State Rep. Marvin Robinson II, a Kansas City, Kansas, Democrat, died of pancreatic cancer. He was 67. The U.S. Navy veteran served one term in the Kansas House and just lost reelection in a crowded Democratic primary. He was controversial in his party for siding with Republicans on some high-profile issues. He was one of […]
Transgender Athletes
Posted inElections
A Kansas City-area Democrat who backed transgender sports ban loses reelection
The Kansas Democrat who cast a decisive vote that banned transgender athletes from girls’ and women’s sports teams has lost reelection. Rep. Marvin Robinson, a Kansas City, Kansas, Democrat, joined Republicans in 2023 to overturn the governor’s veto of the Fairness in Women’s Sports Act. The law requires athletes in high schools and public colleges […]
Posted inElections
Steve Huebert, Jesse McCurry, Darren Pugh running in Wichita Kansas House Republican primary for District 90
Incumbent state Rep. Carl Maughan suspended his reelection campaign after a DUI arrest. That drew three challengers — Steve Huebert, Jesse McCurry and Darren Pugh — into the Republican primary for District 90. The winner of the primary takes on Tracy Edingfield in the general election this November. The primary election is Aug. 6. You […]
Posted inElections
Jill Ward and David Hickman: Get to know the Wichita-area primary candidates
Two conservative candidates — Jill Ward and David Hickman — are running for a Kansas House seat after the retirement of longtime state Rep. Brenda Landwehr. Landwehr was first elected in 1997 and stayed in office until 2012. She then returned to office in 2017. But her possible replacements in the Republican primary have little […]
Posted inKansas
Chase Blasi takes on J.C. Moore in Kansas Senate Republican primary for District 26
Incumbent Sen. Chase Blasi, a Wichita Republican, is trying to defend his Statehouse seat from J.C. Moore, who has served in the Legislature before. Moore sells himself as more of a moderate Republican while Blasi leans more conservative in a key Republican primary race. The winner of the primary takes on Raymond Shore Jr. in the […]
Posted inState Government
A year later, the Kansas trans athlete ban appears to matter more as a symbol than in practice
It’s been a year since Kansas lawmakers banned transgender women from women’s sports in schools or colleges. But the hotly debated issue — banning trans female athletes from girls’ and women’s sports has been a pet issue of Republican-controlled legislatures across the country — appears to have had little practical effect so far in Kansas. […]
Posted inKansas State Government
It took three years for Kansas lawmakers to ban trans athletes from girls’ teams. What happens now?
Transgender and nonbinary student athletes will no longer be allowed to play on girls’ sports teams in Kansas schools, following the state legislature’s override of Gov. Laura Kelly’s veto of House Bill 2238. The Kansas trans sports ban does not restrict who might play on boys’ teams. The override is the culmination of a three-year […]
Posted inEducation, Kansas State Government
Tuition, sports and free speech: How Kansas lawmakers want to change higher education in 2023
Among the sponsored bills are proposals that would make it easier to evade vaccine requirements, require colleges to provide platforms for a wide variety of viewpoints, and make community college and medical school more affordable for students in high-demand areas.
Posted inKansas State Government
‘This isn’t about athletics:’ Bill banning transgender athletes from school teams vetoed by Gov. Kelly
Editor’s note: We updated this story on April 19 to reflect that Rep. Susan Estes was absent for the April 1 vote on Senate Bill 160. Gov. Laura Kelly vetoed a ban on transgender female athletes on Friday, striking down the hot-button issue for the second year and setting up a possible showdown with supporters […]