KS - February 03 2025

1. Kansas Senate Passes Property Tax Relief Bills, House Delays Action
2. Kansas Senators Back Tax-Free Tips Proposal, Echoing Trump Plan
3. China's Record Soybean Imports Rise Amid Trump Tariff Concerns
4. Rose Hill Couple Charged in 6-Year-Old Adoptive Daughter's Death
5. Figure Skating Death Toll Doubles to 28 in Plane Crash
KS Sports

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1. Kansas Senate Passes Property Tax Relief Bills, House Delays Action

Republicans in the Kansas Legislature have put forth a few proposals to cut property taxes, and they are starting to move forward. While the Senate has already passed a pair of bills, the House has yet to vote on property tax relief legislation. The Senate passed a broad property tax relief bill, Senate Bill 35. That bill would cut state property tax levies by 1.5 mills by eliminating a pair of taxes used to fund state educational and institutional buildings, which would instead receive increased funding from the state general fund. The Senate also passed Senate Bill 10, which would exempt a variety of vehicles from property taxes, including ATVs, boats and airplanes. School districts would not lose funding because any lost property tax revenue would be automatically replaced by the state general fund. Both bills had bipartisan support when they passed the Senate on Wednesday, which was Kansas Day. SB 35 passed 38-2 and SB 10 passed 37-3. The House has not yet passed a property tax relief bill. House Speaker Dan Hawkins, R-Wichita, told reporters on Friday that Republicans had "wanted to have a tax bill out real quick," but they have needed more time.

Article Source: Topeka Capitol-Journal

2. Kansas Senators Back Tax-Free Tips Proposal, Echoing Trump Plan

Kansas senators, and one of the state's U.S. senators, announced the state will pursue a tax exemption for tipped income, mirroring a federal proposal from President Donald Trump. Sen. Roger Marshall, R-Kansas, dubbed it part of the "Make Kansas Affordable Again," and said he expects a federal proposal to be part of a reconciliation bill that could be passed between March and June. Marshall said he also is seeking to renew tax cuts passed in Trump's first term, end taxes on Social Security checks and end tax on overtime pay.

Article Source: Topeka Capitol-Journal

3. China's Record Soybean Imports Rise Amid Trump Tariff Concerns

Farm country mostly supported Donald Trump’s election, but soy growers have painful memories of the tariff wars with China unleashed during the first Trump term. despite trade tensions and China’s own tariffs against U.S. ag products, Chinese buyers made a late-season surge of U.S. soybean buys last year. According to Reuters, China imported a record 105.03 million metric tons of soybeans last year. Its import of U.S. soybeans rose 6.5% from 2023, according to Reuters’ calculations of official customs data. Some of that buying may have been stockpiling as a hedge against new tariffs that may be introduced by the incoming Trump administration.

Article Source: HPJ

4. Rose Hill Couple Charged in 6-Year-Old Adoptive Daughter's Death

Two people from Rose Hill are in jail, looking at several charges against them in connection with the death of a six-year-old girl whose remains were found in September in the backyard of a Rose Hill home. Information from the Rose Hill Police Department shows that Crystina Elizabeth Schroer, 50, is booked into jail on charges that include first-degree murder, aggravated kidnapping, four counts of child abuse (torture), felony theft, four counts of forgery, Medicaid fraud and desecration of a corpse. Joseph Shane Schroer, 53, is booked on four counts of child abuse (torture), liability for crimes of another, interference with law enforcement, felony theft and Medicaid fraud. Investigators believe the girl, known as Kennedy Jean Schroer, died in November 2020 when she was six years old. Her body was discovered following an incident with an adult at the home of her adoptive parents, Crystina and Joe Schroer, who took custody of Kennedy in 2018.

Article Source: KWCH

5. Figure Skating Death Toll Doubles to 28 in Plane Crash

U.S. Figure Skating has revised how many of the victims in the American Airlines Flight 5342 crash were from its community. It was initially believed that 14 passengers were from the skating community. It now says 28, almost half of the 60 passengers, were from the skating world. Wichita hosted the figure skating national championships the week before the flight. Some skaters, family members and coaches had stayed longer to attend a development camp at Wichita Ice Center.

Article Source: KSN

KS Sports

Oklahoma City Thunder (38-9, 1st in Western Conference)

•       January 29, 2025: Thunder vs. Golden State Warriors, Thunder lost 109-116.

•       February 1, 2025: Thunder vs. Sacramento Kings, Thunder won 144-110.

Kansas University (15-6, 6-4 in Big 12)

•       January 28, 2025: Kansas vs. UCF, Kansas won 91-87.

•       February 1, 2025: Kansas vs. Baylor, Kansas lost 70-81.

Kansas State University (10-11, 4-6 in Big 12, 9th in Big 12)

•       January 29, 2025: Kansas State vs. Oklahoma State, Kansas State won 85-57.

•       February 1, 2025: Kansas State vs. Iowa State, Kansas State won 80-61.

Wichita State University (11-10, 1-7 in AAC)

•       January 29, 2025: Wichita State vs. North Texas, Wichita State lost 54-58.

KU falls to #16 in AP poll, Mizzou rises to #15  

The Missouri Tigers continue to climb the AP Top 25 rankings. Preseason No. 1 Kansas, meanwhile, continues to drop. Mizzou, ranked No. 20 in last week’s poll, has risen to No. 15 after back-to-back ranked wins over then-No. 16 Ole Miss and then-No. 14 Mississippi State. The Tigers next play at No. 4 Tennessee on Wednesday and vs. No. 10 Texas A&M on Saturday.  Kansas, meanwhile, is on an opposite trajectory. The Jayhawks fell five spots to No. 16 in this week’s poll. Dealing with injuries to starters Dajuan Harris and KJ Adams, Kansas is 3-3 in its last six games. That includes two blown leads late against Houston (six points with the ball in the final 20 seconds of overtime) and Baylor (record 21-point blown lead in a road loss).

Article Source: KC Star

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Sources

1. https://www.cjonline.com/story/news/politics/government/2025/02/03/kansas-lawmakers-move-forward-on-property-tax-relief/78090775007/

2. https://www.cjonline.com/story/news/politics/state/2025/02/03/kansas-senators-want-no-taxes-on-tips-mirroring-trumps-federal-plan/78180122007/

3. https://hpj.com/2025/02/03/soy-growers-prepare-for-a-world-of-tariffs/

4. https://www.kwch.com/2025/02/03/adoptive-parents-arrested-murder-child-abuse-after-girls-remains-found-rose-hill-backyard/

5. https://www.ksn.com/news/local/28-from-figure-skating-community-killed-in-plane-crash

6. https://www.kansascity.com/sports/college/sec/university-of-missouri/article299650369.html?tbref=hp