The Kansas Legislature is scrambling to address tax cuts, funding for disability services and immigration issues ahead of its annual three-week spring break starting next week. Most bills that don’t pass by then won’t be considered when lawmakers return April 29 for a short wrap-up session. Republicans disagree over how to cut income taxes, as well as pay for other …
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Police in Oklahoma are investigating the “suspicious disappearance” of two women whose vehicle was found abandoned in a remote area over the weekend. Veronica Butler, 27, and Jilian Kelley, 39, were “traveling together to pick up children” on Saturday but they “never made it to the pick up location,” according to the Texas County Sheriff’s Office. Instead, “their vehicle was …
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The Kansas legislature passed a bill Wednesday that would classify organized retail crime (ORC) a felony offense, joining nine other states that have passed similar laws in the last year. ORC refers to orchestrated groups of shoplifters who commit smash-and-grab robberies of stores or target cargo carriers. The state’s upper chamber passed the Substitute House Bill 2144, which would split …
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Republican legislators in Kansas advanced proposals Wednesday aimed at preventing individuals and companies from China and other U.S. adversaries from owning farmland or business property, limiting state investments in foreign companies and restricting the use of foreign-made drones. Some GOP conservatives, including state Attorney General Kris Kobach, want the state to enact even tougher restrictions, even as Democratic critics suggest …
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A man who was briefly handcuffed in the chaos that followed a deadly shooting at the Kansas City Chiefs’ Super Bowl rally is suing a Tennessee congressman who falsely accused him in social media posts of being one of the shooters and an immigrant in the country illegally. Denton Loudermill Jr., of Olathe, Kansas, filed the federal lawsuit this week …
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For years, pinning down the source of a bill in the Kansas Legislature could be a chore for lawmakers’ constituents. Committees sponsor almost 85% of the proposals, so finding the group or lobbyist responsible could require questioning multiple lawmakers or, in recent years, reviewing YouTube videos of meetings. But this year, the Kansas House is making it a little easier …
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Milk from dairy cows in Texas and Kansas has tested positive for bird flu, U.S. officials said Monday. Officials with the Texas Animal Health Commission confirmed the flu virus is the Type A H5N1 strain, known for decades to cause outbreaks in birds and to occasionally infect people. The virus is affecting older dairy cows in those states and in …
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Allergy season is here — and it’s earlier and stronger than expected. More than 80 million Americans deal with itchy eyes, runny nose and other symptoms of seasonal allergies, according to the Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America. The level of misery people will face depends on where they live and what they’re allergic to, but there are things you …
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