Kansas Education Commissioner Urges More Days Spent in Class; Summer School May Help
WICHITA, Kan. (KNS) – The state’s top education leader says Kansas kids need more time in school, and that could happen over the summer. The Kansas News Service reports that Kansas law requires schools to have a minimum of 186 days, or at least 1,116 total hours each academic year. Most districts have opted to have longer school days but fewer of them. Education Commissioner Randy Watson says districts should consider half-day summer school through June and July, at least for young students who are struggling in reading and math. “If we could get 90% of the kids in 48 to 49 hours of instruction, what progress we could make in a short period of time,” he explained. Watson says districts could use special-education or at-risk funds to help pay for summer classes. (Read more.)
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Constitutional Amendment on State Supreme Court Justice Selection Heads to Ballot in 2026
TOPEKA, Kan. (KNS) – A constitutional amendment that would change how Kansas selects state Supreme Court justices is now headed to voters. The Kansas News Service reports that Kansas voters will decide in the August 2026 primary election if state Supreme Court justices should be elected rather than appointed. Republican lawmakers say electing justices would make them more accountable to voters. The GOP has clashed with the court on issues like education and abortion. Opponents say the change would bring partisan politics to the court. Democratic Representative Lindsay Vaughn criticized the choice to hold the vote during a primary, explaining that “...I find it ironic that we have chosen to place this constitutional amendment on a ballot of a low-turnout election.” Currently, the governor picks each justice, based on suggestions by an independent commission. Democratic Governor Laura Kelly has appointed three of the court’s seven justices.
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Kansas Legislature Passes Bill Restricting Use of SNAP Benefits on Some Food and Drinks
UNDATED (KNS) – Food stamps would no longer cover certain types of candy or soft drinks in Kansas under a bill that passed in the state Legislature. The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP, is a federal program to help feed low-income families. Supporters of the bill say taxpayer dollars should not fund what they consider to be unhealthy eating habits. No House Democrats supported the bill, and more than 20 Republicans also opposed it. Among them was Representative Charlotte Esau. “If we're going to start going down this route, maybe we need to encourage some healthy choices, not just discourage ones that we think might be unhealthy,” Esau said. While the bill passed both chambers of the Legislature, it did not have enough votes to override a possible veto by Governor Laura Kelly.
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Feed the Future Program and Innovation Labs to Be Terminated, Including One at K-State
UNDATED (HPM) – One of the foreign aid programs canceled by the Trump administration was devoted to helping developing countries expand their ability to produce and process food. Its supporters say the program’s elimination is a loss for the U.S. as well. Harvest Public Media reports that The Feed the Future program was made up of 17 Innovation Labs based at 13 college campuses, including Kansas State University. It focused on helping mostly African and Asian countries expand their ability to produce their own food. Dave Tschirley led an Innovation Lab at Michigan State University and chaired a council of Innovation Lab directors. He says helping other countries produce more food creates new markets for the U.S., adding that “...in fact, it’s developing countries that have driven about three-quarters – over the last thirty years – about three-quarters of all the increase in U.S. ag exports.” And Tschirley says Feed the Future’s advances in areas like crop varieties and pest control also helped U.S. farmers.
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Six Kansas Residents Confirmed Positive for Measles
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (KSHB) — State health data shows that six Kansas residents have tested positive for measles in the last four weeks. KSHB TV reports that all are under the age of 18.
The Kansas Department of Health and Environment released data showing that three juveniles between the ages of 5 and 10, one juvenile under 4, one juvenile between the ages of 11 and 13 and another juvenile between the ages of 14 and 17 have all tested positive for the virus.
A KDHE spokesperson said that all six cases involved unvaccinated individuals. No hospitalizations have been reported.
KDHE officials announced earlier this month that the state’s first case of measles since 2018 was identified in a patient in Stevens County in extreme southwest Kansas. All six cases are in Stevens County and adjacent Grant County. More information is available on the KDHE website.
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USDA Says It's Making Progress with Its Bird Flu and Egg Price Plans
UNDATED (HPM) – Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins says the USDA is making progress with its five-prong strategy to combat bird flu and lower egg prices. Harvest Public Media reports that on a call with lawmakers and reporters, Rollins said up to $100 million is now available for projects that explore best practices to prevent the spread of bird flu, new therapeutics that can treat infected flocks, and potential vaccine candidates. “While USDA is exploring the viability of vaccinating poultry for HPAI, the use of any vaccine has not been authorized at this time,” Rollins said. Currently, poultry flocks with infected birds are culled to prevent the spread of the virus. Some producers and industry groups have expressed concerns in the past that a vaccine would make it difficult to detect which birds are infected, which could impact trade. Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. recently suggested letting bird flu burn through flocks to see which ones have natural immunity.
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Kansas Man Dies While Skiing in Colorado
DENVER (KDVR) - A Kansas man has died while snow skiing in Colorado.The 20-year-old died at Winter Park Resort after hitting a tree on Tuesday morning. KDVR TV reports that the man was wearing a helmet at the time. His identity has not yet been released. This is not the first fatality at Winter Park Resort this year. In late January, a snowboarder who was reported missing was later found dead.
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City of Wichita to Issue Municipal ID Cards
WICHITA, Kan. (KMUW) – Wichita will soon issue free municipal I-D cards. KMUW reports that the decision was made Tuesday night by the city council. For the last four years, Sarah Cowling has been homeless and without a consistent ID. Cowling is also an outreach coordinator with Grassroots Bridgebuilders. She shared her perspective with the City Council on the importance of IDs to her and many others. “We would have a lot less homeless if more homeless people could get jobs. You know, more people would have places to live if they could obtain places to live. But those IDs right now are our barriers,” Cowling added. The council unanimously approved the free cards, which will be issued at City Hall and the new Multi-Agency Center. They can’t be used for voting. But they can be used for things like applying for a job or housing, or opening a bank account.
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Kansas Man Posing as Walmart Security Guard Charged with Kidnapping, Rape
ATCHISON, Kan. (WDAF) — A Kansas man allegedly posing as a security officer for Walmart was arrested and charged this week after a woman said he sexually assaulted her in the store. The Atchison Police Department said Tuesday that it arrested 42-year-old Justin Metz, of Leavenworth. WDAF TV reports that Metz is now charged with kidnapping, rape, aggravated sexual battery, and theft.
The investigation into the incident started March 9 after police received a report of a woman being assaulted at the Walmart store in Atchison. The victim said she was leaving the store in the late afternoon when she was approached by a man who identified himself as being “an asset protection officer” with the store. The woman said the man then led her to a restroom at the back of the store, where he sexually assaulted her.
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Kansas Man Sentenced for Possessing Child Sexual Abuse Materials
WICHITA, Kan. (KPR) – A Kansas man has been sentenced to more than 15-and-a-half years in prison for possessing child pornography. Federal prosecutors say 57-year-old Scott Warren Vass, of Arkansas City, pleaded guilty to having child sex abuse materials at his home. In April 2023, FBI agents seized multiple devices belonging to Vass containing child sex abuse materials. Further investigation revealed several of his Google accounts also contained sexually explicit depictions of minors under the age of 12.
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There's a Kansas Connection to the SpaceX Splashdown
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (KPR) - A SpaceX capsule called Dragon splashed down off the Florida gulf coast Tuesday. On board were four people, including an astronaut from Kansas. Nick Hague was born in Belleville and grew up in Pebody and Hoxie, Kansas. He commanded the SpaceX Dragon capsule that brought fellow NASA astronauts Suni Williams and Butch Willmore back to Earth from the International Space Station. The two gained international attention when their planned week-long stay in space turned into a nine-month long mission. Also onboard the spacecraft returning to Earth Tuesday was a Russian cosmonaut. Commander Hague is one of four astronauts from Kansas to make it into outer space.
Other Kansas-born astronauts who launched into space:
Joe Engle, from Chapman & Abilene
Ron Evans, from St. Francis
Steve Hawley, who was born in Ottawa and grew up in Salina
(Fun Factoids: The odds of becoming an American astronaut are slim. NASA accepts about 10 out of 12,000 applications for the space program. That's about .08% of all applicants. Also, NASA was created by President Dwight Eisenhower, who grew up in Abilene, Kansas.)
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NCAA Basketball Tournament Gets Underway
UNDATED (KPR) - The Kansas Jayhawks are in action Thursday in the first round of the NCAA men's basketball tournament. KU takes on Arkansas at 6:10 pm in Providence, Rhode Island. In the women's tournament... K-State faces Fairfield at 1:30 on Friday in Lexington, Kentucky.
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This summary of area news is curated by KPR news staffers. Our headlines are generally published by 10 am weekdays and are updated through 7 pm. This ad-free news summary is made possible by KPR members. Become one today. And follow KPR News on X (formerly Twitter).