The 2022 primary is no ordinary election day in Kansas. This year, every voter can vote — even unaffiliated voters who may be unaccustomed to voting in primaries. On all ballots: a proposed constitutional amendment that would remove the right to an abortion from the Kansas Constitution. On party-affiliated ballots: primary elections for U.S. Senate […]
Kansas
Posted inAccountability, Elections, Kansas State Government
Follow the money: Who is funding Kansas abortion amendment ads?
It’s been hard to avoid: yard signs, robocalls, postcards in the mail, Facebook ads and commercials on TV and YouTube. All admonishing Kansans to vote on Aug. 2 on the Kansas abortion amendment that would add language to state’s constitution to take away a state constitutional right to an abortion. The amendment was placed on […]
Posted inElections, Kansas State Government
Kansas will be the first state to vote on abortion after Roe. Here’s how we got here.
When the U.S. Supreme Court issued its decision in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization on June 24, the court not only repealed federal constitutional protections for abortion by overturning Roe v. Wade and Planned Parenthood v. Casey, it shifted the battle over abortion rights to the states. Kansas is the first battleground. Voters here […]
Posted inCivic Engagement, Elections
Kansas Voter Help Desk: Your questions answered
The Beacon is here to answer your questions about voting in the November general election. We will respond directly to readers’ questions as they come in, and we will also publish the answers here and in our newsletter. Submit your questions about voting in Kansas using this form, by email to miranda@thebeacon.media, or through The […]
Posted inCivic Engagement, Elections, Kansas State Government, Lea en Español, Local Government
¿Votará en las primarias de Kansas? Esto es lo que puede esperar al emitir su voto
Las elecciones primarias de Kansas son el 2 de agosto, pero los votantes no tienen que esperar tanto tiempo para votar. Ya sea que vote el día de las elecciones, por correo o antes de las elecciones en persona, The Beacon ha creado una guía para ayudarlo a prepararse. ¿Cómo verifico mi información en el […]
Posted inCivic Engagement, Elections, Kansas State Government, Local Government
Voting in the Kansas primary? Here’s what to expect when casting your ballot
The Kansas primary election is on Aug. 2, but voters don’t have to wait that long to vote. Whether you vote on election day, by mail, or early in person, The Beacon has created a guide to help you prepare for the Kansas primary. How do I check my voter registration information? When do I […]
Posted inKansas State Government
Nearly a million Kansans lack quality internet. This grant might fix that.
Once considered a luxury, high-speed internet is now considered a necessity by many policymakers, said Jade Piros de Carvalho, director of the Kansas Office of Broadband Development. Quality internet is especially valuable in rural communities where it may be required for access to health care and other services.
“I think what the pandemic did is it really highlighted that communities that don’t have broadband aren’t going to be able to innovate in the same way,” Piros de Carvalho said. “They’re not going to be able to grow and thrive.”
Posted inHousing, Local Government
Kansas has $56 million to help homeowners struggling to pay their mortgage following pandemic
In the first quarter of 2022, the state of Kansas had nearly 10,000 past-due mortgages. Six of 10 of those mortgages were at least three months late and considered seriously delinquent, according to Marilyn Stanley, the program director for the Kansas Homeowner Assistance Fund. A new $56.6 million statewide program funded by the federal American […]
Posted inEducation, Kansas State Government
Open enrollment, childhood literacy included in Kansas’ $6.4 billion education budget
Kansas lawmakers did not include the additional $30 million in special education funding Gov. Laura Kelly requested.
Posted inKansas State Government
Follow the money: How Kansas lawmakers are spending $3.1 billion in budget surplus
Editor’s note: The story was revised to clarify that the state’s 2022 budget has a $2.7 billion surplus and a projected $3.1 billion surplus for the 2023 budget. In a stark turn from its more austere budgetary past, the state of Kansas will likely close out the fiscal year in June with a larger-than-expected $2.7 […]