Maternal healthcare. Beef imports. Voter turnout. Mail-in ballots.

By Sherman Smith | editor-in-chief

Good morning! We're reporting on access to maternal health care, ground beef imports, high voter turnout for the primary, the U.S. Postal Service’s plan to strictly regulate mail-in ballots, whether to expand the number of seats on the U.S. Supreme Court, and the impact of government debt on bond markets.

Leslie Bonilla Muñiz/Indiana Capital Chronicle

Kansas report outlines strategies for closing gaps, transforming maternal healthcare

TOPEKA — A new report emphasizes Kansas’ need to improve access to maternity care in underserved areas of the state by broadening insurance coverage and telehealth services, creating regional healthcare partnerships and improving Medicaid reimbursement rates to providers.

The United Methodist Health Ministry Fund’s latest assessment of maternal health urged policymakers to provide mothers and babies better opportunity to receive healthcare by addressing geographic and racial inequities as well as workforce shortages.

The report said a majority of Kansans reside an hour away from facilities capable of dealing with high-risk pregnancies. Kansas women were twice as likely to die during pregnancy, childbirth or postpartum than 20 years ago.

Cami Koons/Iowa Capital Dispatch

Ag secretary: Decision to import ground beef highlights need to boost domestic food production

Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins said Tuesday that a U.S. decision to lower certain tariffs on ground beef imports has highlighted the importance of working to bring more U.S. food production on-shore.

While at the Farm Progress Show in Iowa, Rollins announced a U.S. Department of Agriculture data modernization program and spoke about the Trump administration’s commitment to growing the nation’s beef herd and advancing biofuels.

On Aug. 21, President Donald Trump announced he was suspending quota tariffs on ground beef for 90 days, or long enough for 300,000 metric tons of ground beef to enter the U.S. market, in an effort to lower grocery store prices.

Anna Kaminski/Kansas Reflector

Kansas primary yields second-highest voter turnout in history

TOPEKA — The Aug. 4 primary election, which featured contentious races and a hot-button ballot question, had the second-highest primary voter turnout in Kansas history, according to the Secretary of State’s Office.

More than 650,000 Kansans cast ballots on and leading up to the election, making it second only to turnout in the 2022 election, when more than 922,000 people voted.

Why the rushed Postal Service plan for mail-in voting has states in a panic

President Donald Trump’s executive order placing new restrictions on mail-in voting would assign state officials a Herculean task to reach compliance before the crucial midterm elections.

The order directed the U.S. Postal Service to strictly regulate the envelope design of mail-in ballots and to collect voter data from each state through an online portal, among other things.

9 justices on the Supreme Court or 13? Numbers battle revived in Congress

WASHINGTON — As public opinion of the U.S. Supreme Court flags amid decisions that have roiled the nation, Democrats renewed calls ahead of the midterms to expand the high court, while House Republicans are considering a constitutional amendment this week that proposes to cap the number at nine.

OPINION

By Mark Crosby

Mortgage holders know interest rates have risen over the past year. But they’re not alone: governments and business borrowers are facing the same pressure.

UPCOMING EVENTS

Kansas Reflector staff will participate in the following free public forums.

1-5 p.m. Sept. 6, Smoky Valley Arts & Folklife Center, Lindsborg. Opinion editor Clay Wirestone previews his new book at painter Mike Hartung’s latest exhibit.
3 p.m. Sept. 26, Washburn Library in Topeka. Opinion editor Clay Wirestone will participate in the panel “Why UPK: University Press of Kansas Celebrates 80 Years.” Host: Kansas Book Festival.
2 p.m. Sept. 27, Red Rocks Visitor Center in Emporia. Host: Red Rocks.
7 p.m. Sept. 29, Raven Book Store in Lawrence. Book release event for opinion editor Clay Wirestone’s “Opinionated.” Editor-in-chief Sherman Smith will moderate.
6 p.m. Oct. 12, Riverbank Brewing in Council Grove. Opinion editor Clay Wirestone talks about his book and the latest news. Host: Flint Hills Books.
5:30 p.m. Oct. 19, Frank Carlson Library in Concordia. Host: NCK Voters.
6 p.m. Dec. 3, Prairie Star Restaurant in Manhattan. Host: League of Women Voters of Manhattan and Riley County.

If you're interested in having us talk in your town, email Sherman Smith at [email protected].

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