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Kansas governor doubtful GOP legislators can pull off congressional redistricting
Gov. Laura Kelly predicted Tuesday the 2026 Legislature wouldn’t muster enough political support to implement a new congressional district map splitting Johnson County and making it easier to defeat U.S. Rep. Sharice Davids in the midterm election.
Kansas governor doubtful GOP legislators can pull off congressional redistricting
Gov. Laura Kelly predicted Tuesday the 2026 Legislature wouldn’t muster enough political support to implement a new congressional district map splitting Johnson County and making it easier to defeat U.S. Rep. Sharice Davids in the midterm election.
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Civil rights • Voter rights • Anti-trans legislation • Abortion • Immigration • Municipalities’ local control • Kansas State Board of Education
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KU health experts praise COVID-19 symptom-reducing antibody treatment, study efforts
After she contracted COVID-19, Amber Stiles says, a monoclonal antibody treatment study she participated in helped minimize the draining effects of the virus.
Kansas school board candidate compares mask mandate to Nazi persecution of Jews
Shawnee Heights school board candidate Christina Flaming compared COVID-19 mask mandates to Nazi persecution of Jews, referred in a campaign fundraising appeal to “so-called vaccinations” for coronavirus and accused physicians and news media of being complicit in an effort to stoke public fear with bad science.
Kansas health officials: Schools see COVID-19 case rates decline, but youth vaccination rates lag
The Kansas Department of Health and Environment reported fewer new school-related COVID outbreaks this week — the first decline after several consecutive weeks. However, schools and students continue to lag in other key metrics.
Carlos Moreno / KCUR 89.3
Kansas lawmakers want to challenge a COVID-19 vaccine policy that doesn’t exist yet
Republicans in Kansas are intent on pushing back against a forthcoming federal vaccine policy for private employers. The only problem? It isn’t written yet. But the politics of a nonexistent policy are benefiting both sides.
For-profit Kansas prison an understaffed ‘hell hole’ of violence, death and drugs
The Leavenworth Detention Center, a pretrial lockup run by the nation’s largest private prison operator, CoreCivic, has been the site of two suicides and at least 10 severe beatings and stabbings this year, according to attorneys representing inmates there. Guards have quit rather than face the dangers.
Brian Grimmett / Kansas News Service
20 things to know about 20 years of Kansas wind farming
From the total power Kansas wind generates to the county with the most turbines, here’s 20 interesting facts about Kansas wind.
Kansas hospitals see off-season surge of RSV cases, sickening children and straining system
The highly contagious RSV is usually a winter virus, which means Kansas doctors typically see fewer cases over the summer. This year, however, data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention shows state cases of RSV in Kansas took off in August.
Audit: Inadequate IT security at Kansas schools leaves vital information exposed
A legislative audit revealing many school districts are not practicing basic security measures for information technology systems raised eyebrows Tuesday from a panel of legislators.
Kansans create special chamber of commerce to advance business of medical cannabis
Advocates of legalizing marijuana sales formed the Kansas Cannabis Chamber of Commerce to move the political, business and health debate forward in a state bordered by dispensaries in Colorado, Oklahoma and Missouri and a renewed push to open markets in Nebraska.
Kylie Cameron / KMUW
State, local officials continue to investigate death of Wichita teen at juvenile facility
The Sedgwick County Sheriff’s Office and Kansas Bureau of Investigations continue to investigate the death of a teen who died while in custody earlier this week.
Noah Taborda/Kansas Reflector
Kansas strikes deal to bring state into compliance with federal voter registration law
The administration of Gov. Laura Kelly reached agreement with a coalition of civil rights organizations to provide additional voter registration information to people on public assistance and bring the state into compliance with the National Voter Registration Act.
Shawnee chief seeks inquiry to determine if children are buried at Kansas boarding school
Shawnee Tribe Chief Ben Barnes marked adoption of Orange Shirt Day by memorializing the estimated 40,000 Indigenous children buried in unmarked graves at residential boarding schools across the United States.
Study: More than 60% of Kansas kids, 80% of Missouri kids have lead in their blood
Children in Kansas had elevated levels of lead in their blood at a greater rate than almost any other state, according to a massive national study published this week.
As COVID-19 clusters in Kansas schools increase, safety panel ramps up mitigation efforts
The Kansas Department of Health and Environment is reporting a new death related to an active school COVID-19 cluster. This comes just one week after the death of a Kansas middle school student was announced.
New coalition working to stifle institutional racism in Kansas foster care system
The influence of institutional racism in the Kansas child welfare system can be depicted with statistics showing Black children were disproportionately investigated and removed from the home as well as reports demonstrating more rapid reunification of white children with their families.
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