Briefs

U.S. House passes deal on stopgap funding, avoids government shutdown

BY: - September 22, 2020

House and Senate leaders reached a bipartisan agreement Tuesday night to pass a three-month funding stopgap, averting a government shutdown in the midst of a pandemic and a short time before the November elections. In a 359-57 vote, the House passed H.R. 8337, which extends federal government funding until Dec. 11, when lawmakers would have […]

Vicki Schmidt, the Kansas commissioner of insurance, attended a legislative committee meeting Monday for endorsement of the $535,000 sale of the vacant Woman's Club of Topeka building on the National Register of Historic Places. (Tim Carpenter/Kansas Reflector)

Legislative committee endorses sale of historic Topeka building for $535,000

BY: - September 22, 2020

Sale of the Woman's Club of Topeka building for $535,000 to a group planning to renovate the historic structure is another step closer to reality.

The Kansas unemployment rate in November increased for the first time in six months to 5.6%. The rate in November 2019 was 3.1%, but the COVID-19 pandemic pushed the rate to a high of 11.9% in April (Tim Carpenter/Kansas Reflector)

Unemployment rate in Kansas declines to 6.9% in August

BY: - September 19, 2020

The COVID-19 influenced unemployment rate in Kansas fell to 6.9% in August, a drop of 0.3%. It's still well above the 3.1% rate in August 2019.

U.S. Rep. Roger Marshall, a Republican from Great Bend, will debate Democratic Party nominee Barbara Bollier, of Johnson County, on Saturday on WIBW at the first U.S. Senate debate of the general election campaign. (Tim Carpenter/Kansas Reflector)

U.S. Senate candidates Marshall, Bollier to debate Saturday on WIBW Radio

BY: - September 18, 2020

TOPEKA — U.S. Senate candidates Barbara Bollier and Roger Marshall are scheduled to debate Saturday for the first time in the general election for a broadcast and livestream on WIBW Radio and the Kansas Radio Networks. Marshall, a Great Bend Republican serving western Kansas as 1st District congressman, will be on the November ballot with […]

Democratic U.S. Senate candidate Barbara Bollier reported raising $13.5 million in the third quarter for the largest single-quarter fundraising total of any candidate in Kansas history. She is running for the open seat in Kansas against GOP nominee Roger Marshall. (Tim Carpenter/Kansas Reflector)

Former GOP U.S. Sen. Nancy Kassebaum endorses Democrat Barbara Bollier

BY: - September 17, 2020

Former U.S. Sen. Nancy Kassebaum, a Republican who served 18 years in that job, is endorsing Democratic U.S. Senate nominee Barbara Bollier.

The Kansas Department of Labor responded to an increase in credible threats of violence against the agency and its employees by suspending on camera television interviews. (Submitted/Kansas Reflector)

Kansas Senate panel backs appointment of new healing arts board director

BY: - September 14, 2020

Kansas Senate committee votes to remove interim tag from executive director of the Kansas Board of Healing Arts, which monitors 31,000 health professionals.

Kansas State University researchers involved in a $1.3 million research project to protect meat plant workers and surrounding communities from the spread of COVID-19 includes, from left, Randy Phebus, Sally Davis, Valentina Trinetta, Sara Gragg and Daniel Vega. (Submitted/Kansas Reflector)

Kansas State researchers to explore spread of COVID-19 at packing plants

BY: - September 14, 2020

TOPEKA — Researchers at Kansas State University will rely on a combination of state and federal funding to study effectiveness of sanitation procedures at livestock processing facilities designed to inactivate the virus causing COVID-19. The project relies on a $1 million grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture and $330,000 from the state of Kansas’ […]

A state committee voted to endorse a proposal to install a memorial on the Kansas Capitol grounds in honor of Gold Star families, who have a family member who died as a result of military service. Gov. Laura Kelly said the memorial was requested by the only remaining Medal of Honor recipient from World War II. (Submitted/Kansas Reflector)

Kansas flags fly at half-staff to honor victims of 9/11 terrorist attacks

BY: - September 11, 2020

Kansas Gov. Laura Kelly's executive order directs flags be flown Friday at half-staff to honor those killed and injured in terrorist attacks Sept. 11, 2001.

The Kansas Department of Corrections led by secretary Jeff Zmuda says a fifth inmate who contracted COVID-19 has died. (Submitted/Kansas Reflector)

Fifth Kansas prison inmate dies after diagnosed with COVID-19

BY: - September 10, 2020

A fifth inmate held by the Kansas Department of Corrections has died after contracting COVID-19. About 300 staff and inmates have active cases of the virus.

Former KU chancellor, AL president Gene Budig dies at 81

BY: - September 8, 2020

Gene Budig, who led KU for 13 years as chancellor and later served as baseball's American League president, is dead at 81.

Gov. Laura Kelly declined to accept demands of Republican legislators to insert language into the statewide COVID-19 disaster declartion that she wouldn't close businesses in the next 30 days in response to the pandemic. Kelly is asking the State Finance Council to approve a 30-day extension of the disaster declaration. (Sherman Smith/Kansas Reflector)

Kansas enters race for Space Command headquarters

BY: - September 4, 2020

TOPEKA — Gov. Laura Kelly announced Friday she would make a strong push to land the new U.S. Space Command in Kansas. The governor’s office said four Kansas communities have submitted proposals to become the home for headquarters of the U.S. Space Command, which is responsible for military operations in space. The cities are Derby, […]

State and federal agencies reported the Kansas unemployment rate dropped in November to 3.6%, a reduction from 3.9% in September and October. Joblessness at outset of the COVID-19 pandemic was 12.6% in April 2020. (Tim Carpenter/Kansas Reflector)

EPA targets two southeast Kansas lead smelter sites for Superfund list

BY: - September 2, 2020

The federal Environmental Protection Agency is focusing on two southeast Kansas lead smelting sites for inclusion in the Superfund program.