Health
White House launches new push to help states remove lead pipes that carry drinking water
WASHINGTON — The White House on Friday announced plans to speed up the use of infrastructure law funds to replace lead pipes in underserved communities, with a focus on Connecticut, New Jersey, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin beginning this year. The four states, each led by Democratic governors, will be part of what’s called the Lead Service […]
Judicial Council wants 30-day notice of involuntary discharge from Kansas elder care facilities
Kansas Judicial Council proposes state law granting 30-day notice and appeal process for involuntary discharges from assisted living facilities.
It’s 10 p.m. Do you know where your work laptop is?
Last night, I imagined myself as a boiled frog. Laptop in my lap at 8:30 p.m., I highlighted text from one page, copied it and pasted it onto another page. Over and over. Cut. Copy. Paste. Onto the next page. Highlight. Copy. Paste. Onto the next page. Next to me, my daughter and wife were […]
Proposed Kansas bill would turn abortion control over to cities, counties
TOPEKA — A recently introduced bill would bring the abortion fight to the county and city level, allowing local government to limit access to reproductive health care. The latest in a series of attempts to restrict abortion, Senate Bill 65 would give cities and counties the right to enact stricter laws on abortion than current […]
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 […]
VP Harris in Tallahassee: ‘Can we truly be free if a woman cannot make decisions about her life?’
In a direct challenge to Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, Vice President Kamala Harris traveled to his back yard Sunday to announce that President Joe Biden was signing an executive order designed to guarantee access to abortion rights, including abortion-inducing medications. During a roughly 20-minute address in Tallahassee marking what would have been the 50th anniversary […]
ACLU of Kansas prepared to challenge Legislature’s attacks on trans kids, voting rights
TOPEKA — The American Civil Liberties Union of Kansas is prepared to challenge the Kansas Legislature’s annual attacks on transgender children, voting rights and reproductive health care while searching for common ground on criminal justice reform and medical marijuana. The organization’s priorities for the 2023 session are mostly at odds with leadership in the GOP-dominated […]
Survivors of sexual abuse plead for changes in Kansas law that protects pedophiles
TOPEKA — Four survivors of childhood sexual abuse revealed details about the worst moments of their lives in a public rebuke of state law that protects pedophiles from criminal prosecution or civil lawsuits. Backed by a bipartisan coalition of state lawmakers, the women emphasized that it can take years before a survivor accepts what happened […]
Kansas Gov. Laura Kelly cleared to return after doctors say COVID-19 test was inaccurate
TOPEKA — Gov. Laura Kelly’s office says she doesn’t have COVID-19 after all. The office issued a statement Thursday saying her physician and state health officials believe an initial test earlier this week produced a “false positive” result. Her subsequent tests have been negative, the statement said. The governor appeared at a series of events […]
U.S. House Republicans push through two anti-abortion measures in first work week
WASHINGTON — The U.S. House on Wednesday approved its first abortion-related measures under a new Republican majority, eliciting strong support from GOP members and opposition from Democrats, who rejected the legislation as misleading and incomplete. Republicans, who secured a four-seat majority during the November midterm elections, said the bill setting medical standards on a national […]
With Medicaid ‘continuous coverage’ ending soon, many Kansans may lose access to care
TOPEKA — With federal “continuous coverage” Medicaid protections ending, thousands of Kansans are expected to be dropped from medical programs in the coming months. While President Joe Biden is expected to extend the public health emergency issued for COVID-19, one that allowed for health-related measures and the continuous coverage policy, states will no longer have […]
Kelly creates early childhood task force with first executive order of second term
Gov. Laura Kelly's first executive order of her second term creates a task force studying barriers to affordable, quality early childhood education.