By Morgan Chilson | senior reporter
Good morning! President Donald Trump will make a second visit to Kansas to show his support for Republican politicians in the state. He’ll be in Salina Saturday, and Sherman Smith and I will cover the event.
Speaking of elections — and they’re certainly what’s absorbing our time these days — the Kansas Reflector Voter Guide is online. Check it out and track our coverage of the candidates.
Thad Allton forKansas Reflector
Top Republicans keep visiting Kansas and encouraging people to vote
TOPEKA — Before Vice President JD Vance was finished speaking Monday in Topeka, Republicans announced President Donald Trump would make his second visit to the state in as many weeks.
The White House has made itself visible in Kansas, drawing thousands to Olathe, the Wichita area and Topeka, and Trump is expected to do the same Saturday morning in Salina.
Top Republicans in the Trump administration have cycled through Kansas in the lead-up to the Nov. 3 midterm election, mostly to campaign for U.S. Sen. Roger Marshall and other Republicans running for public office, including gubernatorial candidate Ty Masterson.
Thad Allton/Kansas Reflector
Debate on fuel price hikes filtering into Kansas campaigns for US Senate, governor
TOPEKA — Vice President JD Vance blamed “tinpot dictators” in the Middle East, former President Joe Biden and other Democrats for surging gasoline and diesel prices in Kansas.
Vance didn’t attribute higher U.S. fuel prices on President Donald Trump or Republicans controlling Congress during his Tuesday speech in Topeka designed to bolster the campaign of Republican U.S. Sen. Roger Marshall, who finds himself in a tight race with Democrat Adam Hamilton.
Sherman Smith/Kansas Reflector
Fort Hays State’s Sternberg Museum will remain open after outpouring of support
TOPEKA — The Sternberg Museum of Natural History will remain open after fear of its closure pushed donors to gift $1.2 million toward its operating expenses, the president of Fort Hays State University told a legislative committee Monday.
Despite the museum’s reprieve, legislators challenged the way Tisa Mason, who has led the university since 2017, managed the recent announcement the museum would close and also her reasoning for deciding to cut the facility from FHSU’s budget.
OPINION
President Donald Trump came to Kansas and enraptured an audience with bunkum. I fear for us.
By Marsha Hayes
With midwestern naivete, I thought I could attend the rally in Park City on Oct. 19, hear President Donald Trump speak and determine for myself the validity of the “news.”
Was Trump a doddering, senile shell? Was his MAGA base cheering barely controlled bloodhounds on the hunt for immigrants? Were the radical left lunatics bent upon disrupting a sitting president?
Wyandotte/Kansas City lawsuit settled, setting guidelines for local control on Chiefs project
TOPEKA — A lawsuit filed by local government officials challenging the state of Kansas over its deal with the Kansas City Chiefs to build a stadium was settled Friday.
The Unified Government of Wyandotte County and Kansas City sued the state over concerns it was losing local control.
Trump’s DOJ sends 1,000 election monitors to 50 states; locations not yet disclosed
The U.S. Department of Justice plans to send election monitors to every state ahead of Election Day, expanding a long-standing practice that’s spurred concern this year among Democrats and voting rights advocates because of President Donald Trump’s push to influence elections.
Early voting surges in midterm elections as millions cast their ballots nationwide
WASHINGTON — Tens of millions of Americans have already made their way to the ballot box as early voting is underway in a midterm election that will determine control of the House and the Senate, possibly flipping one or both from Republicans to Democrats.
KANSAS REFLECTOR PODCAST
What is a Kansas accent? Research reveals perceptions of Kansas speech
The way we speak is a culmination of our life experiences, according to Jeff Holliday, a linguist and professor at the University of Kansas. He and Lacey Wade, also a professor and linguist at KU, recently authored research on how people inside and outside of Kansas perceive Kansas speech.
Follow Kansas Reflector wherever you get your podcasts. Browse all episodes.
UPCOMING EVENTS
Kansas Reflector staff will participate in the following free public forums.
1o a.m. Nov. 14, Constitution Hall in Topeka. Clay Wirestone speaks with veteran journalist Jim McLean. Host: Kansas Oral History Project.
2 p.m. Nov. 15, Volland Foundation Alma. Clay Wirestone in conversation with editor Sherman Smith. Host: Volland, A Place for Art and Community.
6 p.m. Nov. 21, Flagship Books, Kansas City, Kansas. Clay Wirestone speaks and answers questions about his book.
6 p.m. Dec. 3, Prairie Star Restaurant in Manhattan. Host: League of Women Voters of Manhattan and Riley County.
10:30 a.m. Jan. 9, Lawrence Public Library. Host: Women for Kansas of Lawrence/Douglas County.
If you're interested in having us talk in your town, email Sherman Smith at [email protected].
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