Latest Kansas Headlines

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

Missouri Supreme Court Strikes Down 2022 Vote on KC Police Funding

May 2 2024 // The Missouri Supreme Court on Tuesday took the unusual step of striking down a 2022 voter-approved constitutional amendment that required Kansas City to spend a larger percentage of its money on the police department, and...

1 Person Killed, Homes Destroyed After Tornado Rips NE Kansas

May 2 2024 // WESTMORELAND, Kan. (AP) — One person died Tuesday when a tornado ripped through the small city of Westmoreland in northeastern Kansas, destroying houses, RVs and outbuildings, authorities said.Pottawatomie County...

Kansas Won’t Legalize Medical Marijuana for at Least a Year

May 1 2024 // TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Kansas will remain among the handful of states that haven’t legalized the medical use of marijuana or expanded their Medicaid programs for at least another year.Republican state senators on...

Severe Storms Cause Damage in Middle U.S.

Apr 19 2024 // ST. LOUIS (AP) — Strong storms caused damage in parts of the middle U.S. this week and spawned tornadoes in Kansas and Iowa, including one that left two people hurt.An EF-1 tornado touched down shortly after 6 a.m....

Kansas Roofing Contractor Fined $233K for Deadly Fall Hazards

Apr 19 2024 // Federal workplace safety inspectors found a Kansas roofing contractor again putting its employees at risk of falls from elevation — the construction industry’s deadliest hazard — by not providing required...

How to Renew Your Insurance License with a Criminal Background: Part 2 – Hawaii through Maryland

Apr 18 2024 // This post is part of a series sponsored by AgentSync.Having a criminal charge or conviction in one’s background can make things more difficult for a licensed insurance producer. However, it doesn’t always have...

Nebraska, Kansas Brace for Possibly More Tornados: Weather Watch

Apr 16 2024 // Wild weather is sweeping the central US on Tuesday with tornado watches posted across parts of Nebraska and Kansas and an enhanced risk of severe thunderstorms later in Iowa, Missouri and Illinois, the National Weather...

Kansas Governor Signs Law to Increase Benefits to Injured Workers

Apr 15 2024 // TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Kansas will increase what have been among the lowest benefits in the U.S. for workers who are injured or killed on the job under bipartisan legislation that Gov. Laura Kelly signed into law...

Kansas Newspaper Seeks $10M Over Police Raids

Apr 3 2024 // TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — A weekly central Kansas newspaper and its publisher filed a federal lawsuit Monday over police raids last summer of its offices and the publisher’s home, accusing local officials of trying to...

People & Places

Apr 1 2024 // CRC Group, headquartered in Birmingham, Alabama, hired Vince Colosimo as executive vice president in the company’s New York City downtown office. Colosimo will assume the role of office president in mid-2025, with...

Dairy Cattle in Texas and Kansas Test Positive for Bird Flu

Mar 27 2024 // 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...

650,000 Residential Properties Hit by Severe Hail in Central US Storms

Mar 20 2024 // A severe convective storm system spawned softball-sized hail and destructive tornadoes across the central U.S. last week, leaving meteorologists to speculate if warmer winter weather is behind the storm outbreak.As parts...

Storm Carrying Massive ‘Gorilla Hail’ Hits Parts of Kansas and Missouri

Mar 15 2024 // Massive chunks of hail pelted parts of Kansas and Missouri on Wednesday night, bringing traffic to a standstill along Interstate 70, as storms unleashed possible tornadoes and meteorologists urged residents to stay...

Court Upholds Kansas Law Banning Changes to Transgender Driver’s Licenses

Mar 13 2024 // TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — A Kansas judge ruled Monday that the state isn’t violating transgender residents’ rights under the state constitution by refusing to change their driver’s licenses to reflect their...

Kansas Man Sentenced to 12 Months Probation For Insurance Fraud

Mar 12 2024 // Kansas Insurance Commissioner Vicki Schmidt announced last week that an Overland Park man has been sentenced to 12 months of probation for insurance fraud. Matthew Finholm, age 43, pleaded guilty in the District Court of...

Kansas Truck Washing Company Cited After Worker Dies From Harmful Gases

Mar 11 2024 // Federal investigators determined a Liberal, Kansas truck washing company failed to protect workers from hydrogen sulfide gas as they entered over-the-road tanker trailers to clean them out, causing one worker’s fatal...

Missouri Man, Woman Sentenced in $1.1M Insurance Fraud Scheme

Mar 8 2024 // Two Columbia, Missouri residents were sentenced in federal court on March 6 for their roles in a $1.1 million insurance fraud scheme that involved false claims of injuries suffered in faked car accidents.Michael Lee Gene...

Kansas’ Conrade Insurance Group Discloses Data Breach

Mar 1 2024 // Conrade Insurance Group this week reported a data breach upon identifying unusual activity in its email system. The Newton, Kansas-based insurance agency posted a Notice of data Event on its website stating an...

People Moves: VIAA Names Drda Alliance Coordinator; Alliant Names Cohan Employee Benefits Group VP in Kansas City

Feb 22 2024 // VIAA Names Drda Alliance CoordinatorValley Insurance Agency Alliance (VIAA), a cohesive family of more than 160 independent insurance agencies in Missouri and Illinois, hired David Drda as an alliance coordinator. Drda has...

Kansas Banker Charged With Embezzling $47M to Buy Crypto

Feb 8 2024 // The former chief executive officer of a Kansas bank was charged with embezzling $47.1 million from the lender to buy cryptocurrency, as the tale of tiny Heartland Tri-State Bank and its failure unfolds.Shan Hanes, who led...