Latest Kansas Headlines

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

St. Louis Workers Likely to See Wage Drop with New Law

Aug 27 2017 // Thousands of workers in St. Louis will likely see smaller paychecks starting Monday, when a new Missouri law takes effect barring local government from enacting minimum wages different than the state minimum.The law is...

Trial Over Bias Claim Against Kansas Secretary of State Kobach’s Office Begins

Aug 21 2017 // A former employee in Kansas Secretary of State Kris Kobach’s office alleges in a lawsuit headed to trial on Aug. 21 that she was fired because she didn’t go to church enough.Kobach — who until the middle of...

21 States See Drop in Longer-Term Opioid-Related Workers’ Comp Claims: WCRI

Aug 21 2017 // As states institute opioid policies to address the opioid epidemic, a new study has found considerable decreases in the prevalence of longer-term dispensing of opioids to injured workers in a number of states studied.The...

Kansas Insurance Regulator Appoints Treasurer in His Bid for Governor

Aug 8 2017 // Kansas Insurance Commissioner Ken Selzer has appointed a treasurer for a campaign for the Republican nomination for governor next year.Selzer filed the form last week with the secretary of state’s office. Appointing...

Several States See Drop in Opioid-Related Workers’ Compensation Claims: WCRI

Aug 4 2017 // As states institute opioid policies to address the opioid epidemic, a new study has found considerable decreases in the prevalence of longer-term dispensing of opioids to injured workers in a number of states studied.The...

Trying to Kill Bug, Kansas Woman Sets Apartment on Fire

Jul 27 2017 // An eastern Kansas woman accidentally has set her apartment on fire in an attempt to kill a bug by burning it with a small, flip-style lighter. Officials estimate that the fire caused $140,000 in damageMonique Quarles told...

General Indemnity Group Acquires Kansas’ Surety Support Services

Jul 20 2017 // General Indemnity Group LLC (GIG), a subsidiary of Boston Omaha Corp., has acquired Surety Support Services Inc., of Overland Park, Kansas.Tracing its origins back almost 40 years, Surety Support Services (SSS) provides...

Kansas Insurance Department Distributes $13.1 M to Firefighters Relief Fund

Jul 13 2017 // The Kansas Insurance Department is currently making the annual funds distribution to state and local firefighter relief organizations. More than $13.1 million will be distributed among 562 local Firefighters Relief...

Kansas’ Stephens Chapin Insurance Joins CAA

Jul 12 2017 // Combined Agents of America (CAA) announced its newest partner and voting member, Stephens Chapin Insurance, based in Lawrence, Kansas.CAA is a privately held agency partner group comprised of independent insurance agencies...

New Law Causes Some Kansas Cities to Close Water Slides

Jul 11 2017 // Some Kansas cities are closing water slides at pools and aquatic centers this summer at least until confusion over a new state law that increased regulation of amusement park rides is cleared up.The law, which took effect...

How States Rate in Preventing Home, Auto, Work Accidents

Jun 28 2017 // No state goes far enough to protect its residents from leading causes of preventable deaths and injuries – commonly known as “accidents” – on the road, in homes and communities and at work, according to the...

Jury Says Syngenta Must Pay Kansas Farmers $217.7M in GMO Corn Case

Jun 26 2017 // A U.S. jury has ordered Syngenta AG to pay $217.7 million to more than 7,000 Kansas farmers over its decision to commercialize a genetically modified strain of corn before China approved importing it.The June 23 verdict by...

Wine Named Securities Head, Shultz Asst. Commissioner at Kansas Insurance Dept.

Jun 23 2017 // John Wine, current assistant commissioner at the Kansas Insurance Department (KID), has been named securities commissioner within the department, and Clark Shultz has been tapped as Wine’s successor as assistant...

Partners Specialty Group Adds Swett & Crawford’s Coelho in Kansas City

Jun 23 2017 // Partners Specialty Group Inc., an AmWINS Group Co., has added Michael Coelho to its property team. He is based in Kansas City, Mo. With almost 30 years of experience in the insurance industry, Coelho specializes in...

Ex-Missouri Insurance Director Joins Dentons Law Firm in Kansas City

Jun 22 2017 // The global law firm, Dentons, has named John M. Huff as a partner in its insurance regulatory practice. He is based in Kansas City.Huff most recently served as director of the Missouri Department of Insurance, where he...

Kansas Traffic Deaths Averaging More than 1 Per Day

Jun 16 2017 // Kansas officials say the troubling increase in traffic fatalities across the state is accelerating.AAA spokeswoman Jennifer Haugh told the Wichita Eagle that Kansas is currently averaging more than one traffic fatality a...

Third Person Pleads Guilty in Kansas City Arson, Insurance Fraud Scheme

Jun 13 2017 // A Kansas City man has pleaded guilty to participating in a $235,000 arson and insurance fraud conspiracy. Federal prosecutors say 43-year-old Joseph Levi Little is the third person to plead guilty in the scheme. Tina...

1st Farmer Lawsuit Against Syngenta over China Trade Begins in Kansas

Jun 6 2017 // The first of tens of thousands of U.S. lawsuits went to trial on Monday in Kansas against Swiss agribusiness giant Syngenta over its decision to introduce a genetically engineered corn seed variety to the U.S. market...

Autopsy: Kansas Toddler Electrocuted at Carnival by Fencing

Jun 1 2017 // An autopsy report concludes that a toddler fatally injured at a carnival in Wichita, Kansas, died after grabbing an electrically charged fence.The report cited by the Wichita Eagle says 15-month-old Pressley Bartonek of...

Puetz to Lead Willis Towers Watson’s Corporate Risk Business in Missouri, Kansas

May 2 2017 // Willis Towers Watson has appointed John Puetz as corporate risk and broking (CRB) segment leader for the Missouri/Kansas market.Puetz will be responsible for driving the overall CRB growth strategy, value proposition and...