State news
Latest
Kansas Legislature overturns veto to pass free speech bill honoring Charlie Kirk
House and Senate Republicans overrode Gov. Laura Kelly’s veto Thursday to preserve a bill they say will protect free speech in the name of Charlie Kirk, despite objections.
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
Incumbents win reelection in Kansas congressional races; Schmidt clenches open seat
U.S. Rep. Sharice Davids, a Democrat, and Republican Reps. Tracey Mann and Ron Estes will all serve another term. Former Kansas AG Derek Schmidt won the state’s only open seat in the 2nd District.
Schmidt handily defeats Boyda in race for Kansas’ 2nd District in Congress
Longtime Kansas Republican politician Derek Schmidt on Tuesday won the race for the 2nd U.S. Congressional District in Kansas.
Kansas State Board of Education election results favor conservative power
Far-right Republicans were poised to win two of five seats up for election on the Kansas State Board of Education, shifting the board’s power to a conservative bloc.
Election night results show Republicans preserving supermajorities in Kansas House, Senate
Kansas Republicans appear to have preserved the two-thirds edge in the House and Senate despite a costly effort by Democratic Gov. Laura Kelly to diminish the supermajority and make it easier to veto legislation.
Kansas voting update: More than a half-million ballots cast, election chief predicts record turnout
Before early voting poll locations closed at noon Monday in Kansas, the state’s top election official already predicted record-breaking voter turnout.
Kansas Republican committees, Democratic governor’s PAC spend big on battleground races
Gov. Laura Kelly’s PAC and the Kansas Republican Senatorial Committee have poured around a half-million dollars each into competitive legislative races across Kansas. The Republican House Campaign Committee spent almost $1 million.
Kansans support marijuana legalization, but lawmakers won’t bite
A wide majority of Kansans support legalizing medical and recreational marijuana, but a group of legislators assigned to weigh medical marijuana legalization declined to push the issue in the 2025 session.
This election, thousands of new U.S. citizens will vote for the first time in Kansas
Kansas isn’t a battleground state nationally, but several key races are on the ballot, including the makeup of the entire state Legislature. Experts say the thousands of Kansans who become new citizens each year could play a decisive role.
Mothers in a Kansas prison are growing closer to their kids by recording books for them
A literacy program has helped mothers and grandmothers in prison improve their reading abilities while also giving them the chance to bond with their loved ones.
Kansas child care providers say subsidies difficult to access, survey finds
Kansas’ child care providers view the state’s child care subsidy program as cumbersome and ineffective, according to a new survey, but they also see ways to fix the underused system.
Challenge to Kansas death penalty argues jury selection discriminates in capital cases
Jury selection procedures in capital murder cases discriminate against Black communities and individuals who oppose the death penalty because of their religious beliefs, lawyers seeking to overturn capital punishment in Kansas argued Tuesday.
Survey finds most Kansans support Medicaid expansion and abortion access
More than 7 in 10 Kansans support expanding Medicaid, according to a new survey, and more than 6 in 10 Kansans say women are better-positioned than politicians to make the decision about whether to get an abortion.
ACLU starts hearings on Kansas death penalty by emphasizing evidence of racial bias
The death penalty creates racially biased juries, results in wrongful convictions and does not deter crime, attorneys seeking to overturn capital punishment in Kansas said in a court hearing Monday.
Psychiatric care in Kansas inaccessible to kids who need it most, study finds
The number of psychiatric treatment beds for kids in Kansas has increased overall in the past five years, but those with specialized needs continue to face hurdles when accessing care, a recent state study found.
Kansas election official urges voters to avoid U.S. Postal Service delivery obstacles
Secretary of State Scott Schwab encourages people to hand-deliver their ballots to dropboxes or mail them by Nov. 1 to avoid a repeat of how the postal service disenfranchised nearly 1,000 Kansas voters in the August primary.
Don’t miss a beat … Click here to sign up for our email newsletters
Click here to learn more about our newsletters first



