Rain Expected Across Eastern Kansas
TOPEKA, Kan. (KPR) - Some scattered showers are possible Wednesday across eastern Kansas but most of the rain is expected in the afternoon and evening hours. Meteorologist Sarah Teefey, with the National Weather Service, says the chance for rain will increase as the day unfolds. "We'll see some of this rain start to fill in across far eastern Kansas - maybe even a few rumbles of thunder, with better chances of storms near and south of I-35," she said. Overall, there's an 80% chance Wednesday and a 30% chance Thursday. Teefey says about half an inch of rainfall is possible across portions of eastern Kansas, but no severe weather is expected. By Friday and this weekend, it should be sunny and dry, with temps in the 70s.
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Measles Case Confirmed in Sedgwick County
UNDATED (KNS) – Sedgwick County health officials have confirmed the county's first case of measles in eight years. Officials say the case involves an unvaccinated child between 5 and 10 years old. The Kansas News Service reports that it's the first case reported near Wichita since 2017 and the first one outside an outbreak that’s been growing in southwest Kansas. Health officials urge people to get vaccinated. Babies 6 to 11 months old can now receive their first measles vaccine ahead of schedule. Children should then follow the recommended vaccination schedule as they get older. (Read more.)
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State of Kansas Not Tracking Number of Adult Protection Cases
UNDATED (The Beacon) – Kansas doesn’t track how many cases its adult protective services staff have. One caseworker is investigating 70 claims of elder abuse. The Beacon reports that one family's case has been open since October. Kansas says it doesn’t share case assignments because that information is confidential. Caseloads are not a perfect measurement though. Some cases are simple and others are more complicated. Kendra Kuehn is with the National Adult Protective Services Association. She says case outcomes and how quickly the case was investigated are the best data to track. Few, if any, states have that information. “It’s challenging to have a gold standard when there are so many factors,” she explained. There is work to standardize adult protective services, but the Trump administration has proposed funding cuts that could complicate that.
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Kansas Attorney General Suing Transgender Advocacy Group over Alleged Misuse of Donations
UNDATED (KNS) – Kansas Attorney General Kris Kobach is suing a transgender advocacy group that he says improperly used donation money. The Kansas News Service reports that the lawsuit accuses Justin Brace, executive director of Trans Heartland, of using donations for personal benefit. That includes over $11,000 worth of charitable contributions that the legal filing says ended up in Brace’s personal bank accounts. An affidavit says some of that money was used to pay traffic fines. Kobach is asking a Johnson County District Court judge to bar the organization from collecting any more donations and to order them to pay damages.
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Group of Professors Seeks Protection for International Students Facing Deportation Threats
UNDATED (KNS) – A group of Kansas college professors is calling for universities to protect international students facing potential deportation. The Kansas News Service reports that a chapter of the American Association of University Professors at Wichita State University says school officials should say how many WSU students have been deported or had their visas revoked. The resolution also calls on WSU President Rick Muma to pledge that the university will help international students complete their degrees and challenge any rejection of their visa status. The Kansas Board of Regents does not keep records on how many college students are deported. Universities can check a database managed by the Department of Homeland Security, but they typically don’t get notified when a student is deported or loses their visa.
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Residents Told to Move Out of Condemned Apartments in Gardner Immediately
GARDNER, Kan. (KMBC/KCTV) - Residents of an apartment complex in Gardner have been told they need to pack up and move - immediately. Dozens of families spent Tuesday moving out of the Aspen Place apartment complex. City officials have condemned the property, calling it “unfit for habitation.” KMBC TV reports that officials in Gardner told residents they had to vacate their homes within 48 hours of receiving notice. KCTV reports that the water system and lack of access for emergency responders are the biggest concerns because they pose risks to public safety. Starting Thursday, residents can only access apartments during daylight hours and no one will be allowed to remain in an apartment after dark starting Thursday.
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PVC Pipe-Maker Says It Will Expand Operations in Southeast Kansas
CANEY, Kan. (Montgomery County Chronicle) - A California-based manufacturing company says it will invest $22 million into expanding its operations in southeast Kansas. The Montgomery County Chronicle reports that Spears Manufacturing plans to add more than 180 jobs to its payroll in Caney, a town of less than 2,000 people. The company makes PVC pipe fittings and will soon start making long-span PVC pipe in Caney.
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Organizations File Lawsuit Challenging New Kansas Voting Law
TOPEKA, Kan. (Kansas Reflector) – Three advocacy organizations have filed a lawsuit in Douglas County District Court challenging the Kansas Legislature’s move to reject advance ballots if they have not been delivered to election officials by Election Day. The Kansas Reflector reports that Kansas Appleseed, Loud Light and Disability Rights Center of Kansas are asking the court to find the new law unconstitutional. Secretary of State Scott Schwab and Douglas County Clerk Jamie Shew are named as defendants in the case.
The new law disqualifies any mail-in ballots not received by 7 pm on Election Day. Previously, mail-in ballots were counted if they were postmarked by Election Day and arrived within a three-day grace period. Governor Laura Kelly vetoed the bill, but her veto was overturned. The plaintiffs say the law disregards the possibility of postal delivery delays, arguing that the measure would disproportionately harm rural, elderly, and disabled voters.
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Kansas City Mayor Asks State for Help Covering Millions in Police Settlements
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (KCTV) - Kansas City Mayor Quinton Lucas is asking the state of Missouri for financial help paying lawsuit settlements involving the city's police department. The city just settled a lawsuit with Ricky Kidd for $14 million. Kidd served more than 20 years in prison for a double homicide he did not commit. Lucas said that settlement was the highest in Kansas City Police Department history. KCTV reports that the settlement happened less than two weeks after a $4.1 million settlement between Kansas City police and the family of Cameron Lamb. A former KC detective (Eric DeValkenaere) shot and killed Lamb in his garage. Mayor Lucas says other lawsuits involving Kansas City Police are pending.
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Trump Administration Seeks Dismissal of Mifepristone Lawsuit
UNDATED (KNS) – The Trump administration has asked a judge to dismiss a lawsuit filed by Republican attorneys general from Kansas, Missouri and Idaho targeting the abortion pill mifepristone. The Kansas News Service reports that it’s unclear what the administration’s intentions are. Kansas and the other states are requesting that the Food and Drug Administration reinstate much more stringent restrictions on mifepristone, including a ban on tele-health prescriptions. Trump’s Justice Department lawyers now say the lawsuit is flawed and the states lack standing, just as the Biden administration did previously. The move is unexpected, but David Cohen at Drexel University School of Law says Trump could still try to restrict access to medication abortion in the future. “Maybe this is a fight they’re waiting to fight in three months. I really do think we should take care not to read too much into this,” Cohen cautioned.
Missouri Attorney General Andrew Bailey said on social media that he will continue to demand the FDA reinstate the old restrictions. Kansas Attorney General Kris Kobach did not respond to a request for comment.
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Wichita's Trust Women Clinic Appoints New President, Board Members
WICHITA, Kan. (KNS) – Trust Women, the Wichita clinic that provides abortions, has appointed a new president and three new board members. The Kansas News Service reports that the new president, Kathryn Boyd, previously led Planned Parenthood in Utah. Three doctors are joining the board. It’s the clinic’s latest leadership change following significant turmoil that temporarily shuttered it last summer. The clinic canceled appointments and closed for two months after its board fired its prior executive directors and many staff resigned in protest. Trust Women is historically the largest abortion provider in Kansas.
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