By Anna Kaminski | reporter
Good morning! Read on to learn about the governor’s (presumed) final time voting while in public office, the Johnson County candidates hoping to make systemic changes as state education board members, and more.
Morgan Chilson/Kansas Reflector
Kansas governor votes, celebrates first time in 22 years she’s not on the ballot
TOPEKA — Gov. Laura Kelly voted Tuesday morning, offering a laughing “halleleujah” when she was asked about seeing a ballot that didn’t have her name on it.
“I have told you that I would never run again for an office, and, other than school board, I’m going to stick to that,” she said. “I will see how that goes as time goes on. This is the first time I voted in 22 years, 23 years, my name has not been on the ballot, and it’s nice.”
Submitted
East-central Kansas candidates for state education board aim to balance authority, improve reading
TOPEKA — The three candidates seeking to represent much of Johnson and Miami counties on the Kansas State Board of Education hope to make systemic changes concerning the cell phone ban, reading curriculum and communication with the Legislature.
The candidates, Overland Park Republicans Steve Roberts and Jim McMullen and Olathe Democrat Amy Diediker, just have different ideas on how to make those changes.
Sherman Smith/Kansas Reflector
OPINION
GOP messaging on Kansas judicial selection amendment has a democracy-sized sincerity problem
By Richard Pund
As early voting in Kansas continues, the Vote Yes campaign on the judicial selection amendment seems to have a messaging problem.
If you believe the yard signs and social media posts, the Kansas Republican Party is all-in on democracy. It wants voters to Choose Democracy and Vote Yes in favor of the amendment to elect our Supreme Court judges.
Unfortunately for them, not everyone is staying on-message.
Rise in US preteen suicide rate alarms mental health experts
The number of preteens — ages 8 to 12 — who die by suicide in the United States each year is relatively small. But the total in 2025 was 194 — the most since at least 2001, according to preliminary data from the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Reflecting Pool damaged before Olympian charged with felony touched it, witness says
WASHINGTON — Attorneys representing the former Olympic canoeist charged with damaging part of the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool have asked the judge in the case to release more information from the grand jury.
David Hearn’s legal team wrote in a motion that “the Government’s sole grand-jury witness on damages testified that the property was already damaged before Mr. Hearn allegedly touched it; that the same repairs would have been required regardless of Mr. Hearn’s conduct; and that he could not quantify any loss attributable to that conduct.”
UPCOMING EVENTS
Kansas Reflector staff will participate in the following free public forums.
6 p.m. Aug. 12, Celtic Fox in Topeka. Editor-in-chief Sherman Smith will answer audience questions about Kansas Reflector reporting on the primary and general elections. Host: Capital Area Democratic Women's Club.
2 p.m. Sept. 27, Red Rocks Visitor Center in Emporia. Host: Red Rocks.
If you're interested in having us talk in your town, email Sherman Smith at [email protected].
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