News

As last-minute shoppers crowd Wichita stores before Christmas, police are stepping up patrols, which includes officers on horseback as part of an effort to crack down on shoplifting. Mounted officers can see over crowds, spot suspicious behavior faster, and respond quickly if someone tries to make a run for it. While some shoppers are rushing from store to store, others are stopping to notice something a little different. “Our kids love animals. When they were pulling in, we saw them, and we said, ‘Hey kids, look at the horses,'” said Rader. Those horses belong to the WPD’s mounted patrol unit. They [...]

The Morton County attorney and the county commissioners want a new sheriff in town. County Attorney David Thompson and the Board of County Commissioners released a joint statement Thursday saying Sheriff Thad Earls and his staff have refused to resign. So they want the attorney general to step in and force Earls out of office. The officials said in a news release that their grounds for the ouster are misconduct and neglect of duty. Read more: KSN-TV

Kansas Governor Laura Kelly issued a state of disaster emergency declaration impacting the entirety of the Sunflower State. Kelly issued the declaration for all 105 counties in Kansas on Dec. 17. She cited delays in the delivery of propane for heating purposes as the cause for the declaration. “As every Kansan knows, our winters can become dangerously cold at times,” Kelly said. “We want to make sure every person has access to a steady supply of heating fuel throughout the winter months, particularly those in rural areas who depend on propane to warm their homes.” Read more: KSN-TV

Marion is now considering changing a city logo it has used in one form or another for a couple of decades. The city is asking members of the public to create their own designs and submit them by the end of January to a city logo design competition. “Maybe it’s time to do something fresher,” economic development director Megan Jones said. Read more: Marion County RECORD

President Donald Trump took the first step Thursday to reclassify marijuana, but the move won’t affect Kansans unless the state changes its laws, a law enforcement professional said. Trump signed an executive order to drop marijuana from a Schedule I drug under the Controlled Substances Act to a Schedule III drug. In 2023, the Department of Health and Human Services recommended the change, indicating marijuana has medical use. The change doesn’t take immediate effect on the federal level, but it will not affect Kansans unless laws are changed, said Ed Klumpp, a retired Topeka police chief and a lobbyist for the Kansas Peace [...]

School board officials for USD 247 agreed to close Southeast Elementary School in Weir at the end of the 2025-26 school year, according to the Pittsburg Morning Sun. A dropping enrollment coupled with projected renovations in excess of $750,000 to the 109-year-old school, prompted the decision. A public hearing Tuesday to discuss the issue was held at the district’s high school in Cherokee. Ten attended. The population of Weir, which is southwest of Pittsburg, is about 560. Read more: The Iola Register

High winds whipping across Kansas quickly spread grass fires in areas across the state Thursday and forced the evacuation of a Buhler elementary school and an area in Reno County. Buhler USD 313 said on Facebook around 1:45 p.m. that Plum Creek Elementary was being evacuated because of a nearby grass fire. Read more: Wichita Eagle

Crawford County commissioners extended a moratorium on certain energy development projects in Crawford County through 2026. The Commission voted Dec. 12 to prohibit solar and wind development for a year, while commissioners develop a new comprehensive plan, the Pittsburg Morning Sun reported. The moratorium was amended to include digital mining centers for such things as cryptocurrency, the newspaper reported, while a second moratorium is in the works to address nuclear energy. Read more: The Iola Register

Synopsis: County election officers’ duty to destroy ballots pursuant to K.S.A. 25-2708(b) is directory and not mandatory, and such duty must give way to a search warrant or subpoena compelling the production or preservation of such ballots pursuant to a criminal prosecution or investigation. However, mere notice of a pending criminal investigation is likely not enough to forestall the directive to destroy ballots. Cited herein: K.S.A. 25-2708. Read more: Kansas Attorney General Opinions

Synopsis: K.S.A. 79-2988(b)’s use of the word “shall” is mandatory. K.S.A. 79-2988(b)(2) states a governing body seeking to exceed the revenue neutral rate shall notify the county clerk about the date, time, and location of the public hearing on or before July 20. Because the Sedan City Clerk notified the Chautauqua County Clerk of a new hearing date less than 10 days before September 2, 2025, this statutory requirement was not met. Thus, the county clerk lacked statutory authority to send out a second notice. But, in a situation where a public hearing is rescheduled and the governing body notifies the [...]