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…
Author: AP News
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…