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
Trump visits Kansas again for final pitch in Senate race that could decide control of the chamber
Polls show Sen. Roger Marshall in a close race with Democratic pastor Adam Hamilton. Trump visited Kansas for a second time hoping to boost Marshall’s chances in the race, which could be critical in deciding control of the U.S. Senate.
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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.
Maya Smith/Lawrence Times
‘Hold the line’: Michael Fanone shares his Jan. 6 experience, champions accountability
Former D.C. Metro police officer Michael Fanone described his “medieval battle scene” experience at the Jan. 6 insurrection and what ensued afterward that led him to become an advocate for accountability and democracy during an event Sunday in Lawrence.
ICE agents arrest people in Lawrence and on KU campus, advocates say
ICE agents returned to Lawrence Friday morning and detained people on KU’s campus and elsewhere, according to local immigration advocates.
Kansas Court of Appeals rules CoreCivic can’t house ICE detainees without Leavenworth permit
CoreCivic can’t house immigration detainees before reaching an agreement with the city of Leavenworth on reopening its private prison, the Kansas Court of Appeals ruled Friday when it upheld a lower court’s decision.
Adam Schultz
Former police officer injured during Capitol riot to speak in Lawrence, hold rally
Michael Fanone, a former Washington, D.C. police officer who was injured in the Jan. 6 riots at the Capitol, will soon give a talk in Lawrence before holding a rally in South Park.
Opponents of proposed ICE detention center in Leavenworth make final push as vote nears
Tensions ran high in Leavenworth Tuesday evening. Protesters gathered outside city hall as city leaders considered a private prison company’s application to house immigration detainees in the historic prison town.
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