Губернатор Кэлли обеспокоена сокращением федеральных средств для сельской медицины в Канзасе

Governor Kelly Expresses Concern Over Impact Of Federal Funding Cuts On Rural Health Care EMPORIA, Kan. (KSNT) — Kansas officials gathered in Emporia Thursday to announce the latest round of funding for rural health care. Seven Kansas hospitals and clinics are receiving a total of $1 million to expand care in rural communities but Governor Laura Kelly says she is alarmed about the billions of dollars in impending Medicaid cuts facing the state. KSNT reports that this year’s funds will go towards programs to help increase staffing at rural clinics, and to help identify health issues facing small Kansas communities. The funds are part of the newly established Rural Health Transformation Program. Kansas has been awarded about $220 million dollars for this program for fiscal year 2026. But Governor Kelly says she is worried about the future of rural health care in the state. By some estimates, Kansas stands to lose nearly $4 billion dollars in Medicaid funds over the next decade as the result of cuts passed by Congress in July of 2025. ========== Kansas Head Start Association Raises Concerns About Possible Federal Change in Program Standards TOPEKA, Kan. (KPR) — A federal proposal that could reduce standards for the Head Start program has the Kansas Head Start Association worried. The organization says proposed federal changes could threaten the state’s Head Start programs. The changes would eliminate classroom ratios and group-size requirements, potentially increasing class sizes. The Trump administration says that would allow programs to serve more people. The proposal would also reduce requirements to serve children with disabilities and multilingual learners. The association says the changes could affect 6,200 Kansas children and families. Right now, federal officials are asking for public comments on the proposed changes. ========== Leavenworth County Residents Raise Concerns After Data Center Application Moratorium Expires UNDATED (KCUR) — The moratorium that Leavenworth County commissioners put on data center applications expired this week. There are no applications to build a data center yet, but many Leavenworth residents say they’re still concerned about such projects. KCUR reports that developers want to build a hyperscale data center in Leavenworth County, near Tonganoxie, and many neighbors oppose it. A Leavenworth County zoning meeting on Wednesday wasn’t to discuss any data center applications. It was to talk about proposed regulations for those applications. Around 100 people against the Tonganoxie data center showed up to suggest changes to the regulations. They said they want stricter rules on noise levels, water usage, and potential health concerns. On an 8-1 vote, the zoning board decided to take the residents’ suggestions into consideration and table the regulations until its September meeting. ========== Scientists Warn Kansas and Missouri Water Utilities Could Face Future Reliability Issues UNDATED (HPM) — Scientists say climate change could make it harder for water utilities in Kansas and Missouri to operate reliably. Harvest Public Media reports that climate change is expected to make droughts, floods and wildfires worse. These can harm utility infrastructure and water supplies. Engineer Zia Lyle at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill is part of a team of scientists that analyzed the risks to water systems. She says it’s especially hard for rural utilities to prepare for climate change. “These systems tend to be a little more strained in terms of personnel and resources,” she explained. Her research suggests about one-third of water systems in Kansas and Missouri face moderate to high risks as disasters worsen. ========== Another Man Claims He's a Victim of Former KCK Detective's Malfeasance KANSAS CITY, Mo. (KCUR) — Donnell Dobbs has spent 17 years behind bars for a 2008 murder at a Kansas City, Kansas, barbershop. KCUR reports that the Midwest Innocence Project says police got the wrong guy, in large part due to disgraced former detective Roger Golubski. The Kansas Reflector reports no physical evidence tied Dobbs to the crime scene, and an eye witness described the killer as a 190-pound man with braids. Dobbs was 260 pounds with short hair. Dobbs’s new attorneys at the Midwest Innocence Project say Golubski knew Dobbs was innocent. In a 93-page filing, they say Golubski allegedly attempted to coerce Dobbs’s mother into sexual favors, as he had done with the mother of another wrongfully accused man, LaMonte McIntyre. Golubski died by suicide in 2024, just as his kidnapping, rape and civil rights violation trial was beginning. Dobbs’s mother was set to testify. ========== Kansas Sticks with Existing Vaccine Schedule, Despite Trump Executive Order TOPEKA, Kan. (Kansas Reflector) — The state of Kansas won’t change its vaccine schedule to match the executive order from President Donald Trump, but instead will continue to “trust in scientific evidence” and follow recommendations from major health organizations, a spokeswoman said. In an executive order, Trump recommended separating the measles, mumps and rubella vaccination — although there aren’t separate vaccines available — and that all vaccines should be given in separate doctor’s visits. The order also separated vaccines into three categories, delineating vaccines for all children, those in certain high-risk populations and several “based on shared clinical decision-making.” The Kansas Reflector reports that Jill Bronaugh, spokeswoman for the Kansas Department of Health and Environment, wrote in an email that vaccines are one of the most effective tools for preventing serious infectious diseases. “Decades of rigorous studies have shown they are safe and effective,” she said. “We remain committed to supporting clinical guidance and recommendations that provide the most accurate, credible and transparent information available for health professionals and Kansas families.” KDHE currently follows immunization guidance from the American Academy of Family Physicians, American Academy of Pediatrics, and American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, Bronaugh said. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention called for changing the vaccine schedule in January, and at the time Bronaugh said the state wouldn’t follow the recommendations. The Kansas Legislature inserted a provision in the state’s budget bill that would have forced the state to follow CDC vaccine recommendations. Kansas Governor Laura Kelly used her line item veto authority to reject the idea. (Read more.) ========== Kansas Education Officials Prepare Guidance on In-School Active Shooter Drills WICHITA, Kan. (KNS) — Kansas education officials are creating guidance for schools on what kinds of drills they can conduct to prepare for an active shooter. The Kansas News Service reports that a new state law aims to make drills more consistent across schools and reduce stress on students. It bans active shooter simulations through 8th grade. Those drills mimic a real police response or the presence of a shooter. John Calvert is the head school safety specialist for the state. He says the law bans shooter drills of any kind for elementary schools. “They can, again, learn through tabletop exercises– talking through, having the educator, the adult in the room, go through and say, ‘Hey, if something bad were to happen, we want to go over here.’ But no longer will we be doing active shooter drills K through 5,” he explained. Middle and high schools can still conduct typical active shooter drills, but they have to notify parents and let them opt out. ========== Small Business Administration Now Offering Low-Interest Loans in Western Kansas for Drought Assistance LIBERAL, Kan. (KNS) — Small businesses in western Kansas counties can seek financial relief after drought has tightened budgets for people in the agriculture-reliant economy. Drought not only affects farmers and their crops. When things dry up in western Kansas, there is a ripple effect for industries like manufacturing, energy production or retail. The Kansas News Service reports that the U.S. Small Business Administration is offering low interest loans up to $2 million to small businesses across most western Kansas counties suffering from drought since the spring. Businesses impacted might include agriculture co-ops, small trucking firms or private nonprofits. These loans can be used to cover debt, help with payroll or pay neglected bills during the dry summer. ========== Kansas Disability Rights Advocates Seek Return of "Money Follows the Person" Program PITTSBURG, Kan. (KNS) — Disability rights advocates in Kansas are calling for the Money Follows the Person program to restart. The Kansas News Service reports that the program helps people with disabilities pay for home modifications, rent and utilities. But Kansas agencies withdrew the program back in May, citing the possible elimination of federal funding. Kansas was a model for other states in using the Money Follows the Person program for about a dozen years in the early 2000s. Dan Kennedy with the organization Minds Matter was protesting outside of the Kansas Capitol on Wednesday. "So we're really just trying to do anything and everything we can to help support them through that process so that we don't lose this federal program," he said. Advocates like Kennedy said they have until September for the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services to restart the program. ========== Overcrowding Forces Riley County Jail to Pay Neighboring Counties to Take Inmates MANHATTAN, Kan. (WIBW-TV) — The Riley County Jail is so overcrowded that the county is spending about $6,000 a month to send inmates to facilities in neighboring counties. WIBW-TV reports the average number of inmates in the jail each day has grown from 82 in 2016 to 143 today. Officials say the high numbers are due to changing laws that require inmates to be held for longer periods of time. One official says the county commission will need to take steps to address the issue. ========== Former Neosho County Prosecutor Found Guilty of Perjury ERIE, Kan. (Kansas Reflector) — A former Neosho County prosecutor has been found guilty of perjury. A jury convicted Linus Thuston on Wednesday. The Kansas Reflector reports Thuston was accused of lying under oath about a meeting he had with a woman with whom he had exchanged explicit photos. Thuston had insisted the woman was actually a confidential informant. He was convicted on a single count of felony perjury. He will be sentenced at a later date. ========== Convicted Sex Offender Sentenced for Distributing Child Pornography KANSAS CITY, Kan. (KPR) — A Kansas man previously convicted of sexual exploitation of a child has been sentenced to 15 years in federal prison for charges related to child sexual abuse material (CSAM). According to court documents, 35-year-old David Mark Jones, of Shawnee, pleaded guilty to three counts. In February 2023, Jones was convicted in Johnson County of sexual exploitation of a child. His sentence included lifetime post release supervision and lifetime registration as a sex offender. Between February and March 2024, Jones distributed child pornography involving prepubescent minors. “This case is an example of why the sex offender registry is so needed,” said U.S. Attorney Ryan A. Kriegshauser. “Because there are people monitoring sex offenders and checking to see that they are compliant with the rules once they are released, Mr. Jones’ crimes were detected, and now Mr. Jones is going back to prison." ========== Kansas Schools Prepare for New Cellphone Use Ban UNDATED (KCUR) — Kansas students can’t send texts or check social media when they return to school this month. KCUR reports that local schools are now preparing to implement the state’s new cellphone ban. High school and middle school students in Kansas City, Kansas Public Schools will need to store their phones in sealed containers. Elementary students can keep their phones in their backpack. Larry Smith, the principal of Arrowhead Middle School, says teachers will need to implement the new rules with fairness and fidelity. "Kids can adapt; they'll adapt. But it's getting our adults to be consistent to lower the transition time for it being new to just being how we do business," he explained. The law grants an exception for students who need their device to manage a health issue or as an educational accommodation. ========== Lawsuit: KU Frat “Systematically” Abused Pledge LAWRENCE, Kan. (LJW) — A new lawsuit claims a University of Kansas fraternity subjected one of its pledges to “waterboarding torture techniques” and forced binge drinking. The Lawrence Journal World reports the suit accuses the KU chapter of Delta Upsilon of abusing the pledge “systematically” beginning in August 2025. The pledge is suing the KU chapter of DU, the national organization, and nine individuals. He is seeking damages in excess of $75,000 for assault and battery, negligence, and infliction of emotional distress. The fraternity is currently on disciplinary probation at KU until May 2028. ========== Mizzou Ag Researchers Say Purple Corn Could Provide Alternative to Artificial Food Dyes UNDATED (HPM) — Researchers say purple corn could offer a natural alternative to artificial food dyes and new opportunities for farmers. One of the challenges food manufacturers face when trying to use plant-derived food dyes is that they tend to lose their color during processing or while sitting on a shelf. But researchers at the University of Missouri have found potential with a variety of purple corn from South America. Harvest Public Media reports that they’re collaborating with Sherry Flint-Garcia, a USDA research geneticist, who’s developing purple corn hybrids that can grow in the U.S. She uses dog breeding to help explain the process. “If you have a pug and a beagle, those are different breeds and and you know pure breeds. If you cross them together, then you make a crossbreed, like a puggle. And so we have the same thing in corn,” she explained. The researchers say purple corn hybrids could open new markets for farmers. ========== Chiefs Set for Preseason Opener KANSAS CITY, Mo. (KPR) — The Kansas City Chiefs will kick off their first pre-season game Saturday afternoon against the Los Angeles Rams at Arrowhead Stadium. You won’t see quarterback Patrick Mahomes playing. He’s still on the mend from a season-ending knee injury last year. Chiefs coach Andy Reid says Justin Fields, a new No. 2 quarterback, will start. Chances are Fields, according to Reid, will see a lot of back-up players around him. “It should be a good test for our young guys to get out there and have an opportunity to play,” Reid said. After starting out his NFL career with the Chicago Bears as the 11th overall pick five years ago, Justin Fields has bounced around the last three years with Pittsburgh, the New York Jets and now the Chiefs. Kick-off is set for 3:10 Saturday afternoon. ========== Kansas City Royals to Play at Field of Dreams Game in 2027 KANSAS CITY, Mo. (KCUR) — Major League Baseball has announced that the Royals will be in their first Field of Dreams Game in 2027. This will be the fourth year for the game in Dyersville, Iowa, played at the edge of the cornfield where in the 1989 classic “Field of Dreams”, James Earl Jones told Kevin Costner “People will come, Ray … People will most definitely come.” The game will be on a Thursday in August against the Boston Red Sox. The teams will then finish out their three-game series back in Kauffman Stadium over the weekend. It will be the Royals’ first game played at a neutral site since 2019, when they played a game in Omaha as a prelude to the College World Series. ========== 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. 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