Democrats eschew loans, but that can change before August primary By Tim Carpenter TOPEKA — Four candidates for Kansas governor loaned their campaigns at least $1 million to bolster the bottom line on year-end finance reports and support claims of political momentum eight months from the August primary election. Former Gov. Jeff Colyer started his campaign with a $50,000 loan in May and followed with three loans in December to push his personal commitment to $1.05 million at the end of the reporting period Dec. 31. He raised an equivalent amount from donors, his report said, and had $1.8 million…
Author: Kansas Reflector
By Grace Hills TOPEKA — A bipartisan Kansas bill that aims to implement a bell-to-bell cellphone ban beginning next school year would override local rules and establish one of the nation’s most restrictive policies. The bill already has garnered a two-thirds supermajority of support from the Kansas Senate, as well as the support of Democratic Gov. Laura Kelly. Supporters of the bill say students would be mentally and physically safer, while opponents argue it’s an overreach of power that asks too much of students and schools. More than 20 people testified on Senate Bill 302 on Thursday before the Senate Education Committee, including Timothy Graham from the Kansas…
By Morgan Wilson TOPEKA — Kansas’ top health agency is sticking with the longstanding childhood immunization schedule instead of implementing new guidelines released Jan. 5 by the U.S. Centers for Disease Prevention and Control, a state spokeswoman said. Although the Kansas Department of Health and Environment is evaluating the new vaccination schedule, KDHE does not currently anticipate changes to Kansas’ clinical guidance for childhood immunization schedules, spokeswoman Jill Bronaugh said in an email to the Kansas Reflector. “KDHE is committed to the well-being of Kansans, and we continue to emphasize the importance of clear communication, transparency and trust in scientific…
By Morgan Chilson TOPEKA — Kansas is suffering from the worst outbreak of highly pathogenic avian influenza in the country, with nearly 414,000 birds affected, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture. HPAI, an umbrella term for avian influenza that includes highly contagious strains such as H5 and H7, is considered a low public health risk, although it can pass to humans through birds and dairy products from infected cattle, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. “H5 bird flu is widespread in wild birds worldwide and is causing outbreaks in poultry and U.S. dairy cows with…
More than dozen 2026 candidates for governor must file reports by Monday By Tim Capenter Republican gubernatorial candidate Scott Schwab reported $1.3 million in campaign contributions as of Dec. 31, while Republican Vicki Schmidt and Democrat Ethan Corson attracted more than $900,000 in donations to fuel their campaigns for governor. Schwab, Schmidt and Corson released information on their 2025 fundraising ahead of the Monday deadline for submitting financial documents to the Kansas Public Disclosure Commission and Kansas Secretary of State’s office. At this point, the statistics have been based on candidate news releases, but the official documents filed with the…
By Tim Carpenter TOPEKA — Members of the Kansas congressional delegation denounced Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro as a dictator and urged President Donald Trump to explain to Congress use of U.S. airstrikes and deployment of troops to seize Maduro for prosecution in the United States. Several in the state’s federal delegation said it was important for Congress to fulfill its oversight role after Trump unilaterally ordered capture of a foreign leader in conjunction with a U.S. indictment accusing Maduro of drug and weapon trafficking. In the months before the assault Saturday, Trump had ordered sinking of small vessels in waters…
By Morgan Chilson TOPEKA — Moving the Chiefs to Kansas will spur economic development, but the complexity and lack of details about the deal make it difficult to determine what taxpayers will ultimately pay. The announcement that the Chiefs and state of Kansas will spend an estimated $4 billion to build a domed stadium in Wyandotte County surrounded by an entertainment district and a team headquarters and training facility in Johnson County has prompted questions about whether Kansans will lose money on the deal. Economic growth in a large and so-far-undefined area in Wyandotte and Johnson counties will be reserved…
LAWRENCE — A documentary about the police raid of the Marion County Record is set to premiere at the Sundance Film Festival in early 2026, more than two years after law enforcement stormed the newspaper office, the publisher’s home and a city councilwoman’s home. Director and producer Sharon Liese says the film looks beyond the First Amendment implications of the raids and dives deeper into the small town of Marion in a way the public hasn’t seen before. She called it “a canary in a coal mine” type of story. “The story that we eventually told is not what you…
TOPEKA — CoreCivic gave up its fight to avoid following the city of Leavenworth’s development process and applied for a special use permit. In a news release on its website, the city said Monday it received the application but did not say when it was filed. “City Staff and the City’s legal team are currently reviewing the application and anticipate working with CoreCivic’s representatives on the public process,” the news release said. Tentative public hearing dates are set for the planning commission, Feb. 2; first consideration by the Leavenworth City Commission, Feb. 24; and second consideration by the city commission,…
TOPEKA — The county involved in a small-town Kansas newspaper raid in 2023 will pay a cumulative $3 million to three journalists and a city councilor. In two of the four agreements, the Marion County Sheriff’s Office also crafted a statement admitting regret. “The Sheriff’s Office wishes to express its sincere regrets to Eric and Joan Meyer and Ruth and Ronald Herbel for its participation in the drafting and execution of the Marion Police Department’s search warrants on their homes and the Marion County Record. This likely would not have happened if established law had been reviewed and applied prior…