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Legislators override veto to create 25-foot ‘safe zone’ around police, emergency personnel
Republican legislators overrode Gov. Laura Kelly’s veto to create a buffer around law enforcement and emergency personnel, making it a misdemeanor to go within 25 feet of a first responder while they are working.
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TOP TAGS
Civil rights • Voter rights • Anti-trans legislation • Abortion • Immigration • Municipalities’ local control • Kansas State Board of Education
MORe KANSAS NEWS
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.
Molly Adams / Lawrence Times
Survey: Kansas voters support legalizing marijuana, oppose current direction of the country
New survey data gives a look at how people in Kansas feel about key issues including marijuana legalization, abortion and gender-affirming care for transgender kids.
Task force: Kansas schools should ban cellphones for all students
An advisory group created by the Kansas State Board of Education is recommending that schools ban cellphones for students at every grade level.
Kansas Bar Association grades judges ahead of retention vote
The seven Kansas Court of Appeals judges up for retention have been scored by attorneys with the Kansas Bar Association for retention recommendations.
Gov. Laura Kelly predicts Democrats will break Republican supermajorities in Kansas Legislature
Gov. Laura Kelly expressed optimism a group of quality Democratic candidates and influence of her $2 million PAC would break the partisan supermajorities held by Republicans in both the House and Senate.
ACLU challenges Kansas death penalty as ‘arbitrary, racially discriminatory, unreliable’
A coalition led by the American Civil Liberties Union has asked a state court to abolish the death penalty in Kansas, arguing it violates constitutional rights, is racially biased and fails to deter crime.
Kansas child death report highlights fentanyl death ‘surge,’ child welfare woes
The number of Kansas children who died from fentanyl overdoses reached a three-year high in 2022, according to an annual report on child deaths statewide, which highlighted the need for preventative services and improvements to Kansas’ child welfare system.
Kansas voters signal measured support of abortion rights ahead of fall election in new survey
A plurality of Kansas voters say it’s a good thing that the state is a regional abortion access point, according to a survey by the Midwest Newsroom and Emerson College Polling Center.
Former police chief, who raided Kansas newspaper, returns to face criminal charges
Former Marion Police Chief Gideon Cody returned Monday to the town where he raided a newspaper to face a dozen journalists along with a felony charge for his actions after the raid.
The lesser prairie chicken is disappearing in Kansas. Can conservation credits save it?
Conservationists and cattle ranchers are working together to restore grassland for the lesser prairie chicken. The bird used to roam Kansas but has lost most of its habitat to crop production.
Kansas governor keen to ‘revamp’ cash assistance program in 2025
Kansas Gov. Laura Kelly wants the Legislature to revisit the 2015 policy that placed restrictions on access to the state’s cash assistance program and made Kansas’ program one of the trickiest to access in the country.
A home costs more than ever in Kansas. The 2008 housing crisis is part of the reason
Demand for homes in Kansas is high, but construction of new homes has been slow for more than a decade, making it even more difficult for buyers to purchase an affordable or middle-market home. That likely won’t be changing any time soon.
Emporia State University continues enrollment slide while KU, other Kansas universities post gains
Emporia State University continues to lose students while the rest of the higher education system in Kansas reports enrollment increases in data released Wednesday by the Kansas Board of Regents.
November election could shift Kansas State Board of Education to the right
The race for five seats on the Kansas State Board of Education could dramatically shift the board’s political makeup, which could reshape academic standards or the way schools approach social-emotional learning.
Enduring legacies: Kansas Gov. Laura Kelly honors Gold Star families
A First Infantry Division brass band played while people laid gold roses before a memorial wreath on the south lawn of the Kansas Statehouse on Thursday to honor family members who died while serving their country.
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