Federal fallout
Coverage tracking the Lawrence, Douglas County and statewide impacts of changes and cuts at the federal level.
Contact information for the congressional delegation representing Lawrence and Douglas County is available at this link. The nonprofit 5 Calls, 5calls.org, has phone numbers and templates of scripts to help people make their voices heard on several federal issues.
LATEST
The Kansas dairy industry is growing, and it’s on the shoulders of immigrant workers
Kansas has a fast-growing dairy industry, but milking cows isn’t easy and it’s hard to find workers. Industry groups say immigrants are critical and those workers say they’re needed to feed Kansas families.
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Kansas sticks with ‘scientific evidence’ for vaccine schedule, despite Trump order
Kansas won’t change its vaccine schedule to match an executive order from Trump but instead will continue to “trust in scientific evidence” and follow recommendations from major health organizations, a spokesperson said.
Kansas professor falsely accused of espionage wants university to pay for firing, harm to reputation
An anonymous tip accusing a Chinese-American chemist and researcher of espionage spurred KU into action, notifying the Department of Justice and building a case against its own employee, Feng “Franklin” Tao said in a lawsuit.
CoreCivic sells Leavenworth prison, leaving city with oversight and financial questions
CoreCivic on Wednesday announced the sale of its Leavenworth prison to the federal government, likely negating months of negotiations and a legal battle city officials pursued to ensure the humane treatment of immigrants detained there.
Jacob Rice / Lawrence Times
Los Guapos co-owner tells her story after partner’s deportation
Restaurateur Lourdes E. Perez Rojo’s name has made the rounds on social media lately — not for her food, but because her romantic and business partner was detained by ICE in April. She wants people to meet the woman behind the photos.
Kansas and Missouri are surprised by tornadoes after weather service cuts reduce early warnings
The National Weather Service has lost hundreds of employees since Trump took office, and its severe storm forecasts may be suffering. Two tornado outbreaks this year took forecasters by surprise.
Maya Smith/Lawrence Times
Douglas County clerk highlights big change to advance voting in Kansas
Douglas County Clerk Jamie Shew wants to make sure local voters know about a new state law that invalidates their advance ballots if they don’t arrive by Election Day.
More than 10,000 Kansas children lose food assistance in wake of federal budget bill
Advocates have sounded an alarm about a report indicating 10,300 children in low-income families in Kansas stopped receiving food aid since Trump signed a sweeping federal law nearly a year ago.
Lane Rozin/Lawrence Times
Free lunches and meal kits will be available for Lawrence kids this summer
Lawrence Public Schools will offer free meals and meal kits to all kids in the community this summer, as well as special event days with storytellers and the library’s bookmobile.
Molly Adams / Lawrence Times
A noncitizen says she was told she could vote. Then customs detained her at the airport and threatened to deport her.
Estelle, a 57-year-old Lawrence resident who’s long held permanent resident status in the U.S., was detained for 30 hours after returning from a visit to France. She’d acknowledged under questioning by customs officers that she’d once voted in a local election, despite not being a U.S. citizen.
Nathan Kramer / Lawrence Times
Douglas County staff, some advocates divided on contractor for eviction defense pilot program
Douglas County staff want to award Kansas Legal Services a contract to run a pilot eviction defense program. Some advocates prefer Kansas Holistic Defenders because the group can represent undocumented people.
Governor blocks plan to end in-state tuition for immigrants who graduate from Kansas high schools
Gov. Laura Kelly vetoed a bill that would’ve ended the state’s longstanding policy of offering in-state college tuition rates to Kansas high school graduates, regardless of their citizenship status.
Kansas House, Senate strike deal to end in-state college tuition for qualified immigrant students
The Kansas House and Senate have struck a deal on a bill repealing a law offering in-state tuition rates to students who immigrated to the U.S. and live in Kansas without documentation.
Third No Kings protest planned in Lawrence
Lawrence will join the third surge of nationwide No Kings protests with a demonstration starting in Watson Park focused on visibility.
Dozens oppose Kansas bill inflating enforcement powers of ICE and other federal agents
More than 10 news entities objected Monday to a bill before the Kansas Legislature granting federal law enforcement officers authority in Kansas to impose 25-foot buffer zones in public spaces and secure immunity in lawsuits.
ICE detention center in Kansas can open after Leavenworth granted a private prison company’s permit
The Leavenworth city commission voted to grant a permit allowing private corrections company CoreCivic to hold more than 1,000 federal immigration detainees in a shuttered facility.
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