Courts and Crime
She killed her rapist after months of abuse. Advocates say Kansas governor should set her free.
TOPEKA — Sarah Gonzales-McLinn regrets killing Hal Sasko. She also regrets moving into his Lawrence home, where he repeatedly raped her until she channeled a lifetime of trauma into psychotic rupture. On a January night in 2014, she drugged her captor, zip-tied his limbs and slit his throat. “That is the moment that my pain […]
Scuffle over Kelly’s nominee to Court of Appeals foreshadows bigger fight over Supreme Court
Senate GOP's spat with Gov. Laura Kelly on Court of Appeals nominee points to renewal of constitutional feud on selection of Supreme Court nominees.
Kansas AG says bill blocking foreigners from buying Kansas land needs to be prioritized
TOPEKA — It’s time to keep China out of Kansas agricultural lands, Kansas Attorney General Kris Kobach said, announcing his support of legislation intended to prevent Kansas farmers from selling that land to foreign entities. The bill in question, Senate Bill 100, would prohibit any non-U.S. citizen from buying Kansas real estate in certain areas. […]
Kansas Democrat introduces Senate bill making clergy mandatory reporters of suspected abuse
Baldwin City Sen. Tom Holland introduced a bill requiring Kansas ministers and clergy to be mandatory reporters of suspected child abuse or neglect.
Swaths of Kansas lack written policies on exculpatory evidence, law enforcement dishonesty
Leslie Mayer of Hutchinson is convinced the Lyon County Attorney’s Office withheld evidence that would have helped her late son Travis avoid at least some of the 56 months in prison he served after being found guilty of aggravated battery of a law enforcement officer at a 2017 trial. The withheld evidence, she believes, included […]
Kansas advocacy groups ask for doubling length of initial protection from abuse orders
The Kansas House is asked to grant judges authority to issue two- to five-year protection from abuse orders rather than operate an annual renewal process.
Gov. Laura Kelly argues Kansans deserve bipartisan progress on tax, health care, K-12 policy
Kansas Gov. Laura Kelly seeks bipartisan support for a second-term agenda anchored in education, health care, tax and economic development policy.
Baby bassinets with alarms and locks offered as safe new way of surrendering a child in Kansas
TOPEKA — Kansas lawmakers are debating the best way to implement baby drop-off boxes in an attempt destigmatize and create safer practices for child relinquishment. Proposed legislation would allow Kansans to safely surrender custody of their infants by leaving them in bassinets equipped with locks, temperature control and alarm systems. House Bill 2024, discussed Monday […]
Broad coalition urges Kansas lawmakers to amend law on driving license revocations
TOPEKA — Sen. Oletha Faust-Goudeau says state law revoked driving privileges for failure to pay a traffic citation should be amended to give motorists the opportunity to apply for a restricted license so they could get to work and earn money to pay off the any penalties. Faust-Goudeau, a Wichita Democrat who led efforts in […]
New bill seen as first step toward fixing problems in Kansas juvenile justice system
TOPEKA — Lawmakers have begun evaluating legislation in an effort to fix years of built-up problems within the juvenile justice system. First up: A bill that could expand access to behavioral health treatment through crisis intervention centers. During a House Corrections and Juvenile Justice Committee meeting Monday, a week after lawmakers heard from attorneys and […]
Federal judge could decide as soon as February to yank abortion pill nationwide
WASHINGTON — A Texas judge could decide as soon as next month whether to force the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to pull its two-decade-old approval of the abortion pill, which accounts for more than half of pregnancy terminations in the United States. A nationwide injunction in the case, as requested by anti-abortion groups, would […]
Kansas sex abuse law obstructs justice for young victims. Lawmakers can fix it now.
Kansas law demands an impossibility of young people: If they suffered childhood sexual abuse, they must file a civil case before their 21st birthday. This is the same state where GOP leaders currently advocate a bill criminalizing gender-affirming care for those under 21. That is, they appear to believe that Kansas youths can’t possibly be […]