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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.
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Civil rights • Voter rights • Anti-trans legislation • Abortion • Immigration • Municipalities’ local control • Kansas State Board of Education
MORe KANSAS NEWS
Andrea LaRayne Etzel via Office of the Governor
Sandhill plum officially named Kansas state fruit
The Sandhill plum is the official state fruit of Kansas after Gov. Laura Kelly signed a bill Tuesday.
Litigants file appeal of Kansas judge’s dismissal of lawsuit challenging election restrictions
A judge dismissed a lawsuit challenging the constitutionality of 2021 election mandates passed by the Kansas Legislature. Voter rights groups have filed an appeal.
Kelly pulls plug on electric delivery devices Amazon sought to operate on Kansas sidewalks
Gov. Laura Kelly threw up a roadblock to Amazon’s request to operate delivery robots in Kansas. She also vetoed a bill forbidding city and county bans on single-use plastic.
Conflicting sides make final case in Kansas congressional redistricting trial, await judge decision
An attorney representing Kansas voters who feel their votes will be drowned out by new congressional districts urged a judge to block the map on grounds the GOP-dominated Legislature tore apart communities of interest for political benefit.
Kelly signs bill spiking Wyandotte County’s adoption of ‘sanctuary’ city policy
Gov. Laura Kelly signed legislation Monday crafted by Republicans rebuking Wyandotte County for passing an ordinance allowing issuance of ID cards to undocumented residents and affirming the practice of local law enforcement agencies to not participate in federal immigration raids.
Kansas governor signs bill modifying free vision screening of school children
Gov. Laura Kelly signed a bill altering standards for free vision screenings at public schools or accredited private schools and establishing a commission to help families secure additional services for a child failing the initial screening.
Kansas public health officials get lesson in behavioral science and why pandemic messages failed
KU wanted to incentivize students to take a COVID-19 test upon returning to campus for the 2020 fall semester. Research showed students were far more interested in a $100 gamble than a $5 guarantee.
Kansas governor signs bill to expedite analysis of sexual assault kits
A new Kansas law will require the review of all sexual assault kits in a timely fashion, ensuring no tests languish on the shelf as they have previously.
Carlos Moreno / KCUR
KU professor charged under Trump-era initiative convicted of wire fraud
A federal jury has convicted KU chemistry professor Feng “Franklin” Tao of four counts of wire fraud. He’s the first defendant among about two dozen academics charged under a since-disbanded Trump-era program known as the China Initiative.
Attorneys debate potential for Kansas election law to chill voter registration efforts
Voting rights attorneys battled Thursday in the Kansas Court of Appeals over the merits of a 2021 law that threatens felony prosecution for any activity that could be mistaken as the work of an election official.
Two House members say Rep. Waggoner offered ‘we work harder’ defense of gender pay gap
A Hutchinson state representative purportedly declared aloud during a recognition of Women’s History Month that women earned less in the workplace because men worked with more intensity at their jobs, two female legislators said.
Kansas direct care workers, supervisors to receive $51 million bonus pay
Gov. Laura Kelly announced Wednesday an infusion of $51 million for approximately 24,000 Medicaid home and community-based service workers across the state.
Carlos Moreno / KCUR
Case of KU professor accused of concealing China ties goes to the jury
A lawyer for Feng “Franklin” Tao, a KU chemistry professor, said the government’s case was “based on air.”
‘Nerves and adrenaline’ as Kansas congressional redistricting trial begins
Opening arguments began Monday in a trial over a redistricting map that places Lawrence into the 1st District along with rural counties that border Colorado, about 385 miles west of town.
Carlos Moreno / KCUR
Defense will put on its case in closely watched trial of KU professor accused of wire fraud
An FBI agent instrumental in the arrest of University of Kansas professor Feng “Franklin” Tao will be called as a defense witness next week as Tao’s lawyers seek to discredit the government’s handling of the case.
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