July 24 2024

1 KS students increasingly opt for online schooling
2 KS unemployment rate creeps up to 3.1%
3 Kansas Democratic delegates endorse Harris
4 Kansas Highway Patrol issues 1500 100+ mph speeding tickets
5 CULTURE WARS Abortion survey delayed pending lawsuit in 2025
Sports

1 KS students increasingly opt for online schooling

Wichita back-to-school season weeks away, more districts are expanding online learning programs and with open enrollment starting this year, they’re expecting more online learnings. The 2024-25 school year will be the first in Kansas with open enrollment, giving students the chance to attend schools outside of the district in which they live. It’s already having an impact on online learning. “What we’re finding is we’re actually losing some students. Some students come to us because of dissatisfaction with their current district now with the option of many other districts that have open enrollment. They’ve applied there and and some of our students have chosen to go there instead of E-Academy,” said Andover eCademy Principal Mark Templin. Some school districts, like Derby, are launching online learning academies for the first time for the 2024-25 school year. United Teachers of Wichita Vice President Mike Harris said while options will continue to expand, he doesn’t expect in-person classes to be affected. “I don’t know if the public is rushing to decrease the opportunities for their kids to be involved in traditional brick-and-motor classrooms and traditional learning environments,” Harris said. Templin said despite more competition, online schools will continue to fill up. ‘The student may be involved in athletics or an activity that the school doesn’t offer, and some students just like learning virtually and not dealing with all of the things that they may have to deal with in a traditional brick-and-mortar school,” he said. “Plus, colleges are going more and more to virtual education.”

Article Source: KWCH

2 KS unemployment rate creeps up to 3.1%

Preliminary estimates reported by the Labor Market Information Services (LMIS) division of the Kansas Department of Labor (KDOL) and the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) show a seasonally adjusted unemployment rate of 3.1% in June. This is an increase from 2.9% in May and an increase from 2.6% in June 2023.

County level data

Article Source: KS DOL

3 Kansas Democratic delegates endorse Harris

Kansas Democratic delegates to the national convention endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris for president after a secret meeting Monday evening. The Kansas Democratic Party announced the delegation's endorsement in a news release a day after President Joe Biden announced he was dropping out of the race.

Article Source: Topeka Capitol-Journal

4 Kansas Highway Patrol issues 1500 100+ mph speeding tickets

Kansas Highway Patrol troopers have issued more than 1,500 citations for speeds greater than 100 mph so far this year. According to Trooper Ben, as of July 22, 1,501 citations for speeds greater than 100 mph have been issued to drivers.

Article Source: KSN

5 CULTURE WARS Abortion survey delayed pending lawsuit in 2025

Kansas won’t require abortion providers to survey women about why they’re seeking an abortion as a lawsuit against the new rules plays out in court. Lawyers for the abortion providers and Kansas Attorney General Kris Kobach reached an agreement in recent days to hold off on enforcing the survey requirement until a final judgment in the legal challenge, which is potentially years away. In exchange, a trial over the rules was delayed until at least next summer, giving both sides more time to prepare.The deal indefinitely pauses enforcement of HB 2749, a law championed by abortion opponents, who say the survey will produce additional data that can be used to persuade women not to end their pregnancies. The Republican-controlled Legislature enacted the measure this spring over the veto of Democratic Gov. Laura Kelly. Kansas has emerged as a critical access point for abortion in the center of the country since the U.S. Supreme Court struck down the federal right to an abortion in 2022. The state’s regulations are closely watched in part because of the large numbers of out-of-state patients who are traveling to Kansas for abortions.

Article Source: Wichita Eagle

Sports

Royals 2 v AZ Diamondbacks 6

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Royals v AZ Diamondbacks

Sources

1. https://www.kwch.com/2024/07/24/more-districts-expanding-online-learning-programs-open-enrollment-begins/

2. https://klic.dol.ks.gov/vosnet/gsipub/documentView.aspx?enc=O+qpCkhjA+v3dzYVbAEMjQ==

3. https://www.cjonline.com/story/news/politics/elections/2024/07/23/kansas-democratic-delegates-endorse-vp-kamala-harris-for-president/74510505007

4. https://www.ksn.com/news/state-regional/khp-troopers-have-issued-over-1-5k-speeding-citations-for-drivers-going-100-mph/

5. https://www.kansas.com/news/politics-government/article290344874.html