Civil Rights
FHSU survey finds Trump leading in Kansas, half say BLM deepens racial divide
Annual poll by Fort Hays State University shows support for Trump, frustration with Black Lives Matter and desire to legalize recreational marijuana.
Senate candidate rejects GOP mailers distorting her votes on police budget
Kansas Senate candidate Lindsey Constance rips GOP mailers falsely claiming she supported defunding Shawnee police department.
KC Freedom Project’s Latahra Smith answers call for justice from wrongfully convicted
Lataruh Smith leads KC Freedom Project, a ministry working for people allegedly wrongfully imprisoned. Her fight is personal and professional.
Activist: Repeat caller weaponized Topeka police against autistic child
TOPEKA — An activist supporting a child with autism who was handcuffed and thrown to the ground by a Topeka police officer says the department is allowing residents to weaponize officers against minorities. The 14-year-old boy’s family and supporters are calling for increased accountability for those who file false reports or claims and that the […]
Biden in final debate vows immigration overhaul in first 100 days as president
WASHINGTON — Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden on Thursday night distanced himself from the Obama administration’s handling of undocumented people that led to the highest rate of deportations of any presidency and said he would act swiftly on immigration as president. During the final presidential debate at Belmont University in Nashville, Biden admitted the Obama […]
Topeka police audit finds concerning behavior by officer who used force on autistic child
TOPEKA — A Topeka police auditor determined an officer abided by department policy but used “concerning” judgment last month when he cursed at an autistic child, pepper sprayed the child’s dog, and handcuffed and threw the child to the ground, breaking the child’s wrist. Body camera video shows the officer yelling at the 14-year-old boy […]
Senate panel endorses confirmation of Robba Moran, three others
The Kansas Senate's confirmation committee votes to affirm nominations of two people to the State Banking Board and to the KU Hospital board.
‘Representation matters’: Kansas candidates hope to bring diverse voices to office
MANHATTAN — Stephanie Byers sits in her living room, surrounded by her collection of guitars, to participate in one of the many Zoom calls on her schedule. The Democratic candidate for the Kansas House said the COVID-19 pandemic has forced her to change the way she campaigns. In March, she walked the Wichita district’s streets, […]
Federal judge affirms constitutionality of Kansas’ 250-foot buffer zone at voting sites
The Kansas law forbidding electioneering within a 250-foot radius of voting sites is deemed constitutional by a federal judge.
COVID-19 infects Kansas judicial system with backlog of more than 1,700 trials
At least 1,700 criminal trials have been delayed due to COVID-19 in Kansas, and lifting statewide disaster declaration will overwhelm judiciary.
Supreme Court ruling on Voting Rights Act opened floodgates for new restrictions
It hadn’t even been a day since the U.S. Supreme Court dismantled one of the pillars of voting rights in America, and North Carolina lawmakers weren’t wasting any time. Republican legislators had been contemplating a bill that would require photo identification to vote. The bill had plenty of support, but it had spent the past […]
Black Lives Matter casts doubt on independence of Topeka’s police auditor
TOPEKA — Leaders of Black Lives Matter Topeka say the city’s police department must shift its focus to correcting unjust policing systems and practices to achieve meaningful reform. More than 50 people gathered Tuesday evening in front of the Statehouse before marching in near silence to City Hall, where they called for increased accountability from […]