Gov. Laura Kelly called Attorney General Kris Kobach’s lawsuit against her “low-rent political theater” and a waste of taxpayer money. A judge just threw it out. www.kansascity.com/news/politic...

Christy Davis believes she knows rural Kansas better than Roger Marshall. The former USDA official is challenging him as a Democrat in 2026. www.kansascity.com/news/politic...

The court ruled that a Leawood rehabilitation center was wrong for denying a prospective employee a religious exemption to the COVID-19 vaccine requirement. www.kansascity.com/news/politic...

This high-stakes Johnson County trial could reshape abortion access in Kansas. My colleague @bymatthewkelly.bsky.social lays out the details. www.kansascity.com/news/politic...

Two Overland Park abortion clinics — Hodes & Nauser and Planned Parenthood Great Plains — are challenging a bevy of Kansas abortion laws that they claim are designed to scare and shame women out of terminating pregnancies. www.kansascity.com/news/politic...

Sen. Roger Marshall, who spent decades as a practicing OB-GYN, said he believes “using Tylenol short-term” during pregnancies is “OK.” www.kansascity.com/news/politic...

Katie Allen accused KSDE of “bowing to the vigilante clamoring” by terminating her employment after she called Kirk’s death “well deserved" in a Facebook comment she quickly deleted. www.kansascity.com/news/politic...

The DOJ filed a statement of interest in federal court on Tuesday, characterizing the city’s resistance as an illegal effort to undermine the federal government’s immigration enforcement. www.kansascity.com/news/politic...

Kansas missed another deadline for complying with the Trump administration’s demand to turn over SNAP beneficiaries’ personal information. www.kansascity.com/news/politic...

“He had just come to get accolades from people that liked him — thought that he was going to be praised.” www.kansascity.com/news/politic...

Carving up Johnson County to dilute its voting power mid-decade would likely be unpopular and legally tenuous, lawmakers told The Star. www.kansascity.com/news/politic...

The Trump administration has threatened to withhold at least $10 million for Kansas’ food assistance program if officials don’t comply. www.kansascity.com/news/politic...

The suit derides the “bizarre giraffe-neck appendage” of a new congressional district that splits Kansas City along its historic racial dividing line. www.kansascity.com/news/politic...

Senior party leaders have placed several calls to prominent Missouri Democrats in recent days, asking them to consider running for Congress. www.kansascity.com/news/politic...

Speaking at St. James Church, pastors described it as a moral imperative for Missourians to reject Gov. Mike Kehoe’s redistricting plan, which would divide Kansas City into three separate congressional districts. www.kansascity.com/news/politic...

The veto referendum process has been used as recently as 2017 to block unpopular legislation from becoming law in Missouri. www.kansascity.com/news/politic...

The complaint says law enforcement told New York Times reporter Kevin Draper “the device was likely planted by parties concerned about the reporting that he was doing.” www.kansascity.com/news/politic...

Doing so would require a massive overhaul of the state’s congressional maps to break up Johnson County’s voting power. www.kansascity.com/news/politic...

Cleaver, 80, said he plans to run for reelection next year, even if Missouri Republicans’ redrawn congressional maps manage to withstand legal challenges. www.kansascity.com/news/politic...

Philip Sarnecki is the seventh Johnson County candidate to announce a 2026 campaign for governor of Kansas. www.kansascity.com/news/politic...

A GOP-led gerrymander would attempt to further divide liberal-leaning communities in the Kansas City metro and oust Rep. Sharice Davids. www.kansascity.com/news/politic...

November vote could be strike three for high school baseball/softball complex in Louisburg www.kansascity.com/news/politic...

Missouri is headed for perhaps the most explosive special session in recent history over limits to both representative and direct democracy. Details on gerrymandering push: www.kansascity.com/news/politic... And limits to direct democracy: www.kansascity.com/news/politic...

If Doug Billings wants to continue his campaign, he and a new running mate will have to re-file with the Secretary of State’s office. www.kansascity.com/news/politic...

“A lot of people assume that the mayor’s role is like 40 hours a week,” Carolyn Caiharr said, calling the job “very part-time.” www.kansascity.com/news/politic...

Phi Gamma Delta and Phi Delta Theta have maintained chapters at their Lawrence frat houses for more than three years since a damning university hazing investigation led to both fraternities being suspended. www.kansascity.com/news/local/a...

Doug Billings, an Olathe podcaster running to be the next governor of Kansas, has been accused of soliciting a $2,700 donation for campaign software and pocketing the money. Read more at: www.kansascity.com/news/politic...

Leawood attorney Larkin Walsh pledged to be “the type of justice that all Kansans deserve.” The process used to pick her faces a polarizing referendum vote next year. www.kansascity.com/news/politic...

Leavenworth’s efforts to block CoreCivic from reopening its jail facility as an immigrant detention center without a permit are an attempt to supersede federal laws and block President Donald Trump’s policy agenda, the for-profit prison chain argued in court. www.kansascity.com/news/politic...

The second-term Republican lawmaker said he’s resigning his seat to be a caregiver for his wife, who is battling Parkinson’s disease. www.kansascity.com/news/politic...

A police spokesperson said KCKPD sent officers to the Mexican restaurant at the request of federal immigration authorities. www.kansascity.com/news/local/a...

Kansas 811 records show an underground utilities locator was unable to mark the sewer line, citing the muddy worksite as a potential hazard. www.kansascity.com/news/local/a...

“We are deeply indebted to the many voices throughout our community who spoke up in support of public schools.” www.kansascity.com/news/politic...

Federal funding cuts will force both states to make difficult decisions about what Medicaid services to scale back or eliminate. www.kansascity.com/news/politic...

Like Kansas City’s NPR and PBS stations, KKFI will feel the impact of Congress’ decision to claw back more than $1 billion from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting. www.kansascity.com/news/local/a...

The Missouri senator has positioned himself as a vocal supporter of Israel and has previously condemned pro-Palestinian demonstrations on college campuses as antisemitic. www.kansascity.com/news/politic...

It’s among the changes being required by the Kansas Board of Regents in response to Republican lawmakers’ push to purge diversity initiatives at state universities. www.kansascity.com/news/politic...

In anticipation of the return to campus, The Star asked students, parents and campus housing officials to share their tips for making the experience as hassle-free as possible. www.kansascity.com/news/local/e...

UPDATED: Gov. Laura Kelly, a Democrat who can’t run again next year due to term limits, appeared to throw her weight behind state Sen. Ethan Corson’s bid to succeed her in a social media post that stopped just short of an explicit endorsement.

With state Sen. Ethan Corson’s entrance into the 2026 governor’s race, half of the declared candidates hail from Johnson County. www.kansascity.com/news/politic...

So far, 11 candidates have launched their bids to succeed term-limited Democratic Gov. Laura Kelly. www.kansascity.com/news/politic...

Masterson has defined himself in opposition to Gov. Laura Kelly over the last four years, enacting legislation despite the Democratic governor’s vetoes and working to minimize her role in critical activities, such as shaping the state budget. www.kansascity.com/news/politic...

A Leavenworth judge denied CoreCivic’s request to reverse a temporary restraining order blocking the for-profit prison from housing roughly 1,000 immigrant detainees. www.kansascity.com/news/politic...

The legislation to claw back more than $1 billion of previously approved funding for public broadcasters was led in the Senate by Missouri Republican Eric Schmitt. www.kansascity.com/news/politic...

The Disability Rights Center of Kansas stands to lose more than 60% of its guaranteed federal funding in 2026 if the Trump administration’s budget proposals are adopted as written. My latest for The Wichita Eagle www.kansas.com/news/politic...

In his petition for review, Kobach disputed the Court of Appeals’ assessment that “sex” and “gender” have distinct definitions under Kansas law. www.kansascity.com/news/politic...

The Missouri State Highway Patrol says the chase began on boat and ended in the woods surrounding the lake. www.kansascity.com/news/local/c...

Kansas politicians are accusing each other of playing favorites in the negotiations to lure one or both of the Kansas City Chiefs and Royals across the Missouri border. www.kansascity.com/news/politic...

Former KC City Council member Heather Hall was selected for the board that oversees the police force her husband used to serve on. www.kansascity.com/news/politic...

The rollback of sick leave protections is the latest example of Missouri officials relitigating and undermining policies enacted by voters through direct democracy. Story w/ @kacen.bsky.social www.kansascity.com/news/politic...