Kansas Republicans have advanced proposals to limit the state’s involvement with individuals and companies from China and other U.S. adversaries. Bills approved Wednesday by the Kansas House would prevent them from owning farmland or business property, limit state investments in their companies and restrict the use of foreign-made drones. The bills target what are called countries of concern. Besides China, the list includes Cuba, Iran, North Korea and Venezuela as well as any U.S.-designated terrorist group. Some GOP conservatives want to go even further, while Democrats suggest the measures are fueled by xenophobia. All three bills go next to the…
Author: AP News
A man who was briefly handcuffed in the chaos that followed a deadly shooting at the Kansas City Chiefs’ Super Bowl rally is suing a Tennessee congressman. The suit claims the congressman falsely accused Denton Loudermill Jr. in social media posts of being one of the shooters. Loudermill filed the federal lawsuit this week against U.S. House Rep. Tim Burchett, of Tennessee. The suit alleges the remarks were “highly offensive, derogatory in the extreme, and defamatory.” Burchett’s spokeswoman says the office doesn’t comment on pending or active litigation. The Feb. 14 shooting outside Union Station killed a well-known DJ and…
Republican legislators have approved a bill that would require Kansas abortion providers to ask their patients why they want to terminate their pregnancies and then report the answers to the state. The Senate passed the bill on a 27-13 vote Tuesday. The House approved it earlier this month. It goes next to Democratic Gov. Laura Kelly. She is a strong abortion rights supporter and is expected to veto the bill. However, supporters appear to have exactly the two-thirds majorities they would need to override a veto. Lawmakers are pursuing the measure even though Kansas affirmed abortion rights in a statewide…
Federal officials say milk from dairy cows in Texas and Kansas has tested positive for bird flu. The virus has also been detected in New Mexico. Officials with the Texas Animal Health Commission confirmed the flu virus is the Type A H5N1 strain, known for decades to cause outbreaks in birds and occasionally infect people. The virus is affecting older dairy cows in the three states, causing decreased lactation and low appetite. The U.S. Department of Agriculture says the milk supply remains safe. Experts say livestock appear to recover on their own within seven to 10 days.
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Three men from Kansas City, Missouri, face firearms charges, including gun trafficking, after an investigation into the mass shooting during the Kansas City Chiefs’ Super Bowl parade and rally, federal prosecutors said Wednesday. The U.S. Attorney’s Office in Kansas City said that 22-year-old Fedo Antonia Manning, was charged in a 12-count complaint. Ronnel Dewayne Williams Jr., 21, and Chaelyn Hendrick Groves, 19, were charged in four-count complaints. The charges were filed Monday and unsealed Wednesday, after the men were arrested, a news release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office said. Court documents that were part of the…
BY DAVE SKRETTA – Updated 11:04 PM CDT, March 9, 2024 KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — The Super Bowl champion Kansas City Chiefs and star Chris Jones have agreed to the framework of a five-year contract that includes $95 million guaranteed and keeps the All-Pro defensive tackle off the upcoming free-agent market, a person familiar with the deal told The Associated Press late Saturday. The person spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity because the contract details were still being finalized. But the money that is guaranteed is expected to come over the first three years with another two years…
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — The Kansas City Royals intend to build their new downtown ballpark blocks away from T-Mobile Center and the Power & Light District. They announced their plan on Tuesday, scrapping two concepts elsewhere in the city for a location that puts the stadium closer to existing entertainment areas. The project hinges in part on voters in Jackson County, Missouri, approving the extension of a sales tax measure on the April 2 ballot to help pay for it. Royals owner John Sherman said more than $1 billion of the roughly $2 billion project will come from private…
Democratic Gov. Laura Kelly renewed her call Wednesday to expand Medicaid and countered an anticipated single-rate flat income tax for individuals with a plan that would instead cut taxes by doing things like accelerating the phasing out of the state’s sales tax on groceries. Kelly said in her annual State of the State address that her slate of proposals, which also includes an ongoing focus on addressing falling water levels in a vast aquifer used to irrigate crops, are key to helping rural parts of the state. So far Medicaid expansion has been a non-starter in the Republican-controlled Legislature. But…
Prosecutors in Kansas are asking a judge to drop three felony charges related to accusations that Jackson Mahomes — the younger brother of Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes — grabbed a woman by the neck and kissed her against her will. Johnson County Assistant District Attorney Megan Ahsens on Tuesday filed a motion to dismiss three counts of aggravated sexual battery. A fourth charge — misdemeanor battery — would remain. The court filing cited a lack of cooperation from the alleged victim. Jackson Mahomes’ attorney, Brandan Davies, said in a statement that his client “has done nothing wrong. We had full…
By John Hanna TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — A Kansas law that makes it a felony to impersonate an elections official is vague enough that voting rights advocates can pursue a legal challenge, the state’s highest court ruled Friday, reviving a lawsuit that a lower court dismissed. The Kansas Supreme Court’s decision came in a challenge to a 2021 law that critics say hinders voter registration drives. Four groups argued in the lawsuit that their members could be prosecuted even if they were clear that they were not election officials but others still mistakenly believed they were. Backers of the law…