Category: News
Overland Park seems set to defy feds over DEI, ICE requirements in grant
The City of Overland Park, Kansas, seems set to defy the federal government over immigration and DEI policies after receiving…
Former Leavenworth Elementary teacher pleads no contest to charges of taking indecent liberties with a child
Jerome Riscovallez, 55, a former Henry Leavenworth Elementary School teacher, avoided trial later this month by entering two pleas of…
Overland Park City Council rubber stamps city staff’s 2026 budget, 6% property tax increase on residents
The Overland Park City Council overwhelmingly approved a nearly $500 million staff-proposed budget for next year. The vote was 12-1,…
Kobach sues to force Kelly, DCF, to turn over SNAP data
Kansas Attorney General Kris Kobach is suing Kansas Governor Laura Kelly and Department of Children and Families Secretary Laura Howard…
Prairie Village resident pens objection to Mayor Eric Mikkelson criticizing opponents in city newsletter
Prairie Village Mayor Eric Mikkelson deviated from an upbeat newsletter message to constituents to deliver a scathing rebuke to opponents…
‘Grain Belt Express’ moves forward despite federal loan cancellation
The cancellation of a $4.9 billion federal loan for the so-called “Grain Belt Express” does not appear to have halted…
More than half the states will limit or ban cellphone use in schools by 2027; Kansas isn’t one of them
Education Week reports 31 states have policies that either limit or outright ban cellphone use in schools that are in…
Kansas could lose $10.4 million in SNAP funding per quarter if it fails to turn over enrollment data to feds
The federal government has formally warned the State of Kansas that continuing to refuse to comply with data requests will result…
State overpaid Medicaid reimbursements to school districts by $11 million since 2016
Explaining it away as a “perfect storm” of “staff turnovers,” Kansas Department of Health and Environment Secretary Janet Stanek on…
“We are cutting back, why aren’t you?” Johnson County Commission ignores taxpayer concerns, approves 6% tax hike for 2026
Despite a raucous audience alternating between boos and cheers, and so large the venue had to be moved to another…
Texas takeover of failing Houston school district results in student achievement gains after just two years
In 2023, the Houston Independent School District (HISD) saw over 40% of its districts receive a grade of “D” or…
Electric deregulation like at least 18 states have done, would reduce residential and commercial rates
Eighteen states, mostly in the Northeast, have deregulated their electric grid to some degree — meaning consumers can choose where…
Executive order prohibiting debanking signed by President Trump
Earlier this month, President Donald Trump signed an executive order titled “Guaranteeing Fair Banking for all Americans,” which aims to eliminate so-called…
Leavenworth County Commissioners will raise property tax 5%, blaming it on state, federal government
The Leavenworth County Board of Commissioners voted 4-1 to raise property tax by 5%, or about $2 million, for the…
Seven members of Kansas Board of Education vote to reduce proficiency standards
Last year, 22% of 8th-graders were proficient in English Language Arts (reading) on the Kansas state assessment. This year, 46%…
Attorney General Kobach says Kelly has no authority to join lawsuit against President Trump
Kansas Attorney General Kris Kobach has moved to block Kansas Governor Laura Kelly from joining a lawsuit against the Trump…
War of words between Leavenworth County commissioners Culbertson and Reid over property tax increase
Even approving the date of a county budget hearing was ensnared in the contentious issues of property tax increases and…
Johnson County, Overland Park plan big tax increases while sitting on millions in reserves
Despite hundreds of millions of dollars in reserve, Johnson County Commissioners are planning to raise property taxes by 6.5% next…
Lawrence School District issues transgender policy, testing state law that banned males from female sports
In a challenge to Kansas state law, Lawrence USD 497 has issued a policy for the new school year on…
Citizen group makes recommendations to City of Wichita on spending
A recent review of the City of Wichita’s budget by the Wichita Organization for Government Efficiency Exchange (The Exchange) found…
Search for answers in 25-year-old cold case in woman’s disappearance stymied by Kansas law
Roughly 25 years ago, Jennifer Lancaster and her two young daughters left her mother’s house in Topeka, Kansas. They were…
Speaker Hawkins accuses Kelly administration of covering up fraud in SNAP program
Kansas Speaker of the House Dan Hawkins issued a press release accusing the Laura Kelly Administration of a cover-up of…
WYCO commissioners Davis and Lopez, on both sides of proposed 17% property tax increase, advance to November runoffs
Wyandotte County Unified Government commissioners, who took opposing votes on the recent contentious debate on exceeding Revenue Neutral and imposing…
Defense attorney faults Anderson County legal system for lack of prosecution of alleged killer of Wyandotte County Sheriff Deputy
Before Shawn Harris allegedly fired the shot that killed Wyandotte County Sheriff’s Deputy Elijah Ming on July 26th, his criminal…