Ga. Senate runoff between Warnock, Walker has bitter closing

WASHINGTON (AP) — Supporters of abortion rights filed separate lawsuits Wednesday challenging two states' abortion pill restrictions, the opening salvo in what’s expected to a be a protracted legal battle over access to the medications. The lawsuits argue that limits on the drugs in North Carolina and West...

TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Democratic Gov. Laura Kelly called Tuesday for Kansas officials to stop distracting themselves with "wedge issues” in education, sharply rebuking a Republican-controlled Legislature pursuing policies catering to conservative parents unhappy with public schools. Kelly used her annual State of the State address to decry...

WICHITA, Kan. — Republican lawmakers in Kansas have introduced legislation that would outlaw abortion beginning at fertilization — without exceptions for rape, incest or to save the life or health of the mother. The near-total ban is the most extreme anti-abortion legislation introduced in Kansas so far this...

TOPEKA — Kansas Attorney General Kris Kobach is suing the Biden administration over a new U.S. Department of Homeland Security program that unlawfully creates a de facto path the citizenship for hundreds of thousands of aliens, according to a statement from his office. “The Biden administration is once again...

TOPEKA — Gov. Laura Kelly will outlined her second term priorities for the Republican-controlled Kansas Legislature during the annual State of the State address. (click below to watch a replay of the address) She has previously outlined several proposals for cutting taxes and has promised to push for expanding...

TOPEKA — Lawmakers have begun evaluating legislation in an effort to fix years of built-up problems within the juvenile justice system. First up: A bill that could expand access to behavioral health treatment through crisis intervention centers. During a House Corrections and Juvenile Justice Committee meeting Monday, a week...

Another LIVE production from Smoky Hills PBS, The Kansas Legislature, will kick off Friday, February 3 at 7 PM. Streaming will also be available on our YouTube channel: http://bit.ly/StreamSmokyHillsPBS. The show airs during the legislative session, which gives the legislators and viewers the opportunity to discuss up-to-date issues. For each...

Kansas crude prices are the highest in nearly two months. Kansas Common crude at CHS starts the week at $71.50 per barrel, the highest price in McPherson since December 1, 2022. Susan Duffy was chosen to chair the Kansas Corporation Commission. This is her second term leading the state's energy...

TOPEKA — Sen. Oletha Faust-Goudeau says state law revoked driving privileges for failure to pay a traffic citation should be amended to give motorists the opportunity to apply for a restricted license so they could get to work and earn money to pay off the any penalties. Faust-Goudeau, a...

TOPEKA — Byron Lewis was a student at Topeka High School when allowed to use study hall to read to kindergartners at his old elementary school. It was the first time Lewis — now an elementary school teacher in the Turner district — thought a career in education could be in his future. He earned an education degree at Kansas State University and was introduced to programs that urge men of color to enter the profession. Statewide, it’s just not enough. Entering the fall 2022 academic year, there were an estimated 1,500 teacher vacancies in Kansas.

FARMINGTON, Mo. (AP) — Authorities are piecing together how five inmates escaped from a Missouri jail. The inmates escaped from the the St. Francois County Jail in Farmington, about 75 miles south of St. Louis on Jan. 17. All five were captured over the weekend. Chief Sheriff's Deputy Gregory...

TOPEKA — Two Kansas foster runaways died in 2022. The body of one turned up in an empty lot in Kansas City, Kansas. The second stole a car and crashed into a semi near Parsons. The deaths of those children prompted criticism of the Kansas Department for Children and...

TOPEKA — The Kansas Department of Health reported 2,148 new coronavirus cases in Kansas from Jan. 18 to Jan. 25, for a total of 926,022 cases. The state reported 1,937 cases the previous week. On Wednesday, the state reported 41 additional COVID-19 deaths since the report on Jan. 18,...

Farmers and ranchers are some of the most resilient people I know. They weather incredible odds, pun intended, from droughts, to floods, fire, hail, blizzards and more. This doesn’t even touch the volatile input costs, family dynamics, inflation and increased regulations we are seeing. Despite these adversities, we pull ourselves up by the bootstraps and continue to provide for our families while often being the first to give the shirts off our own backs for a neighbor in need.

KANSAS CITY —A Kansas City-area man has been charged in connection with a domestic assault that also involved firing a handgun inside and outside a Lee's Summit residence that the suspect later failed to come out of after police surrounded the residence, according to Jackson County Prosecutor Jean Peters Baker.

TOPEKA —Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks invasive species biologists have been sampling on the Kansas River to remove invasive species, including Bighead and Silver Carp this winter. While out on the river this week, they encountered a "Kansas River monster," according to the KDWP social media account. The...