WASHINGTON (AP) — The State Department said Wednesday it will suspend the processing of immigrant visas for citizens of 75 countries, including Afghanistan, Iran, Russia and Somalia, whose nationals the Trump administration has deemed likely to require public assistance while living in the United States.

The State Department, led by&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-cabinet-marco-rubio-secretary-of-state-nominee-39c378e19d0327a7f091f302daf8ca3e">Secretary of State Marco Rubio</a>, said it had instructed consular officers to halt immigrant visa applications from the countries affected in accordance with&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/immigration-public-charge-trump-benefits-visas-0929b2c8f635479173929300cb683a27">a broader order</a>&nbsp;issued in November that tightened rules around potential immigrants who might become “public charges” in the U.S.

The step builds on earlier&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-travel-ban-countries-immigration-visas-border-9dde0aecb3ffe418266700d9eefef937">immigration and travel bans</a>&nbsp;by the administration on nearly 40 countries and is part of President Donald Trump’s ongoing efforts to tighten U.S. entry standards for foreigners.

“The Trump administration is bringing an end to the abuse of America’s immigration system by those who would extract wealth from the American people,” the department said in a statement. “Immigrant visa processing from these 75 countries will be paused while the State Department reassess immigration processing procedures to prevent the entry of foreign nationals who would take welfare and public benefits.”

The suspension, which will begin Jan. 21, will not apply to applicants seeking non-immigrant visas, or temporary tourist or business visas, who make up the vast majority of visa seekers. Demand for non-immigrant visas is expected to rise dramatically in the coming months and years due to the upcoming 2026 World Cup and 2028 Olympics both of which the U.S. will host or co-host.

Cable calls for screening of non-immigrant visa applicants

A separate notice sent to all U.S. embassies and consulates said that non-immigrant visa applicants should be screened for the possibility that they might seek public benefits in the United States.

“With the uncovering of massive public benefits fraud across the United States, the Trump administration is laser-focused on eliminating and preventing fraud in public benefits programs,” said the cable that referred specifically to most non-immigrant visa applications and was sent on Monday.

The cable, a copy of which was obtained by The Associated Press, urged consular officers to ensure that foreigners wanting to travel to the U.S. “have been fully vetted and screened” for whether they may rely on public services before they are issued a visa.

The cable noted several times that it is up to the applicant to prove that they would not apply for public benefits while in the U.S. and said consular officers who suspect the applicant might apply should require them to fill out a form proving their financial bona fides.

President Donald Trump's administration has already severely restricted immigrant and non-immigrant visa processing for citizens of dozens of countries, many of them in Africa, Asia and Latin America.

Consular officials must consider a range of personal details

The November guidance on which Wednesday's decision is based directed U.S. Embassy and consulate officials to comprehensively and thoroughly vet visa applicants to demonstrate that they will not need to rely on public benefits from the government any time after their admission in the U.S.

While federal law already required those seeking permanent residency or legal status to prove they wouldn’t be a public charge, Trump in his first term widened the range of benefit programs that could disqualify applicants, and the guidelines in the cable appear to go further in scope.

Immigrants seeking entry into the U.S. already undergo a medical exam by a physician who’s been approved by a U.S. Embassy. They are screened for communicable diseases, like tuberculosis, and asked to disclose any history of drug or alcohol use, mental health conditions or violence. They’re also required to have a number of vaccinations.

The new directive expanded those with more specific requirements. It said consular officials must consider a range of specific details about people seeking visas, including their age, health, family status, finances, education, skills and any past use of public assistance regardless of the country. It also said they should assess applicants’ English proficiency and can do so by conducting interviews in English.

Experts said at the time it could further limit who gets to enter the country at a time when the Republican administration is already&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/refugees-admissions-cap-immigration-trump-administration-197a8ef1c9c219ce6167da4aba3f5a6e">tightening those rules</a>.

The countries affected by the suspension announced on Wednesday are:

Afghanistan, Albania, Algeria, Antigua and Barbuda, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Bahamas, Bangladesh, Barbados, Belarus, Belize, Bhutan, Bosnia, Brazil, Burma, Cambodia, Cameroon, Cape Verde, Colombia, Congo, Cuba, Dominica, Egypt, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Fiji, Gambia, Georgia, Ghana, Grenada, Guatemala, Guinea, Haiti, Iran, Iraq, Ivory Coast, Jamaica, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Kosovo, Kuwait, Kyrgyzstan, Laos, Lebanon, Liberia, Libya, Macedonia, Moldova, Mongolia, Montenegro, Morocco, Nepal, Nicaragua, Nigeria, Pakistan, Republic of the Congo, Russia, Rwanda, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Somalia, South Sudan, Sudan, Syria, Tanzania, Thailand, Togo, Tunisia, Uganda, Uruguay, Uzbekistan and Yemen.

WASHINGTON (AP) — The State Department said Wednesday it will suspend the processing of immigrant visas for citizens of 75 countries, including Afghanistan, Iran, Russia and Somalia, whose nationals the Trump administration has deemed likely to require public assistance while living in the United States.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2026/1/1768425685695.png" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>The State Department, led by&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-cabinet-marco-rubio-secretary-of-state-nominee-39c378e19d0327a7f091f302daf8ca3e">Secretary of State Marco Rubio</a>, said it had instructed consular officers to halt immigrant visa applications from the countries affected in accordance with&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/immigration-public-charge-trump-benefits-visas-0929b2c8f635479173929300cb683a27">a broader order</a>&nbsp;issued in November that tightened rules around potential immigrants who might become “public charges” in the U.S.<div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-media-max-width="560">The State Department will pause immigrant visa processing from 75 countries whose migrants take welfare from the American people at unacceptable rates. The freeze will remain active until the U.S. can ensure that new immigrants will not extract wealth from the American people.&mdash; Department of State (@StateDept) <a href="https://twitter.com/StateDept/status/2011478657680757214?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 14, 2026</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>The step builds on earlier&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-travel-ban-countries-immigration-visas-border-9dde0aecb3ffe418266700d9eefef937">immigration and travel bans</a>&nbsp;by the administration on nearly 40 countries and is part of President Donald Trump’s ongoing efforts to tighten U.S. entry standards for foreigners.“The Trump administration is bringing an end to the abuse of America’s immigration system by those who would extract wealth from the American people,” the department said in a statement. “Immigrant visa processing from these 75 countries will be paused while the State Department reassess immigration processing procedures to prevent the entry of foreign nationals who would take welfare and public benefits.”The suspension, which will begin Jan. 21, will not apply to applicants seeking non-immigrant visas, or temporary tourist or business visas, who make up the vast majority of visa seekers. Demand for non-immigrant visas is expected to rise dramatically in the coming months and years due to the upcoming 2026 World Cup and 2028 Olympics both of which the U.S. will host or co-host.<h2>Cable calls for screening of non-immigrant visa applicants</h2>A separate notice sent to all U.S. embassies and consulates said that non-immigrant visa applicants should be screened for the possibility that they might seek public benefits in the United States.“With the uncovering of massive public benefits fraud across the United States, the Trump administration is laser-focused on eliminating and preventing fraud in public benefits programs,” said the cable that referred specifically to most non-immigrant visa applications and was sent on Monday.The cable, a copy of which was obtained by The Associated Press, urged consular officers to ensure that foreigners wanting to travel to the U.S. “have been fully vetted and screened” for whether they may rely on public services before they are issued a visa.The cable noted several times that it is up to the applicant to prove that they would not apply for public benefits while in the U.S. and said consular officers who suspect the applicant might apply should require them to fill out a form proving their financial bona fides.President Donald Trump's administration has already severely restricted immigrant and non-immigrant visa processing for citizens of dozens of countries, many of them in Africa, Asia and Latin America.<h2>Consular officials must consider a range of personal details</h2>The November guidance on which Wednesday's decision is based directed U.S. Embassy and consulate officials to comprehensively and thoroughly vet visa applicants to demonstrate that they will not need to rely on public benefits from the government any time after their admission in the U.S.While federal law already required those seeking permanent residency or legal status to prove they wouldn’t be a public charge, Trump in his first term widened the range of benefit programs that could disqualify applicants, and the guidelines in the cable appear to go further in scope.Immigrants seeking entry into the U.S. already undergo a medical exam by a physician who’s been approved by a U.S. Embassy. They are screened for communicable diseases, like tuberculosis, and asked to disclose any history of drug or alcohol use, mental health conditions or violence. They’re also required to have a number of vaccinations.The new directive expanded those with more specific requirements. It said consular officials must consider a range of specific details about people seeking visas, including their age, health, family status, finances, education, skills and any past use of public assistance regardless of the country. It also said they should assess applicants’ English proficiency and can do so by conducting interviews in English.Experts said at the time it could further limit who gets to enter the country at a time when the Republican administration is already&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/refugees-admissions-cap-immigration-trump-administration-197a8ef1c9c219ce6167da4aba3f5a6e">tightening those rules</a>.The countries affected by the suspension announced on Wednesday are:Afghanistan, Albania, Algeria, Antigua and Barbuda, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Bahamas, Bangladesh, Barbados, Belarus, Belize, Bhutan, Bosnia, Brazil, Burma, Cambodia, Cameroon, Cape Verde, Colombia, Congo, Cuba, Dominica, Egypt, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Fiji, Gambia, Georgia, Ghana, Grenada, Guatemala, Guinea, Haiti, Iran, Iraq, Ivory Coast, Jamaica, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Kosovo, Kuwait, Kyrgyzstan, Laos, Lebanon, Liberia, Libya, Macedonia, Moldova, Mongolia, Montenegro, Morocco, Nepal, Nicaragua, Nigeria, Pakistan, Republic of the Congo, Russia, Rwanda, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Somalia, South Sudan, Sudan, Syria, Tanzania, Thailand, Togo, Tunisia, Uganda, Uruguay, Uzbekistan and Yemen.

See the list: US suspends immigrant visa processing for these countries

RENO COUNTY —Due to a significant rise in student and staff illness, Fairfield USD 310 will be closed on Thursday, January 15th and Friday, January 16th and all after school activities have been cancelled for Wednesday, according to an online message from Richard Spencer, Superintendent of Schools

The basketball games scheduled for this Thursday and Friday at Skyline have been postponed to a later date as well and there will be no practices held on either of these days.

"The decision was made out of an abundance of caution to protect the health and well-being of our students, staff, and families."

"Our night custodian will be fogging the buildings to help disinfect any germs still hanging around and we will continue to monitor the situation closely and will provide updates as needed. Thank you for your understanding and continued support."

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2026/1/1768428718325.png" alt="Fairfield USD 310" />
 <figcaption>Fairfield USD 310</figcaption>
 </figure>RENO COUNTY —Due to a significant rise in student and staff illness, Fairfield USD 310 will be closed on Thursday, January 15th and Friday, January 16th and all after school activities have been cancelled for Wednesday, according to an online message from Richard Spencer, Superintendent of SchoolsThe basketball games scheduled for this Thursday and Friday at Skyline have been postponed to a later date as well and there will be no practices held on either of these days."The decision was made out of an abundance of caution to protect the health and well-being of our students, staff, and families.""Our night custodian will be fogging the buildings to help disinfect any germs still hanging around and we will continue to monitor the situation closely and will provide updates as needed. Thank you for your understanding and continued support."

Kansas school district cancels classes due to illness

Governor Laura Kelly issued a verbal state of disaster emergency proclamation Wednesday due to critical fire weather conditions and Red Flag warnings in Western Kansas beginning Thursday, Jan. 15 and continuing through the weekend. This declaration allows resources to be used to provide state assistance.

“Weather conditions are such that a high risk exists for wildland fires in the coming days,” Governor Laura Kelly said. “I urge everyone across the state to use extreme caution and avoid burning. Follow your local burn bans and regulations. We all need to do our part to protect our neighbors and communities.”

High winds exceeding 40 mph and humidity levels below 20 percent are expected across the state from Friday through Saturday. These conditions are conducive to rapid fire growth. Unseasonably warm temperatures combined with strong winds will further dry vegetation, creating fire behavior that is not typical for this time of year. Areas of particular concern include northwest Kansas, where no significant precipitation has occurred in more than 50 days.

“The Kansas Forest Service is working closely with our partners to ensure resources are available to support local responders,” Bill Waln, Fire Management Officer, Kansas Forest Service said. “In some areas that recently received rainfall, responding vehicles may encounter difficult ground conditions and could become stuck. Wet soils, combined with receptive fuels, may also present challenges for ground resources during suppression efforts.”

The Kansas Division of Emergency Management will staff the State Emergency Operations Center with Emergency Support Function partners starting tomorrow to coordinate state assistance to support counties and local responders if requested

Governor Laura Kelly issued a verbal state of disaster emergency proclamation Wednesday due to critical fire weather conditions and Red Flag warnings in Western Kansas beginning Thursday, Jan. 15 and continuing through the weekend. This declaration allows resources to be used to provide state assistance.<div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">Ongoing dry conditions and strong winds (gusts 45-55 mph) with afternoon humidity near 20% will create elevated fire weather conditions across parts of southwest Kansas. . Outdoor burning is not advised. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/kswx?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#kswx</a> <a href="https://t.co/GrqKvQLnC0">pic.twitter.com/GrqKvQLnC0</a>&mdash; NWS Dodge City (@NWSDodgeCity) <a href="https://twitter.com/NWSDodgeCity/status/2011383621760786804?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 14, 2026</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div><div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">A High Wind Watch continues for the entire area Friday morning through Friday afternoon. Northwest winds gusting 60-90 mph will develop early in the morning and continue through about sunset. Blowing dust and localized dust storms will be possible through the day. <a href="https://t.co/EEZuV8fYhf">pic.twitter.com/EEZuV8fYhf</a>&mdash; NWS Goodland (@NWSGoodland) <a href="https://twitter.com/NWSGoodland/status/2011545293410431485?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 14, 2026</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div><div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">A Red Flag Warning and Fire Weather Watch have been issued for Thursday. A Fire Weather Watch has been issued for Friday. Burning is not advised. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/cowx?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#cowx</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/newx?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#newx</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/kswx?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#kswx</a> <a href="https://t.co/fIwkc8ST0V">pic.twitter.com/fIwkc8ST0V</a>&mdash; NWS Goodland (@NWSGoodland) <a href="https://twitter.com/NWSGoodland/status/2011408994896613459?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 14, 2026</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>“Weather conditions are such that a high risk exists for wildland fires in the coming days,” Governor Laura Kelly said. “I urge everyone across the state to use extreme caution and avoid burning. Follow your local burn bans and regulations. We all need to do our part to protect our neighbors and communities.”High winds exceeding 40 mph and humidity levels below 20 percent are expected across the state from Friday through Saturday. These conditions are conducive to rapid fire growth. Unseasonably warm temperatures combined with strong winds will further dry vegetation, creating fire behavior that is not typical for this time of year. Areas of particular concern include northwest Kansas, where no significant precipitation has occurred in more than 50 days.“The Kansas Forest Service is working closely with our partners to ensure resources are available to support local responders,” Bill Waln, Fire Management Officer, Kansas Forest Service said. “In some areas that recently received rainfall, responding vehicles may encounter difficult ground conditions and could become stuck. Wet soils, combined with receptive fuels, may also present challenges for ground resources during suppression efforts.”The Kansas Division of Emergency Management will staff the State Emergency Operations Center with Emergency Support Function partners starting tomorrow to coordinate state assistance to support counties and local responders if requested

Kan. governor issues state of disaster emergency for wildland fires

House Speaker Dan Hawkins, in his final year in the Legislature, centers his rebuttal speech on budget, policy wins

BY&nbsp;<a href="https://kansasreflector.com/author/akaminski/">ANNA KAMINSKI</a> <a href="https://kansasreflector.com/2025/12/29/kansan-returns-to-the-catholic-church-as-the-states-first-woman-priest/">Kansas Reflector</a>

TOPEKA — Kansas House Speaker Dan Hawkins underscored the force of the Republican supermajority and its 2025 policy wins in his response to Democratic Gov. Laura Kelly’s final State of the State address.

Hawkins, a Wichita Republican, also promised solutions to cost of living issues, health care woes and academic outcomes in K-12 schools during the 2026 legislative session, where Republicans maintained an 88-37 advantage in the House and a 31-9 margin in the Senate.

Kelly’s State of the State speech was&nbsp;<a href="https://kansasreflector.com/2026/01/13/kansas-governor-revels-in-triumphs-warns-against-succumbing-to-uncivilized-d-c-politics/">part victory lap, part warning</a>. Kelly, who will leave office at the end of 2026, celebrated enticing the Kansas City Chiefs, who will move from Missouri to play in a new stadium in five years, and her seven years in office. And she cautioned against accepting uncivil political discourse as the norm.

It’s Hawkins’ final State of the State response, too, which he prerecorded ahead of Kelly’s address Tuesday. He is running for state insurance commissioner. His&nbsp;<a href="https://kansasreflector.com/2026/01/13/full-transcript-of-house-speaker-dan-hawkins-response-to-governors-state-of-the-state-address/">rebuttal</a>&nbsp;touted tax relief legislation, and he spoke of prioritizing quality K-12 schools, housing and roads.

Three things, he said, have made a difference in the state budget.

One: A focus on efficiency inspired by the Trump administration’s DOGE, or department of government efficiency. Two: Investing in government functions such as schools, roads, public safety and water. And three: Reducing state spending.

<a href="https://kansasreflector.com/2024/01/10/full-transcript-of-kansas-house-speaker-dan-hawkins-response-to-the-state-of-the-state-speech/">His 2024 speech</a>&nbsp;was laden with critiques of Kelly and the Biden administration, and he vowed at the time to focus on shrinking government, reining in energy costs, improving civil services and cracking down on communist China.

Two years later, he threw fewer jabs. He criticized Kelly for “covering up waste, fraud and abuse” in the state budget and “massive” spending proposals. However, the Republican majority was, by its own authority, responsible in 2025 for proposing, negotiating and passing the state budget.

“The bottom line is we are focusing on the core services of government and doing those things right,” he said. “We’re putting people first, and it’s working. This past year alone, we reduced state spending by over $200 million.”

That figure is in contrast to the 2024-2025 state budget.

Republicans actually reduced spending by $38 million last year compared to the governor’s proposed 2025-2026 budget, according to&nbsp;<a href="https://kansasreflector.com/2025/08/25/kansas-house-speaker-wants-to-slash-200-million-from-state-budget-target-medicaid-for-cuts/#:~:text=Despite%20Republicans%20in%20the%20House,Hawkins%20told%20his%20ALEC%20audience.">numbers confirmed in August by his staff</a>.

Hawkins said schools were the Legislature’s No. 1 budget priority. Republicans historically have not always put forth proposals that fully fund public schools, however. He voiced support for a proposed bipartisan cellphone ban in K-12 schools, hypothesizing it could improve test scores.

Health care, he said, is another priority.

“It’s beyond frustrating to see enormous federal and state government funding pumped into the system, and yet costs keep skyrocketing, and middle class families are forced to keep paying more,” he said.

Hawkins has opposed Medicaid expansion in Kansas, which has shown in some states to lower state and consumer costs.

The solutions Hawkins sees include improving hospital reimbursements, enhancing telemedicine, improving hospital pricing transparency, lowering prescription costs and creating oversight for the Rural Health Transformation Fund, a $50 billion program established in the One Big Beautiful Bill Act to offset the bill’s cuts to rural health providers. He said the fund, if used wisely, has the ability to rightsize health care for rural Kansas communities.”

“Payouts to big hospital systems and programs based on buzzwords instead of actual care, as some have suggested, are not going to cut it,” he said.

He said the 2026 Legislature, “as part of our people-first agenda,” will concentrate on cost of living concerns, including housing, insurance and utility costs.

Hawkins promised to modify tort law to lower insurance costs and deregulate single-family home building to lower housing costs. Quality and affordable housing was identified as a major need, especially in rural communities, in the state’s 2021 Housing Needs Assessment. A growing population and the compounded effects of the 2008 recession have created a housing shortage in Kansas. The Legislature last year passed legislation that will whittle down the state’s low-income housing tax credit program, which helped fund the construction and rehabilitation of low-income rental housing, until it is discontinued in 2028.

Hawkins, who has served 13 years in the Legislature, ended his response by committing Republicans to having Kansans’ backs.

“When I look out on our great state, I see the challenges we face,” he said. “But we’ve faced challenges before.”

Bleeding Kansas, grasshopper plagues, ice storms, prairie fires, tornadoes and the dust bowl, to name a few, he said.

“But Kansas remains undefeated,” he said. “We dust ourselves off, and we confront our problems head on, and we carry on.”

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2026/1/1768402895800.png" alt=" House Speaker Dan Hawkins presides over the House during a Jan. 12, 2026, session. The Wichita Republican delivered the GOP response to the governor’s State of the State speech. (Photo by Sherman Smith/Kansas Reflector)" />
 <figcaption> House Speaker Dan Hawkins presides over the House during a Jan. 12, 2026, session. The Wichita Republican delivered the GOP response to the governor’s State of the State speech. (Photo by Sherman Smith/Kansas Reflector)</figcaption>
 </figure><h2>House Speaker Dan Hawkins, in his final year in the Legislature, centers his rebuttal speech on budget, policy wins</h2>BY&nbsp;<a href="https://kansasreflector.com/author/akaminski/">ANNA KAMINSKI</a> <a href="https://kansasreflector.com/2025/12/29/kansan-returns-to-the-catholic-church-as-the-states-first-woman-priest/">Kansas Reflector</a>TOPEKA — Kansas House Speaker Dan Hawkins underscored the force of the Republican supermajority and its 2025 policy wins in his response to Democratic Gov. Laura Kelly’s final State of the State address.Hawkins, a Wichita Republican, also promised solutions to cost of living issues, health care woes and academic outcomes in K-12 schools during the 2026 legislative session, where Republicans maintained an 88-37 advantage in the House and a 31-9 margin in the Senate.Kelly’s State of the State speech was&nbsp;<a href="https://kansasreflector.com/2026/01/13/kansas-governor-revels-in-triumphs-warns-against-succumbing-to-uncivilized-d-c-politics/">part victory lap, part warning</a>. Kelly, who will leave office at the end of 2026, celebrated enticing the Kansas City Chiefs, who will move from Missouri to play in a new stadium in five years, and her seven years in office. And she cautioned against accepting uncivil political discourse as the norm.It’s Hawkins’ final State of the State response, too, which he prerecorded ahead of Kelly’s address Tuesday. He is running for state insurance commissioner. His&nbsp;<a href="https://kansasreflector.com/2026/01/13/full-transcript-of-house-speaker-dan-hawkins-response-to-governors-state-of-the-state-address/">rebuttal</a>&nbsp;touted tax relief legislation, and he spoke of prioritizing quality K-12 schools, housing and roads.<div><iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/o3g2uj4ukaE?si=YobigTJFapiF6xTR" title="YouTube video player" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" referrerpolicy="strict-origin-when-cross-origin" allowfullscreen></iframe></div>Three things, he said, have made a difference in the state budget.One: A focus on efficiency inspired by the Trump administration’s DOGE, or department of government efficiency. Two: Investing in government functions such as schools, roads, public safety and water. And three: Reducing state spending.<a href="https://kansasreflector.com/2024/01/10/full-transcript-of-kansas-house-speaker-dan-hawkins-response-to-the-state-of-the-state-speech/">His 2024 speech</a>&nbsp;was laden with critiques of Kelly and the Biden administration, and he vowed at the time to focus on shrinking government, reining in energy costs, improving civil services and cracking down on communist China.Two years later, he threw fewer jabs. He criticized Kelly for “covering up waste, fraud and abuse” in the state budget and “massive” spending proposals. However, the Republican majority was, by its own authority, responsible in 2025 for proposing, negotiating and passing the state budget.“The bottom line is we are focusing on the core services of government and doing those things right,” he said. “We’re putting people first, and it’s working. This past year alone, we reduced state spending by over $200 million.”That figure is in contrast to the 2024-2025 state budget.Republicans actually reduced spending by $38 million last year compared to the governor’s proposed 2025-2026 budget, according to&nbsp;<a href="https://kansasreflector.com/2025/08/25/kansas-house-speaker-wants-to-slash-200-million-from-state-budget-target-medicaid-for-cuts/#:~:text=Despite%20Republicans%20in%20the%20House,Hawkins%20told%20his%20ALEC%20audience.">numbers confirmed in August by his staff</a>.Hawkins said schools were the Legislature’s No. 1 budget priority. Republicans historically have not always put forth proposals that fully fund public schools, however. He voiced support for a proposed bipartisan cellphone ban in K-12 schools, hypothesizing it could improve test scores.Health care, he said, is another priority.“It’s beyond frustrating to see enormous federal and state government funding pumped into the system, and yet costs keep skyrocketing, and middle class families are forced to keep paying more,” he said.Hawkins has opposed Medicaid expansion in Kansas, which has shown in some states to lower state and consumer costs.The solutions Hawkins sees include improving hospital reimbursements, enhancing telemedicine, improving hospital pricing transparency, lowering prescription costs and creating oversight for the Rural Health Transformation Fund, a $50 billion program established in the One Big Beautiful Bill Act to offset the bill’s cuts to rural health providers. He said the fund, if used wisely, has the ability to rightsize health care for rural Kansas communities.”“Payouts to big hospital systems and programs based on buzzwords instead of actual care, as some have suggested, are not going to cut it,” he said.He said the 2026 Legislature, “as part of our people-first agenda,” will concentrate on cost of living concerns, including housing, insurance and utility costs.Hawkins promised to modify tort law to lower insurance costs and deregulate single-family home building to lower housing costs. Quality and affordable housing was identified as a major need, especially in rural communities, in the state’s 2021 Housing Needs Assessment. A growing population and the compounded effects of the 2008 recession have created a housing shortage in Kansas. The Legislature last year passed legislation that will whittle down the state’s low-income housing tax credit program, which helped fund the construction and rehabilitation of low-income rental housing, until it is discontinued in 2028.Hawkins, who has served 13 years in the Legislature, ended his response by committing Republicans to having Kansans’ backs.“When I look out on our great state, I see the challenges we face,” he said. “But we’ve faced challenges before.”Bleeding Kansas, grasshopper plagues, ice storms, prairie fires, tornadoes and the dust bowl, to name a few, he said.“But Kansas remains undefeated,” he said. “We dust ourselves off, and we confront our problems head on, and we carry on.”

Kansas House Speaker touts Republican supermajority’s ‘people-first agenda’

Women in nearby states with abortion bans might not have to travel so far for the procedure.

BY:&nbsp;<a href="https://stateline.org/author/khardy/">Kevin Hardy</a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/author/annaspoerre/">ANNA SPOERRE</a> <a href="https://missouriindependent.com/author/annaspoerre/"></a><a href="https://missouriindependent.com/2023/02/20/state-senator-throws-first-punches-of-2024-missouri-governors-campaign/">Missouri Independent</a>

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — The outcome of a trial over Missouri’s abortion regulations could ripple far beyond the state, potentially creating new availability for women in the Midwest and South who can’t access abortion close to home.

As a judge&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/2026/01/12/missouri-abortion-rights-trial-focuses-on-two-decades-of-state-restrictions/" target="_blank">weighs the constitutionality</a>&nbsp;of a litany of state restrictions on abortion, the stakes are clear for Missouri women: The decision could hamper access for nearly everyone in the state — or greatly broaden it in ways not seen in decades. That would allow women in a dozen nearby states with abortion bans to travel a shorter distance to access the procedure.

“Opening and reestablishing rights in the state of Missouri would help to alleviate some of the pressure that other states have since so many Southern states have banned abortion,” said Julie Burkhart, the co-owner of Hope Clinic in Granite City, Illinois. “It just seems logical that we would see a shift in migration patterns of patients in the country.”

At her clinic, about a 15-minute drive from downtown St. Louis, Missourians account for about half of all patients, Burkhart said. Though Missouri voters in 2024 enshrined a right to abortion in the state constitution, access has remained&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/2025/12/05/missouri-abortion-legal-access-hinges-courts-rebuilding/" target="_blank">highly limited because of restrictive state laws</a>. Only procedural abortions are available on a limited basis across three Planned Parenthood clinics in the state.

Many of those state laws face legal scrutiny this week as a Missouri judge weighs the constitutionality of regulations targeting abortion providers. Those include a 72-hour waiting period between initial appointments and procedures, mandatory pelvic exams for medication abortions and a ban on telemedicine appointments for medication abortions.

Planned Parenthood affiliates in Missouri argue state restrictions are unconstitutional under 2024’s voter-approved constitutional amendment. Over decades, state restrictions have gutted Missouri’s provider networks, limited appointment availability and ultimately forced abortions to a halt in 2022, before a limited number resumed after the 2024 vote.

Experts and advocates are closely monitoring the Missouri case, which is expected to be appealed regardless of the outcome, because of its practical implications on access in the region. While many women now rely on abortion medication, procedural abortion is still crucial for those seeking later-term abortions or who prefer an in-clinic procedure.

But the two-week bench trial in downtown Kansas City also tests lawmakers’ ability to put in place rules so restrictive that they effectively ban abortion — a practice used by anti-abortion lawmakers in other states looking to limit access to the procedure.

“Judges do not operate in a vacuum,” Burkhart said, “ … and we know for a fact that judges look outside the borders of their state for information and for guidance. I do see this as having national importance.”

That’s especially true in other states also litigating abortion access, including Arizona, Michigan and Ohio, said Rebecca Reingold, an associate director at Georgetown University’s O’Neill Institute for National and Global Health Law.

While state judges are not bound by the decisions of judges in other states, their deliberations can be informed by court rulings, particularly involving novel legal questions or areas of the law that are evolving.

“There is little doubt that advocates and decision-makers in other states navigating similar legal challenges are closely monitoring the litigation over Missouri’s abortion regulations,” Reingold said.

In the first days of the trial, Planned Parenthood leaders argued that ever-changing state laws and agency regulations have drastically limited access, caused needless red tape and posed privacy risk for their patients.

Dr. Margaret Baum, chief medical officer with St. Louis-based Planned Parenthood Great Rivers, said the Missouri requirements specifically target abortion rather than all other kinds of medical care.

“I provide vasectomies routinely. … And I am not required to have a complication plan, contact a primary care physician, even ask the patient how many miles they live from the health center.”

Baum said state-mandated reporting rules unique to abortion require clinicians to ask the race, education level, marital status and specific location of each patient — none of which is relevant to their care.

Planned Parenthood Great Rivers would like to offer abortion services in Springfield, Baum testified. Access in that region would provide an option for rural Missourians, and also could help serve residents in nearby Arkansas, Oklahoma and Texas, where abortion is almost universally banned.

But the organization’s facilities there do not meet state abortion regulations for physical attributes, including hallway size, doorway size and the number of recliners in recovery rooms, Baum testified.

Lawyers for the state defended Missouri’s restrictions as commonsense safeguards aimed at protecting vulnerable women. The attorney general’s office argued that complication risks of abortion justify additional state regulation — despite professional medical associations saying it’s generally safe. The AG’s office also maintained that Planned Parenthood faced a conflict of interest because of its financial motivations.

“Abortion is a business,” Deputy Solicitor General Peter Donohue said during a procedural argument on Monday. “Your Honor, the plaintiffs are asking to deregulate their profession in order to make more money.”

The state was expected to call as witnesses anti-abortion doctors and activists later in the trial.

Since the U.S. Supreme Court’s ruling that overturned federal constitutional protections for abortion in June 2022, the number of abortions has increased slightly across the country, according to the health research nonprofit&nbsp;<a href="https://www.kff.org/womens-health-policy/abortion-trends-before-and-after-dobbs/" target="_blank">KFF</a>.

The group points to expanded telehealth, which can offer medication abortion more affordably through virtual appointments.

Since the 2022 ruling and subsequent state abortion bans, patients have experienced higher travel costs for abortions and delays in care, according to&nbsp;<a href="https://stateline.org/2025/07/16/travel-time-costs-for-abortions-increased-after-state-bans-researchers-find/">research</a>&nbsp;published in the American Journal of Public Health in July.

Researchers from the University of California, San Francisco found that travel time to access abortion increased from 2.8 hours to 11.3 hours for residents in states with abortion bans. Travel costs increased from $179 to $372. And more than half of survey respondents said their abortion care required an overnight hotel stay, compared with 5% before an abortion ban.

In 2024, an estimated 7,880 Missourians traveled to Illinois and 3,960 traveled to Kansas to access abortion, according to the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.guttmacher.org/monthly-abortion-provision-study" target="_blank">Guttmacher Institute</a>, a research and policy organization focused on advancing reproductive rights.

Those Missourians were among the approximate 155,000 people who crossed state lines to access abortion care that year, representing 15% of all abortions provided in states without total bans.

Regardless of its outcome, the Missouri case is expected to be appealed. Even if the plaintiffs are ultimately successful, it may take a long time to restore care networks across the state, said Isaac Maddow-Zimet, a data scientist at the Guttmacher Institute.

“And that’s particularly the case when there are states that have a lot of legal uncertainty or restrictions coming into effect and then coming out of effect,” he said. “It’s not quick to open up a clinic. It’s not quick to even necessarily expand the kinds of services, or the kinds of the number of people that a clinic can see.”

Kimya Forouzan, the organization’s principal state policy adviser, said Missouri’s landscape is evidence that lawmakers can drastically curb abortion access without total bans. And despite an overwhelming vote to amend the constitution, legal battles can follow.

Even if the state’s laws are found unconstitutional, Forouzan said, lawmakers will likely still push anti-abortion measures. She noted that several bills have already been introduced in this year’s just-convened legislative session, and that Republican lawmakers are pushing a ballot&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/2025/12/04/missouri-appeals-court-rejects-abortion-ban-ballot-language/" target="_blank">measure to repeal</a>&nbsp;2024’s reproductive rights amendment.

“There’s very much a push to pass as many restrictions as possible and kind of see what happens later and how things shape up later. … Time will tell, but we do know that they’re still pushing forth restrictions,” she said.

Stateline reporter Kevin Hardy can be reached at&nbsp;<a href="mailto:khardy@stateline.org">khardy@stateline.org</a>. Missouri Independent reporter Anna Spoerre can be reached at&nbsp;<a href="mailto:aspoerre@missouriindependent.com">aspoerre@missouriindependent.com</a>.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2026/1/1768404776458.png" alt="A trial over Missouri’s abortion regulations began Monday at the Jackson County Courthouse in Kansas City, Mo. Experts are watching the case, which could impact abortion access across the Midwest and South. (Photo by Kevin Hardy/Stateline)" />
 <figcaption>A trial over Missouri’s abortion regulations began Monday at the Jackson County Courthouse in Kansas City, Mo. Experts are watching the case, which could impact abortion access across the Midwest and South. (Photo by Kevin Hardy/Stateline)</figcaption>
 </figure><h2>Women in nearby states with abortion bans might not have to travel so far for the procedure.</h2>BY:&nbsp;<a href="https://stateline.org/author/khardy/">Kevin Hardy</a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/author/annaspoerre/">ANNA SPOERRE</a> <a href="https://missouriindependent.com/author/annaspoerre/"></a><a href="https://missouriindependent.com/2023/02/20/state-senator-throws-first-punches-of-2024-missouri-governors-campaign/">Missouri Independent</a>KANSAS CITY, Mo. — The outcome of a trial over Missouri’s abortion regulations could ripple far beyond the state, potentially creating new availability for women in the Midwest and South who can’t access abortion close to home.As a judge&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/2026/01/12/missouri-abortion-rights-trial-focuses-on-two-decades-of-state-restrictions/" target="_blank">weighs the constitutionality</a>&nbsp;of a litany of state restrictions on abortion, the stakes are clear for Missouri women: The decision could hamper access for nearly everyone in the state — or greatly broaden it in ways not seen in decades. That would allow women in a dozen nearby states with abortion bans to travel a shorter distance to access the procedure.“Opening and reestablishing rights in the state of Missouri would help to alleviate some of the pressure that other states have since so many Southern states have banned abortion,” said Julie Burkhart, the co-owner of Hope Clinic in Granite City, Illinois. “It just seems logical that we would see a shift in migration patterns of patients in the country.”At her clinic, about a 15-minute drive from downtown St. Louis, Missourians account for about half of all patients, Burkhart said. Though Missouri voters in 2024 enshrined a right to abortion in the state constitution, access has remained&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/2025/12/05/missouri-abortion-legal-access-hinges-courts-rebuilding/" target="_blank">highly limited because of restrictive state laws</a>. Only procedural abortions are available on a limited basis across three Planned Parenthood clinics in the state.Many of those state laws face legal scrutiny this week as a Missouri judge weighs the constitutionality of regulations targeting abortion providers. Those include a 72-hour waiting period between initial appointments and procedures, mandatory pelvic exams for medication abortions and a ban on telemedicine appointments for medication abortions.Planned Parenthood affiliates in Missouri argue state restrictions are unconstitutional under 2024’s voter-approved constitutional amendment. Over decades, state restrictions have gutted Missouri’s provider networks, limited appointment availability and ultimately forced abortions to a halt in 2022, before a limited number resumed after the 2024 vote.Experts and advocates are closely monitoring the Missouri case, which is expected to be appealed regardless of the outcome, because of its practical implications on access in the region. While many women now rely on abortion medication, procedural abortion is still crucial for those seeking later-term abortions or who prefer an in-clinic procedure.But the two-week bench trial in downtown Kansas City also tests lawmakers’ ability to put in place rules so restrictive that they effectively ban abortion — a practice used by anti-abortion lawmakers in other states looking to limit access to the procedure.“Judges do not operate in a vacuum,” Burkhart said, “ … and we know for a fact that judges look outside the borders of their state for information and for guidance. I do see this as having national importance.”That’s especially true in other states also litigating abortion access, including Arizona, Michigan and Ohio, said Rebecca Reingold, an associate director at Georgetown University’s O’Neill Institute for National and Global Health Law.While state judges are not bound by the decisions of judges in other states, their deliberations can be informed by court rulings, particularly involving novel legal questions or areas of the law that are evolving.“There is little doubt that advocates and decision-makers in other states navigating similar legal challenges are closely monitoring the litigation over Missouri’s abortion regulations,” Reingold said.<h2>Restrictions targeting abortion</h2>In the first days of the trial, Planned Parenthood leaders argued that ever-changing state laws and agency regulations have drastically limited access, caused needless red tape and posed privacy risk for their patients.Dr. Margaret Baum, chief medical officer with St. Louis-based Planned Parenthood Great Rivers, said the Missouri requirements specifically target abortion rather than all other kinds of medical care.“I provide vasectomies routinely. … And I am not required to have a complication plan, contact a primary care physician, even ask the patient how many miles they live from the health center.”Baum said state-mandated reporting rules unique to abortion require clinicians to ask the race, education level, marital status and specific location of each patient — none of which is relevant to their care.Planned Parenthood Great Rivers would like to offer abortion services in Springfield, Baum testified. Access in that region would provide an option for rural Missourians, and also could help serve residents in nearby Arkansas, Oklahoma and Texas, where abortion is almost universally banned.But the organization’s facilities there do not meet state abortion regulations for physical attributes, including hallway size, doorway size and the number of recliners in recovery rooms, Baum testified.Lawyers for the state defended Missouri’s restrictions as commonsense safeguards aimed at protecting vulnerable women. The attorney general’s office argued that complication risks of abortion justify additional state regulation — despite professional medical associations saying it’s generally safe. The AG’s office also maintained that Planned Parenthood faced a conflict of interest because of its financial motivations.“Abortion is a business,” Deputy Solicitor General Peter Donohue said during a procedural argument on Monday. “Your Honor, the plaintiffs are asking to deregulate their profession in order to make more money.”The state was expected to call as witnesses anti-abortion doctors and activists later in the trial.<h2>Patients traveling for care</h2>Since the U.S. Supreme Court’s ruling that overturned federal constitutional protections for abortion in June 2022, the number of abortions has increased slightly across the country, according to the health research nonprofit&nbsp;<a href="https://www.kff.org/womens-health-policy/abortion-trends-before-and-after-dobbs/" target="_blank">KFF</a>.The group points to expanded telehealth, which can offer medication abortion more affordably through virtual appointments.Since the 2022 ruling and subsequent state abortion bans, patients have experienced higher travel costs for abortions and delays in care, according to&nbsp;<a href="https://stateline.org/2025/07/16/travel-time-costs-for-abortions-increased-after-state-bans-researchers-find/">research</a>&nbsp;published in the American Journal of Public Health in July.Researchers from the University of California, San Francisco found that travel time to access abortion increased from 2.8 hours to 11.3 hours for residents in states with abortion bans. Travel costs increased from $179 to $372. And more than half of survey respondents said their abortion care required an overnight hotel stay, compared with 5% before an abortion ban.In 2024, an estimated 7,880 Missourians traveled to Illinois and 3,960 traveled to Kansas to access abortion, according to the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.guttmacher.org/monthly-abortion-provision-study" target="_blank">Guttmacher Institute</a>, a research and policy organization focused on advancing reproductive rights.Those Missourians were among the approximate 155,000 people who crossed state lines to access abortion care that year, representing 15% of all abortions provided in states without total bans.<h2>Ongoing uncertainty</h2>Regardless of its outcome, the Missouri case is expected to be appealed. Even if the plaintiffs are ultimately successful, it may take a long time to restore care networks across the state, said Isaac Maddow-Zimet, a data scientist at the Guttmacher Institute.“And that’s particularly the case when there are states that have a lot of legal uncertainty or restrictions coming into effect and then coming out of effect,” he said. “It’s not quick to open up a clinic. It’s not quick to even necessarily expand the kinds of services, or the kinds of the number of people that a clinic can see.”Kimya Forouzan, the organization’s principal state policy adviser, said Missouri’s landscape is evidence that lawmakers can drastically curb abortion access without total bans. And despite an overwhelming vote to amend the constitution, legal battles can follow.Even if the state’s laws are found unconstitutional, Forouzan said, lawmakers will likely still push anti-abortion measures. She noted that several bills have already been introduced in this year’s just-convened legislative session, and that Republican lawmakers are pushing a ballot&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/2025/12/04/missouri-appeals-court-rejects-abortion-ban-ballot-language/" target="_blank">measure to repeal</a>&nbsp;2024’s reproductive rights amendment.“There’s very much a push to pass as many restrictions as possible and kind of see what happens later and how things shape up later. … Time will tell, but we do know that they’re still pushing forth restrictions,” she said.Stateline reporter Kevin Hardy can be reached at&nbsp;<a href="mailto:khardy@stateline.org">khardy@stateline.org</a>. Missouri Independent reporter Anna Spoerre can be reached at&nbsp;<a href="mailto:aspoerre@missouriindependent.com">aspoerre@missouriindependent.com</a>.

Missouri trial could affect abortion access across the Midwest and South

RILEY COUNTY–&nbsp; The Riley County Police Department made two arrests Tuesday during a traffic stop, followed by the execution of a search warrant at a Manhattan residence.

David Labombarbe, 39, of Manhattan, was arrested at approximately 3:32 p.m. in the 2700 block of Pembrook Place, according to a media release from the RCPD.

Labombarbe is being held on a&nbsp;a total bond of $300,000 on requested charges of distribution of material containing fentanyl within 1000 feet of a school,&nbsp; distribution or possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine within 1000 feet of a school, distribution or possession with intent to distribute fentanyl within 1000 feet of a school, possession of cocaine, possession of a hallucinogenic drug, and possession of paraphernalia with intent to manufacture/plant/cultivate controlled substance.

Bailey Crumpton, 27, of Manhattan, was also arrested in the 2700 block of Pembrook Place on requested charges including two counts of possession, including fentanyl and cocaine, and possession of a depressant. Crumpton met the requirment of a&nbsp;&nbsp;$7,000 bond and is no longer in custody.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/9/1664309962436.png" alt="Image DEA" />
 <figcaption>Image DEA</figcaption>
 </figure>RILEY COUNTY–&nbsp; The Riley County Police Department made two arrests Tuesday during a traffic stop, followed by the execution of a search warrant at a Manhattan residence.David Labombarbe, 39, of Manhattan, was arrested at approximately 3:32 p.m. in the 2700 block of Pembrook Place, according to a media release from the RCPD.Labombarbe is being held on a&nbsp;a total bond of $300,000 on requested charges of distribution of material containing fentanyl within 1000 feet of a school,&nbsp; distribution or possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine within 1000 feet of a school, distribution or possession with intent to distribute fentanyl within 1000 feet of a school, possession of cocaine, possession of a hallucinogenic drug, and possession of paraphernalia with intent to manufacture/plant/cultivate controlled substance.Bailey Crumpton, 27, of Manhattan, was also arrested in the 2700 block of Pembrook Place on requested charges including two counts of possession, including fentanyl and cocaine, and possession of a depressant. Crumpton met the requirment of a&nbsp;&nbsp;$7,000 bond and is no longer in custody.

Police: Suspect accused of selling fentanyl near a Kansas school

SHAWNEE COUNTY—Law enforcement are investigating a violent knife attack in Topeka.

Just before 4p.m. Tuesday, police responded to the area of 722 SW Taylor in Topeka on the report of an aggravated battery, according to Topeka Police Lt. Jayme Green.

First responders found three individuals suffering from what appeared to be stab wounds. The victims were transported to a local hospital to be treated for their injuries. The injuries to one person was considered life threatening, according to Green.

&nbsp;All parties are known and accounted for. Police did not report an arrest or additional details.

SHAWNEE COUNTY—Law enforcement are investigating a violent knife attack in Topeka.Just before 4p.m. Tuesday, police responded to the area of 722 SW Taylor in Topeka on the report of an aggravated battery, according to Topeka Police Lt. Jayme Green.First responders found three individuals suffering from what appeared to be stab wounds. The victims were transported to a local hospital to be treated for their injuries. The injuries to one person was considered life threatening, according to Green.&nbsp;All parties are known and accounted for. Police did not report an arrest or additional details.

Police: 3 hospitalized after violent Kansas knife attack

WASHINGTON (AP) —&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/us-supreme-court">The Supreme Court</a>&nbsp;on Tuesday appeared ready to deal another setback to transgender people and uphold state laws barring transgender girls and women from playing on school athletic teams.

<a href="https://www.supremecourt.gov/oral_arguments/audio/2025/24-38">Click here to listen to the argument in Little vs. Hecox</a>

<a href="https://www.supremecourt.gov/oral_arguments/audio/2025/24-43">Click here to listen to the argument in West Virginia vs. B.P.J.</a>

The court's conservative majority, which has&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-transgender-nonbinary-passport-sex-marker-5040c6412e06a072889af30cfae97462">repeatedly ruled</a>&nbsp;against transgender Americans in the past year, signaled during more than three hours of arguments it would rule the state bans don't violate either the Constitution or the federal law known as Title IX, which prohibits sex discrimination in education.

More than two dozen Republican-led states have adopted bans on female transgender athletes. Lower courts had ruled for the transgender athletes who challenged laws in Idaho and West Virginia.

The legal fight is playing out against the backdrop of a broad effort by President Donald Trump to&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-sex-gender-transgender-dei-order-245350b97e0c4dcc221fefc49ef44699">target transgender Americans</a>, beginning on the first day of his second term and including&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/transgender-troops-ban-military-trump-9c3018034a2608a28f6146fe17f0fe4b">the ouster of transgender people</a>&nbsp;from the military and declaring that gender is immutable and determined at birth.

The justices are evaluating claims of sex discrimination lodged by transgender people versus the need for fair competition for women and girls, the main argument made by the states.

Justice Brett Kavanaugh, who coached his daughters in girls basketball, seemed concerned about a ruling that might undo the effects of Title IX, which has produced dramatic growth in girls and women's sports. Kavanaugh called Title IX an “amazing” and “inspiring” success.

Some girls and women might lose a medal in a competition with transgender athletes, which Kavanaugh called a harm “we can’t sweep aside.”

The three liberal justices seemed focused on trying to marshal a court majority in support of a narrow ruling that would allow the individual transgender athletes involved in the cases to prevail.

A ruling for West Virginia and Idaho would effectively apply to the other two dozen Republican-led states with similar laws.

But the justices soon might be asked to decide about the laws in an additional roughly two dozen states, led by Democrats, that allow transgender athletes to compete on the teams that match their gender identity.

The outcome also could influence separate legal efforts by the Trump administration and others seeking to bar transgender athletes in states that have continued to allow them to compete.

In the Idaho case, Lindsay Hecox, 25, sued over the state's first-in-the-nation ban for the chance to try out for the women's track and cross-country teams at Boise State University in Idaho. She didn’t make either squad because “she was too slow,” her lawyer, Kathleen Hartnett, told the court Tuesday, but she competed in club-level soccer and running.

Becky Pepper-Jackson, a 15-year-old high school sophomore, was in the courtroom Tuesday. She has been taking puberty-blocking medication, has publicly identified&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/transgender-athletes-k12-schools-state-restrictions-ec0b1d2ea162855131264c88bb992e2e">as a girl</a>&nbsp;since age 8 and has been issued a West Virginia birth certificate recognizing her as female. She is the only transgender person who has sought to compete in girls sports in West Virginia.

Pepper-Jackson has progressed from a back-of-the-pack cross-country runner in middle school to a statewide third-place finish in the discus in just her first year of high school.

Prominent women in sports have weighed in on both sides. Tennis champion Martina Navratilova, swimmers Summer Sanders and Donna de Varona and beach volleyball player Kerri Walsh-Jennings are supporting the state bans. Soccer stars Megan Rapinoe and Becky Sauerbrunn and basketball players Sue Bird and Breanna Stewart back the transgender athletes.

In 2020,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/courts-supreme-courts-mi-state-wire-neil-gorsuch-ap-top-news-5a7b0e41a47a3c571dda69194758e7b1">the Supreme Court ruled</a>&nbsp;LGBTQ people are protected by a landmark federal civil rights law that prohibits sex discrimination in the workplace, finding that “sex plays an unmistakable role” in employers’ decisions to punish transgender people for traits and behavior they otherwise tolerate.

But last year, the six conservative justices declined to apply the same sort of analysis when they upheld state bans on gender-affirming care for transgender minors.

Chief Justice John Roberts signaled Tuesday he sees differences between the 2020 case, in which he supported the claims of discrimination, and the current dispute.

The states supporting the prohibitions on transgender athletes argue there is no reason to extend the ruling barring workplace discrimination to Title IX.

Idaho's law, state Solicitor General Alan Hurst, said, is “necessary for fair competition because, where sports are concerned, men and women are obviously not the same.”

Lawyers for Pepper-Jackson argue that such distinctions generally make sense, but that their client has none of those advantages because of the unique circumstances of her early transition. In Hecox's case, her lawyers want the court to dismiss the case because she has forsworn trying to play on women's teams.

NCAA president Charlie Baker told Congress in 2024 that he was aware of only 10 transgender athletes out of more than a half-million students on college teams. But despite the small numbers, the issue has taken on outsize importance.

Baker's NCAA and the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Committees&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/olympics-transgender-athlete-ban-2e10a02fea22583ea00403c57a3567b9">banned transgender women</a>&nbsp;from women’s sports after Trump, a Republican, signed&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/donald-trump-transgender-athletes-3606411fc12efffec95a893351624e1b">an executive order</a>&nbsp;aimed at barring their participation.

The public generally is supportive of the limits.&nbsp;<a href="https://apnorc.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/AP-NORC-October-2025-Topline.pdf">An Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research poll</a>&nbsp;conducted in October 2025 found that about 6 in 10 U.S. adults “strongly” or “somewhat” favored requiring transgender children and teenagers to only compete on sports teams that match the sex they were assigned at birth, not the gender they identify with, while about 2 in 10 were “strongly” or “somewhat” opposed and about one-quarter did not have an opinion.

About 2.1 million adults, or 0.8%, and 724,000 people age 13 to 17, or 3.3%, identify as transgender in the U.S., according to the Williams Institute at the UCLA School of Law.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2026/1/1768315435044.png" alt="Image courtesy CSPAN" />
 <figcaption>Image courtesy CSPAN</figcaption>
 </figure>WASHINGTON (AP) —&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/us-supreme-court">The Supreme Court</a>&nbsp;on Tuesday appeared ready to deal another setback to transgender people and uphold state laws barring transgender girls and women from playing on school athletic teams.<a href="https://www.supremecourt.gov/oral_arguments/audio/2025/24-38">Click here to listen to the argument in Little vs. Hecox</a><a href="https://www.supremecourt.gov/oral_arguments/audio/2025/24-43">Click here to listen to the argument in West Virginia vs. B.P.J.</a>The court's conservative majority, which has&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-transgender-nonbinary-passport-sex-marker-5040c6412e06a072889af30cfae97462">repeatedly ruled</a>&nbsp;against transgender Americans in the past year, signaled during more than three hours of arguments it would rule the state bans don't violate either the Constitution or the federal law known as Title IX, which prohibits sex discrimination in education.<div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">Chief John Roberts asks Kathleen Hartnett, Attorney for Transgender Woman Lindsay Hecox, about the distinction between males and females and if the Hartnett is asking for an exception to the biological definition of girls. Full SCOTUS oral argument: <a href="https://t.co/YliltRNLTV">https://t.co/YliltRNLTV</a> <a href="https://t.co/8EaXS0wqog">pic.twitter.com/8EaXS0wqog</a>&mdash; CSPAN (@cspan) <a href="https://twitter.com/cspan/status/2011118108820345186?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 13, 2026</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div><div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">Chief Justice Roberts asks about the importance of defining “sex” in Title IX. Listen to full Supreme Court Oral Argument here: <a href="https://t.co/51mUbxNDcV">https://t.co/51mUbxNDcV</a> <a href="https://t.co/4FbliqXDs7">pic.twitter.com/4FbliqXDs7</a>&mdash; CSPAN (@cspan) <a href="https://twitter.com/cspan/status/2011150933409878389?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 13, 2026</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div><div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">Justice Kavanaugh: &quot;I hate, hate that a kid who wants to play sports might not be able to play sports. Hate that. But it&#39;s kind of a zero sum game for a lot of teams. Someone who tries out and makes it, who is a transgender girl...will bump someone else.&quot; <a href="https://t.co/aX32ZnzPiH">pic.twitter.com/aX32ZnzPiH</a>&mdash; CSPAN (@cspan) <a href="https://twitter.com/cspan/status/2011150777616584950?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 13, 2026</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>More than two dozen Republican-led states have adopted bans on female transgender athletes. Lower courts had ruled for the transgender athletes who challenged laws in Idaho and West Virginia.The legal fight is playing out against the backdrop of a broad effort by President Donald Trump to&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-sex-gender-transgender-dei-order-245350b97e0c4dcc221fefc49ef44699">target transgender Americans</a>, beginning on the first day of his second term and including&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/transgender-troops-ban-military-trump-9c3018034a2608a28f6146fe17f0fe4b">the ouster of transgender people</a>&nbsp;from the military and declaring that gender is immutable and determined at birth.The justices are evaluating claims of sex discrimination lodged by transgender people versus the need for fair competition for women and girls, the main argument made by the states.Justice Brett Kavanaugh, who coached his daughters in girls basketball, seemed concerned about a ruling that might undo the effects of Title IX, which has produced dramatic growth in girls and women's sports. Kavanaugh called Title IX an “amazing” and “inspiring” success.Some girls and women might lose a medal in a competition with transgender athletes, which Kavanaugh called a harm “we can’t sweep aside.”The three liberal justices seemed focused on trying to marshal a court majority in support of a narrow ruling that would allow the individual transgender athletes involved in the cases to prevail.A ruling for West Virginia and Idaho would effectively apply to the other two dozen Republican-led states with similar laws.But the justices soon might be asked to decide about the laws in an additional roughly two dozen states, led by Democrats, that allow transgender athletes to compete on the teams that match their gender identity.The outcome also could influence separate legal efforts by the Trump administration and others seeking to bar transgender athletes in states that have continued to allow them to compete.<h2>The transgender athletes' cases</h2>In the Idaho case, Lindsay Hecox, 25, sued over the state's first-in-the-nation ban for the chance to try out for the women's track and cross-country teams at Boise State University in Idaho. She didn’t make either squad because “she was too slow,” her lawyer, Kathleen Hartnett, told the court Tuesday, but she competed in club-level soccer and running.Becky Pepper-Jackson, a 15-year-old high school sophomore, was in the courtroom Tuesday. She has been taking puberty-blocking medication, has publicly identified&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/transgender-athletes-k12-schools-state-restrictions-ec0b1d2ea162855131264c88bb992e2e">as a girl</a>&nbsp;since age 8 and has been issued a West Virginia birth certificate recognizing her as female. She is the only transgender person who has sought to compete in girls sports in West Virginia.Pepper-Jackson has progressed from a back-of-the-pack cross-country runner in middle school to a statewide third-place finish in the discus in just her first year of high school.Prominent women in sports have weighed in on both sides. Tennis champion Martina Navratilova, swimmers Summer Sanders and Donna de Varona and beach volleyball player Kerri Walsh-Jennings are supporting the state bans. Soccer stars Megan Rapinoe and Becky Sauerbrunn and basketball players Sue Bird and Breanna Stewart back the transgender athletes.In 2020,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/courts-supreme-courts-mi-state-wire-neil-gorsuch-ap-top-news-5a7b0e41a47a3c571dda69194758e7b1">the Supreme Court ruled</a>&nbsp;LGBTQ people are protected by a landmark federal civil rights law that prohibits sex discrimination in the workplace, finding that “sex plays an unmistakable role” in employers’ decisions to punish transgender people for traits and behavior they otherwise tolerate.But last year, the six conservative justices declined to apply the same sort of analysis when they upheld state bans on gender-affirming care for transgender minors.Chief Justice John Roberts signaled Tuesday he sees differences between the 2020 case, in which he supported the claims of discrimination, and the current dispute.The states supporting the prohibitions on transgender athletes argue there is no reason to extend the ruling barring workplace discrimination to Title IX.Idaho's law, state Solicitor General Alan Hurst, said, is “necessary for fair competition because, where sports are concerned, men and women are obviously not the same.”Lawyers for Pepper-Jackson argue that such distinctions generally make sense, but that their client has none of those advantages because of the unique circumstances of her early transition. In Hecox's case, her lawyers want the court to dismiss the case because she has forsworn trying to play on women's teams.NCAA president Charlie Baker told Congress in 2024 that he was aware of only 10 transgender athletes out of more than a half-million students on college teams. But despite the small numbers, the issue has taken on outsize importance.Baker's NCAA and the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Committees&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/olympics-transgender-athlete-ban-2e10a02fea22583ea00403c57a3567b9">banned transgender women</a>&nbsp;from women’s sports after Trump, a Republican, signed&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/donald-trump-transgender-athletes-3606411fc12efffec95a893351624e1b">an executive order</a>&nbsp;aimed at barring their participation.The public generally is supportive of the limits.&nbsp;<a href="https://apnorc.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/AP-NORC-October-2025-Topline.pdf">An Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research poll</a>&nbsp;conducted in October 2025 found that about 6 in 10 U.S. adults “strongly” or “somewhat” favored requiring transgender children and teenagers to only compete on sports teams that match the sex they were assigned at birth, not the gender they identify with, while about 2 in 10 were “strongly” or “somewhat” opposed and about one-quarter did not have an opinion.About 2.1 million adults, or 0.8%, and 724,000 people age 13 to 17, or 3.3%, identify as transgender in the U.S., according to the Williams Institute at the UCLA School of Law.A decision is expected by early summer.___

🎧 Court likely to uphold state bans on trans athletes in girls sports

SEDGWICK COUNTY— A Kansas man accused of killing a man in July will return to court Wednesday.

Andrew Presley, 31,&nbsp; will appear in Judge Roger Woods courtroom for a preliminary hearing, according to the Sedgwick County District attorney's office.&nbsp; He was charged with second degree murder in the death of 32-year-old Kelly Black.

He is also charged with criminal possession of a firearm by a convicted felon.&nbsp;

On July 15, police in Hutchinson arrested Presley after a brief standoff, according to a media release from the Wichita Police Department.

Just before 6p.m. July 13, police&nbsp;responded to a shooting in the 7000 block of E. Lincoln in Wichita.. First responders found&nbsp; Black lying on the ground with a gunshot wound. He was transported to a local hospital in critical condition but was later pronounced dead.

Presley remains jailed on bond totaling over&nbsp;$1,000,000.00, according to online jail records.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/7/1752662206536.png" alt="Presley photo Sedgwick County" />
 <figcaption>Presley photo Sedgwick County</figcaption>
 </figure>SEDGWICK COUNTY— A Kansas man accused of killing a man in July will return to court Wednesday.Andrew Presley, 31,&nbsp; will appear in Judge Roger Woods courtroom for a preliminary hearing, according to the Sedgwick County District attorney's office.&nbsp; He was charged with second degree murder in the death of 32-year-old Kelly Black.He is also charged with criminal possession of a firearm by a convicted felon.&nbsp;On July 15, police in Hutchinson arrested Presley after a brief standoff, according to a media release from the Wichita Police Department.Just before 6p.m. July 13, police&nbsp;responded to a shooting in the 7000 block of E. Lincoln in Wichita.. First responders found&nbsp; Black lying on the ground with a gunshot wound. He was transported to a local hospital in critical condition but was later pronounced dead.Presley remains jailed on bond totaling over&nbsp;$1,000,000.00, according to online jail records.

Preliminary Hearing: Kan. murder suspect arrested after standoff

The wins: Chiefs deal, stable budget, tax cuts, education funding and ‘civility’

By:<a href="https://kansasreflector.com/author/tim-carpenter/">Tim Carpenter</a> <a href="https://kansasreflector.com/2025/02/24/gov-laura-kelly-skeptical-kansas-houses-anti-tenure-legislation-will-reach-her-desk/">Kansas Reflector</a>

TOPEKA — Gov. Laura Kelly says Kansans wouldn’t have elected her if she were the type of politician who screamed the loudest and relied on bullying others to get her way.

She said during her annual State of the State speech Tuesday night it was a certainty Kansas would have suffered in terms of managing the government, advancing economic activity and elevating the quality of life if voters had chosen a governor who confused toxicity for leadership.

“I’m here because Kansans were looking for someone who would turn the volume down, to do more listening than yelling, to bring people together, to compromise and govern from the middle,” Kelly told the joint session of the House and Senate. “Kansans are the most civil, decent people on earth. And they expect that from us, too. I say to everyone here — do not let the loudest voices, on either extreme, drown out the voices of the vast majority of Kansans who want to see us work together.”

Kelly said placing cooperation ahead of partisanship and having the courage to treat colleagues with respect was key to finding common ground among politicians with different ideologies and backgrounds. She said this form of leadership led to enactment of 587 bipartisan bills in her seven years as governor. It created an environment where cross-party dialogue could produce an economic incentive deal for construction of a stadium in Wyandotte County to host the Kansas City Chiefs.

“To land the Chiefs, we all put politics aside,” the Democratic governor said. “We all put personal differences aside. And we didn’t care who got the credit.”

She said the core of this mostly collegial relationship was borne through years in which Kansas overcame major challenges. She said the state moved away from an era of budgeting woes marked by “gimmicks and funny money,” underfunding of K-12 schools, crumbling bridges and highways, a quality of life that fed a youth brain drain and missed opportunities for job growth.

The perception of Kansas was transformed by attracting more than $30 billion in business investment and the creation of 80,000 good-paying jobs since 2019, Kelly said. The state slashed annual taxes by more than $1 billion, including elimination of the unpopular $500 million state sales tax on groceries. The balance in the state’s rainy-day fund mushroomed to $2 billion. High-speed internet was provided to 117,000 homes and businesses. Kansas paid down debt. The state’s crime rate fell to a 20-year low.

“I know there is more to do,” Kelly told the GOP-dominated House and Senate. “But after seven years, I also know that the state of our state has never been stronger.&nbsp;Ultimately, we were able to get our state back on track because we showed that civility can still exist in our politics, that you can get a whole lot done when you work with others.”

Kelly, a term-limited governor who leaves office in January, said this moment in Kansas politics shouldn’t be taken for granted.

“There are too many forces trying to push us all into our partisan corners and make the other party the enemy,” Kelly said. “Let me state the obvious. We live in extraordinarily challenging times. And I don’t just mean our politics.”

Kelly said societal change in the past decade was head-spinning. People found themselves more attached to telephones and other electronic devices than ever before. The world crashed into the COVID-19 pandemic. People emerged from the other side to more remote work, AI bots and self-driving vehicles that made people yearn for simpler times, Kelly said. An era defined by disruption required more, not less, from political leaders, she said.

Kansans demonstrated at the ballot box they yearned for leaders who could offer strength, resolve, character and a clear vision, Kelly said. She said the United States received the opposite at the national level in Washington, D.C.

“From both parties,” Kelly said. “Where it became acceptable for our nation’s leaders to treat one another in the most uncivilized ways imaginable. Language and behavior we’d never tolerate from our own children. Instead of using this new technology to reach people with messages of unity and hope, these devices have been turned into weapons for elected leaders to ignite chaos and anger and even violence.”

“Instead of representing their communities, elected officials turned into foot soldiers for their political parties — firing off insults and vitriol to score likes or follows or wins for their team — instead of doing what’s right for their constituents,” Kelly added. “It’s as if they checked their free will at the door and just did as they were told. Treating their own colleagues in such angry and dehumanizing ways, just because they’re in the other party. And the most frightening part — it’s now become the new normal.”

She said the better alternative was to model political discourse evident in Kansas, where politicians could engage in civil exchanges and, at times, acknowledge folks in the other political party had good ideas.

She said that same attitude would be useful in the 2026 session of the Legislature, which began Monday.

Kelly said the state should fully fund K-12 public education and increase the state’s investment in special education. To fill a funding gap ignored by Congress, she said Kansas had provided $120 million for students in special education. Kelly’s proposed budget for the upcoming fiscal year would continue to increase state investment in disabled and gifted students in public schools.

She said Kansas also ought to provide sufficient funding to cover the cost of reduced-price meals in schools to ease financial stress on families.

“We know with grocery costs being what they are right now, that for many of these families, even that reduced cost is untenable,” Kelly said. “Let’s make it clear: No child in Kansas should ever have to worry about having enough to eat. Life is hard enough for our children these days.”

Kelly endorsed a bipartisan Kansas Senate bill that would ban cellphone use by students during the school day. The “bell-to-bell” ban in public and private schools could be implemented in the 2026-2027 school year.

She said Kansas had taken strides to improve services to people challenged by mental illness, but the Legislature should do more to increase treatment beds, hire more treatment professionals and to broaden the crisis response network.

The governor urged the Legislature to dedicate themselves to crafting a comprehensive, long-term strategy for advancing reform in water policy. The state needed a stable funding source for programs aimed at improving the supply and quality of water statewide, she said. The majority of water used in Kansas goes to irrigating crops, which invites political turmoil when changes were proposed.

“I know it is a very sensitive political issue,” Kelly told lawmakers. “But the future of our entire state is dependent upon the actions we take today. It will require looking beyond the next election and looking instead to the next generation.”

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2026/1/1768391162516.png" alt="Gov. Laura Kelly delivers her State of the State speech on Jan. 13, 2026, in the Kansas House. (Photo by Thad Allton for Kansas Reflector)" />
 <figcaption>Gov. Laura Kelly delivers her State of the State speech on Jan. 13, 2026, in the Kansas House. (Photo by Thad Allton for Kansas Reflector)</figcaption>
 </figure><h2>The wins: Chiefs deal, stable budget, tax cuts, education funding and ‘civility’</h2>By:<a href="https://kansasreflector.com/author/tim-carpenter/">Tim Carpenter</a> <a href="https://kansasreflector.com/2025/02/24/gov-laura-kelly-skeptical-kansas-houses-anti-tenure-legislation-will-reach-her-desk/">Kansas Reflector</a>TOPEKA — Gov. Laura Kelly says Kansans wouldn’t have elected her if she were the type of politician who screamed the loudest and relied on bullying others to get her way.She said during her annual State of the State speech Tuesday night it was a certainty Kansas would have suffered in terms of managing the government, advancing economic activity and elevating the quality of life if voters had chosen a governor who confused toxicity for leadership.“I’m here because Kansans were looking for someone who would turn the volume down, to do more listening than yelling, to bring people together, to compromise and govern from the middle,” Kelly told the joint session of the House and Senate. “Kansans are the most civil, decent people on earth. And they expect that from us, too. I say to everyone here — do not let the loudest voices, on either extreme, drown out the voices of the vast majority of Kansans who want to see us work together.”Kelly said placing cooperation ahead of partisanship and having the courage to treat colleagues with respect was key to finding common ground among politicians with different ideologies and backgrounds. She said this form of leadership led to enactment of 587 bipartisan bills in her seven years as governor. It created an environment where cross-party dialogue could produce an economic incentive deal for construction of a stadium in Wyandotte County to host the Kansas City Chiefs.“To land the Chiefs, we all put politics aside,” the Democratic governor said. “We all put personal differences aside. And we didn’t care who got the credit.”<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2026/1/1768391066681.png" alt="Kansas Governor Laura Kelly greets lawmakers Tuesday night (Photo by Thad Allton for Kansas Reflector)" />
 <figcaption>Kansas Governor Laura Kelly greets lawmakers Tuesday night (Photo by Thad Allton for Kansas Reflector)</figcaption>
 </figure>She said the core of this mostly collegial relationship was borne through years in which Kansas overcame major challenges. She said the state moved away from an era of budgeting woes marked by “gimmicks and funny money,” underfunding of K-12 schools, crumbling bridges and highways, a quality of life that fed a youth brain drain and missed opportunities for job growth.The perception of Kansas was transformed by attracting more than $30 billion in business investment and the creation of 80,000 good-paying jobs since 2019, Kelly said. The state slashed annual taxes by more than $1 billion, including elimination of the unpopular $500 million state sales tax on groceries. The balance in the state’s rainy-day fund mushroomed to $2 billion. High-speed internet was provided to 117,000 homes and businesses. Kansas paid down debt. The state’s crime rate fell to a 20-year low.“I know there is more to do,” Kelly told the GOP-dominated House and Senate. “But after seven years, I also know that the state of our state has never been stronger.&nbsp;Ultimately, we were able to get our state back on track because we showed that civility can still exist in our politics, that you can get a whole lot done when you work with others.”Kelly, a term-limited governor who leaves office in January, said this moment in Kansas politics shouldn’t be taken for granted.“There are too many forces trying to push us all into our partisan corners and make the other party the enemy,” Kelly said. “Let me state the obvious. We live in extraordinarily challenging times. And I don’t just mean our politics.”Kelly said societal change in the past decade was head-spinning. People found themselves more attached to telephones and other electronic devices than ever before. The world crashed into the COVID-19 pandemic. People emerged from the other side to more remote work, AI bots and self-driving vehicles that made people yearn for simpler times, Kelly said. An era defined by disruption required more, not less, from political leaders, she said.Kansans demonstrated at the ballot box they yearned for leaders who could offer strength, resolve, character and a clear vision, Kelly said. She said the United States received the opposite at the national level in Washington, D.C.“From both parties,” Kelly said. “Where it became acceptable for our nation’s leaders to treat one another in the most uncivilized ways imaginable. Language and behavior we’d never tolerate from our own children. Instead of using this new technology to reach people with messages of unity and hope, these devices have been turned into weapons for elected leaders to ignite chaos and anger and even violence.”“Instead of representing their communities, elected officials turned into foot soldiers for their political parties — firing off insults and vitriol to score likes or follows or wins for their team — instead of doing what’s right for their constituents,” Kelly added. “It’s as if they checked their free will at the door and just did as they were told. Treating their own colleagues in such angry and dehumanizing ways, just because they’re in the other party. And the most frightening part — it’s now become the new normal.”She said the better alternative was to model political discourse evident in Kansas, where politicians could engage in civil exchanges and, at times, acknowledge folks in the other political party had good ideas.She said that same attitude would be useful in the 2026 session of the Legislature, which began Monday.Kelly said the state should fully fund K-12 public education and increase the state’s investment in special education. To fill a funding gap ignored by Congress, she said Kansas had provided $120 million for students in special education. Kelly’s proposed budget for the upcoming fiscal year would continue to increase state investment in disabled and gifted students in public schools.She said Kansas also ought to provide sufficient funding to cover the cost of reduced-price meals in schools to ease financial stress on families.“We know with grocery costs being what they are right now, that for many of these families, even that reduced cost is untenable,” Kelly said. “Let’s make it clear: No child in Kansas should ever have to worry about having enough to eat. Life is hard enough for our children these days.”Kelly endorsed a bipartisan Kansas Senate bill that would ban cellphone use by students during the school day. The “bell-to-bell” ban in public and private schools could be implemented in the 2026-2027 school year.She said Kansas had taken strides to improve services to people challenged by mental illness, but the Legislature should do more to increase treatment beds, hire more treatment professionals and to broaden the crisis response network.The governor urged the Legislature to dedicate themselves to crafting a comprehensive, long-term strategy for advancing reform in water policy. The state needed a stable funding source for programs aimed at improving the supply and quality of water statewide, she said. The majority of water used in Kansas goes to irrigating crops, which invites political turmoil when changes were proposed.“I know it is a very sensitive political issue,” Kelly told lawmakers. “But the future of our entire state is dependent upon the actions we take today. It will require looking beyond the next election and looking instead to the next generation.”

Kansas governor revels in triumphs, warns against succumbing to ‘uncivilized’ D.C. politics

KANSAS CITY—Police investigating a second homicide this week in Kansas City, Missouri have identified the victim as 41-year-old Chris Wells.

Just after 7:30a.m. Monday, police were dispatched to a shooting in the 2500 block of NE 78th Street, according to KCPD Sergeant Phil DiMartino.

As officers arrived they located a Wells&nbsp; lying in the street, suffering from gunshot wounds. KCFD Medics responded simultaneously and began performing life saving measures. However, Wells was pronounced deceased on scene.

This is being investigated as a homicide. A subject of interest was taken into custody by patrol officers on scene. The preliminary investigation revealed there was a dispute between two individuals that were known to one another. A physical altercation ensued, which led to shots being fired and Wells being struck. Investigator canvassed the area for witnesses, physical evidence, and any possible surveillance footage.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2026/1/1768268746489.png" alt="Photo courtesy KCTV" />
 <figcaption>Photo courtesy KCTV</figcaption>
 </figure>KANSAS CITY—Police investigating a second homicide this week in Kansas City, Missouri have identified the victim as 41-year-old Chris Wells.Just after 7:30a.m. Monday, police were dispatched to a shooting in the 2500 block of NE 78th Street, according to KCPD Sergeant Phil DiMartino.As officers arrived they located a Wells&nbsp; lying in the street, suffering from gunshot wounds. KCFD Medics responded simultaneously and began performing life saving measures. However, Wells was pronounced deceased on scene.This is being investigated as a homicide. A subject of interest was taken into custody by patrol officers on scene. The preliminary investigation revealed there was a dispute between two individuals that were known to one another. A physical altercation ensued, which led to shots being fired and Wells being struck. Investigator canvassed the area for witnesses, physical evidence, and any possible surveillance footage.

41-year-old identified as homicide victim in KC neighborhood

WASHINGTON (AP) — Multiple Americans who were detained in Venezuela have been released, the Trump administration said Tuesday.

“We welcome the release of detained Americans in Venezuela,” the State Department said. “This is an important step in the right direction by the interim authorities.”

The State Department did not provide the exact numbers of those released. But a person familiar with the matter, who spoke on condition of anonymity to describe non-public details, said four Americans were released as a group Tuesday and one was quietly released Monday.

The releases come after the U.S. captured Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro in a stunning nighttime raid earlier this month.

The head of Venezuela’s national assembly, Jorge Rodríguez, said last week that a “significant number” of Venezuelan and foreigners imprisoned in the country would be released as a gesture to “seek peace” following the military operation that deposed Maduro.

As of Tuesday evening, the Venezuela human rights group Foro Penal had confirmed 56 prisoners it said were detained for political reasons had been freed. The group criticized the lack of government transparency over the releases. Venezuela’s government negated the organization’s count, and reported a far higher figure of 400 Tuesday afternoon.

But the government did not provide evidence of the releases or a time range in which they were carried out, nor did it identify those freed, making it impossible to determine whether those freed were behind bars for political or other reasons.

Though Washington and Caracas have long had a fraught and limited relationship, prisoner releases have been a rare source of connection, with the two countries in engaging in a series of swaps of detained citizens.

In July,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/prisoner-swap-venezuela-united-states-el-salvador-a0c3070355fbdc31f028a16096c5655c">Venezuela released 10 jailed U.S. citizens</a>&nbsp;and permanent residents in exchange for getting home scores of migrants deported by the United States to El Salvador under the Trump administration’s immigration crackdown.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2026/1/1768360381572.png" alt="President Trump on the way to Michigan on Tuesday -image courtesy CSPAN" />
 <figcaption>President Trump on the way to Michigan on Tuesday -image courtesy CSPAN</figcaption>
 </figure>WASHINGTON (AP) — Multiple Americans who were detained in Venezuela have been released, the Trump administration said Tuesday.“We welcome the release of detained Americans in Venezuela,” the State Department said. “This is an important step in the right direction by the interim authorities.”The State Department did not provide the exact numbers of those released. But a person familiar with the matter, who spoke on condition of anonymity to describe non-public details, said four Americans were released as a group Tuesday and one was quietly released Monday.The releases come after the U.S. captured Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro in a stunning nighttime raid earlier this month.The head of Venezuela’s national assembly, Jorge Rodríguez, said last week that a “significant number” of Venezuelan and foreigners imprisoned in the country would be released as a gesture to “seek peace” following the military operation that deposed Maduro.As of Tuesday evening, the Venezuela human rights group Foro Penal had confirmed 56 prisoners it said were detained for political reasons had been freed. The group criticized the lack of government transparency over the releases. Venezuela’s government negated the organization’s count, and reported a far higher figure of 400 Tuesday afternoon.But the government did not provide evidence of the releases or a time range in which they were carried out, nor did it identify those freed, making it impossible to determine whether those freed were behind bars for political or other reasons.Though Washington and Caracas have long had a fraught and limited relationship, prisoner releases have been a rare source of connection, with the two countries in engaging in a series of swaps of detained citizens.In July,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/prisoner-swap-venezuela-united-states-el-salvador-a0c3070355fbdc31f028a16096c5655c">Venezuela released 10 jailed U.S. citizens</a>&nbsp;and permanent residents in exchange for getting home scores of migrants deported by the United States to El Salvador under the Trump administration’s immigration crackdown.

Some Americans detained in Venezuela have been released

KANSAS CITY —One person died in an accident just&nbsp; 1p.m. Tuesday in Kansas City.

A black Honda Motorcycle was southbound on Paseo at 9th Street in Kansas City, Missouri, according to KCPD Sergeant Phil Dimartino. A Metro Bus was traveling westbound on&nbsp;9th Street. The bus driver failed to stop for the posted stop sign, entered the intersection and struck the motorcycle. 

The operator of the motorcycle, who was not wearing a helmet, was ejected off the motorcycle. EMS transported the motorcyclist to a local hospital with life-threatening injuries. He was later pronounced deceased by hospital staff. The bus driver, as well as all the passengers on the bus were uninjured in the collision. 

This is fatality #4 compared to #2 at this time last year in Kansas City, Missouri.

KANSAS CITY —One person died in an accident just&nbsp; 1p.m. Tuesday in Kansas City.A black Honda Motorcycle was southbound on Paseo at 9th Street in Kansas City, Missouri, according to KCPD Sergeant Phil Dimartino. A Metro Bus was traveling westbound on&nbsp;9th Street. The bus driver failed to stop for the posted stop sign, entered the intersection and struck the motorcycle. The operator of the motorcycle, who was not wearing a helmet, was ejected off the motorcycle. EMS transported the motorcyclist to a local hospital with life-threatening injuries. He was later pronounced deceased by hospital staff. The bus driver, as well as all the passengers on the bus were uninjured in the collision. This is fatality #4 compared to #2 at this time last year in Kansas City, Missouri.

Fatal crash: KC metro bus strikes motorcycle

WYANDOTTE COUNTY - A jury last week found a suspect guilty in Kansas cold case murder.

&nbsp;Gary Dion Davis,54, was convicted&nbsp;of second-degree murder in the November 1996 death of Pearl Davis, also known as Sameemah Mussawir, according to the Wyandott County District Attorney's office.

Police had found the victim’s body in a house on Lafayette Avenue in Kanas City, Kansas, and the case went unsolved for decades.

Davis&nbsp;had also been charged with killing Christina King two years later in December 1998, but the jury found him not guilty of her murder.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2026/1/1768250377586.png" alt="Davis photo Wyandotte County" />
 <figcaption>Davis photo Wyandotte County</figcaption>
 </figure>WYANDOTTE COUNTY - A jury last week found a suspect guilty in Kansas cold case murder.&nbsp;Gary Dion Davis,54, was convicted&nbsp;of second-degree murder in the November 1996 death of Pearl Davis, also known as Sameemah Mussawir, according to the Wyandott County District Attorney's office.Police had found the victim’s body in a house on Lafayette Avenue in Kanas City, Kansas, and the case went unsolved for decades.Davis&nbsp;had also been charged with killing Christina King two years later in December 1998, but the jury found him not guilty of her murder.Davis worked as a long-haul truck driver. The district attorney's office said it is possible that Davis could be responsible for other crimes across the country because of his job.Davis is scheduled for sentencing on Feb. 26, according to the district attorney's office.