“It tears at your heartstrings to see the unprecedented amount of destruction Kansans have suffered,” said Pat Roberts, R-Kansas, during a tour of Clark County’s wildfire damage.
Category: Kansas
The Latest: Oklahoma woman dies trying to fight wildfire
Grass fires fanned by gusting winds scorched swaths of Kansas grassland Monday, forcing the evacuations of several towns and the closur… . Southern Baptist Disaster Relief Chaplain Jeff Thompson passes bags of chips to, from left to right, Suzanne Morgan, Carol Shaylor and Linda Nimmo Monday, March 6, 2017, inside an evacuation center at the Kansa… .
The Latest: Kansas governor warns dry weather will remain
Grass fires fanned by gusting winds scorched swaths of Kansas grassland Monday, forcing the evacuations of several towns and the closur… . Southern Baptist Disaster Relief Chaplain Jeff Thompson passes bags of chips to, from left to right, Suzanne Morgan, Carol Shaylor and Linda Nimmo Monday, March 6, 2017, inside an evacuation center at the Kansa… .
The Latest: Kansas AG urges focus on struggling students
In this Sept. 21, 2016 file photo, school district attorney Alan Rupe, left, presents his arguments in a school funding case at the Kansas Supreme Court in Topeka, Kan.
Kansas congressional delegation finds much to like in Trump address
President Donald Trump, flanked by Vice President Mike Pence and House Speaker Paul Ryan of Wis., arrives on Capitol Hill in Washington, Tuesday, Feb. 28, 2017, for his address to a joint session of Congress. Kansans in Congress each found something in President Donald Trump’s first address to support Tuesday night on a hodgepodge of topics ranging from health care and taxes to veterans administration and trade.
Kansas shooting: Hundreds gather for peace, to celebrate victim’s life
Hundreds of people in Kansas City joined a peace march and prayer vigil, celebrating the life of Indian engineer Srinivas Kuchibhotla cut short in a senseless triple shooting incident at a pub in an apparent hate crime. Marchers held pictures, banners and shouted, “We want peace”; “We love peace”; “Let us not leave our children”; “Unity is part of community, together we stand, divided we fall”.
American who intervened in shooting that killed Indian says was happy to risk life
Laura Grillot and her sister Maggie talk about their brother Ian Grillot, who was shot trying to stop a gunman who killed Indian engineer Srinivas Kuchibhotla at a local bar, during a vigil at a conference center in Olathe, Kansas, U.S., February 26, 2017. Hira Nair leads a chant during a march before a vigil for Srinivas Kuchibhotla, an Indian engineer who was shot and killed, at a conference center in Olathe, Kansas, U.S., February 26, 2017.
Democrats elect Perez national chairman
29, 2014 file photo, then-Labor Secretary Tom Perez speaks in the South Court Auditorium in the White House compound in Washington. National Democrats will elect a new chair whose task is to st… .
Kansas Legislature’s lurch to center cuts governor’s clout
In this Feb. 22, 2017 file photo, Gov. Sam Brownback takes questions from the media after signing the veto of the tax bill sent to him from the legislature in Topeka, Kan. Debates in the Kansas Legislature over taxes, expanding the state’s Medicaid program and restoring guaranteed tenure for public school teachers illustrate how much clout Brownback and his allies have lost.
GPS device-maker Garmin reeling after Kansas worker killed
GPS device-maker Garmin long has revered diversity in its workforce, even when the locale of its ever-sprawling operational headquarters – a largely white Kansas City suburb – didn’t reflect it. It’s the place 32-year-old Srinivas Kuchibhotla came to work a few years ago.
Kan. Senate needs help to remember its true purpose
With the swing of her gavel, Senate President Susan Wagle, R-Wichita, launched the Kansas Senate into the 2015 legislative session on Monday.
Kansas man accused in bomb plot feared social collapse
This Oct. 14, 2016 file booking photo provided by the Sedgwick County Sheriff’s Office in Wichita, Kan., shows Patrick Stein, the alleged leader of a militia group accused of plotting to bomb a apartment complex in western Kansas where Somali refugees lived. At a detention hearing Friday, Feb. 24, 2017, Klein’s attorney said his client believed then President Barack Obama would declare martial law and not recognize the validity of the election if Donald Trump won – forcing militias to step in.
GPS device maker Garmin reeling after Kansas worker killed
GPS device-maker Garmin long has revered diversity in its workforce, even when the locale of its ever-sprawling operational headquarters — a largely white Kansas City suburb — didn’t reflect it. It’s the place 32-year-old Srinivas Kuchibhotla came to work a few years ago.
Gov. Brownback wants to build an airport in Johnson County
With plans to revamp Kansas City International Airport stalled, Gov. Sam Brownback and others in Kansas government are exploring the possibility of building an airport in Johnson County to rival KCI, The Star has learned. “Airlines are requesting construction of a new single terminal airport at , and the state of Kansas is continually looking for new economic development opportunities,” the governor said in an e-mail.
Editorial: Kansas should expand Medicaid
Kansas is one of only 19 states that haven’t expanded Medicaid under the Affordable Care Act, and it’s long past time for the Legislature to extend health coverage to 150,000 low-income Kansans by passing House Bill 2064. After three days of testimony from advocates and opponents of expansion in front of the House Health and Human Services Committee, one thing is clear: There are far too many uninsured Kansans who have to live with the grim knowledge that any serious health issue could ruin them.
Sanders to speak at Kansas Democratic Party event in Topeka
Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders, whose grassroots 2016 run for the presidency energized millions of liberal and millennial voters, is scheduled to speak at the Kansas Democratic Party’s Washington Days convention in Topeka in late February, according to sources within the party. An official announcement is expected as early as Monday, according to a high-ranking party official with knowledge of the discussions.
Kansas Civil Air Patrol officer calls for legislator’s death
The Kansas man who recommended Rep. Stephanie Clayton “swing from a tree” for introducing a bill to prohibit carrying concealed handguns on college and university campuses serves as a lieutenant colonel in the state’s Civil Air Patrol.
Kansas State president warns students about travel restrictions, calls Trump order ‘detrimental’
In this Nov. 15, 2016, file photo, Kansas State President Gen. Richard Myers is announced.
Kansas State president warns students about travel restrictions, calls Trump order ‘detrimental’
In this Nov. 15, 2016, file photo, Kansas State President Gen. Richard Myers is announced.
Kansas university president says $15K degree is possible
The interim president at Fort Hays State University has accepted Gov. Sam Brownback’s challenge to make it possible for a higher education student to receive a bachelor’s degree for $15,000 or less. Andy Tompkins says that depending on the field of study, a student can get a degree for that cost if two years are spent at a community college and two years are spent at his university, the Hutchinson News reported .
Fixing Kansas’ budget shortfall with cuts only equates to 6.9 percent reduction
Closing the Kansas government’s nearly $350 million budget shortfall exclusively with spending reductions would trigger a 6.95 percent across-the-board cut in the current fiscal year, officials said Monday. Members of the House Appropriations Committee received the grim spreadsheet documenting implications of a cut-only strategy to operating budgets of state government.
KanCare problems never end
In Gov. Sam Brownback’s State of the State address on Jan. 10, he lauded KanCare as an innovative Medicaid program that’s gaining national traction: “Fortunately for our budget, Kansas had the foresight to reform Medicaid – a policy others are following.
Editorial: A message from Kansans: Stop embarrassing us
If you asked a few politically minded Americans how they would characterize our state, how do you think they would answer? Would they admire the prudent, bipartisan governance that has guided us through the past few years? Or would they say something about Gov. Sam Brownback’s 26 percent approval rating, Secretary of State Kris Kobach’s obsession with voter fraud, the reckless campus carry law that will take effect this year and a fiscal situation that can only be described as a disaster? This is the image of Kansas that has crystallized across the country.
Kansas lawmakers move quickly on new special elections rules
Kansas Secretary of State Kris Kobach, right, confers with Bryan Caskey, left, his elections director, during a state Senate committee hearing on a bill that would rewrite the state’s rules for special congressional elections to give military personnel overseas more time to cast their ballots, in Topeka, Kan. The bill arose from President-elect Donald Trump’s nomination of U.S. Rep. Mike Pompeo, R-Kan., as Central Intelligence Agency director.
President-elect taking time to select ag secretary
It was rural voters, after all, who helped propel the real estate entrepreneur into office.
CIA nominee Pompeo agrees Russia behind election hacks
Donald Trump’s pick to run the CIA on Thursday sided with intelligence officials who have determined the Kremlin was behind election cyberattacks, and he took a tough stand against Russia, distancing himself from the president-elect, who wants to warm relations with Moscow. Rep. Mike Pompeo, a four-term conservative Kansas Republican, spoke at his confirmation hearing before the Senate intelligence committee amid a testy standoff between Trump and the spy community over Russian activities during the presidential election.
Fire captain works to keep families of those who fight for our country safe
Captain Jason Demars is a man of many badges: police, Army, and fire, but the badge he wears now is the one closest to his heart. Demars currently works for the Department of Defense, which reaches worldwide and encompasses every branch of the military.
Big fiscal questions to shape Kansas lawmakers’ work in new session
Big questions about taxes and spending will shape the Kansas Legislature’s work after its annual session opens on Jan. 9. But the biggest question might be how much GOP moderates work with conservatives and how often they seek deals with Democrats on tax and budget legislation to protect funding for education and other programs.
Brownback: Not inclined to support changes to campus concealed weapons law
Governor Brownback said Wednesday he isn’t inclined to support changes to the state’s concealed weapons law for public colleges and universities. Gov. Sam Brownback said Wednesday he isn’t inclined to support changes to the state’s concealed weapons law for public universities, a signal to lawmakers they will have to gather veto-proof majorities to modify the policy.
Kansas farm groups say Trump presidency is a mixed bag
U.S. farmers taking a wait and see attitude on president-Elect Trump’s stands on agriculture. They hope for a less aggressive push on regulations but express over trade and international relastions.
Endorsements, election results reveal policy sentiment of Kansas voters
House Minority Leader Tom Burroughs took the unconventional step during the Kansas Democratic Party convention in Topeka of publicly identifying 15 Republican House members considered most vulnerable to defeat in the 2016 election cycle. The veteran lawmaker representing the Democratic stronghold in Kansas City, Kan., said during the April gathering limited resources would require emphasis on nine conservative GOP incumbents with ties to Gov. Sam Brownback or serving districts in which Democratic gubernatorial candidate Paul Davis did well in 2014.
Don’t shoot the messenger
It is difficult to divine whether Gov. Sam Brownback enjoys living in a state of denial – or if he actually believes repeating misleading statements often enough will convince Kansans they are true.