Kansas Senate Votes to Phase Out Sales Tax on Groceries
TOPEKA, Kan. (KPR) – Kansas is one legislative step away from phasing out the state sales tax on groceries. A bill to take it off the books by 2025 has passed the Kansas Senate and is on its way to the House. Senate Democrats joined Republicans in voting unanimously for the bill to gradually phase out the grocery tax, but only after failing to force a vote on Governor Laura Kelly’s proposal to zero it out by July 1st of this year. The House is expected to follow suit. The phase-out schedule calls for cutting the 6.5% grocery tax to 4% by the first of next year… taking it down to 2% in 2024 and then to zero by 2025. Kelly has crisscrossed the state in recent weeks to drum up support for her proposal. But with immediate elimination of the tax now off the table, she’s expected to sign the compromise.
(Additional reporting…)
Kansas Senators Approve Gradual Food Sales Tax Cut
TOPEKA, Kan. (Topeka Capital-Journal) – Kansas senators passed a Republican plan to gradually reduce the food sales tax starting after Election Day, rejecting Governor Laura Kelly’s plan to completely axe the tax on groceries starting this summer. While Democrats initially opposed the plan and objected to the details, the Topeka Capital-Journal reports that the final vote was unanimous. Kelly has refused to say whether she would sign the bill, which now awaits a vote in the House. “Something is better than nothing,” said Senate Minority Leader Dinah Sykes, D-Lenexa.
The plan approved by the Senate would reduce the state’s current 6.5% sales tax on groceries to 4% on January 1, 2023, then to 2% in 2024 and 0% in 2025. The 6.5% state tax rate is the second-highest in the country.
The vote preceded another vote where Senate Republicans rejected the Democrat plan to cut the food sales tax to 0% starting this summer. The 14-23 vote with two Republicans joining all Democrats came on a procedural move by Senator Tom Holland, D-Baldwin City. “While this is a procedural motion, this is not a stunt,” Holland said. “This is to get some immediate food sales tax relief to people now.” A day earlier, House Republicans rejected a similar procedural move by Rep. Jim Gartner, D-Topeka. Ten Republicans joined Democrats in the attempt to force action on Kelly’s tax plan. Advocates from both political parties blame Republican leadership and election year politics for the failure to advance Kelly’s top policy priority of the session. (Read more.)
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Kansas Lawmakers Reach Deal on Public School Funding
TOPEKA, Kan. (KMUW/KNS) – Kansas lawmakers have reached a tentative deal to put more tax dollars into virtual schools and services designed for kids with dyslexia. The Kansas News Service reports that the compromise education funding bill does not include additional money for special education. Republican members of an education conference committee agreed to fully fund the Kansas Department of Education’s budget, but they scratched out $30 million proposed for special education. They did back spending for remote learning and for dyslexia services. Senator Renee Erickson says she doesn’t want to give schools a blank check. “If school districts are not going to spend the money in a way that benefits students, then it is incumbent upon the Legislature to do so,” she said. The spending bill also includes a provision letting students attend public schools outside the district where they live.
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Kansas May Allow Students to Transfer Outside Local School Districts
TOPEKA, Kan. (KMUW/KNS) – Kansas lawmakers have inched closer to allowing students to enroll in public schools outside their local district. The issue remains on the table during the final days of this year’s session. At the urging of Governor Laura Kelly, an education conference committee agreed to delay the proposed start date of open enrollment to the fall of 2024. The original plan would have required districts to establish capacity limits by January and begin accepting out-of-district students in the fall of 2023. Opponents say the change would burden districts already dealing with teacher shortages. But Republican Senator Molly Baumgardner says schools could increase their state funding by accepting students from outside their boundaries. “If school districts are trying to recoup some money, then they need to welcome students and parents that are wanting to make that move,” she said. The open enrollment measure is part of a larger bill to fully fund public schools.
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Kansas Lawmakers Still Considering Medical Marijuana this Session
TOPEKA, Kan. (KPR) – Kansas lawmakers have restarted medical marijuana talks with little time left in the session. Kansas Public Radio reports that discussions come after weeks of inaction. A small group of lawmakers is meeting to work out differences between a medical cannabis bill passed by the House last year and a version written by a Senate committee this year but never considered by the full Kansas Senate. Both measures would establish tight rules for the cultivation, sale and use of medical marijuana to treat roughly 20 conditions, including AIDS, cancer, seizure disorders and several that cause chronic pain. Doctors would need a state certificate to recommend the drug to patients. Kansas, Nebraska and Idaho are the only states that haven’t legalized medical cannabis.
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Former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo Gets 24-Hour Security Due to Threats from Iran
WICHITA, Kan. (KMUW) – Former Kansas Congressman Mike Pompeo has a 24-hour security detail because of ongoing threats by Iran. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said this week that Pompeo remains under protection by the federal government. Pompeo served as secretary of state himself, under former President Donald Trump. Pompeo coordinated the Trump Administration’s efforts to impose economic sanctions against Iran. Pompeo left Congress in 2017 to become CIA director. A year later, Trump named him secretary of state. The U.S. State Department says it’s paying more than $2 million dollars a month to provide security to Pompeo and a former top aide.
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Kansas Lawmakers Look to Beef Up Child Abuse Investigations
TOPEKA, Kan. (KNS) – Kansas lawmakers are looking to tighten the rules for investigating allegations of child abuse. The Kansas News Service reports that lawmakers are considering plans that might help identify more instances where kids are abused. Legislators could expand access to more thorough child abuse exams, allow specialists to review allegations of abuse and give police more access to confidential information when abuse is reported. Under the current rules, law enforcement lobbyist Ed Klumpp says police might not even get the name of the person who filed a complaint of abuse. “Just imagine if we were told to go respond to a robbery call, and the dispatcher said, ‘I’m sorry, I can’t tell you who called and I can’t tell you who the witnesses are. Just go investigate this, and that is kind of where we were on this,’” he said. Some child abuse reforms have already passed. Governor Laura Kelly signed a bill increasing punishment for some child abuse crimes.
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Kansas Looks to Use Taxes on Sports Bets to Attract Kansas City Chiefs’ Interest
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Kansas legislators are close to approving a measure authorizing sports betting that would dedicate most of the state’s revenues from it to efforts to lure the Kansas City Chiefs from Missouri to the Kansas side of the metropolitan area. The Kansas Senate is expected to vote by Wednesday evening on a sports betting bill. The House approved the measure earlier this month, so the Senate’s approval would send it to Governor Laura Kelly. The measure says 80% of the revenues from a 10% tax on bets would go to incentives for professional sports teams to come to Kansas. It could be about $5 million a year.
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Report Questions Why Kansas Trucking Company Got Pandemic Relief Loan
UNDATED (Midwest Newsroom) – A Congressional report released Wednesday raises questions about how Kansas trucking company Yellow Corporation got a coronavirus relief loan from the federal government. The report says Trump administration officials intervened to make sure Yellow got a $700 million loan from the U.S. Treasury Department. The loan was through a program meant to keep businesses critical to national security afloat during the pandemic. And Yellow handles freight and shipments for the Defense Department. But Defense Department officials questioned whether Yellow actually qualified for the loan, according to the report.
Yellow has struggled financially for years. A U.S. House subcommittee investigating the matter says that Defense Department officials doubted whether Yellow was as important to national security as they made it seem. Despite that, Trump administration officials were said to have intervened to make sure Yellow got the loan. Marc Kasowitz, an attorney representing Yellow and who has represented Trump in the past, called the report’s allegations demonstrably false.
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Kansas Senate Overrides Governor’s Veto of “Parents Bill of Rights”
TOPEKA, Kan. (KNS) – The Kansas Senate has voted to override Governor Laura Kelly’s veto of a Parents’ Bill of Rights, which gave parents more control over what’s taught in public schools. Now, the measure goes to the Kansas House. Democratic Senator Pat Pettey says parents already have access to classroom materials, and that teachers deserve more trust and respect. “I’ve heard today: Parents on one side, teachers on the other. That should be what we don’t want to have happening. We shouldn’t want to have that kind of division,” she said. Republicans supporting the measure say some districts have shut parents out of public school board meetings.
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Kansas Senate Overrides Governor’s Veto of Ban on Transgender Sports
TOPEKA, Kan. (KPR) – Republicans in the Kansas Senate have voted to override Democratic Governor Laura Kelly’s veto of a bill that would ban transgender athletes from competing in girls’ and women’s sports. If the House also votes to override the governor’s veto, the transgender ban will become law. Supporters of the bill argue it’s needed to prevent cisgender girls and women from being overmatched in competition and to protect them in their locker rooms. Democratic Senator Cindy Holscher says those arguments remind her of how people used to defend other discriminatory policies. “These types of statements harken back to the 1950s and 60s when closed-minded individuals labeled Black people as predators as a reason for not sharing restrooms and water fountains. How far back, do we as a state, need to go,” she said. All but one Senate Republican voted to override the governor’s veto.
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Missouri House Approves Limits on Transgender Athletic Participation
JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) — Missouri’s GOP-led House has voted to limit which high school sports teams transgender athletes can compete on. House members on Monday voted 93-41 to require transgender students to compete on teams that match the sex listed on their birth certificates. Missouri’s current public high school sports rules already prohibit transgender girls from competing on girls teams unless they’re undergoing hormone therapy. Two transgender girls have been approved to play on Missouri girls’ teams in the past decade.
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Missouri Faces More Lawsuits over Lack of Redistricting Map
JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) — Missouri is now facing lawsuits in both federal and state court over the Legislature’s inability to pass new U.S. House districts. Republicans control the Missouri House, Senate and governor’s office, but they have been unable to agree on a final plan to redraw the state’s eight congressional districts based on the 2020 census. Missouri is the only state that has not at least passed some proposal, though several others also face uncertainties because of court challenges or vetoes. The Missouri Legislature faces a May 13 deadline to pass bills. Hearings have been set in federal court for May 9 and in state court for May 23.
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St. Marys Child in Medically-Induced Coma After Tree Limb Fell on Her
ST. MARYS, Kan. (KSNT) – A second-grader is in critical condition after part of a tree fell on her in a northeast Kansas town. KSNT TV reports that Quinlynn Jones was playing outside Saturday in St. Marys on Saturday when a falling tree limb hit her. That’s according to a Facebook post from a family member. Jones suffered fractures to both sides of her skull, as well as bleeding on her brain. The family member went on to say that the amount of brain damage the little girl may have suffered from the injury remains unknown. A friend of the family set up a Gofundme page, which the description says will help the family with medical expenses and any time off Jones’ mother needs to stay by her side. At the time of the fundraiser’s creation Monday night, it said that Jones remained in the hospital in critical condition. Jones’ family created a Facebook group called Quinlynn’s Climb, which they said will be a diary following the young girl’s recovery. According to reports, Jones is being kept in a medically-induced coma with heavy sedation to encourage recovery.
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Kansas Man Gets over 21 Years for Stabbing Death
OLATHE, Kan. (AP) — A Kansas man has been sentenced to more than 21 years in prison for the 2018 stabbing death of his girlfriend’s ex-husband. Prosecutors said in a news release Wednesday that Vincenzo Anecio Lucasta was sentenced earlier this month to 258 months in prison for the death of 57-year-old David Paterno, of Shawnee. Lucasta pleaded no contest in January to second-degree intentional murder in the case. Officers found Paterno mortally wounded in his home on August 8, 2018, after a neighbor heard a loud fight inside the home. Lucasta had initially been charged with first-degree murder.
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Prosecutor Won’t Bring Charges Against Accused Topeka Priest
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — A Catholic priest in Topeka suspended from his public duties after being accused of sexually abusing a minor will not face criminal charges in the case. The Capital-Journal reports that Shawnee County District Attorney Mike Kagay decided not to file charges against the Rev. John Pilcher after reviewing the results of an investigation conducted by the Kansas Bureau of Investigation. The Archdiocese of Kansas City in Kansas announced last September that it had suspended Pilcher, of Mater Dei parish, but said Pilcher denies the allegation and has fully cooperated with the investigation. The archdiocese says it will continue evaluating Pilcher’s status as a priest.
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Missouri Proud Boy Pleads Guilty in Capitol Breach Case
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — A suburban Kansas City member of a far-right extremist group has pleaded guilty to a felony charge for his role in the January 2021 breach of the U.S. Capitol. Federal prosecutors in Washington say 45-year-old Louis Enrique Colon, of Blue Springs, Missouri, pleaded guilty Wednesday to obstructing law enforcement officers. Prosecutors say Colon was a member of a chapter of the Proud Boys that included members from Kansas when he took part in the January 6, 2021, riot at the Capitol. Colon had faced a charge of conspiring with other Proud Boys members to stop Congress from certifying President Joe Biden’s 2020 electoral victory. He faces up to five years in prison and a $250,000 fine when he’s sentenced at a later date.
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Big Progress on Wildfires in the U.S. Southwest but Dangerous Winds on the Way
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — Firefighters have been making significant progress on the biggest wildfires burning unusually hot and fast for this time of year in the western U.S. But forecasters from the Southwest to the southern High Plains are warning of the return the next two days of the same gusty winds and critical fire conditions that sent wildland blazes racing across the landscape last week. Some of the nearly 1,000 firefighters battling the biggest fire in drought-stricken New Mexico cut away brush and burned out any extra fuel Wednesday. It’s burned about 94 square miles. And hotter, drier, windier weather is in the forecast into the weekend.
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Fire Crews in New Mexico, Nebraska and Kansas Prepare for Dry Thunderstorms, Erratic Winds
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — From the Southwestern U.S. to the southern High Plains, forecasters are warning that more strong winds and low humidity will challenge fire crews over the coming days. Firefighters in New Mexico have been preparing for dry thunderstorms to move over the region, bringing with them erratic winds that will test lines they have built around the largest wildfire burning in the U.S. Residents in multiple counties remain evacuated. In Nebraska, unseasonably warm temperatures and dry conditions will keep crews on their toes as they battle a deadly prairie fire that has been burning since last week.
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Kansas Officials: Agriculture Exports Surpass $5 Billion for First Time in a Decade
TOPEKA, Kan. (KPR) – Kansas Governor Laura Kelly says the state exported $5.35 billion in agricultural goods in 2021, marking the first time Kansas agriculture exports exceeded $5 billion in at least a decade. Those exports were also $1.30 billion, or 32.35%, more than 2020. “Kansans have long-known that farmers, ranchers, and agriculture producers are vital to our state’s economy,” Kelly said. The top export for Kansas in 2021 was meat, which made up 54% of all agriculture exports. The second was cereals making up nearly 40% of total ag exports. Other products exported include oilseed, vinegar, beverages, dairy products, milling products, fats, vegetables, flour, starch and other products. Mexico, Japan, and China were the top three countries to purchase Kansas agricultural goods. (Find the full report here.)
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Free State Seniors Win National Debate Tournament – a First for a Kansas High School
LAWRENCE, Kan. (LJW) – Two Free State High School seniors have won the national debate championship, concluding a record-breaking high school career. The Lawrence Journal-World reports that over the weekend, a debate team, comprised of Free State High School seniors Serena Rupp and John Marshall, won the National Championship at the Tournament of Champions hosted by the University of Kentucky. Their win is not only the first national debate championship in Free State High School and Lawrence school district history, but also the first for a team from Kansas. Kelly Thompson, director of speech and debate, said the win concluded a “record-shattering” high school policy debate career for Rupp and Marshall. “They’ll graduate next month as one of the most successful teams in Kansas history, and they’ll both continue their debate careers at Emory University (Serena) and Kansas University (John), respectively,” Thompson said. The team’s topic was: “The United States federal government should substantially increase its protection of water resources.” “They’re both brilliant, hard-working and talented people who I trust will make an impact on the world!” Thompson said. (Read more.)
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Longtime Director of the Kansas Historical Society Dies
TOPEKA, Kan. (Topeka Capital-Journal) – Jennie Chinn, director of the Kansas Historical Society since 2004, died Saturday at the age of 64. The Topeka Capital-Journal reports that a moment of silence was held Monday in the Kansas Senate in Chinn’s honor. Governor Laura Kelly said Chinn “left a legacy of contributing to Kansas,” which included writing an award-winning Kansas history book, serving as the state’s historic preservation officer and spearheading new exhibits. (Read more.)
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University of Kansas Ranked as No. 5 Best School in the Nation for Veterans
LAWRENCE, Kan. (KU/KPR) — For the second year in a row, the University of Kansas ranks fifth nationally among Tier 1 research institutions in the 2022-23 “Military Friendly Schools” survey. The annual survey is the longest-running review of college and university investments in serving military-affiliated students. Institutions earning the Military Friendly School designation were evaluated using public data sources and survey information. More than 1,800 schools participated in the 2022-2023 survey, with 665 schools earning special awards for going above the standard. KU has ranked as a Military Friendly Top 10 school since 2018 and has earned “Gold” award status since 2017. The Military-Affiliated Student Center at KU, in Summerfield Hall, serves as a centralized resource for students. It includes a lounge with 24-7 access, study spaces, headquarters for the KU Student Veterans of America student organization, VA work-study opportunities, GI Bill and military tuition assistance and more. KU has several scholarships and an emergency fund for military-affiliated students, a Veterans Upward Bound program and a series of Graduate Military Programs. (Read more.)
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Abortions in Kansas Rise; Fewer Women Coming from TX and OK, More from Missouri and Kansas
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) – Kansas saw a 4.1% increase in the number of abortions performed in the state in 2021 compared with 2020. More Missouri residents but fewer Oklahoma and Texas residents came into the state to terminate their pregnancies. A preliminary report from the Kansas Department of Health and Environment showed that nearly 8,000 (7,849) abortions were performed in the state last year, several hundred more the year before. The number of abortions performed in Kansas for women from Oklahoma and Texas dropped by nearly 35%. But abortions for Missouri women increased 8%, as did abortions performed for Kansas women.
(Editor’s note: KDHE reports 7,849 abortions were performed in the state last year. That’s 303 more than the 7,546 performed in Kansas in 2020.)
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Haskell University May Soon Have New President
LAWRENCE, Kan. (KCUR) – Haskell Indian Nations University in Lawrence may soon have a new – and permanent – president, though that person has not yet been named. In an email to constituents, Kansas Republican Senator Jerry Moran wrote that he spoke with the director of the Bureau of Indian Education last week, and was informed a hire has been made. B-I-E spokesperson Klarissa Jensen didn’t confirm that, but told KCUR Radio in an email: “Once all the specifics have been finalized we will be letting local media know the full details.” Interim president Tamarah Pfeiffer has led the federally-funded tribal university since May. There have been six permanent or interim presidents in the last four years.
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Wichita Task Force Releases Recommendations Following Teen’s Death
WICHITA, Kan. (KMUW) – A task force reviewing the death of 17-year-old Cedric Lofton finalized its recommendations to various government agencies Monday. Key recommendations include additional training for officers, limiting the use of the prone position on juveniles in custody, and funding a 24-hour mental health response unit. Lofton died while in custody in 2021 at the Sedgwick County juvenile intake facility. He was arrested by Wichita police while suffering a mental health crisis. City Council member Brandon Johnson says city and county staff are working to review the suggestions. Both will report back on any changes implemented after 90 days. “This was a tragedy that never should have happened, he said.” Changes requiring additional funding will be worked out during the city and county’s respective budgeting processes. State-level recommendations will be included in the city and county’s legislative platforms.
(AP version)
Group Recommends Policy Changes After Wichita Teen’s Death
WICHITA, Kan. (AP) – A task force is recommending dozens of policy changes in response to a Black Wichita teenager’s death while being restrained at a juvenile detention center. The task force was created after 17-year-old Cedric Lofton died in September after being restrained facedown for more than 30 minutes. The Wichita Eagle reports the task force made 57 recommendations for changes in the state foster care system, Sedgwick County 911, the Wichita Police Department and the county’s youth corrections system. The recommendations are not binding. They include an audit of “Stand Your Ground” laws that were cited when officers who restrained Lofton were not charged.
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Weary of Many Disasters? UN Says Worse Yet to Come
UNDATED (AP) – A new United Nations report says disasters are on the rise and are going to get worse. In the late 20th century, the world had some 90 to 100 disasters per year. Now a new UN report says disasters that range from climate change to COVID-19 are going to jump to about 560 a year by 2030. One scientist likened the trend to multiple illnesses that weaken a body’s immune system. He says it’s not just the disasters themselves but the accumulated risk, how they add up and ping-pong against each other.
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These area headlines are curated by KPR news staffers, including J. Schafer, Laura Lorson, Kaye McIntyre, and Tom Parkinson. Our headlines are generally posted by 10 am weekdays, 11 am weekends. This news summary is made possible by KPR listener-members. Become one today!
