State news
Latest
Kansas House passes election bills targeting noncitizens, advance voting
Kansas lawmakers could transform elections with a series of bills that squeeze advance voting timelines, stamp out rare instances of noncitizen voting and tinker with some candidate filing and advocacy rules.
Kansas House passes election bills targeting noncitizens, advance voting
Kansas lawmakers could transform elections with a series of bills that squeeze advance voting timelines, stamp out rare instances of noncitizen voting and tinker with some candidate filing and advocacy rules.
Want more state news?
You can read Associated Press coverage of Kansas stories and more online for free here.
KCUR also has paywall-free news from around the state at this link.
We post many, but not all, stories from the Kansas Reflector. Read more of their coverage here.
We also frequently post stories from the Kansas News Service. Read more of their coverage here.
TOP TAGS
Civil rights • Voter rights • Anti-trans legislation • Abortion • Immigration • Municipalities’ local control • Kansas State Board of Education
MORe KANSAS NEWS
Kansas House speaker wants to slash $200M from state budget, target Medicaid for cuts
Kansas House Speaker Dan Hawkins said the 2026 Legislature would strive to slash $200 million from the state government’s budget and seek to reduce expenditures on the Medicaid program delivering health care to low-income adults and children.
Kansas schools have to show fetal growth videos. Critics say it’s another anti-abortion tactic
A new law requires human development videos in classrooms, but leaves it up to local school districts to decide what materials students will see and at what ages.
Police records reveal man who sparked investigation into Lenexa official’s immigration status
A 74-year-old certified public accountant’s misunderstanding and subsequent call to the KBI sparked a police inquiry into a Lenexa City Council member’s citizenship, igniting public scrutiny and leading to records requests from local residents.
Greg Kramos / USFWS
Kansas lesser prairie chicken loses endangered species act protections after Texas court order
The lesser prairie chicken, a dancing grouse that has long teetered between threatened and endangered classifications, lost its federal protections in court in a victory for Great Plains petroleum and cattle industries.
Kobach asks federal court to boot Kansas governor from lawsuit over federal funding cuts
Kansas Attorney General Kris Kobach on Thursday asked a federal court to remove Gov. Laura Kelly from a multi-state lawsuit challenging the Trump administration’s refusal to release grant money to states.
Kansas state education board expands scoring range for student assessments
State assessments have shown increasing numbers of Kansas students scoring lower on math, science and English language arts tests since 2016, while achieving marks of post-secondary success, such as higher education degrees and military careers.
ICE detention center in Leavenworth is hiring despite months of legal limbo
Seemingly undeterred by legal setbacks, private prison company CoreCivic is on a hiring spree to staff a Leavenworth detention center and showing every sign that it intends to fulfill its contract with ICE.
Urban legend says the ‘Tonganoxie Split’ protects Kansas City from tornadoes. Is it real?
A local weather phenomenon holds that the 6,100-person town of Tonganoxie, Kansas, can weaken and divide thunderstorms and tornadoes. Experts are mixed on its existence — and what causes it — but locals say otherwise.
Kansas Bureau of Investigation deleted voicemail that sparked inquiry into Lenexa leader’s citizenship
The Kansas Bureau of Investigation deleted the voicemail that prompted a police inquiry into the citizenship of a Lenexa City Council member, the bureau’s legal department says.
Rivals launch fight over Kansas constitutional amendment to elect Supreme Court justices
Campaigns for and against a proposed amendment to the Kansas Constitution allowing direct election of justices to the Kansas Supreme Court have begun the one-year charge to the August 2026 primary election where the issue will be decided.
Gov. Laura Kelly selects Leawood attorney to fill vacancy on Kansas Supreme Court
Gov. Laura Kelly appointed an attorney in private practice who has argued cases before the state and federal appellate courts to fill a vacancy on the Kansas Supreme Court.
Police investigate a Kansas city council member’s citizenship after a complaint left via voicemail
Lenexa City Councilmember Melanie Arroyo revealed that police had recently investigated her citizenship status and required her to prove her citizenship after a false allegation made in a voicemail.
Housing progress in Kansas may slow with state, federal cuts to programs
The housing industry in Kansas faces a rollback of funding on the state and federal levels, rising building costs, inflation and tariffs, which could affect the progress made to address a dire need for housing in communities across the state.
Kansas governor joins lawsuit against Trump administration for federal funding losses
Kansas Gov. Laura Kelly joined 22 other states and Washington, D.C., in suing the Trump administration for terminating federal funding, which she said has led to cuts to state agriculture, health and safety programs “on a whim.”
Federal Leavenworth prison modifies conditions for migrants after letters reveal squalor
Problems linger in a Kansas federal prison holding immigrant detainees, even after altering some practices that a coalition of lawyers, civil rights groups and advocates revealed were harmful to those inside.
Don’t miss a beat … Click here to sign up for our email newsletters
Click here to learn more about our newsletters first
