Prefiled bill would release millions in school bond funds from Kansas attorney general’s grasp

Two Kansas legislators prefiled a bill that would deliver millions in voter-approved school bonds that were blocked earlier this year because of a strict ruling from the Kansas attorney general. Voters in the Greeley County school district approved in May a $4.6 million school bond that was to be used for upgrades and renovations, but because the county — the smallest in Kansas with a population of just less than 1,200 — doesn’t have an elections website, the Kansas Attorney General’s Office refused to release the funds. The Attorney General’s Office, which is responsible for validating every bond election in the [...]

From more than 650 submissions received in the span of just a week, the City of Lawrence has chosen the winner of the 2024 snowplow naming contest: Taylor Drift. “This creative, punny name captured the hearts of our judging panel and will soon grace one of the hardworking snow plows that keep our streets clear and safe during winter weather,” the city announced in a news release ... Source: The Lawrence Times

Kansas Supreme Court Justice K.J. Wall said ... the state is “approaching a constitutional crisis” with a shortage of attorneys in rural areas, and that “equity and justice” are at stake. Wall spoke at a news conference in Concordia as a committee tasked with studying the crisis over the past two years unveiled a report that offers recommendations for attracting more attorneys to practice in rural areas. The report also presents stark data: Outside of the state’s five most-populous counties, just 21% of active attorneys serve 45% of the state’s population. One-third of the attorneys in those 100 rural counties are over the age [...]