By Anna Kaminski | reporter
Good morning, and happy Saturday.
Read on for stories about state funds reallocated from one vulnerable group to another, a controversial high school yearbook and more. Enjoy your Labor Day weekend (and thank the union member nearest you for their hard work).
Sherman Smith/Kansas Reflector
Kansas Republicans assert state agency improperly shifted cash among disability service programs
TOPEKA — Republicans on a legislative budget committee renewed discontent Friday with Gov. Laura Kelly’s administration, which reallocated millions of dollars that could have benefitted Kansans with intellectual or developmental disabilities.
Instead, GOP lawmakers said, approximately $24 million that should have been targeted at 5,300 people on the state’s I/DD waiting list was transferred internally by the Kansas Department for Aging and Disability Services.
Jacinda Hall for Kansas Reflector
Derby High School yearbook faces backlash, but student press advocates defend free speech
DERBY — When the Derby High School yearbook from the 2025-2026 school year was distributed at the school’s back-to-school night at the beginning of August, students, parents and politicians were quick to react.
Many remarks had to do with content, specifically the pages with student’s hot takes. One student was quoted saying “Trump is the worst president in US history.” Another student was shown in drag. One page was dedicated to the protests against ICE.
John Sykes/Arkansas Advocate
OPINION
What to do if your vote is challenged: Practical advice as midterm elections approach
By Karen Figueroa-Clewett
As the 2026 midterm elections enter the final stretch, it’s important to know your rights in case your vote is challenged.
The best way to ensure that your vote is counted is to advocate for yourself. I’m a an attorney and lecturer for the University of Southern California’s undergraduate civil rights advocacy initiative, Agents of Change. Here are several straightforward ways to ensure your vote is counted and two practical remedies for you to consider if your vote remains challenged.
Kansas Legislature extends disaster declaration in response to Wyandotte County storm
TOPEKA — Top leadership of the Kansas Legislature agreed to extend for one month until Oct. 4 a disaster declaration for Wyandotte County to support recovery from damage caused by strong winds, hail and rain during a severe August storm.
The Legislative Coordinating Council, which can act on behalf of the state when the Legislature wasn’t in session, voted unanimously Thursday to endorse the extension as crews continued to remove vegetive debris and support operations to reconnect basic services to businesses and homes.
Federal appeals court to consider Louisiana’s arguments for banning telehealth abortion
Next week, the U.S. 5th Circuit Court of Appeals will consider Louisiana’s arguments for tightening federal policy around a common abortion and miscarriage drug. The primary target of Louisiana v. Food and Drug Administration and similar lawsuits against mifepristone is to end a Biden-era policy allowing abortion pills to be prescribed without an in-person visit with a provider.
Developers eye Native nations, tribal communities for new data center projects
Officials in Page, Arizona, a small city near the Glen Canyon Dam, passed a land sale agreement last fall that establishes a framework for future construction of a data center.
The sale of the 500-acre parcel about a mile away from the Colorado River’s Horseshoe Bend — one of the most visited natural landmarks in the Glen Canyon National Recreation Area — to Huntley LLC for $7 million specifies that the company intends to build a 1 gigawatt data center.
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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