavits point to abuse of power in raid on Kansas newspaper
TOPEKA — Affidavits signed by a police chief and magistrate to warrant the raid on the Marion County Record were supposed to provide evidence that a reporter committed a crime. Instead, they serve as evidence that the local officials abused their power. Police Chief Gideon Cody received approval from Magistrate Judge Laura Viar to conduct […]
Kobach: KBI looking into possible data breach in Kansas newspaper case
TOPEKA — Kansas Attorney General Kris Kobach says state authorities reviewing alleged crimes associated with the raid of a Marion newspaper are interested in whether someone breached the Kansas Criminal Justice Information System. Police raided the Marion County Record last week after the newspaper received information from a confidential source about the criminal history of […]