Kansas officials blame 5-week disruption of court system on 'sophisticated foreign cyberattack'
Officials say cybercriminals hacked into the Kansas court system, stole sensitive data and threatened to post it on the dark web in a ransomware attack that has hobbled access to records for more than five weeks.
Wider than websites? LGBTQ+ advocates fear broader discrimination after Supreme Court ruling
A new U.S. Supreme Court ruling allowing a Colorado Christian graphic artist to refuse to work on wedding websites for same-sex couples has LGBTQ+ people across the country worried about broader consequences.
Kansas governor vetoes measures to aid anti-abortion centers, limit health officials' power
Kansasโ Democratic governor has vetoed Republican legislation that would have provided a financial boost to pregnancy centers run by abortion opponents and curbed state and local officials' powers during infectious disease outbreaks.
Kansas governor: Medical pot should fund Medicaid expansion
Kelly championed Medicaid expansion in her first race in 2018 and promised to sign legislation legalizing medical marijuana, though she has not pushed that issue aggressively so far. But University of Kansas political scientist Patrick Miller said he wonders why any Kansas politician still opposes medical marijuana. The Legislature has taken only relatively small steps toward legalizing medical marijuana even as most other states have done it. She said legalizing medical marijuana could raise up to $50 million a year and her proposal โeliminates the argumentโ that Kansas can't afford Medicaid expansion. AdBut Republican lawmakers remained skeptical that medical marijuana could raise much money or cover Medicaid expansion costs.
COVID spike arrives late, hits hard in rural Kansas county
Quinter is the largest city in Gove County. Gove County, with a population of 2,600, is among many rural counties in Kansas and across the Midwest that are being stressed by the pandemic and its late arrival. The sheriff, who has since been released from the hospital, was fielding calls last week from the Hays Medical Center. More than two-thirds of Gove Countyโs voters are registered Republicans, and Trump carried the county with nearly 85% of the vote in 2016. He said county residents have concerns about personal liberties and โnot wanting to be told what to doโ prevalent across rural America.
Kansas Rep. Watkins unseated after facing criminal charges
TOPEKA, Kan. Freshman Kansas Rep. Steve Watkins lost his Republican primary Tuesday after being charged with felony election fraud and other crimes. State Treasurer Jake LaTurner defeated Watkins after arguing that the criminal charges against Watkins made an already vulnerable incumbent an even worse bet with Democrats sensing an opportunity to pick up the 2nd District seat in eastern Kansas despite its Republican leanings. Watkins later corrected his residential address twice so that its now an apartment that lies outside the City Council district that includes the UPS store. He acknowledged during a Kansas City Star interview last week that he voted in the wrong City Council district but said he did not intend to break the law. He suggested the voter registration resulted from collegial work with his staff but denied an allegation that he tried to mislead the detective by blaming the voter registration problem on his staff.
No masks, just questions, in Kansas counties with no cases
Business owners in Rawlins and Wallace counties say they agree with local officials' decisions to opt out of an order from Democratic Gov. In Wallace County, which borders Colorado, one restaurant posted on social media a graphic of a crossed out man with a face mask. Kansas has reported more than 25,000 coronavirus cases since the pandemic reached the state in early March, first in the Kansas City area. Trust.Meanwhile, the testing rate in the two counties lags well behind the Kansas 9.5% average, according to the state health department. The Rawlins County Health Center, the only hospital in that county, provides nasal swab tests.
Kansas congressman forced to leave committees after charges
TOPEKA, Kan. A freshman Kansas congressman facing felony criminal charges over previously listing a UPS Inc. postal box as his residence on a state voter registration form has been forced to temporarily give up his House committee assignments. Republican Rep. Steve Watkins said Friday that he is temporarily and voluntarily leaving the three committees on which he serves. Watkins stepped aside from his committees two days after three felony charges and one misdemeanor charges against him were filed by the local district attorney in state district court in Shawnee County, which includes his hometown, the state capital of Topeka. Watkins filed a state voter registration form in late August 2019 listing the UPS postal box as his residential address. The congressman and his staff have said he inadvertently listed his mailing address instead of his residential address by mistake.
Kansas freshman GOP Rep. Watkins charged with 3 felonies
TOPEKA, Kan. A freshman Kansas congressman who had listed a UPS Inc. store as his residence on a voter registration was charged Tuesday with three felonies, including illegal voting. Those felony charges were filed in state district court in Shawnee County, which includes Watkins' hometown of Topeka. Watkins called the charges hyper-partisan because of the timing and said he's done nothing wrong. Watkins filed a voter registration form in late August 2019 on which we listed a postal box at a UPS store in southwest Topeka. Watkins later listed the address for an apartment complex about 2 miles north of the UPS store as his residence, then corrected his voter registration form in mid-January to list an apartment number.