Latest Kansas Headlines

All the headlines from our Kansas Topic Page, ordered by recency.

Hydrogen Wildcatters Are Betting Big on Kansas to Strike It Rich

Nov 19 2024 // A new Gold Rush is taking shape on a quiet stretch of Kansas prairie. There, a clutch of startups backed by the likes of Bill Gates are searching below the surface for naturally occurring hydrogen, a fuel that can generate...

AM Best Revises Outlook to Positive for Kansas’ Upland Mutual

Oct 15 2024 // AM Best has revised the outlooks to positive from stable and affirmed the Financial Strength Rating of B++ (Good) and the Long-Term Issuer Credit Rating of “bbb+” (Good) of Upland Mutual Insurance, Inc....

Kansas County Says Ransomware Attack Exposed Personal Information

Sep 24 2024 // A Kansas county said it found unauthorized access and acquisition of personal information maintained by the county, including protected health information related to individuals who received services.Franklin County,...

JetBlue Flight Makes Emergency Landing In Kansas After False Alarm

Sep 24 2024 // SALINA, Kansas (AP) — A JetBlue flight from New York to San Diego landed safely in Kansas after the crew received an alert about smoke in the cargo area, authorities said. The airline said it turned out to be a false...

Kansas Woman Sentenced to Probation for Insurance Fraud

Sep 4 2024 // Kansas Insurance Commissioner Vicki Schmidt announced an Arkansas City woman has been sentenced to 18 months of probation for insurance fraud. Misty Jane Dial, age 33, pleaded guilty in the District Court of...

Kansas Man Sentenced for Securities Fraud

Aug 27 2024 // Kansas Insurance Commissioner Vicki Schmidt announced that a Wichita man has been sentenced to prison for securities fraud.Jesse Wayne Harris, age 36, was sentenced in Sedgwick County District Court on August 20 to 30...

Kansas to Pay $50K Settlement Over a Transgender Highway Patrol Employee’s Firing

Aug 20 2024 // TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Kansas will pay $50,000 to settle a federal anti-discrimination lawsuit filed by a former state Highway Patrol employee who claimed to have been fired for coming out as transgender.Democratic Gov....

Lawsuit: Student with Down Syndrome Subjected to Abuse in Kansas School

Aug 19 2024 // An employee of a rural Kansas school district repeatedly shoved a teenager with Down syndrome into a utility closet, hit the boy and once photographed him locked in a cage used to store athletic equipment, a lawsuit...

Kansas Commissioner: Add Insurance to Back-to-School Checklist

Aug 12 2024 // As students across Kansas prepare to return to the classroom, Kansas Insurance Commissioner Vicki Schmidt reminds students and parents to add insurance to their back-to-school checklist.“Many insurance companies...

Former Kansas Newspaper Reporter Settles Lawsuit Over Police Raid for $235K

Jul 8 2024 // TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — A former reporter for a weekly Kansas newspaper has agreed to accept $235,000 to settle part of her federal lawsuit over a police raid on the paper that made a small community the focus of a national...

Kansas School District Was Discriminatory in Discipline: DOJ

Jul 5 2024 // TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Educators in Kansas’ largest public school district discriminated against Black and disabled students when disciplining them, according to the U.S. Department of Justice, which announced an...

Kansas Department of Insurance Distributes Over $18M to Firefighters

Jun 27 2024 // Kansas Insurance Commissioner Vicki Schmidt announced, that the Kansas Department of Insurance has made its annual distribution to local Firefighter Relief Associations (FRAs). Pursuant to the Kansas Firefighters Relief...

Bird Flu Hits Texas, Kansas Milk in First Sign of Impact

Jun 21 2024 // US milk production is starting to get hit by the bird flu virus, which first made the jump to cows earlier this year.Output in Texas and Kansas — the first states where highly pathogenic avian influenza was detected in...

Kansas Man Sentenced to Probation for Auto Insurance Fraud

Jun 5 2024 // Kansas Insurance Commissioner Vicki Schmidt announced that a Kansas man has been sentenced to six months of probation for insurance fraud. Robert Heidbreder, age 30, pleaded guilty in the District Court of Sedgwick County...

Kansas Workers’ Comp Bill Increases Some Benefits, Streamlines Processes

Jun 3 2024 // Kansas Governor Laura Kelly last week signed Senate Bill 430, bipartisan legislation making comprehensive reforms to the state’s workers compensation system.The bill, a result of collaboration between business and...

Kansas Storm Claims Total $442 Million for 2023

Jun 3 2024 // Kansas storm claims totaled nearly half a billion dollars in 2023.According to numbers shared by the state’s department of insurance, 147,710 claims totaling $442.8 million were paid last year. The Kansas Department...

Missouri Senators to Pay Potential Damages in Chiefs Rally Shooting Defamation Case

May 22 2024 // COLUMBIA, Mo. (AP) — Missouri lawmakers will have to pay out of their own pockets if they lose defamation cases filed against them for falsely accusing a Kansas man of being one of the Kansas City Chiefs parade shooters...

Kansas Governor Cites Competition Concerns While Vetoing Bill for School Gun-Detection Technology

May 17 2024 // Kansas Gov. Laura Kelly vetoed a measure Wednesday that could have earmarked up to $5 million for gun-detection systems in schools while expressing concern that it could have benefitted only one particular...

Kansas Schools Turn to AI to Spot Guns

May 14 2024 // TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Kansas could soon offer up to $5 million in grants for schools to outfit surveillance cameras with artificial intelligence systems that can spot people carrying guns. But the governor needs to approve...

Kansas City Women’s Soccer Plans $800 Million Stadium District

May 3 2024 // After a failed vote to build a downtown Kansas City Royals stadium, another of the city’s professional sports teams is planning to expand with a mixed-used entertainment district.The Kansas City Current, the...