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Foster care providers turned to PPP loans as pandemic intensified family stress
TOPEKA — Foster care agencies in Kansas leaned on large federally backed loans during the pandemic to avoid furloughs and acquire technology needed to provide services to thousands of suddenly isolated children and their caretakers. As most of the state sheltered in place, uncertainty over the rapidly spreading deadly pathogen heightened stress and financial pressures […]
Kansas governor tests negative for coronavirus after House speaker says he caught virus
TOPEKA — Gov. Laura Kelly tested negative for COVID-19 on Friday following disclosure by House Speaker Ron Ryckman that he had been hospitalized for a week with coronavirus in July. A political firestorm erupted on Thursday following Ryckman’s disclosure that he tested positive for the coronavirus on July 13. He was criticized for delaying for […]
Kansas House Speaker Ron Ryckman infected, hospitalized with COVID-19 in July
Kansas House Speaker Ron Ryckman acknowledged Thursday he was infected last month with COVID-19 and spent a week in the hospital. The Republican from Olathe said he recovered from the illness, tested negative for the virus and received clearance from a doctor before attending a meeting last week with the governor and other legislative leaders. […]
Urban Outfitters plans $350M investment near Kansas Speedway
Urban Outfitters announced plans Wednesday to invest $350 million in a new, 880,00-square-foot distribution center to be built in Wyandotte County. The multinational retail company, which sells clothing and other consumer goods, says it will create 2,000 jobs through the long-term investment. State officials said public incentives involved with the deal won’t be finalized or […]
U.S. Senate: Marshall defeats Kobach in GOP primary, will face Bollier
TOPEKA — U.S. Rep. Roger Marshall defeated GOP rival Kris Kobach on Tuesday in a U.S. Senate primary thronged with mud-slinging fortified by out-of-state cash and meddling by optimistic Democrats. The two-term congressman from the 1st District led a pack of 11 men after a mad dash to the far right in which candidates tried […]
Privacy concerns shadow popular voter registration website
The 41,700 people who have turned to ksvotes.org as a superior alternative to the state’s primitive online platform for voter registration probably don’t realize they signed away their personal information to be used in targeted advertisements. Language in the site’s privacy policy gives permission to Blueprint Kansas, the organization that operates ksvotes.org, to collect contact […]
‘A lot of anger’: Kansas authorities on alert for threats to health officers
TOPEKA — Kansas Department of Health and Environment secretary Lee Norman says he is used to “looking over my shoulder,” behavior the lieutenant colonel in the Kansas Army National Guard learned while serving as senior medical commander in a combat zone. Norman again finds himself under threat of attack. Public health officials across the the […]
Affidavit: Rep. Steve Watkins lied about address change, not voting
A Shawnee County sheriff’s detective in her affidavit report says U.S. Rep. Steve Watkins lied to her when he claimed he didn’t actually vote in a local election and wasn’t responsible for listing a UPS store as his home address. Video surveillance and a review of mail-in ballots provide the basis for three felony charges […]
Employee at Topeka women’s prison dies from COVID-19
A facility maintenance supervisor for the state-run women’s prison in Topeka has died after being infected with COVID-19. The Kansas Department of Corrections said Richard Rose, 74, died on Saturday. He was a 17-year employee at the agency. Rose is the third staff member and the first at Topeka Correctional Facility to die after being […]
Topeka therapist charged with having sex with child in state care
Editor’s note: A Shawnee County jury has determined Julie Herron is not guilty. TOPEKA — A Topeka mental health professional faces charges of having sexual relations with a patient in state care who was older than 16. Julie Herron, 51, is accused of engaging in intercourse, lewd fondling or sodomy with the child between February […]
Medical experts dispute claims by Kansas Board of Education member
TOPEKA — Kansas State Board of Education member Michelle Dombrosky confronted health secretary Lee Norman during Wednesday’s meeting to ask why his advice — to delay the start of school for three weeks — conflicts with the opinion of other medical experts in the state. The board member from Olathe identified Children’s Mercy Hospital, the […]
Norton inmate tests positive for COVID-19
Kansas Department of Corrections secretary Jeff Zmuda on Thursday said an inmate at the state-run prison in Norton had tested positive for COVID-19, bringing the total of corrections facilities with known infections to eight. The infected man was among 96 residents in the minimum security unit at the Norton Correctional Facility. All of the unit’s […]