Kansas governor race, deadly U.S. 71 crash, Leawood investigation: Top KC stories
From the too-close-to-call Kansas governor race to a deadly crash on U.S. 71 , here’s a roundup of what’s making news in the Kansas City region. These are the top stories from The Kansas City Star: Johnson County began a mandated post-election audit Monday as the Kansas governor race between Democrat Cindy Holscher and Republican Ty Masterson remains too close to call, separated by just under 8,000 votes. Kansas and Alaska are the only two states where the 2026 governor race has not yet been decided, with a Nov. 16 deadline to complete the audit. A Washington state mother and her two young sons were killed when a semitractor-trailer failed to stop for congested traffic and struck their minivan on U.S. 71 Monday afternoon as the family drove to the airport. Olga Sorbalo, 35, and sons Luis, 8, and Samir, 4, of Vancouver, Washington, were identified by relatives, and a GoFundMe raised more than $86,000 in 14 hours. President Donald Trump has nominated former Kansas Gov. Jeff Colyer as ambassador to the United Arab Emirates , five months after Colyer dropped his bid for governor following Trump’s endorsement of Ty Masterson. Republican U.S. Sen. Jerry Moran congratulated Colyer and vowed