Transgender ID law in court this week
The ACLU’s challenge to Kansas’ new transgender ID and bathroom law began with more than six hours of testimony from transgender Kansans Tuesday.
The law requires Kansas IDs to list a person’s sex assigned at birth and requires people at state facilities to use bathrooms based on that sex.
The state cited social media posts from transgender witnesses about their gender identity that could be accessed by the public as proof that they did not have a problem sharing their gender identities.
ACLU attorney Harper Seldin represents the transgender Kansans challenging the law.
"I think there's an enormous difference between our plaintiffs living authentically and communicating that when they decide to in select ways versus the state of Kansas, like I said, hanging a sign around their neck that says I'm trans or I'm intersex," Seldin said.
Multiple witnesses that present as one gender publicly say showing their ID with their assigned birth sex caused uncomfortable moments for them and confusion for police, bank tellers and bartenders.
Attorney General Kris Kobach argues that the state constitution does not guarantee a right to privacy.
Unions rally in favor of Wichita bond issue
Representatives from three local unions gathered outside a Wichita middle school Wednesday to show their support for the Wichita school district’s November bond referendum.
Present at the rally were members of United Teachers of Wichita, the Service Employees International Union and the local Sheet Metal Workers union.
Marcus Curran is the president of the local Sheet Metal Workers Union. He said problems at buildings like Truesdell Middle School go beyond cosmetics.
“They're dealing with issues such as failing boilers, heating and cooling problems, and electrical infrastructure that's not designed or built for today's modern classrooms," Curran said.
The district would build several new buildings under the $615 million bond proposal, including one worth more than $100 million for Truesdell.
Voters will decide November 3 whether to approve the bond issue.
Feds approve safety design agreement for Parsons nuclear reactor
The U.S. Department of Energy has approved the safety design agreement for the company building a one-mile underground nuclear reactor in Parsons, Kansas. That’s an initial step in the federal safety review process.
Deep Fission says the agreement shows the safety framework around the reactor’s development.
But advocacy group Prairie Dog Alliance in Parsons is still raising concerns. Marjorie Reynolds wants to know what will happen if the reactor project doesn’t work out or is abandoned after nuclear material arrives on site.
"And that leaves the local public and the surrounding landowners up in the air as far as what they can plan for in the future," she said.
Deep Fission did not make anyone available for an interview, but says the company made the agreement public for transparency and to highlight the plan’s safety.
Federal report: Hutchinson explosion caused by fractured weld in gas line
Federal investigators have determined that an explosion at an auto parts building in Hutchinson last year was likely caused by the failure of a 90-year-old natural gas pipeline.
The National Transportation Safety Board says in its final report that the February 2025 blast was linked to a fractured weld on a 10-inch natural gas main.
The main was installed in 1936.
Investigators say natural gas seeped from a crack in the pipeline weld and accumulated inside the building, where an undetermined source ignited it.
The building was evacuated before the explosion, and there were no serious injuries.
Federal money awarded to K-96 project
The Kansas Department of Transportation has been awarded more than $53 million in federal aid to improve K-96 in Wichita.
Sen. Jerry Moran announced the appropriation this week. It is part of a nationwide grant program for freight and highway projects.
The grant will pay for reconstructing and widening areas of K-96 between I-135 and the Kansas Turnpike.
The goal is to improve traffic flow, reduce travel times and provide safter access for school buses and emergency vehicles.
Larned High School teacher wins Harbor Freight contest
A high school carpentry and electrical teacher from Larned High School won $25,000 for himself and $50,000 for his school in the Harbor Freight "Tools for Schools" Prize contest.
Adam Hewson is one of 25 public high school trades teachers in the U.S. to win the award, which recognizes teaching excellence.
More than 550 teachers from 49 states applied for the award.
Harbor Freight says Hewson won the award for his business and industry alignment, his impact on his school, and his connection with the community.
Kansas courts launch text messaging system
The Kansas state court system has launched a new text messaging system.
The service will remind people about upcoming court hearings and is intended to help improve court appearances.
People who register will receive a text message three days before a hearing and again one day before. Officials say the messages will not replace official court notices or orders.
The text system will not be available for some types of cases, including protection from abuse, marriage licenses and state tax warrants.
People can register by visiting hearingreminder.kscourts.gov.
Longtime Royals broadcaster marks 8,000 games
Hall of Fame broadcaster Denny Matthews called his 8,000th Kansas City Royals game this past weekend, a momentous milestone.
Matthews is one of just four Major League Baseball broadcasters to work the booth for more than 50 years. During that time, he’s seen a lot of changes in the sport and the city.
As the Royals plan for a downtown stadium, Matthews told public radio station KCUR he’s interested to see how things shake out.
"You know, everything changes," he said. "We had to go from the old ballpark down at 31st and Brooklyn to Kauffman Stadium. It’s progress."
Matthews was with the team when they moved from Municipal Stadium to Kauffman Stadium in 1973. He plans to continue calling Royals games in the 2027 season.
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