August 19 2024

1 Kansas Unemployment Hits Three-Year High as Government Job Losses Offset Private Sector Gains
2 Kelly and Kobach Unite to Oppose Nebraska Water Project
3 Kansas AG’s Office Not in Compliance with Public Report on Open Meetings and Records Act Violations
4 Former Kansas Police Chief’s Certification Revoked for Misuse of Surveillance Equipment
5 CULTURE WARS New Planned Parenthood Clinic in Pittsburg Expands Abortion Access
Sports

1 Kansas Unemployment Hits Three-Year High as Government Job Losses Offset Private Sector Gains

The jobless rate in Kansas increased for the fourth consecutive month to 3.2% in July to reach the highest level of unemployment in nearly three years.

“Kansas employers in the private sector added jobs in July. However this growth was offset by a decline in government jobs, which resulted in the overall decrease for total nonfarm estimates,” said Emilie Doerksen, an economist with the state Department of Labor. She said growth in Kansas private sector employment in July centered on professional and business services, but included improvement in the areas of trade, transportation and utilities. In addition to the decline in government employment during July, the state lost jobs in information technology and mining and logging.

Article Source: KS Reflector

2 Kelly and Kobach Unite to Oppose Nebraska Water Project

Kansas Gov. Laura Kelly and Attorney General Kris Kobach joined forces Friday to oppose Nebraska’s planned Platte-Republican interbasin transfer, which they argue would introduce invasive carp that could bring significant harm to Kansas waterways. The transfer would redirect water from the Platte River in Nebraska south toward the Republican River Basin, which enters northern Kansas. It is currently under review by Nebraska’s Department of Natural Resources. Critics warn this could introduce invasive carp species currently found in the Platte River into several key Kansas reservoirs. Kelly and Kobach in a letter Friday to Nebraska Gov. Jim Pillen outline their objections to the transfer. They urge Nebraska to reconsider a plan that “would pose an immediate and dire ecological and economic threat to the vitality of the Republican River Basin in both states.”

Article Source: KS Reflector

3 Kansas AG’s Office Not in Compliance with Public Report on Open Meetings and Records Act Violations

The Kansas Attorney General's Office hasn't completed a report on violations of the Kansas Open Meetings Act and Kansas Open Records Act in almost two years, despite statutory requirements to complete and publish a report annually. The last available report on KOMA and KORA was for fiscal year 2021 and was completed in August 2022 under then-Attorney General Derek Schmidt. A report hasn't been released under current Attorney General Kris Kobach. A public records request revealed that the report for fiscal year 2022, which runs from July 1, 2021, to June 30, 2022, is in the final edits stage and could be released this month.

Article Source: Topeka Capitol-Journal

4 Former Kansas Police Chief’s Certification Revoked for Misuse of Surveillance Equipment

A former Kansas police chief’s certification has been revoked after he used police investigation equipment to keep tabs on his ex-girlfriend. In October of 2023, former Sedgwick Police Chief Lee Nygaard was placed on paid administrative leave while he faced “multiple allegations of misconduct,” according to the City of Sedgwick. The Kansas Commission on Peace Officers’ Standards and Training says Nygaard used a police vehicle to follow his ex-girlfriend and her new boyfriend outside of city limits.

Nygaard initially claimed he was following them due to drug-related issues, but later admitted jealousy was involved in his decisions. KSCPOST adds that Nygaard used Flock license plate readers to run his ex-girlfriend’s tags 164 times between June and October of 2023 and 64 times on her boyfriend’s tag. He originally listed the tag runs as investigations for a missing child, drug use and suspicious activity.

Article Source: KAKE

5 CULTURE WARS New Planned Parenthood Clinic in Pittsburg Expands Abortion Access

A new Planned Parenthood clinic in southeast Kansas will be the closest abortion access point for many people in the South and will provide easier access to reproductive health care for southeast Kansans who previously had to travel to Overland Park. The center, which opens Monday in Pittsburg, expects to have patients from six states in its first five days — Kansas, Missouri, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Texas and Louisiana. Kansas saw a 369% increase in abortions in 2023, with 69% of patients coming from out of state, according to the Guttmacher Institute. For the Trust Women Clinic in Wichita, which was previously the closest city for abortion access for Southern states, 81% of patients were from out of state, with Texas the most common homestate, followed by Oklahoma. Texas and Oklahoma have total abortion bans, with few exceptions.

Article Source: KS Reflector

Sports

The Kansas City Royals swept Cincinnati 3-0 and will start a new series against the Angels tonight. The Kansas City Chiefs lost a close preseason game to the Detroit Lions, 23-24, on Saturday.

Sources

1. https://kansasreflector.com/briefs/loss-of-government-jobs-in-july-pushes-kansas-unemployment-rate-to-3-2/

2. https://kansasreflector.com/2024/08/16/kansas-gov-laura-kelly-ag-kris-kobach-send-joint-letter-opposing-nebraska-plan-to-redirect-water/

3. https://www.cjonline.com/story/news/politics/state/2024/08/19/kansas-ags-office-hasnt-finished-required-annual-report-in-17-months-kris-kobach/74796060007/

4. https://www.kake.com/home/sedgwick-police-chief-tracked-ex-girlfriend-164-times-using-license-plate-cams/article_21fdfdba-5dc5-11ef-95c4-8be8baa3f10c.html

5. https://kansasreflector.com/2024/08/16/new-pittsburg-planned-parenthood-clinic-expands-abortion-access-for-patients-in-and-outside-kansas/